Back at Bledsford motel, Darrius sat contemplating what he saw. He could still imagine he heard Ann's voice carrying in the wind. His dreams had been a prediction, and he had found it trying to run from it. Darrius was certain he would have plenty of trauma left to work through. He felt himself drifting into shock.
Some scratching at the door made Darrius's heart skip a beat. How could Ann, or whatever the hell it is, know where he was? He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and willed his body over to the peep hole. Darrius gasped. There sat Pip, leaning weakly to one side.
"Pip, boy!" Darrius threw open the door, ecstatic to see his companion. He froze and looked around outside once more. She wasn't around. Darrius hugged Pip close. The dog had lost some fur and had several scratches in his side where Ann attacked him.
All Darrius had wanted was a break from expectations, from his nightmares, so he could decide his next steps in life. Pip sacrificed so much to ensure Darrius got to safety.
Pip curled up at the foot of Darrius's motel bed and slept. Darrius was soon to follow after such a long day, despite the terrifying events.
How could a robot like Ann be so advanced? What was wrong with it? Darrius had seen the red eyes and wires under the "borrowed" skin. The image was burned into his mind and were some of his last before sleep.
* * *
If Darrius had any dreams that night, he didn't remember them. Whether they were about Ann, or anything else, he preferred to sleep that way.
The air was strangely still on the ride back to his Aunt Leda in Oaksville. No one was likely to believe Darrius's story. He had no proof of what happened. One thing was for sure though, Darrius was keeping Pip. The dog might have saved his life, after all.
After all that had happened, Darrius felt less scared of his future. What he faced couldn't possibly be more terrifying than life.
Darrius finally knew what he wanted to do with his future. He was going to attend college for mechanics, and specialize in robotics.