Jake closed his eyes, looking up to the ceiling and twining his finger through the sheet underneath him. Then Alexis's words came to him. "He is." Jake agreed tightly. "Why don't you hurt him? Make him pay for doing bad things to others, to you? You could bite him, or..." Or kill him. He wanted to kill Dan but was afraid of the guy. How strong was he, really? He'd bet ten dollars against Tim a few months back in an arm wrestling wager and thought he'd have a pretty good chance since Tim is so lean, but he'd lost in fewer seconds than he had wagered dollars. What if Dan were made of iron inside? What if he could throw a punch that killed him with one strike?

He wouldn't put that up to bet. He had a whole hell of a lot more to lose than ten dollars now. He wished his phone would work. He hadn't bothered trying it out again, knowing he wouldn't get any service and he'd rather not feel even more helpless than he already was.