A Friend to the Darkness. Katherine Rathbone

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      I looked from Seth’s grin, to Sera’s uncomfortable face, and thought I probably didn’t want to know more.

      But I needed to know more. “Do you force them to? Like how Lucifer tried to force me to get him a drink that one time?” My heart thudded as I waited for the answer.

      “No.” They both looked at me steadily.

      “Ok then. Let’s train.” They both looked relieved that I dropped the subject of pets.

      They pushed me hard, and over the coming weeks, I started feeling really strong. I decided I liked the way my body felt, and took up running on the nights when mum was home. My aim with the knives improved, and I started to feel like I might be able to defend myself with my favourite double bladed knife, the one Sera had given me at first. Against a human, at any rate.

      Eight.

      I was running down by the river, the night my world changed forever. I entered a small clearing, and there were two figures there waiting for me. They were tall, around the same height as Sera. Unlike my friends, their legs ended in cloven hooves, and they had forked tails. Their skin was a brighter red, and their talons were jagged and dirty. Their horns were massive, and curled like a ram’s. I pulled up short, my heart pounding.

      “Uh, hi.” I said nervously. “Did Lucifer send you?”

      They laughed, a grating, awful sound. “We were sent by Satan. We will destroy you in His name.” I was confused, but didn’t hang around for clarification. I rabbited off into the bush, running for my life and praying hard for my friends. I couldn’t form words in my mind, but I focussed hard on imagining them appearing, and chanted their names over and over. They didn’t appear. The demons behind me laughed, and as I leapt over a fallen log, one of them grabbed my pony tail and savagely yanked me back.

      I screamed in pain, and scrambled for the knife hidden in the small of my back. I managed to grab it as I scrambled to my feet. A demon swung at me, and it glanced off my cheek as I dodged. Pain bloomed in my face, and I felt blood start to roll down my face. I swung wildly with the knife, forgetting most of what Sera had taught me. I screamed for Seth. He had never let me down before.

      A demon grabbed me from behind and twisted my arm until I dropped the knife. The second one sliced my shirt with its talons, and traced patterns on my stomach. I squealed as he pressed harder, slicing into my skin. They laughed, an ugly, cruel sound, and I decided that once I died and entered Hell I was going to find a way to tear these fuckers apart. They were enjoying playing with me, enjoying my pain and fear. The demon sliced another line into my abdomen, and I decided I was going to go down fighting tooth and nail. I yanked my arms, but the demon behind me just tightened his grip. I felt his talons cut into me. He pulled me backwards, to punish me I guess. I heard my shoulder pop before it exploded with pain. I squealed and saw stars.

      And Seth. He was almost naked, barefoot, bare- chested, and only wearing boxers. His hair was in disarray. I decided he must actually be there, because I didn’t think I could have imagined him looking like that. He took in the situation, and a cold hard rage covered his face. He spotted my knife on the ground and swooped it up, running as he bent, and leapt onto the back of the demon facing me. He yanked the knife across its throat and snarled. Hot, red blood spurted over me, and I smiled in relief.

      The demon holding me picked me up and threw me to the side. I tried to tuck and roll like Seth had shown me, but my arm wouldn’t do what I asked and I landed awkwardly on the ground. Seth had gracefully leapt over the corpse of the first demon as it fell, and was now crouched low, weaving side to side like a snake, grinning ferally at the second demon. It roared, and charged him.

      Seth danced. He wasn’t fighting to kill, he was fighting to punish. Soon, the demon was covered in blood- its own, this time- and Seth’s lean body had bright crimson splash-back patterns all over it. It was almost beautiful, in a barbaric way, the way the two shades of red complemented each other. Eventually, Seth had had enough, or he remembered I was there, and he opened the demons’ gut, allowing its entrails to spill out. I thought that it was curious that they had entrails, given they didn’t need to eat. Seth grabbed a hand of each of the demons, the dead one and the almost dead one, and disappeared.

      “The fuck?!” I said it aloud to no one. I couldn’t believe he’d just left me there. I struggled to my feet, and leaned against a nearby tree while I waited for my head to stop spinning.

      “What are you doing?” Seth sounded exasperated.

      “Well, you left. I have to get home somehow.” I retorted, glaring at him.

      He sighed. “I had to get rid of them, dear one. I left them for Satan to find.” A vicious grin briefly flitted across his face.

      “We’re calling him Satan now? I thought he preferred Lucifer?”

      Seth clapped a hand over his mouth. “Oops. No, we’re not talking about that. That is Lucifer’s territory. Come on, let’s get you patched up.” He approached me with his hands held out.

      I straightened from my tree, and took his hands. He watched me carefully, and we were standing outside of a small cabin, nestled in thick bushland. Slowly he let my hands go, making sure I could stand by myself, and opened the door. He gestured for me to enter. I took a step and stumbled. He caught me with an arm around my waist, and guided me inside, seating me on a chair. His overly warm skin was comforting. He glanced down at his blood covered form, and winced. “Give me two seconds, dear one.”

      He disappeared briefly, and when he returned, he was clean and soaking wet. He smiled gently, and strode over to a cupboard, sluicing water off of himself with his hands. He pulled bandages, tape, and gauze out, and tossed them onto the table next to me. He found a large bowl, and started to fill it.

      “Ah, Seth?” I questioned.

      “Hmm?”

      “Can we maybe do something about my shoulder sooner rather than later? It’s bothering me more than the blood.” I was trying to be nonchalant, but the pain was clouding my mind.

      Ha glanced at me sharply. “Take your shirt off and let me see.”

      I frowned at him. He rolled his eyes, and said gruffly, “You’ve got a bra on. I’ve seen you wear more revealing bathers.”

      I blushed, and tried to get my ruined shirt off, but I couldn’t manage. I gasped in pain. He gently sliced the shirt to ribbons, getting it off without my having to move at all. “Thanks.” I said awkwardly. He smiled absentmindedly, and studied my shoulder, before carefully and gently trying to move the joint. I screamed. Again. He frowned and shook his head, then closed his eyes for a moment. He looked kind of mad when he opened them again.

      “I just tried to call the others. We’ll give them a moment, but if they don’t show up, we’ll have to fix it ourselves.” He fetched me a glass of water, and I sipped at it perfunctorily.

      After a couple of minutes, Seth shook his head in annoyance, and said, “I guess it’s just us. Lay on the ground, on your back.” Gingerly, I did as instructed. “Ok, it’s dislocated. We’re going to have to pop it back in.” His tone was business like.

      “Shouldn’t I go to a hospital?!” I exclaimed, looking at him worriedly.

      Seriously, he stared back at me. “I can take you to a hospital if you want. But then your mum will find out how badly you’re СКАЧАТЬ