Blood Moon Lake

Chapter 23

My legs ached, and my breath came out in short bursts. Leaning against a tree, I lowered Luke's body to the ground.

Not stopping to rest was a bad idea. As the sun came up, Luke had paled and begun to sway. Then the prick passed out. The demons must have gotten him worse than I thought.

It doesn't matter because he left me to drag his dumb ass through the woods. It wouldn't be that big of a problem if he weren't so heavy! The moron had to go and be twice my size, making him awkward to carry!

I glared at his unconscious body. He so owes me for this. Sliding to the ground, I stretched my injured leg out to let it rest. The demon got it good, but thankfully, it clotted. If it hadn't, I'd be unconscious beside Luke.

Letting out an exhausted sigh, I leaned against a tree. Rays of sunshine streamed through the branches onto my face. Bloody hell, it's hot. Out of all the seasons, this had to happen; it was summer. The hottest time of the year. If it were winter, we'd have some sort of water! Which we don't have because we forgot the bloody backpack! That thing probably had better bandages in it, too!

A twig snapped in the distance, and my eyes snapped open. Quietly moving so I could see in the direction it came from, I saw nothing but trees. ...I don't trust it. Pushing away from the tree, I bent down and picked Luke back up. Slinging him over my shoulders, I wrapped a hand around his ankle and another around his wrist to keep him still.

I started creeping away from the noise. Demons may be dead, but noise still attracts. Though it could be nothing, piss off. The last time I told myself that, I told Luke he was being paranoid. And he wasn't! He and I thought something was off, but I chalked it up to paranoia. I'm not making that mistake again.

Carefully maneuvering through the woods, I tried making as little noise as possible. May not be the fastest way to travel, but it is the best method to stay undetected. Heh, guess years of sneaking around my apartment are coming in handy.

Continuing to weave my way around the various forms of wildlife, I kept my ears open for any more noise. Greer's smart, they'll probably know to stay silent, but everyone slips up eventually. I would know. When they do, I fully intend on hearing it.

As we I (Don't think Luke counts since the bugger passed out.) progressed, the trees began to thin. I grinned. Where nature ends. Humans begin.

Increasing my pace, I made a beeline for the thinnest spot in the tree line. With each step, I moved faster. We're almost out. Screw other people dying. Luke can cry about it when he wakes up in a hospital. The demons are dead, and I want out of this. Margret can take care of Greer herself. Old Hag should have done it in the first place.

Breaking through the treeline, I was spat into a small ditch. Hobbling up the hill as fast as I could, I came to a small dirt road. Searching the road for cars, I frowned. It was empty. I sighed, not much of a surprise. It's probably a back road used by locals... Which means someone must live nearby. This road must turn off into someone's driveway!

Speed walking down the road, I moved as quickly and swiftly as I could with my aching leg and hundred-pound backpack. The dirt stirred beneath my feet, drifting up before settling back into a new spot. Hobbling along, I kept an eye out for any turn-offs.

The sooner I find a house, the better. I'm not too keen on letting Luke bleed out. I'm not living alone. If I'm getting out of here, someone's coming with me. Couldn't be any of my friends, fine. Couldn't be two of Luke's, fine. But I refuse to let Luke go. Whether he likes it or not.

I'm not sure how far I made it, but I could feel my left leg beginning to drag behind me. Searching around off in the distance was a small house with what looked like a barn behind it. Forcing myself into a jog, I ran down the driveway and approached the building. No lights were on, but it looked well-kept and lived in. Climbing the steps, I let go of Luke's ankle and pounded on the door. There was no reply.