Angel (Cody Daniels Book 1)

Chapter 13

Neither of us could drive,  and we couldn't exactly make our getaway on horseback. So, when I'd loaded up we headed into the woods that surrounded the farm.

I'd convinced Hayden to put the assault rifle back with some difficulty. Sure, I'd feel better having one, but we would never blend in with it.

After nearly an hour of running, we came across the stream that we'd gone fishing in a few months ago. That's when I heard a rustling in the trees not too far away.

Apparently Hayden heard it too, because she grabbed my arm and dragged me into the stream.

I raised my eyebrows, but didn't have time to climb back out again. The two of us sunk to our necks in the water, and hung close to the bank so that our backs were pressed against the mud. The demon stopped just a few metres short of the water's edge, and I pressed myself closer to the bank, trying not to splash or shiver.

I heard a growl of anger from above. "I've lost their scent." the demon we'd knocked unconscious said in anger.

"What do you mean?" Thondrea asked worriedly.

"What do you think I mean?" the first demon hissed. "They must've cut across the river. All the sweat and human got washed off them."

"Shit." Thondrea said. "Lucifer won't be h-"

There was a slight scuffle, and I held my breath nervously.

"Do you wish to die, fool?" the first demon spat angrily. "Do not say his name, not here. Not ever. He will be angry enough when he finds out we've lost the boy."

I wondered if my thudding heart would leave ripples in the water as fear wound my stomach up into tight knots. I waited impatiently for what felt like hours, but couldn't have been any longer than four or five minutes.

The demons passed, and it was another ten minutes or so before we actually moved. Eventually, the cold got to me and I climbed, with difficulty, up onto the muddy banks.

I helped Hayden out, and for a moment we both just lay in the mid, shivering violently.

"Sorry," she said eventually with chattering teeth. "I figured the water would mask our smell. And we didn't have time to hide anywhere else."

"It's fine, don't worry." I said, sitting up. It was dark now, around ten o'clock I'd have guessed.

"We need to keep moving. The smell won't put them off for long." Hayden got up, shivering.

"We could go back to the farm," I suggested. "We both need dry clothes, and I'm starving-"

"No," Hayden said firmly. "They'll have someone waiting there for us. We've got to keep going."

"Okay then." I said wearily. "Lead the way."

***

All I could say was that it was lucky that Hayden had grown up near these forests. Everything looked identical and I was lost within just a couple of minutes.

The trees were mostly old and tall, casting deep shadows through the forest. Occasionally, there'd be a gap in the leaves above and I'd get a look at the moon or the stars shining brightly high above before they were smothered by the leaves again.

It had started to rain just when we were drying off, leaving us completely soaked through again.

We must've stopped around midnight, still shivering in our wet clothes. We had reached a small village that, according to Hayden, was currently abandoned. Something about bad economy. Whatever.