The Devil's Assistant (Watty Awards Finalist 2011)

devil's assistant [29]

As promised. remember it's unedited. i finished this about two minutes ago and haven't even reread so excuse the mistakes. I hope you enjoy it xx

Chapter 28

I hastily made a tourniquet out of some bloodied and muddied rags from the floor. I tried not to think of the possible infection this man was going to get and instead tied the material tightly around his leg, ignoring when he winced and yelp under my ministrations. I never said I was a nurse so it eased a bit of my guilt though it still made me flinch to hear his pain and misery. Though if I let myself hear it I would have heard much more suffering and pain around me than just the man whose leg was in my hands.

“How’s that?” I questioned patting his leg but instantly cringing when I saw his face contort with pain out of the corner of my eye. It was weird because I was only just noting the hue of his skin; it was decidedly blue while his hair was a beautiful aqua green that fell around his face in calm mellow waves. I got the impression that this man was more like the sea than merely his looks.

“That’s fine,” he replied, his voice coming out several octaves than it should.

Sheepishly getting to my feet, I held out my hand to him. He had been kind enough to do some weird earth people mumbo jumbo and move Marianna’s body to somewhere safe so I felt a helping hand was the least I could do. He grasped it tightly and pulled himself off the ground nearly tugging me onto the floor in the process as I was so surprised by the sheer amount of weight tugging on my arm. Heck I teetered for a moment before I managed to somehow balance us out and get him up on his feet.

Glancing around, I was sickened by the engagements on every side of me. Blood was splattering out in the air in every direction only to be picked up by the strong winds that were bearing down on us so that it became a read mist, coating everything it touched in the blood of the dead. I gagged and turned away, wanting nothing more than to run and hide from the monstrosity behind me.

 So many of them wanted no part in the blood shed but were merely controlled by the puppet masters. And quite frankly I wanted nothing more than to destroy these kids for hurting so many people. To hurt them for making mums, daughters, fathers and sons fight people who actually had full control of their body and mind. I shook my head back and forth as my hands balled into fists and began to tremble with the anger now flooding my veins. To think how much the survivors are going to be scarred but this.

“Come on,” a voice urged me and I jumped startled at the presence of the blue man. I had totally forgotten he was there but it brought me back to the situation at hand.

“What’s your name?” I questioned as he edged away from the battle and towards the monsters behind this entire thing. It was weird that I hadn’t gotten his name before but it only felt right to ask considering he already knew my name.

“Ian,” he informed me with a small smile. My mouth dropped open. I was not expecting his name to be so- ordinary. Guessing my thoughts he chuckled. “My name is longer but everyone calls me Ian, they have done for the past seven thousand years, you know those nicknames that just sort of stick.” I nodded my head and then quickly ducked when I heard the whoosh of a sword.

Glancing up I saw Ian withdraw his blade from a middle aged man whose blade fell short of Ian’s blue skin but probably would have skewered me if I hadn’t ducked. The man smiled at Ian in gratitude as his hands were finally able to release the sword a moment before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground. I stared at the body in front of me and poked him in the arm. I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or saddened that another person was dead. I could only hope that his death wouldn’t have been for nothing.