Nightfall

Chapter 8: A Girl

I laughed a little at her comment, although it came out more like a gasping moan. A mix of pain and joy permeated my body. I'd won, but the cost was heavy.

Ruby looked me over as I recovered. When she glanced down at my arm her eyes went wide. Leaping over me, she pulled out a rag and started wiping away the blood of the demon with a ferocity I had not seen in her before, save for today.

I looked at her with confusion and wheezed, "Hey calm down it's just blood, I'll clean it off when I can. There's no need to go crazy. I'm fine. Ish."

Ruby halted her maniacal scrubbing and sat back on the balls of her feet. She pointed at the blood on my arm and asked incredulously, "Does that not hurt you?"

I rolled my head to the side and inspected my arm. The sleeve from my jacket had been pushed up from the punch and left my arm completely exposed with the exception of my fingerless gloves. My skin was awash with the dark, oily blood of the demon. I closed my fist, released it, and pumped my arm a few times to test it. A slight tingle was present as if it had fallen asleep, and my whole arm ached from the punishment it had gone through in the fight. However, nothing I felt seemed to be caused by the blood, and it wasn't at all painful.

I looked back to her, "No, it feels fine, what's so surprising about that? It's just blood."

Ruby reached over and touched the blood on my arm with her exposed fingers. The instant she made contact there was a hissing noise and she sharply recoiled. I smelt the stench of burnt flesh.

Well, I should rephrase that. The stench of burnt flesh became momentarily stronger. I was lying next to a huge, burnt up demon after all.

Ruby showed me her hand and explained, "Demon blood is like a super potent acid to everything but demons. Most animals and humans can't even touch it without receiving an injury like this."

She showed me her hand. Her fingers were red and blistered where she had touched the blood on my arm. I stared for a second at her burns then looked back at the blood coating my exposed skin. My arm felt fine apart from a few bruises that were already forming. For some reason the demon blood didn't affect me like it affected Ruby.

I attempted a shrug, "I dunno, maybe it's because I have a demon inside me?"

Ruby stared at it for a few more seconds and agreed reluctantly. Her face portrayed obvious doubt, but she could not come up with a better answer. So with a sigh she sat down next to me and asked how I felt. Instead of using words I simply gestured to my leg in reply and she went quiet; no more explanation was necessary.

We sat for a minute in silence, listening to each other breath as the pain in my leg gradually built up. When the adrenaline in me had faded away, and it got to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore, I told Ruby to help me to my feet and get me to a doctor. I desperately asked for painkillers through my sharp breaths, but, unfortunately, she informed me that while she normally did have some she had not resupplied recently because she had been training me. In other words, I would have to walk with the pain of a broken leg all the way back to the helicopter. The words sunk in as my eyes started watering.

I grit my teeth as Ruby started to help me to my feet. However, after barely getting off the ground she stopped and set me back down on the dirt. She told me that she had to get proof of the kill and she stepped over me onto the back of the dead demon. I watched in mild disgust as she turned towards its head, raised her staff, spun it a few times, then brought the blades down on the back of the demon's neck. It took several slices to decapitate it, but Ruby did it expertly, taking only a few seconds.

After the head had thudded to the ground Ruby summoned a meat hook attached to a chain and sunk the hook into the demons stunted neck. She put her staff away and attached the end of the chain to her jeans. The chain was long enough she could attach it to herself and drag the head behind her safely without touching it.