Runaway Devil

I hadn't realized that the gentle rocking of the car would've put me to sleep. My nap was short-lived and shallow, every few minutes something would wake me just enough for me to know that I was asleep. I didn't know where we were going or how long we had been driving. I couldn't bring myself to care all that much.

A warm hand on my thigh woke me from my light doze. I cracked my eye open and sat up. "Hey, sleeping beauty," Alec said with a smile. He glanced at me and turned the radio up. I hummed, cracked my neck, and stretched my back. A news reporter's voice droned on but I wasn't fully registering what he was saying. I looked out the window and found the sun already starting its slow descent behind the trees. Had I slept all day? "Kara?"

I looked at Alec and saw that he was already looking at me expectantly. "Did you say something?"

"Listen," he gestured to the radio. It was a new report about wildlife.

"... and you said that it's not just coyotes?"

"That's right. We've noticed a sharp decline in bobcats. And not only that but we've been seeing more and more female bears without young, which isn't normal for this time of year..."

"Where is this?" I asked.

"Memphis, Tennessee. You think it's worth our time?" Alec had one hand on the wheel with his other wrist resting on the gear shift.

"I know that I alone put a dent in the deer population. There's at least three or four of them if that many animals are disappearing," They were demons, it wasn't unheard of for them to wipe out entire regions of wildlife.

"And why don't they just eat human food?"

I shrugged. "There's not enough of it. It takes a lot to keep our bodies going, and we metabolize food quickly," I took off my new sunglasses and tucked them into my jacket pocket. "When we do get to eat, we need a lot. And feeding a whole hunting party of demons? Forget it."

"When did you last eat?" I thought about it for a second. I couldn't remember. I cocked my head to the side, trying to think.

"Uuuhhhh... a couple weeks?" I couldn't put my finger on it, I remembered the herd of deer Balan and I partook in. But I couldn't think of anything after that.

"How often do you need to eat?"

"More than that," I grimaced. No wonder I was sleeping less than usual, and more irritable, I was fucking hungry. Alec shook his head and pulled into the farthest lane to the right. He pulled off the road, cut the headlights, and turned the car off. There was barely anyone on the road, the highway looked deserted in both directions. "What are you doing?

"You need to go eat, and now is the best opportunity. There's no one around and it's getting dark out. Take Balan, I'm sure he could go for a stretch," He looked over his shoulder into the back seat where Balan was grumpily curled up. He chirped and clicked his beak. I looked from him to Alec, my mouth slightly ajar.

"You're just okay with me hunting and eating with you right here?"

"Why would I give a fuck? It's easier than trying to find somewhere to sit down and eat, we need to keep moving." I looked at him for a few more seconds before unbuckling my seat belt. I was halfway out the door when I paused.

"Would you... want me to bring you... anything?" As soon as the question was out of my mouth I wanted to punch myself in the face. He stared at me for what felt like an eternity before a smile crept onto his face. I could see the amusement in his eye and heard it in his voice.

"No thanks, I'm good." I nodded and quickly moved into the forested area. That was a fucking stupid question. No, Kara, of course he wouldn't want a dead, raw woodland creature. You sick fuck, he probably only eats normal human food. But no, you have to hunch over wild animals like an animal yourself. After I was out of sight I smacked my forehead with my palm.

Balan grunted and glided off to find his own dinner. I took a deep breath and set off at a jog. After a few minutes, I picked up on the scent of something being enough to satisfy me. I pulled my talons forward, followed by my fangs. I had to make this quick.

The small stream I found was cold. I rinsed my hands and washed my face, swishing water in my mouth before spitting it out. I picked a chunk of meat from between my teeth and swallowed it. As I picked the blood from under my nails, I ran my tongue over my teeth.

I had a moment of stark realization. I never cleaned up after a hunt. I always snuck back into my apartment, blood, grime, and all. I was cleaning myself up for the angel's sake. I couldn't imagine traveling with a bloody, dirty demon was any more pleasant than traveling with a clean one.

I smiled despite myself.

Alec was leaning against the car, arms crossed over his chest, upon my return. The sun had officially set, shrouding everything in thick darkness. He looked up when he heard me approach.

"All good?" I nodded and scratched my neck. "We can stop whenever you need, you don't have to go that long without eating any more. You just have to tell me—"

"You don't need to worry about that. I can eat when we stop to rest, I just let it slip this time." Balan landed on my shoulder without warning or announcement. His belly was full and satisfied. He would probably sleep for a while once we got going. Alec looked at me like he was trying to tell if I was lying or not.

He nodded and got into the passenger seat. I guess that meant it was my turn to drive. I slid into the driver's seat and looked at Alec. My feet were at least half a foot from the peddles. He tried to hide his smile by folding his lips in, but I saw it in his eyes. I shook my head and adjusted the seat, a small laugh escaping my own mouth. "You lanky jackass."

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a pipsqueak," he said.

"This pipsqueak has kicked your ass multiple times, sir. " He hummed and made himself comfortable as I pulled back onto the road.

"Stay on this road then merge onto I-71 south. We'll ride that all the way to Memphis," He crossed his arms and rested his head back, closing his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.

The angel warmed the cab of the car as if the whole thing was snuggled beneath a heated blanket. His head was back, his thick neck exposed. I found myself glancing at it, imagining my lips on the warm skin. I caught myself a few times, thanking silently that he was asleep.

I focused on the road and listened to him snore softly next to me. I felt the demons' presence on the outskirts of my mind, they were loud. A demon's energy was distinctly different from humans. It was like their mental frequencies were on a different channel, they were vibrant and didn't fit into their surroundings. They got louder and louder the closer we got to Memphis.

I had just passed through Bristol, Tennessee. We would be in Memphis by morning. I rested my head on my hand, my elbow braced on the driver's side door. I glanced at Alec in the corner of my eye, he twitched in his sleep a few times, his neck tensing before relaxing again. I wondered what he was dreaming about. I thought of my own dreams. My sleep was changing, my nightmares used to be more frequent, more violent. They used to follow me into the waking hours. I would wake up feeling gutted, and in some cases, I would literally be gutted. They would disrupt my physical body to the point of feeling weak and depleted.

The haunting voice of Dusty was new though. I heard it again as if I was still dreaming. His voice echoed through my head, a shadow of the real thing. I suddenly felt disconnected, my body didn't feel like my own. A quiet feeling of dis-ease wrapped around me, swaddling me in displaced anxiety. I sat up and placed my other hand on the steering wheel, my weak attempt at grounding. I pressed down on the accelerator and felt the car's transmission jump into the next gear.

It felt like I was running. I was clawing desperately to get away from something. I felt like a raw nerve, just stinging like an open wound, pulsing, and frayed. Tears blurred my vision and I quickly blinked them away. I didn't know what was after me. But it had a single purpose, and whatever it was, it would hurt.