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“We could have at least finished the job and delivered her corpse there. Who knows what they could have done in Purgatory. They might have been able to put her back together and bring her back. You know, maybe get some answers,” she spouted out, and it was my turn to roll my eyes.
“Yeah, right. Like they have Necromancers there. They are extinct for a reason, Kaye,” I shot back.
“Okay, forget about the Necro, you’re right,” Kay conceded. “And I understand the need to cleanse the area and burn her shack, but is burning her body to ashes really necessary?” She followed me around the area, keeping an eye out for any more of Julia’s pets.
My jaw dropped as I turned, clutching my chest, and took in my best friend. “Of course it is. The witch tried to have us eaten by her walking alligator closet.” Kaye’s deadpan look wasn’t impressed. “Oh, that reminds me. We need to skin that damn thing. I’m taking it as a souvenir.” Kaye sighed, and I sucked on my teeth before looking at her and gave her a sorrowful look. “Look, I know I fucked up. I’m sorry. I really am,” I said as she gave me a doubtful look. “But you and I both know it happens on the job. If she would have just come and not fought back, none of this would have happened in the first place. We’ll just say it was a code DF5 and call it a day.” I shrugged.
‘You are hopeless, you know that?’ Thorn snorted but didn’t leave his spot in the middle of the clearing.
While I chopped up Julia Brown’s body and threw her into the fire, Kaye gave Thorn medical attention. Since he had gone through an ordeal, he was too tired to help clean up the place.
‘Whose the one that’s helpless? At least I can still move with a knife wound in my freaking arm. You have a sprain, so obviously, you’re dying,’ I pointed out, picking up one of the twigs that we had used for his splint earlier.
Lighting it from the bonfire, I threw it towards the shack and watched in awe as it went up in flames. I took a few minutes to ensure the flames didn’t get out of hand before returning to Kaye and her packs of tricks.
“You know Defiant Fucker level 5 isn’t a real code right,” Kaye said giving me a mocking smirk.
“Yeah. Yeah. But you’re the one who knows all the real codes and our made-up ones. That’s why you’re the smart one in this group,” I said, buttering her up to handle this mess. Even though it was my lead, Kaye, I learned the hard way, was the one who could sweet talk the Pope out of his clothes. “Got anything in there that will blow air?”
“Besides my best friend and Thorn?” she sassed back, and my eye roll couldn’t be contained.
“Oh, come on, Kaye. I obviously fucked up this assignment, but if I bring back some skin for our dads, it might win us some points,” I emphasize.
“You can’t fool me. Our parents dote on us like we can do no wrong. This is for you and your petty ass.” She gave me a knowing look that I couldn’t dispute. She knows me too well.
“Okay, fine,” I said, pulling my knife free and making a few slits into his arms, behind his head, and waiting for Kaye.
“Here, it’s like a little air compressor,” she stated, handing me a small hand device.
“Seriously, what all do you have in that fucking bag? It’s like a bottomless bag,” I say aimlessly.
“It kinda is from what I’ve been told, but I don’t treat it as one. I would never find what I needed if that was the case.” She pulled out some twine and grimaced. “Sorry. I don’t have another bag, but you can bundle it up with this.”
It was better than nothing. I took it as I looked at the setting sun. Shit. We didn’t have long before we were plummeted back into darkness.
I wasn’t big on hunting, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t gone with my father before, so I knew how to skin regular animals like deer and wild boar. But this alligator was a new one for me. I assumed it was basically the same thing, though. I figured since the old hag wanted to feed us to her walking alligator collection, Kaye and I could mark this moment with our own belts. Our last mission before becoming full-fledged Reapers.
Using the air compressor, I blew air into its body, elevating the scales as a way to make it easier to skin it. Thankfully, I had him skinned and the scales bundled up in record time.
“What do you plan on doing with all of that anyway?” Kaye asked as she threw her pack over her shoulder.
I made a makeshift sling with the scales, I threw it over my good shoulder and looked at Thorn.
‘Sorry, buddy. You’re gonna have to limp out of here like the rest of us,’ I clarified, only to get a row of gums and teeth as my answer.
He could be upset all he wanted; all of us were injured, and I couldn’t carry him.
“I figured we needed something to remember our last mission before our safety net is yanked from us.” I smiled as I reached down and grabbed a piece of meat from the skinless alligator. The bonfire I had burned Julia in had died down to embers, so it was nothing to rub a piece of meat in the ashes and throw the meat close to the water.
It landed with a thunk, and moments later, I could see ripples in the water heading our way.
“I think it’s time to leave,” Kaye said, backing up.
“Yep, I couldn’t agree more.” At least this way, they could come and eat their own, cleaning up what I’d done.
We turned, and I led the way back to our lanterns, which surprisingly were still in one piece and still lit. We made it back to our floating piece of log, but this time, both Kaye and I used the paddles to maneuver us back down the bayou. It worked out great since I could use my right arm, and her left one wasn’t injured, it just took us longer getting back to Jules dock than finding Julia Brown.
“Look! There’s his dock!” Kaye cried out, taking a break to wipe the sweat from her brow.
