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The shack was just over the next ridge and behind some trees. We crept in closer and that's when I heard the moaning. Someone was in pain. At least the demon hadn't died while I was gone.
"Come on, the sooner we get him the meds, the better."
Kate hid behind me as we walked into the shack. She gasped when she caught sight of Gabe, still trussed to the bed. His half-naked body glistened with sweat and he thrashed back in forth in a delirious fever. I rushed forward with a bottle of water and some ibuprofen to help bring down his temperature.
"Here, drink," I said.
He wasn't awake enough to take the meds, so I crawled onto the bed and cradled his head in my lap. Kate remained silent from the other side of the room. I was pretty sure she was judging me, but I didn’t have time to worry about it. Gabe’s perfect lips parted slightly in a weak breath, so I pushed a tablet onto his tongue and slowly dribbled the water into his mouth.
After a little cough, he tilted his head forward and drank from the bottle, as if he hadn't drunk anything in days. The rest of the tablets went down smoothly and once the bottle was finished, he laid his head back down on my lap and sighed.
I wasn't sure what to do, but somehow my fingers found their way to his thick hair and began softly stroking it. It's what I imagined someone would do for a sick person. I didn't know for sure. Granny wasn't exactly the nurturing type and usually left me alone when I was sick as a child.
His eyes opened for the tiniest moment, flashing green at me. I could've sworn I saw recognition and thanks in them, but they closed before I could know for sure. His hand moved across the blanket and covered my free hand, squeezing it tight.
The fiery touch of his hand on mine left me feeling dizzy and confused. I shouldn’t be here, comforting him. I should hate him. But I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. Instead, I continued stroking his hair until his chest rose and fell again in sleepy deep breaths and his hand fell back to the bed.
"He's beautiful," Kate said after I'd climbed out of the bed. "I mean, absolutely gorgeous. I didn't know demons could look like that."
I nodded. It’d been a surprise to me too.
“How long has he been here?” Kate looked around the shack, her eyes pausing at the pile of food I’d left for him.
“Only a couple days. I thought he’d be better today and I’d be able to let him go, but he got worse overnight.”
She looked at me with one eyebrow raised. “You sure seem comfortable with a guy you only met a couple days ago. Have you been meeting in the woods before now?”
“No,” I sputtered. “Well, I mean, I saw him one other time. But we never spoke. I just watched him fight the other demons.”
Both her eyebrows raised this time. “You’ve been watching demons fight? I thought they only roamed the southern woods.”
I avoided her eyes and fidgeted in place, but she already knew.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been going into the southern woods?” She threw a hand to her forehead and gasped. “How often do you go there?”
I squirmed and grimaced at her. “A few times.”
“A year? A month? What does that mean?”
There was no getting out of this question, so I sighed. “A week. I like to hike there a few times a week. It’s the only place I feel like I can get away.”
Kate gasped again and her mouth opened wide in shock. “Lizzy Redding, you are putting yourself in danger every time you go into those southern woods. You know the goddess can’t protect you there. It’s like spitting in the goddess’ face every time you go beyond our borders.”
“I don’t mean to insult her,” I said in a rush. “I just can’t seem to help myself. It’s like they’re calling to me. I love it out here. It feels like the home I never had.”
Kate snapped her mouth shut. She knew as well as I did that growing up under Granny’s thumb hadn’t been easy. Her mother had tried to step in to those roles that Granny didn’t think necessary to fill. When it was parent’s day at school, Kate’s mom had filled in for Granny. When it was my turn to bring treats on my birthday, Kate’s mom always had a fresh batch of cupcakes ready for me to take. Kate knew better than anyone that I never felt at home in Granny’s house.
A moan from Gabe brought us back to the present. He wasn’t thrashing anymore, but his skin still had the sickly pale look of someone in need of medical attention.
"Come on,” I said to Kate. “Let's get this shot over with."
I rolled up the sleeves of my t-shirt and pulled the syringe out of my pocket. Neither of us were very qualified to be Gabe's nurse, but I'd googled some directions on my phone before we got here. All I had to do was get the right amount of penicillin in the syringe and inject it into his arm. If all went well, he'd be back to normal by this time tomorrow.
"Give me the medicine." I held my hand out to Kate for the penicillin bottle.
> She was staring at Gabe, her eyes wide with fear. I knew that look. It was the look that always proceeded a lecture about following the rules.
"Are you sure you should do this?" Kate asked. Her eyes flickered between me and Gabe. "He's a demon. He doesn't deserve to live. You know that. The elders would never allow us to help him if they knew."
