Page 67 of Painless
“Do you, um...” I watched as she cut away what little remained of his clothes, exposing the charred, raw flesh of his back. “Do you need me to do anything?”
Her eyes lifted to mine. Maybe it was the shock of everything going on, but I no longer felt uncomfortable with her looking at me.
“Can you get Dallas, please? Wrap him in a sheet and put him somewhere until, you know, until we can…”
“Yes, of course.”
“Be safe out there, Shadow.”
“I will, Mariposa.”
I’d moved bodies before,but never one of my own brothers.
Dallas and I weren’t close, but he was a good man, and a good Demon. I didn’t know if there was any social etiquette to treat dead comrades a certain way, but it felt wrong to just drag him along the ground.
I found several dark sheets and wrapped him up tightly in the street. All the while I watched for more drones, and shot a few more down that came close. Most of our people seemed to be safely inside, but the drones kept coming. The teargas seemed to be dissipating now. I could see clearer, but the chemicals still itched the hell out of my eyes and sinuses.
When I finished wrapping Dallas’s body, I slung him over my shoulder like I did Jandro. I placed the body in one of the empty rooms in the clubhouse and locked the door. Mourning him would have to wait.
Once he was secure, I went back down the main hall to check on Mariposa and Jandro.
“How is he?” I asked from the doorway.
She looked up from examining his back with a grim expression. “Not good. I’ve got fresh blood going into him, but his pulse is still weak. I can barely detect a breath. And that’s got nothing to do with his burns—”
Her voice cracked and she quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. My chest ached at seeing her emotion. I wasn’t the only one who cared about him. She loved him, and carried the burden of trying to save his life.
“He’ll pull through.” I walked in to stand next to her. “He’s stubborn as hell, he won’t let this stop him. And you’re a talented medic. He’s lucky to be in your hands.”
She gave a weak smile. “Thanks, Shadow.”
I thought of the hug she gave me. Would it be appropriate to hug her now? People hugged to comfort each other, didn’t they? My fingers itched to reach out to her, to ease the worry on her face.
“Where are the others?” Mariposa asked, turning back to Jandro. “Have you seen Reaper and Gunner?”
I closed my fingers at my sides. “Reaper was checking on his sister at home when I found you. I haven’t seen Gunner, but I assume he’s with his guards at the front gate.”
“Can you check on them for me? I should get multiple stations set up in case there are more injuries.” She looked worriedly around her small office. “God, I wish I had clones of myself.”
“I’ll head to the front gate now.” I retrieved my rifle from my holster, checking it for ammo. “I’ll let your men know you’re safe.”
“Thank you, Shadow.” Relief softened her features slightly, which eased the ache in my chest.
I looked down at Freyja, who was nuzzling Jandro’s hand that hung down from the table. “Watch over your human, little one.”
I had barely turned to leave when crashing sounds came from outside. Mariposa and I braced ourselves, but it didn’t sound like grenade blasts.
“Stay here. Lock the door,” I instructed, cocking my rifle.
Silently, I moved out into the hall with my weapon raised. Keeping it against my shoulder, I pushed the clubhouse door open and surveyed the outside. Visibility was much clearer now, I could see all the way down the street.
And three drones hovering in the air.
I took aim, curling my index finger around the trigger, when the one I set my sights on suddenly jerked to one side and dropped sharply in altitude.
“The fuck?”
Out of nowhere, it simply dropped out of the sky and crashed to earth. The two others did the same, one after another.
