now,” Isadore whispered, next to him. “Real flames. Purely impossible,” she sang lightly. “Oh shit, something’s coming out of your tattoos. JD, you’re smoking. Your tattoos are smoking…oh my God, the smoke is alive!” she barely whispered.
Ruin saw what she did clearly. The wind around them swirled in a mix of heat and ice as the breath of The Foul Horses left his body, morphing rapidly into seven stallions of fire. The air ripped with their war cries, the sound of amplified and ominous violins. The demons governing the humans climbed out the tops of their head’s and raced forward to mount the fiery horses, becoming one with them. The seven turned to Ruin, eyes aflame with bright white fire. “Command us.”
Ruin did as the ice commanded. “They shall reap what they have sown.”
The horse demons reared up and ran forward, spewing liquid upon the humans, covering them in boils.
“For twenty-and seven days, they will suffer,” Ruin said. “Then death will overcome them.”
“You deaf man? I ask if you lost,” one of the men said, as they all laughed.
“We were just passing through,” Ruin said. He took Isadore’s hand and hurried away with her.
“You can see?” she whispered?
“I can see. I can fucking see.” And he meant that in every sense of the word. But he did not like one bit how well he could see and what he just saw.
The silence in the truck as they rode back told Ruin a lot. She was likely going to need medical attention after that. He finally broke the silence. “I want to do something for you when we get back.” More like he needed to. For her. Or him, he wasn’t sure.
“Oh?” she said, calmly. “What’s that?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Ah a surprise. I don’t really like those.”
“You’ll like this one.”
“Well I know I could stand a hot shower, that’s for sure.”
“I’ll do it after your shower.”
“You’re not going to rape me I hope. Ooook, bad joke.”
Ruin smiled, knowing she meant his definition of the word. “Only if you ask me to.”
She snorted. “That wouldn’t be rape then.”
“I could never hurt you.”
“Ohhh, I’m sure you could.”
“Not intentionally, no.”
“Yes, because you accidentally choked me, I know.”
A strange feeling assaulted him. “I’m sorry.” That’s what it made him need to say. Want to say.
“Oh now that’s good to know. And at least I know you’re being honest. Be kind of weird being a lying angel.”
“I don’t think so,” he said.
“I guess you’re right, what with the whole demon slash fallen angel bit?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s not you.”
“I don’t know.”
“What? No, it’s not you, you’re good.”
“Am I?” He regarded her as she pulled up into the driveway.
“You saved me, yes, you’re good.”
“I wanted to kill you and him.”
“But you didn’t?”
“No because… the ice inside me wouldn’t allow.”
“You’re good.”
Ruin sighed, looking around. “What did you see tonight, Isadore?”
She was silent for a few seconds then sang, “Ohhhh, nothing much. You turning into this ice man, then there was fire, and your tattoos started smoking, then the smoke turned into horses of fire and scary people ran and…” Her words trailed off in mumbling and she suddenly fell forward.
Ruin caught her before she could injure herself. Damn, he was pretty sure that couldn’t be good. He managed to get her into his arms and carried her into the house and up the stairs. Laying her in bed, he stared at her and raked a hand through his hair. He needed to lock up. After securing everything that could be secured in the house, he found himself pacing next to the bed again. Watching her. Was that all he’d ever know how to do? Would he not ever know what to do? Understand why he had to do it?
He sat next to her, carefully, and touched the back of his fingers to her forehead, measuring all the signs he’d learned about the body, her body in
Ruin saw what she did clearly. The wind around them swirled in a mix of heat and ice as the breath of The Foul Horses left his body, morphing rapidly into seven stallions of fire. The air ripped with their war cries, the sound of amplified and ominous violins. The demons governing the humans climbed out the tops of their head’s and raced forward to mount the fiery horses, becoming one with them. The seven turned to Ruin, eyes aflame with bright white fire. “Command us.”
Ruin did as the ice commanded. “They shall reap what they have sown.”
The horse demons reared up and ran forward, spewing liquid upon the humans, covering them in boils.
“For twenty-and seven days, they will suffer,” Ruin said. “Then death will overcome them.”
“You deaf man? I ask if you lost,” one of the men said, as they all laughed.
“We were just passing through,” Ruin said. He took Isadore’s hand and hurried away with her.
“You can see?” she whispered?
“I can see. I can fucking see.” And he meant that in every sense of the word. But he did not like one bit how well he could see and what he just saw.
The silence in the truck as they rode back told Ruin a lot. She was likely going to need medical attention after that. He finally broke the silence. “I want to do something for you when we get back.” More like he needed to. For her. Or him, he wasn’t sure.
“Oh?” she said, calmly. “What’s that?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Ah a surprise. I don’t really like those.”
“You’ll like this one.”
“Well I know I could stand a hot shower, that’s for sure.”
“I’ll do it after your shower.”
“You’re not going to rape me I hope. Ooook, bad joke.”
Ruin smiled, knowing she meant his definition of the word. “Only if you ask me to.”
She snorted. “That wouldn’t be rape then.”
“I could never hurt you.”
“Ohhh, I’m sure you could.”
“Not intentionally, no.”
“Yes, because you accidentally choked me, I know.”
A strange feeling assaulted him. “I’m sorry.” That’s what it made him need to say. Want to say.
“Oh now that’s good to know. And at least I know you’re being honest. Be kind of weird being a lying angel.”
“I don’t think so,” he said.
“I guess you’re right, what with the whole demon slash fallen angel bit?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s not you.”
“I don’t know.”
“What? No, it’s not you, you’re good.”
“Am I?” He regarded her as she pulled up into the driveway.
“You saved me, yes, you’re good.”
“I wanted to kill you and him.”
“But you didn’t?”
“No because… the ice inside me wouldn’t allow.”
“You’re good.”
Ruin sighed, looking around. “What did you see tonight, Isadore?”
She was silent for a few seconds then sang, “Ohhhh, nothing much. You turning into this ice man, then there was fire, and your tattoos started smoking, then the smoke turned into horses of fire and scary people ran and…” Her words trailed off in mumbling and she suddenly fell forward.
Ruin caught her before she could injure herself. Damn, he was pretty sure that couldn’t be good. He managed to get her into his arms and carried her into the house and up the stairs. Laying her in bed, he stared at her and raked a hand through his hair. He needed to lock up. After securing everything that could be secured in the house, he found himself pacing next to the bed again. Watching her. Was that all he’d ever know how to do? Would he not ever know what to do? Understand why he had to do it?
He sat next to her, carefully, and touched the back of his fingers to her forehead, measuring all the signs he’d learned about the body, her body in
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