#jersey devil so

“Hello?” you ask. “Can you hear me?”

You hear a quicker exhale as if in response.

“Alright, you’re obviously in serious condition. I’ll go back to my hostel and we can call for help.”

Something pulls your cane toward the body, dragging you almost off balance.

“No…..” It hisses weakly.

“We need to get you some help----”

It pulls you closer still, incredibly strong even in its weakened state: “No...people.”

“Alright then,” you submit. “You have my word...But I’m still taking you to the barn to patch you up, and that’s final.”

It releases your cane….And with just shaky, shallow breathing in response, you gently lead your horse to kneel down beside it----your horse pleasantly calm despite the blood. You reach down to the body and gently pat it to find its shoulder----glad to have found a shoulder at all. Taking the arm carefully, you put it over your shoulders and prepare to lift.

“On the count of three, we’re going to move you onto Renegade----my horse----and I’ll bandage you up at the barn.”

It grumbles at you, which you take as an affirmative.

“Okay, ready? One...Two...Three!”

As you heave the body onto your horse, a ghastly shout comes from your quarry. But it’s on your saddle now, draped over like dead meat.

“Alright, great work, now it’ll just be a few minutes,” you tell it. 

It sighs slightly in response.

“You hold on, now,” you whisper commandingly before turning to Renegade. “To the barn.”

With one hand on Renegade’s shoulder, you start back to the barn. The way back is different on foot, as you rarely come out to the perimeter without a horse, but perhaps due to your stubborn determination, you make it back without tripping.

You lead your horse to the empty stable and have him kneel down once more, making sure there is enough hay on the ground to cushion the floor. You rush to the emergency kit you tap every morning before going in and bring it to the stable.

“Okay, we’re gonna roll you back onto the ground, it’ll be a lot softer than out there.”

With nothing but weak breathing in response, you count again: “On three: one, two, three!”

Another ghastly roar erupts from your patient, but you feel him on the floor where you can more easily bandage him.

“I’m sorry you’re in such pain,” you sputter, trying not to tear up. “We’re gonna get you better now.”

You open the kit and feel the soft rolls of bandages under your fingers.

“Where is it the worst?”

Something grabs your hand and places it on a surface that you imagine to be an extremely large human chest, only sticky with blood. You tenderly tap the outlines of the gashes and begin to wrap the chest in the soft material, having to lift the body to wrap around his back. After using all four rolls of gauze, you ask for his help again.

“What’s next?”

The opposite shoulder is what your hands are placed on next. And out of gauze, you decide to improvise, grabbing some towels from under the bench. You knot one tightly around the shoulder, causing another gasp of anguish.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you say, flustered with urgency. “What’s next?”

“That….all….” it breathes shakily.

You take a deep breath, trying to shake off the nerves: “Almost.”

You exit the barn briefly and turn on the spigot just a few steps to the right of the barn entrance and scrub your arms, trying to get at least some of the blood off. Then, you grab a bucket next to the trough of water in front of Renegade’s stable and scoop some to bring back to your patient. You take one of the clean towels and dunk it in the water.

“Let’s get you some water, hun.”

You go to clutch the face of the person you just rescued, but what you feel isn’t as expected. What you imagined as soft flesh is instead hard and dry like bone.

You gasp softly and retreat your hand, only for your wrist to be grabbed and held fast.

“You’ve done enough,” rasps the voice. “Now leave or suffer the consequences!”

Shock is replaced by anger as you rip your hand out of the creature’s grasp.

“Now look here,” you start bitterly. “I don’t care what you are or what happened, but this is my barn and my property and I’ll be damned if someone tells me what to do on it!”

You get up with a huff and turn towards Renegade----who’s been pleasant as a summer’s day the whole time you’ve spent trying to help this….thing----and lead your horse back to its own stable, undoing the saddle and taking off the reins as you’ve done thousands of times, only this time trying to cool down from an interaction between you and some...thing.

It’s quiet as you throw the reins on the hook and toss the saddle over its holster. You go put your hand out for Renegade to nuzzle it and he does. Sighing, you turn to exit the barn.

“So now you’re just going to leave?” It hisses at you.

With a hand on the barn door, you back off slightly, sighing again.

“What do you want, a nanny?” you ask sarcastically, turning towards the empty stable. “I’m ready to go to bed.”

“I could die in the middle of the night,” it hisses. “Don’t you want to be here when that happens?”

“If I wanted you dead I would have left you back on the dirt road!” you spit back, anger rising in your throat, but only briefly. “You’re going to be just fine...now it’s time for you to rest.”

You hear soft grumbling and the shuffling of hay.

“And besides…” you continue, putting yourself in front of the creature and leaning down, eyes squinting with suspicion. “I’ll actually be able to see you in the morning.”

You straighten your posture and head back to the door.

“If you need anything...just ask Renegade,” you say with a hint of humor before exiting the barn quietly, setting the lock.

You inhale purposely, feeling the cool air of autumn in your lungs before breathing out a cloud.