Free INK: Red (INK Trilogy Book 1) by Al K. Line

itching receded in seconds, not gone, but not eye-gougingly irritating either. He pulled both sleeves up as far as he could until the bunched up material hurt his arms too much, and smeared the gel over his skin. It shone like glazed meat, and looked like a suckling pig he'd once roasted over an open fire.
    Aah, bliss.
    It cooled him down, he could feel the difference for sure, and it should begin to kick in properly soon. Stuffing as many tubes as he could find into his backpack he went to get Aiden. He was starting to get claustrophobic and the air seemed to be getting stuffier as the day wore on. It must be warming up outside, although it was still a bit early, even if it was going to be a nice day.
    Nice day? Don't think so dude. Warm means sweat, which means hurt. And they are after you. Aiden too now.
    "Hey buddy, got what we need?"
    "I think so. What about you?"
    "Yep. What's the time?"
    Aiden checked his watch. "Half past three."
    "What? No, seriously, what time is it?"
    Aiden looked at him, confused. "Half three."
    "It can't be. We've only been here an hour or so, if that. Let me see."
    He turned Aiden's wrist and looked at the digital readout.
    Damn. What the hell is going on?
    "You sure that's right? It can't be that late."
    Aiden looked at him worriedly.
    "What?" Edsel knew he wasn't going to like whatever it was Aiden was going to tell him.
    "You kept blacking out, falling over. We had to keep resting."
    "When? Where?" He didn't remember that at all.
    "Here, in the shopping center. You had the sandwich, remember? Then you passed out. You were out for ages, I didn't know what to do. Then you came-to like nothing had happened. You did it a few times. I thought at first you had The Lethargy, so I, um, peeked, and you didn't."
    "You sure? About the blacking out I mean? I don't have the Lethargy, do I?"
    "Yep."
    Edsel went cold.
    "I mean, yep about the blacking out, not about The Lethargy. Sorry."
    "Phew. Okay, good, I don't remember. It's The Ink probably, my body reacting to it, and the damn poison they put in it. Goddamn freaks."
    "Just from tattooing your arms?"
    Best the kid knows, so he understands how dangerous they are.
    He lifted up his sweater, pulled up a trouser leg, turned slowly in a circle.
    "Oh! Does it really hurt?"
    "Like a mother— Yes, a lot. I got some gel though, we need to go. If I'm blacking out then we need to find somewhere safe, especially if that's the time."
    "I know where to go." Aiden brightened, grabbed Edsel by the arm excitedly and said, "Follow me," before pulling him along, getting ready to speed up.
    Edsel's world turned into white-hot pain, flesh being stripped from the bone by an expert butcher.
    "Ow ow ow. Aargh, leggo, leggo. Shit." Edsel stared in horror at his arm, the moist flesh peeling away in places as easily as slow cooked meat sliding off the bone because of the grip of the boy's hand. Tiny beads of blood pricked to the surface until soon it was nothing but red on red.
    Aiden went whiter than his already pale skin. "Oh no! Sorry, sorry. I forgot. Sorry."
    "It's... okay. I think. Come on, lead the way. No grabbing though." Edsel was amazed he didn't black out, but for all he knew he had — there was no memory of him collapsing since they left the boy's house, he obviously wasn't anywhere near to being himself.
    Keep it together, just stay focused. Don't think about the pain, don't look at your arms, and for god's sake don't scratch.
    Edsel's arm where Aiden had grabbed it was screaming at him, the raw flesh was already chafing horribly against the sweater, but it was better covered than for him to have to stare at it.
    It would be better to just chop it off; it wouldn't, couldn't hurt as much as this.
    They moved as fast as they could, heading toward one of the exits. Edsel didn't know why, but he trusted Aiden knew somewhere good to lay low — he seemed to be very confident for such a young boy.
    It's being Awoken, he sees things I don't, knows things about it I