Free Beneath the Flesh: They kept all the demons out … except one by Alex Kings Page A

“Let's have a look.” He walked around her and went into the side corridor. “Come on”
     
    “Thank you,” she said, following him.
     
    They headed down the side-corridor. On Jess's instruction, they took a left, headed that way for a short while, then a right.
     
    That led them into a children's ward. There were cute, brightly-coloured murals on the walls, bad drawings in frames, some bright plastic toys, some broken. And, on top of a hopscotch grid painted onto the floor, the carcass of a dog lay in a puddle of its own blood. This one, at least, wasn't fresh. It stank of rot, but a sort of rot that was sickly sweet and cloying.
     
    Jess tried to ignore all the bright colours, what they meant, and instead concentrated on the important thing .
     
    “Here,” she said, leading the way through a door on the far side of the room.
     
    The room was lined with small beds, four on each side. It reeked too. Something meaty clung to the two walls, part of the floor, and one overturned bed.
     
    “Christ,” said Luke.
     
    A little red plastic box with a clip-on lid was lying on floor by the overturned bed. It was the sort of thing a child might use to hold their lunch in.
     
    And just beyond it, lying near by outside the fleshy substance on the wall, was the important thing.
     
    It was small – about the same size and shape as an egg, with sort of transparent hooked tendril either end. It was a sort of golden-brown colour, almost like maple syrup. Dry to the touch, smooth without being slippery, cold. It gave slightly under Jess's fingers, and she got the impression it was a flexible casing full of some liquid.
     
    As she held it, she felt the presence again, gently turning over. It felt the egg too.
     
    She held it out on the palm of your hand. “This is it.”
     
    Luke stared at it. “What is it?”
     
    “I still don't know exactly.” She rolled the egg about and passed it from one hand to another. “I'd guess it's some chemical important to demons.”
     
    “What?”
     
    “Like demon blood.”
     
    Most demons weren't infectious; most simply attacked. But the few that were injected their victims with a substance called demon blood. A few hours after injection, the transformation began.
     
    “So you're saying this is demon blood?” said Luke.
     
    “No, It's the wrong colour. I'm saying it might be like demon blood. Look, the blood is a substance that governs how demons are created, right? Maybe there are other substances that tell them how to interact. Something the temples create. And if it is, we might be able to use it against them.”
     
    “How can you know?”
     
    “It's got to be something. Otherwise why would this fellow –” Jess gestured to the right half of her body. “– get so worked up about it?”
     
    “Okay, supposing you're right. What is this thing attracts demons? What if that's its purpose? That makes sense, if it attracted your parasite. If we brought it back to Paradise Compound, the place could get swarmed by them.”
     
    “How many demons are in this hospital? Just the big guy with the arms and a few dogs. We're not being swarmed.”
     
    “Okay, but you get my point. It might be dangerous. It's more likely to be dangerous than not! I mean, it's a demon creation for crying out loud! Do you really think it's worth the risk?”
     
    “But –”
     
    “No. I'm not going to take it back. It stays here. Let's just go. Please.”
     
    Jess swallowed. “Okay,” she said. “Yeah, let's go.” She gently put the egg back on the ground. Richard turned and headed out of the room.
     
    As he was going, she very quickly ducked down and grabbed the egg and the with it, the little plastic box. The egg went in her pocket it, and the box with the rest of the equipment on the cart.
     
    As they passed through the children's ward, seeing a moment where Luke wasn't likely to turn around, she slipped the egg into the plastic box, and the plastic box into her backpack.
     
    That