Beneath the Flesh: They kept all the demons out … except one Read Online Free PDF Page A

shrugged.
     
    After that the conversation lulled. It was slow going along the road – the van had to weave around potholes or debris in the road, take alternate routes in a couple of cases where the road had been completely torn up, and in one case, edge around a deformed-looking animal skull the size of car.
     
    Later, just as Luke was thinking they weren't going to see any demons at all, they saw one in the distance, in a dead field. It was massive – a hundred feet tall at least – and with its leathery black skin it reminded him of a leopard. But instead of its head, there was just a lump of flesh with six or seven pale, greasy-looking eyes scattered randomly.
     
    It was standing over the body of another smaller demon lying dead on the floor. As they passed, the leopard-demon's chest cracked open, with the ribs on either side like teeth. Several spiny tentacles dropped out of the chest cavity, wrapped around the bloody carcass of the other demon, and lifted it up. Was it eating, or something else?
     
    Jess clutched at her arm again.
     
    “Don't worry about that guy,” called one of the driver from the front. “He's pretty harmless.”
     
    Sure enough, they passed the leopard-demon without incident, and soon after headed into the suburbs of Bridgham.
     
    Rows of empty houses with broken windows. Brown lawns. They passed an old children's playground with the burnt-out hush of a crashed car resting against the climbing bar. Something inside it moved. They passed without incident.
     
    Luke checked his watch. Half an hour before they reached their drop-off point.
     
    The van slowed.
     
    “Oh, shit,” muttered one of the drivers. “Here we go.”
     
    “What?” asked Luke.
     
    “Demons. Hold on to something.”
     
    Jess sighed. “This should be fun,” she muttered.
     
    Luke, still standing, braced himself against the boxes by the door.
     
    The van accelerated without warning, engine roaring. They swerved a couple of times, left and right. The stacked boxes creaked and nearly fell over. Then came a loud thump; they'd hit something. From Luke's vantage near the window, he saw a cluster of demons outside. Runners – vaguely human, but with broken, bloody faces. They ran towards the van. The body of the one they'd hit a moment ago was lying on the road. It quickly got up, arm hanging at the wrong angle, and joined in the chase.
     
    The van took a hard right. Luke grabbed the top box before it fell on Jess. Glancing out the door, he saw the daemons rounding the corner behind them. They were't fast enough, though – they were being left behind.
     
    All save for one, who tried to grab at the van's exterior. Its claw-like hand cut in two. Luke guessed it must have touched one of the lawnmower blades on the van's exterior.
     
    Still, it tried again. This time it managed to find something to hold on to.
     
    It's face was at the window! A human face, once – but without eyes, and what looked like tentacles coming out of the empty sockets.
     
    It crashed on the side once, twice –
     
    The van swerved again. Towards a brick wall on one side of the street.
     
    The demon slammed into the wall with a dull thus, held on for a fraction of a second, then rolled away behind them leaving a bloodied smear over the window.
     
    A cheer rose from the cab. “Alright, guys,” said one of the drivers. “You can calm down now. For a bit, anyway.”
     
    Only then did Luke notice that Jess was still clutching her arm. From her expression, she was in pain.  A glance told him Richard had noticed too.
     
    But what could they do? They couldn't look at it without Richard knowing. They couldn't even talk about it.
     
    He sat down between the two of them where he would block Richard's view, doing his best to avoid looking suspicious. He gave Jess's free hand a gentle squeeze. They were nearly at the drop-off point now.
     
    She gave him a knowing smile. Thank you it said. Then the smile faded and she took a shallow