The Redstone Demon

Chapter 8

Max was having trouble seeing through his swollen eyes, trouble hearing through his battered ears, and trouble speaking with his broken mouth, but he could still recognize the two figures that entered his prison, dragging a third between them. The sheriff and his deputy, who didn't even spare him a glance as they dropped Ross in the same holding cell as Max. Max scrambled backwards, until he was pressed up against the wall, staring at the nineteen year old fearfully, waiting for red eyes and painfully grips. Ross, for his part, seemed more than a little out of it, with his head buried in something that he was clutching desperately in his arms, sobbing unashamedly.

"Ross?" Max whispered, tentatively. Or, at least, he tried to, but with his injuries, this time all untreated, it came out more like: "'Os'?"

Ross' head shot up, and, upon seeing Max, he let out a sob, equal parts terror and relief. "M-Max! You, you're alive!" He hiccuped, rubbing at his face.

"Yeah." Now Max saw what Ross was clutching. It was his bag, with more than a few drops of blood dried onto it. "You?"

"I think-" Ross hiccuped again, and hid his face in his hands. "I think I might've, might've caused the end of, of the world." More tears slid down his face. "I'm sor-" He had to pause to inhale, having not done so for a minute or so. "Sorry, I didn't know I was, was a vessel, I'm sorry, and, and I don't, I don't know if they're really gone, if I actually got rid of them, but, but I hope I did, because I don't want, I don't want them to be here anymore." He took in another deep breath. "I just, I just want to, I want to see Shelby, and, and to not be a vessel, and, and I want to leave." He admitted, sounding like he was admitting the biggest secret he'd ever had. Max supposed he might be, with the way this town was set up. "I want to leave, like Shelby did, and, and I don't want to come back, and I wanna, wanna see what it's like, when, when, when the sun isn't there, like you said, and, and I wanna find out what, what Louisiana is, and what athe, atheism is, and I wanna find Shelby again, and-" His words cut off in the biggest sob yet, one which made his whole body shake and shiver.

Max scooted over towards the younger man, carefully wrapping his arms around him. "S'okay." He mumbled out. "Let i'all out." He pulled Ross' head up to his chest, even though it hurt the several bruises that were scattered about his torso.

Ross quivered on his shoulder for several minutes, and Max could feel his sweater slowly getting more and more damp with the other man's tears. He ignored it, instead running a hand up and down Ross' back, hoping it helped to soothe him.

Slowly, the shaking subsided, and Ross' breathing evened out a bit. Max was worried he might've fallen asleep, but, when he pulled away to check, Ross' eyes were wide open, focused on some point in the distance, and, he noted, beautifully blue, without even a hint of red. Ross adjusted, leaning into Max's side, head resting on Max's shoulder. Max let his drop to on top of Ross' head.

They sat like that for a long time, though neither of them could tell just how long.

Then, suddenly, the sheriff and deputy marched into the room, followed by the mayor. The latter of which had eyes that appeared to be made of stained red glass. Max and Ross both flinched at the sight.

"Do you know how long it took for me to lull her to sleep?" The demon only had eyes for Ross, ignoring Max entirely. Apparently, whatever punishment that had been planned for him for trespassing into the town had been forgotten with the betrayal of Sky's vessel. "I should've known you'd make a poor vessel. Your family already has a history of disobedience, after all." It hissed out, as Ross cowered back, shrinking slightly behind Max.

"Leave 'im a'one." Max managed to get out, trying to place himself between Ross and the possessed mayor.

Sky just gave him a bored glance. "This doesn't concern you, outsider. Unless you want your inevitable death to be even more painful than the one that is planned, I suggest you stop interrupting."