25 miles outside Atlanta, Georgia
Jo let out a soft hissing noise when Bobby pressed the damp cloth on her back. "Dammit."
“It’s pretty bad, Jo,” Bobby said. After wiping away the blood he could see seven deep lacerations trailing down Jo’s back. A few of them could use stitches. “We should get you to a hospital.”
“And tell them what? I got overzealous with the S&M?” Jo asked sarcastically. She found that most doctors wouldn’t take ‘A demon did it to me.’ as a serious excuse. “At least we got the bastard.”
“Actually, I got the bastard,” Bobby mumbled. “You got yourself captured because you were dumb enough to go after it alone.”
Jo felt her face go red and she was suddenly very glad that she was facing away from Bobby. While she was relieved to be alive, she was extremely embarrassed that she had to be rescued. Adding to the embarrassment was learning that Bobby and her mother had been trailing her for months, practically waiting for her to get in trouble. Or at least that’s what it felt like they were doing.
“How’s the eye, kiddo?” Bobby asked as he opened up a bottle of peroxide.
Jo pulled the bag of ice away from her right eye and tried to move it. “Hurts. Not as bad as my back though.”
“I believe it. I’d rather get punched in the eye than get a whip across my back any day,” Bobby said as he finished patching Jo up as best he could. “That’s about as much as I can do. You’re going to have to keep it clean. I wish you’d let a doctor look at it.”
“Not happening,” Jo said, standing up carefully as to still be facing away from Bobby. She slipped on the flannel shirt that had been in Bobby’s truck for god knows how long. The pain was excruciating. She didn’t know if she’d be able to walk.
“You’re lucky to be alive, Jo,” Bobby said. “You shou-"
“I know, I should go back to Mom, give up hunting, get married and raise 2.5 kids,” Jo said darkly. She had heard this all before.
“Damn straight you should,” Bobby said gruffly. “But you won’t.”
Jo nodded.
“Look, you’re not going to be hunting anytime soon with your back like that. You can barely stand up,” Bobby said. “Go someplace. I’m not saying it has to be back to your Mom. Just go someplace and relax, Jo. You’re no good to us dead.”
She couldn’t really argue with that, as much as she wished she could. He was right, she couldn’t hunt like this. She just nodded again.
Bobby walked a few feet to his truck and opened up the cab to pull a map out of his glove compartment. He opened it up and folded it over so Louisiana was showing. He circled a town on it. “You might want to try heading here. It’s a small town, Milieux. I’ve heard some interesting things about the place. I doubt you’ll get bored there.”
“Okay,” Jo said. It sounded reasonable. And if she didn’t like the place, hey, she could always leave. Her truck wasn’t too pretty to look at but it got you where you needed to go. “Thanks, Bobby.”
“Any time, kid,” Bobby said with a fond smile. He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Take this.”
Jo shook her head. “No. I’m not taking your money. I don’t need it.”
“Kiddo, I know for a fact that you’ve been taking truck naps the last two months. Don’t tell me you don’t need it,” he said. “Besides, it’s not all mine. Most of it is from your mom. She told me to give it to you.”
Jo felt a little guilt rise up in her chest. It looked like a lot of money, more than her mother or Bobby could spare. She took it anyways, knowing Bobby wouldn’t let her leave without it. “Thanks. Again.”
Bobby gently placed a hand on Jo’s shoulder for a second before walking away and getting into his truck. He pulled down his window after starting the engine. “Call your mom when you get there. She misses the hell out of you, Jo.”
Jo nodded and watched as his truck sped down the road. After the lights had faded off into the distance, Jo looked down at the map Bobby had given her. “So. Milieux.”