Inner Demon: The Dark Bloods - Book I ✓

Chapter 37 - Crash

37.

Crash

The uninhabited, anonymous town was one of the few that had been hit hard. It was an empty chaos, as if a giant tornado had crashed through and swept up all living things with it, leaving behind only broken concrete and dented metal. The town’s small clothing outlet housed the only buildings that weren’t broken or close to breaking.

Aside from the broken windows, the PAG clothing store was mostly intact. Inside, clothes were spewed on the ground like a plush and colorful, but dusty, carpet. Plastic hangers and broken mannequin displays peeked through waves of cloth. Finding the male section was going to be hard enough. The true challenge came in excavating through the wreckage to find clothes that were going to fit, and that’s what Dante was doing.

He dug through the pile of jeans, hoping to find something that would at least cling on comfortably. Traveling in wisps of clothing was not convenient. After minutes of rummaging, the only trousers he found close to his size were thickly stitched green cargo pants. Finding a shirt proved easier. He picked up a plain black one from a package of undershirts.  

He quickly changed into his new garments and crossed to the other side of the store where a huge pile of winter wear was scattered across the ground. If they were heading north such apparel was going to be needed.

Dante settled upon a black jacket that seemed to provide warmth and mobility. He opened the dirty, but sturdy, grey and red cargo backpack he had picked up earlier from rummaging a sporting goods store. The bag was heavy with canned goods that still hadn’t expired and a handful of water bottles. Beneath that were folded female clothes—also secured from an earlier scavenge—he hoped would fit Reyna.

Despite the backpack’s weight, it was feather light to Dante. The only inconvenience was keeping it on his back without his exposed blade shredding through it. So far, though, the sword had not punctured the bag.

Dante stuffed the jacket into the knapsack. Before zipping it closed, he double checked to see how much food was left. A Berserker’s appetite was twice that of a grown man’s, especially after a battle or a training session. He had refrained from eating too much in order to have extra canned food in case Reyna needed it once they reached her.

Satisfied with his goods, the Berserker exited the store. Outside, he soaked in his surrounding for a brief moment. It was beyond quiet.

"Not even a demon in sight," he murmured to himself before speeding off to catch up to his companion. Mundus obviously never waited for the human boy as he went clothes and grocery rummaging. Though Dante never took too long during his breaks, the two always kept each other within their range of senses.

As always, Mundus chose to ignore Dante whenever he caught up with him. The only thing he ever focused on was the string encircling his heart. He faithfully followed it, a pleasant distraction from his mortal and Spiritual irritants.

Mundus and Dante were currently running down a deserted, two-lane road. Occasionally there were empty or crashed cars they had to weave around, but paved streets provided smoother and vaster running space for optimal speed. The surrounding trees that punched through fallen and twisted foliage were thick with bark and naked branches and would only slow them down if they had chosen to beeline to their destination.

"Where exactly are we going? It’s been two days." Dante spoke to Mundus for the first time since their trip.

Mundus turned to Dante, slightly surprised he was right next to him. They usually kept a distance of a few feet apart from each other. He turned away from Dante and remained silent, strong on his intention of ignoring the mortal. It did not faze the Berserker.