Demon Trackers: The Anointed

by Clover Autrey

  Doc Wall eased a step back. "Good news: Your son should be fine. No factures in the skull, no extra fluid or swelling. The headaches should taper off in a few days."

  Every muscle in Henry's body seemed to go slack, the relief came so powerfully. He quickly locked his knees to stay standing.

  "If the headaches persist," Doc was still talking. "Get him to a hospital or clinic—for people." Martin's brows rose. "And have him checked again. I did find one hairline fracture, but coming at it from a different angle shows signs of calcium growth indicating an old break." Yeah, kid had plenty of those.

  Henry suddenly grabbed Walker's hand, grasped in both of his own and began shaking it in earnest. "Thank you, Doc. I can't tell you."

  Somewhat taken aback, the vet nodded. "Yeah. My pleasure, especially if what you say about getting rid of those critters is true." He patted Henry's arms and turned away to get something from the cabinet. He came back with a generic bottle of pills. "This will help the headaches, probably put him out for a short time as well."

  "But that's for animals," Jake argued.

  "Son." Doc looked at him over his bifocals. "This here ain't the big city. We don't have need of fancy wrapped and labeled medication. Folks out here learned a long time ago that the medications used for their livestock had the same ingredients as people medications, but at half the cost." He tapped his head. "Just got to make sure you get the dose right. Don't want to give the same amount to young'un here as I'd give to McDonald's cow out back."

  "You have Old McDonald's cow?"

  Henry suppressed a grin and lightly cuffed the back of Jake's head instead. Even in the grisliest of situations Jake managed to maintain a lightness and frivolity. He had no idea how much Henry relied on that to keep .his own natural intensity over the bleak realities of the job from throwing him over the edge.

  After Cael took his pills, they helped him move to a couch in the living quarters. Doc handed Henry a coarse bar of soap. "I want you and your older boy to shower up and use this."

  Henry looked at the soap.

  "Made it myself. Those beasts can't stand the stuff."

  "Gremlins." Jake pulled a blanket up to Cael's streaked face. Kid's eyes had closed the moment his head hit the cushions.

  Doc's brows rose. "Gremlins? Really?"

  Jake nodded, not looking away from Cael.

  Doc put his glasses back into his pocket. "Well, gremlins then. Fact is, this soap keeps the gremlins away."

  "This will cover our scent?" Henry sniffed the bar and got a whiff of lemon and something he couldn't place. Didn't smell pretty. He'd get the ingredients before they left.

  "Doesn't cover. Critters can still track you, but they won't eat you. Been keeping the farmers and ranchers on the outskirts supplied with it. Even made a powder to dip their livestock in."

  "Your neighbors believed you about the gremlins?"

  "Knew it weren't no foxes in the hen house. Only they were smart enough to keep their traps shut about it. One of 'em's a school teacher and I got her to sneak the powder into the school's soap dispensers. At least keep the kids in town safe."

  "Dad," Jake said. "That's why the gremlins started snatching people from town. Their food supply on the farms got ruined."

  Henry had been thinking the same thing. "Jake, get our packs from the trunk and then I want you in the shower first."

  "But, Cael…"

  "Is sleeping. Once the medicine has kicked in and he's not hurting so bad, we'll clean him up."

  "Once he's clean, I'll see about getting that wrist casted." The doc's gaze moved down Jake's leg. "And your ankle."

  "Only a sprain," Jake insisted.

  "Well, I'll have a look at it after you've showered."

  "But…"

  "Jake." Henry cut off any further argument and Jake clicked his mouth shut, leaving to grab their clean clothes. Watching him go, Henry shook his head. That was his oldest, always putting Cael first.

  "I need to secure the barn," Doctor Walker said. "There's coffee in the kitchen and the fixings for sandwiches. Industrial size washer and dryer in the laundry room. Welcome to make use of it."

  "Sure thing, Doc." But Henry didn't move away from his sleeping son. Coffee could wait until Jake was out of the shower.