I passed out again out of exhaustion at sunrise. Woke up in a drizzle. My parched lips parted and I wished for a downpour. How long will this go on? This was starting to be as uncomfortable and as painful as being left back there. If I don't say anything, perhaps I could die of dehydration? Could check and see whether his claims about revival are true. But if so then I'd have suffered for nothing and I'm all about feeling acceptable right now.

"What do I need to do for water?" expecting the worst I croaked out. I could imagine what human would want, this thing though – who knows? Stick my hand in his cakehole again? Because for sure it wouldn't ask for a cake.

"You need to look for it in the bag," creature answered and for the first time I'd noticed a strap over his shoulder.

"Oh," I couldn't help but express a surprise. "Can I get my other hand free?" I asked whilst still basking in the unprecedented generosity of my lord and master.

"Only if you stick that one inside me as well," he replied flatly.

Ah, there it was. My gut churned and lips did an unhappy thing, but I managed a somewhat civil reply, "If you put it that way, how can I resist?"

I didn't really need that much mobility, but how could I back out now? The hold did relax. I rested my chewed up palm on creature's chest and pulled up the other arm. Tingles paralysed my whole shoulder and for a minute or two I just writhed. The tireless monstrosity hadn't said anything, but there had to have been contempt for flesh so weak. Well fuck him, hoped his muscles cramped up from all this walking and carrying too.

When I finally got to getting to the bag, I found that it was pink and sniggered uncontrollably. "You will be stopped by a fashion police at the next intersection," I announced and then my mirth fell away as I realised it must have been the girl's.

Opened and greedily gulped down the first and only thing that caught my eye. There wasn't much, so I didn't gorge all of it at once. Sated, rummaged in the pink bag further. Some thin summer clothes, crackers, a single beat up mystery can, jelly worms – which I immediately stuffed into my mouth and made unflattering sounds about. This was first food product in my mouth for at least a week.

"Alright, you can eat me now," I announced after achieving complete happiness and splayed out as much as it was possible.

"Later," the chest hummed. Charming.

"Want one?" I wiggled the wormie right in front of him.

"No," I flung it into the hood right as he said it, somehow managing to forget he wasn't human. It just hit something firm and fell back onto me. Disappointing. I suppose it will take a while to relearn lifetime's worth of ingrained things.

I stared into the shade under the cloth. It was overcast, but still day. I didn't see anything under the hanging fabric. The neck was twined in a cloth so black it looked concave. Did it go up all over the head? How did I get bitten, then?

"I will bite it off this time," a growl told me as though he knew exactly what I was thinking. Could he tell where I was looking? Probably..? The breath was warm moving air and probably audible to somebody like him.

"That's fine. You will either way so let's just get it over with." At least the monster had given me candy for my troubles.

"Later," he reiterated.

"Ugh, don't play with your food. Hooligan!"

But that only made me want to do it even more. Initially feigning a stretch, I gathered momentum for a slap straight into what would have been a shadowy cheek. Something caught my arm. I frowned at it. Then frowned some more, just with confusion. His hands were still gripping me like there was no tomorrow.

It was the grimy coat! The leather was twining around my forearm. And I could not move it whatsoever.

"Are you revoking my spare arm privileges?" I asked terribly frowning. This development was very disappointing.

No answer. No give in the hold either.

"You're being childish," I accused, fully aware of being a hypocrite. But he was supposed to be an adult. However hundreds years old and all that!

Quiet yet again. Need to change approach.

"Oh. My. God. If the clothes are part of you – are you streaking?!" I whispered, acting all scandalised. Because thinking about it, it was actually weirder for a creature from another dimension to be wearing fancy-ass biker boots.

"The footwear is real," chest had reverberated defensively – because he didn't need to reply anything, and therefore it was incriminating. Or so I chose to see this.

"Wow... and that doesn't make you feel... even more naked?" I was hundred percent genuinely curious and also moments away from breaking into an actual roaring laughter. The thing from beyond had, in fact, a sense of appreciation for fashion. Because there's no way he'd be bothered by stepping onto sharp glass with his poor little clawed footsies.

"The guy insisted on keeping them, so I had to take it," now he was outright explaining himself and I did chortle.

Though I don't suppose this happened in a boutique. I gave in and asked, "Are you sure he meant the boots and not his legs?"

"Doesn't matter. I have both."

For once, the sheer absurdity of the event was not completely doused in cold shower of reality and the bleak company I've been forced to keep. That could - and probably would - be me. Even if not soon then eventually. Detours could be fun!

"Hey, can we go there?" I pointed for a blind man like a complete idiot.

Quiet vibration in the chest changed into louder clicks. "We can," he'd replied without missing a beat. I waited for more but it didn't come.

I gave in, "Will we?"

"Probably not," the frustrating monster told me but I beamed. All I heard was that it wasn't a no.

"What would it take?"

"A decent reason," creature deep-toned.

Just decent? Not even a good one. How generous! I concentrated on list of viable reasons for a stroll in a forest.

... Realistically, there was none. A lot of little bullshit ones, but even I didn't feel like bothering. Drying out my parched throat further by being minor (and likely completely ignored) annoyance gave me little joy.

My restrained arm smacked me on the side of the head. Before I could protest I heard him bellow and pick up pace, "Cover your ears."

Immediately I started to protest, but got cut off by another voice. Couldn't make out what they were saying. They were calling? Looked around and into the brush, which lead further into to the woods.

"Now," his piercing tone made me reach for the ears instinctively. I didn't, fully. Somebody was really calling from out there.

"Ignore," the chest besides me snarled and fell completely still. There was no more reverberation, no sound. At all. The greenery was completely still, and eerily quiet - besides the voice, which was getting clearer each time.

My heart started pumping more blood and the headache picked up again too. Something was off, despite nature looking so serene. The day had started to clear up. The sunny outcrop was completely at odds with a sense of danger pumping through my veins. I had finally done as told and attempted not to hear the voice, but it might have been too late? I heard it on the inside.

I felt something seductive, revolting looming at the edge of my consciousness and trying to push in. Visceral fear made my heart beat so hard it was hard to breathe. But I was good at living with fear. Frankly, sinister voices in my head were least of my problems.

Wiggled my toes to get more blood pumping through the legs. Tingling and the pain allowed me to concentrate on other things. For example, a detailed recollection of how the leg was hurt, and whether it was too late to save it. The smell of dried blood on my sleeves and people who were no longer around. The people who were but shouldn't be. I bit on my loose teeth and tasted fresh metal again. Cold anger tempered the terror.

At some point I felt the almost inaudible growl rolling off me again. Opened eyes to find scenery had changed. It must have been safe. Wiped sweat off my forehead and kept the fingers clutching the hair. Man, everything hurt. Physically. Fished out the bottle and obliterated the remaining water. Didn't have any more energy to rip on the ancient horror, even though him getting spooked was a golden opportunity. Whatever we brushed past must have been whole new calibre of monster. Even to him.

Looked up at the hood with its curling horns. Was this guy even something worth of awe? Some crummy human lookalike. Terrifying.

Yanked my hand to slam it into his so-called face, but the coat tightened so hard around it the bones cracked. Best I could do was twitch my fingers and whimper. Having expended all strength, sagged against the devil's shoulder and relaxed.