Before we go on, I'd just like to say thanks for all of your comments. I really look forward to hearing what people have to say and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Like I've said, any and all comments are much appreciated.
Anyhoo, we've got some discussion, some patching up and a speck of light that talks in this chapter. Let's find out what happens...
Gillian walked ahead over the desolate landscape, keeping her eyes peeled for any demonic backlash over what had just transpired. Since hell was in lockdown, she really didn't expect anything to happen. Still, she could feel the bull's eye on all of their backs, and she knew never to underestimate the sense of retaliation the inhabitants of hell could possess. So she led her motley crew over the barren Essex hill sides beyond Kong Studios, keeping a hand on her sword and hoping that the grey clouds overhead wouldn't suddenly pour rain on them on top of everything else.
Just behind her were 2D and Noodle. The diminutive guitarist was riding piggy back off the lead singer as they went. He didn't mind; though a couple of years had gone by she wasn't much heavier then before. She was just grateful to get off her feet for a while. Besides, they had missed each other.
"Who is she?" Noodle whispered to her ride.
"Her name's Gillian" 2D replied just as quietly, forgetting that the guitarist already knew the stranger's name. "Not sure what her last name is. She says she's been keeping an eye on Kong since we've been gone. There's a lot of bad stuff that's been going round the twist when we haven't been living there. She says she's been fighting it off."
"But why is she doing this?"
"Don't know. Something about her people doing this kind of thing. They're Celts or something. She wasn't there when Murdoc went down the mouth, but she showed up while Russ and I were waiting; scared the life out of me with her big sword."
Noodle went quiet again. As appreciative as she was to this woman for her help, she was still curious as to who she is and what she does. But she knew that 2D probably couldn't give her much more information than that. He hadn't changed much since she'd been gone. She smiled and held onto him tighter, just happy to be home with her boys.
She glanced behind her at the last two members of their party. Russel moved a bit slower than the others but with good reason. In his arms, cradled close to his chest, he carried the still unconscious, battered form of their bassist. Murdoc was wrapped tightly in a blanket they had managed to find in the ruins of the studio, and it was hoped this would protect him from the chill in the air. Gillian had made it clear that in his very fragile condition they needed to be as careful with him as possible if he was going to survive the trip.
"Mr. Hobbs, how's our patient?" Gillian called over her shoulder.
Russel looked down at the pale, bruised, black streaked face and sighed. "He's still here" he called back; "Barely."
Noodle looked behind her again. "Do you need to stop, Russel?"
"Nah, I'm good" the drummer replied as he shifted Murdoc up a bit to a more comfortable position. "He's not that heavy. Let's just get him where he needs to go."
"A wise decision. It's just past this hill." Gillian jogged ahead for a bit; "Right there." The others moved to keep up, and they saw a small cottage nestled in a patch of trees.
"I didn't know that was there" 2D said.
"You weren't meant to, blue." Gillian started to trot down the gravel walkway. "Come now, we're running out of time."
Before anyone could take another step something moved quickly over their heads. The shining object came back around, zoomed down, fluttered up again, moving so fast no one could get a bead on it. Gillian drew here sword and Noodle hopped down from 2D's back as they tried to decide what to do about this speck of light that buzzed around annoyingly like a bee.
"What the hell is that?" Russel asked.
To the shock of the band members a light girlish voice answered. "What the hell am I? What the hell are you?"
2D scratched his head. "Did that speck of light just talk to us?"
"Steren!" Gillian exclaimed with obvious relief as she sheathed her sword. The speck fluttered over to Gillian and spoke again, but this time in another language, with Gillian responding in kind.
"What are they saying?" 2D asked.
"I don't know" Noodle said. "I think it's a European dialect, but I've never heard it before."
"Mos, marpleg" Gillian said after a moment, rather firmly, and the speck began to flutter away. "Meur ras!" she called after it reluctantly as it quickly flew back towards what was left of the studio.
"I ask again, what the hell was that?" Russel said as he shifted Murdoc up again.
Gillian shook her head in exasperation and began walking towards the cabin again. "A friend of mine. I'll explain later."
"What language was that?" Noodle asked.
"Cornish."
"Do you often make friends with specks of light?" 2D asked, without the slightest trace of irony.
"I have lots of different friends. But we're short on time, let's get him inside."
The band followed. Gillian went through the door first, with Russel following her, then the last two went inside after them.
The inside of the cottage matched the outside; earthy tones, a homey atmosphere, neat and clean, but surprisingly spacious. The lightest scent of incense hung in the air.
"This way." Gillian led them into what appeared to be a medical room, not unlike what you'd find in a clinic, lined with cabinets and a sink. An examination bed took up the middle, with white, sterile sheets covering it. She directed Russel to the bed, and she assisted him in very carefully laying Murdoc out on top of it
"You know, he'd hate it if he knew I had to carry him like that" the drummer said after safely getting him on the table.
Gillian smiled. "I won't tell if you won't. Let's have a look, shall we?" She unwrapped the blanket surrounding him and did a quick examination of his vitals. "Heart's steady, though I would like it to be a bit stronger. Breathing's fine…pulse is hanging in there…no further injuries that I can see." She patted Russel quickly on the arm. "Good work, mate. You got him here in one piece."
Russel breathed a sigh of relief. 2D and Noodle, who were lingering in the doorway, trying to stay out of the way, looked pleased as well.
"Now, I need to work quickly while we still have a chance. Mr. Hobbs, there are swabs and rubbing alcohol in that cupboard by the window, grab those for me please. Miss Noodle, there are wrapping bandages, surgical thread and needles in the cupboard above the sink. Mr. Pot, you'll assist me with getting him prepped." Under her guidance they managed to get Murdoc undressed with a sheet across his middle (to preserve some sense of modesty, such as it was). Gillian systematically went over him; wearing latex gloves she cleaned the bassist's wounds, stitched any gashes that needed it, bandaged anything that needed it and salved any severe bruises or burns. The others provided equipment for her whenever it was required.
As she worked, Noodle decided to try to learn more about her. "Were you a doctor once, or a nurse?"
"I'm just a healer love." Gillian replied as she stitched a deep gash in Murdoc's forearm. "My people have been practicing healing arts since the pagans ruled this land. And ever since the 19th century we've intertwined our arts with that of modern medicine, updating new techniques as they've developed. I've never been to medical school but I've been apprenticing since I was a child. Besides, a lot of what I heal has yet to be acknowledged by modern medicine." She finished her work, and cut the thread. "Alright, hopefully that won't scar too much, but regardless that tattooed octopus will have a line through it now." She grabbed a swab and the alcohol bottle from 2D and finished cleaning the wound before moving on.
Russel had other concerns. "You mentioned that recovering from this kind of poison, the patient can suffer hallucinations. How bad can they get?"
"Bad" she replied as she cleaned out the scrapes on Murdoc's knees. "He may end up seeing every nightmare he's ever experienced, everything that's ever terrified or humiliated him. That's the bugger of these poisons…ultimate suffering, body, mind and soul." She sighed. "He's also going to try to fight it off, or fight us, or fight the pain; that's why I wanted to clean him up now, while he'll stay still for us. But despite his best efforts to fight, he'll fail. He'll have no defense for it this time; no sarcastic remarks, no drowning his sorrows in alcohol and black magick, no physical prowess as he'll be weak as a kitten, and no rationality to think through what he's seeing. He'll probably be more emotionally raw than you've ever seen him before."
She began to bandage his knees. "All we can do is hold him down, try to calm him and try to minimize any factors that could make it worse." She stopped working for a second, as a thought struck her. "Oh God, I forgot, he's a smoker isn't he?"
The others were surprised at the question. "Well, yeah, he is." Russel replied.
"Heavy?" she asked. Russel nodded. "Damn it, we'll have nicotine withdrawal to deal with as well. I'm not putting any of that rubbish into his system either."
Upon hearing this 2D looked a bit shocked. "Wait…does that mean…" and he took another moment to think about it before it finally dawned on him. "You don't have any fags here?"
"Not a one" Gillian confirmed. 2D now looked horrified. "You'll have to make due, lad" she continued. "No one's leaving this cottage for the next two days; I need all hands on deck."
"It'll be good for you" Noodle told him reassuringly. "It's a bad habit anyway."
Gillian agreed; "Filthy." She tightly bandaged Murdoc's sprained ankle, and then looked him over one final time. "I think that should do it. Hopefully now we won't have to worry about infection." She pulled the sheet over his legs. "We should move him to one of the bed rooms; he'll be more comfortable there."
A few minutes later, after much direction, they had him dressed in a spare set of scrubs Gillian kept in the house, and in an actual bed in one of several bedrooms she kept for patients. After another check of his vitals, taking his blood pressure and supplying him with a saline drip given intravenously to rehydrate him and a pack of ice for his swollen ankle, Gillian assured them that all they could do now is wait, and in the mean time let him rest. He was going to need it.
Gillian turned to Noodle. "Alright love, it's your turn."
Noodle looked confused and a tad startled. "What do you mean?"
"We should get you cleaned up while we've got a moment. A nice hot bath and some fresh clothes would do you good."
The guitarist shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm fine. Really, we should worry about him-"
Gillian stopped her there. "There's nothing I can do for him right now. You and I will just be in the next room, and before you get all selfless on me you need to remember that the only way you'll be able to look after him is if you look after yourself."
Noodle realized the healer had a point. Still, she looked at Russel and 2D for any comments.
"Go little sistah. We'll stay with him." Russel said.
2D nodded. "Yeah. Besides, you do look kind of sooty." After sticking her tongue out at him, Noodle relented, and followed Gillian to the bathroom.
Those few words Gillian says in Cornish I got from a Cornish-English online dictionary. It's supposed to be "Go, now" and "Thank you", but if anyone knows otherwise and would like to set me straight, please feel free.
More coming soon.