“It’s not. But somebody has to do it, and it’s easier for me than for you.” He served Gabe. “Does this put you at ease?”
“It does, actually.”
Damian smirked, blowing on that scorching flesh. “Don’t worry. I still have my wits.”
“Sure… I didn’t mean…”
Damian looked at him. “I know.”
They ate in silence, listening to the night sounds, the pigs’ snorts, other animals, close.
Damian rose when they’d finished and pulled Gabe up. “To bed. It’s slaughter day tomorrow.”
“I’ll go to the beach…”
“I know.” Grinning, planting a soft kiss on his lips. “Back when the dirty deed has been done.”
“Fast and painless.”
“You know me…”
They climbed up, the whole half of the hut a large bed which they had made over weeks. A bamboo frame, the bedding filled with palm branches and leaves, a huge tarp pulled over it which had washed to shore one day. Their blankets which they had sown together. Gabe had taken some old T-shirts which were too small and stuffed them with dried grass and leaves, making some pillows. Stripping, they went straight under the blanket, huddling close against that seeping night chill, even if they were used to it already. Gabe’s head in Damian’s shoulder, grazing his left arm, slipping his fingers between Damian’s, resting their hands on his abs. Absentmindedly stroking those stiff fingers. Damian had never regained full use of that broken left arm. When they had taken the cast off, after roughly six weeks, the last two fingers on his hand were not moving, almost curled up into his palm. It had freaked him out, weeks of mourning that valid hand. An abysmal rage when he had left for days, roaming the jungle. Gabe had had almost lost his mind, waiting for him, when Damian had come back. He had broken those two fingers again, forcing them away from his palm. Weeks in a splint again, bitter. Until he had understood that they would never be the same again. He could use them, though, better, but they remained stiff, even if he could move them a bit. The joints had never healed fully. Feeling him breathe deeper, Gabe glanced at him, his parted lips. He had fallen asleep on those soft caresses, and Gabe just held his hand, closing his eyes too.
Next morning, Gabe had left early to the beach, trying to ignore after breakfast that Damian was sharpening his knife, that large hunting knife which had just washed up one day with the rubble. The sun glorious, bursting through the leaves, playing on their path leading to their beach. Gabe marveled at how everything else had disappeared from their life, as if they had been transported somewhere else, and even if he knew that the world existed somewhere, his mind was struggling with it. Adapted to their environment, that mourning for their old life fading, he had a hard time imagining how it would be to be somewhere else. At peace with their life, he had no more issues staying on their island for the rest of their time. Damian had cried after his children, possibly his biggest regret, not seeing them grow up, but then he bottled it up one day, maybe an acceptance there, which he had covered with scornful comments on how they had a better life without him. Gabe let him believe it. There was no point tearing old wounds up. And for him, there was only Damian. Like a planet around its sun, the moon around the Earth.
He decided to go and dive near the rocks a bit further away, forming a natural reef, see if he could catch some fish. The water gloriously warm, caressing his skin. He swam up to the reef and dove, his eyes scanning the nooks and dents, fish swimming lazily. He had a spear and swam closer to a large lion fish, aiming and wedging that spear into the fish. It wiggled a bit before dying, and Gabe put it into his bag floating behind him. Up for air. Back down. Chasing a parrot fish into a nook in the rock, reaching in to chase him out when a large shadow emerged from a small cavelike opening. Gabe’s eyes went wide as the moray eel shot out, straight at him. He turned, frantic. Too late. A blinding pain, and he almost howled when his mind registered he was under water, so he swam, kicking at the eel which had latched on his right calf. A trail of blood as the fish tore at his flesh, but didn’t let go, not even when Gabe had turned, half-blind with agony, and speared that large body. Swimming with the dying eel attached to his calf, until he had foot, dragging himself to shore, crying as his head burst from the water. Out onto the sand, he turned, watching with eyes wide, that animal holding tight.
He grabbed his spear and wedged it into the eel’s head, hard, watching it wriggle, howling at the pain as his teeth tore into his flesh. Waiting, lying on the sand, until the wriggling stopped. Mad with pain when an icy feeling coursed down his body.No, no, no…that slight nausea he knew so well…I’m going to faint… Damian…the words silent as he fell into darkness.
Damian watched the sun trot the sky, a mild worry in him that Gabe was not back, but he dismissed it, knowing how he liked getting a bit lost on the beach, sometimes just sitting, watching the waves.All the better. Gutting the piglets he’d killed, preparing their flesh to be salted and dried, and preparing two of them for their meal. Hard work under Walter’s almost humanlike eyes. Damian smiled at the pig lying further away under a tree.
“Sorry, old boy. We need to eat, you know…”
Walter just snorted, half-asleep.
Distant screeching, and Damian froze a bit, his hands in the bloodied body of a piglet. Listening.Gulls? Cormorants?The screeching reaching him from afar, maybe from the beach.Better check this out… maybe something washed on shore… or some birds to kill…He covered the piglets and grabbed a spear, his knife on his hip, rushing down to the beach. A light jog, which was nothing now when at the beginning he’d almost died from the effort. His eyes on the light bathing the sand, the cloud of birds flocking around something on the shore…what?Running closer, the birds flew a bit further, screeching, as Damian’s breath got knocked out of him.Gabe…Rushing to that human form laying on the sand, his hair sprawled around him.Gabe. Gabe. Gabe.A mild panic as he flung the spear to the ground, going to his knees next to that unconscious body. He grabbed him, pulling him to his chest, half mad with fright.
“Gabe! Jesus! Gabriel!” Shaking him, holding him as he slapped his face, gently first, then harder. A small moan. “Fuck! Wake up! Gabe!” Mad scared, bathing in that sudden adrenaline rush as his voice wobbled with fright. “Gabe!” Another slap, watching his eyelids flutter, his parched lips part, soft voices which didn’t make sense bubbling to the surface. Damian lay him back on the sand, slapping his face softly until those hazel eyes opened and focused on him.
A breath. “Damian?”
A rush of relief, pushing at a rising anger. “Fuck. What happened?” Roaming his body, his eyes went wide at that half-eaten eel latched on Gabe’s calf. “Jesus! Fuck!” He grabbed his knife and pried it into the fish’s jaws, forcing it open, his worried eyes on those deep wounds filled with blood and filth. The birds had hopped close, hoping for some more food, but they didn’t dare come close. Damian threw them the eel, a fast light in his eyes, watching them feast, when he turned his attention back to Gabe, who had grabbed his hand.
“I’m sorry…”
“Shut the fuck up. It’s not your fault… how long have you been here?”
“I don’t know…” A small whine as his brain registered that burning pain. “It’s bad?”
“Bad enough… I need to wash this out. Come.” He pulled Gabe up, lacing his arm around his body, holding him until he limped to the water. “Stand in it. It’s going to hurt like a bitch.”
Gabe blanched, but stepped in, almost losing it when that salty water bit into his flesh. He cried out, sobbing softly whilst Damian washed his wounds out.
Gritting his teeth at his suffering. “Almost there… fuck… it has closed, almost… shit… ok, let’s go back. Hold on to me.”
Gabe was in another world, floating, but he grabbed Damian’s shoulder as he held him, limping back to camp. An agonizing trip, just collapsing on their bed when Damian had hauled him up.
He stroked Gabe’s hair out of his eyes. “I’ll bring some hot water and something to bandage this. Fucking shit…”
