Green Desert - Chapter 5.5.1 - Fírí

The old detective walked away and the young cop circled me to get at my foot. He started wiping it, well away from my injured toe. It tickled, but I held still.

The detective didn’t trust the Kılímos. I saw it in his eyes. He was going to listen to me. We’d put the rapist Pí‘oro and his witch wife behind bars. There would be justice. I smiled, my lips sticking together.

Pain shot up my leg. “Aaa!”

“Sorry!”

The sharp stab dissipated and a throbbing remained in my toe. Fresh blood flowed scarlet on my clean, pale foot.

“I’m gonna have to touch the nail if I’m gonna stop the bleeding.” His sad, dark eyes caught mine. “Do you know where the aspirin is?”

I shook my head. “They won’t have any. They sacrifice animals to heal themselves, remember?”

Doubt flooded his face. “Right.”

What did I care if he believed me? It was his boss that mattered, and that old guy saw the truth I was saying.

But my toe. “Just do it.” I braced myself mentally.

The cop moved in, white cloth in hand.

The pain matched my expectations. I felt nothing but pain. I heard nothing but pain. I saw nothing but pain.