#rufo: road trip part 11

[spooky-raccoon]

Road Trip (Part 11)

Rufo X Female Reader

Part 11 of Road Trip

Rufo’s perspective is in BOLD

Tag List:  @booklover2929​ @rottenhearts-and-sharpteeth​ @the-clown-crypt​ @chii2blog​

         I don’t know how much time had passed but it felt like ages until seeing a truck come into sight.  The thing looked like it was about to fall apart with every pump it hit.  It was barreling down the driveway and my heart started to pound in my chest to the point I could hear it thudding in my ears

        “There he is.”  Crowley got up from his seat at the table and walked over to stand off the side behind me. “That was pretty impressive with how fast he found you.”

         No words as the truck only sped up faster and I was trying to not get antsy in my chair.  I didn’t want it to break just yet.  He was close enough that I could see his face from inside the truck cab. He wasn’t even hiding the fact he was a clown and how angry he was. His eyes were sunken in and there was a faint glow from where they were.  It was a relief but also terrifying to see him like that.

        “Oh, that clown doesn’t have a happy face. Perfect.” Crowley clasped a hand on my shoulder and kept it there as we watched the tall, boney like figure stop and get out of the truck.

         He was covered in blood and other viscera. Someone had been a poor unfortunate soul to get in his way.  Probably the owner of the truck or some fools back at the small circus.  There was already a throwing knife in his hand as he stormed the house and I lost sight for a brief moment until he kicked down the door.  It splintered with little effort and remnants of it scattered across the floor.

         “Crowley, you fucking son a bitch.”  Rufo was walking forward and his eyes fell onto me then the symbol on the ground which made him stop.  “Son of a bitch.”  His words were more like hisses the angrier he was becoming.   He looked back to me and the grip on his knife tightened.  I can see the veins in his hand shift from his grip.  “Are you alright (Y/N)?  You aren’t hurt?”

        “No, no.  I’m okay.  I’m okay now.”  I could feel tears try to well up in my eyes as I answered him.  I just wanted to run to him. I wanted to grab him and tell him everything would be okay and that we could run and go back to enjoying the trip. But Crowley spoke again and reminded me that it was easier said than done.

        “Rufo, you and I have been at it for a while. I’m getting pretty tired having you pop up now and again when I have more important things to worry about. Get in the circle and I’ll let her go.”  He patted my shoulder to emphasis what was at stake. “On my word she’ll be let go while your spirit gets removed from that vessel and gets to go where it needs to go.”

        Rufo didn’t say anything, just stared at me with those sunken glowing eyes.  Crowley let go of my shoulder to gesture to the circle on the floor then I could hear his hands going in his pockets.  Another moment of silence and the clatter of the throwing knife falling to the ground nearly made me jump. His face looked plumper and human like the longer he stared at me.

        “If she isn’t safe than you mark my words Crowley, I’ll come back and gut you where you stand.”  His voice sent a shiver straight up my spine and he look at Crowley dead in the eyes.  “I’ll come back and be your worst nightmare.”  

        Rufo began to walk forward, his eyes staying on me. I could hear Crowley behind me lowly chanting and some of the symbols in the circle started to glow.  That’s when my heart dropped. I was going to lose Rufo.  I was going to lose him after just getting to know him.  That’s when I saw my moment and I took it.

         The old, rickety chair shattered as I launched myself forward. It was a little sickening with how it cracked.  Crowley didn’t have a chance to grab me and I was already where I wanted to be.  My shoulder connected to Rufo’s chest which sent him flying out of the circle he had only managed to get a few steps in.  

         It had been the right time too as the lights changed color and light shot upward toward the ceiling.  Whatever it was, it broke through the old ceiling and made pieces of wood rain down on me.  Though being caught in the crossfire of the blinding light I didn’t notice. Especially when the pain took over.  Fire coursed through my veins and it was like glass shards followed with.  It hurt too much to scream.  I couldn’t even writhe on the ground as some invisible force was keeping me in place.  My mouth hung open has my body tried to get some noise out, something to try to make the pain lessen.  Tears poured from my eyes which only was more painful itself.

        “Crowley do something!”  I could barely hear Rufo’s shouting.

         “There’s nothing I can do!  No one can enter the circle until it’s done.”  There was almost a hint of a solemn tone from Crowley.

         Rufo get close to the circle and I could see his face out of the corner of my eye.  Fear.  Fear and worry plastered his face as he watched me.  The pain only got worse.  It felt like every inch inside of me itched and burned then like someone was inside me, trying to get me out of my own body.

        “(Y/N), doll, stay with me.  Stay with an old clown.  Listen to me and don’t go.”  There was a desperate sound in his voice that I could barely hear over the ringing and pounding in my ears.  

        I’d say I blacked out, but it was more of a white out.  White light flooded my vision and I don’t know if the screaming I heard was my own, but it was soon joined in by a choir of screams that ascended to a painful crescendo then suddenly crashed into final blissful silence.  Just as sudden as the screaming ended, so did the pain that had ran rampant through my body.  The whiteness faded to black and it felt like my soul slipped into a peaceful numbness. I didn’t know if I was dead or what was going on.  Everything felt weightless, free floating.  It was so calm.

        “(Y/N)!”  I slid over to her once the damn light show was done.  “Come on, wake up.  Wake up.” I wrapped my arms around her to pull her close and to see if she was breathing.  She was.  It was shallow and barely visible.  “(Y/N), don’t go where I can’t go.”  My voice dropped but Crowley must have heard me.

         “Come on Rufo, let’s get her out of here and to the hospital.”  Crowley perked up and made his way to the door.  “She needs medical attention.”

         I didn’t argue.  Not as I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the truck.  Not as I got her laid out in the back seat and Crowley climbed into the passenger seat after helping me.  We didn’t speak the entire ride.  I couldn’t get myself calmed enough and I’m sure my knuckles would be even more white if possible as I gripped the steering wheel.

         “You really care about her.”  Crowley spoke after a while of silence.  “I’ve never seen this side of you before”

         “She’s an innocent gal.  She deserves a happy and normal life.  I just happened to bump into her at a gas station in the middle of nowhere.”  

        “Rufo, I can tell you two are close.  I’ve never known you to let someone get this far along knowing you and even traveling with them.  You’re always alone.”  Crowley’s eyes were still on the road though I could tell he was watching me from the corner of them.  I’m surprised the man didn’t have his damn smile on his face that he usually had.

         “We had a lot in common the more I came to find out.  And I couldn’t help but be curious after a point.  Then when it did get to that point I didn’t have the heart to kill her.” I sighed, the various memories of us playing through my mind.  I wish I could go back to the little diner in that little booth.  “She’s has a kind heart and an old soul.  She deserves to live a full life.”

         “Just don’t leave her high and dry just yet Rufo. We don’t know what happened to her when she was in there.  After the hospital I suggest taking her to Albert to see if anything else went on.”

         “I was thinking the same thing Crowley.”

         The drive wasn’t terribly long, and we had arrived at the hospital.  I watched as Crowley scooped up (Y/N) from the back seat and carried her inside.  I was only more frustrated with myself as I sat in the parking lot from not being calm enough to get the damn human skin to get over my face so I could have gone in with.  To be by her side and in the little room they would have put her in. Waiting there as they ran the tests. I flipped on the radio and switched it to the oldies to calm my nerves.  Some familiar ones from our drives played and I could feel the tug of a smile on my scarred lips as I remembered how she sang to each one. When she really got into it she wiggled in her seat to mimic dancing.  She had such spunk and energy that I couldn’t help but join along, even if my voice wasn’t as good as hers.

         After a couple of songs I managed to look more fleshy and get the human look back on my face.  It didn’t take long to get directed to the room she would be in. Crowley was seated by the bed and there was an empty chair near him which I took.

         “They said they’re doing some tests.  It’ll be a few hours at the least so buckle down.” Crowley moved to stand up, stretching from being uncomfortable in the seat.  “I’ll leave you to it.  Get her car back over here so you’re not moving her in that old jalopy of a truck.”

         There had been a long pause and I could feel his eyes on me.  I hated it. I turned my head to look up at him and gave him a nod.

         “I’ll see you around, Crowley.  And… thank you.”  The words almost felt a little sour in my mouth.  That made Crowley smile that damn creepy smile.

         “Just tell me how she’s doing the next time we run into each other.”  With that, Crowley left the room without a trace.

         There I sat for too many hours with my thoughts. With the worries of what sort of things they were doing to her.  Sure, the medical world had gotten a lot better since I was last alive but magic like that would have left some damage.  Or maybe nothing physical at all.  Only time would tell.  I somehow managed to fall asleep in that uncomfortable chair into a dreamless sleep.