My Devoted Demons

Chapter 18 - The Plan?

Henry

It was a little strange to drive a black van to a grocery store, but once we got past the curious eyes, it was fine.

The truth was, Leo and I both wanted to get out of the house so that we could give Gwendolyn and the other guys their space. We were aware of their relationship, and although it certainly wasn't something either of us saw every day, that doesn't mean we couldn't choose to accept it.

It's simple: love is love.

Leo had a small list in his back pocket of all the things we needed: plastic water bottles, ice, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and some long-lasting foods. We had gotten all the food we ate this morning from the Jetts' house. All of the staff there were on board with our plan to rescue Gwendolyn, and they helped us by grabbing some food from their kitchen.

Now, we were sitting in the driveway of the house, hesitating to go inside. Something told me that maybe it'd be a good idea to wait out here for just a bit longer before going in.

Silence had passed over us, and we sat comfortably, waiting for the energy to get out and grab the groceries. I tried to break it in an attempt to distract my brain, but Leo beat me to it.

"Henry..." he began. "Did you notice anything odd about Atlas this morning?"

I thought back to earlier, when Atlas had been in the kitchen, eating with us, but nothing of note came to mind. I shrugged. "No. I don't think so."

"You know how he had eaten a cup of yogurt?" Leo's brows were furrowed, a concerned look swirling in his dark irises.

"Yes..." I answered, unsure of what he was getting at.

"He kept eyeing that spoon strangely." Leo turned to look at me, and our eyes connected in a knowing gaze.

"You don't think..." I trailed off, not wanting to say the words. While it was possible that we could be interpreting this the wrong way, it was also possible that Atlas was an ex heroin addict. That would explain the spoon thing. But again, we could be wrong.

"I've only been a licensed physician for three years," he told me. "Before I was hired by Gwendolyn's parents, I worked in a psychiatric hospital. All of our patients were forced to use disposable cutlery so that they couldn't hurt themselves."

The spoons we had at the house were metal.

"I wish I never worked there," he admitted. "All I could ever see was how drained the patients were. It was like they were in jail, except their experience was tailored to them." Shame overtook the concern in his eyes. "Somehow, we violated them in every way possible. And all they wanted was help."

I wasn't sure what to tell him. My family had no history of mental illness or addiction. But I guess that changed about a year ago.

I got lost in my thoughts for a few moments before Leo spoke again. "Part of my starting job was to check incoming patients for preexisting scars," he continued. "This morning, I couldn't help but notice several small spots on his forearm."

He shut his eyes in defeat. "Before Maxim and his posse left to meet the other guys at their trap, he brought the sedative to me," Leo explained. Maxim was the right hand man of Dexter -- Gwendolyn's father. He had also been the one to film the ransom video. "He wanted to know its side effects, and it just so happens that they were pretty similar to those of heroin withdrawal, now that I think about it."

I knew it would be a good idea to ask him about it, but I didn't want to put him in a darker place than he already was. How long he had been clean, I wasn't sure of -- but I didn't want to be responsible for breaking his streak.