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The room around me faded into the backdrop, the musty smell of old wood and the faint glow of candlelight becoming distant sensations. The vision’s clarity enveloped me, a bubble of calm in the midst of the chaos. I knew this was my best chance to complete my task and return to Reaper and the poltergeist, waiting anxiously for my prize.
My pulse slowed, the adrenaline settling into a steady, controlled rhythm. The vision dissipated, leaving behind a lingering sense of confidence. The soft fabric of my clothes shifted against my skin, the faint draft from a nearby window brushed against my face. Every detail came into sharper focus, guided by the assurance of my vision. What was always a curse in my mind had finally become a gift.
With renewed determination, I took a deep breath, ready to follow the path and overcome the challenge before me.
Hands still shaking, I turned the key and edged the door open. “Hey!” I shouted. The guy, who resembled a grease monkey mechanic-type, going by the t-shirt and dirty jeans, noticed me. The girl didnot; she took the opportunity to stab the guy in the throat. The shock on his face, along with the blood that gushed out, had my stomach roiling. She sliced outward with the blade and pushed him off of her. My heart pounded, but I stood firm in the doorway and waited for her.
She stood, grinning at me. “There you are. I thought you’d never come out.”
I shrugged and watched her stalk toward me, holding her bloody knife out. Her eyes were an oil slick of malice and fury, and I knew she was sharing a body with a wraithshade, too. I swallowed despite my dry throat and held in the raspy cough that begged for release.
When she vaulted for me, I was ready. The vision had shown me exactly when to move. The moment she lunged, her eyes wild and intent, I shifted to the side, my body twisting around in a fluid motion.
My boot connected with her mid-flight, sending her sprawling further into the room. The dull thud of her body hitting the floor reverberated through the space. I didn’t waste a second, slamming the knife Reaper had given me into her chest. I fumbled against her as we wrestled, slipping slightly on the blood-soaked floor.
With a fierce twist, I jammed the dagger in harder and pulled it downward toward her pelvis, thick rivulets of blood coursing out the long, widening gap.
She screamed, her voice piercing my eardrums until I bashed her in the face, holding an arm over her mouth to shut her up. Gagging, I turned my head and tried to breathe through the moment. Settle my stomach. I’d done it. She was as good as dead. I had my victim to bring to the phantom.
A laugh bubbled up from my chest, a jumble of relief and adrenaline. “Not so scary now, are you,” I taunted, my voice steady despite theracing of my heart.
Her eyes widened in terror just before her body shuddered, then went limp, and all the light left them. They remained open but empty. Now a shell of who she used to be.
I leaned against the floor on my hands and knees for a moment, catching my breath. The musty scent of the old house mixed with the sharp tang of my own sweat and the blood flowing out of the two dead people on the floor in front of me.
The gurgling sounds still coming from the grease monkey on the floor roiled my stomach. I took a moment to observe him, laid out, limbs bent oddly, wine-dark liquid pooling from his wounds like lava. I tried to swallow down the waves of nausea rolling through me but failed. I gagged once, twice, and I couldn’t help myself. My dinner erupted out of me and onto the floor. Wave after wave emptied my stomach until my abs were cramping in pain.
By then, I felt a lot better, more clear-headed and somewhat emptied of the concern that had been packed in my gut. Wiping my face clean, I closed my eyes and wiggled my fingers, trying to block out her muffled voice yelling at me in my head.
I gripped the girl by her armpits, dragging her down the hall. It was just as well; I couldn’t stay hidden forever. The corridor was dark and empty. The stuttering light from a chandelier conjured sinister shapes as I dragged my heavy subject across the threadbare runner over creaky floorboards. The air felt colder, almost tangible, with the lingering presence of lost souls from the past few hours.
Each straining step, dragging the body backward, was a battle against the fear threatening to overwhelm me, but I had no choice. I had to find a way through this haunted labyrinth, back to Reaper and the poltergeist, so we could enter that room and hopefully get our matches and flammable liquid.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Crimson Tides
Tess
Though my muscles ached,and my lungs threatened to give up, I wasted no time because I knew I couldn’t defend myself if anyone else found me. Dragging a body is not the stealthiest way to get across a building, but I couldn’t bring myself to hack her head off with the dagger Reaper gave me. The thought was more inconceivable than actually driving the killing blade in. I was grateful I’d managed that part. It probably would have voided the offering as far as the asshole poltergeist was concerned if I hadn’t.
When I turned the corner to where they could see me, Reaper rushed over. “Let her go.”
I let go of the cadaver, and her body thumpedto the floor.
“Why didn’t you cut the head off? You’re lucky no one caught you. How long have you been dragging this chick?”
“I don’t know. A while.”
He rolled his eyes and snatched the girl by her hair, holding his other hand out to me. When I met his eye blankly, he added, “The dagger, please, dear.”
“Oh…” I scrambled for it out of my belt.
I handed it to him, and he pressed it to her neck.
A throat-clearing sound jolted our attention up. “Um…” the spirit interrupted. I had no idea how a spirit could make such a sound, but he did. “She needs to present the head.”
Reaper nodded. “She will.”
“No. She needs to remove the head and present it to me herself.”
