by Kady Cross
“For what?” As far as I could tell I hadn’t done much more than piss Bent off.
“For helping Gage. I saw him before school this morning. He’s doing better.”
That was a relief. “The agate worked?”
“Yes.” She sounded so relieved. She looked as though she might cry. “Mr. Moreno said he slept all night, and he was hungry this morning.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard since I moved back here,” I told her, opening my locker. She still looked a little shaky. “Bent can’t have him, Rox. He can’t have any of you.”
She grabbed me and hugged me so hard I couldn’t breathe. I patted her back, and hoped she’d let me go before I passed out. Thankfully, she did. And then she left me alone.
And I really was alone. Wren wasn’t with me. She would be later, but she decided that she really didn’t want to sit through my first-period history class—the teacher was boring, she said—and that maybe she’d take that time to poke about the Shadow Lands.
I wished I could just not come to school. God, that would be so freaking awesome.
Being at school without Wren left me feeling vulnerable, open to attack. I kept waiting for someone to accost me, or call me names. It didn’t happen, but that didn’t mean that it wouldn’t someday. Wren always said how brave she thought I was, but she was the one who made me that way. Hard not to be brave when you had a paranormal force at your back.
I gathered the books I needed and closed my locker. As I walked down the corridor, I spied Andrew walking toward me. Oh, great. I squared my shoulders, bracing myself for whatever he might say or do.
He took one look at me, gasped and immediately turned into the nearest classroom. He almost knocked a girl over doing it.
Huh. Whatever Wren had said to him had obviously done the job. Although, that thought didn’t make me feel as smug as it would have before that vision of her smacking her lips while holding our friends’ eyeballs.
I knew Wren could be dangerous, but she was my sister. I just couldn’t think of her as a monster—as something like Bent. If she ever turned into something like that, would I be able to do what needed to be done?
At least I knew where her remains were.
The thought made my chest tight. Blinking back tears—I was not going to cry over something that might happen—I made my way to class and tried to focus on the here and now, and not some future I couldn’t control. It worked—for the most part.
At lunch I met up with the others. Wren came by to check in, as well. I wouldn’t admit to anyone but myself how much more relaxed I was once I saw my twin. I didn’t want her to see how dependent I was. I didn’t want her to feel like she had to stick to me, especially now that I knew how much she needed a life of her own.
Sarah didn’t look so great. The wound on her jaw was raw, but that wasn’t it. She was exhausted.
“Nightmares,” she said. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I dreamed that Bent came and tried to possess me again. He kept telling me that if I cared about you all that I’d help you ascend, whatever that means.”
The others closed in to comfort her, as well. I didn’t hug her. I just looked at her and said, “It will all be over tonight.”
Her wide gaze locked with mine. “Promise?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” Of course I couldn’t promise that, but I’d do everything I could to make it happen.
“Lark, in my dream Bent said that he was going to come for Gage, and that not even your little trinkets could stop him.”
“Bravado,” I replied, but I wasn’t so sure. Bent might very well have figured out a way to get to Gage. It was a hospital—lots of people in weakened states just primed for possession. Gage might get out of bed to go to the bathroom and Bent could attack. He might possess a nurse, or a doctor. Killing Gage wouldn’t mean anything to him—it would be his revenge. He was going to fight us, and if we tried to take him out, he’d take Gage with him. He could do that easily in the amount of time it was going to take us to dig up his bones. There was no quick way to do that—at least not a quiet one that wouldn’t get us arrested.
“I’ll stay with him,” Wren said. “I can protect him, and if you need me, you can just summon me.”
It was a sound plan—and it would keep her off Haven Crest grounds, away from the violent ghosts there. At least the ones at the hospital had been somewhat friendly.
I would not think of that little kid...
“What about Kevin?” Sarah asked. “Is he coming? Or is there too much of a chance that Bent might possess him again?”
Wren looked away, but it wasn’t as though anyone but me could notice.
“He’s coming,” Mace replied. “He wouldn’t sit this out.”
“Why?” Roxi piped up. “He wasn’t with us that night. This isn’t his problem.”
“It’s not Lark’s, either,” Ben said. “Or Wren’s, but they’re helping us.”
“Because we asked,” Roxi reminded him.
I jumped in. “Kevin’s your friend. That’s why. Now, let’s talk about how this is going to go down.”
We had shovels and salt. Sarah had lighter fluid that her dad used on the charcoal grill he insisted on using instead of buying a gas barbecue. Everyone had their iron rings and weapons, and Ben had managed to grab parts of an old iron fence from his mother’s workshop that we could lay out around Bent’s grave to protect us from attack while we dug.
“But how are we going to get all of this stuff into the cemetery?” Sarah asked. “We can’t carry it up that tree and across the field. It’s too much.”
“I’ve got that taken care of,” Mace said.
His girlfriend looked surprised. This was obviously the first she’d heard of this. “How?”
“I’ve got it.” From the expression on his face that was all he was going to say.
Sarah turned to me. “Do you know anything about this?”
I scowled. “Why the hell would I know what he’s up to?” Then to Mace. “Where do you want to meet?”
He mentioned a side road not far from the asylum.
“Can you take us all?” Ben asked.
Mace nodded, but he still didn’t give his plan away.
“Could what you’re doing get us into big trouble?” I asked.
He merely smiled.
Oh, crap.
* * *
“Is that a cop van?” Ben asked that night, slowing his car as we approached the meeting spot.
“It’s a freaking paddy wagon,” I growled. And Mace was standing next to it on the shoulder of a dark, deserted secondary road.
Ben laughed and pulled over just ahead of the van. “If we get caught, we are so screwed.”
He had that right. Screwed didn’t even begin to describe what we’d be. My God, I didn’t know whether to tear a strip off Mace for dragging us all into his theft, or hug him for being so damned ballsy. Regardless, no one was going to bat an eye at a police presence around Haven Crest. Our only problem would be if security came by to check it out, and according to Mace, security rarely patrolled the cemetery.
Ballsy and smart. I was almost jealous for not having thought of it myself.
Mace grinned at me when I got out of the car. “Not bad, huh?”
I shook my head, but I couldn’t help but grin back. “You’re insane.”
He patted the side of the van. “No one will even miss it. They keep it in an old garage near the back lot of the station. They only use it when there’s a festival or concert going on.”
Ben opened the trunk of his car. “You’ve got balls, man.”
Mace shook his head. “Nah. I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to end this.” He unlocked the back doors of the van and came to help Ben load the iron fencing into it. I took care of the shovels and car
dboard box full of salt cans and other supplies. As we were loading everything up, the rest of our group arrived. Roxi was with Wren and Gage at the hospital—mostly because I figured she’d be too worried about her boyfriend to concentrate here. And, call me a romantic, but whatever happened tonight, they deserved to be together for it.
Sarah stared at the van. Her face was pale. “Mace, what did you do?” I hadn’t even noticed that she and Kevin had arrived.
Ben and I exchanged glances, and then with Kevin. If this was going to turn into a thing, none of us wanted to be there.
“What I had to,” he replied.
She shook her head. “If we get caught we can kiss college goodbye.”
“Getting caught is the least of our worries,” I reminded her, ending the argument before it could escalate. “Does everyone have their rings and weapons?”
They did.
“Fabulous,” I continued. “When we get to the grave, Ben and I will set up the barricade while the rest of you start digging.”
“Why do you get to do that when we have to dig?” Sarah asked.
Yeah, she wasn’t even trying to hide how she felt about me now. “You want to be the first thing Bent and his minions hit when they show up, be my guest.” That shut her down pretty damn quick. Honestly, when this was over, I was going to go out of my way to avoid this chick. If I didn’t, one of us was going to end up sorry.
And it wouldn’t be me.
Before we left for the cemetery, I dabbed clove essential oil I’d picked up at the local health store on each of their wrists.
“Aren’t you wearing any?” Ben asked when I put the bottle away.
I shook my head. “I can’t use any wards.” I held up my hands. “No iron, either.”
That seemed to alarm everyone—especially Ben. “Why not?”
Wasn’t it obvious? “Wren. I can’t do anything that might block her from me. Occupational hazard.” It was a lame joke, but I felt like the mood of the group dropped ten points with my announcement. “Look, guys, I’ll be okay.”
“What if you’re not?” Sarah demanded. “You’re the only one of us who knows how to stop this thing.”
I smirked. At least she was honest. “So you’re not worried about my safety, just what happens to you if I get taken out. That’s sweet, really.”
She looked embarrassed. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, but I really don’t want to die tonight.”
That was fair. “Dig him up, open the box, soak him in salt and then lighter fluid, and light him up. Then get the hell out of here.”
“How will we know if it worked?” Mace asked.
“You’ll know.” I nodded at Kevin. “He’ll know. He’ll hear the screams.”
Kevin might have paled a little—it was hard to tell in the moonlight. “Thanks for the warning.”
I glanced at my watch. It was after eleven and I had a history test in the morning. “Let’s go.”
“There’s a service road the police use,” Mace informed us. “It runs right by the cemetery. We should be able to avoid security altogether, but if they do see us, it won’t look weird.” He held the back door of the van so we could climb inside. At least there were places to sit. He shut us in, and then climbed in the front. Sarah was in the passenger seat. Cow.
Ben held my hand on the drive. No awful vision this time, thankfully. I’d never really held hands with anyone—other than Wren, and sisters didn’t count. It was nice—comforting. And a little distracting when he stroked my thumb with his.
We were all quiet on the drive. Nervous. Afraid.
“Do you think Roxi and Gage will be all right?” Sarah asked. I thought she was talking to all of us, not just me.
“Yeah,” I said, but I wasn’t convinced. Roxi and Gage would be fine, provided Bent didn’t come after them, and provided we could toast his skeleton ass first. I couldn’t guarantee that any of us were going to get out of this alive. Bent was powerful—really powerful. He had enough juice to kill without trying too hard. Most ghosts were minor-league and had to infect and work on a victim over time. Bent’s infection of Gage had worked incredibly fast. Plus, he’d managed to infect the entire group at one time. If we hadn’t already seen how strong he was, that would have been a big hint. He was old and powerful. The spirits in this place made him stronger, as did his own malevolent nature. And then there was the energy he’d syphoned off my friends—and Sarah. If he came after us tonight, I didn’t know if I could fight him without Wren.
And I didn’t know if Wren could fight him without me.
The van turned onto a dirt road. We jostled from side to side over every rut and bump. It was going to be too funny if tomorrow came and the worst bruises I had were on my butt.
“Sorry,” Mace called back through the screen that separated the two sections of the van. “The road’s really bad.”
I clenched my jaw. “No shit.” My head bounced off the wall as the van jerked sideways. If it was ghosts, I could do something about it, but I wasn’t about to jump out and start filling potholes.
Finally, we slowed and stopped. I waited until Mace killed the engine to get up. By the time he opened the door, I already had iron ready for him to take.
“How close are we to the tree?” I asked him as I jumped out.
“Few hundred feet,” he answered.
I swore. “Okay, you guys go ahead. I’ll catch up.”
“Second thoughts?” Sarah asked.
“Hey!” Mace admonished.
I held up my hand. “I’m a ghost magnet. I don’t have any protection to keep me out of their notice, remember? I’m giving you all a chance to get to the grave before company comes calling. Now get moving.”
Her lips tightened, but she didn’t say anything. She walked away.
“I hate girls,” I muttered under my breath as I watched her back.
One by one, hauling gear, they set off across the dark cemetery. The moon provided enough light to see by so we wouldn’t need to use the flashlights until we got to the tree. I stood alone by the van, the breeze lifting my hair. I didn’t feel any buzzing yet—they hadn’t noticed me. Or maybe they were just waiting for the right moment to come out and play.
I waited until the others were a little over halfway to the tree before setting out to follow them. The moment I swung my leg over the dilapidated fence and let my foot hit asylum ground I felt a jolt up my leg. This place had gotten a taste of me the other night, and this second taste was only going to increase its appetite.
The ground wasn’t consecrated. How could they not consecrate a freaking cemetery? Consecration wasn’t a guarantee that ghosts couldn’t get in, but it made it really difficult for them. The fact that this land hadn’t been blessed meant that it was just another part of the asylum—and Bent had free domain.
I had two shovels over my shoulder as I broke into a jog. I wanted to yell at them to find the grave, but I didn’t dare make that much noise. Up ahead I could see the flashlights come on, beams moving across the ground. I thought I heard Ben call out that he’d found it. A few seconds later they all gathered around one spot, and Ben began placing iron on the ground.
I ran faster. When I reached them, I dropped the shovels and immediately went to work on the iron rods. “Start digging!” I ordered.
No one argued. Shovels struck the grass—clumps went flying.
And a buzzing like a thousand bees grew louder in my head. They were coming, and we didn’t have iron around three quarters of the grave yet. We were laying the rods length-wise on the ground, end to end around the perimeter, leaving enough room for the diggers inside. I tossed Kevin a can of salt.
“Pour it inside the iron,” I instructed. The air went still—too still. My heart hammered in my chest, slamming my ribs. So many of them coming. I could feel them in my head, unde
r my skin. They whispered to me in incoherent dark-tongues, trying to heighten my fear with their voices.
I drew a deep breath. I was not afraid. Okay, I was very afraid, but I would not allow my fear to rule me. I grabbed for the little flags I’d put in the supply box and began shoving their pointed ends into the ground inside the iron rectangle. On them, Ben had drawn pujok like the one in Gage’s hospital room.
A screech pierced my mind. I glanced up and saw what looked like a giant bat flying toward me. Only it wasn’t a bat. It was ghosts. And they were manifesting.
Shit. I hoped no one else looked up. Frantically, I kept slapping rods onto the grass, shoving flags in every few feet. There was just one corner left to cover. The others had a couple of feet dug down already—there hadn’t been any rain in a while and the ground was dry and light. But they still had a lot of grave to uncover.
The bat broke up, bits of black dropping to the ground. They were maybe five or ten feet away. At least ten of them—the rest circled above. Reinforcements. If just one of them attacked right now we’d be screwed.
I shoved the remaining flags into the ground and stood up. I took the iron bar Ben had given me out of the box. It was cool against my hot, damp palms.
“Lark?” Ben asked. I could hear a little tremor in his deep voice. “What are you doing?”
I glanced over at my shoulder at him. “Get that perimeter down.”
And then I stepped out to confront the ghosts. I smiled as I looked at their decrepit faces. “Which one of you bitches wants to go first?”
WREN
Roxi and Gage were nervous, I could tell. If I could communicate with them I could calm their minds. Bent wasn’t going to come for either one of them.
Bent was going to come for me.
I wasn’t sure if Lark knew it, though some part of her must. It was the only reason she’d have allowed me to be somewhere other than her side. My sister was overly protective, and paranoid, but she wasn’t stupid. Not usually. With me somewhere else, it forced Bent to chase me. That meant he couldn’t attack them.