“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills and empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, ends life, kills laughter. What is it?” Lix asked.
Erin kept her gaze focused on the building. I tried to figure out the riddle as I placed my hand on my forehead and squinted against the sun’s glare coming off the windows.
“Whatever it is, it’s depressing,” Vargas said, and I couldn’t help but agree.
“It’s darkness,” Erin said after a few more seconds of pondering.
“It is!” Lix declared and spun his sword in his hand. “And what are most ghosts afraid of?”
“The dark,” Hawk, Erin, Vargas, and I all answered at the same time.
Ghosts being scared of the dark was still one of the strangest things I’d ever heard, and that was saying a lot given everything I’d been through these past five months.
“Have they managed to stump you with a riddle yet?” I asked Erin.
“Not yet,” she replied with a smile.
“She’s the reigning champion,” Vargas said and threw his arm around her shoulders.
“They’ll get me one day, I’m sure,” Erin said.
“Doubtful,” Vargas replied.
Kobal opened the door and entered the truck stop diner with Corson following behind him. I held my breath as I stepped inside with the hope of seeing nothing within.
CHAPTER 40
River
Those hopes were dashed as the grayish figures sitting at the diner counter swung toward me. They all stared at me with sulky expressions on their transparent faces. Before the gateway fell, those serving their time in Purgatory remained on Earth as ghosts, but they couldn’t be seen by most humans. The opening of the gateway caused them to become visible to all humans, something the ghosts hated.
Maybe I can still see them because I died too,I thought. I knew it was a long shot given the ghost’s morose demeanor, but it might be possible.
“Erin? Vargas?” I asked.
“I still see them,” Erin murmured.
“So do I,” Vargas said.
“But the gateway is closed! We felt it!” Ethel declared. The ghost planted her hands on her hips as she floated closer to us. Last time she’d screamed at us to get out the second we entered. This time it seemed she had more important things to worry about.
“It is closed,” I confirmed.
“Are thoseangelsout there?” one of the ghosts breathed from behind me. I turned to find Pompadour with his head through the blinds covering the windows. Only half his pompadour showed as his face was on the other side.
“They are,” I said.
“They can help us!” many of the ghosts declared.
“Highly unlikely,” Corson drawled, “but ask them. They’re such kind-hearted fellas.”
“Corson,” I warned.
He shooed the ghosts away from the stools as he strolled forward. The ghosts gathered at the counter glowered at him and remained where they were. Corson plopped himself straight through one of them to sit on a stool.
“Revolting, filthy demon!” the ghost Corson sat through shouted. He floated away from Corson, and many of the others nodded their agreement.
Corson paid them no attention as he rested his elbow on the counter. He twisted slightly on the stool to gaze back at me while he spoke. “Letting them speak with the angels is the only way they’ll let it go. Don’t forget, ghosts are one-way assholes.”
