Despite all the light out here, to my rightwere the shadowed recesses of an alley next to the building. Notmuch of the light spilling out of the windows and beaming on usfrom the awnings overhead pierced the darkness beside the building.The grills of a few Mac trucks parked in the alley sparkled in whatlittle light fell over them. If their flat tires and rusting bodieswere any indication, they hadn’t moved in years. From what I couldsee, none of them had trailers attached to them.
Reaching the door of the building, Corsongrabbed the metal handle on the door and pushed it open. A bellrang on the other side. The crisp, clear sound of it was extremelyloud in the hush surrounding us. The jarring bell wasn’t whatstartled me most about the door opening, it was the way Corsonstrolled in as if he owned the place.
The rest of us exchanged baffled looks whilewe remained standing outside the doorway. We were nowhere near asnonchalant about entering as Corson had been. I pulled out my gunas Hawk put his foot against the bottom of the closing glass doorand gently pushed it back open with the toe of his boot. The belldidn’t ring again but rather made a tinkling sound this time. Iedged past Hawk, swinging my gun from side to side as I did a brisksearch of the interior while the others entered behind me.
Corson stood before me, a smirk curving hislips when my mouth dropped open at the spectacle that greeted me.Sitting in the booths of the diner we’d stepped into, some of theoccupants turned sideways to see us, others swiveled away from thecounter, and still more stopped in the act of moving down the blackand white tile covering the floor.
There were at least fifty individuals within,maybe more, and all of their expressions mirrored the same shock Iknew was on my face. I almost took a step back, but Hawk’s breathwarmed my neck as he blocked my retreat. Vargas kissed his cross,and Erin looked as if she would rather be facing a gargoyleagain.
“You don’t belong here!” a woman shouted atus and rested her hand on her plump hip. Everything about her wasgray, from her coloring to her gingham dress to the apron over it.Her gaze swept disdainfully over all of us. “Noneof you belong here.”
No shit.
“Only resting for a bit,” Corson told herwith a dismissive wave of his hand.
“This isn’t your place!” the womaninsisted.
Corson waved us toward the stools at thecounter. “Have a seat.”
The occupants of those stools shot him nastylooks and folded their arms over their chests. They weren’t goingto vacate their seats, and I wasn’t about to try to make them. Wedidn’t move. I didn’t think any of us dared to as the womanapproached us with a thunderous expression on her face.
“You’renotwelcome here!” she yelled.
“You have two choices,” Corson bit out ather. “You let us sit and wait peacefully, or she,” he thrust histhumb over his shoulder at me, “burns this place to the ground.Pick your poison.”
“Corson!” I hissed, unwilling to piss offanything in this building. I had no idea what they might be capableof doing if they were pushed.
He shot me a silencing look over hisshoulder. The woman stopped advancing on us and swung her fadedgray eyes toward me. Her other hand went back to her hip as sheglared at us. If she started stomping her feet like a bull, I wouldbe out of here before she could charge us.
“She isn’t capable of that!” the womandeclared and thrust a finger at me.
“Believe what you like, but I would suggestnot pushing your luck. Go back to your business and leave us be,”Corson said. “We’re just waiting for some friends, and then we’llbe gone.”
The woman didn’t look at all pleased by thisnotion. My stomach churned with acid as everyone in the buildingfocused on me. The hair on my nape rose, and my hand on my uselessgun became so sweaty I had to slip the gun back into the holsterbefore I dropped it. I hated that Corson had used me as a threat,but she didn’t come any closer to us.
The woman continued to study me like adissected frog before her brow cleared and her hand fell away fromher waist. “I know who she is,” the woman murmured.
Around us a ripple went through the crowd,some moved closer to me. Their interest beat against my skin asthey scrutinized me. “It is her,” another one whispered. “Thedemons have found her.”
I could feel Vargas, Erin, and Hawk’s gazesburning into me. “How do you know who I am?” I inquired.
“Word gets around. The afterlife is smallerthan people think, especially on this side of the barrier betweenour worlds,” the plump woman replied.
So, there was an afterlife gossip vine. Thatwas a strangely un-freaking-believable realization.
Corson stepped aside and gestured toward thecounter once more. This time, the stool’s occupants hurried to getout of the way as Corson walked toward the vinyl-covered seats. Thefour of us remained where we were for a full minute beforecautiously following him as he settled on one of the stools.
I turned sideways to avoid brushing againstsomeone. I had no idea what would happen if I did, and I didn’twant to find out. I was almost to a stool when my arm passedstraight through a man who rose to let us pass. Goose bumps brokeout on my chilled flesh and full realization finally sank in.
We were standing in a truck stop diner fullof ghosts.
CHAPTER 17
River
I sat hunched over on my stool, unwilling tomove as ghosts hovered near my elbows. And hover they did. Theirfeet never touched the ground as their heads turned curiously backand forth while they inspected me. I tried not to gawk at theirgray, transparent forms, but the longer I sat there, the more theygathered around me.
“Are you really what they say you are?” a manwith sideburns and a pompadour asked me. He wore a pair ofbellbottoms and an older-looking, button-down shirt left partiallyopen to reveal the upper part of his chest. His shoes were flatwith rounded fronts and only a couple of shoelaces on them.
