“They’d follow us all the way into the pitsof Hell if she told them that,” Corson said. “They may not like tomove around at night, but they can cover a lot of distance duringthe day.”
“Can you close the unnatural gateway intoHell?” another asked as she floated up beside me.
I took an involuntary step away from her. “Idon’t know.”
“I think you can do it.”
I had the backing of the ghost population,good to know.
“Looks a little too skinny and weak to me,”another said.
Okay, I didn’t have the backing of all ofthem.
“She does,” some of the others murmured.
There really was nothing like being insultedby a bunch of ghosts to help build my confidence.
“Looks can be deceiving,” some of the othersmurmured.
“I think she looks strong.”
“Maybe she is.”
“I wonder what she can do.”
My head bounced back and forth as I tried tofollow their conversation.
“She’s a World Walker, ofcourseshe’s strong.”
There were those words again. My foreheadfurrowed when that statement caused them all to become moreagitated and their whispers grew louder.
“What does that mean? What’s a World Walker?”I inquired, but none of them heard me, or at least they didn’trespond as they continued to swirl and talk excitedly amongstthemselves.
“Shh,” Daisy said. “They’ve come for her. Ifyou don’t quiet down, they’ll find her and then we’ll have nohope.”
The ghosts’ murmurs died down and theystopped zipping around. Daisy waved us forward and passed straightthrough yet another set of swinging doors. I hesitated outside thedoors, wanting to question the ghosts more, but Erin nudged meforward. “Later, let’s get out of here first.”
I relented to her prodding as the ghostshovered closer to me once more. Vargas and Corson were the firstones to push open one of the next doors. I followed behind them andstopped abruptly when we entered into a garage bay.
A Mac truck was parked on one side of thebay. The passenger side door was open to reveal the black interiorand a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror. I spotted dustyand faded pictures sticking out from around the flipped up sunvisors.
The lack of ghosts in the room caused me tostop abruptly on the other side of the door. After encountering somany of them along the way here, the bay seemed barren. The onlylight came from a bare bulb hanging from a ceiling cord next to thetruck’s driver side window.
“Why are there no ghosts in here?” I askedDaisy when we caught up to her at the back of the garage.
“It smells funny,” she replied.
I exchanged a look with the others. Itsmelled of motor oil, rubber, diesel fuel, and grease, but nothingso outstanding I would find it repelling.
“What is it you don’t like about the smell?”Hawk asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied absently. “Itjust smells off.”
Something more than salt repelled ghosts. I’dhave to find out what that was in case I started to develop afollowing of spectral beings who believed I had a direct line tothe angels. I’d bottle it and use it as a perfume if I had to.
“What do the ghosts think I can do for them,besides talk to the angels?” I asked her when she stopped beside asingle, metal door.
She glanced over her shoulder at me. “Youmight be able to close the gateway.”
