“We’re looking at a week. Solid. Just passing ghosts.”
Gwyn leaned between the front seats and she sounded beyond nervous. “There are so many ghosts. It’s almost like the town never died. They’re all over the place, moving about like they’re still living and shopping or something.”
Ouch, that active? I thought of a whole new concern. “How solid do they look to you? Can you tell they’re ghosts?”
“Um.” Gwyn sounded sheepish as she admitted, “If not for the fact they’re in period dress, I wouldn’t be able to tell.”
Fuuuuck.
“They’re taking even me a second.” Mack groaned, head in his hands. “I think any Medium not anchored would be hard pressed to tell. They’re very, very solid. Mon trésor, I hope you packed snacks.”
“I packed a whole picnic basket.”
“Good. We may be living up here for the next week.”
Up here, for a full week, with a Medium who’d barely had any training? While surrounded by mines going down for miles?
We were definitely fucked.
10
All the Mediums gathered, putting our heads together. I included Gwyn because I wanted her to see what these discussions were, but also because I wanted her to know the plan.
“All right, who wants to do what?”
Lachlan lifted a hand. “I’ll take caves, if anyone wants to join.”
Eli high-fived him. “Hell yeah.”
Why were the two crazy ones volunteering for the mines? Well, they were touched, that did follow.
With a snort, Beau drawled, “I ain’t going in there after you, so watch yourselves. Gwyn, why don’t you and I set up a door to pass ghosts on? You’ve done that yourself once, Mack said.”
“I have, yesterday.”
“Then let’s do it again. Pace yourself, but it’s not too draining. It’s why a Medium can pass ghosts all day long.”
Er, he was mostly correct? Unless you were trying to pass, like, three hundred ghosts who a Slaugh had partially eaten… Eh, let’s not go there.
That left li’l ole me by my lonesome, but I preferred our breakdown, all things considered. Beau had Gwyn well in hand, and if someone was going into the mine, then they absolutely needed backup more than I did. Brandon was fully outfitted today, so he could shoot rock salt and cover my back while I worked. We had a mystery to solve here, too, of why the ghosts weren’t able to leave. They didn’t seem distressed, so was this by choice? Or was there something else going on, something I couldn’t pick up on in a glance?
The ghosts, like the ones in Black Rock, were way too physically present. An anchored Medium should be able to tell ghost from flesh, but these guys were giving me trouble. Damn, this whole location was truly problematic. And something about this area was off. Like an instrument being played when it was a little out of tune. There was a pressure, too; subtle, but bearing down on my shoulders. We all sensed it, even if we couldn’t put our finger on how. I knew why—that river wasright there, clearly heard even if not visible from here. Plus, the limestone was incredibly thick. But knowing why didn’t mean we all understood the true effect it would have here.
Brandon encouragingly said, “All right, let’s break and start carving up this elephant.”
We grabbed what elements we needed and split. Lachlan took one of the cars and drove closer to the mines, as they werealmost a mile north of here. It was partly why I was glad Eli, Quinn, and Booker went with him—he’d have plenty of backup on hand.
Since the sidewalks were crammed full of ghosts, it was easier for me to walk in the street. Not like I had to worry about cars or anything. We were the only ones alive up here. Brandon walked alongside me, eyes peeled. I knew he was actively on the lookout because his head kept panning back and forth.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was in one of those reenactment tourist spots.Come see an old gold mine from the late 1800s! It was just like stepping back in time in many ways. The women all wore long dresses, bonnets on, walking with baskets over an arm like they were doing the shopping. The men wore suit coats, suspenders, and wide-brimmed hats. I’d walk, pause, evaluate a ghost, but couldn’t seem to catch anyone’s eye. Most of the time, I was inundated with ghosts just because they wanted attention. This wasstrange. Almost like they couldn’t see me. Like they were still “living” their daily lives. Did they even realize they were dead?
“How is it, Mack?”
“Strange beyond belief, cher. I haven’t been this ignored since my last blind date.” I paused to study another ghost, this one a young woman who seemed Gwyn’s age or thereabouts. She walked right past me without even a glance. “I can’t figure out why. It’s honestly disturbing.”
“Are they even looking at you, or…?”
“Non, it’s like they can’t see me at all. I’ve had three almost walk right through me.”
