Page 32 of Dusk Macabre

She wouldn’t be roaming the streets for long.

CHAPTER 12

Brittney

The woman stared at me. “Are you mute and deaf? Nod once for ‘yes,’ or leave.”

I couldn’t tell if she was joking, being an ass, or if she was serious. “None of the above? Um, I was wondering if you could direct me towards the city hall and if it would be okay, if I could have a glass of water please?”

The city hall. My hand dragged down my face. What was that? Was that even where I should go?

“Just get a car to take you, it's easier. That’ll be ten.” She held a plastic device toward me that looked like a miniature tablet.

“Ten what?” I stared at the screen. There were little lines on it, flashing red.

Her eyes narrowed. “It's ten for the glass of water. Hurry up, I don’t have all day.”

My hands gripped the edge of the counter. “Ten dollars for a glass of tap water? I’m good with a paper cup, if necessary. I’m just thirsty. Are there water fountains around here?”

The woman’s entire demeanor changed, and her gaze darted around the restaurant. “Keep your voice down. Where’d you come from?” she whispered, leaning forward slightly.

“Ahhh... Connecticut? New York?” The area I lived in was close enough to be interchangeable.

She grabbed my wrist. “Are you dead?”

The woman wasn’t feeling for a pulse, and I pulled my arm back, tucking it by my side. “What are you talking about?”

A weird feeling went through me, and I turned my head, scanning the people sitting at the tables. Once in a while, their eyes flickered to the front counter where I stood; their gazes dead enough to match their bland outfits. A couple of the men watched with slight interest but seemed more focused on the table in front of them.

Cars passed by the street outside the window, in shades of beige, grey, and tan. Everything was muted and goosebumps broke out across my skin. The only life-like color was the odd reddish fog that clung to the sides of the buildings, wafting in thin tendrils.

Had Kiam’s stupid pit actually murdered me? I hadn’t been in it for that long.

For how much running around by myself in the woods I’d done, it appeared I was freakishly killable. How annoying.

And what a stupid death, dying in a fucking hole in the ground. Why couldn’t it have been something cool like a shark attack or skydiving. I might as well have had a stroke at Wal-Mart. This was the dumbest shit ever and now I needed ten dollars for liquid that fell out of the sky.

“Is this hell?” I asked, facing her again.

She shrugged. “Basically. That’s what most humans refer to it as. It's not like the movies though, where you go to an office and some crazy man with green hair or weird, stripey worms chase you around. You’re on your own.”

What the fuck.

I bit my lip and took a deep breath. “Okay so I’m dead. But I’m not dead dead. Makes perfect sense.” I nodded at my own words. What on earth do I do now? And why do I suck so much I had to end up in hell?

The woman grabbed a rag and wiped the counter. “No one ever really dies. That’s a Third Realm myth. Death, I mean. There’s really no such thing. If you get creamed here, you just go to another Realm.” She shrugged and then looked at me, tapping a finger against her chin.

“What?” I asked. My whole body was trembling now. The reality of my situation was sinking in, and I wanted to scream, yell. Throw up and cry. I couldn’t be dead, I just couldn’t. I never found my grandfather’s jewelry. I was an utter failure just like my parents always said.

She tossed the cloth into a small bucket, sending trickles of liquid over the side. “Your best bet is to find a sponsor. That’s like a boyfriend or something, to keep you safe. You might get eaten, otherwise.”

Oh, hell no. “Eaten? What the fuck does that mean?”

“Girlfriend,” she leaned toward me, “look at what you’re surrounded by. And these are just low levels. You’re gorgeous. Trust me, you need help.”

I was so going to kill Kiam; I just needed someone to teach me how to be a poltergeist. “Are you offering cuz I’m a freaking mess right now. I need to become a ghost or evil spirit because I have someone back home I need to murder slowly and painfully and with great pleasure.” My eyes started welling with the precious liquid I couldn’t afford to lose.

Her chest sank before a look of determination covered her face. “You know what? I like you. Yep, I think I do. You’re speaking my language.”