All the Pretty Ghosts (The Never Alone Series Book 1)

by Jamie Campbell

  “How?” I managed to stammer out. It almost sounded more like a cough.

  “Someone told me you were here. You need to slip out of the rags,” he whispered, nodding toward my wrists.

  “I can’t, they’re too tight.”

  “The tall one loosened them, I saw him do it. Just try.”

  I looked down at my arms, trying to ignore all the bruises. Oliver was right, there was some give to the rags now. I tried slipping my hands through them, squeezing my fingers together as tightly as they would go.

  The pain was excruciating. I clamped my lips together to stop myself crying out. Now was my only shot at escaping, I was not going to give up because of the pain. I continued to pull at my wrists, trying to get them through the rags.

  One hand popped out, the relief was instant. I used that hand to help the other one through. Both became free. I glanced at the boys, making sure they still weren’t paying me any attention. They weren’t. The food was a bigger draw card than I was.

  I leaned down and started on my feet, ignoring the pain groaning in my stomach. Taking the left one first, I hastily managed to loosen the knot enough to slip out of it. My right foot was a little trickier but I got there.

  I was free.

  Not really.

  I looked to Oliver for some guidance, hoping he had a plan to escape now I was actually mobile again. He gave me a thumbs up. “I’ll create a distraction while you run. Don’t stop until you’re out. For anything. Got it?”

  “What about if you-”

  “Don’t stop. I’ll follow you and we’ll meet up outside.” There was no point arguing, we didn’t have enough time. I nodded. “Good. Wait for my signal.”

  I didn’t get a chance to say anything further before Oliver melted into the shadows. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, trying not to give his presence or location away. It was difficult, I wanted to see his every movement to make sure he was okay.

  The boys in the room were all intent on their assigned task, none of them paying me any attention. I knew that would change the moment I made a sound. It would only take one little thing and they would shoot over to my seat and dish out whatever punishment they deemed appropriate.

  Oliver made his way closer to them – and further away from the door. My stomach was a bundle of knots as he entered further into the dragons’ den. My guilt at causing him to be in this situation was threatening to engulf me. I had to make sure he made it out alive.

  I could not leave him behind, no matter what I had agreed to.

  Suddenly a gust of wind helped Oliver knock a few crates over. The loud crash that followed bounced off the cavernous walls. He quickly looked at me, it was the cue I needed. As the boys were distracted by the noise, I stood.

  And ran like hell.

  I barreled toward the door, my only escape route out of the place. Every inch of my body protested against the haste. I was too starved of food, water, and peaceful sleep to move fast. Once, I used to be on the track team at school. Now, I could barely move without gasping air into my lungs.

  “Get her! She’s running!” Taz was the first one to notice my absence. The moment the words escaped his lips, several sets of feet starting pounding the floor between us.

  I forced myself forward. If I got caught again, they wouldn’t hesitate in killing me a second time. I was too much trouble to keep alive, they didn’t have the patience or desire to keep me around. Not when a few more blows to my head would turn off my lights forever.

  Stealing a glance over my shoulder, four of the guys were only a few yards away from me. I frantically tried to work out where Oliver was in the melee.

  I couldn’t see him.

  My head snapped around just in time to see the door. I hurried through it, feeling like my legs were made of jelly. How long would it take for them to give out on me? It would only take one little trip up and I would fall to the ground, all hope lost.

  But I had to keep going.

  Even if Oliver wasn’t following.

  He told me to keep going no matter what. Surely I had only just missed him when I turned to look? He said he would follow. I had to believe him. Even though every piece of my heart was telling me to stop and find him.

  I couldn’t.

  For him.

  My arms flailed at my sides, keeping a rhythmic pattern with my feet. If I could just keep going, if I ignored the pain, if I switched off all my plaguing thoughts, I might just make it.

  I rounded several corners, all them becoming a blur. I was completely lost again, but it didn’t matter this time. My goal wasn’t to get anywhere in particular, my goal was to get away from Jet’s gang. Even if I ended up in the middle of nowhere it wouldn’t matter as long as I was safe.

  And Oliver, too.

  A lump formed in my throat at the thought of him. He had to be following me, he just had to. He didn’t come to rescue me just to take my place. That wasn’t how things were supposed to work. Not for the good guys.

  I had been too caught up in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice the footsteps behind me grow quieter. In fact, I couldn’t hear them at all anymore.

  Slowing only slightly, I craned around to check. Nobody was following me.

  Absolutely nobody.

  I slowed down to a walk, fearing stopping completely would cause my legs to collapse and refuse to move ever again. Taking in my surroundings, I was in the middle of more buildings deep in the heart of the city. Instead of leaving like I had wanted to, I had run in the opposite direction and moved further into the city. My house on the hill would be miles away now.

  “Hey, we did it.” Oliver’s voice gave me a coronary heart attack. My head snapped around to see him beside me. He was puffed, but nothing like I was.

  “I didn’t… I was worried you’d… I thought…” All comprehensive words had completely fallen out of my head somewhere along the way. Perhaps they had been beaten out of me by Taz.

  Oliver gave me the smile I questioned whether I would ever see again and laughed. “We’re here and safe, that’s all that matters. Now, do you know where we are?”

  I looked around again, because that was something I could do. The buildings were grey granite, made out of large bricks of the material. I knew what part of the city we were in. At least I used to know where it was. It had been so long since I walked through the city most of the memories had vanished.

  But everything was expensive looking, it wouldn’t have been a neighborhood I frequented a lot before the Event. Which meant it could be only one district. “We’re in Copperwood.”

  Oliver nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too. Most of these buildings were commercial offices. We should be able to find a place for the night.”

  I shook my head, that wasn’t going to happen. “No, I want to go home. I’m not going to spend another night in this city.”

  A sheer look of panic crossed his face. “It’s going to be dark soon. Do I need to remind you what can be lurking in the dark?” He paused, waiting for the warning to sink in.

  I was stubborn though. Oliver knew that better than anyone. “I’m not staying.”

  “They’re going to be looking for you, Everly. Their pride is not going to let you get away with escaping. They will all be out tonight, hunting like a pack of rabid dogs.” There was pleading as well as steel in his voice.

  Perhaps he was right. If I left, he would follow me. It was the way Oliver was, he had to protect everyone else before himself. I would be putting him in danger if I was too pig-headed to stick around for one night.

  I would do it for him. But, come morning, I was going to be out of here. “Fine. One night.”

  “Good, now let’s find somewhere.” He didn’t gloat over the triumph, another one of the reasons why we were such good friends. “And then we can get you cleaned up.”

  I didn’t realize I needed cleaning up. I walked beside Oliver anyway, trying to find a place that looked like it might be safe for one night’s stay.

 
Just the thought of Taz and his friends out searching for me was enough to make my skin crawl. I had been lucky to escape with the few injuries I had. Everything would heal, but I doubted I would have ever recovered if he managed to succeed in what he had planned for me.

  A woman caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. She had to be in her thirties, which meant she was a spirit. She was beckoning me closer, more insistent than they usually were.

  “Can we stop here for a moment,” I said, coming to a halt. “There’s a woman trying to get my attention.”

  “Of course, I’ll wait here,” Oliver replied respectfully. He waited in the middle of the road, trying to look like he wasn’t killing time while I spoke with a ghost.

  I approached the woman as her excitement grew. “You can see me? They said you could but I didn’t believe it until now.”

  “I can see you,” I conceded, wondering who they were and what they were doing talking about me. It couldn’t be a good thing having the word spread about my abilities.

  She smiled kindly. “This building is safe and it has some supplies. You can stay here the night.”

  What kind of game was she playing? Spirits didn’t talk to me like that. They begged and pleaded for me to pass on messages or explain what had happened to them. They weren’t helpful like this woman was pretending to be.

  It had to be a trap.

  “Thanks, but I’ll keep looking,” I murmured in reply and turned to leave.

  She put out her hand, reaching for me to stop. “No, please. It’s getting late and you need to seek refuge before it’s dark. They won’t find you here. It’s safe, I promise.”

  I needed some more answers before I was going to believe anything she said. “How do you know who I am?”

  “I was told of you by… others like me.”

  “Why do you want to help me?”

  If she was fazed by the interrogation, she didn’t let it show on her shadowy face. “Because I don’t want to see you hurt. If those boys find you, they will hurt you again.”

  Perhaps I was softening, letting my guard down and being a fool. Maybe I was merely exhausted. But I really did want to believe her. I sighed, hoping I wasn’t signing my own death certificate.

  I called Oliver over and we followed the woman inside the building. She led us to the second floor where there was a room with a door that locked. It had a bathroom too, with running water. I could have cried it was such a wonderful thing to find.

  “I will keep watch outside and alert you to any intruders,” the woman said. “I will make sure you are safe, just like I promised.”

  I managed to stammer out a ‘thank you’ before she disappeared through the wall. Oliver and I were alone. And, it appeared, safe. For now. I wasn’t going to take even a minute of it for granted.

  “There appears to be some food here,” Oliver said as he surveyed the room. I hurried over, finding a table with a few containers spread across it. The food was only some stale cookies but it was like finding a gourmet meal.

  “I’ll clean up first and then eat.” I made the decision and headed into the bathroom.

  Oliver wasn’t kidding when he said I needed to clean up. For the first time I caught a look at what Taz had done to me. My entire body was covered in bruises, my arms and abdomen taking the brunt of the beatings.

  On my left temple was a cut so deep it probably needed stitches. The blood had caked into my hair, matting it to my head. Once I started cleaning it up, it would start bleeding again. I knew it was inevitable.

  I peeked back into the room again. “Have you seen a rag or anything I can use to clean up with?”

  Oliver looked around. As he did, I spotted a piece of material on the food table. I hurried over. “Found something.” The rag was a dishtowel. It probably held a billion kinds of germs but now was not a time to be fussy.

  I returned to the bathroom and carefully took my time cleaning all the dirt, grime, and blood away. When I was certain I had attended to the worst of it, I jumped in the shower.

  Even the cold water couldn’t get to me. It was like I was numb from head to foot. The sting of the cold was nothing compared to the emotional whirlwind I had endured.

  It was better that way.

  To be numb.

  I turned off the shower and dressed in my filthy clothes. The bloodstains reminded me of everything that had happened, the menacing look on Taz’s face, the feel of every blow he had lashed out against me.

  I couldn’t think about it. Now was a time for survival, not wallowing in self pity. I had to forget about it, be stronger than I had ever been before. The alternative was shattering into a million pieces and crumbling to the floor. I wasn’t ready to give up, not yet. And not while I still had Oliver to lean on for support.

  Not while Faith was still out there somewhere.

  Alone.

  Oliver was sitting on the floor when I joined him. “You should eat something.”

  “So should you,” I pointed out.

  “I ate before I found you. Go ahead, eat. I’ll feel better when you have.”

  My stomach grumbled just thinking about food. I reached up to the table and pulled down a few cookies. I forced myself to eat them slowly, savoring every bite. The last thing I wanted was for my stomach to reject the food.

  “Thank you for saving me today,” I started. I had no idea how to thank him for doing everything he did. Risking his life to save mine was madness.

  And brave.

  Unbearably brave.

  “No thanks needed,” he replied with a weary smile. “I did it for selfish reasons, really. I would have missed you if you weren’t around.”

  I wanted to swat Oliver’s arm or chest for the cheeky comment, but we weren’t exactly the touchy-feely type of friends. Not since we had become teenagers, anyway. The minute puberty hit, it was all hands off in case we stepped over a line somewhere.

  I yawned as sleepiness threatened to overtake me. I had an urge to rest my head on Oliver’s shoulder and curl into his arms, but again, I refrained from doing so. Even the Event couldn’t break the boundaries we had set so long ago.

  “You’re tired, you should sleep,” Oliver urged. It was a suggestion too good to refuse.

  “You need to sleep too,” I pointed out. Because I wasn’t the only one who’d had a big day. He had run just as far as I did.

  “I will, but I need to settle down a bit first. You go to sleep and I’ll make sure we’re locked up tight in here.” I held his gaze for a few moments, trying to work out if he was lying to me. It would have been just like him to think he needed to protect me and stay up all night making sure I was safe. I had no intention of letting that happen.

  “Do you promise me you’ll sleep?” I asked. I needed to hear the words because a promise should not be broken. And Oliver knew that better than anyone.

  He moved his hand so it rested over his heart. “I promise.”

  With Oliver here, I knew I was safe.

  Satisfied, I made a pillow out of the crook of my arm and lay down on the hard floor. I closed my eyes and was dead to the world before I could even begin to process everything that had happened since I last slept soundly.

  My dreams were nightmares, filled with images of the boys – especially Taz – as they beat and tortured me. On more than one occasion I awoke with a start and had to keep telling myself it was just a dream and not really happening to me. It was the only way I could slow my heartbeat.

  When I awoke the last time, just as Taz was about to throw a fatal blow, it was daylight. Oliver’s concerned face peered down at me, his brow wrinkled with worry. “Are you okay?”

  I sat up, stretching my stiff and sore limbs. “Just a bad dream. Is it morning?” He nodded a yes. “Please tell me you slept.”

  “I slept,” he replied, deadpan. I chose to believe him because he did look rested, at least. “There is still some food left. I ate when I woke up but I made sure to leave you enough.”

  I peered over the ta
ble, my eyes level with it. It looked like Oliver had barely eaten anything judging by the amount still left over. I took a cookie and left the rest, two could play at that game. “Do you think it will be safe to return home today?”

  He shrugged. “I was hoping you would decide to stay in the city.”

  “Oliver, you know I can’t. We’ve discussed this a hundred times. I can’t do the magic here you seem to think I am capable of.”

  “But-”

  I held up a hand to stop him. “No. I’m not staying. I’m going home and I’m not returning until I’m absolutely desperate. After what happened, I’m even more determined to live alone for the rest of my life.”

  The crestfallen look on his face made my heart leap into my throat and choke me. I felt that look deep in my chest, in the place my heart used to be.

  He started nodding slowly, ever so slowly. “If that’s what you really want.”

  “They almost killed me, Olly. They almost did a lot of things to me. I don’t want to be in a situation that could allow that to happen again. Being in this city is not safe.”

  “You could help make it safe.”

  “I can’t. I’m just a kid like everyone else here. There is nothing I can do to help anyone.”

  “I disagree.” His eyes drilled into mine as we held the gaze for longer than necessary, neither willing to be the first one to look away. He burned with intensity, flames threatening to ignite in those eyes. I had rarely seen him so passionate about something.

  About someone.

  Me.

  I shook my head to get rid of the thought. It was useless and meaningless. I was going home and Oliver would remain in the city. Those were the facts, there was nothing else to entertain.

  “You know that kind of thing, the thing that happened to you, it happens all the time here now,” Oliver said.

  “I didn’t know that, no.”

  “It’s not just them, there are plenty of… predators around. Nobody is protecting those that need it most.”

  “Well I can hardly change that, can I?” I asked sarcastically. Oliver was delusional if he thought anything I could do would be enough to change the conditions in the city. It had all been destroyed along with our lives. Nothing could bring back the kind of life we had before the Event.