Styx & Stoned (The Grim Reality Series Book 2)

by Brux, Boone

  As we rounded the corner again, I hooked my foot under the desk. If I could just get a little leverage, I could probably pull the poltergeist down enough to lie over the top of it and force it to the ground. No way would it be able to get out once all my lusciousness pinned it to the floor.

  It yanked to a stop. My ankle burned from where the edge of the desk scraped against my skin, but I held on. What sounded like a high-pitched growl vibrated from the blob of energy. It jerked against my hold again. When we rebounded, I shoved my other foot under the desk, locking it in place. With all my effort, I dragged the poltergeist toward me, eliciting an especially unlady-like grunt in the process. The muscles under my armpits screamed against the movement.

  For a second I contemplated how badly I wanted to get rid of this thing. Would it really matter? How much damage could it do anyway? Suddenly, the blob dove toward the floor. I dropped, my feet hitting the ground, and releasing their grip from under the desk. My knees shoved into the joints, adding more pain to my already aching body. Before I could recover, the poltergeist shot to the ceiling again, and dragged me in a big circle.

  I considered letting go and having Mara help when she got there, but the blob spun and shot toward the wall-wide expanse of window. I shrieked and released my grip, hitting the floor in a crouch. I stumbled, trying to catch myself, but the momentum carried me forward and I smashed into the glass. My hands barely stopped my face from colliding with the window, but my hips rammed the ledge, no doubt giving me bruises on top of my bruises.

  The poltergeist hovered on the other side of the window. The top part of its body morphed into a vague semblance of a head and mouth, and effectively blew a raspberry at me. What I assumed was its tongue flapped exaggeratedly, cartoon style. I slowly stood, glaring at it, and then stuck my tongue out. A muffled laugh penetrated the window. Then the blob made several loop-de-loops and sped away.

  “Son-of-a…” I grabbed the curtain rod and yanked the heavy drapes across the window. Not that it would keep the poltergeist out, but no peeping toms allowed. “Bastard.”

  I turned and blew out a breath. First spirits, then demons, and now poltergeists, I didn’t even want to think what other paranormal surprises were getting ready to pop into our world.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When I yanked the door open, Mara immediately took in Tandy cowering against the wall and my sour expression. “What’s wrong?”

  “Just an obnoxious poltergeist and a few more bruises.” When she slanted a questioning look at me, I said, “More supernatural chaos we can’t do anything about right now.” I shut the door and followed her into the room. “What did Cam say?”

  “Nothing much. Only that Tabris had a fit about the demons. Said he needed to call an emergency meeting of the board of directors.” In a rare show of exhaustion, Mara rubbed her hands over her face and then lowered her arms. “I have no idea how they’re going to fix this.”

  “What’s going on?” Tandy crept into the room. “What do you mean…?” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Demon?”

  “Demons, spawns from Hell, Satan’s minions, however you want to spin it, they’re alive and well in Vegas.” Risking the icy burn, I gently grabbed Tandy’s arms. “You need to stay here, Tandy. It’s not safe running around the hotel.” Cold cut to the bones of my fingers and a few seconds was all I could stand before I released her. “And stay away from Charon.”

  Her brow pinched together. “Who?”

  “Big C.” I shook my head. “He’s bad news and I don’t want you getting caught up in his mess.”

  Tandy was a good spirit, but was a bit too trusting and a little dingy. I didn’t want to see anything bad happen to her—something we couldn’t fix.

  “I’ll just stay with you then.” Her head bobbed and she gave us a bright, clueless smile. “You can protect me.”

  “When I’m here that’s fine.” I pointed to Mara. “But we’re leaving for a while.”

  “Then I’ll go with you,” Tandy said.

  “You can’t.”

  Her smiled turned to a hurt frown. “Why not?”

  “Because—” At this point not telling her what was going on could cause more trouble than telling her would. I didn’t know if taking her to Styx meant she was officially reaped, which would put her in danger from the demons. I also didn’t want her telling Charon I was the one who’d usurped his job. “Where we’re going is really dangerous and I won’t be able to protect you and still do what I have to do.” I patted her shoulder. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Tandy, so please, stay here until I get back. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

  She chewed on her lip again but nodded.

  Good, that was one less thing I had to worry about. Before calling Hal, I grabbed my carry-on from the closet and dumped my dirty clothes and bundle of plastic quarts-size bags onto the bed. Normally, I used the Ziplocs for wet swimsuits or leaky shampoo, things like that. Their job today would be as moneybags. I tossed the bundle back into the suitcase, zipped it up, and looked at Mara. “Ready?”

  “Let’s do this.”

  We moved to one end of the room before I said, “Hal.”

  The thin pink light instantly appeared. Tandy’s jaw went slack and when the elevator door slid open to reveal Hal in all his purple satin wonder, her eyes rounded and her mouth dropped open. “Whoa.” The word hissed from her. “Who is that?”

  “Tandy, this is Hal Lee Lewya, my porter. Hal, Tandy.”

  He bent at the waist and touched his fingers to his chest. “A pleasure.”

  “No, the pleasure is mine,” she replied. A girlish giggle escaped her. “You’re very handsome.”

  Mara and I did a double take at her words. From Tandy’s breathy sigh I wondered if we were looking at the same Hal. Sure, he wasn’t hideous, but handsome—not so much.

  “Thank you.” He straightened. “That’s quite a compliment coming from such a beautiful woman.”

  Tandy giggled again and I made a gagging noise reminiscent of my daughter. “Okay, Romeo.” I marched into the elevator. “Can we please go?”

  Mara followed me in, smirking. Tandy wiggled her fingers, waving good-bye to Hal, and he smiled back as the door closed. Music, the kind my mom listened to, piped in from the speakers. Nobody spoke. I stared at the ceiling and after a few seconds, Mara started whistling. The seconds ticked by, all of us refusing to acknowledge the sparks that had flashed between Hal and Tandy.

  “So,” I said, gripping the handle of the bag a little tighter. “I ran into your brother today.”

  “How unfortunate for you.” Hal rested his hands on the bar running along the wall.

  “Yeah, and he knows somebody is running the ferry.” I tipped my head toward him. “And he was rather miffed.”

  “He’s always—” Hal puckered his lips for a second and then dragged out the word, “Miffed.”

  “Yeah, well, I suggest you stay on your toes.” I straightened. “He’s probably coming after you.”

  His mouth tightened. “I’ve been warned.”

  When the elevator slowed to a stop, I moved to the front of the car. The door glided open and I looked at my porter. “See you later, Hal.”

  He gave a single nod but didn’t reply.

  Mara followed me out, giving him a quick glance, tipping her head. “Stay on your toes.”

  “You, too.”

  Behind us the elevator compressed and disappeared. I didn’t look back or comment. Hal could take care of himself, both from Charon and Tandy. Right now I couldn’t think about either situation.

  Determination pounded through me and I stomped down the steps. With Mara by my side, we loaded up the carry-on with gold and barreled our way through the massive crowd of spirits, dragging the bag behind us. I just hoped the seams held until we made it onto the ferry. It took the two of us to lift it, but once on the smooth deck, I rolled it to the steps of the bridge, leaving it there. No way was I going to exhaust myself manhandling it up the stairs. I was res
erving my energy for the numerous trips that lay ahead.

  When I rejoined Mara, I said, “Ready?”

  “Let’s do it.”

  “Can I have your attention?” I held out my arms, shushing the crowd. “We will be doing a number of runs today, so if you don’t get on the first time, there will be more chances.” I lowered my hands. “What I ask of you is to file quickly into the ferry. As soon as the border closes, we’ll launch. All right.” I pointed toward the spirits. “Let’s get this party started.”

  The shield keeping the spirits at bay opened and the souls flooded in. Mara and I walked to the front of the ferry.

  “We’ve got a few minutes before the boat is full,” Mara said. “I think we should do a quick search and see if we can find anything that might help us have a smooth trip.”

  “Good idea. Unless Charon has super powers, he must do something to keep the lost souls off the ferry.” At least I hoped so. “I’ll take the right side.”

  We separated. Starting at the front, I walked out on the pontoon, examining it. When nothing caught my attention, I made my way along the carved float and onto the deck. Another spear stood against a pole at the front corner, and when I got to the mast, I noticed a spotlight imbedded at the side near the bottom sail. I circled the mast. Four more lights were fixed at different heights, all angled toward the water. Now I had to find the switch.

  I jogged up the steps to the bridge. At first, no switches were apparent, but then remembered the intercom secreted behind the small door. Running my hands along the paneling, I searched for another door and found it to the right of the wheel. I pulled it open. Inside reminded me of my fuse box at home. I knelt and tried to read the labels beside each switch, but time had nearly worn the words off. I was able to make out the right and left spotlight tabs, one for music, and another for lifeboats, which was very off-putting considering these people were already dead. At the bottom was a red switch with no label.

  I flipped the right spotlight lever. I’d never experienced lights that bright. They made my eyes ache. I shielded them with my hands and leaned over the side. Mara had her arm across her forehead, but was also looking at the water. Even though the spotlights were crazy bright, it only penetrated a couple feet down. Then the river faded to inky blackness again. I flipped the switch off. The spotlights darkened, still glowing slightly for a minute. Without the lights, the day seemed excessively gray.

  “That should help with the lost souls,” Mara turned toward the bridge. “I bet that’s how Charon does it.”

  “I hope so.” The thought of battling those creatures again made my stomach tighten. “Did you find anything?”

  “No. A couple of spears, but that’s about it.”

  Behind me, a groan hummed through the crowd. I pivoted to see the shield appear, blocking the souls from boarding. I sighed and tried not to dwell on the fact that all those souls waiting to be transported were sitting ducks for demons. Hopefully, we’d be able to make a dent in the crowd.

  As the cabin door squeezed shut, the sails began their slow, creaking rise. Focusing on the river, I willed the ferry out. Rocks tumbled beneath the pontoons and fell away when we moved into deeper water. A minute later Mara joined me on the bridge. We both leaned our arms on the wall and stared out at the river.

  “Is it my imagination or do things look different?” I scanned the shore. “Those hills weren’t there last time, were they?”

  “Things definitely changed. Since there’s no time here, this dimension can sift through time periods that have passed in the physical plains.” She pointed to the horizon. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see pyramids out there on our way back.”

  “I guess that’s cool, but I don’t like the uncertainty of things.” I sighed. “Maybe I’m a stick in the mud.”

  “Nothing wrong with that.” She drummed her fingers on the wood. “There’s a lot to be said for no surprises and routine.”

  “So true. I can’t believe I’d much rather be doing laundry than ferrying souls. This whole saving-the-world thing is not for me.”

  “Me, either. Too much responsibility,” Mara said.

  No truer words were ever spoken. If I had it to do all over again, I probably would have never stepped foot in the Holiday convenience store on the fated day I became a reaper. Instead of ferrying souls to their final destination, I probably would be getting groceries or contemplating a new diet. Or, maybe I’d still be in a slump, just getting through each day. No doubt I would have had to get a job by now. My husband’s life insurance policy sure didn’t hold us over very long. Strictly speaking, working for GRS wasn’t the worst job in the world. Yes, there were long hours and currently, dangerous work conditions, but normally it was all right and paid the bills.

  The straight stretch of river hadn’t changed much, only the landscape beyond, so it was easy to maneuver. I’d gotten the hang of mentally guiding the ship and was getting pretty good at it, I might add. During the first part of the trip, we bagged up gold and chatted. Our conversation steered clear of anything too heavy, mainly touching on things we had in common. I was surprised that Mara was a huge do-it-yourselfer, too. For some reason I’d never connected minion from Hell and DIY. Go figure.

  “The bend.” I flicked my head toward the telltale landmark and stood. Just beyond was the Abyss of Lost Souls. Though we hadn’t had much trouble after the first ruckus the last time we ferried, I was betting those watery bastards weren’t going to let us pass so easily. “There are two spears. What do you think about patrolling along the sides?”

  She shuddered. “I think I hate the idea, but it’s probably for the best.”

  “And this time we have a little help.” I jogged up the steps and,opened the panel, and flipped the spotlight switches for both sides. Styx lit up. As an afterthought, I snapped on the music tab and Hispanic party music filled the air. Bobbing my head, I descended the steps and smiled at Mara. “It’s party time.”

  I performed one of my lame conga line moves, making Mara laugh, which probably meant it was even lamer than I’d originally thought. She shimmied her shoulders and grooved across the deck, plucking the spear from the pole. With a coordinated spin, she tossed the pole to me, and then retrieved the other one for herself. We were a couple of badass—salsa dancing—transportation specialists. I only wish we’d had a bright orange safety vests to wear. That’s right, minion, don’t mess with the reaper in the reflector vest.

  Taking up our posts at the sides of the ferry near the middle, we scanned the water for any sign of white limbs. I mentally pushed for more speed and felt a slight increase. As I stared at the water, I could have sworn I caught sight of a very large fin. My heart jumped to my throat.

  Please stay in the river. Please stay in the river.

  Though the spotlights gave us much better visuals, I’m not certain that was one hundred percent good. The first bump hit the pontoon about a quarter of the way across the abyss. Mara and I glanced at each other, confirming that we’d both heard it. I leveled my gaze on the water. A flash of white dipped below the ship. There was no need to tell Mara. From the way she leaned out, trying to get a better glimpse, and then stepped back, I was sure she saw them too.

  More thuds reverberated from underneath the pontoons, becoming more frequent. Cries from the souls in the cabin rose and fell with each hammer against the side, and I had to wonder how strong the hull was. If the lost souls punched a hole through the side they’d drag everyone into the dark depths and we wouldn’t know until it was too late.

  A white arm shot out of the water and grabbed onto the float, but a second later it released the wood and sunk into the depths. I took tiny breaths, trying to calm my racing heart, and braced myself. Three feet from where I stood, a body shot out of the water and grabbed hold of the wall. Its deafening screech pierced the air. I wanted to drop the spear and slap my hands over my ears, but resisted. With measured shuffles, I sidestepped along the deck, coming level with the screaming body. Its white-blue mo
ttled skin glimmered under the blazing lights like a rotting fish on the beach, and its white-silver eyes stared up at me. I think it was a male, but couldn’t be sure. It reached for me and I raised the spear. Before I could jab at it, the lost soul released the boat and threw itself back into the water, disappearing under the black waves.

  I waited but no more arms grabbed hold, no bodies shot out of the water. However, the thumping under the boat increased in frequency and strength. I backed up toward Mara. “They’re under the ferry. What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know. With enough of them they could punch a hole through the side.”

  “Surely Charon has dealt with this before.” I ran up the steps and yanked open the panel. “I can’t make these three switches out.” I pressed my finger against the red switch and glanced up at Mara. “What do you think? For an emergency?”

  She grimaced. “Try the one above it first.”

  I snapped the switch. Creaking wood sounded from above. From the middle sail another length of pole extended and a second sail unfurled. Instantly we picked up speed. “These—” I pointed to the other unlabeled switches. “—must be for the other sails.” My finger slid back to the red switch. “Here goes nothing.”

  I pushed lever to the right. The River Styx lit up. We jumped to our feet and peered over the side. Lights burned under the water, illuminating the underside of the ferry and twenty feet beyond.

  “Oh my God!” I gripped her arm. “That is horrifying.”

  Hordes of white bodies swarmed under the boat in a roiling mass, each one trying to escape the lights.

  “But effective.” Mara gave me a satisfied smile. “Wish we would have known about these lights on our first trip.”

  “Yeah, your red pants wouldn’t have been ruined,” I said, making light of the fact that I’d saved and almost reaped her. “Okay.” I released her and took a step back. “I don’t think I want to see what else lurks in Styx, so I’m going to stand here.”