Page 66 of Life After You

Chace snickers. “Yeah, man. That’ll really show the spirits who’s boss.”

The guide smiles—which is somehow worse than if he had just kept talking. “Actually, I think we already have a visitor with us.”

The group goes dead silent.

A shiver runs down Mac’s spine, and she clutches my arm tighter. “Logan…” she whispers.

I keep my arms firmly wrapped around her, my chin resting on her shoulder as I scan the room, but there’s nothing I can see. Just darkened passageways, crumbling brick, and the faint sound of dripping water somewhere in the distance.

The guide inhales deeply, letting the silence settle before speaking. “Does anyone know the history of this place?”

A few shrugs. We all know about the shanghaiing, at least the basics, but none of the details.

The guide nods, as if expecting that. “Old Town Pizza sits in what used to be the Old North End, a part of the city with a… questionable reputation. Despite catering to an upstanding clientele, the Merchant Hotel—what this place used to be—was known for offering one of the oldest professions in the world. Prostitution.”

A flicker of unease ripples through the group. Even Trey has gone quiet.

“As legend has it, one of the young ‘working women’ was Nina. She was sold into this life through the thriving white slavery market, trapped in a fate she never chose. But when traveling missionaries came through, they convinced her to share information in exchange for her freedom. Nina cooperated, hoping to escape. But before she ever got the chance… she was found dead.”

A shiver crawls up my spine.

“The hotel—now Old Town Pizza—wasn’t just her workplace. It was her grave. She was thrown down the elevator shaft.” The guide’s voice lowers, drawing us in. “Some of you might have noticed it while you were eating. The old shaft, still standing, the place where her body was discovered. If you looked closely, you’d see a brick carved with her name.”

The air feels colder. The damp around us heavier.

“Nina never left,” the guide murmurs. “She walks the same paths as the men who were taken. The ones who never made itback. Some say she’s still looking for justice. Others… that she’s looking for revenge.” The guide scans our faces, then leans in slightly.

“So, tell me. Can you feel… a presence?”

I swallow. Hard.

I don’t, but the way Trey’s entire body stiffens, I’m willing to bet he does.

The guide slowly turns toward him. “Ah,” he says, as if Trey just confirmed something. “It seems she’s taken a liking to you.”

Trey goes so pale I think he might actually drop dead on the spot. “WHAT? NO. NO, SHE HASN’T.”

The guide just nods. “Oh, she has.”

Trey grabs Sam by the shirt. “DO SOMETHING.”

Sam laughs in his face. “What the fuck do you want me to do? Give you some money so you can show her a good time? Disrespectful, bro.”

Trey whirls on Clay. “How’s the cross work?”

Clay shrugs. “Sorry, my friend. I have it for sentimental reasons, not because I’m a Christan.”

Trey lets out a pitiful, strangled sound, like a dying animal.

The guide continues like he’s narrating a nature documentary. “Spirits are often drawn to those with heightened energy. People who are more… sensitive.”

Trey grips his head. “Oh my God. I’m sensitive?!”

Chace bursts out laughing. “You are a walking nervous breakdown, dude. Of course they’d be into that.”

I chuckle, dropping a quick kiss on the side of Mac’s neck. “I mean, if I were a ghost, I’d pick Trey, too. He’s probably the most fun to mess with.”

Trey groans in genuine distress. “You are all showing your real colors tonight.”

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