Page 103 of Ghosts of the Dead

Luna whines, sensing the shift in energy. She circles us once before coming to press against my leg as if to say we’re her pack.

The guys step back so I can bend down to run my hand through her fur. “You too, girl. Couldn’t have made it this far without you.” She licks my hand in response.

I stand, picking up my blade and sliding it into its sheath. My fingers brush over the improvised weapons and explosives we’ve assembled, each one a tool for justice, for answers, for whatever closure is possible.

Before I can speak again, I find myself reaching into my pocket, pulling out Summer’s small music box. The metal is cool against my palm, the once-shiny surface now dull and scratched. I open it, and the delicate melody fills the air. The same lullaby we used to sing together.

The music winds down; the notes growing fainter until they stop. I close the box and tuck it back into my pocket. “It’s time.”

The building doesn’t looklike much. Cracked brick walls, a roof with missing shingles, and windows boarded up so tight even the light seems afraid to get in. On the outside, it’snothing more than another ghost in a dead city. Forgotten and rotting. But I know better. This is where it ends.

My fingers twitch around the hilt of my blade. I can feel the guys at my back, silent with their own weapons ready. Jace stands to my right, his white t-shirt stark against the drab landscape, the bandage I’d wrapped around his forearm on full display. Mars is on my left, having ditched his flannel for a black long-sleeve shirt that stretches tight across his torso, the outline of hidden knives he has strapped to his body barely visible beneath the fabric.

Caspian hangs back a bit, his platinum blond hair tied back, highlighting his impressive bone structure. He holds out his hoodie in offering. “Your explosives are too obvious in the little clothing you have.” He nods to my shorts and my shirt that has the bottom half torn off.

“Thank you, Cas.” I slide the hoodie on and finish adjusting my weapons.

We’ve managed to strap all the weapons and explosives to our bodies, most of them concealed. Molotov cocktails are tucked into specially designed pockets on Mars’s cargo pants, except for the one I snatch away to stuff into the pocket of the hoodie I’m wearing. The throwing stars from the arcade are strapped to Caspian’s thigh. Jace has extra magazines tucked into his belt. Various knives, pistols, and the coin dispensers rest inside every available pocket.

We move as a single unit across the lot, with Luna walking silently by our sides.

Lucy comes into view, but I no longer care. Her chance to talk to me has long passed, and now we’re going straight to the source to cause necessary trouble.

She comes up from the far side of the block. Her red hair catches the last slant of light, and her head stays low like she’s hoping to go unnoticed. Her whole body tenses when she spots us. Instead of running again, she freezes for half abeat before changing direction and making a beeline right for us.

Luna’s growl starts low in her throat, and her body stiffens beside me. She bares her teeth.

“Autumn,” Lucy snaps when she’s close enough to not have to shout. Her eyes flash in warning. “You shouldn’t be here.”

I don’t stop. We don’t slow down. I don’t even acknowledge her.

Lucy plants herself in front of me, forcing me to a halt. Luna’s growl intensifies, and Lucy’s eyes dart a nervous glance at the dog before returning to me. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but you look ready for war. This isn’t your fight, Autumn.”

I step in close enough that she has to tilt her chin up to meet my eyes, being an inch shorter than me. “You can turn a blind eye all you want, but that doesn’t make it all go away. This is my fight. They initiated it, and I’m going to finish it.”

Her eyes narrow. “You don’t know what you’re walking into.”

I let out a huff of laughter that’s sharp and bitter. “No, Lucy. You don’t. Wake up already.”

She takes a step back, but I follow, crowding her space, making sure she feels every ounce of the fire boiling under my skin. Luna stays at my heel, her growl a constant warning that makes Lucy shift uncomfortably.

My words come out on a hiss laced with venom. “We’re here to avenge my sister, and if you still want to pretend your brothers are saints, that’s fine, but we’re going in.”

Lucy’s jaw tightens, and her gaze darts toward the building in front of us. She shakes her head. “I don’t believe you.”

I close the distance again, shoving her back a step. “Then come with us and see for yourself.”

She frowns, but she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t move, either.

“We’re not asking,” I growl out. Luna echoes my sentiment with a snarl that makes Lucy flinch. “You can come and face the truth, or you can get out of the way, but I’m telling you now. If you stand between me and them, I will kill you.”

My words hit her like a slap. Her eyes widen and her breath hitches when she realizes how serious I am. This is happening whether she wants it to or not.

She looks past me to the guys. Caspian watches her, his pale eyes unblinking. Mars stands loose but ready to strike, with one hand casually resting near a concealed weapon. Jace grips his gun tighter with his jaw clenched so hard it could crack stone.

“You don’t understand,” Lucy whispers, but the fight in her voice is fading.

“I understand well enough,” I snap. I raise my hand to show off the burn marks on my palm from trying to escape the burning car. It’s not nearly as bad as Jace’s, but it’s still evidence. “They set our car on fire while I was in it. While my dog was in it. They saw me through the flames and they laughed. Killing me was more fun to them than whatever reward they would have gotten by dragging me to the place they sold Summer to.”

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