Queen of the Dead

But I didn’t. I was tired from the effort of sitting up during the (relatively) wild wheelchair ride, and honestly, at the hospital, with so many people pushing and pulling at you, taking you one place, only to drag you somewhere else, you kind of just surrender your destiny to the powers that be with the idea that they know what’s best. I wasn’t proud of it, but that was just the way it worked.

The orderly wheeled me out of the elevator and down the main corridor before turning off into a small hall I’d never noticed before.

He stopped in front of an unmarked door and knocked.

The door opened, and the first thing I noticed was the smell: mildew and fake pine. The orderly pushed me inside, and then I saw the mops standing in the metal bucket, the rusting and tilted shelf that held crusty-looking bottles of industrial cleaners, and a huge washtub.

Father Hayes stood next to the industrial tub, his hands folded at his waist, as though he’d been praying while waiting for us.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, feeling the first spark of fear. Though somehow, in the back of my head, I was still thinking that this must be a mistake. A wrong turn.

“Raymond, thank you.” He stepped forward and extended his hand toward the orderly who shook it. “You are truly doing the work of the Lord.”

Oh, this was not good.

I craned my neck around to find Raymond or as much of him as I could see from that awkward angle. He released the priest’s hand and turned to leave. He was just going to abandon me down here in the janitor’s closet! “No, no, no. Come back, Raymond. Take me out of here. What about physical therapy?”

But he just kept going, at a speed much closer to normal rather than the rapid rate at which he’d moved before. And that’s when I realized he hadn’t been doing that to spare me embarrassment or discomfort. Nope, he’d been trying not to get caught. Bastard.

The door snapped shut behind Raymond, and I twisted around to face Father Hayes again, but he wasn’t looking at me. His attention was focused on something behind me.

“I assume this space will be adequate for your needs?” he asked.

I turned the other way, straining my neck to see who he was talking to, and as soon as I did, my breath caught in my throat and my heart exploded into a frantic beat. There, where the door would have hidden her from sight, stood Mina, scourge of the spirit world. She had her huge duffel bag strapped over her shoulder, and her curly hair stood out around her head in a frizzy halo. And, in her right hand, she held the shiny disruptor weapon that had taken down Mrs. Ruiz, aimed right at me.

Will. Had he called her down on me?

I wanted to throw up, not just from the fear but the betrayal. He’d threatened it, but I never actually thought he’d go through with it.

Mina moved to block the door. “This is fine,” she said to Father Hayes, her weapon hand steady and unwavering. She reached up and removed her duffel with her free hand, setting it down on the ground with a loud clanking sound.

But if Will was responsible, where was he? He might leave me to Mina, but he would never abandon Lily to chance. And what was the priest doing here? This made no sense.

“I think there’s been some kind of mistake,” I said, trying to sound level headed, the way a regular person would if she found herself in a janitor’s closet with seemingly crazy people instead of physical therapy.

“No. No mistake,” Mina said, circling me. “I can almost see you in there, flickering just under the surface.” She leaned over, bringing the disruptor closer to my face. I didn’t know if it would work on me in this form, but I was pretty sure it would, or else she wouldn’t be pointing it at me.

“Touch me with that, you freaky-haired bitch, and I will make you regret the day you decided to home perm,” I snapped.

Mina stopped, her mouth hanging open. Then she cocked her head to the side, an evaluating look on her face. “Highness? Is that you in there?”

Damn.

“You’re the red level.” She grinned. “This is going to be fun.” She backed up from me and knelt down by her duffel, careful to keep her attention on me. With her free hand, she started pulling out little metal boxes, ones I recognized as similar, if not identical, to the ones from the front room of the Gibley Mansion.

This was it. Mina was going to haul me out, box me up in little pieces, and stick me on a shelf somewhere.

Think, Alona, think! Talking her out of it was nevergoing to happen. I couldn’t run. Hiding was definitely out, duh. So, I did the only thing I could.

I screamed bloody murder…because I had a feeling that was exactly where this was headed.

15 Will

I didn’t bother with waiting for the elevator, just plowed through the lobby to the emergency stairs and up to the fifth floor, taking the steps two at a time. I cursed myself for leaving my phone in the car. At the very least, I could have called and tried to warn Alona while I was running, but it was like I’d stopped thinking the second I’d heard Mina was at the hospital.

I yanked open the door and burst into the hallway on the fifth floor, startling a nurse who happened to be passing by at the same time.

“Can I help you?” she asked, annoyed.

I ignored her and charged past the nurses’ station and down the corridor toward Lily’s room. The door was open, I could see that much, but I couldn’t hear her, as I had before.

Dread filled me, but I forced it back with an attempt at logic. She might be sleeping. Or, maybe they took her for more tests.

I jogged toward the door, moving slower than I had before, almost afraid to look inside.

And when I did, I saw exactly what I’d expected and feared. Lily’s bed empty, the covers shoved back. My heart sank.

Mrs. Turner looked up from her paperback, startled. “Will? Did you forget something?”

“Where is Al…Lily?” I shifted my weight from foot to foot, feeling potentially vital seconds tick away.

She frowned. “Physical therapy. Is something wrong? You look panicked.”

Physical therapy. That actually sounded legitimate. What were the chances that it was? Could I have beaten Mina and John here?

“She’ll probably be back in an hour, I’d guess.” She looked thoughtful. “Actually, the orderly never said how long it would take.”

Instinct whispered to me, telling me something was off. “Was she scheduled for therapy this morning?” I asked. “She didn’t mention it to me earlier.”

Mrs. Turner put down her book. “You know, we didn’t know anything about it, either, but I think they’re getting her ready to go home.” She gave me a weary but hopeful smile.

No. The Order was here somewhere. And they had Alona.

But had they taken her from the hospital, or were they still here with her somewhere?

It would be risky to take her from the hospital, because even if they managed to remove Alona, they still had Lily to deal with. They’d have to get her back here somehow. So, it wasn’t just sneaking her out, but sneaking her back in as well.

It might be easier to find an isolated place within the hospital instead. But where?

“Did you go with to get her set up?” I asked.

“No, the orderly recommended that she go alone, and that’s what she wanted, too,” Mrs. Turner said. “It’s been hard for her, I think, adjusting to these new circumstances.”

“More than you know,” I muttered.