Except I can. I am not ready to die. I am not ready to see the world go up in flames. I won’t give up. Not like this.
With an effort that makes me cry out, I push myself to my hands and knees. The team has rushed forward and they stand between me and the Spirits. I push again and manage to get back onto my feet. I pick the box back up. It’s as heavy as a house and I stagger under its weight, but I’m doing it. I’m forcing one foot in front of the other. My feet feel like ton weights and several times I trip. I can’t let myself go down. I know if I do, I won’t get back up again.
The door seems like it’s a million miles away. I look down at the ground, not wanting to see the distance I have to cover. I just put one foot in front of the other, concentrating on each step. I can hear the team behind me, and somehow knowing they still have my back, even if I am just a stupid, weak human, spurs me on.
I gasp in delight when I see the orange glow starting to cover my hands. Three more steps and I’m out. Two more. One more. I step through the orange light. I am still exhausted, more tired than I’ve ever been in my life. My muscles ache like I ran a marathon. But I no longer feel the despair I felt in the room.
The team begin to tumble out behind me one by one until we’re all out. We lie side by side on the ground, all trying to get our breaths back a bit.
“We have to keep going,” Rye says.
I force myself to turn my head in the direction of his voice. He isn’t lying down, but he looks like he should be. His face is deathly white and he’s swaying slightly on his feet.
“Seriously, guys, get up. We weakened the seal entering through it. Without the dagger in there, who knows how long it’ll hold.”
As if to prove Rye’s point, the orange light begins to flicker. It’s all the motivation I need to get to my feet. I feel my knees starting to buckle again as I’m halfway up, but Rye steadies me. He takes the box from me.
“You did good, Sailor,” he says.
I beam under his compliment, too tired to try to hide my feelings.
“Did good? That’s an understatement. Not many mortals could fight the touch of a Spirit. Hell, not many gods can fight that,” Sunday says.
Only Mel remains on the ground.
“I just need a moment,” she gasps.
“We don’t have a moment,” Sunday says.
He scoops her up in his arms. I can see his muscles shaking where they threaten to give out, but he stays upright. Mel’s eyes close and her head sags against Sunday’s shoulder. I frown, worried.
“She’ll be alright,” Aziza snaps. “She just needs to sleep it off. We all do. Let’s get back to the portal.”
She turns to stalk away.
She turns her head slightly back to me.
“Sailor, I’m sorry I said you were weak, I thought…”
“I know,” I say, giving her a half smile. “Thank you, Z-Z.”
She’s the only one of us who looks like she could fight anything stronger than a kitten right now, and Rye doesn’t complain when she takes the lead. There’s no energy for chatter, and we make our way slowly back up the staircase, dragging our aching bodies up and up and up.
“No,” Ya-Ya shouts suddenly from behind me, a cry filled with shock and pain.
I spin around, momentarily forgetting my own aches and pains.
“What is it?” Rye demands.
She holds her hand up.
“I broke a damn nail,” she says.
“Are you kidding me?” Rye says.
She shakes her head and I swear I see tears in her eyes. I shake my own head. How can she be worried about a broken nail after this? Looking at the rest of the team, it’s clear to me this isn’t something gods do regularly. I’m not overreacting. Everyone seems shaken by the whole thing. Except Aziza, the Amazon warrior I’m starting to think has no limits.
We reach the top of the staircase and head back out the door. The portal remains where we left it, closed but ready for Grace to reopen it quickly. We start crossing the graffiti-strewn room. We’re less than halfway across it when Sunday shouts up from the rear.
“Demons. Run.”
I risk a glance back and instantly wish I hadn’t. Hot on our heels is a small pack of Slip Demons. One look at the team tells me no one is up for fighting them. Not even Aziza, who is starting to show signs of strain around her mouth. I can hear the snarling and growling of the remaining Krops too, and it’s getting closer. I force my body to respond, running even though every muscle in my body screams at me to stop. Grace uses her super speed to get out in front of us and open the portal.
She steps through and frantically beckons to us from the other side. Behind her, I can see the familiar game room in the cabin. Just a few more steps. Aziza reaches the portal but she doesn’t step through. She stands guard on the edge, pushing Sunday through. He gets through, drops Mel on a couch, and sinks to his knees. Ya-Ya streaks past me and dives through the portal.
I feel a warm hand wrap around mine and for a second, panic takes hold of me. The seal broke! The Spirits are back! The contentment in my hand tells
