Bastien’s voice dropped into a menacing growl. “Put it away, bitch.”
Again, I laughed. “No.”
I found a dead bear and reached into the afterlife to ask if it could help me. Bastien gripped me by the hair, but my mind was already deep in the world beyond. The bear’s spirit came rushing back into its body.
Breath held, I thought that it’d used me to get a second chance at life. Then, the trees broke open and a black blur came rushing out at us. The bear wasn’t that big, but it also wasn’t alone. I’d opened a door between worlds. Others came in answer to my call.
A wave of animals slammed into the side of the car. Their bodies slowed the car as it went off into the ditch. I had barely a moment to mourn the poor creatures that sacrificed their bodies for me, then the sudden stop jarred me and scattered my thoughts.
The world wavered. Time stopped.
Eyes blurry, I lifted my head to take in our surroundings.
Come on, Maddox. I know you can taste my power. I sent it out so you could follow the candy trail. If you take too long…
Maddox
The heady rush hit me.My breath escaped me as the hunger rose. Addie’s power grazed my trembling soul. It made my beast growl ravenously. It nearly shoved its way out of me as I stumbled out the station doors.
If she was using her arcana, that meant she was in trouble. I couldn’t stand here and waste time on two legs. I would have to use my teleportation ability to get as close to her as possible. I just hoped that it would be close enough to catch up.
I ran to the back of the building where no one would see me shift. How many times had I shifted today? I’d lost count. My energy was waning, but Addie’s arcana filled the hollow void yawning inside me.
So long as I had her as a battery, I’d be able to keep going. I just hoped that I didn’t pull too much. I couldn’t let her die on my watch again. There would be no one to sacrifice their life for her this time…
Unless…
All four paws hit the ground as I shook off the thought. I wouldn’t fail her. The portal tore open, and I lunged through it.
Normally, it was quiet. The leap happened in an instant. However, this time there were voices all around me. They shouted at me, commanding me to help. They pointed me in the right direction.
There was a burst of light ahead, hundreds of souls rushing towards the mortal plane again. I charged ahead and crashed through the portal. My claws scraped against asphalt as I came to a halt.
The smell of burnt rubber and motor oil hit me first. A chilly hand touched my cheek and shoved my head to the side. The spirit smelled so familiar, but there was no time to process it when my gaze landed on Bastien’s car in the ditch.
Racing into the ditch, I went for the passenger side. The door hung open. There was no one in the car anymore. My beast snarled in frustration. I thought that I’d been on time. It seemed I’d been wrong.
A rabbit thumped my flank. I growled at the dumb little animal until I realized it didn’t fear me in the least. This wasn’t a living animal. Much like Addie’s oddly fearless cat, this rabbit was very dead already.
And it knew where Addie and Bastien had gone.
The rabbit spun and raced away. I gave chase. The small creature nimbly navigated the woods until Bastien’s scent grew unbearable. Now I caught the hint of rot in it. My stomach turned warily. Whatever awaited ahead of us wasn’t going to be good.
The rabbit skidded to a stop a few feet from the clearing ahead. Between the trees, I saw a low stone fence and a leaning, wrought iron gate. The family name that hung at the top of the gate belonged to none other than Bastien.
We’d found the hidden cemetery that he’d used to raise his zombie hoard.
Addie’s scream split the silence. The rabbit shuddered and whined. I jumped over it and the low stone fence, right into the cemetery.