Something was not right.
Mary could sense it, could feel it stirring restlessly through her stiff bones; it was some sort of premonition, a sensation brought upon by instinct and confirmed by a tight squeeze in her gut.
The hallway was dimmed to a low glow; the light fissures above flickered weakly, unable to combat the nightly darkness that poured into the corridor, blotting her sight. Despite her impaired vision, the wide window stretched across the left side of the narrow passageway opened to a pearly disk dangling in the night sky, providing a stream of silver light that guided her forwards. The pale glimmer accented the shadows that made up the indiscernible walls, the darkened carpet, the waiting opaqueness spread out a few yards before her, where the hallway seemed to disappear infinitesimally into blackness.
Mary had no idea where she was or where she was going. Not a single sensible thought propelled her forwards; instead that creeping feeling of suspicion and unease lightened her heavy, hesitant feet and hastened her blind steps into the unknown. She had been maneuvering through this endless hallway as if she were an unwarranted intruder, someone who was not supposed to be slinking and lurking in the shadows of the foreign walls that encased her. She did not ask herself why. The question never occurred to her.
And that was when she became aware of the sounds.
The screaming planks of wood cried out beneath the soles of Mary's bare feet, the resounding creaks echoing through the empty corridor and stopping her in her tracks. Adrenaline pumped through her—adrenaline and fear—yet for what, she had no idea. Sweat sprouted on her hairline along with the hammering of her heart in her chest; the constant beat pounded on her temples in a steady rhythm. Yet despite this sudden bout of anxiety, she continued on forwards, for the sound of something else had managed to pierce through the drumbeat in her ears, the crying at her feet, the ceaseless echo cluttering the silence.
Moans.
Moans and grunts and the occasional sigh in between; she thought she could pick up a trace of a word hidden inside soft releases of breath, as if the act were a language itself. These noises grew louder as she went, and before she even realized it she was standing before a half-open door. The intimate sounds were coming from inside, from which the sporadic flicker of red and yellow flames could be seen dancing wildly, licking the damp air in the hearth against the eastern wall. Above the faint crackling of splintering wood, she could now clearly make out the gasps and moans as belonging to a male and a female.
The creaking wasn't from the shifting floorboards; it was from that squeaking bed, she thought after she opened the door and beheld the silhouetted sight of a naked girl hovering over a bare boy who caught her eye as she entered. She could not describe him, no matter how hard she tried, for his prosaic face was easily forgettable, like those worn by people in passing crowds. Yet in that moment an inexplicable feeling of absolute dread gripped her, as if she had just walked in on a murder. Yes, in that moment the young man's face was familiar— familiar enough to make her feel as if her heart were breaking into bits and pieces. She fell to her knees and the faceless man opened his mouth to speak—
And then the woman threw her head back and let out a manic laugh, a sort of hair-prickling snicker that sent shivers sweeping down Mary's spine. She caught Mary's eye—her gaze was glowing blood red, two angry rubies in the darkness. Her grin was sinister, and that was when Mary knew it was a demon. She tried to warn the unsuspecting boy, tried to open her mouth to speak, but she couldn't move a muscle. Mary was frozen, trapped at the doorway. She could not even close her eyes to block out the sight of the woman plunging her bare hand into the man's chest, her endless stream of laughter echoing around Mary's ears as the life drained out of him...
Mary opened her eyes with a startled gasp, her vision swimming as tears streaked down her cheeks. She was dimly aware of a wild beeping in the background, synchronized with the pounding of her heartbeat against her ears. Her head and wrist were throbbing, and it took her a moment to overcome her emotional state before she realized where she was.
The hospital room.
She was in a hospital, and she was alone. Mason was gone, and Noah was nowhere in sight. She'd just woken up from a disturbing nightmare.
Disturbing because Mason had been in it.
Mary shook her head, attempting to rid herself of the memory of the demon's laugh, of her hand plunging into Mason's chest, of blood slicking his tan skin...
It all had seemed too real. Now Mary was beginning to wonder if Mason was okay, especially since she'd come to learn that these dreams weren't psychological. Mary had enough experience with them this past year to know they were especially crafted by demons to terrify her, to wake her up with tears in her eyes and screams on her lips.
Mason had promised he wouldn't leave until Noah was here. Yet neither of them was in the room.
Maybe Noah was attacked again, she thought fearfully. Which means that Mason was probably attacked too...
The heart monitor began to speed up again. All these questions, coming on the heels of a nightmare—something she hadn't had for a while now—had caused panic to seize Mary, and she could feel a familiar wave of nausea rolling over her.
"Oh no," she breathed, her gasps hitching her shoulders. Calm down, calm down, calm down—
Suddenly the heart monitor blew out beside her, its unexpected zapping causing Mary to jump and squeak from where she sat on her bed before the room was plunged into a deathly silence.
Sweat coated Mary's body. It was too quiet. Electrical equipment was always a great source of energy for the dead. She continued to tremble, but realized that although it was partly because of nerves it was also partly because of the temperature in the room. She rubbed her arms, exhaling a puff of foggy air. It had also grown abnormally cold.
Mary was sure of it now. She wasn't alone in this room. They'd come for Mason and Noah and now were after her.
Just as Mary completed the thought, the pale, bright lights overhead flickered, threatening to drown her in darkness. The flicker reminded Mary of a quick blink of the eyes, where first there wasn't anyone standing at the foot of her hospital bed, but after the darkness she could clearly see a figure that made her heart stop.
It was a black, shapeless cloud of mist, lacking any resemblance to the physical features associated with the human anatomy. It did not even bare the trademark glowing red eyes that Mary had come to associate with demons after her many encounters with them.
Yet that did not make it any less terrifying. It lingered at the foot of the bed, as if eyeing her, taunting her. Mary couldn't get her body to move, too paralyzed with fear, too weak from her injuries.
"G-get away!" she cried futilely, glancing around for one of her demon-fighting tools. She was so accustomed to having them at her side at all times that it came as a slap in the face when she realized none of that would be here, in a hospital room. She'd completely forgotten to tell Mason to get her stuff back for her. And now here she was, alone and defenseless, and she wasn't even sure if both he and Noah were even okay.
The figure began to edge closer and closer to Mary's bedside, floating with a grace that was at odds with its evil nature. Mary gripped her sheets as a scream bubbled up her throat, but it never made its way to her lips.
Just then a cold, powerful gust of wind slammed into her, blowing at her hair and making her cringe. It was as if someone had opened her hospital room window and allowed the high-speed winds of a wintry storm to come spilling in.
But Mary knew better than that.
Noah, she thought with relief just as she witnessed the demon disintegrate into thin air. In its place appeared a concerned male that was certainly not Noah, Mary realized with a start, although he was a ghost. He seemed to be in his forties, with skin the color of chocolate and deep green eyes that reluctantly reminded Mary of Mason's. Standing a few feet behind this man was yet another ghost, a young woman who couldn't have been older than twenty-three. She wore her blonde hair in a high ponytail and had a few piercings and tattoos. Her gaze was dead, the color of coal.
Confused by their sudden appearance, Mary opened her mouth to speak but it ended up just hanging there. She was caught completely off guard and was still overcoming her near-panic attack, and as a result no words came to her.
Luckily the awkward silence didn't last very long. Noah appeared at the woman's side a moment later, glancing around the room anxiously.
"Mary! Oh thank god," he breathed, relief finding his voice and eyes the moment he saw her. He poofed to her bedside, next to the burly man. "You okay?"
I could ask you the same thing; I thought you were gone again.
"Yeah," she said, finally getting her frozen lips to move. She glanced between the two ghosts, who were eyeing Mary curiously. "These two took care of the demon."
"Yeah, sorry about that by the way," Noah said. "I just had to meet up with Margaret real quick to plan some things. I told Julia and Greg to watch over you while I was gone."
"You know, you talk in your sleep," the girl behind Noah—Julia, Mary assumed— said, crossing her arms. She gave off a complete 'tough girl' vibe. "Not sure if it was more amusing than it was annoying."
Mary flushed just as Noah spoke up.
"Mary," he began, taking a step toward her. He swept a hand back, gesturing towards the two ghosts standing behind him: one tall and dark, the other short and pale. "Meet my new friends. They died because of the curse, just like me and Avery."
Mary tried yet failed to hide her surprise. Noah had done it. He'd found two more ghosts that were killed as a part of the curse, which meant they were two steps closer to closing the gate. Counting Noah, Margaret and Avery, it totaled up to five out of the six cursed souls.
Noah turned to face his new friends. "Julia, Gregory. This is the girl I told you about. The one the demons used to open up the gate. She can see us all because of it, and she also so happens to be my best friend."
Mary, eyes wide, weakly lifted her good hand and gave a halfhearted wave. "H-hi. I'm Mary. Thank you for saving me just now."
"You're welcome," Greg replied politely. He quirked a bushy brow. "It's so strange, having someone living be able to see me. I've wanted that for so long. To be noticed."
"I understand," Mary said quietly. "It must get kind of lonely, floating around without anyone acknowledging your existence."
Julia scoffed, crossing her arms. "Please. You don't understand a thing about being dead. Don't pretend like you do."
Mary lowered her gaze. Greg and Noah shot the young ghost a wary glance. Then Noah spoke up, his eyes suddenly turning eager. "I found them in Purgatory, Mary. The demons targeted them too because they know we're searching for the cursed souls. Remember how I told you that I couldn't remember a thing every time I got blasted away by a demon and spent a while in Purgatory?" When Mary nodded, he continued, "Well, apparently while I was there I was aware of the fact that I would undergo memory loss the moment I came back to the world of the living. So Purgatory me told Greg and Julia here to meet me at the playhouse the moment we were sent back."
"We retained our memories," Greg explained. "Purgatory... it has a different effect on different souls. Some forget ever being there, while others find it impossible not to." He trembled, a haunted look crossing his face. Julia twisted her mouth.
Whatever Purgatory was, it seemed like Noah was lucky to have no recollection of it.
"But then there's Dr. Wholstein. The final cursed soul," Noah continued. "He was with us in Purgatory. The date of his death matched up with ours, twelve years before Greg's, six years before Margaret's. The only problem is that he's like me; he doesn't remember anything once he leaves Purgatory. So he's still out there, somewhere."
"We tried to get him to tell us where it was that he was attacked by the demons since that was where he'd reappear," Greg said. "But he's an older man. He's not all there mentally... Julia and I suspected he had Alzheimer's when we encountered him in Purgatory. He couldn't provide us with much information."
"Except he kept mentioning his grandson," Julia added, "'Little Ethan.'"
"I've already got Margaret out searching for him," Noah said. "Soon the three of us will head out there, too. Cullis Port's a small town so I'm sure we'll find him quick. But if we don't, we'll have to see if we can find a man named Ethan Wholstein. This grandson should be a grown man by now."
"And we'll ask him about his grandfather that passed away over thirty years ago, see if he could provide us with any clues?" Mary guessed.
Noah nodded, his ghostly lips quirking into a small smile. "Or, well, you'll ask him. Or Mason will. Preferably someone he could actually see. Once we find him we'll be one step closer to closing the gate and ending all of this."
"So what now?"
"Now, Greg and Julia are going to begin the search. I'll stay here with you so that I can protect you from another attack, at least until Mason comes back, anyway."
"Mason," Mary whispered, recalling the fear she'd felt for him just before she'd gotten attacked. She gazed up at Noah eagerly. "Is he okay? Have you spoken to him?"
"Last time I talked to him was right before he checked out of the hospital and left with his parents. He said he'd try to pass by sometime tomorrow once his parents left for work. That was yesterday, so we should be seeing his lovely face sometime in the near future."
Mary exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Mason was okay. Everyone was okay.
Noah took a few steps towards her and sat on the floor beside her bed. His ghostly silhouette glowed in the darkness.
"How are you holding up?" he asked quietly, deep concern in his chocolate brown eyes. Mary peered behind him. She hadn't noticed their departure, but Greg and Julia were gone.
"I'm okay," she mumbled. She'd been so distracted by the paranromal activity that transpired over the past half hour that she had forgotten about her injuries and they pain she was under. "I'm not in as much pain as before, thankfully. I just wanna get out of here already. I miss my bed, Caspar, my parents..."
"They passed by again while you were asleep. They're worried, obviously, but the nurse told them you'll make a full recovery. They told her they'll be here to check on you again after work, so sometime tonight I'm assuming."
Mary tried not to let the thought of her exhausted, indebted parents sweep her away into another wave of guilt.
"You really scared me, you know," Noah said, his voice low and his eyes shining with earnesty. "When I got back from Purgatory the first place I went to find you was your house, and I overheard your parents talking about you being in the hospital because of Daniel. And when I came here and had Mason tell me what happened... when I saw you lying there, pale and banaged and bruised I... I was reminded of how human and fragile you are. I remembered why I didn't want you involved in demon hunting in the first place. You got lucky this time, Mary, but will you be the next time I'm not around to protect you? My worst nightmare is seeing your spirit leave your dead body. Of having you become like me."
Mary's heart squeezed, warmth filling her. "Oh, Noah," she whispered. She wanted so badly to touch him it hurt. "You know why I have to do this. You know I can't just stand around and do nothing when I'm the whole reason why the gate was opened in the first place."
Noah lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "I know," he murmured in defeat. "I know how stubborn you are, and I know nothing I say—nothing that happens—will get you to back off. All I'm asking is that you try and be careful, okay? Please."
"I will," she replied, and she meant it. "I promise."
Just then, a nurse walked in. She was quite confused as to why it was so cold in Mary's room, but attributed that and the failure of the lights and the heart monitor to a power outage that weirdly only affected Mary's room. Mary was wheeled into another room with working equipment and underwent a checkup. Then she ate and used the restroom, noticing that moving around was becoming less of a chore, especially now that the pain wasn't as strong.
The nurses told her she'd be able to go home in three days.
"I can't wait that long," Mary groaned to Noah the moment the nurse left the room. "I should be out there helping you guys. I'm vulnerable and useless here."
"Your health comes before anything, Mary," Noah said, sounding infuriatingly like her father. "These doctors know what they're doing. Trust their judgement and focus on making a full recovery."
"But—"
"Ms. Durward? You have a visitor."
Mary snapped her attention over to the opened doorway, her eyes latching onto a pair of familiar green ones.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Noah said. "And with Avery following him around like a shadow. Typical."
"Mason," Mary whispered. The corner of Mason's mouth quirked into a half smile.
"I'll give you two some privacy," the nurse spoke up in the silence. She disappeared and the door clicked closed.
"Hey," he said, edging forwards with Mary's bulky demon fighting backpack hanging on one shoulder. He sat on a chair beside her, opposite Noah. Avery waved at her ghostly friend and Mary, smiling cheekily. "You're looking a lot better."
Mary turned to Noah and raised a brow pointedly. He scoffed and crossed his arms.
"I'm gonna go now," Noah said, standing up. "Mason was smart enough to bring your equipment so you should be fine if a demon attacks. Tell him if anything happens to you while I'm gone he's a dead man."
Mary supressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"Thanks," Mary told Mason just as Noah disappeared.
"Noah around?"
"He just left. How are you? Everything okay with your parents?"
A brief flicker of hesitation flitted across Mason's face. "As okay as it can be, I guess. I was already grounded and not allowed to leave the house and I disobeyed them so now there's not much else they can do but hit me with the ol' 'I'm disappointed in you' speech."
Mary winced. "Those are the worst. My parents said the same thing to me not long ago."
"Yeah," he mumbled, resting his chin on his palm. There was a bruise just below his eye that she hadn't noticed before, yet even with that blemish he still managed to retain his breathtaking beauty. He eyed her with those penetrating eyes of his, causing Mary to supress a squirm. "How about you? How are you holding up?"
"Better," she said. She repeated the same thing she told Noah and told him about the demon that almost attacked her while he was gone, as well as about the cursed souls Noah found, and the last one that'd gone missing. Then she added, "The nurse said I should be able to leave here in three days, but I think that's unecessary. Which was why I was wondering if you could, um, do me a favor."
Mason raised an eyebrow and leaned forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. "A favor for the beautiful Mary Durward, huh? Well, you'd have to give me something in return. And that something would preferably involve you without any clothes on."
Mary felt her face get hot. "Mason," she groaned. "I'm being serious."
"I would graciously do anything you asked of me." He frowned to himself. "Well, except maybe kill someone. Sorry sweetheart, but not even getting you in my bed could justify me comitting murder."
Mary rolled her eyes and hit him lightly in the arm; he flinched. "Just hear me out, okay? I want you to do what you did in the juvenile ward and use your charm and money to convince the staff to let me check out today. I can't stay here another day, especially after what happened while you were gone."
"Yeah, when I said I would do anything you asked of me, I meant anything but that," Mason said.
Mary frowned, annoyed. "Why not? You even said so yourself: I'm looking a lot better."
"That's what you're supposed to say when you're visiting someone in their hospital bed! You don't just waltz through the door and say, 'Hey Mary, you're looking bruised and banged up as usual.'"
"So I'm not looking a lot better?"
"No, you are, but Mary—you suffered trauma to the head. You have a concussion and a broken wrist and your body got pretty banged up. It needs rest so you could recover fully. You gotta trust the nurses' judgement on this one."
She groaned. "You sound like Noah."
He scrunched up his nose. "I'm insulted."
"I don't feel safe here, Mason. I'm a sitting duck to these demons."
"Which is why I brought you your demon fighting equipment. And why Noah and I are taking turns staying with you so you won't be alone."
"People are dying," she insisted, trying her appeal from a different angle. "The demons are out there wreaking havoc because I set them free. I can't just sit around and do nothing. I should be out looking for Dr. Wholstein, or doing research in Salazar's trailer. Save for the occassional headache and the sore body I feel fine."
"Yet you look like you haven't slept in weeks. Hey," he said, his voice suddenly low and serious. He grabbed her hand in his warm one and stroked her knuckles. "You need a break, Mary. There's only so much a girl can handle."
Mary struggled to seem unaffected by his proximity and the feeling of his hand gripping hers. She recalled the almost-kiss on the Ferris Wheel, the unnervingly realistic dream she'd had about him and shunned the thoughts just as quickly as they had appeared.
"Do you want me?" she whispered. "Is that what it's going to take for you to do this? What do you want? A kiss? To feel my boobs?"
Mason chuckled, placing his other hand on her cheek and stroking the skin gently. "Trust me, Mary, I don't need to make a deal with you in order to get you to give into me. I mean, I am Mason Montgomery, master of seduction."
Mary couldn't help but laugh weakly, but quickly checked herself and returned back to her somber, bargaining state.
Mason might be master of seduction, but she was queen of persuasion.
"Please, Mason?" she whispered, tracing the strong contours of his chiseled face.
She thought she saw his resolve waver, if for only a second. He shook his head. "No."
"Please?" she tried again, this time brushing a thumb over his bottom lip.
Mason hesitated. He pulled away from her, scowled and looked away. "Sorry sweetcheeks, but no. Your safety comes first."
Mary hung her head in resignation, feeling Mason's eyes on her as she did so.
"Okay," she mumbled in defeat, slowly rolling over so that was back to him. She hadn't even completed the roll when she heard Mason groan and mutter something unintelligible beneath his breath.
"Wait."
Mary smiled fleetingly to herself before turning back around.
Mason sighed, crossing his arms. "Fine. I'll do it. But in return you'll need to make up for hurting my feelings the other night."
Mary scrunched her brows. "What do you mean?"
"You know," he hedged. "When we were on the Ferris Wheel and you just ditched me without reason or warning." Mary could have sworn she saw hurt in his eyes, buried beneath the jokiness and amusement.
"I already apologized for that."
"I know. And I accepted your apology. But now you need to make it up to me."
Mary hesitated. Now was the time for her to explain why she ran off in the first place. "Mason, I—"
He lifted a hand up to cut her off. "I don't want to hear any excuses. Just be my date to this Mayor's Ball thing this Saturday. That'll make us even in my book."
Mary couldn't believe her ears. All that was going on and here he was, asking her to a dance? "Mason, your parents hate me," she said with an obvious tone.
"I know, and I very much like you for that."
Mary knitted her brows.
Mason sighed. "Look, they'll let you come with me. They really want me to go, and the only way I'm willing to attend is if you're there with me, making it more bearable. I'd honestly rather take a vow of chastity than attend these stupid formal events, and you know that's saying something."
Mary hesitated again. Why was Mason doing this? As if the moment on the Ferris Wheel wasn't confusing enough already, now he wanted her to dress up and dance with him in front of a bunch of rich, important people—including his parents? Mary didn't think she could waste any more time, let alone an entire night at some dance.
Mason seemed to read her thoughts, because he added, "Besides, Ethan Wholstein will be there." Mary's gaze widened. "Yeah, the moment you mentioned his name I knew exactly who you were talking about. He used to work for my father in City Hall doing something important before he moved to another state. He's attending this Ball since he and my father are close, so you'll luckily be able to catch him at the one time in the whole year that he's actually in Cullis Port. How's that for an incentive? As if I wasn't enough."
Mary was so stunned that she laughed, shaking her head. "You never cease to amaze me, you know that? Fine, I'll go. Happy?"
Mason smirked. "Perfect, it's a deal then. I'll pick you up at eight. Wear your best dress."
Mary muttered to herself about how she hated dresses and Mason's smirk widened. Then he carefully stood up and made way for the door, Avery following close behind.
"Avery's back, by the way," Mary called to him. He stopped in his tracks. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier. I'm not sure when she got back but she's been following you around."
Mason smiled. "You saw that, Avery? Your brother just scored a hot date to daddy's dance. And he didn't even have to beg."
"Only because you blackmailed me," Mary muttered.
He scoffed and opened the door. "I didn't blackmail you; I just beat you at your own game." He winked at her. "Now excuse me while I go acquaint myself with the lovely staff we have here at Cullis Port Hospital." Then he disappeared through the door, letting it click closed behind him.
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a/n- hey guys I know it's been a while so if you're still reading this, thank you for your patience! I am on summer break from class until july so I'm gonna be updating a lot faster and finally finishing this book :) please please comment and vote so I know there's still some of you out there that are still following... ;)
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!