dies?”
“Someone want to tell me what exactly a shadow demon is?” I asked. “You can leave out the visuals. I think I’ve got that at least.”
“When I was a reaper,” Finn lowered his voice, “I took souls to the Inbetween where they got the chance to be reborn or earn their way into Heaven. The problem is, the life span of a soul is only about ten years. As time passes, they decay. Lose themselves and the humanity that lives inside. They can’t exist in limbo like that forever. If they’re not reborn, or don’t manage to earn their way upstairs within those ten years, they turn into what you’re seeing. Shadow demons. They’re souls that are damned to roam the Earth, hungry and wanting for eternity. They feed off of souls, usually ones fresh from the body. You see them at reaps a lot, hunting for scraps.”
“Why would they be following me?” I asked. “I’m not dead.”
“I don’t know why they’re here. I don’t know what they’re waiting for. And I sure as hell don’t know how to get rid of them.” Finn rubbed his temples like he was getting a headache. “I need to talk to Easton. He’d know more about this.”
“So, talk to him,” I shouted, slamming my fist down onto the table. “Today. Hell, right now.”
“It’s not that easy,” Finn whispered. “I can’t just call him up. It’s not like they gave me a cell phone to the afterlife. I’m alive now. I’m not connected anymore.”
I stared at the table. “So, what? I’m just supposed to go on with these things following me around? I can’t do that. I can’t live like this!”
“He visits me sometimes,” Finn said, hesitantly. “But it’s been a while.”
“Great,” I muttered. “I’ll just clear my calendar then.”
I leaned over and pressed my forehead against the cool tabletop, trying to calm my breathing and the sharp pain developing in my chest. Emma’s fingers slipped over my folded arms and as much as I wanted to push her away I didn’t. After a week of nothing but fear and pain, it felt too good. I missed her.
“You did almost die at the fire,” Emma offered. “Maybe it has something to do with that. Maybe they’re just curious and they’ll go away once they realize they can’t get anything from you.”
I listened to Emma’s glossed-over, hopeful theory, but lifted my head to keep my eyes on Finn. He twisted the cap to his water, keeping suspiciously silent on the subject.
“Finn?” she asked. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Like I said, I need to talk to Easton or Anaya. They’d know more about this.”
“No theories, huh?” I arched a brow, studying his pinched, guilty expression. “Nothing to add?”
He pushed away from the table, his features shifting from guilty to pissed. “Look, I said I’d try to find out. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
He knew. He knew more than what he was saying and he had the nerve to sit there and lie. Not just to me, but to Emma.
“Screw you, Finn,” I said, refusing to acknowledge the way Emma’s mouth dropped open at my words. Finn’s didn’t. He looked like he was expecting it. The shadow under the table hissed and that was the last straw.
I grabbed my bag and pulled my legs out from under the table. I had to get away from that…thing. I had to get away from the look in Finn’s eyes. Maybe he wasn’t saying the words but that look said everything I needed to know. I wasn’t going to be okay. There was no end to my nightmare in sight.
I didn’t look back as I let my legs carry me out of the cafeteria as fast as they could without running.
“Cash, wait!” Emma called out from behind me.
I stopped and exhaled, listening to her footsteps echo down the empty hall. She touched my shoulder and I spun around.
“What?”
She pulled her hand back, looking hurt. “You’ve been out of the hospital a week. You don’t answer my calls or texts. You don’t answer the door when I come over. Are
“Someone want to tell me what exactly a shadow demon is?” I asked. “You can leave out the visuals. I think I’ve got that at least.”
“When I was a reaper,” Finn lowered his voice, “I took souls to the Inbetween where they got the chance to be reborn or earn their way into Heaven. The problem is, the life span of a soul is only about ten years. As time passes, they decay. Lose themselves and the humanity that lives inside. They can’t exist in limbo like that forever. If they’re not reborn, or don’t manage to earn their way upstairs within those ten years, they turn into what you’re seeing. Shadow demons. They’re souls that are damned to roam the Earth, hungry and wanting for eternity. They feed off of souls, usually ones fresh from the body. You see them at reaps a lot, hunting for scraps.”
“Why would they be following me?” I asked. “I’m not dead.”
“I don’t know why they’re here. I don’t know what they’re waiting for. And I sure as hell don’t know how to get rid of them.” Finn rubbed his temples like he was getting a headache. “I need to talk to Easton. He’d know more about this.”
“So, talk to him,” I shouted, slamming my fist down onto the table. “Today. Hell, right now.”
“It’s not that easy,” Finn whispered. “I can’t just call him up. It’s not like they gave me a cell phone to the afterlife. I’m alive now. I’m not connected anymore.”
I stared at the table. “So, what? I’m just supposed to go on with these things following me around? I can’t do that. I can’t live like this!”
“He visits me sometimes,” Finn said, hesitantly. “But it’s been a while.”
“Great,” I muttered. “I’ll just clear my calendar then.”
I leaned over and pressed my forehead against the cool tabletop, trying to calm my breathing and the sharp pain developing in my chest. Emma’s fingers slipped over my folded arms and as much as I wanted to push her away I didn’t. After a week of nothing but fear and pain, it felt too good. I missed her.
“You did almost die at the fire,” Emma offered. “Maybe it has something to do with that. Maybe they’re just curious and they’ll go away once they realize they can’t get anything from you.”
I listened to Emma’s glossed-over, hopeful theory, but lifted my head to keep my eyes on Finn. He twisted the cap to his water, keeping suspiciously silent on the subject.
“Finn?” she asked. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Like I said, I need to talk to Easton or Anaya. They’d know more about this.”
“No theories, huh?” I arched a brow, studying his pinched, guilty expression. “Nothing to add?”
He pushed away from the table, his features shifting from guilty to pissed. “Look, I said I’d try to find out. I don’t know what else you want me to say.”
He knew. He knew more than what he was saying and he had the nerve to sit there and lie. Not just to me, but to Emma.
“Screw you, Finn,” I said, refusing to acknowledge the way Emma’s mouth dropped open at my words. Finn’s didn’t. He looked like he was expecting it. The shadow under the table hissed and that was the last straw.
I grabbed my bag and pulled my legs out from under the table. I had to get away from that…thing. I had to get away from the look in Finn’s eyes. Maybe he wasn’t saying the words but that look said everything I needed to know. I wasn’t going to be okay. There was no end to my nightmare in sight.
I didn’t look back as I let my legs carry me out of the cafeteria as fast as they could without running.
“Cash, wait!” Emma called out from behind me.
I stopped and exhaled, listening to her footsteps echo down the empty hall. She touched my shoulder and I spun around.
“What?”
She pulled her hand back, looking hurt. “You’ve been out of the hospital a week. You don’t answer my calls or texts. You don’t answer the door when I come over. Are
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