Page 23 (1/2)
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sliding, I hit the red soil face-first, eyes clenched shut and teeth together so I wouldn’t bite round for several feet before coh, al, the subtle calculations that brought one back into reality standing and stable co, and I sat up, babyingto figure out where I was Yes, I was in the ever-after, but where? This wasn’t Cincy The ley lines were too jagged and the skyline wasn’t right
It was dark, thebuildings slowlyas they collapsed The thing was, they never seemed to fall completely The best way I could describe it was that it looked like the world when you’ve been on aravestones to fix on If it was like Cincy, then they would be solid, free of the nauseating red sheen on everything But there was no raves, they were unmarked Not only was I two thousand ain, but I was on the wrong side of reality At least I had gotten rid of the charlad I could tap a line again, even if they were nasty, broken things
On a whily taste of it but holding on all the same Al could usually feel it when I tapped a line in the ever-after and would come and fetch me; otherwise, I don’t kno he’d knoas here
"Stupid elf," Iin the sa more stupid than usual Had I really sat there and let him curse me? Because I tru-u-u-u-usted him?
The earth shook with one of the West Coast’s frequent tre across the street collapsed And collapsed And collapsed again For an instant, I saw a flash of black sky with stars, and a hint of peaceful gray water, and then it was gone and the red-sheened gloas back Shivering violently, I took a step toward the fleeting ie as a breath of salt-laden air pushed aside the burnt-amber stink for the briefest of instances Did heaven lay just underneath the hell surrounding ?
A rock fell behindIt wasn’t Al Heart pounding, I licked low at the top of a s the thin, raggedy figure standing belligerently above rip His bare foot
"Yeah, I see you," I said as I painfully got towhen he threw his stick atback as the surface demon jumped from the rubble to land ten feet in front of me The slump of debris behind him slowly melted into dust and bleay, and a park bench took its place, only to crack and cruot no beef with you," I said as I hobbled backward, tuggingtime Give me a minute, and I’ll be out of your hair Off your turf Outta yourcrib"
He snarled at me Honest, what had I ever done to him? But when he picked up his stick and his black-eyed stare went behindout ofup
Bad decision One of the heavily on the ley line and wincing as a lame-ass circle wobbled into existence The chunk of concrete hit my bubble inches fro surface deed closer There wasn’t any salt water around to interfere with ic, but the more heavily I pulled on the broken ley lines, the harder they were to ith, until it felt as if I were trying to hold a cat going boneless and slipping out ofeven as they crept closer, and I wondered if they felt the line I was trying to hold It was giving me a headache, too "Let’s all be friends, okay?" I said as I backed up "I don’t want to be here any more than you want me to"
I jerked when two ot through, and I gasped when my circle fell and the rock hitmy circle back into existence as I rubbed my arm "Look, I’m not a demon, okay? Well, maybe I am, but I’m not like the rest of the, I added, "At least, I used to be able to Maybe we can co I help you, and you don’t stone me to death"
The first surface de, and they ran at me
"Maybe not," I whispered, wide-eyed, and I pulled harder on the ley line, shoringwhere he was I hadn’t wanted to admit defeat, but hell’s bells, I needed so toward me suddenly skidded to a stop, their black eyes wide as they tasted the night "Now you’re going to get it," I said, guessing Al was co when the ones in the back scattered "You should have been nice"