“You must be proud of her.” I took a deep gulp from my glass, praying it’d help.
“Very proud,” they chorused in unison.
“Light of our lives, ain’t that right?” Richard blew an air kiss at Melody, who blushed furiously.
“Dad!”
He chuckled. “What? I can’t tell my little girl I’m proud of her?”
My hand tremors eased slightly. I wasn’t sure if it was the wine kicking in, but I could breathe again, and the weird feeling dissipated. See, it was just the map-making messing with you. Every time my brain gave its input, I thought of Puffball—that cute yet terrifying manifestation of my mind gremlins.
I should’ve been grinning like an idiot right now, joining in the fun, but I’d been double-crossed and stabbed in the back one too many times. I had a hard time trusting anyone these days, even Melody’s parents. But I made an effort to be charming, nonetheless. I wouldn’t ruin our little get-together.
Three
Finch
I sat in the shower, my knees tucked up to my chin, my eyes closed. The hot water cascaded over me, and I liked the way it drowned out everything else.
I hadn’t slept a wink last night, and my stomach gnawed with hunger. I’d thought the wine had helped for a short time, but it only ended up making me vomit. So, after that little trip to the bathroom, I cut out early from dinner with Melody’s parents, claiming illness before I even touched a bite. But it wasn’t the food I had no stomach for. It made me sound bitter and twisted, but I couldn’t stand to sit there and watch all that fluffy love and happiness. They had nothing to worry about. They had each other.
But me? I had a horrible, growing fear that this wouldn’t end well for me. I couldn’t trust anybody, not even myself. Erebus had eyes and ears everywhere, even in his human form. And my paranoia led to darker questions. Would he leave me alive at the end of all this? Why wouldn’t he just tie up that loose end? But it wasn’t as if I could just throw in the towel on Atlantis, because that’d end the same way, only sooner.
You’re tired. You haven’t slept. Your mind has been working overtime for two days.
But given how Erebus had found his way to Kenzie, and how he’d fooled me into getting him a body, and how he’d strung me along with his friggin’ breadcrumbs… the paranoia might not have been in my head. And now Ryann was involved, which just added a truckload of terror to my overextended brain. What if Kenzie couldn’t wipe her mind? What if Erebus didn’t let her? Or… what if something happened, and she couldn’t get her memories back from wherever Kenzie wanted to store them?
She’ll forget about you. Ah, those were the mind gremlins I knew, kicking me when I was down. Or maybe they were giving me the best solution when it came to Ryann. A true escape from all of the danger and trouble she was mixed up in because of me.
Stop wallowing and get your ass out of this shower. I had places to be, and none of this would fix itself by staying here. Erebus had sent me a message. No mirrors, no blood-smeared windows, just a good, old-fashioned text message. No one was more shocked than me. I didn’t know if it was because of his human body, or if it had something to do with the Winchester House, but he seemed to have entered the digital age. And badly, at that. It was less of a text, more of a letter, and he’d clearly had a few issues with autocorrect.
Dear Flinch,
Meet me at the Clearist Industrial Pork at 11 o’clock in the morning. Bay 4, near the refuse collection. Do not disappoint me. You have had apple time. Three days, as agreed. If you do not have the mop by now, then you know the prize you will have to pay. I will be waiting.
Best regards,
Error bus.
Reluctantly, I clambered out of the shower and dressed. It’d probably take me an hour to find an exit, and then I’d have to figure out how to get to the Clearist Industrial Park. At least I knew Erebus wouldn’t have reason to kill me today. I had his map, and he still needed me to find his gateway. So, that bought me a little more time, even if it just delayed the inevitable.
Man, I’m laying it on thick, aren’t I? I had to snap out of this funk, fast.
I pulled up to the industrial park, stopping just shy of a building with a big number “4” emblazoned on the side. I’d gone for a cab in the end, and I hadn’t had much trouble getting out of the Winchester House. Mary had helped me find the front door after swooping in on my aimless wandering.
“Can you circle the block for a bit?” I asked the cabbie.
He nodded. “Sure, though it’ll cost you.”
“That’s fine.” I’d rather shell out some cash instead of trying to hail another cab out here. And I really didn’t want to walk back. I got out and watched the cab move off before heading for the warehouse. It took a couple of minutes to find the dumpsters, but Erebus was nowhere to be seen.
“Finch! Over here!” a deep voice hissed. I whipped around to find my old pal Erebus poking his head out of a nearby alleyway.
“What, this wasn’t clandestine enough for you?” I asked as I headed toward him.
Erebus raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”
“Nothing. I just didn’t think you’d call me into some back alley in the middle of nowhere. You know this is the beginning of every True Crime documentary I’ve ever seen, right?” I sensed Erebus had a penchant for playing gangster. Even the weather had decided to cooperate, with gray clouds rolling in overhead and the first spits of rain starting to fall.
“Never mind that. Do you have what I require, or not?” Erebus ignored me and held out his hand.
“You think I’d be here if I didn’t?”
He smirked. “I honestly couldn’t say. Perhaps you would be foolish enough to come empty-handed. It’s not as if you could hide from me. I may not have my usual skills, but I have my ways, and I am excellent at improvisation.”
Why did you have to say that? The creeping paranoia set in and bristled up the back of my neck.
“Well, I’ve got it, so I guess we’ll never know,” I managed to reply, swallowing my fear. Delving into my jacket pocket, I removed the folded map and handed it to him. His eyes lit with excitement as he took it from me.
“Excellent work, Finch. I knew you had it in you.” He smoothed his fingertips across the paper. “However, you look rather weak. You should rest. I would hate for your heart to give out from fatigue before you finish my work.”
I shook my head. “My heart’s fine, and I’d sleep better if I didn’t have you and your tasks looming over me at all hours.”
Erebus laughed coldly. “At least I know you’re giving these matters all your attention. Now, speaking of tasks, your next will be to find the key to the Gateway to Atlantis. But, before you start complaining and despairing, you will be pleased to know that I’m giving you a few days’ respite.”
“What’s the catch?” Benevolence wasn’t one of his usual qualities.
“No catch—there are simply a few wrinkles that must be ironed out before you can start that endeavor.”
I frowned. “Wrinkles?”