All of a sudden, a blinding light erupted.
“What the fuck is that?” I stammered, throwing my hands up to block my eyes.
“Umm, a flashlight.” Lyra waved it around in the air.
I ripped it from her hand, clicked it off, and shoved it into my bag.
“Well, how are we supposed to see anything?” she huffed.
Bringing Lyra was a mistake, but I wanted her here. She calmed the storm raging inside me. I reached behind me and gripped her hand, leading her in the direction of the grave.
After only a split second of silence, she leaned in and whispered, “So is night vision one of your superpowers?”
“It’s not a superpower. But yes, I can see in the dark.”
Acting all skeptical, she stopped and asked, “How many fingers am I holding up?”
I turned, my patience hanging by a thread—to find her flipping me off. A smile broke across my face, but I hid my amusement. “One. Now, if you don’t keep moving, I’ll leave you out here.”
That got her attention.
“What exactly are we looking for?” Lyra rambled, unable to handle the silence. I didn’t answer so she continued, “Someone’s moody. Are all demons this temperamental?”
“Only when dealing with insufferable witches.”
I stopped abruptly, and Lyra’s shoulder slammed into my back.
The small rectangular headstone still had a chip in the top left corner from the last time I got a little too drunk and visited.I flexed my fingers, expecting to feel the pain from the broken bones I’d caused that night. But they had healed long ago.
I dropped the duffel bag to the ground with a thud. Metal clanked as I riffled through it.
“What’s in there?” Lyra tried to peer over my shoulder, but it was too dark for her to see anything.
I didn’t answer as my fingers tightened on the wooden handle of the shovel. I raised it above my head, striking the dirt in front of the gravestone, causing Lyra to jump back.
This was going to take a long ass time.
“You can’t be serious right now!” Lyra squealed. “We’re robbing a grave? Someone’s eternal resting place. Do you know how many years of bad luck that is?” The questions kept rolling off her tongue. One after another. After another.
“No, but please fucking enlighten me.”
She pretended to count on her finger. “Like a million.”
The ground was a muddy mess. But at least the place was empty. We were the only ones stupid enough to be out here in the rain.
The shovel easily pierced the dirt, and I slowly began to make progress. Shovel after shovel, the hole began to get deeper and deeper.
An hour later, I still hadn’t found what I was looking for. Sweat and rain dripped down my face onto my chest. I rolled my shoulders, trying to loosen my burning muscles but I kept digging, welcoming the mind-numbing work.
“How’s it going down there?” Lyra’s words snapped me from my trance.
“Just fucking great.”
“Well, if you didn’t want company, I don’t know why you dragged me out here.”
“Because I didn’t want to do this alone,” I said through labored breaths.
“Oh.” Surprise laced her tone at my attempt to be open and honest. I fought back the wave of nausea from the emotional vulnerability. “I just Googled it and normally they bury people like six feet deep.”
