Eli and Quinn formed up, heading in first, Booker and Lachlan falling in behind them, with Mack and me bringing up the rear. Much like a raiding party would do. Then again, in this scenario, Eli was definitely the tank. I was just moral support.
Even to my sight, this room wasbad. The thermal goggles were going haywire trying to discern one ghost from another.Really, it was just this wash of blue, like someone had taken a brush of cold blue and smeared the room with it. Were these thermal goggles actually going to help or not…?
For that matter, I wasn’t going to be super helpful here. I couldn’t handle the dead, but I could watch Mack’s six. I unhooked my Super Soaker and got ready.
Lachlan sidled up next to me and muttered, “Just me, or does it feel a wee bit stupid to be in here? Despite me being armed.”
“If I had to explain it, I’d say I feel like I’m showing up for a shift as the junior OSHA violator at the accident factory.”
“Mate, couldn’t have said it better.”
Without any real discussion, Eli faced north, with Booker and Quinn bracketing her on each side. Mack put his back to hers, and I guarded his right, Lachlan his left.
I heard Eli’s neck as she cracked it side to side. “Let’s get this partystarted!”
What was this, a concert?
From the corner of my eye, I tracked it as Eli reached out with her right hand and closed it into a tight fist. I almost heard screaming? Like a man’s voice yelling in protest. Thenpoof—silence.
Uh, that had been unnerving. Was that the ghost yelling before she exorcised him? I’d actually heard that? Just how much psychic juice was Eli throwing around if ghosts I normally couldn’t sense at all were now audible?
But that first exorcism was like a signal. All hell broke loose, and every ghost in the room either tried to flee—and was immediately rebuffed by the salt line at the doorway—or they tried to rush Eli. It was like being on the wrong end of a wave, and I felt the chill as ghosts got in too close. Shit, shit, shit! Was this plan working or not?!
I mostly had my back to her, but I kept darting glances behind, trying to keep track of her, too. Eli laughed maniacallyand kept punching forward, both hands busy, and I was stunned. I didn’t know she could exorcise with her steampunk hand! I’d never seen her do that before. Huh. Crazy. Now she was twice as lethal. I could see from the corner of my goggles one blue light after another goingpoof. Damn, she was on fire right now. I could hear the ghosts screaming at each other, sometimes to move, sometimes trying to coordinate.
I saw a ghost grab a box, which looked weird as hell through the goggles. I more saw the blue energy of the ghost surrounding this vaguely box-shaped blank spot. I realized what it meant in the nick of time as he turned to chuck it at us. I snagged Mack and yanked him sharply back and to the side to avoid my lover taking the brunt of the blow. We barely avoided a collision with Eli. I knew ghosts were strong here, but come on! There had to be limits!
Should I take the googles off if they were going to be throwing shit? But no, I needed them to have a prayer of seeing what the ghosts were doing.
I heard another crash from the other side, Lachlan yelling something harsh in Gaelic, and the impact of a sword hitting something solid. There were definitely a few ghosts in here strong enough to really give us grief. I readied my defense. Clearly, they weren’t going down without a fight. There were lots of heavy breathing sounds and cuss words, but from voices I didn’t recognize. Wow, yeah, I was actually hearing the ghosts. Insane.
Mack wasn’t trying to exorcise, which relieved me, but he was grabbing ghosts by the throat and holding them. Then he called, “Eli, two!”
Eli spun like a dancer, reaching over Mack’s shoulder to tap both ghosts in his hands. I watched incredulously as they winked out of existence. I knew Eli was strong, I’d seen her in action, but I’d seen her go up against really bad, gnarly things. Notagainst ghost-demons like these guys. She could wink souls out of existence with a little slap?!
Damn. Remind me to stay on her good side.
Lachlan used his sword like a herding rod and scared a ghost into running, all while he singsonged, “Mistress of Death, have another~”
Eli laughed, turned again, and slapped his ghost.
Now, Lachlan wasn’t a Medium, not really. He could barely sense ghosts at all. That wasn’t his strength. His strength was getting a foot of steel into gnarly monsters. That said, I wasn’t surprised he was also doing what Mack was doing. Those two were guarding Eli’s back and helping at the same time, which was great. Half the struggle was catching the ghosts, after all. Him using a sword to do so amused me. Lachlan was creative at problem solving, had to give him that.
Another thing was lobbed at our heads. I threw up an arm to defend myself, knocking it aside. Fortunately, it was lighter, a box of something fluffy, as it didn’t have much impact. Still smarted, though. I had a feeling I was going to be walking out of here covered in bruises.
A booming voice screamed, “Gold rides an iron horse!”
What the hell?
An echo of it came from different voices all around the room: “Gold rides an iron horse!”
Fuck. I knew their slogan. These guys were part of the same mob, then. We’d heard they’d be here, but I hadn’t been sure if the mob was down here or scattered throughout the building. Seemed at least a few of them were down here. It seriously unnerved me to realize even the dead would form mobs. There should be rules against that.
“Get her!Fucking get her!” at least two ghosts screamed, their voices echoing. Adrenaline shot up my spine, and dread dragged my stomach back down. I didnotwant Eli ambushed onall sides, but from my view with the goggles, ghosts were coming in from either side like a tidal wave.
I wasn’t about to let them ambush Eli and quickly changed stance to help fight these guys off. My rock salt gun leapt into my hand as I fired at one, then another ghost trying to sneak up from behind. Two rushed Mack’s back, and I got one before Mack managed to spin and catch the other by the throat.
This was a true fight, a battle. Adrenaline beat a staccato in my ears, sweat gathering at my temples. I was moving, turning, trying to keep everyone safe and every ghost in line of sight at once. A near impossible task, but fortunately, as quickly as the ghosts rushed us, they fell. I focused in a way I rarely did, only thinking of the next target, my breathing loud in my ears. Always, always, I kept Mack right at my side. Alarm sent sparks up my spine, but I ignored it, staying focused.
