Page 16 of Soul Keeper

“Is that so?” Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “Cerberus? Go fetch what our mortal guest is trying so desperately to hide.”

Zoe gulped as Cerberus bounded from the darkness, before he buried his nose deep into her satchel. A pit formed in her stomach as the dog rooted through the bag, excitedly sniffing for any incriminating evidence. Great, she’d not only miss out on her chance to secure her promotion, but she’d likely be imprisoned in Tartarus, too. As Cerberus retrieved an object from her satchel, she lowered her gaze fearfully to the ground, and braced herself for whatever dark punishment the King of the Underworld would concoct.

“Well, well, well.” Shadow summoned Cerberus to his side, before he peered at the object held within the creature’s slobbery jaws. “What do we have here?”

“Wait, I can explain–” Zoe forced herself to meet Shadow’s gaze, until she drew a startled breath. “Hey, that’s not dog food. It’s my Boo-Berry Muffin!”

Zoe watched as one of Cerberus’ heads greedily devoured the muffin in one smooth gulp, much to the protests of the other two. She glanced at Shadow, to see him sigh in despair.

“So much for Cerberus’ guard dog duty. Food will always be his kryptonite…”

“Should we take him to the vet?” She glanced worriedly as the giant dog chased his tail. “I’m not sure dogs are supposed to eat muffins. Then again, I’ve never seen a dog with three heads before…”

“That dog nearly ate his way through the gates of Tartarus. Trust me, he’ll be fine.” Shadow rolled his eyes as Cerberus barked happily, before he returned his gaze to Zoe. “So, were you really out here sightseeing with Spooks?”

“Of course she was, master!” Spooks appeared in a puff of smoke, sporting a wide grin that went from ear to ear. “Why there’s no finer way to see the sights than aboard the Spooks Express. Toot toot!”

As the poltergeist whistled excitedly, Shadow sighed.

“Well, I guess I owe you an apology, mortal. No one’s wanted a tour of the Underworld in years…” Shadow’s eyes glimmered in the light as he looked at her curiously. “Whatever were you hoping to find?”

Zoe glanced at her satchel, where a small glimmer of light shone within. She drew a breath to respond, only for Spooks to interrupt once more.

“I know exactly what the fleshie was looking for!” Spooks floated upside-down in the air, before he peered suspiciously at Zoe. “I figured it out all by myself!”

Zoe gulped fearfully. “You did?”

“Of course! I saw everything I needed to see on that fancy typewriter machine of yours.” Spooks narrowed his eyes, and pointed an accusatory finger towards Zoe. “She’s a travel blogger!”

“I…” Zoe glanced at Spooks in bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s no use denying it! I saw it with my very own eyes!” Spooks cackled with excitement, oblivious to Zoe’s confusion. “Why else would you travel from town to town, writing your fancy reports…”

“No, Spooks, that’s not…”

“Look here! Paradise Heights. Serenity Meadows, Whispering Pines…” Spooks tossed her work files from her satchel, until they lay strewn across the ground. “You said it yourself. You discovered those places and filled them with fleshies, until they became richer than their wildest dreams! And you’re going to do the same for the Underworld Motel!”

Zoe shook her head in despair. So much for Spooks’ powers of detection. As the poltergeist cackled to himself proudly, she turned to see a look of perplexity on Shadow’s face.

“What in Olympus’ name is a travel blogger?” Shadow scratched his head in confusion. “And why would we need the help of one?”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, this place is deader than a dodo. Without Charon, we need a new way to spread the word of our fine establishment. A way to help lost souls discover us again.” Spooks broke into a grin, before he thrust his finger towards Zoe once more. “We need her.”

Despite Spooks’ conviction, she shook her head. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake…”

“Think about it! Our streets would be filled with the wails of spirit-kind. Our motel would be busier than a seance on Halloween. And our guest book would be full to the brim once more.” Spooks turned to Shadow pleadingly. “This is our chance to bring the Underworld back to life. But only if you let the fleshie stay.”

Zoe cursed, realizing that the poltergeist’s imagination was more runaway than the Spooks Express. But before she could put a stop to the specter’s nonsense, he interrupted her once more.

“This is the opportunity we’ve all been waiting for! Miguel, clear the spiders from the guest rooms! Juan, grab your paint brushes! It’s time to prepare the Underworld Motel for a grand reopening! Because who needs a ferryman of the Underworld, when we have Zoe, the travel blogger of Chthonic Power Solutions!” A shower of confetti burst excitedly from Spooks’ sleeves, before he turned to Zoe. “Of course, the fleshie will need to stay for longer. And she’ll naturally need an access-all-areas of the Underworld.”

Zoe drew a breath to object, but paused as the shimmer of light in her satchel caught her attention. She thought of the readings on her tracker, before she glanced at the locked gate behind her.

“Access all areas?”

“Of course! Why, you can snoop around in the dustiest of catacombs. You could venture into the depths of Tartarus! Heck, you could even visit Cerberus’ Dog House, if you wanted to.” Cerberus barked happily at the prospect. “Nowhere would be off limits to the savior of the Underworld!”

Zoe’s breath caught in her throat, until she stood torn with indecision. She knew she should put an end to Spooks’ nonsense, and return to the world in which she belonged. But as she glanced at the gate once more, Swindleton’s goading voice filled her mind.

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