Page 44 of The Grave Robber

His head snapped to the side, and he crumpled, but inertiasent him flying into me. We crashed into the dresser, splintering the wood intwo before we collapsed onto the floor.

I heard a hoot and a scream as Halle came running out, andJason ran in. Aunt Lil hooted, but it was hard to tell which of the other twohad screamed. I liked to think it was Jason.

Halle rushed over to me, grabbed my arm, and tried to pullme away from Meacham in a desperate attempt to save me, but he was out cold. Ipulled her against me, lifted her chin until our eyes met, and chastised her.“You called Jason?” I asked, appalled. “I told you to call the cops.”

“Jason’s faster.” She tried to squirm out of my grasp tocheck my wounds, but I held her steady. She felt good. And I was about to fallover. “And I did call the cops. They’re on the way.”

I looked at Jason. “Thanks for showing up too late to do anygood, asshole.”

He was still taking in the scene, as was Nolan, the hotelclerk who’d gone to high school with Halle and had probably had a crush on herever since. “My boss is going to kill me. Is that a gun?”

“That was a nice shot, kid.” Aunt Lil gave me two thumbs-up.“But did you know your hotel room is crawling with hellhounds?”

I glanced around. One by one, hellhounds melted out of thewalls, stalking toward Meacham, their teeth bared as they emitted a low,guttural growl. They were massive, more like bears than hounds.

Meacham groaned and tried to get to his feet. He failed,ending up on his back, looking up at Halle and me. I wanted him to look forwardto what his future held, but the only way to do that was to send him intolimbo, a spiritual state between the living world and the dead.

I set Halle back, knelt beside him, and wrapped my handaround his throat. He was already halfway there. A little pressure for a fewseconds should do the trick.

“Vause,” Jason said.

“Vigil,” I replied.

Halle knelt beside me. I expected her to try to stop me.Instead, she watched as I slowly drained the life out of his body, just enoughfor him to see them. For him to become aware.

When Meacham clawed at me, his thick jowls bulging out ofhis collar, his face turning a bright red, Jason walked over and put his footon the guy’s arm, holding it down much like I was his other one. “I can’tcondone this,” my friend said, grinding his shoe into Meacham’s wrist. “You’rehurting him.” He applied a bit more pressure, and Meacham cried out. “You haveto stop.” He could now say in a court of law that he tried to stop me, and Iwas oddly okay with him throwing me under the bus in that situation.

Meacham’s eyes finally rolled back into his head, and heslowly became aware of the twelve massive beasts surrounding him. Some of themgrowled, drool dripping off their glistening teeth. Some barked and nipped athis feet and legs. Panic brought him back to consciousness, and I let go.

He choked and coughed, his gaze darting wildly about theroom. “Wh–what was that?”

I, of course, looked while I had the chance. “When you diein your jail cell on December 3rd, 2033, at 2:08 in the morning of an apparentsuicide, they’ll be waiting. They’ll rip your soul to shreds, wait for it topiece itself back together, then do it again. Over and over and over until hellopens up, and you get to meet your new master.”

He gawked at me, the fear on his face palpable because henow knew. He now believed. Actions had consequences.

“And if you think it won’t be painful, you’re greatly,greatly mistaken.”

Halle scooted closer to me, wrapping her arms around one ofmine, wondering what I was talking about. I would have to explain later becauseshe shouted so loudly, Jason jumped six inches. I may have, as well.

“Floraine!” she yelled, shoving out of my grasp and runningout the door.

I wanted to go with her and make sure she was safe, but heronly threat at the moment lay on the floor having a spiritual awakening.

Besides, I looked. The minute I saw her again, I looked andsaw she would live a very long time.

* * * *

Two weeks later, Halle and I were saying our goodbyes toJason and the gang. She was coming home with me to meet the fam, and we woulddecide where to go from there. I wanted her to be with her dad—who was thrilledwith how things had turned out, despite needing a new head of security—and shewanted me to be with the juvenile delinquent destined to save the world. Wewere trying to come up with a compromise.

We stood by her truck, my bike on a trailer behind it, as Ispoke with Jason. He wanted to talk to me before we left. Sounded important, soHalle took Flower for a walk to give us some alone time.

He gazed into the distance as though unable to look at mewhen he asked, “When and how?”

It took me a moment to realize he was asking about his fate.About his last moment. I’d wondered if I should tell him. Would it make anydifference in the end? Would anything change?

I frowned and decided to give it a shot. “It’s not somethingyou want to know. Most fates are set in stone. Yours is no different.”

He nodded, seemed to think for a moment, then repeated thequestion. “When and how?”

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