Page 109 of Midnight Auto Parts

The cotton sensation stuffing my mouth prevented me from answering.

“Exhaustion,” Kierce explained when I remained silent. “She’s expended too much energy.”

The way I kept topping off instead of letting myself rest and heal would catch up to me eventually.

All I could do was pray I could outrun it for a while longer.

“Tell us what to do.” Keshawn bounded up on my other side. “We want to help.”

A rumble in Kierce’s chest led me to believe he was talking, but if he was, I didn’t hear his words.

With supreme effort, I cracked open my eyes to a view of the ceiling over the wagon’s backseat, and an exploratory twitch of my fingers confirmed the sock was back on my arm, its dirt cool on my skin.

“Hello, Imposter.” Josie leaned over me. “You might be asking yourself where you are, how you got here, and why I’m here.” She grinned, and fear skipped down my spine. “You’re at the burial ground. As to how you got here, Tameka drove you. In your wagon. Because you were unconscious, and Kierce isn’t rated for gas-powered vehicles.”

“Josie—”

“I’m here because my former roomie, who could have been my future ex-girlfriend, thank you very much, called to let me know what happened to you.” She kept smiling, and dread sank deeper into my bones. “When she told me what you did—and it’s a long list—I thought…my sister would never do those things without telling me, so I came to see for myself.” She poked my cheek. “You look a lot like my Frankie, but you can’t be her. She has more sense.”

“Where’s Matty?” I croaked, expecting him to pop in next. “He’s okay?”

“You don’t get to ask those questions,Imposter.” Josie produced a water bottle. “You also need to lift your head and drink. I tried pouring water into your mouth on my own earlier, which explains the wet sensation you’re probably experiencing.”

Since the inside of my mouth felt sticky and tasted foul, I did as she instructed, grateful for the cool sips.

“I’m sorry.” I dropped my head again. “I could have handled this better.”

“Yes, you could have,” she grumbled, stroking my hair, “but Matty and I don’t make it easy on you.”

“I don’t mind?—”

“Mary, please, let me get this out before the rage swallows me whole again.”

Meekly, I mumbled, “Okay.”

“Your whole life was about us. Taking care of us, loving us, providing for us.” She capped the water. “You help people fix their regrets in death, and I never wanted Matty and me to be one for you. I wanted you to live your own life, have your own dreams, and not worry so much. But then…”

“Everything happened,” I said, sparing us from uttering the worddied.

“Yeah.” She cast her gaze far away before reeling back in. “You got a second chance. How you use it? It’s up to you. If you want to do more of this saving-the-world stuff, then do it. You’ve earned it. Just maybe update us from time to time? I’m not making any promises, but we might be less hysterical if you kept us in the loop.”

“I can do that.” I asked the question I had been dreading. “How long was I out?”

“Forty-five minutes, give or take.” She hooked her hands under my arms. “Let’s try sitting up, shall we?”

The recuperation time kept getting worse. Apparently even divine bodies had limitations.

There was something comforting in that. Limits were a good thing. The alternative was too…vast.

The world dipped as I regained my equilibrium, but I soaked in the scenery as I gained my bearings.

And I don’t mean the forest.

Kierce labored in the pit among the bones. His shirt slicked to his spine, the white fabric translucent where it outlined his musculature. His dark hair dripped sweat, and mud streaked his cheeks and forehead. A certainty swept through me, almost déjà vu, but I couldn’t put my finger on what about this moment had struck a chord with me.

“Can I have more water?” I accepted the bottle from Josie and chugged it. “Why am I so thirsty?”

The longer I watched Kierce, the hotter my skin grew until I was amazed when I didn’t burst into flames.

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