Page 70 of Into the Dark

His lips were no longer frighteningly blue, at least. Even so, Oscar scooped him up. The surgery’s doors stood slightly ajar, no longer locked by ghostly will. Nigel squinted up at him, then gasped.

“You’re bleeding!”

Adrienne took off her jacket and wrapped it around her injured hand. “Who isn’t?”

“I don’t think I am,” Zeek offered. A spectacular bruise was forming on his cheek. “But, um, maybe we should all get checked out at the nearest emergency room.”

“Definitely.” Oscar hoisted Nigel higher in his arms. “Let’s get out of here.”

The fact Nigel didn’t protest this treatment told him just how bad his boyfriend felt. Zeek went ahead, holding doors open and clearing the path so Oscar didn’t trip over anything. The fog had vanished, and the tunnels, then the wards, remained silent. Most of the mold was gone, including the human-shaped splotch near the front door.

Montague, Ethan, and Tina were all waiting for them. “I’ll start the van,” Chris said, and ran down the stairs to grab the keys from the tent.

“Are you okay?” Tina asked—and ran to Zeek.

Nigel shifted in Oscar’s arms when they reached the bottom of the steps. “I can walk.”

“We’re almost at the van, so just stay put.” Oscar tightened his hold slightly, and Nigel subsided, head resting on Oscar’s shoulder.

“Ruthie?” Montague’s face was pale, and she looked as though she’d aged a decade since they’d gone inside. “Are you hurt?”

Dr. Lawson stopped in front of her. “Not badly, just some bumps and bruises.”

“Thank god.” Montague blinked rapidly, as though holding back tears. “If I’d lost you…”

“Hey—I’m right here.” Dr. Lawson put a hand to her shoulder—and was pulled into a hug.

“I’m so sorry, Ruthie. I’m so, so sorry.”

The van’s engine roared to life. Oscar carried his love to it, leaving the two women behind.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

“Mariah Hartford,”Oscar said in the commanding voice he used when speaking with the dead. “Show yourself to us. Dr. Wilkes is gone. Everyone else has left. You’re safe, and it’s time to move on.”

Nigel watched from the other side of the room as Oscar worked. Dawn turned the sky outside from black to gray, so there wasn’t a great deal of time left to finish clearing the ghosts from the asylum.

His breath came easily—he’d never take just being able to breathe for granted again. By the time they’d reached the ER in Weston, he’d been completely fine—no fever, no coughing, nothing. His struggle had never been with allergies or bacteria, but with the twisted spirit of Dr. Wilkes.

Which had made it simpler to tell the medical personnel a version of the truth: they’d been exploring the abandoned asylum, with permission from the owner. There’d been a collapse, and Adrienne, Zeek, Chris, and Oscar had fallen through the floor, escaping with bruises and some nasty cuts. At least they were all up to date on their tetanus shots.

Oscar’s head wound had bled badly, but not required stitches. The scalpel through Adrienne’s hand had been theworst of it, and she left with stitches, bandages, and a splint to keep her from tearing the injury open while it healed.

Ethan had accompanied them with a credit card from Ms. Montague, using it to pay their medical bills on the spot. It was the least she could have done, but she had seemed genuinely sorry for her actions. So at least there was that.

Oscar’s eyes tracked something Nigel couldn’t see. “I’m sorry for what happened to you,” he said to the air. “It was wrong. You have every right to be angry. But you’re only punishing yourself now. Your parents are long dead, and all the nurses and doctors are gone. It’s time for you to rest.”

A shimmer in the air that might have been the glint of sunlight off water, had there been any water or sun. Oscar smiled, eyes filled with compassion, and the surge of love in Nigel’s chest caught him off guard.

He was so damned lucky.

Oscar’s shoulders relaxed, and he turned to Nigel. “She’s gone. I think we’re done here.”

They’d spent the night walking the asylum from basement to fourth floor, looking for any lingering spirits, while Chris, Zeek, and Adrienne removed their equipment. Most of them had departed once the doctor’s unholy hold was broken, including the wandering ghost in the cemetery. The rest—a handful of children, the creeper, and finally Mariah—Oscar helped cross the veil into whatever came next.

Nigel crossed the room and kissed Oscar. “I love you.”

---