This room is empty and is in the process of being gutted as well. The wall opposite me has been taken down to the studs, as are the next few beyond that. Whatever took Stephanie could have slipped between them, disappearing to God knows where.
“Fuck,” I grumble and turn, closing my hand just in time to see Ethan and the others come in. “She could be anywhere.”
“We’re going to have to split up,” Ethan says. “Mike, come with me. Anora, go with the boys.”
“That still could take too long,” I say and bite my bottom lip, looking at the three hunters. “This building is huge. I know a way I could find her faster.” My eyes lock with Ethan’s. “The spirits know what’s going on. I think they’re trying to scare us away for our own safety.”
Ethan holds my gaze, considering my words for a second. “What do you have in mind?”
“I need to go into the spirit world. Then I can talk to them and find out exactly what’s going on.”
Ethan, knowing exactly what I mean, stiffens. “That’s dangerous.”
“Not if I’m quick, and I don’t think we have much time. I couldn’t figure out why this thing was giving me such dread, but it’s because they dread it. They’re dead and they’re still afraid of it.”
“What are you talking about?” Mike asks, narrowing his eyes. I’m really tired of these hunters not trusting anyone but their own kind.
“Spirits can’t always manifest on our plane,” Ethan quickly explains and starts pouring salt in a circle on the floor. “But if you go to their plane, it’s easier to communicate.”
“And you can do that?”
“I can’t.” Ethan looks at me, and my heart flutters all over again. “But she can.”
Ben shuffles forward. “Are you like a medium or something?”
“Or something,” I say and move to the center of the circle. I have a white candle in my purse but no lavender or sandalwood, which when burned together can summon spirits. I set the candle down on the floor in front of me and suddenly get hit with a memory.
“I’ll be right here the whole time,” Aunt Estelle tells me. We’re sitting outside in my parents’ backyard and I know that Aunt Estelle has just come into town for a quick visit. Harry and I are turning ten tomorrow and she wanted to bring us our presents in person this year. “Do you remember what to say?”
“Yes. Spirituum revelare,” I repeat, struggling with the pronunciation a bit. “Right?”
“Right, my dear.” She reaches out and holds my hand. “Close your eyes. Concentrate.”
Inhaling, my own eyes widen, and I replay the memory in my mind. Never mind the fact that I was older in that memory than any others, I know what Aunt Estelle was teaching me, and I know what I need to do now.
I close my eyes, place one hand on the floor, connecting my mind with the spirits in the building, and whisper, “Spirituum revelare.”
All at once, I’m surrounded by gray mist. Slowly, I stand, knowing my body is still on the floor, sitting unmoving. “Hello?” I call out, unable to see Ethan or the hunters on this plane. “Can anyone hear me?”
I wait a beat before going into the hall. I’m all turned around up here, but I think the elevator shaft is in the middle of the building. I’m close to it, and if I can move closer, I might be able to get someone’s attention.
“You shouldn’t be here.” I turn and see Dr. Hanover standing in the hall, wringing his hands. “How are you here?”
“I’m a witch,” I tell him and the boy in the workout clothes flickers into view behind him. I can sense others, at least a dozen. Some have been here for a long time, and others…others only recently. “Those workers didn’t quit without telling anyone, did they?” I ask.
“No,” the boy in the workout clothes says. “They’re in the basement, but they can’t leave.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“None of us can leave. We can’t leave as long as they’re here, and as long as they’re here, others will die.”
“Who are they?” I ask and hear a scream echo around me.
“The monsters,” the little girl says. “Sometimes they look like me.”
“They look like anyone they’ve devoured,” Dr. Hanover explains, and something clicks in my mind. The smell of death. Gray hands pulling Stephanie into darkness. And the reason why the spirits are stuck.
They were killed—and consumed—by ghouls.
Chapter
Five
“How do you kill a ghoul?” Staggering, I get to my feet.
“A ghoul?” Ethan echoes, rushing forward and steadying me. The moment his hands land on my arms, warmth spreads through me and I feel centered again. “Are you sure?”
“Feasts on flesh, can wear the face of anyone they’ve consumed.”
“That’s why the little girl saw her father. He wasn’t killed by a mugger.”