Hades (29 page)

I saw Asia rol her eyes behind Asher’s back and

wondered how far-fetched his plan real y was. It didn’t

sound like Jake’s authority would be questioned any time

soon. Tucker nodded his thanks and took me by the arm,

steering me back through the club. I assumed he knew how

to find the Wasteland and fol owed obediently.

Before we left Club Hex I caught sight of Asher again. He

was at the bar talking to Asia and leaning in close. I saw his

tongue dart into her ear as his hand traveled up her thigh

and guessed what she must have used to barter the

information from him.

It occurred to me how devoid of trust or loyalty this place

was. Everything was built on a foundation of lies and

deception. It was impossible to tel who was working with,

sleeping with, or manipulating whom.

I realized at that moment that even if I lived in luxury as

Jake’s queen, I was never going to survive here.

18

Portal

“YOU should go back,” I said to Tucker as we trudged

through the dingy tunnels. “This was my idea. I shouldn’t

drag you into it. Tel Jake I ditched you and you lost sight of

me. Asia wil back you up.”

Even as I spoke the words I knew it was too late for Tuck

to turn back. If he returned to Hotel Ambrosia without me,

Jake would unleash his fury on him.

He must have known that too, but al he said was “You’re

not goin’ out there alone.”

“I won’t let Jake hurt you,” I told him. “No matter what

happens.”

“Let’s not think about that now.”

Tucker set off ahead of me at a swift pace. I had no

choice but to fol ow.

We didn’t have to go much farther than the club district

We didn’t have to go much farther than the club district

before the terrain started to change dramatical y. The air

became suddenly sultry and the landscape barren as a

desert. It seemed as if al color and life had been sucked

away, leaving nothing but an empty gray husk. Fog swirled

overhead, blotting out whatever it was that passed for sky

down here. We had left the confining tunnels behind, but we

were stil trapped in a strange dimension that had no

beginning or end. The worst part was the ever-present

sound; al around us the air was fil ed with the muffled

wailing of lost and wandering souls. I could feel their

presence as they moved past us, like a ripple of heat in the

already-stifling atmosphere. I couldn’t see them, they were

nothing more than a passing shimmer in the air, but I knew

they were there and nothing could drown out their

preternatural cries. A horrible, suffocating sense of

desolation washed over me, as if my soul were being

tugged from my body. My heart beat faster and I felt an

overwhelming urge to stop. In response Tucker took hold of

my hand and picked up his pace.

“I’m tired, Tuck,” I heard myself say.

“Don’t slow down,” he whispered. “This place has that

effect on people. We have to keep moving.”

The Wasteland didn’t seem to affect Tucker in the same

way. Maybe it was because his time in Hades had lent him

immunity. Or maybe it was because I was an angel and

could sense the acute despair of every soul around me.

“If we linger too long the Trackers have a much better

chance of picking up your scent,” Tucker added.

I’d forgotten al about them. I knew as an angel I gave off

I’d forgotten al about them. I knew as an angel I gave off

the crisp, clean scent of rain that might be camouflaged in

the smoky atmosphere of the clubs but would be

unmistakable out here in the open.

“Are you going to tel me who the Trackers are?” I was

stil having problems regulating my breathing. Tuck took

one look at my face and shook his head.

“Not right now.”

“Come on,” I urged. Tucker seemed to have assumed a

protective role since leaving the hotel that he wasn’t about

to relinquish without a fight. “I’l be better off if I know.”

Tuck sighed. “Trackers hunt down souls that have

wandered off into the Wasteland.” He kept his explanation

succinct as if there was already too much to focus on

without the added effort of conversation.

“Do the souls end up back in the clubs?” I asked naively.

“Not exactly.”

“They’re thrown into the pit, aren’t they?” I said. “It’s okay,

Tucker. I’ve seen it.” I was on the verge of elaborating,

tel ing him to stop trying to spare me from the harsh

realities when Tucker stepped lightly in front of me and

clamped his hand over my mouth.

“Do you hear that?” he asked.

“Hear what?”

“Listen.”

We stood in silence for a moment until I too heard the

sound that had made Tucker stop short. It was a voice,

breathy and high-pitched, like it belonged to a young girl. It

was cal ing my name. “Bethany!” the voice wailed.

“Bethany, it’s me.” The childlike voice drew closer.

“Bethany, it’s me.” The childlike voice drew closer.

I waited with baited breath as a gust of hot wind swirled

around me. Tuck’s hand dropped to his side.

“Who are you?” I asked shakily. I felt a presence in the

wind, caressing me with long tapering fingers.

“Don’t you remember me?” The voice sounded forlorn

and yet there was something oddly familiar about it.

“We can’t see you,” Tuck said boldly. “Come out of the

shadows.”

“It’s okay,” I encouraged. “We won’t hurt you. We’re on

your side.”

I watched openmouthed as the figure of a girl emerged

out of the swirling fog and began to take shape before me.

At first she was just an outline, like an artist’s rudimentary

sketch that hadn’t been properly fil ed out, but as she came

into focus and I looked more closely, I knew exactly who she

was. The powdery blond hair, the pert upturned nose, the

pouting lips were al achingly familiar. Her hair was matted

and her cheeks hol ow, but there was no mistaking her. Her

blue eyes were stil luminous, their brightness a sharp

contrast against the grime smudged across her face. She

stared at me with such despair that I felt al of her sadness

seep into me and thought my heart would break.

“Taylah,” I whispered. “Is that you? What are you doing

here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” She smiled absently.

Taylah was dressed, much as she had been in life, in a

fitted top and tight denim shorts. She was barefoot and

through the dust I could stil make out chipped nail polish.

“Were you kidnapped too?” I asked. “Did Jake bring you

here?”

Taylah shook her head. “I was judged, Beth,” she said

softly. “And my soul was sent here.”

“But how?” I said in a hoarse whisper. I was having

trouble grappling with what she was trying to tel me.

“After I died on the floor of the girls’ bathroom, I heard

voices al around me. They were weighing up my sins,

calculating my good deeds. And then I was fal ing.”

I wanted to ask what had happened in her past to land

her in this place, but I couldn’t get the words out. It would

have been tactless in the extreme. But I knew it had to be

some kind of mistake. Taylah was just a girl. She could be

shal ow, catty, and competitive sometimes, but those

weren’t exactly heinous crimes. She was capable of being

cruel to those who didn’t inhabit her glittering world of

tanning and Pilates, but I’d also seen her capable of

kindness. I couldn’t imagine her doing anything seriously

immoral.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, looking

shamefaced. “You’re wondering what I did to end up here.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Tay.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said. “I’m here because I was never

taught to believe in anything. I didn’t understand what was

important in life.” She hesitated, her blue eyes glazing over.

“I only cared about having fun; I never cared about anything

real. I sinned and never thought twice about it.”

I looked at her expectantly but it took some minutes

before she mustered the courage to speak again. “I did

something terrible. Wel , I didn’t exactly do it, but I did stand

by and let it happen.”

“Let what happen?” I asked.

“A couple of years ago there was a hit and run in Venus

Cove and little Tommy Fincher was kil ed. He was out

playing catch in the street. It was al over the papers but

they never found the driver. Tommy was only ten years old.

His parents never real y got over it.”

“What’s al this got to do with you?”

“I was there when it happened.”

“What? Why didn’t you report it?” I was confused.

“Because the driver was my boyfriend at the time. He

was drunk and I should never have let him behind the wheel

… .” she trailed off helplessly.

“You covered for him? Why?”

“He was a senior and I was fifteen. He told me he loved

me. Al the girls in my year were jealous. I was so obsessed

with him I couldn’t tel right from wrong.”

I didn’t know what to say to her. The sin of omission was

a serious offense. There were some who believed a

bystander who al owed an injustice to take place was as

guilty as the perpetrator himself. Taylah’s only defense was

her youth and inexperience. Evidently it hadn’t been enough

to exonerate her.

“What happened with the guy?”

“Toby and I broke up a few months later when his family

moved to Arkansas.”

“Why didn’t you speak up then?”

“I thought about it but I lost my nerve. It wasn’t gonna bring

the kid back anyway. I was worried about my reputation and

what people would say about me.”

“Oh, Taylah,” I said. “I wish you’d had someone to help

you through it. You must have felt so alone.”

She seemed so different from the girl I’d known. The old

Taylah had been too busy fussing over her hair to worry

about questions of right and wrong. I guess she’d found

enlightenment now, only it was too late.

“You know how I knew I was in Hel , or
Hades
, as his

royal asshole likes to cal it?” she continued. “It wasn’t

because of the flames or even the torture. I knew where I

was because of the total absence of love. You can’t stay

here, Beth. This place is only about hate. You end up hating

everyone but mostly you hate yourself. It’l eat you up.”

“Aren’t you scared to be out here alone?” Tucker asked.

“I guess so.” Taylah shrugged. “But I had to cut and run. I

couldn’t stand the clubs anymore … being mauled by the

demons like a piece of meat.”

Her words served as a reminder to Tucker, who looked

around nervously.

“We need to keep going.”

“Walk with us,” I said to Taylah, reluctant to part with her

again so soon.

We crept on through the barren Wasteland, Taylah

trailing beside us, occasional y disappearing and then

reemerging from behind the blanket of fog.

As we walked a passage from the Bible floated back to

me:

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon

the earth … and it was commanded that they

should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any

green thing, neither any tree; but only those men

which have not the seal of God on their

foreheads.

How swift was God’s wrath. Youth and lack of

understanding did not preclude one from judgment.

Suddenly my purpose on earth had never seemed clearer.

“So you’re an angel, huh?” Taylah said. “Should have

guessed from al that clean livin’.”