Page 25 of I Will Break You
“No? Then what do you want?”
He starts another sequence of knocks, spacing them out, making me wonder if it’s a long sentence. I turn to Ezekiel, who tilts his head, his eyes still closed behind his thick glasses.
“What’s he saying?” I whisper.
He grimaces. “F… U… C… K… Space. K… I… L… L… Space. C… L… A… I… M.”
Wilder chokes on his mouthful of brandy and drops the bottle, which hits the floor with a smash, sending shards of glass across the room. Sparrow slams his fist on his brother’s back, his features morphing into panic.
Nobody around the table seems bothered about the commotion, appearing too preoccupied to care that one of their friends is choking.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
Two knocks.
I wasn’t talking to him. Straightening, Sparrow leans against the wall and gives me a half-hearted thumbs up.
“P… U… S… S… Y,” Ezekiel adds.
“Oh, my,” Relaney says, her cheeksdarkening.
“Who do you want to kill?” I ask.
“I’m losing him,” Relaney says. “Everybody, please focus.”
I close my eyes again, my insides twisting with unease. How much of this is real? The wool tablecloth is itchy against my palm, and Chappy’s finger pulls against mine. Nobody in the room is the source of the knocks, and I doubt that Ezekiel is faking his translation of Morse code.
It’s a prison guard. Some man in the penitentiary who’s become obsessed with me and my pussy-scented letters, has analyzed my every movement, and predicted I would have nowhere else to run by here. That’s too far-fetched. Would a man in full-time employment really break into my neighbor’s house to harass me via Morse code?
Or maybe Xero really is out there, fuming at me for ruining his last few hours of life. I’m seeing all kinds of crazy shit right now, so why would the explanation of what’s happening be logical? I don’t blame Xero for his anger, but I don’t understand the fuck and kill and claim? If ghosts can’t touch anything, what’s the source of the knocks?
“Are you back, spirit?” Relaney asks.
An explosion has my eyes snapping open. I turn to the other side of the room, where sparks fly out of a stereo, setting one of the mattresses alight.
“Shit.” Chappy scrambles off his cushion, his large body upending the table. He rushes across the room and smothers the fire with a comforter.
Rising, Ezekiel stretches before walking over to help his fellow acolyte.
Relaney pats my shoulder, turning my attention away from the spectacle. “Don’t worry about that. Spiritual activity causes electrical surges, and the one we summoned tonight was powerful. I’m sorry we couldn’t put Xero to rest, but we can try again tomorrow night.”
“You don’t mind?” I croak.
“I’d be honored to be a character in the conclusion of your podcast,” she replies, her lashes fluttering. “Would you like me to show you to your room?”
“Thanks,” I murmur. “For everything.”
By the time I’m on my feet again, the brothers watching over us have gone.
FIFTEEN
Alderney State Penitentiary,
Dear Amethyst,
Thank you for accepting my call yesterday. I wish we’d had more time to speak. Talking to you was like getting a taste of heaven.
Dare I say your voice is just as beautiful as your delectable body?