All the Pretty Ghosts (The Never Alone Series Book 1) (12 page)

The door didn’t even budge.

I tried again.

Same thing.

I pulled the door one last time, having no effect whatsoever on it. I hit it in frustration, resting my head on the cold surface. I would have kicked the damn thing if my legs weren’t hurting already.

“Now can I pop your shoulder back in?”

Jet was still leaning on the wall, but his hands had moved to rest in the pockets of his black jeans. He was enjoying every moment of my torture. I don’t know why I expected anything else.

I resumed my seat, plopping down on the chair without any trace of hope or fight left in me.

I was done.

“Just get it over and done with,” I said, not entirely sure I was talking only about my shoulder.

Jet pushed off the wall and approached me slowly, like he didn’t want to startle me. Too late for that. “Take off your top.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I shot back. Was he trying to increase my humiliation?

“I need to see your shoulder to know which way I need to pull it. Do you want me to help you do it?”

“No. I can do it myself.” I started on the buttons of my blouse, still not entirely convinced it was actually necessary. Surely there had to be only one way to put a shoulder back into place?

I finished on the last button, hating what I had to do next. Not only did I not want to sit here in merely a bra, but I didn’t want to move my arm either. But to take off my blouse, it had to be done.

The pain was instant. I tried to slide the sleeve down but it wouldn’t obey. My arm was hanging limply at my side, thwarting my attempts to move it.

“Here, let me,” Jet said as he took another step closer. He gently grabbed at the fabric as I stiffened in fear. “It’s okay, I’ll try not to hurt you. Despite what you think, I don’t take pleasure in seeing you in pain.”

He started sliding the sleeve along my skin, barely touching the sorest part. He left it halfway down before moving to my other shoulder. I stiffened again. “If you don’t take it all off, I’m going to have to bend your arm. Do you really want that?”

I really didn’t.

“Fine,” I conceded.

Jet started again, slowly and carefully removing my blouse. His fingers skimmed across the skin on my back, sending an unexpected shiver down my spine.

He either didn’t notice or chose not to mention it.

Finally, he moved around to the front. Crouching in front of me, he pulled down the remainder of the fabric to free my arms from the sleeves.

It was cold in the room with no top on. The exposure made me feel even more vulnerable and I didn’t think that was possible before.

Jet folded my blouse and placed it on the table before moving around to my left arm again. He knelt down onto his knees, examining it carefully.

“Perry did a good job on you.”

“Maybe you should buy her a drink sometime.”

“Maybe I will,” he laughed. He grew serious again as he placed his hands on me – one on my shoulder and the other on my arm. Just the tiniest movement sent out waves of pain. “I’m not going to lie, this is going to hurt like hell. But once it’s in, the pain will die away. Are you ready?”

No.

“Just do it,” I ordered.

“Feel free to scream. It will probably make everyone outside pretty happy to hear it.”

Before I could reply, his grip tightened and he gave a forceful jerk to my shoulder.

I had never felt agony like that before.

I screamed out before I could stop myself as the tsunami of jolting pain shot through every nerve in my body. It rushed over me as my vision blackened around the edges. Bile rose into my mouth, threatening of the vomit that would come soon enough.

As much as I instinctively fought against the movement, Jet held on equally tight. He pushed at the bones in my shoulder joint, kneading them into place against their will. They argued against every movement.

With an audible
pop
, it was over. All the straining of my muscles and ligaments relaxed, back where they should rightfully be. I could even move my arm a little.

The relief was instant, washing over me to drown out the nausea. I rubbed at my arm, welcoming back the full flow of blood again. Twitching my fingers had never felt so good.

“Am I great, or am I great?” Jet said happily, taking the seat across from me. His thumbs absentmindedly rubbed over the fabric of my blouse on the table.

“Thank you,” I murmured. I never thought I would be thanking Jet for something.

“You are welcome.” He leaned back in the seat, a lot more comfortable here than I was. “So now for the string attached to that little act of miraculous healing. I want to know something.”

“Know what?”

“Tell me how you escaped from my evil lair.”

I would rather have told him anything else. I picked up my blouse and carefully threaded my arms through the sleeves. I managed to get it on with one hand and started on the buttons. I moved slowly and deliberately, partly to delay answering.

A lie was in order.

There was no way I was going to tell Jet about Oliver. I didn’t want him being connected to me in any way or they would only find a way of hurting him, too.

“I managed to get out of my bindings and then made a run for it,” I replied.

“I don’t believe you.” His eyes drilled into me. I thought for sure he could see right into my thoughts to see the truth play out for him like a movie.

“Well, that’s the truth. It’s not up to me to convince you of it.”

He shook his head. “I saw your bindings. There was no way you could have got them undone. I checked them myself.”

“What can I say? Your lackeys were careless. Maybe you should train them better. And get your eyesight checked while you’re at it.”

I finished with the buttons, feeling a lot less exposed with my shirt back on. A black bra rimmed in lace was not exactly appropriate attire these days, but it was all I could find when I went searching for clothes on the hill.

Jet nibbled on his bottom lip as he studied me. He tended to do that a lot, I noticed. Perhaps it was his delay tactic, purposely leaving silence lingering so I would fill it.

I’d played that game. I wasn’t going to do it again.

He leaned forward once more, his arms crossing over on the table. “I think you’re lying. But, you know what? I’m going to let it slide. You intrigue me, princess. You’re an enigma in a sea of opaqueness.”

“How poetic,” I replied dryly. “Now it’s my turn. Who are these people? Why were they so happy to kidnap me? Are they part of your gang?”

“So many questions, such a pretty face.”

“I answered yours.”

“No, you lied with my question. That doesn’t count,” he said petulantly. It was exhausting just trying to keep up with the conversation. “But I feel all warm and fuzzy today. So I’ll give you a free one. The people here are what society would call
mole people
. They live underground.”

“I’ve met some before. They didn’t want to kill me.” I remembered back to Kelly and the way she had so openly embraced her brother. She definitely didn’t want to harm me. These people were nothing like her.

“You’ve probably met people that just live underground. That doesn’t make them mole people.”

“What’s the difference?”

Jet smirked, enjoying having all the answers. “Mole people are organized. They have lived down here long before the Event. They have a whole society that is unknown to the vast majority of the population.”

I still wasn’t exactly seeing the difference, but… whatever. If he wanted to revere the fabulous mole people, I wasn’t going to argue. “So how do you know them?”

He shrugged. “Just do.”

“Wow, that explains everything.”

His smile spread across his face as he studied me. I hated it when he looked at me so intently. That familiar sense of being naked and exposed ran through me.

“You’re quite something, aren’t you, princess? They picked on the wrong girl today. Still, I’m certainly glad to see you again.”

“The feeling’s not mutual.”

I earned a chuckle for my comment. “Can you keep a secret?”

The thought of keeping a secret for my captor was not welcome. I didn’t want to know anything apart from if he was going to let me go or not. I got the feeling I already knew the answer.

“Promise not to tell anyone?” Jet continued, even though I hadn’t said a word. When I didn’t move, he threw his hands up with frustration. “Oh come on, you’re going to want to hear this.”

“Fine, what is it?”

“Not a
what
, but a
who
. Come with me.”

He stood and went to the door, waiting there for me. I begrudgingly stood and trailed after him. With his hand on the door handle, he tried pulling it open. It didn’t move, just like it hadn’t when I tried. “Oh, we seem to be trapped.”

Panic flooded me. Being stuck in a room underground with Jet until we both starved to death was a horrible way to die.

Jet suddenly slapped a hand to his forehead. “Oh, no, wait. I forgot to unlock it.” With a sly smirk that I wanted to smack off his face, he twisted a small piece of metal under the knob and the door pulled open with a tug.

If only I had seen the lock earlier.

“You knew it was there. You knew I wouldn’t be able to open the door,” I said accusingly. He had played me, utterly and completely. A ball of anger filled every part of me.

Jet shrugged me off, like it was no big deal. “You could have found the lock.”

“It’s tiny.”

“That’s what I was counting on.” He stood back so I could walk through the door. “Ladies first.”

“I don’t know where we’re going,” I replied. I really wanted to punch him repeatedly.

In the face.

To remove that smirk.

When it was clear I wasn’t going to move, Jet gently grabbed the wrist on my better arm and pulled me along. The darkness of the tunnels again took me by surprise. While I stumbled along, Jet walked confidently, never slowing his pace.

We wove through the tunnels, turning so many times I wasn’t convinced we weren’t going around in circles. The descent of the floor told me we were going downwards. Deeper into the heart of the earth we moved. Hopefully to return to the surface one day.

In the distance a light played. We headed directly for it like two moths to a flame. The orange glow flickered, as if it was caused by fire like the torch they had earlier. Obviously nobody had heard of flashlights underground.

I still wasn’t convinced Jet wasn’t leading me to my death. I could hear other footsteps in the tunnels so I knew we weren’t alone. If he left me for a second, I had no doubt one of them would see to it I got a swift execution.

Or perhaps a long one, so they could enjoy it more.

It was difficult keeping my fear at bay but the constant movement helped. Jet never eased his grip on my wrist or the pace he set. At times I had to run just to catch up again when I stumbled.

As we drew closer to wherever we were going, it became clearer the light was emanating from a cavern. This one was big, huge even. Jet stopped, placing his arm out in front of me so I couldn’t go any further. We stood on a pathway. If we had taken just one more step, we would have plunged over the edge and fallen at least a hundred feet.

The narrow path wound around the cavern like a string of beads. Down below, people walked around while others sat in front of the bonfire – the only source of light.

The vast expanse of space wasn’t the most shocking thing here. It paled into comparison as my eyes fixed on the people below. I had to blink several times to make sure I was actually seeing correctly.

It couldn’t be.

It had to be trick.

But they
were
real.

They were adults.

Chapter Eleven

I
looked from the adults below to Jet, unable to believe what I was seeing. All the adults had died. The Event had wiped them out wholly and completely. Seeing them was… impossible.

Completely and unequivocally impossible.

“I know, right?” Jet said, laughing. “It blows your mind.”

“How…? How is this even possible?” I stammered out the question, trying to remember how to speak again. It had been a year since I had seen an adult that wasn’t a spirit.

Wait.

I knew what I was seeing.

They had to be spirits.

“You can see them?” I asked before he could start to reply to my original question.

Jet’s brow wrinkled with confusion. “Of course I can see them. I’m not blind.”

“They’re alive?”

“You betcha. Alive and kickin’.”

I couldn’t stop looking at them. Their ages ranged from twenties right up to the elderly. There had to be a dozen of them. Seeing anyone over the age of nineteen now was impossible. I couldn’t get that word out of my head.

Impossible.

“How are they alive?” I asked.

Jet started chewing on his bottom lip again as his gaze returned to the cavern below. His arm was still stretched out in front of me, preventing me from taking a tumble over the edge.

“Jet? How?” I prompted. There were so many questions floating around in my head that it was swimming with nothing else. All my aches had dulled and given way to my confusion.

His eyes remained fixed. “I don’t know. They’re here and that’s the end of it. Nobody knows for sure.”

“But you have a theory.” The words
for sure
at the end of his sentence screamed he had all kinds of ideas about how the adults were still alive.

Jet shook his head, returning to his casual self. “If the world could heal with theories, we’d all be in utopia.”

“You know something,” I stated. It wasn’t a question because I was certain he did know something. Something he didn’t want to share with me, obviously.

“I know nothing.”

I noted it for later, in case I got to have the chance of living later, and left it alone. Provoking my captor probably wasn’t the smartest way to get back above ground. I would never be able to find my own way out again.

Instead, I switched topics. “Why do they hide down here? They should be above ground, helping everyone.”

Jet snapped his gaze back to me like I had said something wrong. “Why would they do that?”

“Because it’s freaking chaos up there. They might be able to restore the city back to what it was.”

“You really think a few adults could do that?”

“They could try. Down here, they’re doing nothing.”

“That’s not true,” he replied stubbornly. “They’re surviving. Isn’t that what we’re all doing? Both below and above ground?”

“But there are kids dying.” An unwelcome image of the charred little boy from the previous day entered my mind. “Kids that need adults.”

Jet didn’t have anything to say about that. He just stood there, chewing on his lip like he didn’t have a care in the world. It was impossible having a real conversation with him, I shouldn’t have tried.

I shifted, ready to take my chances on the tunnels alone, when Jet stopped me. “They’re scared,” he said quietly, like the effort cost him something.

“Yeah, so are the kids.”

“They’re scared of being killed. If they set foot above ground, what’s to say they won’t die like the rest of the adults did?” Jet stared at me, waiting for an answer.

An answer I didn’t have.

“So they’re just going to hide down here forever?” I demanded.

“You’d rather they go up and die? How would that help anyone?” Jet’s voice was filled with anger too, matching mine now.

“It’s not like they’re helping down here.”

“How do you know?”

I didn’t. Jet knew it better than I did.

The idea of having some adults left in the world, even just a handful, was a miracle. It sparked some hope that maybe everything wasn’t lost with the Event.

What about if there were more?

I stared at the faces below, looking at the adults and remembering what it used to be like to have them everywhere. They used to run the world, raise their children, keep order in a disorganized society.

Seeing them now was like looking at some rare and exotic animals that you could only see in a zoo. They went about their business with no idea I was staring at them, no idea how in awe I was of their mere presence.

Adults.

Real
adults.

Impossible.

“They’re alive,” I muttered under my breath to myself.

While watching them, a thought struck me.
They
were alive, just like everyone else I had seen in the tunnels. There wasn’t one spirit amongst them.

Why weren’t the dead down here?

Every inch of the world was covered in spirits, I had never gone so long without seeing one before. Normally I had to strain to see the living more than I did the dead.

I hadn’t seen one since I was surrounded by the mole people above ground. The more I thought about it, the more I knew it was true.

But I couldn’t believe it.

There I was, seeing those that should have been dead alive. And those that were actually dead were nowhere in sight. There was something strange going on down here. Not only with the adults but with the spirits, too. I just didn’t know what exactly it was.

“Come on, I’ll take you back,” Jet said, turning away from the cavern. The fire below illuminated his features, creating shadows in the curve of his nose and forehead. He looked dangerous, even though his gaze was soft.

“Back where?” I asked.

“Where do you think?” He dodged my question before heading into the tunnel again. It only took a few feet to lose sight of him altogether, making me run to catch up.

After I fell over and hit the wall, Jet gripped my arm and guided me along. It should have been impossible for anyone to see in such darkness but he managed all the twists and turns without the benefit of any light.

I had hoped he was taking me above ground. After all, what good was I to him? He knew I had only caused his group headaches last time I was his captive. I would only do the same again.

I would make sure of it.

Unfortunately, we returned to the same small room we had left earlier. I sat in the same seat as I had before, the painful memory of what he did to my arm still strongly felt.

Jet spun the seat around and straddled it so he could lean against the back and stare at me. He didn’t say a word, his eyes grazing over my skin like razorblades.

I squirmed under his scrutiny even though I tried to hide my discomfort. I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of Jet. I got the distinct feeling he respected strength above any other attribute.

My thoughts shifted to Oliver, forcibly thinking of anything but where I was and what might happen. I hoped he was safe and wasn’t getting into trouble while looking for me. He had already risked his life once for me, I didn’t want him to risk it again.

“What are you?” Jet asked, suddenly breaking the silence. The sound made me jump, pulling me from my internal reverie.

“What do you mean?”

“You asked me if I could see the adults.”

“So?”

He rested his chin on his folded arms, waiting for me to continue. I kept my mouth closed. At least sometimes I knew when it was best I just shut up.

Jet lost our standoff. “You thought they were ghosts. Can you see ghosts, princess?”

There was nobody else on the planet I had confessed my ability to besides Oliver. I didn’t trust that secret with anyone else. And I certainly didn’t trust it with Jet.

I leaned forward, resting my better arm on the table and placing my chin on top, mirroring him. I tried to match his aloof gaze but I doubt I pulled it off. “Ghosts aren’t real.”

“Who said?”

“Do you always speak only in questions?” I asked, dodging the question myself.

He sat back up again, still leaving his hands resting on the chair. “I find asking a number of questions is beneficial to my survival. I haven’t lasted this long for nothing.”

I pretended to be surprised. “Was that a real answer you just gave me? We must be making progress.”

Jet laughed a breathy chuckle. “I could give you a lot of answers, princess. But that’s not why you’re here. Tell me how you can see ghosts.”

“I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” he stated, cutting me off and leaving no room for arguments. There was something about the way he was looking at me that made all my defenses crumble. It was like he could see every thought in my head before I even thought them, knew every word I would say before I spoke them. I had never met anyone like him before.

And he terrified me.

“Come on, princess, you may as well tell me. It’s not like either of us are going anywhere anytime soon.”

“There’s no food or water in here. I can probably wait it out,” I said insolently.

Jet shifted in his seat. “Maybe I should rephrase.
You
won’t be going anywhere. I will be.”

So that was his master plan? Leave me deep underground to starve to death in the small room? Or would he just turn me over to the mole people when he was finished playing with me? I wouldn’t put either option past Jet. Life meant nothing to him. There was no reason to think mine would be any different.

He continued. “But… if you tell me all about these ghosts, I might feel pleasantly amused enough to change your fate. So, what will it be, princess?”

“I want you to stop calling me princess.”

The comment earned another laugh from Jet. The amusement flickered in his eyes, making the flecks burn gold. “That’s never going to happen. So?
Do you see dead people
?” He whispered the last few words.

I crumbled under his gaze. Jet scared me, compelling me to reveal my secrets. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Yes.”

“How? What do they look like?”

“I don’t know how, I just do. They look like ordinary people.”

Jet nodded slowly, taking it all in. “So you often mix up the living and the dead?”

“When all the adults are supposed to be dead, yes. I don’t expect to see them walking around alive.”

He chewed on his bottom lip, lost deep in thought. I didn’t know whether he believed me or not. I didn’t really care either way. It wasn’t anyone’s business who I saw, living or dead. Only one of the few perks of being without adults was being completely independent.

The silence was starting to make me even more uncomfortable. I didn’t think that was possible. I had to say something. “You don’t believe me.”

Always chuckling, Jet laughed again. “You’d be surprised about what I believe these days.”

I probably
would
be surprised.

I didn’t want to know anymore about that statement.

“That makes two of us,” I replied, leaning back in my seat again. My arm was throbbing with pain. I wasn’t sure how long I had been down here, but I was starting to feel every single ache in my body anew.

“Have you always seen these spirits, or was it only since the Event?” Jet asked casually, making sure he didn’t seem eager to hear my answers. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out his game.

“Always. It’s only since the Event that they are more prevalent.”

He thought for a moment before realization crossed his features. “Because there are so many dead now.” I nodded. “That must suck.”

“It’s not exactly fun.”

“Did you see the spirits of your parents?” He really didn’t mind getting personal, clearly. He managed to bring up the one topic I didn’t allow to enter my mind, let alone talk openly about.

Jet wasn’t getting that secret.

“No, I didn’t,” I replied. “I never saw them.”

He opened his mouth to say something, then censored himself before the words were out. “Probably better that way,” he mumbled.

For just a moment, I saw Jet’s own vulnerability. It haunted his black eyes for just a flash of a second before he started chewing his bottom lip and sending his thoughts elsewhere.

In that moment, I could almost believe he was a regular human being.

But he wasn’t.

He was dangerous.

I moved on before he forced me to reveal anything else. “So are you pleasantly amused enough to let me go now? I answered your questions. I have earned my freedom.”

And just like that, the real Jet was back. He gestured toward the door. “Be my guest, princess.”