Cold. Darkness. Pain.
A single, huge grip held her tight, like a huge anaconda that had engulfed her entire body in its coils.
She felt herself being crushed, she could hear the cracking of her bones, a series of screeching and creaking sounds that caused her acute pain.
She knew she was screaming at the top of her lungs, yet no sound came out.
Reina tried to recover her exhaled breath and realized she didn't need to breathe.
She was dead.
She felt no saliva in her mouth, no tears on her face.
Only an enormous pain, of equal intensity, from the tips of her hair to her toes.
The discovery left her stunned, and her brain even stopped issuing orders to her limbs.
"How did I die?" she asked herself, finding the thought utterly foolish.
What did it matter? Even if she discovered it had been a heart attack, a drug, a violent blow, it wouldn't change the reality of the facts.
She was no longer mortal.
She found herself laughing at the term she'd used.
Mortal.
It meant she could die, and now that it had happened, she didn't know how to think of herself.
Dead? Disappeared? Corpse?
She snorted, more out of habit than need.
Something thick and wet brushed against her, triggering a feeling of revulsion.
"Apparently, even in death I'm squeamish," she said to herself, suppressing a retching.
A violent blow freed her from her stasis and sent her tumbling across a gravelly surface, impacting against something solid, but not hard.
Strangely, she felt the texture of her arms and legs and attempted the slightest movement.
The grip returned, but she managed to partially free herself.
"Our Jibril is still trying to escape," a raucous voice laughed, making her flinch.
"Who-who are you?" she murmured in surprise, finding her voice.
"Someone who will reduce you to eternal silence," he replied, sending a shiver through her and a pang of pain.
Yet he hadn't touched her, but she felt an electric shock inside her.
"Why? I don't even know who you are!" she protested weakly, curling up.
"Oh, we have a curious Jibril," he sneered.
Reina protested weakly.
"I'm not a… Jebrin."
"It's 'Jibril' and it means pure spirit," his voice drawled, coming close to her.
A clawed hand cupped her face, and cold breath touched her cheek.
"And you are, aren't you, young human?"
The girl tried to pull away, but couldn't. The grip, though not compressing her, was iron.
"I-I'm not a spirit... I'm... I'm dead, right?" she stammered.
The raucous laughter echoed in her ears, and another shock coursed through her limbs.
"Not yet, sweetie, but I'm working on it."
"Come back! Reina, listen to my voice!"
That melodious sound managed to send warmth through her veins.
"Grandma!" she exclaimed, searching around for her.
"I'm not there with you, but follow my voice."
"I don't... I can't do it, I don't know what to do!" she complained.
"Go away, Mambo, this isn't your territory!" she hissed angrily.
"Follow me, Reina, don't get distracted!"
With considerable effort, the girl concentrated on her grandmother, trying to block out everything she sensed around her, until she could hear nothing but that familiar sound.
She missed her so much, she knew she was dead, but she had so hoped to hear her once more, and now it seemed her wishes were finally coming true.
She let herself drift through a dense, sticky environment, until a gentle warmth on her skin revived her. It felt as if the light was also beginning to filter through, and she opened her eyes to finally see her grandmother again, but another figure came into focus.
Pardo.
"What the hell…?"
"Thanks a lot, huh? After the scare I got, now the insults too!" the boy snorted, letting out a weak smile.
"Where is she?" he asked, looking around perplexed. "My grandmother. Where is she?"
"I don't know what you're raving about, but I'm the only one here. And maybe Luca too, if that flickering I see in the corner is a ghost."
Letting out a sigh of disappointment, Reina focused on Luca, crouched in the corner. She remained silent, but the ghost didn't reach her.
"What happened?" she asked, shrugging.
"You'll have to explain this to us, since you started screaming and writhing like a madwoman. I came by to see if everything was okay and I saw you struggling and sobbing. What happened?"
Forcing herself to concentrate, Reina moved her legs, pushed back the sheet, and got out of bed.
She looked around in surprise and realized she was still in the basement, in the infirmary. An IV drip hung from her arm, while the solution bottle lay shattered on the floor, along with its metal hook.
"Was it me?" she asked, flustered.
"I don't see anyone else here, unless your ghost friend enjoys moving things," he replied ironically, making her grimace.
"I don't know what's happening. I remember only vaguely," she admitted, brushing back a strand of hair. "The doctor?"
"He left for an emergency a few minutes ago, that's why I'm here. He wanted me to make sure I was okay."
"I'm fine, don't worry. You?"
Pardo gave her a look that alarmed her.
"Is it today?" she asked, frightened.
The young man moved his head slowly.
"You don't have to go, Pardo, stay here with me!"
"It's not my fault, believe me. But I'll be here tomorrow, don't worry," he reassured her with a bitter smile.
"But you can't go!" she protested weakly, taking his hand.
"I have to," she replied softly.
Reina glanced sideways at Luca, who didn't leave his position.
"Can you do something?" she asked anxiously.
The ghost returned her glance but didn't move.
"Reina, you're the one who needs to stay safe. I'm fine, believe me. I'll be back soon, don't worry," he said, trying to get her to lie down.
"But…"
"It's none of your business!" he said in a harsher tone, making her jump.
She looked at his face and felt a sharpening pain along her spine.
"You can't interfere," her grandmother's voice whispered in her ear, making her shiver.
Her eyes widened, but she fell silent.
Pardo placed a light kiss on her forehead and left her, closing the door behind him.
"Grandma!" he whispered, scanning every corner of the room.
"You can't see me, and my time is limited," the voice murmured. "Don't come near Pardo, promise!"
"But why? I can't leave him at the mercy of the shadows," she protested.
"He's no longer of this world, and if you continue to connect to his dark world, it will suck you in."
"Is that why I have those nightmares?"
"They're not nightmares, but astral transmigrations. The more you continue to connect, the shorter your mortal time will be. Reina, I want you to promise me you'll stay away from him!"
Disheartened, the girl shook her head.
"I can't! You taught me not to abandon your friends," she murmured, tears streaming down her face.
"Pardo has nothing human left, except his shell. He's a ferryman of souls, and by staying close to him, you're allowing the disembodied to invade your world. Many people will die. Is that what you want?"
Reina sank to the floor, shocked.
"Let him go, my darling. You can't save him!"
She felt a gentle caress on her head and a breath of air ruffling her hair. Then everything went still again. She sobbed for a very long time, until her legs cramped and she struggled to get up.
She curled up on the cot and pulled the blanket over her head.
"I'm sorry," Luca muttered softly.
Reina shook her head and remained still, not responding.
When she pulled down a corner of the sheet, she discovered he was gone. She curled up in the fetal position and fell asleep.
She awoke when someone touched her arm and saw the nurse leaning over her, removing the IV from her arm. Surprised, she realized she was in her room, as if the terrifying night had never happened.
"Good morning, Miss Bailey. Are you ready to go to this morning's meeting? How's your ankle?"
Still confused, she carefully moved her foot and felt no pain. The painkiller and bandage had apparently worked.
"I'm feeling better, thanks... It would be good to see some people," she admitted, brushing her hair back from her face.
"Living people," she muttered to herself with a shiver.
"I left the wheelchair outside the door. Jenny and Carmen will be with you in a few minutes to help you get ready, while Dr. Arkham will be by later to examine you. Please, don't strain yourself. Wait until your colleagues are with you."
"Of course, Mariah, don't worry."
With a look of uncertainty, the woman left the room, taking the necessary medical supplies with her.
Reina propped up the pillows, straightened her pajama top, which she had tied around her waist, and grabbed the hairbrush from the bedside table, beginning to untangle her long hair. She had just tied it into a long braid when two women entered, chatting.
"I'm not asking how you spent the night, given your drawn face, sweetheart," Jenny said, winking.
"A little respect for the patient," her colleague scolded, glaring at her.
"This beauty has been here too long to consider her just a patient," she replied, approaching and stroking her hair. "How are you, little girl? Chased away the monsters?"
Reina smiled sadly and shook her head.
Jenny had met her on her first day in the hospital and had been there for her the whole time, speaking calmly and holding her hand throughout the spasms and convulsions. She had found her by her side during the nights she'd screamed and upon awakening, like a guardian angel.
"Oh, but you have to fight, you know. You have a mission in here, and the other kids trust you," she said jovially, pulling back the covers and helping her sit up. "What do I tell the people in Ward B? That their queen of ghosts has abdicated? James will be upset and will take another double dose of methadone. Just knowing that you're not an angel, but a real girl, has unsettled him."
Reina sighed and stood up, resting only on her good foot, while Carmen also came to her side and helped her to the bathroom.
"This queen of freaks can't even take care of herself, let alone fight other people's ghosts," she muttered depressedly.
"But someone has to do it, and this time it was you," the woman smiled, opening the door and inviting her to sit on the chair next to the sink.
"Do you need help?" Carmen asked matter-of-factly, handing her a handle soaked in detergent.
"No, thanks, I can do it. I'll call you when I'm finished."
While the two women busied themselves changing the bed, airing the room, and tidying up, Reina devoted herself to her ablutions, banishing some dark thoughts and shadows.
She pressed the wall button, and Jenny arrived in the wheelchair, securing her injured leg to the support.
"Your place isn't in here," he whispered in her ear as he accompanied her downstairs for the meeting. "Remember what you used to tell me about your grandmother?"
Reina gasped and remembered the voice from the previous night.
"Yes," she murmured.
"Then take control of your life and get out of this hellish place. You're young, smart, beautiful, and with a future ahead of you to live. Don't be like so many of the kids in here who will never get out."
Pardo.
"Jenny," he said firmly, making her stop dead in her tracks.
"What's going on?"
"How's Pardo?"
"In retreat as usual. The monthly crisis is back," he admitted, entering the cafeteria and leading her to a table.
He made his way to the counter, grabbed a tray, filled it with milk, fruit, cookies, and cereal, and returned to her, sliding it across the table. He had a cup of hot American coffee for her.
"I'll tell you something, which I hope stays between us, Reina," he said in a low tone, seeking her eyes.
The young woman nodded and took a cookie.
"My mother was of French origin, but she was born and raised in New Orleans. It's a city full of mystery and legends, many of which are absolutely true. Her grandmother was a mambo, devoted to divination and voodoo, but not the terrible stuff you see in movies. She took care of small things, like bringing peace to those who had lost a loved one, or a love potion with natural herbs, and so on. But my mother had a gift, or a curse, if you prefer. She could sense the dead. Yes, I know, it sounds like something from a paranormal TV series, but I assure you, she sensed the presence of something. As a child, I was terrified of it, especially when she started speaking a strange mix of English, French, and I don't know what else, and went into a trance. She did it unconsciously; it just happened, so much so that even my father tried to help her and indulge her. But over the years, it became increasingly difficult because she would disappear for days and we would find her in a pitiful state in the most disparate places because she was starting to forget who she was, and so did we. She was admitted to a facility similar to this one, and after a couple of years, she passed away."
She paused, and a shiver ran through Reina.
"Drink the milk, don't be so smart," the woman smiled, sipping her coffee.
"Can I have some coffee?"
"Um, just a teaspoon in the milk, no more. It's not compatible with the medications you're taking," he conceded, handing her the cup.
Reina smiled and stole two, careful not to be discovered by the cafeteria staff.
"Go on," he said, adding the cereal to her cup.
"A few years ago, my father moved house. He asked me if I could help him clear out Mom's things, and I found some boxes in the garage. There were a series of diaries in which he had recorded his experiences, but in different handwriting. I wondered who she was sharing 'her ghosts' with, but then I realized it was still her, but under the influence of the trance she was in. Only then did I understand how her mind was shaken by what was happening to her, and I began to investigate the world of the occult, traveling all the way to New Orleans where I spoke with mambos, loas, even the Wiccan community, and many other characters who populate that city. It was a journey into my mother's mind, discovering that I didn't know her at all and experiencing firsthand her suffering for that condition that wasn't chosen, but imposed. Do you understand why I'm telling you this?"
Her eyes were a pit of darkness, and Reina gasped.
"You-you think that I too...?"
"I don't think so. I 'know' that you're neither crazy nor sick, but that the spirit world is claiming you somewhere, and I'd like to help you."
"How?"
"I'll bring you the diaries and my research, but no one will ever know, do you promise?"
She nodded with conviction. If there was even a single way to understand what was happening to her, then she would do it.
"Have you ever felt anything?" she asked in a low tone.
"No," the woman replied reluctantly, "I know that the 'gift' is passed down the female side of the family, but it hasn't happened to me. Maybe I'm too rational, like my father says, or maybe it's all just a belief, I don't know. But when I saw you, I recognized it in you."
"I believe my grandmother also had the gift. The day she died, I was with some companions at the Witches' Tree in Louisville," she said in a faint voice. "I felt her soul fading as I asked for the witches' blessing, and to this day I believe I was the cause of her death."
"I know the local legend, and perhaps you're right. But I don't think it's your fault. Her time was probably over, and by touching the tree, you helped pass on the gift. And that's what you received, a true gift from your grandmother so you can complete her mission," he said seriously. "Reina, I couldn't help my mother, but you can close the circle on what your grandmother was going through. Find out what it is and write the word 'end'."
She hesitantly shook her head, finishing her breakfast.
"But I'm scared," she admitted. "I don't know what my grandmother did, if she had tools to fight the shadows, if she accompanied them across the threshold, or what. I only know that they terrify me and that they forcefully demand my help, while I just wish they would disappear."
"You could be a channeler, a sort of catalyst that acts as a link between this world and the shadow world. If you tell me you're not the one summoning them, some entity is probably trying to use you to reach this world."
"That's what Pardo told me, and Luca, too," she admitted.
"Who is Luca?" she asked curiously.
"My personal ghost," she smiled. "Long story."
"You'll tell me about it when I bring you the materials. Now we have to go or they'll get suspicious," he told her, standing up and gathering up the remains of the tray.
He carried everything back to the counter, grabbed the wheelchair handles, and led her toward the therapy room, already crowded with other patients.
He gave her a brief goodbye and walked away, leaving her in the company of the therapist.