“Dead,” she finished my sentence cheerfully. “I know I am. But I don’t care. I’d rather be a ghost, free to roam the earth forever than spend another minute in that sewer.” A note of panic suddenly crept into her voice. “Oh my God, someone’s out here! I can hear them.”
“Calm down,” Tucker reassured her. His face too was alight with excitement at our discovery. “It’s probably just someone on the beach. You’re on the other side, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.” Then concern crept into Taylah’s voice. “I can’t be seen like this. What if it’s a hot guy?”
“Even if it is, he won’t be able to see you,” I reminded her.
“Right.” She sounded disappointed. I couldn’t suppress a smile. Even Hell with all its terrors hadn’t been able to entirely suppress the girl Taylah had been in life.
Once Taylah made it through I relaxed a little. There was less urgency now as I knelt by the portal ready to try again. I longed to join her so that I too could look out over the ocean and feel the wind whipping my hair so it streamed behind me. The first thing I’d do after that would be to run home and straight into the arms of my brother and sister. In my enthusiasm I kicked off my heels and sort of jumped headlong into the portal. Suddenly I was inside it, half my body stuck in the Wasteland, the other half looking directly at a shell peeking out of the delicate white sand. I reached out to it. I could almost feel the warmth of the sun on my hands and hear the crash of the foamy waves over the rocks.
I was not a wraith like Taylah and once inside, the portal seemed to tighten around me, like it knew I shouldn’t be there. A magnetic force that had first drawn me forward now propeled me backward, but I held on. I soon heard the sound that had alerted Taylah to someone’s presence. An energetic sniffing could be heard that was more inquisitive than menacing. My nostrils were suddenly assaulted by an even more familiar scent. It was just the encouragement I needed. I knew who it was even before his silky coat, the color of moonlight, came into view. I caught sight of a pale silver eye and a damp brown nose.
“Phantom!” I gasped in delight. I could only see him in fragments — but it was still my beloved dog. I heard Taylah jump back, alarmed by Phantom’s enthusiasm. She’d never really been a dog person, but the emotions that hit me upon seeing him were almost unbearable. I reached out a hand and let it pass right through the portal. Phantom nuzzled his spongy nose into my palm, frantic with the pleasure of recognition. I scratched behind his silky ear and a lump rose in my throat the size of a golf ball. I had to gulp to get my next words out.
“Hey there, boy,” I murmured. “I’ve missed you.” My emotion was reciprocated by Phantom, who now began to whimper and scratch furiously at the portal, trying to gain access. Then, like a thunderbolt it struck me that Phantom could not possibly be out on the beach alone. Someone had to be with him. Someone I loved was perhaps only meters away and heading in this direction! It was probably Gabriel, who always took Phantom with him when he went for runs along the beach. I imagined I could even hear his padded footfalls on the sand. His strong, comforting arms might soon enfold me. When that happened every bad memory would be obliterated. Gabriel would know exactly what to say to make everything right again. I repressed the urge to scream out to him just in case something went wrong. I felt as if I were walking a tightrope and needed to tread carefully.
“Tuck,” I said urgently. “How do I do this?”
“Slowly,” he said, a look of determination spreading over his face. “One bit at a time — don’t rush it.”
My heart was pounding so loudly I thought everyone could hear it. “Go on now,” Tuck said. “Easy does it.”
I struggled against the portal, slowly pushing my way to the other side. Once my hands were through Phantom began licking them relentlessly and I had to swallow back a giggle. The comforting roar of the ocean at Venus Cove and Phantom’s familiar panting filled my ears. I pushed forward, feeling the portal first resist and then relax, allowing me to edge through. It was slow work, but I was getting there.
Then I heard the growls.
The sound was so chilling I thought my heart would stop. The low, guttural snarls were coupled with the sound of claws ripping at the earth. Just ahead of me hovered Taylah’s face, now drained of color, and Tucker’s hands had gone limp on my back. Even before I fully understood what was happening, I knew I had a choice to make. Tuck was still trapped in the Wasteland.
“Keep going!” he said desperately. “You’re almost there. Don’t turn back.” He couldn’t hide the terror in his voice.
But I could as much keep going as I could stop breathing. Tucker had been like a brother to me in Hades and I would never abandon him. In the next instant I wrenched myself free from the pull of the tumbleweed and scrambled to my feet beside Tucker. He was riveted to the spot, looking devastated by my decision. I peered into the dusty expanse before me that was broken only by some straggly scrubs. The sound I’d heard was coming from somewhere nearby and it was growing more insistent by the second.
Sheer terror made me duck for cover, but it also made me lose my footing so that I ended up skidding and falling to my knees. Tucker hauled me up, covered in the red dust of this surreal landscape.
“Don’t move,” he said. We clutched each other as the creatures approached. Finally I could see them clearly; six huge, hulking black dogs stood before us, poised to attack. They were big as wolves, slag dripping from their fangs and a demented look in their eyes. Their faces were mutilated with scars, but their bodies were robust and strong and their claws looked sharp as knives. Their muzzles were stained with blood and the stench of their shaggy fur was overwhelming.
Tucker and I stood frozen on the spot, the portal abandoned. “Beth …,” he said in a shaky voice. “Remember the Trackers I was telling you about?”
“Yeah?” I fought to keep my voice from cracking.
“They’re here.”
“Hellhounds,” I whispered. “Perfect.”
The lupine creatures knew they had us trapped and circled us leisurely, enjoying their power. When they pounced, I knew they’d move so fast they’d appear only as a blur tearing us to pieces.
The pack closed in, snarling viciously. I saw how rough and matted their coats were, how yellow their eyes. Gusts of dry wind carried their foul odor across to us.
There wasn’t much we could do; if we tried to run they would catch us in an instant. We had no weapons, no defense, and nowhere to hide. I wanted to unfurl my wings and carry us both to safety, but they felt like a dead weight on my back — the Wasteland robbing them of their power.
I closed my eyes as the dogs dropped to their haunches in a low crouch, then arched through the air toward us. At the same time, there came a cry from behind and a moment later Taylah appeared, standing between the hellhounds and us. The dogs were confused and landed with a thud.
“What are you doing?” I cried, trying to clutch at her insubstantial form. “Go back!”
To my despair, I watched the portal close behind her, the glimpses of Venus Cove replaced by nothing but a harsh tangle of weeds. Taylah looked over her shoulder at me, her blue eyes bright with tears. She was so small compared with the hellhounds, her limbs frail, her once-beautiful hair matted and blowing across her face. She gave a small, sad smile and shook her head. “Taylah, I mean it!” I yelled. “Don’t do this. You have a chance to be free. Take it.”
“I want to make things right,” she said.
“No.” I shook my head vehemently. “Not like this.”
“Please,” she said. “Let me, for once in my life, do the right thing.”