Death's Rulebook

Chapter 18: The Echo

Evangeline was staring. A lot. If her eyes got any wider, they would pop out of her skull.

"Um, is she okay?" Logan whispered to me. Though he was trying to handle this whole thing with dignity, I could tell he was getting uncomfortable.

"Yeah, uh..." I mumbled, pressing my lips together. "She's just a bit... surprised you know."

Though I would say shocked was more appropriate. I'd given her the Cliffs notes version of events on our way down to the warehouse, but despite soaking up every word I said with enthusiasm, I didn't think she took it that seriously. After all, an undead zombie Reaper was totally impossible according to our cosmic rules.

Boy did her demeanor change when we arrived and she actually saw Logan.

-Can Revenants go into shock?

"Right," Logan swallowed hard, lowering his gaze. "So um... Violet said that you can help? With the... uh... notebook problem?"

I jerked back when Evangeline took a few steps toward us, her stride purposeful. Her slanted eyes narrowed as she got into Logan's face. Those dark black slits held his gaze for a solid 5 minutes, her brows creased in concentration. To make things weirder she actually jabbed a finger into his chest, as if she was poking gutted roadkill she'd found on some highway.

"Holy shit. He can talk."

I blinked at her. "Uh, what?"

"And he's articulate too. Are you getting any cravings? Any sudden urges to consume brains?"

Logan's brows shot up. "Uh, I don't think I've gone Night of the Living Dead."

"Yet," she added, taking a step back. Logan's muscles relaxed as she finally exited his personal space.

"I'm guessing you've never seen anything like this before?"

She puckered her lips. "You think?"

I clenched my jaw. "Right, so I suppose you have no idea what to do either?"

She blinked at me.

"Yeah, I do actually," in a heartbeat, she'd whirled on her heel and bolted for the exit. "See ya!"

My mouth dropped open. "Seriously?"

When she didn't stop, I shot a look to an exasperated Logan.

"Stay here," I said and rushed after her.

"Hey! What the hell Evangeline?"

She speed-walked over to her bike and quickly mounted it, her gray robes rustling.

"Sorry Violet, but there's nothing I can do. You're on your own."

"Are you kidding me? This stuff is your job!"

The way her eyes assaulted me made me pause.

"Ah, no, no, no, this ain't my job. This isn't even close to my job. This isn't even supposed to exist!"

I snorted, placing my hands on my hips. "That's why I called you! Aren't you always saying how you're all for crazy, unexpected challenges?"

"Challenges?" She shifted in her seat so that her upper body was facing me. "Okay. A hive of pissed-off poltergeists is a challenge. A three-hundred-year-old ghost of a psycho serial killer is a challenge. That? That is a serious problem."

"And?! You guys are supposed to fix problems, that's the whole point of your order."

Her brows rose so high they almost touched her widow's peak.