Ghosts of July (Shamans of the Divide, Book 1)

Chapter Twenty-six

Skye stood and turned to help me up but was shoved aside. I felt Renn's hand on my arm and he pulled me up, keeping the flashlight out of my face, but inspecting me for damage, I assumed.

"What are you doing here, July?"

I babbled a little but mostly just looked to Skye to help me out. Coyote had found him by this point, though, so he was getting a tongue lashing of his own. Skye was trying to explain what had happened to his face but Coyote wasn't really listening. Before I could muddle a sentence together to explain what had happened, I heard more feet coming down the stairs.

"Move! Move! Move!" It was Leonard.

Renn put his arm around my waist and pulled me back out of the way. He flashed his light to give Leonard light to see by and suddenly I understood—Leonard and Billie each had one of Silas' arms slung over their shoulders and they were half carrying, half dragging him down the stairs. When they were just a few steps in front of me, I saw four wide gashes that ran from his neck, down a shredded and bloody t-shirt, and nearly to his stomach. Something had raked enormous nails across his torso and he was in bad shape. His head lolled from side to side and his eyes weren't open, though he was trying to move his feet as they walked.

The three began the descent down to the first floor and Coyote grabbed Skye and pushed him directly behind Leonard and Billie and followed his son down to the first floor. It was our turn. I grabbed the railing to my right and took a step. I felt what was happening before I realized something was wrong—the rotted wood gave way as I stepped in the center of the stair and my foot went through the board. I yelped and stumbled forward. Renn's arms were back around my waist and he pulled me up and held me as I tried to yank my foot free. The jagged planks tore at my skin and I cried out.

Down below, Skye and Coyote had turned to see what happened.

"Just go," Renn whispered as loud as he dared. "We'll be right behind you."

Coyote nodded and led Skye out the way we'd come in. I had no idea how Leonard and Billie were managing with Silas. I'd hardly made it over all the trash on the way in and they were all but carrying the injured man at this point.

"Crap," I hissed. "My foot is stuck."

Renn bent down and tried to pry some of the shards of wood away to make room for my foot to come free.

"I'm going to throttle you as soon as we're out of here," he said to no one in particular. Well, he was talking to me, actually.

"The ghosts are talking to me," I said and put my hand on his back for balance as he gently tried to tug my foot free of its prison.

"Hasn't he always talked to you?" I heard Renn sigh in frustration. My foot wasn't budging. "You're really stuck, July."

"No, the little girl I saw in traffic the other day. I think she has a thing for your cousin." I tested the step myself and there was no way I'd be able to yank my foot out without shredding my skin on the sharp wood splinters. I'm sure there were a few rusty nails thrown in there for good measure, too.

Renn stopped trying to maneuver my foot and stood up. He froze and turned his head. When he put his hand up to keep me from talking, I knew something was wrong. It didn't take long for me to hear it, either. Banging, followed by what sounded like glass breaking, came from the first floor. It was coming from the opposite end of the long hall that Skye and I had come through. Whatever it was down there was charging down the hallway and not bothering to be quiet. Metal crashing and glass breaking grew louder and I looked at Renn.

"You've got to pull it free," he whispered and I nodded. Without much fanfare, I yanked my foot straight up and cried out through gritted teeth when the shards of what was left the step tore apart the skin of my ankle and the top of my foot. My foot came free but my slip-on sneaker wasn't so lucky. Somewhere underneath the staircase I heard it hit the floor with a muffled thump.