The Sole Survivors' Club

Chapter 20

Monica stood beside Carl’s bed and stared at his slack expression. After two days of observation she’d been released, but Carl still hadn’t regained consciousness. The side of Carl’s skull was fractured, and his doctor offered no prediction on when or if he would wake up.

With Bernice and Carl both gone, Monica was limited to her own meager resources. She had enough money to book a flight back to San Antonio, but with five marid and an army of jinn following her, she wasn’t willing to risk the plane trip.

Monica had never felt more scared or uncertain about what to do. The jinn had her where they wanted her. She was alone and stuck in an unfamiliar city with no hope of finding help.

Carl would be as helpless as Bernice had been if Monica left the hospital. It also seemed certain that staying would have the same result. Nervous energy filled Monica, demanding she do something, anything to change her fate.

A nurse stepped into the room and gave Monica an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over.”

Monica nodded and pivoted awkwardly on her good leg before she made her way to the door using a crutch. The knot in her stomach became harder when she found Bernice outside the room.

The apparition followed Monica’s slow progression down the hallway. When she arrived at the elevator, Monica cast a hopeful glance at the apparition then sighed.

Bernice seemed to be limited in her communication to hand gestures and head shaking.

Following behind Bernice through a stairwell door, Monica heaved a sigh. “Just once I’d like to see you nod.”

Bernice did, and though she didn’t look around, Monica had the impression the ghost was smiling.

The trip down the three flights of stairs was almost unbearable. With every move of her wounded leg, Monica was reminded that her painkillers had worn off hours before. A thin sheen of sweat rose on her face by the time she moved out of the stairwell.

But instead of leading her toward the front entrance, Bernice wandered through the building to the parking garage. Monica held her tongue, glancing around each time she passed someone in the garage.

Bernice stopped in front of a Black Neon.

“You want me to steal a car?” Monica asked.

Bernice shook her head and gestured an invitation with both hands for Monica to go to the driver side door. Monica did, peering through the window at the key in the ignition. She immediately recognized her own key ring and patted her pockets to find them empty. Her gaze fell next on the cell phone sitting in the center console. The phone was connected to a charger cable, which was plugged in the cigarette lighter.

Monica glanced back at Bernice. “How did you move my car here?”

The old woman gave no answer. She smiled and stood in place, waiting for Monica to get in.

The door was unlocked. Dropping into the seat with a pained whimper, Monica glanced at the keys.

If she had not been so strung out, the connections would have been easier to make. But between the hunger pangs, the pains from her wound, and a lingering feeling of fatigue, Monica’s mind was too jumbled to work logically.

The car is real. The thought kept resurfacing, but it took many attempts to process before she remembered something Carl said.

The jinn were capable of moving objects.

Her gaze drifted to the rearview mirror. Bernice sat in the back seat, watching Monica with a calm expression. The old woman’s hand pointed left. Then it was only a few seconds before Monica remembered something else Carl mentioned about the ifrit.