256

Chapter 14

Death and Marc stood near the charred number where a small crowd of other people were also gawking at it.

"Wow," Death said loudly. "Why would anyone do this?"

"They are crazy people," a man in his late thirties answered. His speech was heavily affected.

"The Pack did this. They were the ones who owned this land. They lie and decieve, luring you in with enticing words. They got to my daughter. Now she will go to jail with the rest of them," he said.

"I'm so sorry," Death said.

"It is the Pack's fault, not yours," he said.

"This Pack must be really terrible people," Marc said.

"They are evil! Monsters, the worst of humankind," the man said vehemently. "They came here seeking what is bad. The mountain drew them, being steep and volcanic. They think their prophecy will come true here."

"What's the prophecy?" Death asked abruptly.

"It is a poem, from very long ago. It talks of fire and light and numbers. My Angalia always talked about it, but I refused to listen to the thing that had drawn her to them. It is their manifesto, their precious treasure."

"Hmm," Marc said. He didn't want to ask too much at once and risk scaring the man off. He counted to thirty in his head before speaking again.

"Do you know where I can find a member of this Pack? I'd like to know why they think they can get away with this."

"They can get away with this. Look. No one will tell the police anything. The Pack is huge. Everyone has a loved one in it, so everyone will protect them. Even the police themselves. Some of them must know, but they do not tell their fellows," he said.

"The elephant in the room," Death murmured. "Everyone knows something is there, but not everyone has an explanation."

"What is the Pack?" Marc asked.

"A group. They work in secret, for no other reason than the poem says to. They draw ones in by tickling their ears, telling them what they want to hear. Then they do things like this. They ruin lives, all for the sake of the prophecy."

"Where can I find them?" Marc asked. "They sound like they could use a good talking to."

Death's cell phone went off, her ringtone playing way too loud. "Ohhhh oh oh oh oh. She's got both feet on the ground. And she's burning it down. Ohhhh--"

"I am so sorry. I'm just going to turn this off," she pressed hurriedly at the phone. The song was still blaring away.

"She's got her head in the clouds. And she's not backing down. This girl is on fire--"

"It's, uh, it's got a password I have to put in before it opens. No matter what. I don't know why its not working," she laughed awkwardly.

"Let me do it," Marc said.

"Can't. It has to be my fingerprints. That was probably a bad idea."

"Better look the other way. You can try but you'll never forget her name. She's--"

Meanwhile, the man looked like he wanted to punch someone, and he was getting angrier by the second.

"This-- this is the correct password. I don't know why it's not letting me in," she said. She was giggling nervously and she couldn't seem to stop.

"We got our feet on the ground. And we're burning it down. Ohhhh oh oh oh oh. We got our head in the clouds. And we're not coming down--"

"You people are sick. You ought to be ashamed! I won't see my daughter again for fourteen years, and you laugh at my misery. Go! Begone! Don't you ever dare show your faces here again!"

People cheered, booing at them as they walked away. They saw Alex and Zora in the crowd. Alex was bursting with laughter, and Zora was smirking, clapping slowly.

"Can we tell them this is classified?" Marc asked.

"That'd be lying," Death said.

"It isn't if we actually classify it."

"That would be an abuse of power."

"It is really annoying when you're all moral and right and stuff," he said.

"I know," she grinned slightly.