Chapter 22: Terrified

The first body had been secured to the wall of the front room with the long, thin knives favored by demons when they did not simply use their claws. To judge by the blood, they had pinned the man while he was still alive—but death had not kept them from continuing to have fun with him. Koray turned away from the body, the bruises and claw marks and dried blood that had dripped from far too many places, and sought out the ghost he could feel. Opening up his senses, battling the sorrow and pain and rage that threatened to drive him to his knees, he pushed on through the house, careful of his footing, wrinkling his noses at the foul smells.

In what had clearly been a bedroom, a woman and child had suffered far more than the unfortunate man in the sitting room. All three ghosts were huddled in the room, the man clinging to the woman and child, trying to comfort them while looking hopelessly lost.