Chapter 53

Total and complete darkness squeezed my breath into gasps. Whatever prowled this room was probably skulking up to me to deliver the final smash that would end me right then.

I wasn't ready, for death or for attempting to communicate with ghosts. This had been a stupid idea.

"Fuck," I moaned and fluttered my hand over my pocket. I could end this now. The idea of snatching up the iron made me salivate but I resisted. I wasn't dead yet.

A light in the center of the ceiling snapped on, and I blinked into the brightness, my stomach tightening at what I might see. Rusted red walls wrapped around the small room. Heart pounding, I scooted closer to the one at my back.

My fingers grazed short ruts, about two inches long, and I traced each one in a long line. They grooved all four walls and the floor, all in a continuous row. They were a darker red than the rust color, and bits of orange flecked the edges like they'd been carved by something sharp.