Lead Me Astray

Chapter 2

Mys

August 10 | One a.m.

"I don't even think they tried to stop!" The bystander sounded horrified.

A crowd of ten to fifteen people began gathering, streaming out of the hotel doors and from the surrounding parking lot. No Supernaturals in the mix. Just humans and the dead girl. As I watched, she transitioned from translucent to opaque. Within moments, she appeared as real as anyone else.

I tightened my lips around a vape pen and studied the Light behind her. It was fading fast, but Dead Girl wouldn't go near it. She was too hung up on the sight of her own crumpled body. Smallish, curvy. Bishōjo. Very beautiful. She would be perfection in a coffin. Poor thing.

At any rate, the hit-and-run wasn't my problem. Mine was not having a john for the night. Bummer, since I had taken off early from the burlesque club to go out. I glanced at the date cancellation on my phone and blew a cloud of vapor in the direction of the hotel. Probably too much traffic for him. Time to bounce.

As I turned to go, Dead Girl locked eyes with me. Shit, shit.

"Is this real?" she asked.

Ignore her. Act natural. Blend in. I tried, but she trailed me. Away from the goddamn Light.

"You can see me, right?"

"Go back, Dead Girl," I mumbled.

"I just walked through a car."

"You've gotta go before the Light fades completely."

She followed me another block through the French Quarter. At one corner, a garishly dressed man in a top hat directed vacationers lining up for ghost tours. I plugged in earpods and ignored being literally haunted. She walked beside me, her feet touching the ground, but not making a hint of noise.

I would stroll aimlessly all night rather than lead the Dead Girl to my place. I had rules about strays of any sort: no feeding them, no bringing them home. My need to fix things tended to remind me that no good deed could go unpunished. Anyway, humanity was beyond redemption. I couldn't help her.

"I . . . I'm dead?" She was on the verge of hysteria. "I don't believe this. I always, always played it safe. There's no way I should be dead at nineteen."

"Oof. That's tragic. My condolences."

"You honestly think I care for sarcasm right now?!"

Grimacing, I half turned. "I'm sorry to sound callous, but yes, you're dead. Crying won't change it. Just catch that Light before it disappears, or you'll be stuck here in Overlay City. Trust me, you'd rather try Heaven."

I spread my arms to indicate our surroundings for emphasis. We had walked off the beaten path, where it wouldn't have been unusual to find monsters or magic in this city. A shimmer of the paranormal glinted wherever the lights of the streetlamps touched. She didn't want to know what was in the shadows.

A nearby drunk hooted, "I want to try Heaven, girlfriend! I want whatever you're on."

I sucked my teeth. To him, it must have looked like I was talking to thin air.

"What's Overlay City?" Dead Girl asked, sniffling up her overflow of emotions.

"A network of ley lines crisscrossing New Orleans where Supernaturals like you can interact with the real world, assuming you haven't missed your ticket out." I squinted at the scene a block back. Ambulance and cop cars, vampires drawn by the scent of blood. Naturally, the Light was gone. "Aaand you've missed your ticket out. Welp, you're stuck here, Dead Girl. Sorry," I muttered.