In either direction there was nothing. Gone was the entrance that took them there, replaced with the sensation that they had entered a tomb. Teddy’s torch was losing the battle against darkness. Back in the orphanage it had the strong, penetrating beam of a full battery. Down in the land of the dead, it cut only a few feet into the darkness and flickered, threatened to burn out. They preferred to get their business done before that happened. If the complex was connected by the Underworld, then either direction would end in (relative) safety. Without a clue, they started in the way they already faced. By the third or fourth rotation of Percy’s wheels, the Krewe realized they weren’t alone. It was difficult to discern at first. Another set of footfalls accompanied theirs; about-face, the flashlight revealed a number of human silhouettes. Whatever was behind them gave chase. Looks over their shoulders purchased few details: the pursuing ghosts were cut, like they had fallen off their operating table before the surgeon’s work was done. As a result, the lazily dissected failed to catch the children.
Their first journey into the abyss was short. On the other side of death they saw Captain Midnight’s hangar past a grassy field, immersed in overgrowth. Living green swayed in the wind, inviting the Sin-Eaters to the body of secrets rotting in its shadows. Ghosts waited in the debris, hoping to be discovered for a chance to make their injustices known. No one had visited this place since it had been set afire. They would not miss what could be their only opportunity in years to make contact.
Visions of tragedy crowded the kids the moment they entered the hangar, projecting their psyches into antiquity. Into a period when the hangar was pristine. Only the shape of the place was the same; roof and walls were intact, the floor was clean except for a few peculiarities. Drawings rendered in red salt glowed under copious lit candles. These effects were arranged in formulae and shapes they recognized from the awful text found in Midnight’s office, the Gran Panacea. The focal point of these ritual elements was a large, unsullied circle. At the circumference was twelve robed figures standing inside their own elaborate symbols (indicating rank within the cult). Four of the cultists held chains that kept still emaciated black dogs. Or beasts similar to dogs, drooling in anticipation, whimpering for their chance to proceed into the center. Children dressed in hospital gowns shivered there, their eyes closed.
The Sin-Eaters realized they were viewing the memories of four ghosts simultaneously, the anguish that processed them into the afterlife all too similar to one another. The events unfolded, solving for the Krewe one of the orphanage’s many mysteries. Young blood was the key ingredient in what had to be, evidenced by Night’s book, a method of extending longevity. It had limited power on its own; it needed to be infused with incredible pain to become magic. Canine monsters, most likely altered in some other wicked rite, went about their violent duty and completed the ritual. The frenzy sprayed blood and viscera in all directions. Cultists reveled in the energized, gory discharge on four separate occasions before Captain Midnight was stopped.
After the illusion vanished, they spotted Tedric’s corpse in a pile of what suggested an impromptu ritual – Father Prost’s last failure. They couldn’t help any of them now. This was beyond rectification; the notorious priest and pilot were both dead, the best that the psychic trio could offer was exposure. Toward that end, they sought to contact Anna.
Back at the orphanage, would-be adopters were in the yard, inspecting the other children. When Percy and his friends arrived, the prospective parents took interest in getting to know the last of the Marsane’s. He shrugged off the affection and proceeded to the lobby where he found a phone. Percy dialed Anna’s number, but the voice that answered was different. It sounded like her. When he told the journalist about his findings her response was emotionless. After hanging up, Percy realized what was wrong. The person on the receiving end of the phone call was dead.
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