Black Holes - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 3

Chapter Ten

Hello all!

A bit of a review of what's happened as I haven't posted in a while: 

Leah died and is in jail in the world of the dead. When she died her portal ripped from her body and started eating away at the live world, creating more gateways to the dead. 

Zarah has teamed up with Danny and Cassandra and is trying to figure out how to stop the portals from tearing their world apart. 

Riley is planning to destroy the Mors Mortis Device to break the connection between the live and dead worlds, hoping to save one world by sacrificing the other.

Seth tricked Jared into stepping a portal and did not follow him. We haven't seen Jared since... 

And that's about it! Onto Chapter Ten 😃

- Skylar xx

...

Leah Azemar lay in her cell, her eyes closed and her consciousness focused inwards. It was something she'd been doing on and off for the past week, trying to find the source of the pain that'd plagued her since she died.

It wasn't constant, but whenever her mind grew hazy, she'd feel it: a sharp stab in her veins, a throbbing somewhere just below her ribs. She was certain it had something to do with her portal and the way it'd ripped from her chest. But whenever she tried to locate the source, the pain grew elusive, fleeing from the spotlight like a shadow.

And today wasn't any different.

She was onto her fourth or fifth attempt of pulling back, of trying to make her mind haze until the throbbing returned, when she heard the familiar scrap of boots outside her cell and her concentration shattered.

Leah cracked an eye open, squinting at the cell door. An officer stood there, the one who came every day, sometimes twice. The rookie who'd been given the delivery job.

"Get up," he said, grabbing the handcuffs from his duty belt and gesturing for her to move towards the cell bars. "They want to talk to you again."

Leah stood and walked over, letting him handcuff her and lead her down the corridor.

Her cell was deep within the precinct, cut off from any natural light, but as he directed her towards the interrogation rooms, she caught a flash of orange from a high window, a pink sky and clouds that looked like cotton candy. The sight was deceivingly picturesque compared to the inside of the station.

She'd been here for fifteen days now, and every time she left her cell, the building looked worse. Sections were slowly being cordoned off, blue and white tape stretching over newly forming voids. As she passed near a portal eating away at the wall, fingers of dark smoke reached toward her, cold as dry ice. It made her stomach crawl, guilt roaring up her throat.

When they reached the interrogation room, the rookie opened the door and directed her in. She already knew who was in there before she entered. Arelie sat closest to the back corner, pen flicking against the central table in a repetitive motion, and beside her was Mark.

Leah had only met Mark once before she was arrested, when Arelie had tried to stop Leah from leaving Narra with Jared all those months ago. Mark had seemed weak then, his attempts at restraining her almost laughable. That wasn't the case now.

Every advantage Leah had possessed when she'd visited the world of the dead before had disappeared the moment she actually died. Now, the muscles that chorded Mark's arms seemed far more threatening, far more likely to subdue her if it became necessary.

"Sit down, Leah," Arelie said, and Leah did, letting the rookie hook her handcuffs to the bar sunk into the table; firm enough to ensure she couldn't escape, but loose around her wrists.