6. Chapter 6
“All aboard the Spooks Express! This way, fleshie!”
Zoe yelped as Spooks propelled her through the gloomy motel. She braced herself as she burst through a pair of swing doors, and spluttered as she became entwined in a maze of spiderwebs.
“When you offered to show me the sights of the motel, I’d expected a more leisurely pace.” Zoe yelped as they careened around a corner, while Spooks began impersonating the chugging sounds of a runaway train. “Are you sure this is safe?”
“Of course! Why, with me as your guide, you’ll have nothing to worry about!” Spooks shot Zoe a mischievous grin that suggested quite the opposite. “Oh, look out!”
Zoe yelped as they burst into a bedroom, before the poltergeist disappeared headfirst into a wardrobe. She tumbled in after him, crashing through the doors and colliding with the solid frame, until she lay tangled in a pile of musty moth-bitten clothes.
“Must you make such a racket, fleshie?” Spooks poked his head through the wardrobe, the bells of his jester’s hat jingling gleefully. “And why have you hopped off the Spooks Express? There’s plenty more to see!”
“For the last time, Spooks, not all of us can pass through walls.”
“Oh, silly me! It must have slipped my mind again.”
Zoe groaned as the poltergeist cackled at her plight. She staggered out of the wardrobe, before she sneezed from the thick layers of dust that coated the bedroom.
“This place sure has seen better days.” She glanced at a disused vacuum in the corner, and brushed the cobwebs from its body. “Haven’t you heard of cleaning?”
“Madame, no!”
At once, the vacuum roared to life. Spooks yelped as he was sucked into the nozzle, until his muffled voice echoed from within the bag.
“Madame, help me! The Spooks Express appears to have taken a slight detour into a rather dark and cramped tunnel.”
“Hold on…” Zoe cursed as the bag moved and squirmed. “Oh!”
At once, the vacuum bag exploded in a cloud of dust that covered her from head to toe. With a delighted cackle, Spooks cartwheeled out of the vacuum, his blue tunic turned ashy and gray.
“Madame, you saved me!”
Zoe spluttered on the thick layers of dust that clung to every inch of her clothing. “Well, I guess that explains why you don’t use the vacuum cleaner.”
“There’s no greater threat to ghost kind than a wind tunnel blowing in the wrong direction. Many a specter has made grand plans for world domination, only to end up trapped in one of those machines for eternity. And don’t get me started on what can happen if you get caught in the gusts of a hairdryer…”
“I guess the Ghostbusters knew their stuff.” Zoe shook the layers of dust from her hair, before she glanced at the room in despair. “We should get this place cleaned up. It looks like a volcano erupted in here.”
“I’m afraid the Spooks Express won’t wait! All aboard!” Spooks grabbed Zoe’s hand and emitted a merry whistle. “Toot toot!”
At once, they resumed their journey, careening through the house like a runaway train. Zoe yelped as they rode the staircase banister to the lobby, before they raced through the maze-like structure of the motel. As they sped into each room, Spooks announced their location like a train conductor, before he continued their whistle-stop tour.
“Dining room! Billiards room! Library! The master’s study! Oh, he sure does hate it when I go in here.” With a gleeful cackle, Spooks sped across a row of filing cabinets, causing the drawers to burst open and their contents to rain down in his wake. “Oh, this is simply marvelous. I haven’t had this much fun in years!”
“I take it the others don’t share your sense of fun?”
“They just don’t understand my comedic genius.” Spooks shook his head, sending a merry jingling from his jester’s hat. “That’s why we need to put the spotlight back on the Underworld Motel. To fill this place with crowds that will appreciate the art of my performances. And that’s where you come in.”
“Me? Whatever are you talking about?” But Zoe drew a startled breath as she looked at the tracker once more. “Oh, it’s beeping again!”
“Say no more! Next stop, Spooks’ Laboratory! Toot toot!”
Zoe braced herself as Spooks resumed their tour once more. They burst into a dimly lit chamber, where strange contraptions and bubbling liquids lined the shelves.
“Behold my invention room! Home to the greatest, most comedic inventions known to all of ghost-kind!” Spooks gestured to each of his creations as they whizzed through clouds of brightly colored smoke and strange-smelling vapors. “Marvel at the Wailing Whoopie Cushion! Gaze upon the genius of the Haunted Hula Hoop! And where did I put the Invisible Banana Peel?”
“The invisible what-now?” Zoe yelped as her foot slipped on something on the ground, before Spooks propelled her onwards. Her eyes widened as they approached a giant water gun, filled with a strange liquid that glowed in the dark. “What is that?”
“Oh, it’s my best invention yet! Made from the finest ectoplasm in the land. I call it the Ecto-3000!”
“And what exactly does that do?”
“For years, I’ve toiled to and troubled to bring chaos and bedlam everywhere I go. To bring laughter into the world. To help people crack a smile, and live a little. But there’s one thing standing in my way. The ability to be seen.” Spooks lifted the giant gun, before his eyes lit up jovially. “Most mortals don’t share your talent for seeing ghost-kind, you see. No matter what stunts I pull, or what tricks I perform, they remain oblivious to my talents. But one blast from this, and I’ll glow brighter than a reindeer’s nose at Christmas. And then, no one will be able to miss me. I’m just waiting for the perfect moment to use it!”
“I see…” Zoe looked at the contraption more closely, before she drew a startled breath. “Hey, are those parts from my car?”
“Let’s just say I’ve had to be enterprising when it comes to finding the right tools for the job.” Spooks giggled mischievously, before he let out a gasp of excitement. “Oh, your fleshie machine is beeping again! And I know the perfect shortcut!”
“Spooks, wait–”
Zoe yelped as she was pulled through the corridors once more, as if trapped on a runaway roller coaster with no escape. She gasped as they burst through a crumbling wall and into the cool air of the snow-covered courtyard garden beyond. Zoe studied the tracker once more, to see the signal grow in strength with each passing second.
“We’re getting closer!” She glanced at the ground, where gray rocks emerged from beneath the snow and ice, each of them shimmering with a faint golden light. “It must be something to do with these rocks…”
“Oh, those aren’t rocks, fleshie. They’re roots!”
“Roots? But there’s nothing growing around here but weeds.” Zoe glanced at the snow-covered brambles in confusion, before the tracker bleeped once more. “This way!”
Together, they raced across the gardens, before they approached a vast wall of thorny vines. Zoe marveled at the strange sight, as the vines towered before her, entwined like giant serpents that blocked her path. Like everything in the Underworld, they lay deadened and frozen beneath the snow, their once-green tendrils now hardened like stone. And yet, that same strange golden glow gently shimmered from the darkness within, casting the space in a soft, magical light. Zoe approached the vines curiously, until she spotted an archway built within the vast tendrils.
“Is this…” Zoe stepped through the archway, until multiple paths branched out before her. “A maze?”
“It sure is!” Spooks turned himself upside-down and shot her a grin. “And in the center, you’ll find the greatest treasure in the Underworld. Race you there!”
At once, the poltergeist took off, and dived through the solid vines in a puff of blue smoke. Zoe cursed as he disappeared, and looked at the network of paths constructed within the tangle of thorny vines. She might not share Spooks’ sense of adventure, but according to her tracker, something powerful lurked in the center of the maze. And if her hunch was correct, it might just be the very thing to save her career.
She picked a path at random, using her tracker to guide her to where the signal grew strongest. She ventured deeper into the maze, following the twists and turns until a shrill blast pulled her to attention. She glanced at her phone in surprise as its signal returned, only to groan at the caller ID that flashed on the screen.
“Swindleton?” Zoe spoke through gritted teeth as she traipsed through the maze. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I thought you might want to congratulate me for making the deal of the century.” Swindleton’s nasal voice cut through to Zoe like nails on a chalkboard. “There’s enough energy beneath Spring Valley to meet our quota for the entire year. It’s all everyone is talking about–”
“That was my deal, Swindleton!”
“You might have discovered Spring Valley, but it took a certain kind of sales pitch to get those deeds. A particular act of persuasion–”
“You mean you lied.”
“Zoe, you insult me. Some people’s prejudices against Chthonic Power Solutions will always stand in the way of progress. And so, sometimes, it’s in everyone’s best interests to be economical with the truth.” Zoe’s grip tightened on her phone as she sensed Swindleton’s sneering smile. “A little white lie about what we intend to do with the land goes a long way. The owners of Spring Valley were all too eager to sell up when I told them about the orphanage I intended to open…”
“And what do you think will happen when Mr. Gravesend’s drilling machines turn up, and they discover that you plan on mining every inch of their land instead?” Zoe shook her head in despair. “You’re despicable.”
“No, I’m exactly what this company needs. You might have a talent for discovering where Chthonic Power Solutions should set its sights, but you’ve never had the gall to pull off a deal like this.” Swindleton spoke once more, his voice laced with derision. “And that’s why they’ll name me as Mr. Gravesend’s successor.”
Zoe’s jaw clenched with fury. “We’ll see about that.”
But despite her anger, Zoe knew, deep down, that he was right. She might have spent years working her way up at the organization, but she’d always fallen short in sealing the deal. And while Swindleton had eagerly sold his soul to the company, something had always held her back.
“No need to worry, Zoe. I’ll still make sure there’s a place for you at Chthonic Power Solutions. Perhaps as my assistant?” Swindleton guffawed at his own joke. “I better go. I need to measure up the furniture for my new office…”
“That office isn’t yours yet!” Zoe swore under her breath as the line went dead. “That good-for-nothing weasel…”
She stomped through the maze, irritation fueling her every step. As her anger grew into a furious inferno, Mr. Gravesend’s warning echoed in her mind.
If you want this promotion, then you must do everything in your power to prove yourself to the company. Why, you should be willing to sell your very soul for the betterment of our cause.
Zoe’s hands balled into fists as she marched deeper into the garden. All her life, she’d stuck to doing what she thought was right. She’d worked hard, she’d valued honesty and integrity, she’d played by the rules of the game. But it had gotten her nowhere. And if she didn’t find a way to beat Swindleton, she would lose everything.
Zoe came to an abrupt stop as she reached a dead-end, where the vines towered above her. A pair of wrought-iron gates loomed before her, built into the wall of vines, and frozen in place by layers of thick ice. She glanced at her tracker, to see it bleep sharply, the lines nearing their peak.
“Well, I guess I’ve reached the center of the maze. But these gates aren’t going to budge any time soon…” Zoe glanced at an ornate keyhole forged into the center of the gate. “At least not without the right key.”
She looked in surprise as a golden glow filled the keyhole, until a shimmering light fluttered through to greet her. Zoe watched as the mote of light danced through the air like a firefly, before it landed on the tip of her tracker. Her device bleeped instantaneously, the readings reaching near-impossible levels.
“What on earth? I’ve never seen anything like this.” Zoe studied the readings in bewilderment, before she returned her gaze to the strange light, and the gate beyond. “If you’re anything to go by, then whatever is in there would have enough power to keep Chthonic Power Solutions in business for centuries.”
She studied the strange light, uncertain if it was even alive, and chewed her lip as she gazed at the readings once more. She recalled Shadow’s warning, forbidding her from taking anything from his kingdom. And yet, she knew this strange light presented her the opportunity of a lifetime. An opportunity she couldn’t afford to waste.
Zoe rummaged in her satchel, before she pulled out a container. She carefully guided the small light into it, and closed the lid.
“Well, you seem happy enough inside there. That is, if you’re even alive…” Zoe poked some air holes in the container lid, just in case. “Let’s just keep this secret between you and me, huh? I don’t need that grumpy overlord of the Underworld to find out about this just yet…”
“What exactly don’t you want me to find out?” Zoe gasped as a voice reverberated from the darkness, until Shadow stepped from the gloom. “And for the record, I’m not grumpy. I’m brooding. Now, what have you got there?”
“It’s nothing, I…” Zoe desperately tried to push the container to the bottom of her satchel. “I was just taking in the sights with Spooks.”
“Is that so?” Shadow’s eyes narrowed. “Cerberus? Go fetch what our mortal guest is trying so desperately to hide.”
Zoe gulped as Cerberus bounded from the darkness, before he buried his nose deep into her satchel. A pit formed in her stomach as the dog rooted through the bag, excitedly sniffing for any incriminating evidence. Great, she’d not only miss out on her chance to secure her promotion, but she’d likely be imprisoned in Tartarus, too. As Cerberus retrieved an object from her satchel, she lowered her gaze fearfully to the ground, and braced herself for whatever dark punishment the King of the Underworld would concoct.
“Well, well, well.” Shadow summoned Cerberus to his side, before he peered at the object held within the creature’s slobbery jaws. “What do we have here?”
“Wait, I can explain–” Zoe forced herself to meet Shadow’s gaze, until she drew a startled breath. “Hey, that’s not dog food. It’s my Boo-Berry Muffin!”
Zoe watched as one of Cerberus’ heads greedily devoured the muffin in one smooth gulp, much to the protests of the other two. She glanced at Shadow, to see him sigh in despair.
“So much for Cerberus’ guard dog duty. Food will always be his kryptonite…”
“Should we take him to the vet?” She glanced worriedly as the giant dog chased his tail. “I’m not sure dogs are supposed to eat muffins. Then again, I’ve never seen a dog with three heads before…”
“That dog nearly ate his way through the gates of Tartarus. Trust me, he’ll be fine.” Shadow rolled his eyes as Cerberus barked happily, before he returned his gaze to Zoe. “So, were you really out here sightseeing with Spooks?”
“Of course she was, master!” Spooks appeared in a puff of smoke, sporting a wide grin that went from ear to ear. “Why there’s no finer way to see the sights than aboard the Spooks Express. Toot toot!”
As the poltergeist whistled excitedly, Shadow sighed.
“Well, I guess I owe you an apology, mortal. No one’s wanted a tour of the Underworld in years…” Shadow’s eyes glimmered in the light as he looked at her curiously. “Whatever were you hoping to find?”
Zoe glanced at her satchel, where a small glimmer of light shone within. She drew a breath to respond, only for Spooks to interrupt once more.
“I know exactly what the fleshie was looking for!” Spooks floated upside-down in the air, before he peered suspiciously at Zoe. “I figured it out all by myself!”
Zoe gulped fearfully. “You did?”
“Of course! I saw everything I needed to see on that fancy typewriter machine of yours.” Spooks narrowed his eyes, and pointed an accusatory finger towards Zoe. “She’s a travel blogger!”
“I…” Zoe glanced at Spooks in bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s no use denying it! I saw it with my very own eyes!” Spooks cackled with excitement, oblivious to Zoe’s confusion. “Why else would you travel from town to town, writing your fancy reports…”
“No, Spooks, that’s not…”
“Look here! Paradise Heights. Serenity Meadows, Whispering Pines…” Spooks tossed her work files from her satchel, until they lay strewn across the ground. “You said it yourself. You discovered those places and filled them with fleshies, until they became richer than their wildest dreams! And you’re going to do the same for the Underworld Motel!”
Zoe shook her head in despair. So much for Spooks’ powers of detection. As the poltergeist cackled to himself proudly, she turned to see a look of perplexity on Shadow’s face.
“What in Olympus’ name is a travel blogger?” Shadow scratched his head in confusion. “And why would we need the help of one?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, this place is deader than a dodo. Without Charon, we need a new way to spread the word of our fine establishment. A way to help lost souls discover us again.” Spooks broke into a grin, before he thrust his finger towards Zoe once more. “We need her.”
Despite Spooks’ conviction, she shook her head. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake…”
“Think about it! Our streets would be filled with the wails of spirit-kind. Our motel would be busier than a seance on Halloween. And our guest book would be full to the brim once more.” Spooks turned to Shadow pleadingly. “This is our chance to bring the Underworld back to life. But only if you let the fleshie stay.”
Zoe cursed, realizing that the poltergeist’s imagination was more runaway than the Spooks Express. But before she could put a stop to the specter’s nonsense, he interrupted her once more.
“This is the opportunity we’ve all been waiting for! Miguel, clear the spiders from the guest rooms! Juan, grab your paint brushes! It’s time to prepare the Underworld Motel for a grand reopening! Because who needs a ferryman of the Underworld, when we have Zoe, the travel blogger of Chthonic Power Solutions!” A shower of confetti burst excitedly from Spooks’ sleeves, before he turned to Zoe. “Of course, the fleshie will need to stay for longer. And she’ll naturally need an access-all-areas of the Underworld.”
Zoe drew a breath to object, but paused as the shimmer of light in her satchel caught her attention. She thought of the readings on her tracker, before she glanced at the locked gate behind her.
“Access all areas?”
“Of course! Why, you can snoop around in the dustiest of catacombs. You could venture into the depths of Tartarus! Heck, you could even visit Cerberus’ Dog House, if you wanted to.” Cerberus barked happily at the prospect. “Nowhere would be off limits to the savior of the Underworld!”
Zoe’s breath caught in her throat, until she stood torn with indecision. She knew she should put an end to Spooks’ nonsense, and return to the world in which she belonged. But as she glanced at the gate once more, Swindleton’s goading voice filled her mind.
You might have a talent for discovering where Chthonic Power Solutions should set its sights, but you’ve never had the gall to pull off a deal like this. And that’s why they’ll name me as Mr. Gravesend’s successor.
“Well, is it true, Zoe?” Shadow turned to her with a mixture of suspicion and hope. “Can you really help us save the Underworld?”
A battle raged within Zoe, between her ambition and her conscience. Her gaze returned to the gate, knowing that it contained a power that would grant her everything she ever dreamed of. A power that could be hers for the taking. And all it would take was one white lie.
“Yes.”
Zoe drew a startled breath as the lie escaped her lips. A deep shame rose within her body, filling her with an instant regret. But as Spooks let out a cheer of delight, she realized the damage had already been done. She had fallen to Swindleton’s level, and in doing so, had signed her soul to Chthonic Power Solutions.
“Well, there’s one seal of approval you’ll need if you’re to stay in the Underworld.” Shadow turned to Cerberus. “What do you think, boy?”
With a bark of excitement, the giant dog bounded towards Zoe, before his slobbery tongue eagerly licked her face. She fought off Cerberus’ advances, settling for a belly rub instead, until she turned to see Shadow watch her intently. In his eyes, she saw his barriers and guardedness remain. But she noted that something else glimmered in the depths of his gaze, too. Hope.
“Well, I guess it’s decided.” Shadow stepped closer, and broke into a smile. “It looks like the Underworld Motel will be back in business.”