She could feel Allie picking through her brain. She felt herself infected by this filthy, filthy girl. “GET OUT!” Mary demanded—and even though she was no longer an Afterlight, the force of her will was still strong enough to hit Allie like a mortar blast. Allie recoiled, and was ejected out of her—but not before seeing the depths of Mary’s mind— and what she saw there, the plans, the schemes, the terrible things that would happen if Mary had her way—it was like witnessing Armageddon itself. And what made it all the more horrifying was that Mary truly believed it was all in the service of good. More than ever, Allie knew that Mary must be stopped!

But the force of her expulsion from Mary’s body had rattled her and made her weak—weak enough for Milos to grab her. They were both back in Everlost now. She was looking at him—not a fleshie, but Milos himself—and his expression was stone.

“You have made life very interesting, haven’t you?”

Allie tried to pull free, but she was too weak now.

“You’re not going anywhere but with me,” Milos told her. “In case you forgot, you made me a promise, and you’re going to keep it.” Then he pulled her out of Graceland, and she didn’t have the strength to resist.

CHAPTER 37
Sky Refugees

Johnnie-O sat facing Charlie in the Starboard Promenade of the Hindenburg, a bucket of coins between them.

“You go first,” said Johnnie-O.

“No, you go first,” echoed Charlie.

“No, you go first!”

“No, you!”

How they got here was a mixture of failure, triumph, and luck.

While Mary Hightower had made her way to Graceland for her momentous meeting with the Chocolate Ogre, her children attacked the train.

Johnnie-O took charge, ready for the fight. “Bring ’em down or push ’em down,” he told the army. Any enemy that couldn’t be captured would be sent to the center of the earth. Then he went out into the battle swinging his heavy fists. Charlie, who was not much of a fighter, followed behind him, carrying the bucket of coins, and wearing a gardening glove on his hand to protect himself from the coins’ power. Maybe Nick wanted to give these kids a choice, but Johnnie-O and Charlie were determined to send as many of them as possible into the light, whether they liked it or not.

Johnnie-O grabbed one Afterlight after another, dragging them to Charlie, who would put a coin into their palms, and force their fists closed around it. They all had the same reaction, a look of terrified surprise that was quickly replaced by an expression of utter peace before they disappeared in a twinkling of light. Johnnie-O didn’t like the peace part of it. There was no satisfaction for him in making his enemies content, but as long as they vanished from his sight, he didn’t complain.