Supernatural entity or not, I didn’t put up with anybody’s drama. “Listen to me. I don’t know the people that hurt you. I want to help. Give me something to work with. I need a name, a place, something. And I can’t do jack until we beat the Nachtmar and get out of here. You need to help me so that I can help you. That was your body buried in that containment unit, wasn’t it?”

“Body? I’m right here. I don’t get what you’re saying.”

This was infuriating. I was arguing with a delusional dead guy, while Julie was in danger. “You said they stuck you with hundreds of needles and filled you with drugs to keep the nightmare asleep. I found the room with all the needles. You’ve been—” I caught myself before I said dead. That probably wouldn’t go over well. “—asleep for a long time. This woman I’m supposed to find, I don’t even know if she’s still around.”

“Why wouldn’t she be? How long have I been sleeping?”

“You’ve been buried for over sixty years.” The kid just stared at me as I rattled off today’s date. “I’m sorry.”

Conflicting expressions clouded his features, shock, disbelief, grief, all in short order, but then he settled on angry denial. “I’m done being lied to. Find her or else I’ll let him have his way.” He took a step back through the wall and disappeared from view.

I swear, the dead never listen to reason.

The elevator and the air were still. The temperature slowly crept back above freezing. There was some creaking of cables above. I hit the emergency call button, but it was still dead. I waited a few seconds, hoping the emergency power would kick on, but it didn’t. I really didn’t have time for this. The last thing I’d seen on the digital display had been L2, only one floor off of where we’d set up shop. If I was lucky I’d stopped near the door and somebody might hear me. So I slammed Abomination’s butt stock against the door and shouted for help.

Several tries of that nonsense and I was getting really pissed off, so I slung my shotgun around my back and drew my kukri. The curved, nineteen inch, Himalayan Chitilangi was thick enough to make a decent crowbar. I jammed the tip into the junction of the doors and started prying. It took me a few seconds to get it leveraged apart. No matter how hard I shoved, I could only get it open a few inches before it got stuck. There had to be some sort of safety latch I couldn’t get to.