Este is not the kind of woman who runs. Now, once Este finally stops screaming, when their shill screech stops burning their throat, Este bolts up the stairs, all the way to the bedroom she shared with Jayce.

Inside, Eva is stuffing a bag with the last of the valuables she can find that don't belong to a woman.

"We've got to go," Este swings through the doorframe, their fingers curling around the wood, nails digging into the paint. "Now!"

Este doesn't wait for Eva, turning around and sprinting down the stairs. Eva does not even zip her bag shut. Her fingers wrap around an entire jewelry box, ripping it off the dresser as she hurries after Este. The woman who's house they are robbing waits in the doorway, throwing on her shoes. The ground was too wet for them to wear the shoes inside the house. Este spots Eva hurrying toward them, grabs Eva's shoes, and throws themselves out the front door, knowing they are leaving it unlocked.

Eva moves slower without shoes. Even through her socks, the concrete is cold, almost sharp. She manages to get the jewellery box in her bag, and barely zips it up. They make it down six houses before Este finally stops, huffing out air into the cold day. They can see their breath forming in front of them, fog clouds. Eva wants a cigarette.

Este throws the shoes to Eva, "put them on."

"They home?" Eva asks, furrowing her brow.

Este shakes their head, "no. I can't explain it. Bring this to the church. I'll come back later tonight and pawn it then."

Before Eva has even laced on her shoes, Este dashes further down the street, not entirely sure how to get to Kaylee quickly.

~~~~~

After Clare's failed phone call, they head back into the park to grab Kaia. The pair of them were waiting for a bus to come since on days like Sunday the buses run hourly. They also only run in one direction. Clare doesn't mind. It would probably take three hours to walk from where they are to where they need to go.

After paying with their coins, Clare and Kaia sit next to each other. Besides the driver, there is only one other person on the bus. He sits in the back row, layers upon layers on his body. It's warmer in the bus than outside, but Kaia watches as the man curls up into himself, shivering.

She leans in closer to Clare.

"You don't have to, you know," Kaia offers.

On one of their first nights in Chelster, Kaia almost did what Clare is about to do. Fallon pretended to trip to give Kaia an escape route.

Clare shrugs, "we're at a dead end."

Normally, interviewing helps in investigations. Although Este's old husband's new wife knows about them, they've all decided to keep it quiet for now. Clare can't get into contact with the boy who is said to have killed her, and she certainly can't interview her partner. Somewhere in town, Clare's parents live in a house. They can't talk to them either.

Kaia nods. She wouldn't do what Clare is about to do. Even Kaia doesn't want to know what happened that badly.

They sit together on the bus for an hour, barely talking. The conversation floats between their potential dinner plans and maybe trying to watch a movie. It's all futile. They can't afford much besides pasta, not even gluten-free vegan frozen pizzas anymore. Clare doesn't eat anyway. All the movies in the basement are biblical, and none of them have the ID to get a library card to take something else out on VHS.

At least, neither of them talks about their long-term plans. They aren't really allowed to have those anymore. Kaia had always wanted to keep moving, Clare to keep going. Neither of them mentions that they will never broaden their horizons again.

It's a day-in day-out sludge. It's rent that's too expensive and jobs that pay too little to afford to move. It's not even death. It's Chelster.

Finally, Clare pulls the cord to stop the bus. The pair stand up before it stops and step out.

The walk to the spot where Clare was murdered should only take two more minutes.

Kaia rocks on her feet, "you're still convinced the kid didn't do it?"

Clare nods, solemnly, "no."

They haven't told Kaia who Clare suspects. After all, Kaia has more crosses to bear than most other people Clare knows. It isn't fair. She doesn't deserve something else to carry. All this business with Clare has left Kaia without a smile for days. Clare wants to tell themselves it's the church and not Clare who is sucking what remains of Kaia from her. Clare cares for the truth too much to lie about that.

Kaia, standing next to Clare, scowling, realizes she's happy. It's odd. Not having to be happy makes her feel good.

"What do you think you'll see?" Kaia asks.

Clare swallows, "I was looking into a fentanyl dealer in town. I had finally made a connection with someone willing to talk a few days before I died. I think my hit was strategic, whether the kid was paid to do it or was a dealer himself, or he was set up entirely."

"They've got fentanyl out here?" Kaia leans over.

Clare shrugs, "it's a crisis. Was, at least, when I died about three years ago. It's not just Chelster either, but most of the country actually."

Kaia looks at Clare. A frown plays at her lips, but she forces herself to smile, to make herself look at least accepting of the news.

"So, like..." Kaia trails off. "You think you'll remember what happened."

They reach a corner, and before Clare turns around it, they hear a gunshot ring out from that direction. Just up the street, they died.

"I hope so," Clare shrugs.

The pair keep walking. Clare can see exactly where they were last alive. There is no body on the road anymore, but she feels the need to step carefully, avoiding getting blood in their shoes. There is another gunshot and another, and Clare isn't sure if there were multiple yet, or if they are just reliving that moment over and over again.

Their bulletproof vest should've stopped the single shot Clare was reported to have experienced. The kid says he didn't do it. Clare needs to know.

They get closer and Clare's stomach feels warm. Wet. There is a sting, a prick, but Clare's whole body seems to buzz from the little pain they feel. Clare stops and looks at Kaia.

A gunshot. A gunshot. A gunshot.

Kaia frowns. She takes Clare's hand, "it's okay."

Clare hears their partner whispering in their ear. Radio static coming from the shoulders. No one called.

One more step, and Clare finally stands where she crouched over the body at the edge of town.

The sharp pain of the stab goes away. Then, all Clare feels is burning.

~~~

After breakfast, Leo still isn't ready to leave. Ajay cleans up the dishes while Nico sits with Leo. His stillness is unnerving. Nico never thinks of Leo as scary, but they have a good eye for beauty. Leo may have a harsh jawline and tight bumpy red skin on his face, but he has the softest eyes. Sometimes his glance is sharp, but even now, sitting and scowling at their table, Leo is soft.

Nico's hand hovers over the table. They've never had a problem before with shared touches. Grappling Fallon while playing tag at the park, swinging Kaia around at night even though Nico really cannot dance, and even bumping into Eva while they laugh at night, huddling closer to steal the warmth from her cigarette. All of those things were easy enough. Right now though, Nico cannot take Leo's hand. They want to, but they cannot.

Ajay finishes up with the dishes as noise starts to move above them. The service must have ended. People will come back soon since now they won't have to hide their sounds.. Not that they really have to make a concerted effort to be quiet down here during service, but they do keep quiet just in case.

Maybe Nico and Ajay can try to force Leo to play guitar now.

Above them, the door leading down to their basement slams shut. Ajay races into the common room they share, staring at Leo and Nico.

They need to hide. Someone is coming down.

Nico darts into the storage room but leaves the door ajar.

Leo doesn't move. He doesn't see much of a point in it. The footsteps are pounding down the stairs already. He doesn't want to be here.

Ajay stands as stiff and firm. Whoever will come will see a basement that isn't flooded, wet dishes in the dry rack and close to a dozen cots. Running will not save him. His body feels rigid around him. Ajay remembers standing at attention in the hot summer sunlight, sweat running down his back beneath his uniform. It's all he can think to do now.

He smells the stench of burning rubber. White light flashes in front of him. This time, he doesn't hear squealing tires. He hears a loud metallic bang. Almost like a gunshot.

Ajay's still stuck in a moment he doesn't remember.

As a military pilot, Ajay has a lot of experience flying. It's obvious, but he never flew into the horizon. It was always just out of reach. This life is only the horizon, all around him. Neither earth nor sky.

The pastor hurries into the room, staring at the three of them.

"Do not scream during service," the pastor glares at the three of them. "You're lucky the construction noise outside mostly drowned it out."

Nico peeks in from the doorway, "screaming? We weren't screaming."

The pastor doesn't blink, "are you aware of other dead people hiding in here? I'm not."

Leo's fist curls at the table.

Ajay steps in front of Leo, blocking his view of the pastor. Also, blocking the pastor's view of Leo. The first seems more important. The pastor may have allegedly killed people, but Leo has all of Hell and fury inside him. Ajay nods.

"Sorry, it was me," Ajay grins, "terrified of spiders. It won't happen again."

Nico presses their palm into their mouth, covering their face. Ajay did not scream. He probably isn't afraid of spiders. Still, the pastor seems to relax. He straightens out his shirt and heads out of the basement.

The pastor hurries up the stairs. None of them move until the door clicks shut behind them. Even with the noise of the gathering parishioners, the three can hear the sound of the lock clicking shut.

Ajay looks over at Nico. Leo seems barely there. Ajay points over to their lone window, incredibly small but with ineffective blinds.

"We need to get out," Ajay says. "You're the smallest, so you first."

Nico's eyes dart around the room, "what's going on?"

Leo looks confused too. His eyes are still soft. He's still there.

"I don't know," Ajay says.

"You didn't scream," Nico points out.

Ajay nods, "I'm aware."

"But, then why did you say you did?"

"I wanted to get the pastor to leave."

"But what if all three of us actually did scream and we don't remember it? We don't even remember our deaths."

"Nico-"

"None of us know what's happening!"

"Until we do, we shouldn't panic. We just need to get out the window. Find the others. Regroup. Something."

Leo listens to them bickering, sitting quietly at the table. Nico's voice rises and rises. This basement never was flooded like the pastor told his congregation, but Leo can feel the push and the pull of the tide down here.

He walks over to the window and slides it open. Nico is oblivious to the movement, so focused on Ajay. Leo pops out the screen and tosses it on the floor. It clangs.

Both of the other ghosts heads swivel to him.

Leo bends over, his hands folded together. He doesn't want to wait around for the pastor's later wrath, "let's get going."

~~~

They are at the town edge, Barry and Lydia. A different bus took them close to this stop than the one that picked up Clare and Kaia. Together, they stand past a truck stop, where Eva and Barry had ventured long ago. The place where Eva had started to disappear, where they realized they were trapped. Lydia isn't sure why she asked to come.

Well, maybe she is sure. The other ghosts trust neither Barry nor Eva about their experience at the town line. Maybe Lydia's memory isn't all that good, but she remembers this.

"Ladies first," Lydia manages, stepping forward.

Barry grabs her arm, pulling her back in toward him. He looks out toward the edge of town, Lydia in his hand.

"If you start to disappear, you come back," Barry whispers his order because maybe it will sound softer.

He's always been good at getting Lydia to do what he wants, but this isn't his Lydia. He's finally realized that. Although maybe he would be this serious with his Lydia too since she liked to play games. He loved her too much to risk her slipping into nothing.

Barry needs to talk to Audrey.

Lydia looks at him. A few days ago, he looked so familiar. Maybe it was just because he looked at her with familiarity. Now it's gone, and what are they?

"Okay," she manages, smiling. "I'll be careful."

Lydia steps forward. She stretches one hand out in front of her, moving step by step. Barry doesn't cross into this space with her, hanging behind. After three steps, her body becomes translucent. She can see the horizon just past her fingers, living in her skin. Her clothes are solid, but not her body. She takes another step, and another, the opacity of her body lowering and lowering until she can barely make out the outline of her hand. She stops.

Barry's stomach flips. From his vantage point, he cannot see her hand anymore. His own hands feel wet, cold, and his body stings with static. Then, nothing.

Like he too has walked past the town line and has disappeared.

Lydia inches her feet closer, bracing herself. Her fingers disappear. It's not cold anymore. She tries to move her fingers, but there is nothing there. Her body stops before her fingers are supposed to begin.

Barry wants to die. All he wants to do is slip out of this world. Join Lydia. And something like her is standing right in front of him, but she is gone. He didn't even feel like this at her grave. Not that he remembers anyway.

Lydia inches forward a bit more. Her hand goes with her fingers, and then she moves forward to push her wrist into it.

The sleeve of her coat droops where her wrist once filled it but no longer exists.

Lydia pulls back. She looks at Barry.

"We're stuck," she realizes.

He doesn't answer. Barry knows he's been stuck since his Lydia died.

~~~

Eva is just rounding toward the church as the service ends. There are still cars around the block, so she sits on the grass outside of a ditch, legs folded over each other. She stares up at the dark grey clouds overhead. Maybe it'll start snowing. Maybe the sky will break and the sun will slip through. Eva doesn't care. She's never cared about anything.

She glances back at the church and furrows her brow. Nico, Leo, and Ajay paired together, running down the street. Eva reaches up a hand and waves at them. Leo will be so happy with the news of her and Este's exploits. At the very least, he will be happy they can get a motel even if he's unnerved. Maybe unnerved is the best Eva can hope for.

A woman like her could never make anyone happy. The best is uncomfortable. People who fear you are less likely to hurt you.

Ajay spots her first, turning the two others to hurry over to Eva. As they run, panicked, she cackles.

~~~

If Fallon was sure she could die again, surely it would be at Audrey's hands. As the two get deeper and deeper into the forest, Audrey is restless. Surely, it would be safe enough to dump the body here. Scavengers will get to it before any people. They didn't even bring shovels.

"Are you satisfied yet?" Fallon asks.

Audrey shakes her head. She doesn't know the forest well enough to navigate it. This is an excuse if anything. She's going to throw her body where she came back up again. Maybe that will do something.

Something must happen. This can't be it. Something must make sense and it must be done. Audrey must do it. She must understand it and make the world fall into order. This cannot be.

"Audrey, come on," Fallon feels herself shimmer. It is the middle of the day, but it is dim underneath the canopy of trees. "Can you just leave it?"

"No one is stopping you from going back," Audrey snaps. She feels herself start to shake.

"I don't want you to get lost," Fallon offers. "Or me. I'm not sure where to go."

Audrey's lips are dry. They crack a bit. Her throat is parched. As she mumbles complaints about Fallon to herself, she can feel her lips start to bleed.

Would a ghost bleed?

"Audrey, I-"

Fallon is shushed by Audrey, halfway through her thought. She looks at Audrey, who hunches over. She's stopped moving. Fallon tries to listen. There isn't a lot of wind, but she can still hear the leaves of the trees rustling in the breeze. She starts to speak but is shushed again.

Footsteps.

Far away, Ambrose spots them. He was supposed to head toward the town sign and he only stops because of his surprise at seeing the other ghosts with him. Over Audrey's shoulder, Ambrose can see the bag slung against him. The body. Ambrose is used to burying dead things in the forest. What is one more?

"It's just Ambrose," Audrey whispers to herself, straightening up.

Fallon peers at him too.

"We're lost!" she calls out to him.

Ambrose looks around them.

"We need to find our way out," Fallon continues.

Beside her, Audrey rolls her eyes. She struggles to imagine a worse person to be stuck beside in the forest. She raises her voice to reach Ambrose, "we're looking for where we are buried!"

Ambrose knows which way that was from his house, where they first emerged from the woods, and he knows which way his house is. So, he pushes through the forest toward them, beckoning them to join him on their journey to where they emerged.

Far away, Este hears the group shouting at each other. Este doesn't know where Jayce did them in, doesn't even know for sure it was the forest. Where else would he have put them in Chelster that no one would have noticed? He didn't bury Este in their backyard, there are no dumps in town, and the only thing that ties any of the ghosts together is their location of death. It's got to be here.

Este doesn't know these woods, but they know that Ambrose does.

It doesn't help that as she moves through the forest, she feels blood that isn't there trickle down her leg. She feels her lungs constrict more than they would if she was just panicked and running. The bitter, metal taste of dirt in her mouth, and she is sure that Jayce buried her in this soil. Buried her as she bled out, unable to run, still alive.

It feels even darker in here than it did on the night she died.

The other group circles in on the space they came back to life. The ground is not freshly disturbed any longer, but there are divots and curves to it unnatural for such a flat part of Canada. A province where the horizon stretches as far as the eye can see across the flat plains.

Fallon jitters beside Audrey but she pays her no mind. Audrey searches for the spot she was buried, trying to remember where it was.

Here, now, Ambrose still does not feel holy. He has not been made anew. While he was baptized, he should have known he would never be welcomed into god's kingdom. Ambrose was always content to rot.

It's strange. Eva would probably think so too, but Ambrose would tell her that she was wrong.

Somewhere nearby, they hear a muffled cry.

Ambrose moves for it first. Este bursts into the clearing, staring at the others. Her hair is wild, her eyes wet and red, and her breaths are louder than the wind. No predator would hear her and dare to come closer.

"Was that you?" Audrey furrows the brow. "Are you crying?"

Este wipes the tears off their face. Not audibly. At the very least, not audibly crying.

A muffled moan comes again, and Ambrose wraps around the tree.

There, barely a layer of dirt on her lies Kaylee Wood-Roswell. Her back is exposed to Ambrose, her face pressed into the dirt. In a second, Este gets to her. She flips her over. Audrey and Fallon leave the body, hovering over Este who brushes the dirt out of Kaylee's face. Este digs their fingers into Kaylee's mouth and scoops out some of the muck. Kaylee coughs.

"Holy fuck," Fallon mumbles the words. She grabs onto Ambrose who stands beside her and digs her nails into his arm.

He looks at Fallon, eyes wide. Ambrose realizes he's panicking too. His pulse hammers in his throat. This is the nail in the coffin. Ambrose isn't sure how to pull her in close to him.

Death is not what he thought it would be.

Kaylee coughs up more, and muck spills out of her mouth. There is a worm in there. Fallon gags. Ambrose grabs her arm too.

Audrey's face is pale white. She can't breathe. She can't even think. This isn't clones, whatever it is. It's something that can be explained. That's the only thing she holds on to as mud splashes at her feet. This can be explained.

Este tries to help Kaylee up, "you're all right. He's gone."

Kaylee's hands dig into Este. It's like she's scooping at the earth. It's like she's trying to get out as well. Her hands climb up Este's coat. They find the scarf, ripping at it, and Este pulls down, feeling their neck constrict.

Kaylee's eyes are dark brown up close. The pupils, the iris, the parts of her eyes that are supposed to be white. She stops coughing and looks at Este.

"It's burning," her voice is scratchy, deeper, and when she speaks air blows out of her mouth into Este's face. "It's going to take you too."

Kaylee's grip on the scarf loosens. Este tries to catch her but she falls back into the dirt. Her eyes wide open, deep brown, unblinking. 

~~~~~

And you thought the last cliff-hanger was brutal. Whoop. This is maybe the most obnoxiously long thing yet, but I edited it this time and I actually think it's okay. Let me know what you think in the comments!