“I want the Beijing beef,” Ashley said quickly.
“Orange chicken for me,” Jordan said.
I blushed as the college kid’s jaw dropped in confusion. If the compass had led us to the wrong place, then we were going to look very stupid in about two seconds.
“Um …,” the cashier said, backing away, probably to do the smart thing and call the police on us. I guess we had the wrong guy after all. The cashier shook his head and mumbled, “Beef and broccoli, Beijing beef, and orange chicken. Got it.”
I looked at Ashley and Jordan, who just shrugged. If nothing else, at least we’d get a greasy meal out of this place. I was dying to eat something other than Choco Pies and dried meat.
Our plates arrived quickly. My stomach growled in hunger. Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Panda Express, I had to admit, the scent of beef and broccoli practically had me salivating. The three of us dug into our meals and possibly set a world record by finishing in about two minutes flat. When I looked up, the nearby blond family was gawking at us.
“Nothing to see here, colonizers,” I snapped. They looked away quickly.
After we threw out our empty plates and napkins, we scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary, but no luck.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ashley suggested. “We’re clearly in the wrong place. I mean, Panda Express? Everyone knows Chinese people don’t come here.”
A shadow loomed over our table. The cashier from earlier beckoned for us to follow him.
“This way,” he said and waved us toward a room in the back.
I stared at Ashley, who was still glaring at me as if she thought I’d led us to the wrong place on purpose.
“We’re not even sure we can trust that guy,” she pointed out, not bothering to lower her voice.
Ashley wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t see another option. I shrugged. “If you want to search every building in this Chinatown to find Diyu, then be my guest.” Then I marched after the young man, past a group of screaming children and harried-looking staff.
For a moment, I was afraid Ashley really was going to leave and take Jordan with her. But when I looked back, I found him dutifully trailing after me. Ashley brought up the rear, a guarded expression on her face. She darted her gaze from side to side nervously, as though she’d heard a report of rampaging rhinoceroses in the area.
“In here,” said the cashier, waving us into a room in the back.
I entered. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I frowned.
“There’s nothing in here,” protested Ashley.
The cashier stomped on the ground—one, two, three, four times. Then a huge crack formed beneath our feet in the middle of the floor.
“Safe travels,” he called.
The three of us tumbled downward into the darkness.
CHAPTER
14
As I fell, a scream rang in my ears. I couldn’t tell if it was my own or if it belonged to Ashley. I plummeted into the blackness, my stomach churning and threatening to leap into my throat.
I landed on soft grass after ages of falling. Beside me, Ashley was already on her feet, dusting herself off. No way was I gonna let her beat me. I stood up quickly, too.
“Ow,” moaned Jordan from the ground. “Help me up?” He stretched his hand toward Ashley, who smacked it away. “Gee. Love you, too, sis.”
We were in another cave. Stalactites hung high above our heads. At the exit looked to be the glimmer of a green river and bridge that went over it. I’d never been here before, but somehow, I knew exactly where we were: Diyu.
“Guys, we have to go that wa—” I started.
“This way! Follow me!” Ashley shoved past me and tore off toward the bridge.
Maybe someone should check if Ashley was secretly the god of thunder in disguise, because she was constantly stealing mine.
“This is so trippy,” Jordan murmured as he took in our surroundings.
Ashley turned back and grabbed him by his sleeve, dragging him out of the cave. “Buckle up, gē. Things are about to get a whole lot trippier.”
We headed toward the bridge, which was constructed out of huge gray stones and suspended in midair. It was held up by nothing I could see.
I couldn’t help but shudder. The atmosphere felt full of creepy, dead things. I almost wanted to return to Panda Express. Almost. The urge to complete the quest, and be in the place where my ancestors were, propelled my feet forward.
We walked. And walked. And walked. The bridge seemed impossibly long. I couldn’t see an end to the stretch of gray stones, but I knew my ancestors and the elixir lay somewhere beyond this bridge. That thought gave me the strength to keep going.
“Oh gods, whatever you do, don’t look into the river,” Jordan yelled in a high-pitched voice.
Of course, I looked down and instantly regretted it. The murky green waters were filled with white skeletons. Some were whole bodies that must’ve been recently deceased. Some were just skulls and bones floating separately down the river. I thought I could hear the wails of long-dead souls echoing across the bridge.
“The Bridge of Helplessness,” I blurted. Ye Ye had mentioned this bridge in his nice, cozy bedtime stories about the Underworld.
“Is anything down here alive?” Ashley asked, her voice trembling. For once, she wasn’t oozing confidence. I couldn’t decide if I was gleeful or terrified about what it meant for us all.
“Hurry up, slowpokes!” yelled Jordan from the other end of the bridge. I blinked. When had he gotten there? He waved his arms up and down, like he was trying to flag down a plane. “I’m gonna die of old age before you guys get over here.”
“This would be the place to do it,” Ashley retorted.
My eyes caught sight of figures looming out of the darkness, right behind Jordan. “Look out!” I shouted.
Jordan turned and screamed.
Even though common sense shouted for me to turn back, I ran toward him. A crowd of demons had surrounded Jordan. Some had purple fur, others scaly green skin; some were horned, and some had tall ears. The one thing they had in common was their shiny weapons, like pitchforks and spears, and their glares. Glares that said they’d like nothing better than to run us through with their weapons.
“Who are you, mortals?” snapped an ox-headed demon.
Jordan stumbled backward and almost ran into me.
Since it was clear he wasn’t going to answer, I plastered a smile on my face and summoned all my remaining courage. “Sun Wukong sent us,” I said, my voice miraculously steady. “The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven,” I added, because I could practically hear the arrogant Monkey King scolding me for forgetting his full title.
The ox-head exchanged an indecipherable look with a horse-faced demon. Then they burst out laughing. Not exactly the reaction I’d hoped for.
“Sent here by that idiot monkey? Did you hear that, Horse-Face?” the ox-headed demon roared.
“Sure did, Ox-Head.” Horse-Face chuckled. “ ‘Great Sage, Equal of Heaven.’ Pah!”
I didn’t see what a pair of demons named Ox-Head and Horse-Face found so funny about Sun Wukong’s name, but I decided not to point that out.
“We’re on an urgent mission,” I said, channeling my Oprah voice to sound more important. “Let us through, or … or—you’ll regret it.”