Light the Shadows (A Grimm Novel)

Evernight Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2013 Michelle Clay

ISBN:
978-1-77130-365-1

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

With gratitude to my editor, Karyn, and the folks at Evernight Publishing. Thank you for believing in me.

This book is dedicated to my mother and my grandmother. For mom, who instilled in me a lifelong love of reading. I will always cherish the time we spent at the bookstore. And to my granny who told me I could do and be anything I wanted. When I penned (literally) my first book, she was very first beta reader and biggest fan. Without these two influences in my life, these books and the exploration of my vivid imaginings would never have been realized. For that, I am forever grateful and wish they were here to share these joys with me.

~ Michelle

A Grimm Novel, 1

Michelle Clay

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

Frantic faces hovered around the woman lying on the operating table. A doctor in bloodstained scrubs barked orders, and the nursing staff scrambled to carry each one out. They moved in a choreographed manner, each knowing knew exactly what to do.

The sorrowful wail of machinery filled the room
, and someone yelled, “She’s coding!”

A nurse lifted the woman’s eye lid with her thumb and forefinger. “No sign of life.”

The doctor snatched the paddles from the defibrillator and held them at the ready. The machine’s eerie whine filled the room. “Clear!”

Electricity coursed through her body
, and it flopped like a discarded ragdoll. Unsatisfied, the doctor yelled, “Again!”

The woman tried to speak, but no one noticed as her body jerked again and again. Why wouldn’t they stop? Her mind fogged, approaching the inevitability of forever sleep. She welcomed it, urged it to hurry.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor cursed then dropped the paddles. His shoulders bunched, and he sighed. The woman’s death seemed to weigh heavily on him. “I couldn’t save her.”

A sympathetic nurse rested a hand on his shoulder. “You did everything you could.”

The doctor said, “Time of death—three eighteen a.m.”

It all sounded so morose and final. Oddly enough, she felt better. Pain no longer owned her. Exhaustion was all that remained.

She scooted to the edge of the deathbed. Unsure whether her legs would hold her or not, she stood slowly. She had so many questions, but didn’t know where to begin. “Excuse me? Hello?”

No one paid her any attention. In fact, they all continued what they were doing as if she wasn’t even there.

Kicking at the linens and gauze that littered the floor, she was startled to see her foot pass through them. Nothing moved, not even in the wake of her bare foot kicking at it. She turned to glance at the operating table and the various tools lying around it. How strange. That body kind of looked like…
No! No, it couldn’t be!

She took a step closer, inspecting the arm that hung from the operating table. A peacock feather tattoo decorated the wrist, just above the thumb. The woman glanced down at her own hand and was dismayed to see the same ink on her skin.

Just then, a nurse passed through her, right through her like she wasn’t even standing there. The woman in bright colored scrubs shivered as though she’d passed through a cold spot, then moved on.

"Hey!" She reached for the nurse’s sleeve and watched in awed horror as her fingers passed through the Hello Kitty fabric. Not yet putting it all together, she looked at her hand in confusion. What a bizarre night this had turned out to be. “Am I
… Dead?”

The nurse covered the body with a sheet. Somehow, it made everything seem so complete.

A beautifully ornate door appeared in the far corner of the room. Where had it come from?

“That’s weird.” She edged a bit closer, vaguely aware of the magnetic pull it seemed to have over her.

The polished wood was dark with intricate floral designs carved into the grain. She had seen this door before, but couldn’t recall where.

The door creaked open with just a twist of her trembling fingers. Warmth and light flooded over her and filled her with something akin to inner peace. If she stepped inside everything would be righted. She could leave this cold, cruel world behind and begin a new afterlife somewhere new, somewhere wonderful and serene.

She turned to cast one last glance at the body on the table. One slender hand still hung past the sheet that served as a shroud. The fingers were curled in what must have been a final death spasm. The nails were short, unpolished, and looked like they'd been bitten past the quick. Angry red marks ran the length of the inner arm. Track marks?

Only a couple steps inside and the door clicked shut, closed by some unseen force. At this point, if she had a heartbeat, it would have been in her throat. Unease chipped away at any residual feelings of tranquility she may have had. What if this was some kind of trick? What if something terrible awaited her?

The hallway was unremarkable, so utterly stark, clean, and white. It was so bright here, the décor and furnishings merely blurred into the light. She squinted, even lifted a hand to her eyes as soft footfalls quickly approached.

A girl in a simple dress, the red and white kind candy stripers wore in the sixties, approached. The name tag clipped to her collar revealed the name Anna.

“Where am I?”

Anna’s brows lifted in surprise. "Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone."

Sudden tears sprang to her eyes. “I don’t want to be dead.”

“I know, but people die every day. Even children.” Anna’s smile was one of practiced patience. “Death doesn’t discriminate. Come, let’s find your destination.”

“What happened to me?”

“It doesn’t matter now. I'll take you to a much better place.” Though her voice was soft and placating, it did nothing to soothe the dead woman’s nerves.

When she refused to move, Anna sighed in concession. “Overdose. You died of an overdose.”

The truth didn’t make her feel any better. She squinted at the teenager. “Are you an angel? Where are your wings?”

Surprise widened Anna’s hazel eyes before she allowed her gaze to slant toward the closed door. “No, not an angel exactly. But I
am
here to guide you.”

Suspicion darkened her features when Anna reached for her hand again. She jerked it away and took a step back. “Where are you taking me?”

“To the other side." Anna's smile didn't waver, and her gaze appeared sincere. "The hereafter, Shangri-la or whatever your paradise might be.”

Another step backward. “You don’t know where we’re going?”

Frightened and suddenly angry, she turned back the way she’d come. She was surprised to find they’d gone down a corridor, and she hadn’t even noticed the rows and rows of doors that lined the hallway. “There has to be some kind of mistake. I’m not dead. I’m not!”

“Think of it as a train station
. You stop here to catch a ride to the next adventure.”

“This is purgatory?”

Anna nodded. “Yes, your version of it.”

“It reminds me of an institution.” The woman shuddered
, though it wasn’t cold in the white hallway.

“It’s something you’re familiar with.” Anna edged closer. “It’s all here to help ease you into the transition between life and death.”

“No.” She looked around once more, wary of this place and its harsh sterility.

“Fine. I can’t force you to come with me, but you have to understand that you can’t return to your body,” Anna said with a grimace.

“I’m not staying here!” She turned in a tight circle, searching for the doorway she'd come through. They all looked the same now. They’d gone far enough down the corridor that she had no way of knowing which one was the right one.

A man strode past them. His spirit guide gripped his shoulder and guided him toward the closest door on the right. The man didn’t even hesitate, just turned the knob and stepped through. The guide turned to glance over a shoulder before moving f
arther down the hallway. Before long, he blended into the stark brightness and seemed to no longer exist.

“Even if you could go back, you would be disembodied. Most likely, it would drive you mad. Trust me, you don’t want that. Just come with me
, and everything will be okay,” Anna said as she grappled at the woman’s hand.  "I promise."

She darted just out of reach. “This is a big mistake. I must be dreaming.”

“You’ll be frightened and alone.” Anna’s features pinched into a scowl. “Forever."

"You aren't real," the woman shrieked over her shoulder as she ran away.

"You'll become a shadow, an angry spirit,” Anna yelled after her. “You’ll be hunted and destroyed!”

The woman’s bare feet were silent on the tile floor as she fled back the way they’d come.

“It’s a one way door.” Anna didn’t bother to pursue the woman more than a couple steps. “You can’t go back.”