Whispers of Death (19 page)

Eighteen

    I had never been more grateful that I wasn't in my human body.  My head was spinning, and I was sure I would have fainted.  I didn't know what to do.  My life had been flipped upside down when I’d started traveling to the spirit world, and now it was more than that.  My whole life was over.  Mark was never going to understand.  I didn't even understand.

    I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.  My words were difficult to find, however after several long moments of trying to speak, I was finally able to squeak out one phrase.

    "What about my family?"

    Although I couldn't see Death, I could feel him within me.  I could sense his presence.  He seemed to mull over my question, unsure of how to answer.

    "Your life is different than mine was.  My family was already gone," he answered. "I wondered the same question when I realized who you were.  I knew that you wouldn't freely give up your family," he said.

    After a few quick breaths, he continued, "I went to talk to Seer, and he couldn't see your future after you connected with your body.  He had nothing, not even a glimpse of your life after you re-entered your body.  That was strange for him; he usually has some sort of vision, something that shows the person later on in life, but with you it was nothing.  It was then that we both realized who you really were.  We don't know what happens to you or your family from this moment on.  Your fate and the fate of those you love will be completely dependent upon you and your ability to overpower Fear."

    I wanted to collapse.

    "It is time for you to take your place.  The blade is already dying.  If you don't get it back soon, not only will I not be able to take my own path, but no one will." He pleaded with me. "I need you to end my life, as I did for my family, and accept who you are."

    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes again.  I balled my fists and tried to slow my beating heart.  I knew that the monitor that was connected to my body was going crazy at this point. I could vaguely hear it.  The quiet voices I had heard after I had reconnected with my body earlier were getting louder.  Their urgent tones could now be identified, and I finally understood why I could hear them.  They were pleading for mercy from Death, from
me
.

    I opened my eyes; the scene had again changed.  This time we were back at the lonely tombstone on the hill.  The storm had calmed slightly, and I could vaguely hear the crashing waves somewhere beyond the darkness, past an unseen cliff I now knew was there.

    Death lay crumpled in a heap of darkness next to his tombstone.  The piece of Fear that had been left to devour Death's soul had moved quickly from his side and was now making its way up his arms and into his neck.

    "How do I get back to my family?" I asked the dark heap.

    A weak voice answered, one I barely recognized. "My cloak." This time it wasn't a voice in my head but a horse whisper from his crumpled up body.

    I looked at the torn piece of fabric that draped over his body.  It had been ripped so badly that it looked like it had gone through a shredder.

    "Are you sure?  It's pretty beat up," I said.

    "Take my cloak from me," he croaked.

    I moved quickly to his side and grabbed hold of the hood. As I made contact with the fabric, the pain shot through me so quickly it took my breath away.  I gasped for breath.  I felt like my insides were being ripped apart.  The sensation quickly moved from my fingertips to my entire body.  I struggled for breath.  I curled into a ball, holding my stomach with my free hand.  The burning sensation pushed its way all the way to my heart, and I felt it beating rapidly, too rapidly.

    "What is happening?" I wheezed through labored breath.

    "You are feeling my pain.  You must take the cloak," Death said urgently. "Quickly!"

    I struggled to get my arm to move.  The pain was completely unbearable.  I could feel the fabric of the cloak between my fingers.  With as much will as I could find amongst the pain I urged my fingers to grasp tightly and pulled.  They reluctantly moved.  I pulled hard.  The cloak broke free of its master, and I flew backwards, landing roughly on my back.  The pain left me instantly, and I lay gasping for breath on the cold, wet earth.

    The cloak rested in my lap.  I ran my fingers down its length and could feel that it was soft like silk.  It moved gently as the wind blew around me.  The bottom hem was ripped and torn; the sleeves were hanging by almost nothing.  I held it, afraid of what it meant.  I sat up; looking at Death, my breath was taken away.  I never expected what I saw there.  A young man lay on the ground near my feet.  He couldn't have been more than fourteen.  His hair was a dark brown with large white streaks hidden amongst it.  His skin was pale and seemed very fragile.  The boy wore a solid black suit, black shirt, vest, and tie.  The man that I had seen on many other occasions had been replaced by someone else, someone I recognized.  Apollyn watched me, his eyes full of sadness and pain.  So much pain.

    "What…what happened to you?" I managed to say.

    Apollyn flinched as he spoke. "That cloak you hold is the secret of Death.  It holds the power to keep you an eternal being," he said. "It not only makes you an eternal being, it also hides your true form.  You are seeing me as I was the day I put on the cloak."

    His words echoed in my mind.
"It hides your true form."
  If I put on this cloak, my family would no longer recognize me.  I would be lost to them, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

    "I won't leave my family," my voice came out harsh.  It wasn't what I’d intended, but I knew that I wouldn't do this without my family.  "They are all I have.  I can't leave them."

    Apollyn's face didn't change; he kept the same look of pain and sadness as I spoke.  He blinked, turning his head away from me before he spoke.  "I knew you would say that.  I have watched you with your family; they need you as much as you need them."

    I could hear the beeping monitor in my ear; it had increased to a speed that I knew wasn't normal.  Mark would be going crazy.  I tried to calm myself down.  I stood and paced in front of Apollyn's tombstone.  I could feel his gaze on me as I contemplated what I was going to do.  I knew that I couldn't leave my family, but I also knew that Apollyn was in no shape to remain Death.  There was only one option.  I didn't know if it was possible, but I knew that I had to ask.

    "If I put this cloak on and defeat Fear, will you live?" I asked him.

    He watched me carefully, thinking about the question before answering.

    "I don't know.  Your life was different than mine.  You only recently started hearing the Spirits plead for mercy.  The nightmares you have had were because I put them there.  I was born so I could experience a life before becoming Death.  You were born because you bring life to those that wish for death."

    "I don't understand," I said blankly

    "When Vanessa was in pain, she wanted nothing more than to die.  She wanted to be free of all pain.  After you were able to take away her pain and help her see what else was there, she wanted nothing more than to live.  For the first time in a long time, she wanted to remember.  She knew that she was forgetting, but the pain was so intense that she had started to let go.  She wanted your help to ease her pain.  You gave her more; you gave her a chance at a new life."    

    My mouth dropped open. "I can bring Vanessa back to life?"

    Apollyn laughed, not a deep laugh, but it was definitely a laugh. "No, she has lived her life.  You have given her back her life that she was forgetting.  You have given her back her husband and daughter, when the only thing that kept her company recently was pain," he explained.  His voice hoarse and quiet, he continued, "When we were in your house moments ago, Vanessa was freed entirely from her pain for a moment at the sight of her daughter’s birth.  She felt alive again.  She felt love and happiness.  You give life to those that wish for death."

    I smiled.  Watching her face light up at the sight of Mindy's picture really had felt like she was alive again.

    "Amelia, our time here is done.  Fear will be coming for your family.  You must make a decision.  I can't make a portal for you to return. I have no strength or power left.  Fear has made sure of that." He stopped and cringed slightly before speaking again.  "See the cloak?  See the rips and tears?  That is my life force; it has been weakened.  You have to decide if you want to take a leap of faith and fight for your family, or stay here, in this lonely single tombstone graveyard, watching as I take my last breath and enter the valley of the dead to take my place at the judgment stone with nowhere to go."

    He already knew what I would choose; he knew that I would go and save my family at all costs, but I still faltered.

    "If I leave here with your cloak, what will happen to you?"

    "When Fear has been defeated and the scythe returned to its rightful place I will die.  With my blood on the blade of the scythe, Fear controls me.  He controls when I die, and he has made it clear that I will suffer a very long time." He coughed, and blood dripped down his lips and onto the ground beneath him.  "You must make your choice; there is little time left."

    I looked again at the torn and battered cloak, my mind reeling.  I knew what I had to do, but I was afraid.  The monitors continued to beep and whir in my ears above the sounds of the pleading voices of the souls in Limbo.  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and swung the cloak over my head.

    The silky fabric slid down over my shoulders and dropped over the tips of my toes.  It attached itself to my body, clinging to every bend and crease.  I felt the power of the cloak push its way into my soul, spreading like wildfire inside me.  My breath quickened as the power surged through me.  The voices that I had been trying to ignore became stronger. Every sound around me became clearer, and I could now see clearly in the dark.  I could see the cliff side in the distance and the ocean beyond that.  I felt the strands of time weaving in and out between my fingers, as if they waited for me to manipulate them to my will.

    I looked at Apollyn as he lay on the ground watching me.  I could see his soul trying to cleave to his body.

   
"You are now an eternal being.  You are the Angel of Mercy."

    The thought came to my mind as if he had spoken it.  I realized that I was hearing Apollyn's thoughts and smiled.

    "I will be back for you soon," I said aloud, knowing that he had lost the ability to hear my own thoughts.  He was no longer Death; he was free to go on to the path chosen for him.

    He smiled at me. "You need to go.  I have kept you too long," Apollyn said.

    I knelt down next to him and placed my hand on his shoulder.  The pain instantly washed through my body.  I kept my hand there for as long as I dared before releasing him.

    "I know I can't take it away permanently yet, but I can give you a little bit of relief," I told him.

    "Thank you," he said. "Now go!"

   I didn't hesitate.  I leapt to my feet and ran a short distance away from Apollyn.  I raised my hand in the air like I had seen Apollyn do before and twisted the strands of time.  They began spinning in front of me, creating my pathway home.  I looked back one last time before stepping into the spinning portal.

    The portal felt cold and damp as I walked through.  I didn't struggle for breath or feel any pressure.  I walked freely and watched as several scenes passed by me.  I could see all different types of people, homes and buildings, before reaching my house.  I stepped from the portal and pulled the hood of the cloak over my head.  It covered every part of me, and even though it fell over my eyes, I could see just fine.  I could feel the life inside the walls of the house.  I could tell you where each person stood and how they were feeling and every other emotion that they were experiencing.  I could even hear their thoughts running through my mind and feel each of their heartbeats.  I quickly tuned out the voices of my family, giving them privacy.  I didn't like hearing their thoughts, or anyone's for that matter. I could also feel something else inside; I could feel the pain of a soul.

    I stepped into the house and walked into the kitchen.  Peter stood at the sink washing dishes.  He was whistling quietly. I recognized the tune of that from one of Olive’s and my favorite musicals.  Abby sat at the table, her little fingers moving back and forth along a book as she read aloud.  She stopped and looked in my direction.  I knew that she didn't know it was me, but I found myself hopeful that she would recognize some part of me. She stared at me for a minute before returning to her book.  I sighed.  I listened to her for a minute and smiled at how well she was reading; she sounded so much older now.

    I found Hunter in the living room drawing.  His long deep strokes flew across that paper.  He concentrated as he spun the paper around so he could reach the top without leaving a smudge.

    "Hello Hunter," I said, hoping that he could still hear me.

    Hunter turned around. "Why are you here?" he whispered.

    I heard the monitor beep quickly in the next room as my excitement rose. "It's me!" I said aloud.

    "Where is my mom?" Hunter asked.  "Is she coming home?"

    I stared at him. "Hunter, can't you see me?" I asked.

    "Yes.  I can see you just fine.  What have you done with my mom?" he asked.

    Realization struck me instantly.  He could only see Death; he didn't see his mom. I thought for a moment before answering. "Your mom will be home soon.  I came to tell your dad something," I said.

    Hunter looked at me and glared. "Why did you take her away?  Why can't she be here instead of you?"

    My heart shattered. "I'm sorry.  Your mom is the only one that can help me," I told him. "She will be back soon, but right now I need to talk to your dad."

    Hunter turned away quickly and went back to his drawing. "He’s in the bedroom with Mom."