Dead Men Walking

by Raquel Lyon

  Piper looked across to Sophie who was rubbing her fingers on her forehead. Clearly wanting to know and actually knowing were two different things. Piper understood how Sophie felt; she felt exactly the same way about her father.

  Sophie looked up suddenly. “How do we find him?”

  “We don’t,” Sam answered. “He could be anywhere in the world by now.”

  “So, you expect me to, what... carry on with life, pretending he’s still dead?”

  “He is dead, Soph,” Beth said. “He just happens to be walking around.”

  “Yes. Two miles away from his home. Why couldn’t I feel it? Why didn’t I know?”

  “Soph, calm down. You’re stressing out over something over which you have no control. Try to think of the positives.”

  “What positives?”

  “Well... for instance, I’m sure Connor is much happier going around capturing souls than he would be being tortured in the chasms of Hell every day.”

  “Your astute insight makes me feel so much better. I need to clear my head. I’m going for a walk.”

  “Do you need some company? I could come with you.”

  “No. This is something I need to do on my own.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  UNDER THE MOONLESS SKY, darkness blanketed the countryside—a deep, dense dark sweeping into the distance. To Sophie, it brought comfort and clarity, erasing the confusion and leaving one sole thought. Connor. All those wasted days visiting him at the crypt when he wasn’t there, the nights she’d dreamt of Sam coming to inform her that Connor had earned his wings and was looking down on her—it was all a lie. The dark had claimed him, and it could claim her too, if it wanted.

  Leaving the soft glow of the town behind, she climbed over a wall and stepped into the starless void. To lessen her inevitable disappointment, she’d repeatedly told herself it was a fruitless journey. As Sam had said, Connor would have already moved on, but, as she had said, she was simply going for a night-time stroll... almost.

  Out in the wild, it was easy to leave the real world and her human form behind. It was what she wanted. No reminders.

  A sense of calm seeped through her as she set off running, her nose to the ground, her ears alert for danger. Above her, the thick quiet of the air was disturbed only by nocturnal birds squawking and the soft rustle of wind through the treetops. In the next field, a herd of cows interrupted their slumber and lazily regarded her as she wove through them. Then, leaping over a ditch, she discarded her need for a recuperative drink and left the trickle of water behind.

  Stoically, she continued on, her night vision easing her path, and faster and faster the ground sped by as she raced over the hills towards Hoglington. Despite a light drizzle dampening the autumn wind and weighing down her coat, she felt free for the first time in years. Many times, her paws slid on the wet ground and she rolled onto her back before righting herself and picking up speed again. Her small limbs ached from years of misuse, but it was far easier to travel the route on four legs than two, and she would be happy to run forever if there were even the tiniest chance she’d get to see Connor again.

  Just once would be enough: to tell him how sorry she was, to feel his arms around her, to breathe him in again. She wondered whether Hell had tainted him with its sulphurous stench, or if he still smelled of applewood. For months she’d slept with his T-shirt under her pillow, until eventually it had lost its scent. It was an aroma she longed to recall.

  Reaching the brow of a hill, she paused briefly and glanced sideways at the Hoglington houses silhouetted by streetlights in the valley below before continuing down towards the river and the old mill.

  Upon entering the courtyard, she padded cautiously over the cobbles towards the main building. Now that she was here, she questioned her sanity. There’d been something finite about Connor’s death, a simple fact she had had to overcome, but knowing he was out there somewhere changed everything. Old memories returned, and along with them came the desire to feel closer to him in any way she could—hence the reason she was trespassing through fragments of broken slates and wooden panels and into the wheelhouse.

  Searching the high-ceilinged room, she pictured Connor’s wolf. She’d seen him fight many times and knew his moves. Halfway up a post to her left, she found what she was looking for. It was far too high for her to reach in her current state, but with the property appearing deserted, she felt safe reverting to human form.

  Stupidly, she’d neglected to bring a torch, and her human eyes lost sight of their mark. She ran her hand over the rough wood until it found the grooves left by Connor’s claws and closed her eyes as her fingers dipped into and smoothed up and down the tracks. Thinking of him standing where she was, only a few hours earlier, she couldn’t shake the disappointment that it didn’t bring the comfort she craved. She turned her back to the post and slid to the floor.

  There had to be another way.

  The stone flags, damp under her thighs, seeped a chill into her blood as the minutes passed. She shivered and shifted into a coat more suitable for the weather. Outside the drizzle increased and large drops began to rain down through the hole in the roof. She flicked her tail and headed for shelter at the back of the building.

  It was then she saw it.

  Behind a workbench, a figure lay sleeping under a cover of flour sacks.

  Sophie’s fur prickled as she crept towards the bundle, thinking the most likely explanation was probably a tramp seeking refuge from the inclement conditions. It might even be Boatman John straying from his usual Fosswell haunt. But Boatman John’s hair had greyed with age. This vagrant had a crop of black hair looping over the edge of the sacks. The man stirred in his sleep and turned his head. Sophie let out a yelp and her heart swelled. She knew his face well.

  Sitting back on her haunches, she cocked her head and stared, unblinking, too stunned to trust her own eyes, then bent her snout to nudge his chin. He was real. She licked his cheek to wake him, and a finger crept from under the sack to brush her away.

  “Bugger off, Saul,” he mumbled without raising his lids.

  Sophie wondered who Saul was but decided to let Connor sleep and laid her snout on his blanketed arm. Resting there she had a perfect view of his face—a little more haggard than she remembered it, but just as beautiful. It made no difference to her whether he was awake or not. Being this close to him was more than she could have wished for.

  His cheek twitched and he licked his lips, leaving them slightly apart. She longed to feel them against her skin again, and her mind wandered to the past as her eyes drifted closed.

  *****

  The morning chorus chirped loudly. Sophie’s ears pricked and she lifted her head to shake the haze from it. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and a sharp panic raced through her until she glanced down and saw Connor stirring beside her. He looked up and a slow smile spread to his eyes as he reached out his hand tentatively.

  “Hey, boy,” he said. “If you’re looking for food, I don’t have any, though I wouldn’t say no if you find some and want to share.”

  Sophie had missed the sound of his voice, deep and comforting like a warm bath. It had faded from her memory along with the scent on his T-shirt, but now it was back, and so was he. It was strange how he didn’t seem to have aged a day, and his eyes were the same steely blue she remembered looking down on her with such tenderness, even if the sparkle had vanished. She hoped to replace it when he discovered who she was.

  She stood up and took a step back, then shed her fur and fought the urge to reach out to him as she waited for his reaction. It wasn’t the one she’d expected.

  His dark brows slanted with a frown. “You’re a shifter? And a girl? What are you doing here?”

  “I came to find you,” she said, her mind racing at his abrupt attitude.

  “I’m not going back,” he said quickly.

  Sophie’s warm glow turned to a cold ache, weighing her down with new anguish. “Why not?”

  “This i
s my home, right here. Offer anything you like; I’m not going.” His face was a stony mask. “Please leave me alone.”

  “No!” Sophie refused to let him dismiss her so casually. “I know the drill. If I leave you, I’ll forget I ever saw you.”

  “What do you care? Just go tell your boss I’m done. I’d rather sleep on a million cold floors than take his blood money. I’m going home... wherever that is.”

  “But Lovell Towers is your home.”

  “Where?” His eyes were wary. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

  Sophie tensed and all previous hope wilted from her chest. “Don’t you know me?”

  “Should I?” His face softened as he stared at her. “I have a feeling I should, but no. Can’t say that I do.”

  She choked back a tear. “I can’t believe you’ve forgotten.”

  “Look,” he said. “I don’t know how you know me, so this might sound way off base, but... the Devil stole my memories.”

  “He did what?” Sophie shook her head and sat at his side. “I guess that explains a lot.”

  Conner nodded. “I thought you were one of his assistants.”

  “Well, I’m not. What made you think that?”

  “No one else knows I’m here.”

  “Occupational hazard for a Gleaner, I suppose?”

  “Not anymore. I’ve paid my dues.”

  “Say that again.”

  “I’m not beholden to the Devil anymore. I’m a free man.”

  Sophie let out her tension in one long breath. “In that case, you’re coming home with me.”

  His fingers clamped over her arm. “Home?”

  “Yes, Connor, home.” He didn’t have to love her. He didn’t even have to remember her. He just had to be. Everything else they could work on. He was alive, and that was all that mattered. “And when we get there, we’re going to figure out a way to get your memories back.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  THE FOLLOWING DAY, Piper and Lambert were heading down the stairs when they met Maddie on her way up. She was practically walking backwards as she looked over her shoulder.

  Piper stopped short. “Maddie? What are you doing here?”

  “Miss Morrison let me in on her way out,” she said, turning to follow them back down again. “Oh, and she said to tell you she couldn’t stay any longer, and something about you needing to sort out your own breakfast because Sophie wasn’t back from somewhere or other.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’m not that hungry, anyway. Are you here to check up on me again?”

  “That’s what friends do, isn’t it? And seeing as I have a free, I thought I’d ask if you fancied going bowling? We haven’t been out in ages.”

  “Oh my god, yes. Something normal. I’d love to.”

  “Great! Let’s go.”

  Lambert cleared his throat. “I would not mind eating before departing—that is, if the invitation extends to me.”

  “Of course it does,” Piper said. “Go grab something and wolf it. We’ll wait here.” She turned to find Maddie checking Lambert out on his way to the kitchen.

  Maddie licked her lips and took a breath before she turned and they made eye contact. “So, how’s it going?” she said.

  “It’s been... interesting,” Piper said. “I hardly know where to start.”

  “How about with old sexy eyes?” She nodded her head in the direction of the kitchen. “Can’t be bad living with such a hottie like him?”

  “That’s my brother you’re crushing on, and for your information, he can be a real pain in the backside.”

  “Nobody’s perfect.”

  “Maddie... Hands off!”

  “Okay. I get the message. Change of subject. How weird is it being friends with Miss Morrison?”

  “It isn’t, really. I never knew Beth when I was at college, so I don’t see her as a teacher, though she still likes to act like one sometimes.”

  “She was acting stressed before.”

  “She’s probably just worried about Sophie running off last night.”

  “Running off? Does she do that often?”

  “Um...” Piper considered the unexpected question. “Usually to her studio, but she’s had a tough week. First her husband lied to and deserted her, and then yesterday she found out that her long-lost love has become some kind of reaper for the underworld. I expect that might have something to do with her going further this time.”

  “Ooo, yeah. Ouch,” Maddie said as Lambert walked back into view, wiping his hand across his mouth. Maddie stopped talking and plastered on a smile.

  *****

  The bowling alley was already busy by the time they got there. Piper couldn’t help feeling how strangely normal everything looked, and yet, at the same time, alien. It was as if she’d been transported back to a different time—a time of innocence when she’d thought she had her life all planned out.

  The huge room was a riot of colours and flashing signs, and each side wall displayed a bright mural with a cartoon design. Music blasting through speakers mingled with the sound of clashing wood and excited shouts. Piper saw Lambert rub his ears a few times, unused to the noise, as they settled into their game, but it didn’t seem to affect his aim, and he was soon so far in the lead he couldn’t be caught.

  “What’s your secret?” Maddie asked him as he walked back from yet another strike.

  He was wearing the new black jeans Beth had bought and a T-shirt with a rock-band logo on it. His appearance hadn’t gone unnoticed by more than one girl, and Piper had to admit it annoyed her somewhat.

  “No secret. This game is very much like the skittles I used to play at home.” He leaned in a little too close to Maddie. “I was the school champion.”

  Piper was convinced she saw Maddie blush as she said, “I can see that about you.” Her smile heated Piper’s insides as she continued, “I bet all the girls loved you.”

  “Maddie,” Piper said with a warning in her voice. “No.”

  Maddie glanced sheepishly over to Lambert, now checking his score on the screen. “All right. I’m sorry. My flirt doesn’t know when to stop sometimes.”

  “Well, you’d better rein it in or I’m gonna burn it, okay?”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Take your turn.”

  As Maddie turned towards the lane, Piper studied the other players and pondered how many of them were only pretending to be human, as they were. It was stupid, really, living in a world where you had to hide who you really were because of people’s ignorance and fear.

  “You’re up,” Maddie said, walking back. “Last chance.”

  Piper glanced at the scoreboard. There was no way to catch Lambert, but if she got a strike, she had a shot at coming second. She took aim and swung. It rolled to the right.

  “It is all in the wrist movement,” she heard Lambert say as he chuckled behind her.

  How dare he laugh at her? She was out of practice, that was all—except that, any second now, it would be in the gutter, and he’d be able to laugh all the more. She willed it towards the central pin.

  “Yes!” she cried as the red cross flashed large.

  Maddie narrowed her eyes. “Did you just voodoo that thing?”

  “Of course not. Swerve ball,” Piper said, turning away as she took a sip on her drink.

  “Hmm. Just naturally talented, huh?”

  “M-hm.”

  Piper was saved from further interrogation when Maddie’s phone rang. She pressed her finger to her ear as she answered it. “It’s the TV, Mum... Yes, I know I shouldn’t be watching it while I’m studying... Yes, Mum, I’ll turn it off... Yes... Bye, Mum.” She ended the call and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. I wish we could go another round, but I’ve got to get back before Mum decides to check up on me in person.”

  *****

  The grandfather clock in the hall struck the hour as Piper and Lambert arrived back at the Towers. Its chimes echoed around the empty walls.
Piper collapsed onto the sofa in the lounge, but she hadn’t been resting there long when she heard the front door open.

  “Who’s there?” she called.

  Sophie’s voice filtered through. “It’s only me.”

  “Oh, good. Beth was worried because you hadn’t come home,” Piper said as Sophie entered the room. If possible, she appeared even more tired, but the light had notably returned to her eyes.

  “I was rather busy. She’ll understand.” Sophie looked over her shoulder and beckoned with her head. “Come in, Connor. It’s your home, too.”

  Piper gasped and stared wide-eyed as the boy she’d only seen pictures of came to life before her eyes. “H-how...?”

  “I’d like to say I had special talents, but it was pure, dumb luck really,” Sophie said wistfully, watching Connor as she talked. He’d walked over to the sideboard and was staring at the display of photos. He picked one up.

  Sophie smiled tenderly. “That’s Seth. Your dad.”

  He frowned and bit his lip before putting it down. “I don’t look like him.”

  “No. You take after your mum.” And when his eyes scanned the frames, she added, “You won’t find her picture. She hasn’t been seen since you were born.”

  He took hold of another frame and tilted it.

  “That’s your cousin Sebastian—my husband. He’s out of town at the moment.”

  Staring at the two boys, arms hooked around each other’s shoulders, he said, “Looks like we were close.”

  “You are close.”

  His head shook. “I don’t remember.”

  “You will.”

  He nodded, then realised they weren’t alone. Turning back to the room, he squinted at Piper. “Do I know you?”

  “No. We’ve never met.” Piper smiled, wondering what on earth was going on.

  “Piper and Lambert are staying here for a while,” Sophie said. “I’ll explain everything when you’ve had a chance to freshen up. Come with me; I’ll show you to your room.”