Whispers From the Dead

by B. L. Brunnemer

  Alexis: You too.

  Chapter 2

  Saturday Morning

  I ran through the tree line, following it, staying under the trees where the snow wasn’t so thick.

  “Alexis!” His shout echoed through the woods. I fought for breath as adrenaline surged through me, pushing me. Footsteps were behind me. I swerved through the trees. I was hit from behind. My face hit the snow. Something wet touched my face…

  I jerked awake, gasping. Already sitting up, my eyes darted around the room looking for him. It took me a few seconds to realize I was in my bedroom, safe at home. Heart racing, sweat running down my skin, I sat back against the wall. Hades whined next to me. I reached out and let him climb in my lap. Trying to ignore the memories running through my mind, I focused on petting Hades; the texture of his fur, the way his ears felt under my fingertips. It was April. Clay Ordin was in jail without possibility of bail. He can’t hurt me anymore. I ran through my exercises until the tension in my chest eased. I hugged Hades. He must have woken me up before the worst this time. He was so getting treats today.

  When I could, I got to my feet and headed to the bathroom. I started the shower, not because I felt I needed one, but because it was morning. I braced my hands on the counter and took stock.

  I was never going to get back to ‘normal.’ It was time to face it. The doc was right. I wasn’t going to be the same person I was before the cabin. I was going to have triggers, more nightmares, and have trouble in crowds. I looked into the mirror. My green eyes with gold flecks stared back at me out of my heart shaped face. I wasn’t the same person. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t take my life back. My eyes ran over my long, copper hair. I wasn’t the same person and I wasn’t going to be. Maybe it was time to show that. A fire began burning in my belly as I pushed away from the counter and climbed into the shower.

  I quickly ran through my morning routine, determined to make this day a good one. After my shower, I pulled on clean jeans and a simple gray t-shirt before grabbing my keys and phone.

  I headed downstairs to find Rory and Tara in the living room. Living room didn’t quite cover it. It was one great room with the kitchen in its own nook.

  “Rory, do you care if I head out to the park or maybe get my hair cut?” I asked as I reached the first floor.

  Rory didn’t even look up from the paper. “No, go ahead. Which of the guys are going with you?”

  “None,” I stated simply.

  His head snapped up, his gaze ran over me. Rory was a good-looking man. Even I could see that. His Delaney copper hair was rumpled, his brown eyes searching.

  “You’re going out alone?” he asked carefully, his worried eyes meeting mine.

  “Yeah. The shrink said it’s time to try. So, I’m trying,” I bit out. His eyes narrowed at me.

  “Bad dream?” he asked. I grumbled wordlessly. His lips moved to a half smile. “Okay, Kid. If you’re ready, you’re ready.”

  “Thanks,” I said as I let Hades out back and closed the door behind me. Tara had been oddly quiet this morning. I half expected her to make fun of me or something.

  Putting it out of my mind, I looked around. It was a nice, crisp spring morning. The perfect morning to start over. I pulled out my phone and texted Zeke.

  Alexis: I’m heading out to the cemetery alone. Then I might be going to a salon.

  It didn’t take long for a response.

  Zeke: Which one?

  Alexis: Don’t know yet, I’ll let you know when I do.

  There was a long pause before he responded.

  Zeke: Fine. Don’t forget or I’ll start looking for you.

  Alexis: I know.

  I tucked my phone away and let Hades back into the house.

  I ate a quick breakfast and was at the door with Hades in less than ten minutes.

  My stomach shook as I looked outside. For the first time in months, there wasn’t someone waiting for me. That was good. I had this. I’m taking my life back. My hands shook as I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. My body grew tense as I walked to the Blazer. A bird chirped. I jumped. My heart started racing. Come on. It’s broad daylight and you’re just walking to your damn truck. Had the Blazer always been this far away? I growled at myself.

  A neighbor started their lawn mower, I didn’t jump this time but I did tighten my grip on Hades’ leash. My hands began to sweat and my skin was too tight. Being this jittery was starting to piss me off. Okay. I can use pissed off. Pissed off was better than scared. This was my life and I wasn’t going to let some fucker take it from me.

  When I reached the Blazer, I was steadier. My pulse was still racing but I was steadier. I had this.

  As per my normal routine, I drove out to the cemetery. It was your average cemetery. Grass, headstones, some trees and a large group of souls waiting around the flagpole in the Veteran’s section. Okay, that part wasn’t normal but lately it had been my normal. Hades immediately started barking.

  “Shush,” I told him as I looked over the massive crowd. It seemed as if the group never got any smaller. More dead had been showing up every day demanding to be crossed over.

  Luckily, I had figured out a trick in March.

  We had been standing in a big storm with Isaac holding an umbrella over our heads. I had been making trip after trip with souls, the multiple trips were wearing on me.

  “This is taking too long,” I grumbled as I rubbed my temples. Isaac rubbed my lower back gently.

  “Yeah, it is.” he agreed. “Too bad you can’t take more than one.” I went still as I thought it over. Why couldn’t I take more than one? It’d be tricky…

  “Let’s give it a shot,” I suggested. “The after effects can’t be too bad.”

  He eyed me. “If you die, take me with you. Or Zeke will kill me, painfully.”

  I chuckled before turning to the next two souls. Their names were Patty Sinclair and Noah Moore. The two had been high school sweethearts who died in a car crash before graduation. I focused on their need to move on. That golden ribbon of will reached out, split and wrapped around their wrists. I threw up my arms in victory. “Yes!”

  Since that rainy day, I’ve been increasing the number of souls I took in one trip to the Veil, little by little. But lately I’ve been stuck at twenty. And the dead were still getting impatient.

  I zipped up my black hoodie, left Hades in the car and approached the group.

  “About time you showed up,” one of them snapped. I eyed him. Mr. Davis had died in the 70’s, judging from the mustache and polyester suit. There were several murmurs of agreement through the crowd. I ignored him.

  “Okay, we did twenty yesterday,” I announced. “We’re doing twenty today. Whoever is crossing step forward.” A group of souls lined up. Normally I’d care who they were. Today, I didn’t. I just wanted to get this over with. “Alright, we’re forming a chain. Hold hands with the person next to you. There’s going to be a long dark fall, then we’ll land in the Veil. DO NOT let go of the person next to you or they won’t make it to the Veil.” I didn’t know if that was true or not but I didn’t want to take the chance. As the group did as I said, I went to one end of the line. “What’s your name?” The guy was about my age. He was wearing a Kiss shirt and had 80’s band hair.

  “George,” he said. I slipped off my beads. My stomach immediately rolled hard. Ugh, he must have died from a drug overdose.

  I focused on everyone’s need to move on. That gold thread wrapped around his wrist. It serpentined through the group catching everyone’s wrists down the line. I closed my eyes and dropped down, dragging the line of souls with me. It wasn’t comfortable, but it was faster than doing one at a time. Midway down I visualized where I wanted to come out in the Veil. Soon we hit grass. I looked behind me to see all twenty had made it. I let go of the souls and took a look around.

  The Veil had changed over the last few months. Instead of cracked dirt, lush green grass grew, the burnt stumps of trees poking through the waves.
Wild flowers grew here and there in groups. It reminded me of a forest growing after a fire. Life was returning to the Veil, slowly but surely.

  I turned back to the group to see if anyone needed any help crossing today. Several doors of gold light were already closing, others just opening. Everyone rushed to the other side happily. I smiled. That was a first, there were usually one or two who needed a little encouragement. Today was going to be a good day. The doors closed one after another, turning to balls of gold light that shot up into the sky like rockets. They disappeared through the Way.

  I looked around and spotted several new flowers and vines that hadn’t been there before. I eyed the walls of the Veil. They were still gray and smoky. How many souls was it going to take before they even began to thin? I wished I had the answer. I closed my eyes and pulled myself out.

  I blinked at the sunlight before looking to the rest of the large group.

  “They’re across. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I told them as I slipped on my beads.

  “What about the rest of us?” Davis barked.

  I reminded myself to be patient. “I’m not going to burn myself out for you.”

  “You need to cross more of us. This wait is getting ridiculous.” he shot back. I blinked at him, stunned. I had been letting their attitude go. But this…

  “I will cross however many is safe for me to do,” I snapped. “and not one extra.” I turned back to my Blazer as the grumbling crowd began to disperse.

  I climbed in and used my phone to find a salon. Then I got an idea. I called Riley.

  “Hey, girl. I heard you left early last night, are you okay?” Riley asked instantly.

  “Yeah, I had a flashback. I’ll explain later.” I said, hoping she’d forget by then. “I was thinking about getting my hair cut and was wondering if you wanted to go have girl time?”

  “Oh, hell yeah!” Riley exclaimed. “My aunt runs a beauty shop here in town so let me see if I can get us in. I’ll call you right back.” Riley hung up on me. I snorted and took Hades’ leash.

  We walked around the cemetery. It was quiet, as you’d expect with no living people around. Hades lifted his leg to a headstone near the road.

  “No! Bad Hades! You don’t do that there,” I told him as I pulled him away from the headstone. He looked at me, confused. I brought him over to a tree. He sniffed around then lifted his leg. When he was done, I gave him praise and love. He licked my face. I’m assuming that was dog for ‘I get it now and forgive you.' My phone rang.

  “Hey.”

  “I got us in!” Riley announced. “Except it’s not until tomorrow at one.”

  “That works,” I said, “I have voice therapy today anyway.”

  “That sounds like fun,” she said sarcastically. There was shattering glass in the background. “Shit! Gotta go, the cousins are loose.” Riley hung up on me.

  Smiling, Hades and I climbed into the Blazer and started driving.

  I ended up at Chester Park on the east side of the lake. It had several bike paths and walking trails that I had heard of. Before getting out, I texted Zeke.

  Alexis: Salon was a no go. I’m at Chester Park, taking a walk on the main path.

  Zeke: Hades with you?

  Alexis: Yep.

  Zeke: Good. Pay attention around you anyway.

  I tucked my phone into my pocket before climbing out. Hades jumped down, his tail wagging. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as we walked. He looked happy as can be.

  Following Hades’ lead, I headed down the empty main path. The trees towered over us, and the brush was thick here and there. Occasionally, a small patch of wild flowers peeked out of the long grass. The breeze brought pine to my nose, easing the tension in my body. It was a beautiful morning. Birds chirped, the lake was calm, and the sky was clear.

  Several times I had to pull Hades from the huckleberry bushes. He kept trying to eat them. See Lexie? You can do this. You’re going to be okay.

  After some time, I found a bench near the water and sat down. Hades sat, then leaned against my legs. The silence surrounded us. I was outside, alone, for the first time in months. I smiled to myself. I actually managed it.

  A stick snapped somewhere in the woods. I turned and scanned the area with my heart in my throat. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I listened for anything to tell me if someone was there. The woods were quiet again except for birds and the waves on the shore. Swallowing hard, my stomach was in knots as I pulled out my phone. Just in case. Memories brushed my mind. I pushed them away as fear filled me. This wasn’t the same thing. I’m in daylight and Hades is next to me. But my body wasn’t listening. I looked down at my phone to find my hands trembling. My lungs grew tight. All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. Shit! It was getting hard to breathe. I tapped my phone to call someone.

  Heavy footsteps came up the walkway.

  My gaze darted that way, my mind already planning on how to get away. I blinked. Zeke strode down the path towards me with a scowl on his face. Instantly, I could take a full breath. His eyes ran over me, his frown deepened as he moved around the bench to sit near me. Leather and engine grease reached me. I breathed deeply, taking it into my lungs as my heart slowed.

  “I didn’t make it,” he muttered. I let out a long breath as Hades moved to get scratches from Zeke.

  “Me neither. I was starting to have a panic attack,” I admitted sheepishly as I held up my phone. “I was about to call someone.”

  His eyes ran over me, assessing. “How about now?”

  “Better,” I admitted. Whenever one of the guys was around, I was always better, calmer.

  He looked out on the water. “Well, aren’t we a pair?” he grumbled.

  I huffed. “I have trouble leaving the house alone…”

  “And I have to fight tooth and nail to let you,” he admitted quietly.

  I reached over and took his big calloused hand in mine. His fingers were warm as he gave me a squeeze.

  “My shrink says it’s like a muscle,” I told him, as his thumb made small circles over my knuckles. “The more I do it, the sooner I’ll be able to with less trouble.”

  “Sounds like a good doc,” he said. I nodded.

  “We can try again tomorrow.” I offered quietly. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Sounds like a plan.” he agreed, still looking out at the water.

  I gave his hand a shake so he’d look down at me. Those sky-blue eyes met mine. “Let’s get out of here.” he nodded, let go of my hand, then got to his feet. I had to remind myself that Zeke wasn’t into PDA. Not to mention he’d been walking on eggshells around me since he found out he couldn’t hug me. We had been close, we always seemed to understand each other. But now… things were different. I didn’t like it.

  We walked back to the cars in silence.

  When we reached the cars I let Hades jump inside before turning to Zeke. “Maybe we can start with you not following me to Miles’ house?” I offered. He struggled with the idea for a moment. I just waited patiently.

  “Text me when you get there?” he asked, his face hard.

  “You got it.” I gave him a small smile. He waited until I climbed into the Blazer, closed and locked the door before he headed for his ‘97 Jeep Cherokee.

  I missed the old Zeke. The Zeke that wasn’t afraid to touch me or even stand near me. Heart aching, I pulled out of my parking spot and headed to Miles’ house as my new routine dictated.

  * * *

  My official Voice Therapy sessions had ended weeks ago. Ethan, on the other hand, had other ideas.

  I drove through the gate and up the driveway. Ethan thought the more therapy I had, the better the chance of me getting my singing voice back. I had told him what the therapist said but he didn’t care.

  I pulled up to Miles’ house. House was a relative term; it was really a mansion. The gray stone three story house sat on top of the hill with new ivy trying to climb the walls. The old, dead ivy had been
cut away. Huh, he must have had gardeners come out.

  I parked in the circular gravel driveway and texted Zeke that I made it before I headed in. I didn’t bother knocking.

  “I’m here!” I shouted, wincing as my voice came out scratchy.

  “Kitchen!” Miles called back. I headed through the foyer and down the long hall to the kitchen.

  Miles was putting away groceries. Grabbing a bag, I started putting away the cans in the pantry.

  “You were busy this morning,” I said as I turned around.

  Miles closed the fridge then turned to me. “I usually go shopping Saturday mornings.” His gaze ran over me. “How did leaving the house go?”

  I closed the pantry. “Zeke and I got a big fat F for today. I was starting to have a panic attack when he showed up.”

  Miles gave me a small understanding smile. “How long were you out alone before you had an issue?”

  I thought it over. “A couple of hours.”

  His smile grew. “That’s progress, Lexie. It might not be the big step you wanted but it’s still progress.” I grinned at him. He was right. I might have had a problem, but I still went out alone.

  “Thanks, Miles.”

  “You’re welcome, Lexie.”

  I tossed the grocery bag into the recycling bin. Then went to sit down at the counter before I met his gaze again. “I need to talk to you.” His brow drew down as he moved to stand across the breakfast counter from me.

  “Sure. What’s on your mind?” he asked, his voice that silky smooth timbre that I loved.

  I took a deep breath and told him. “Sophie wants to cross soon.” His face turned somber. He placed his hands on the counter as I continued. “And I need to tell the twins so we can find out what pulled her back here.” Miles made his thinking face, the one that left a little wrinkle between his eyes.

  “When does she want to cross?” he asked, his voice quiet.

  “After the cousins leave at the earliest, she said she’d break a guitar when she was ready,” I replied.

  He started tapping out that staccato rhythm on the countertop.