The Road From Death

by Tobias Wade

  Mr. Wolf hurried away to where Brandon had begun to shout into his orb. Noah caught a glimpse of an imp chasing a group of costumed trick-or-treaters, its sharp teeth flashing in the crystal. Despite the commotion, Walter didn’t turn to look or even blink.

  Noah couldn’t help but think back to his own wife, a cheery English woman named Olivia Wells. They’d had a brief but fulfilling affair, but it was undeniable that his awareness of spirits had put a strain on the relationship. They were fighting all the time by the point of Mandy being born, and when the child began seeing spirits as well it was too much for Olivia to bear and she was never to be seen again. This sent his thoughts spiraling back to Mandy once more, and what she must be going through trying to raise Lewis on her own. It was no wonder that she’d prefer not to see the things she did, but denying them didn’t seem like any solution at all…

  Had Noah ever truly fallen in love? He’d loved the idea of love, from books and movies and all the ways it could have been if life hadn’t gotten in the way. He had no doubt that he loved his parents, and his daughter, and his grandson, but that wasn’t the same as falling in love with a stranger. There had been a few times in his life when he thought he’d found the one, but it always seemed like the more he got to know her, the less he knew himself, and in the end he’d be alone again. Perhaps he’d been too selfish to ever lose himself in someone else.

  Noah studied Walter’s face, how he had barely moved a muscle this whole time. It hardly seemed worthwhile to fall in love if it hurt so badly when it was over. Even now that Walter had found her again, it didn’t seem to make him happy. If anything he looked like he was about to cry. Slowly, tenderly, with trembling hand, Walter reached out to touch the crystal ball. At almost the same instant Natasha looked up from her phone, her deep, brown eyes lighting up the stone.

  “Oh, there you are, I’ve been waiting almost an hour,” she said, her voice low and smooth.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” a husky voice replied. “Next time you can take two hours getting ready and we’ll call it even.”

  She laughed and smiled, allowing herself to be swept into the arms of a man in a suit that looked so new that it bent rather than folded. Noah thought it was only decent to turn away when they kissed, but Walter still didn’t blink.

  “We should hurry though,” Natasha said, nestling against the man. “The curtain is going to open before we even get there.”

  “Fine with me,” he replied. “The only show I’m interested in will be going on in the back of the theatre.”

  Natasha laughed again and drew away teasingly, leading the man away from the house. They were approaching a sleek black town car parked on the street when another car driving much too fast swerved to drift into an uneven park nearby.

  Pedflam squeezed himself out at once, and Noah would have laughed to see him if it weren’t for the severity of Walter’s stare. The medium had dressed in flowing robes of red satin, his ample neck almost invisible beneath a mass of silver and gold chains attached to amulets, mystic symbols, and what appeared to be the lower jaw of a human skull whose teeth were entirely gold.

  “324 Browsly Street? Natasha?” he shouted before Natasha had a chance to enter her car.

  “Who wants to know?” she asked uneasily.

  The man in the suit looked highly amused. “A friend of yours?” he asked.

  “No,” Walter said. “It’s not her. Get back in the car.”

  “What do you mean it’s not her?” Pedflam asked, turning to meet Walter’s gaze in a huff. “Of course it’s her. You think this is my first transmittance?”

  “Who are you talking to?” Natasha asked. “I’m sorry but we really have to go—”

  “Just a moment,” Pedflam told her, turning his attention back on Walter, which to her must appear that he was speaking into the empty air. “Montgomery doesn’t offer refunds, and you’re not going to get another chance at this. If you have something to say, then say it. If not, then I’m going home. It’s all the same to me.”

  The man in the suit opened the passenger side door of the town car and gestured for Natasha to get in. Then to Pedflam, he said, “Whatever you’re selling, we aren’t buying. Happy Halloween man... whatever you’re dressed as.”

  “This,” Pedflam replied magnanimously, sweeping his hands down the length of his satin robes, “This is no costume, sir. This robe represents the highest trust and honor that the Trans Dimensional Department may bestow upon a living mortal. And the only thing I’m selling you is the truth, unless of course you were interested in a protection amulet…”

  “It wasn’t supposed to go like this,” Walter moaned. “Just tell her—tell her to be happy, okay?”

  Natasha’s door was already swinging shut when Pedflam spluttered, “Walter wants you to be happy.”

  The door halted so suddenly that time might as well have stopped. Walter was speaking quickly now, and Pedflam hurried to repeat every word.

  “He says he’s sorry he didn’t show you how important you are when he still had the chance, but he wants to say it now. He wants you to not take any of it too seriously, because it’ll all be over too soon and none of it can follow you where you’re going. That it doesn’t have to all be done right the first time round, because you’ll get to try again and everything will be easier next time. He wants you to know that there’s no feeling so heavy that your soul can’t carry, and whether it’s good or bad it doesn’t matter so long as you can feel something that makes you feel alive. Walter wants you to know that he loved you while he was alive, that he still loves you now that he’s gone, and that he’ll continue loving you in the next life too. Even if you’re a hawk and he’s a rabbit, because it’s your soul that he loves, and you don’t have to belong to him for him to see its light.”

  Natasha didn’t have words to respond with, but her mouth parted and her eyes glistened, and to Walter that must have been enough. Not even waiting for a reply, Walter turned away from the crystal globe and stumbled blindly through the room, nearly tripping over Elizabeth and pushing past Rachelle on his way out. They giggled at him as he passed, but he didn’t seem to hear. It’s probably best he left when he did, because Pedflam had appended the speech with a well rehearsed sales pitch for his amulets.

  “… and I’m sure he would have wanted you to stay safe with one of these harpy claws, hand-calcified to be in the physical world, of course.”

  Noah turned away from the crystal as well. Everyone else was still playing with their imps, but such games lost their appeal in the face of the heavy wistfulness filling his heart. Love didn’t seem quite as silly to Noah as it had a moment before, although he still had a hard time believing that it was worth it.

  “Is Walter okay?” Jamie asked from a nearby orb which she shared with a tall, thin girl named Jennifer Alaski. Jamie’s imp was in a kitchen washing dishes, looking glum.

  “Go and find out, why don’t you,” Jennifer snapped. “You’re not using your imp right anyway.”

  “They needed the help!” Jamie insisted. “All those kids running around and making a mess already, it’s the least I could do.”

  “He’ll be okay,” Noah said, watching Walter exit the building. “I think he just wants to be alone.”

  “I understand,” Jamie said. “It’s funny, but for years and years I was afraid of dying alone, but now that I’m dead I have more friends than I ever did alive. Do you feel that way too, Noah?”

  Noah wasn’t listening anymore though. He’d gone to the window to watch Walter walking a few unsteady steps outside, then tipping over to land on his back in the grass and stare up at the moon. How odd that it was the same moon that stirred such feelings in the living. Would they look at it any differently if they knew the dead were watching too?

  Qari Olandesca Illustrations

  Zombies

  There must have been a secret pact among the professors to all begin increasing the workload at the same time. Demonology remained Noah’s easiest subject as he kept
remembering things he never thought he knew, but even so there were long histories to learn that he knew nothing about. Professor Salice had an extremely sympathetic view of demons and lectured at length about how they were persecuted throughout the ages. He seemed to think they were a universal scapegoat for everything that went wrong, and tended to gloss over the ‘historically insignificant’ massacres which they caused every few decades.

  Professor Humstrum’s class had moved onto communicating with living animals. He’d setup a scrying crystal in the middle of the class which went on a tour from house to house looking for cats to speak with. Noah could never seem to get the cat’s attention, although the Professor admitted that sometimes cats prefer to feign disinterest even when they’re perfectly aware of the spirit’s presence. Mrs. Robinson was a regular feature of the class now, although her attendance for the other classes was sporadic at best. She never attended necromancy at all, saying she couldn’t stand their smell.

  Humstrum did seem to act more cooly toward Noah since the incident in the Bestiary, however. The ape maintained a constant air of being politely unimpressed by Noah’s work, saying that Chainers are often weak at transhumanism because they’re ‘so busy with the cycle that they don’t stop to appreciate the beauty of individual lives’. Noah thought that sounded made up.

  Necromancy was even worse though. Despite zombies not having spirits of their own, Noah was convinced that his was being deliberately obstinate as it never seemed to do what it was told. Brandon was the star pupil in this class, which only served to frustrate Noah more. His zombie was practically tap-dancing while Noah struggled to get his own to stop chewing on its arm long enough to listen.

  While Professor Humstrum never gave tests, Professor Wilst was an endless source of pop-quizzes, chapter evaluations, and a looming final exam. Wilst threatened that the worst performing student would have their body exhumed, while the best performer would be allowed to use it for the next semester. It was almost impossible to tell whether the dry, skeletal voice was speaking sarcastically, but the thought of Brandon being able to use his body like a puppet would have been nauseating if Noah still felt that sort of thing.

  Help came from the most unlikely place one November afternoon class where Noah was performing abysmally. The students had taken their zombies out to practice walking up the stairs, but Noah’s zombie had somehow gotten scared of the pit and refused to cross the bridge. Noah grew so frustrated that he shouted at it, causing it to collapse and flop violently on the ground like a fish out of water.

  “You’re going to fail, you know,” Teresa told Noah conversationally. She stayed back with him while the other students went ahead to cross. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already lived your last life.”

  Noah ignored her and began reciting commands from the textbook once more. The zombie flopped onto its back and rocked from side to side, unable to stand up.

  “Do you want to know how Brandon does it?” she asked coyly.

  “No, I don’t,” Noah replied sharply. “Of course he gets along with zombies. They’re both braindead.”

  Noah expected her to become outraged at any slight against her precious son, but to his surprise she only giggled.

  “He’s got a mermaid skull from Nepon Vasolich, the supernautical sailor. It translates his commands into a smooth music that only the dead can hear, and it helps them understand.”

  “So he’s cheating,” Noah said bluntly.

  Teresa’s face crinkled into a sneer, but an instant later it was gone. She was smiling now. “No more cheating than being a Chainer. Anyway, it’s not even cheating, because Professor Wilst never said it wasn’t allowed. Would you like to use it?”

  Noah hated the idea of needing help at all, but as things were he was at risk of being the very bottom of the class. Noah kicked his zombie, his foot making contact as its animation imbued it with spiritual energy.

  “Why do you care?” he asked at last.

  “I don’t,” she said curtly, spreading her fingers to look at her glistening white nails. “It’s all the same to me if you never get to the advanced classes or come back to life at all. Rumor has it that you have a key to the Whispering Room though…”

  “Says who?” Noah asked, as stubborn as his useless zombie.

  “I want it,” Teresa said. “I know you don’t use it. The mermaid skull would do you more good.”

  “How do you know I don’t use it? Who has been talking about me?”

  “Words have wings of their own,” Teresa replied cryptically. “I want to use it tonight. You’ll take me there and show me how it works, okay?”

  “Let me see the skull then,” Noah said.

  Teresa only smirked. “I’ll give it to you in the Whispering Room.” She turned to her zombie which had been standing motionless behind her the whole while. “Consurgo!” she barked. The zombie lurched forward to follow her across the bridge.

  Noah spent the rest of the class trying and failing to get his fat zombie to even stand up again. It rolled back and forth and moaned most piteously, and at one point it began humming loudly to itself to prevent any commands from being heard. Noah hadn’t made any conscious decision yet, but part of him already knew that he wanted to make the deal.

  Noah asked Walter afterward whether he was the one who told Teresa about the whispering room, but he denied it vehemently. Walter called her a snake and said not to trust her, but Jamie was quick to disagree.

  “Do you know how she died?” Jamie asked.

  “No, but I can guess,” Walter said. “My money is on being shot by the police after trying to kick a puppy.”

  “I bet Brandon killed her,” Noah said. “Spoiled brat didn’t want to die alone, so he took her with him.”

  “Close, but no,” Jamie said. “She did die trying to save Brandon though. They were on a boat when he went over, and she went after him. They both drowned in each other’s arms.”

  “How do you know?” Noah asked suspiciously. “Were you the one to tell her about the Whispering Room?”

  “So what if I did?” Jamie asked, turning up her nose. “She’s got loved ones like anyone else. Doesn’t she deserve to hear them too?”

  “No,” Walter and Noah said in unison.

  “You murdered people,” Jamie reminded Noah sharply. “So what if she hasn’t always been the most pleasant person? We’ve all got a chance to leave ourselves behind and start again. If she wants to say goodbye before she can have a fresh start, then she deserves that.”

  After some bickering, Noah decided that he would meet Teresa for the exchange, although Walter insisted he and Jamie accompany as backup to make sure she wasn’t trying to play a trick on him.

  The fifth floor which contained the Whispering Room was empty as usual when the three arrived. Noah could still hear the speech and laughter of jostling students above, but it was muffled and tinny like they were only hearing an echo. It might have been his imagination, but even the will-o-wisps seemed to be burning lower than usual, their normally warm red light muted into pale orange.

  “I was wondering when you’d show up,” Teresa said. She was standing outside the Whispering Room with her arms crossed. She didn’t seem surprised to see Walter and Jamie, giving them no more attention than a swift, contemptuous glance.

  “Let’s get this over with then,” Noah said. “Do you have the skull?”

  Teresa nodded and produced a round object covered in a piece of lavender cloth. The air seemed to grow colder and more brittle for an instant, and Noah shivered involuntarily. Mrs. Robinson, who had taken to sitting on Jamie’s shoulder, hissed softly at the bundle and flattened her ears against her head.

  “Disgusting creature,” Teresa said, stepping back from the cat. “I don’t know why anyone would choose that over being human.”

  “How do we know the skull works?” Walter asked. “You could be trying to cheat us with a piece of rubbish.”

  “How do I know the key works?” she countered. “Show
me how to use the Whispering Room, and I’ll show you how to use the skull.”

  Walter looked like he was ready to argue again, but he held himself back when Noah approached the door. Noah slid the key inside and pushed it open, not taking his eyes off Teresa the whole time. She smirked, her dark eyes twinkling in anticipation.

  “After you, murderer,” she quipped sweetly.

  Noah rolled his eyes and pushed open the door. The room was deserted with pools of green mist floating along the floor, just as Noah had seen it last.

  “Where are they?” Teresa asked.

  “Where are who?” Noah said.

  “All the people. Everyone I used to know.”

  “That’s not how it works,” Noah said. “You’ve got to stand in the circle and listen. Sometimes you can see them if the connection is strong enough, but mostly it’s just whispers like the room says.”

  Teresa looked suspiciously at Noah for a moment before mounting the raised dais. She was still clutching the bundle in her arms, and Mrs. Robinson’s attention was still fixed on it. The cat had crept along behind her, stopping a few feet away, still crouched and ready to spring.

  “Gentle now, Mrs. Robinson,” Jamie said. “We’re all on the same team, okay?”

  “Can I talk to them?” Teresa asked.

  “Not unless they’re a psychic or a Chainer,” Noah said. “Then it’s more like a two-way window.”

  Mist was beginning to billow upward and swirl around Teresa’s feet.

  “There’s nothing to be frightened of,” Jamie said, prompting a sharp glance from Teresa.

  “I’m not frightened,” Teresa snapped. “I just don’t like being watched.”

  “Don’t worry about us,” Jamie said reassuringly. “I was in the room when the others used it and I couldn’t hear anything the living said.”

  Teresa took a deep breath and nodded rigidly. “Thank you,” she said, her faint smile seeming more genuine this time. “I needed this. Did you look inside too?”