Retriever of the Lost Souls (Retriever Series Book 1)

by Brian

She smiled.

  “Hello,” she purred in her soft whispery voice.

  “I have a question to ask you,” he stated. “Why do you come into the body of Isabella?”

  “Because I can,” Talitha answered with a slight giggle, making Eoin uncomfortable.

  “Why are you looking at me through a box?” Talitha asked.

  “It’s a camera,” Eoin said. “You can take pictures as well as movies with it.”

  “Everything here is a box,” Talitha said.

  “Will you ever hurt her?” Eoin continued the interview.

  “You and she are a pair. If you go, she will follow,” she answered.

  Eoin was a little slow on the uptake.

  “Where am I to go? I don’t understand.” Eoin said.

  “You are the Chosen One. We must take you below to prevent what is prophesied to happen.” Her statement brought chills to his heart.

  “I am chosen by whom? Is it Tedor?” She didn’t say anything.

  “Namus? Gerranor?” again, she didn’t answer.

  “Shaymo?” her eyes opened wide with fear. She nodded and said in a quiet voice “it is all four, they are those that control the covens of hell”.

  Again, Eoin felt fear in his heart. He couldn’t breathe for a minute, but then he asked, “Why did they choose me?” Eoin asked.

  “You were chosen by those above to do many important things, and if you go below, the prophecy will remain unfulfilled.”

  Eoin tried to understand what she was telling him. Was heaven choosing him for some reason? If that was true, why would they want him? He had not lived a religious life, although he did believe in God. In his mind, he couldn’t make sense of what Talitha had just told him.

  He was preparing to ask more questions when she quietly uttered, “I must go.” There was that intake of breath as Isabella came back. Eoin pulled her into his arms and held her tight, knowing that she would fall asleep almost immediately after, since Talitha’s visits always drained her of most of her energy.

  Chapter 39

  They were making love one evening when Eoin heard a deep intake of breath and watched as Isabella’s head lolled to the side. Thinking that Talitha was coming in again, he smiled and waited for the transformation to be complete.

  “Hey Baby,” the voice said.

  “Who are you?”

  “Honey, I’m your worst nightmare,” She said with a throaty laugh.

  Eoin recoiled, taken aback by her statement.

  “What do you want? Tell me who you are!”

  “That isn’t your concern,” she said.

  “Oh, but it is. You’ve come into the body of my girlfriend without asking. I didn’t call to you or ask for you. Therefore, you are uninvited, and you need to leave now!”

  She laughed again and refused to leave.

  “I don’t have to go if I don’t want to,” she said.

  Growing concerned, Eoin placed himself on top of her, as he held her wrists beside each ear.

  “What. Is. Your. Name?”

  “Such a strong man! But you don’t scare me,” she said with a smirk.

  He squeezed harder than ever on her wrists, so much so that his hands were beginning to cramp. She started to fight him, and even though she was stronger than he expected, she eventually relaxed.

  “I am Alaya,” she finally said.

  He let go of her wrists as he held his hands up with his palms facing her.

  “Now, was that so hard, Alaya?” he said.

  She just lay there and stared at him quizzically. Then, she softened, and her hips started rotating slightly. She lifted her arms to beckon him, but something didn’t seem right, so he stayed out of arm's reach.

  “And, just what do you want, Alaya?” he asked, stating a question with an obvious answer.

  “You know what I want,” her voice trailed off.

  “Yes, I can see what it is you desire, but you won’t get that from me.”

  “Oh, but I will.”

  “No. You won’t. I’ll never give you that.”

  Her features hardened, and her eyes narrowed into slits with anger.

  “What is the password?” she demanded.

  Eoin blinked twice in shock.

  “Tell me the password, and I’ll go,” Alaya said.

  Choosing his words carefully, he said, “Um, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Oh yes, you do.”

  “No. Not really. What is it you are asking? I don’t know anything about any password.”

  “Don’t play coy with me. You know what I want!” Alaya hissed.

  Her face then hardened further, and she spoke through her teeth, slowly, succinctly.

  “Give. Me. The. Password!”

  Eoin couldn’t see Alaya’s body, but even so, what beauty there had been, melted into an ugliness he had never seen. There was an aura of evilness permeating the room, and he felt himself wanting to get away from her.

  “I want you to leave now. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just go!”

  “I’ll go for now, but trust me when I say, I’ll be back, and I WILL get what I want from you, one way or another!”

  Her eyes closed, and her head rolled once again to the side as he could see her body relax and the ugliness of Alaya disappeared. Isabella’s eyes blinked a few times as she attempted to get a bearing on her surroundings.

  “What happened, Eoin? The last thing I remember is we were making love. Then there was a cold blackness all around me.”

  Eoin nodded as if he understood.

  “Somebody named Alaya just showed up, and she is nasty and strong. She kept asking me for a password or something, convinced that I knew what she was asking about. Then, next thing I know, she left, and you came back.”

  Eoin curled up to her and held her close as she cried before she fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 40

  Eoin was a very busy man, and even though he was still seeing Lilith, he didn’t see her as often as he had before, which was of concern to Shaymo. It was clear that the second use of managa had again only been partially successful, suspecting it had probably been watered down from those above. He knew that they needed to act quickly. Shaymo wanted to be able to gauge the effect of the managa, so once again he instructed Lilith to visit him.

  Eoin was enjoying spending time with Isabella when he received a call from Lilith.

  “I’ve got something to tell you. I’m sitting at a bar with Isabella.”

  Lilith became deathly quiet.

  “I just wanted to know if I could come by and use your laptop to download some music.”

  Since she had not yelled at him over the phone, he agreed to meet her in a few hours. She was sitting in her car as he pulled into his driveway, prepared for a confrontation that didn’t come. Instead, they walked into his apartment arm in arm.

  They were making small talk when Lilith looked him in the eyes and said, “Can we at least still be friends?”

  Eoin paused for a moment then said, “Yes, I’d like that.”

  Eoin desperately wanted to share what was happening in his life with someone other than Isabella and Talitha, so he sat Lilith down and told her all about Talitha and the visits from other spirits. Taking her by the hands, he looked straight into her eyes.

  “I know this probably sounds strange to you, but I promise I am not making this up. I have a good imagination, but it’s not that good.”

  Lilith couldn’t believe her luck at how well this had turned out. Now she had a way to stay in touch with him, and if she was careful, she would be able to get him back into her life to complete her assignment.

  “Please stay safe and be careful. I’ll pray for you.”

  She flashed him a look of complete desire, her green eyes sparkling as they lit up, arousing Eoin, who somehow found the strength to turn around and walk back to his apartment. Lilith had already seen the look in his eyes and chuckled to herself about the gift that had dropped into her lap.
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br />   That evening as he was relaxing on his bed with Isabella when he asked if he could speak to Talitha. Isabella agreed, closed her eyes and called for Talitha.

  “Hello,” hearing her soft voice once again.

  “I’m glad you could come. I wanted to ask you something about Lilith,” he said.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I know you have certain…abilities, and I want to know why I feel so attracted to her?”

  Talitha was silent as she pondered how she would respond. She knew that she would get in trouble from below if she gave more information than she should. But she was torn as to what she should do. After several moments of silence, she answered him.

  “She isn’t who she says she is.”

  “What? That doesn’t make sense.”

  “You must be careful around her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Talitha remained silent for a moment before telling him that she had to go. She knew who Lilith was and what she was doing, and even though she and Lilith were attempting to do the same thing, she felt the need to protect Eoin and Isabella from Lilith. However, like most of those from below, Talitha was frightened of Lilith’s power and knew that Lilith could, and would, destroy anyone she wanted to, at any time, with or without reason. Eoin knew what her intentions were but he couldn’t help but fall in love with Talitha.

  Chapter 41

  Talitha knew that Eoin was falling in love with her and that she had to finish her task sooner than later.

  “I don’t know how, but I’ve fallen in love with you,” he whispered to Talitha one night.

  She took a deep breath before speaking.

  “Eoin, I have something vital to ask you.”

  He was silent as he bid her to continue.

  “Do you love me enough to follow me? No matter where I go or what I do?”

  “I don’t know what you mean?”

  Unknowingly, she repeating the words she had once said to Martin a long time ago “I mean, if I didn’t go to heaven when I died-- if something happened that I went--below-- would you follow me? Will you stay with me forever?”

  He looked at her intensely, his pulse quickening.

  “Yes, I will,” he slowly answered.

  Those from below began to cheer as they knew that Eoin had finally agreed to go below. All they had to do now was to arrange for an accident to happen to him. They also knew that Isabella would want to follow him as her love for him was so strong.

  Talitha was glad that this part of her assignment was over, she could hear those below cheering. Yet she felt uneasy for she had fallen in love and knew what would happen to him once below. Sadness welled up inside her.

  “I must go,” she said wanting to cry.

  She knew she had to leave before the tears began to run down her face.

  Eoin quickly got up and began dressing as Isabella came back.

  “What’s the matter? What happened? I feel an overwhelming sadness. What did you do to her?” Isabella demanded. She had grown very fond of Talitha and was quite protective of her as they had often talked late into the night.

  “Nothing, she just left.” Eoin was agitated. “Let’s go have a beer or something. I need to get out of here.”

  Isabella knew something was wrong and was worried about his state of mind.

  “Are you sure you’re ok?”

  “Of course,” he snapped.

  After consuming a few beers, they returned to Eoin’s apartment and were sitting on his bed talking when once again there was a deep intake of breath and Isabella was gone.

  “Hey Baby.”

  “Alaya, what do you want? I’m not in the mood for you today.”

  “What’s the matter, baby?" she purred. "Don’t you want me to make you feel good? I know that Talitha makes you feel good. Soon you can come with me and I will show you the way to have some real fun”

  Eoin shivered with dread. He knew that she and Talitha were from the same place, but they were as different as night and day.

  “Nothing you say or do will make me feel better,” he said.

  “Oh, poor baby, are we feeling a little confused? Does my student have you in her clutches?”

  “What?"

  “Nothing baby. Nothing you should worry about in that pretty little head of yours,” Alaya answered sarcastically.

  “Go Alaya. I don’t want you here right now.”

  “As you wish, but before I go, I’ll ask again. What is the password?”

  “I’ll tell you again, as I did before, I. Don’t. Have. The. Password. If I did I wouldn’t give it to you. NOW GO!!” Eoin screamed.

  Without another word, Isabella was back. Alaya was a nasty, vicious woman who was as strong as she was determined, and who would come and go with impunity. She was also an opportunist, and one night when Isabella and Eoin had been out drinking, Alaya took advantage of Isabella’s inebriated state of mind.

  “What do you want from me, Alaya?” Eoin asked.

  “Baby, you know what I want. Tell me the password.”

  “You’ve no right to be here! Get OUT before I throw you out!”

  “She’s quite drunk, so I’ll go. However, you need to tell the little woman to be careful as it makes her more susep-”

  Alaya stopped suddenly and immediately left. When she did, Isabella fell up against their car and Eoin had to grab her arm to keep her from hitting the ground. He was upset with Isabella for getting drunk, and even though Alaya stopped short, she had given away a secret.

  The next morning when Isabella was in the shower, Alaya paid another visit. This time, however, Eoin wasn’t there and didn’t know. Stepping out of the shower, Alaya wrapped a towel around her hair, and another around her body, and stepped into his bedroom. Approaching Eoin, she seductively began unwrapping the covering from her body, and by the time she was in front of him, the towel was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Eoin was about to take her into his arms when she suddenly grabbed him by the throat and began squeezing. He was caught off guard but knew it was Alaya. His hands were unable to break her grip, and Alaya could tell his world was beginning to swim. She pushed him roughly onto the bed, letting go of his throat leaving Eoin gasping for air desperately. She straddled him and dropped down on him several times with all her weight, knocking the wind out of him.

  “What. Is. The. Password!” She said each time she dropped.

  Eoin knew the only way out of this predicament was to kick her off and waited until she was about to drop again when he met her downward drop with an upward thrust of his knees. Caught by surprise, Alaya cried out as she lost her balance and fell to the side. Eoin was suddenly filled with energy and strength and was able to turn the tide on Alaya by pinning her down on the bed. Eoin moved to position his knees on each of her shoulders and then let go of her wrists to free his hand so he could slap her. As he did, Alaya shrieked with pain and suddenly left. Isabella immediately returned and cried out in pain as well, rubbing her right shoulder. After making sure that Isabella was otherwise okay, he gently held her and rocked her as he recounted what had happened.

  Alaya hadn’t counted on Eoin causing pain to Isabella’s body as everything she learned about him indicated otherwise. Later that evening, Talitha confirmed that pain would bring the host to the “front.”

  Eoin and Isabella could not fathom what had happened to them and hoped that it would go away. They wondered if one or the other of them was the “magnet,” and reasoned that if the “magnet” weren’t around, perhaps things would settle down. However, when Alaya paid a visit to Isabella at work, they began to suspect there was only one possible explanation – that Isabella was the source of entry.

  Even though Eoin had minimal Christian teaching, he knew about God from his mother. He also remembered a dream he had as a young boy. In this dream, everything on the earth, including rocks and trees, were shouting praises to God. He didn’t understand at the time but pondered it now. To Eoin, going to church meant drawing on a
small notepad with a maroon cover during the service and playing in the elevator. He would later learn that he was a “carnal Christian” - someone who knew of God but did nothing to nurture that relationship. When he had been in college, he found God again, and became a born-again Christian. This newfound relationship lasted until he graduated, at which point he fell into the ways of the world once more.

  Now, thirty years later, he was considering all that had happened in his past. The memories, dreams, and current experiences. To him, the implication was undeniable. All these experiences had helped to prepare him for this experience, and he realized this was something more significant than either of them.

  After talking to Isabella about his revelations, they both started preparing by immersing themselves in the Word of God, praying for relevance. Isabella would pray that God would make things “clear as a window” so that there would be no mistake in her interpretation. Sometimes it would be a lesson in strength, other times one in faith. As they studied, Isabella was also garnering spiritual power, and Eoin could see the change in her and was very proud to be her partner. Each told the other that they began their day with a prayer of thanksgiving, which bolstered them and to a level of trust that neither had experienced before. At night, they would both drop to their knees and give thanks to the Lord for seeing them safely through another day, another encounter.

  Chapter 42

  As teacher and student, Alaya and Lilith were a formidable pair, scheming and plotting the demise of others, as well as their current target. They came up with the idea to have Lilith visit Eoin to keep him “entertained,” while Alaya would carry out yet another attack on Isabella. That night, Lilith showed up at Eoin’s apartment around 8:00 pm, telling him that Mark had kicked her out after a big fight and that she had nowhere to go. Eoin took her in, and they talked well into the night. He went to the refrigerator and brought out a couple of beers. Soon they had shared several and Eoin was feeling no pain. This made him more talkative than ever.

  “I’ve had more visits from this girl named Alaya. She scares me, she is so strong, and she sometimes overcomes Isabella, I don’t know what to do.” Eoin expressed.