Whispers of Death (22 page)

    "You're wrong.  I am Death...I am the End...I am Darkness," I repeated the words that I’d had heard Death tell me over and over again for months in my nightmares.

    Fear hissed at my words. "You are nothing.  I have ended Death." He pulled the now fully reassembled Scythe from the folds of his black cloak.  The blade was nearly solid black.  There was only a small amount of silver left.

    "Ah, you do see it.  Death is nearly gone now.  Soon he will be mine and will suffer at my hand for all eternity, as will you and your family."

    "You will have to get through me first, and from past experience, you and I know that isn't going to be easy for you." My voice carried more confidence than I felt, but I had to hold my ground.

    "And me," Mark said at my side.

    "And me," Vanessa said, coming from behind me and standing at my other side.

    I knew that Mark had no idea what was taking place, but my heart soared that he stood beside me.

    Fear laughed. "I don't think that will be much of a problem anymore.  Like I said, you are nothing but a simple human."

    I smiled and opened my mind.  Fear's thoughts raced into my own.
"No. I am the Angel of Mercy,"
I thought.

    I watched triumphantly as Fear realized what had happened.  His thoughts were now my thoughts.  I could feel every part of him.

   
"Even as Death, you don't stand a chance.  I will take your happiness and end you.  You will have nothing left but emptiness and despair,"
he thought.

    As quick as lightning, he pushed himself forward.  I stood my ground, forcing Mark to step behind me.  My black gown swirled around me as I altered the threads of time with my fingertips.  Fear's black strands shot upward and slammed into my body.  I felt him forcing his way up my spine and trying to find my heart.  I gasped for breath.  He pushed harder against my memories, trying to fill me with thoughts of fear and darkness.

    I focused on the sounds around me.  Abby giggling as Mark pushed her on the swing, Hunter playing a trumpet for the first time.

    I closed my eyes. "Nice try!" I yelled as I thought of Mark holding me in his arms.  The force of my happiness exploded in a flash of light.  Fear stumbled backwards, hissing.  He looked from me to Mark, and a tight sly smile formed on his lips.

    "Maybe you have pure joy, but what about your mate?  Does he feel the same?" He laughed.

    He moved quickly, sending his own darkness into Mark.  Mark gasped, and his body dropped to the ground, shaking.  His body started to convulse, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

    "Mark!" I yelled, dropping to my knees.

    I forced my thoughts into his mind.  He was trying to think of something happy, but he could only see my lifeless body lying on the bed.  Fear used that to his advantage; he changed his memory to see me lying in a coffin instead of on the bed.

   
"Mark, you have to fight back.  Listen to the sounds around you.  Think of our wedding and the day Abby and Hunter were born.  Think of the first time you held me in your arms!"
My thoughts pleaded with his own.  I could feel him slipping; his mind wasn't able to fight against the fear that he was feeling.

    "I...I can't see it." Mark gasped between words.

    I looked at Vanessa, and her eyes shot me a look of fear. "You have to help him remember or you will lose him!"

    I grabbed Mark and pushed my lips to his.  Instantly, I felt the change. He pulled me in closer, wrapping his arms around me.  I focused on his thoughts, watching as he began pushing Fear away from him.  He ran his fingers up my spine and rested his hand on the back of my neck, forcing me closer to him.  Our bodies wrapped around one another, all thoughts of fear being forced from both our minds.

    Fear recoiled, breathing heavily.  I could feel his anger as Mark and I released one another.  Mark's face was red; he had sweat dripping down his forehead, and he was breathing heavily.

    "Thank you.,” he whispered.

    I smiled at him. "Anytime," I whispered back.

    "It's time to end this," I said, turning around to face Fear.  He was smiling, but I could tell he wasn't happy.

    "You can't protect everyone," he hissed and flicked the scythe in my direction.  A bolt of lightning shot from the sky and connected with the ground just outside the house.  The electricity pushed its way into the house, lights exploded overhead, and the sound of the videos ended.  The house was plunged in complete darkness.  Abby screamed, and I rushed to her side.  Her body was covered in cuts from the broken glass, and I couldn't tell how serious they were.  She was crying and holding her arm. I pulled her close to me and held her. I could feel her fear building up inside of her, and I knew that if I could feel it so could Fear.  He inched his way towards her, and his dark strands began wrapping themselves around her legs.

    "Abby, can you think of something happy?" I asked her. "Can you tell me something that makes you not scared?"

    She shook her head. "Mommy my body hurts!" she cried.

    "Don't touch my sister!" Hunter screamed.  He jumped in front of her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her from my grip. "Leave her alone."

    I watched as Hunter pulled his sister toward a stack of pictures on the far wall.  He pulled them down and held them in front of her face so she could see them in the darkened room.  James rushed over, a flashlight in his hands.  He flicked on the switch and held it over the pictures.

    "See," Hunter told Abby. "Do you know what this is?" he asked her.

    She whimpered but looked at the picture. "That is Mommy and Daddy getting married."

    "And we love mommy and daddy don't we?" Hunter said.

    I had never been more proud of that boy.  He was just like his father, always knowing just what to say to make it better.

   Abby smiled. "Yes, I love Mommy and Daddy. They make me happy," she said.

    Fear screamed as he was forced back.  I felt his anger wash over me.  He was losing his patience.  I twisted my fingers, pulling the space around me into a tight ball.  He was regrouping, trying to decide which member of my family he could move onto next. He focused in on James, and I knew that if he got to him I wasn't sure I could stop the pain.

    I pulled at each strand quickly, not sure what I was going to do. I just knew that I had to get Fear away from my family. After a few seconds I had formed a portal.  I ran towards Fear and grabbed hold of him.  I pulled the portal towards me and jumped inside, keeping hold of Fear as we tumbled through time.  The air around me grew cold.  I could feel the force of the portal pushing against my lungs.  I had never made the leap in my human body. I was always just a Spirit, and now I realized that I might have made a mistake.  Even with all the powers of Death, my body was just not strong enough to make the leap.

    The force pushed against me. I felt Fear struggling to release himself from my grip.  I couldn't breath.  My heart beat wildly in my chest as I struggled to find a way to escape.  The portal continued to pull us deeper, the air growing even colder.

    Fear laughed under my touch. "I can feel your life force failing," he hissed. "Your body can't take the leap through time."

    I knew that he was right.  My vision started to blur, and I knew that I was going to black out.  I could feel the power inside me but couldn't get my mind to make it work.  I gasped as we tumbled, Fear laughing as he watched me begin to die.  I had already taken my final breath. My heartbeat was starting to slow down; soon it would stop beating altogether.  I felt Fear push himself towards me, his black strands entering my body.  I struggled to find a happy thought.  I began to panic; my life was going to be over.

    Fear entered my body and pushed himself towards my heart.  I could feel his strength increase as he turned my happiness into darkness.  I thrashed under his grip, trying desperately to push him away.  He laughed as he pushed his own powers deep into my heart.  I felt my heart stop at his touch.  Darkness filled my mind.  Fear had taken control of my thoughts.  I watched as my husband died over and over again and Abby and Hunter cold and wet on the streets alone.  I felt the tears falling down my cheeks.

    I tried to focus, tried to find something that would bring back my happiness.  I could still feel the strands of time through my fingertips, but I couldn't find the strength to manipulate them.  We continued to fall through the portal.  As the force pushed us closer together, I felt something sharp against the side of my body.  I reached for it and clasped my fingers around something round and smooth.  Instantly I realized what I had found.  I pulled the Scythe from the folds of Fear's cloak.  Before he realized what had happened, I grabbed the blade and forced it into his side.

   Fear screamed in pain as he released his grip.  I felt my memories come back. I could see the joy on James' face as he saw Vanessa again and the happiness it had also brought to Mindy. Fear gasped somewhere next to me. I listened as he screamed in agony.  I gave a final pull at the strands of time, holding tightly to the scythe, before my vision went black.

Twenty-One

    My head was pounding when I finally opened my eyes.  I tried to sit up, but my body refused to move.  My vision was blurry, but I could see stars over head.  It was pitch dark.  The cold air swirled around me, causing my body to shiver uncontrollably.

   
Where was I?

    Immediately the memories flooded back into my mind. I turned my head and quickly looked around, searching for the scythe. It sat on the hard ground a few feet from my body. I reached for it, grasping my fingers around the smooth wooden handle.  I shifted my body to pull it close to me to keep it safe, but as I moved, pain shot through me.  I realized that I had most likely broken something in my fall.  I tried to find the source of the pain, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere.  The scythe was heavy in my hand, much heavier than I had remembered.  I struggled to pull it closer to me.  The pain had become almost unbearable as I moved.  I let out an audible moan as I gave it one final pull.  I held the scythe close to me, afraid that Fear might be coming to find it. I couldn't feel his presence near me, but that didn't mean much.  I may have lost those powers in the portal.

    I lay quietly, listening for any sign that he may be close.  The stars moved overhead as the time ticked by.  The cold was starting to affect me physically.  I was now struggling to keep my eyes open.  With each passing minute I felt as if my body would collapse from pain and cold.  My eyes began to close, and this time I wasn't sure I would be able to force them back open.  I knew that I was suffering from hypothermia, and I couldn't move to find shelter.  I let them close, hoping it would ease my pain.

   
"Hold on Amelia, I'm coming."

    The voice echoed through my mind.  My eyes shot open.  I pulled the scythe closer to my body.  I wouldn't let Fear have it again.  I had to protect my family.  I tried to find the source of the voice, but all I could see were stars and darkness.

   
"I'm coming,"
the voice said again.

    The chill down my back wasn't from the cold this time.  I recognized the voice.  Its deep chilling tone gave me mixed emotions.  I feared the voice, but I also found joy there, a joy I couldn't explain.

   
"Death?"
I thought.

   
"Amelia! Yes, it's me, hang on, I'm almost there,"
Apollyn's voice sounded relieved.

   
"Death, where am I?"
 I could feel him searching my thoughts as he tried to determine my exact location.

   
"You were lost in time. I'm trying to pinpoint your exact location by what you are seeing around you,"
he said.
"I need you to tell me what you are feeling.  Is the ground soft or hard? I know that you are cold, but can you see the sun?"

    I looked around; all I could see were stars in any direction.  The ground was solid, hard and cold underneath my body.  My body temperature was dangerously low, and I was in extreme pain.  I tried to look around at my surroundings, but I couldn't see anything that stood out through the darkness.  It all looked exactly the same.

   
"That's good Amelia, keep looking around. I'm getting an idea of where you are,"
he said in my mind.
"You have landed somewhere in the North."

    "I don't really care," I said aloud. "I just want to go home."

    His laugh rang through my mind.
"You asked where you were. I was just letting you know."

    "
I really just wanted to know if my family was safe
," I explained, "
and how quickly I can get out of here
."

    "How about right now?"

    I peered through the darkness.  Death stood a few feet in front of me; his long black cloak rested over his body.  The hood was pulled down, revealing his face.  Through the darkness I could tell he was smiling.

    "How are you alive?" I said bluntly.

   "Well, that is a long story.  Right now, you desperately need a doctor," he said, bending down over me.

    "Where is Fear?" I grasped the scythe, afraid this was some sort of trick.

    "Fear has been subdued for now; parts of him are still around, but for the most part he has been destroyed," he said, relief pouring from his voice.

    Confusion and happiness stretched across my face. "Parts of him?"

    "Yes," Death answered, "I'm not going to tell you any more right now. When you entered the portal in your human form, it crushed you.  You have broken nearly a third of all your bones in the left side of your body and fractured some on the right.  You are also very hypothermic and losing a lot of blood through a large gash on the back of your head.  I need to get you out of here and to a doctor."

    He placed his arms under my body; the pain escalated, and I gasped for air. "Wait!" I yelled. "Please, you can't move me yet."