The Protector of Memories (The Veil of Death Book 1)

by D. K. Manning

  Linda stared at the two women for a while.

  Her attention then focussed onto Katherine because it was becoming more and more obvious to Linda, that this woman could actually see her owl. She remained quiet for a few moments longer then turning to Janet said. “I am very sorry about your daughter, Alice.” And as sensitively as she could, explained that they could not speak to Faith until after the medium session. “You’ll understand why it is that I insist that you wait…” she held up her hands and added, “I promise you that you will get to talk to Faith_.”

  “I think Charity is in danger.” Janet insisted. “I believe they meant to kill Charity and not my Alice.”

  Linda looked at Janet. “You must not trust Charity. We know for a fact that Charity has killed five people. Attend the medium session today. Hear what Faith has to say. It is all linked.”

  She walked around the counter. “Please. Wait in the café area.” Linda pointed to the doors and explained. “When the doors open go straight into that room. Once it becomes full…” she paused, “it is full.”

  Janet watched the woman as she walked away. “What did she mean by that? ‘We know for a fact that Charity has killed’_?”

  “Did you see her eyes?” Katherine interrupted. “White…” she paused, “no… silver. They were silvery-white.” She looked at Janet and asked. “Did you see them? It is good to have met another person who has eyes as spooky as mine.”

  Janet frowned. “Katherine my Alice_.”

  “What about the owl?” Katherine said excitedly, “Did you see the woman’s owl?”

  “What are you talking about?” Janet was beginning to get annoyed. “We are not here to have fun and there isn’t an owl.”

  “Janet I am telling you there is an owl perched on that woman’s shoulder. Just because you cannot see it, it doesn’t mean it’s not there_.”

  “For pity sake Katherine you’re acting like a child in a sweet shop.” Janet snapped out impatiently. “I really don’t know why we are here? You didn’t tell me that Faith is some sort of medium. How can a medium help me? And I did not like that woman telling me who I can and cannot trust.” Janet stood up and made her way over toward the doors.

  Katherine made her way over to Janet, lowered her voice and said. “Charity has not severed all contact from Faith or Hope so if she lied about that what else_.”

  Just then, the conference room doors opened.

  Janet and Katherine were jostled and pushed along with everybody else. “Over there.” Katherine said and pointed to the last two seats in the front row. She sat down beside Janet, glanced over at Faith and saw that the woman with the owl was pointing in their direction.

  She smiled at them both and returned their nods of acknowledgement before turning her attentions onto the woman called Hope. She frowned at the sight of the woman’s DIY eye patch and wondered what had happened to her since they had last met.

  Katherine leant closer to Janet and whispered, “Faith has acknowledged our presence.” And recognising the smaller woman standing next to Hope, added, “She ran into the library as if the ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ was chasing after her.”

  When Janet made no reply, she added, “The one with the colourful hair_.”

  A crackling sound, sounded out.

  “The ghosts have arrived.” The regulars informed the visitors.

  Faith took a couple of steps forward but doubled over as if she had been punched in the stomach. “I am the ghost called David.” A male voice boomed out of Faith’s mouth. “Now that I speak in a voice other than that of Faith’s do you believe that I exist? The essence of life is upon the brink of extinction and you concern yourselves with the minor details of proof? When we have succeeded in ripping down the Veil of Death, you will see us and then you will believe what my mum tried to_.”

  Alan Bowling stood up and raised his voice. “Anybody can put on a different voice.” He said accusingly. “I know for a fact that Dawn Woodhouse was committed into psychiatric care by Trevor, her brother.”

  He turned and addressed the room. “I’m sorry to say this but she died an hour ago from the injuries that she caused to herself. Phillip did not harm her… an empty ghost did not harm her_.”

  “My mum had a broken nose, swelling to the left eye and a dislocated right shoulder.” The voice of David said.

  Alan Bowling looked at Faith in distain. “It is easy to obtain information quickly.”

  “That is not why I said it,” the voice of David said. “I said it for you to hear aloud the injuries of my mum and then tell me how she could have done that to herself.”

  Alan Bowling looked up at the ceiling, ignored the question and asked his own instead. “Has anybody else actually witnessed a ghost?”

  Trudy Dodge from ‘Haunted Buildings’ magazine said excitedly. “My equipment has picked up a surge of energy. That energy has to have come from somewhere_.”

  “Energy surges?” He interrupted her and asked. “Can you actually see a ghost?”

  Linda stepped forward. “I can see ghosts but that is not the issue. Have you not heard a single_?”

  “Right,” he interrupted, “so that’s you, Faith and a piece of equipment. Do you not realise how ridiculous you all sound?”

  A woman in her forties stood up. “I’m getting pissed off with your negativity.”

  “Negativity!” Alan Bowling shouted.

  The ghost called David used all of his life-force and raised Faith’s body off of the ground.

  He lifted it higher and higher until he had everybody’s attention. “My mum came here yesterday and warned you what is happening and you do nothing but bicker.”

  David floated Faith’s body toward the reporter called Alan Bowling. “Do you want to know what my mum’s last words were? Save them David. You must find a way to save the race of humankind.” He used Faith’s fingers and wrapped them around Alan Bowling’s neck. “Ask me what has happened to my mum’s Soul!”

  “Faith…” Alan Bowling spluttered, “Take your hands off of me_.”

  “I am not Faith,” David screamed out in anger. “I am the ghost called David and I want you to prove to me why you are worth saving?”

  “David please put Faith down,” Linda said quietly.

  She looked up at Faith and then to Alan Bowling; his legs were kicking and flailing, his fingers were trying to prise away the finger lock that was around his neck. His face was getting redder and redder.

  “David.” Linda insisted. “David you do not want to do this. This is not who you are. Please put the man down.”

  The ghost called David looked at the woman with the owl on her shoulder. “They don’t care about my mum. Why do they get the right to live?” David squeezed tighter the fingers around the man’s neck, raised his voice to a pitch so piercing, people had to cover their ears.

  “Feel the strength of my might.”

  “David.” Linda whispered and quoted. “’Strength without wisdom falls by its own weight’.”[iv]

  The ghost called David looked down and asked. “Why is it that we only learn after it is all too late? They do not even see that you are the light when all that surrounds us is the darkness.”

  “Do not let that darkness consume you now. Look into my eyes. Stay focussed on the trickle of light that you see. That’s it. Slowly…” When David placed Faith and Alan Bowling back onto terra firma, Linda steadied Faith.

  Brian and one of the security men caught hold of Alan.

  As Alan passed Faith he said to her, “Faith I…” he coughed and rubbed at his neck, “I’ll get you arrested for this…” but his throat hurt too much and he said no more.

  Linda sat Faith down into the chair beside the table and she watched David floating out of Faith’s body.

  “Faith I am sorry.” He said.

  Linda turned and stared at him.

  She was angry at how he had behaved. “You used Faith’s vessel as if she were a toy. Who intends to harm the living David? Empty ghosts o
r all ghosts?”

  “I didn’t mean for it to go that far. It was unforgiveable of me.”

  Faith took deep breaths of air - deep, long gasps of air. When she felt that she could talk, she said. “David it was understandable.”

  “No!” Linda interjected angrily and looked at the ghost called David. “Faith will be locked up… she will be sectioned because of what you have done to Alan Bowling. That is the fate that you have sealed for Faith.”

  The ghost of David’s image flickered. “Forgive me,” he said as he disappeared out of sight.

  The sound of chairs being scrapped along the library’s wooden floor told Linda what was about to happen next and she stepped in front of Faith, Hope and Sam - held her hands – palms up, “Stop right there!” she shouted to the crowd of people surging forward.

  “Thank you,” she said when they did has she had asked. “Please give Faith a moment.”

  Sam was staring in awe at Linda; she’s just stopped a tidal wave of people with the palms of her hands?

  Trudy Dodge stepped forward. “Perhaps my team could meander through the rest of the library. We won’t be a nuisance.” She promised.

  “Don’t you understand what is happening?” Linda said to Trudy. She raised her voice so that everyone could hear her, “The ghost called David witnessed the death of his mum’s Soul_.”

  A young man interrupted Linda and shouted at Faith.

  “You have accused me and my girlfriend of killing. We have killed no one. We do not hear the voices of ghosts and our bodies are not being harmed. Liar. Liar. Liar…” he raised his arms encouraging everybody else to join in.

  Nobody did.

  Faith looked at the man. “That is not what your auras tell me.” And she pointed to the particles of grey that she now knew to be the remnants of the Souls. “You have the ash of Souls within your aura_.”

  “Take that back!” The man’s girlfriend shouted. “That is a nasty thing to say.”

  Faith flicked the air with her hand. “I know where you have buried their bodies… hidden them away like scraps of meat.” She stepped toward the man. “Your Soul is not ash is it! When you live within your next life you will soar… and dance with the energies of a life-force. I expect you will eventually forget what it is that you have done!”

  Faith’s tears rolled down her face and she continued to shout out into the room. “You treat life as if it is a once in a lifetime offer. This is not a dress rehearsal. Your life does not end when the body ceases to exist.”

  Looking toward the middle-aged couple who had killed fifteen young women, she raised her voice in anger and shouted. “When your bodies die your empty ghosts seek to claim their right on your Soul for that is not empty is it!”

  Silence hit the room.

  A reporter called Chris broke it and asked. “So what are you saying? That the end of the world is coming.”

  “No,” Faith answered. “The empty ghosts are coming.”

  Nervous laughter sounded out.

  Chairs scrapped against the floor as people stood up again.

  Chris asked. “And why should we believe you? Give me one good reason why any of us should believe you?”

  “It does not matter whether you believe me or not.” Faith answered. “The ghost called David leads an army of those who favour the human form. They intend to rip down the Veil of Death so that they can be seen again. You decide then on what you want to believe.”

  Chris quickly interjected. “Your speech is admirable.” And he meant it because he believed that what Faith was trying to achieve was admirable and… brave, but she would meet with failure. “You will not stop the act of killing. Nobody can.”

  “I know,” Faith stated. “That is not what I am trying to achieve. I am warning the people on this planet called Earth that a battle is about to begin. You are about to fight an enemy that you have already killed. The empty ghosts care not that they were once a part of the human race, they fight for their right to survive. What would you do if you had the ability that I have? Keep quiet? Continue to live a normal mortal life_?”

  “What a load of old bollocks!” A man shouted.

  “For crying out loud,” The man standing next to him said in exasperation, “Let the woman speak_.”

  But he cried out in pain as the man thumped him on the nose and the spattering of blood confirmed that it was broken.

  A woman’s voice screamed. “That’s my husband you’ve just hurt!”

  Another man came to her rescue and punched the man who had broken the nose of her husband.

  A woman slapped the rescuer’s face and another woman slapped her back.

  A chair was thrown across the room.

  People screamed and ducked down to avoid the onslaught of more chairs being thrown across the room.

  The man who threw the first chair was rugby tackled to the floor.

  A man’s voice shouted out. “Break it up.”

  Linda instructed Faith, Hope and Sam to go through the door that led them to the conservatory.

  But Sam became distracted with the four security guards and Brain, caught in the middle, trying to break up the fighting.

  “Sam…” Linda insisted.

  But a man pushed Sam out of the way to get to Faith. “I hear voices in my head. Help me. Help me.”

  He continued to laugh mockingly.

  Sam looked at the man in disgust.

  Linda pushed Faith and Hope through the door.

  She turned to witness Sam being hit in the jaw and reached out to grab what she thought was Sam’s body but missed it completely.

  Linda stepped between the man and Sam.

  “Get through that door!” She shouted and grabbed at the door’s handle… missed it – tried again.

  Sam looked up to see the man heading their way and quickly intervened. She grabbed at the handle, slammed the door behind them and locked it just as the man tried to open it.

  They leant their bodies against the door in relief.

  Linda ignored the banging and shouting that was coming from the other side. “Bloody auras,” she muttered. “I reached for your body and got nothing but thin air.”

  Sam stared at Linda in astonishment and suddenly burst out laughing. But that hurt her jaw too much. “Ouch,” she said and rubbed at it. She turned and looked out of the door’s small window. “Total mayhem,” she said. “When did we all become so…” but she could not think of a word that described what she was witnessing.

  “I’m scared.” She whispered to Linda as shock began to take hold. “What do we do?” she pleaded.

  Linda put her arm around Sam’s shoulder. “I don’t know Sam.” She answered honestly. “I really don’t know. But we’ll figure it out… together.” She gave Sam’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Don’t ever feel as if you’re on your own Sam.”

  Linda stepped away and added, “Come on let’s go and find Faith and Hope.

  ∞

  When the fighting had broken out, Katherine had grabbed Janet and got them over toward the doors. They remained flat against the wall but it was becoming more and more obvious that the fighting was increasing in its violence.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Katherine said in a panic. “We are going to get hurt.” And she led Janet out into the main lobby and over toward the library’s main counter.

  “We are not going to get to see Faith today that’s for sure.” Katherine said in disappointment.

  She jumped at the sound of crashing doors and looked over toward the conference room.

  Two men came barging through the doors and continued to fight even when they fell down onto the floor.

  Janet’s attention was on the uniformed police who were running through the main doors of the library. She waited until the revolving doors stopped their spinning. “I’m leaving,” she said to Katherine.

  Katherine nodded and followed her out of the library.

  When they had gotten far enough away, Janet looked at Katherine in disbelief. �
��That woman… Faith. She should be locked up. She’s a danger to herself and others. Why did I let you talk me into coming here?” Janet frowned as she looked over toward the library. “Charity is right. That woman has a mental condition.”

  Katherine crossed her arms. “How do you explain Faith’s body rising up… hovering in the air? And then being able to hold that man in the air while he kicked and struggled?”

  “For pity sake Katherine you don’t believe in any of that nonsense?”

  “Janet!” Katherine raised her voice in frustration. “This has gone way beyond Charity’s face. You heard what Faith is trying to warn us about. Your Alice was killed and she is now an empty ghost_.”

  Janet slapped Katherine hard across her face. “Stay away from me.” She hissed and turned and walked away.

  Katherine nursed her stinging cheek and was about to rush after her to apologise, but then changed her mind.

  What would it achieve?

  She was getting tired of Janet’s insistence that Charity was in danger and looking over at the library thought; no such thing as coincidences.

  All events that have happened over these last few days have eventually led her to this place… to Faith, Hope, Sam and Linda.

  A commotion distracted her from her thoughts and she saw a long line of men and women being led out of the library and into police vans.

  Katherine waited until the police had driven off before walking back to the main doors but when she attempted to push them, they were locked into place.

  She banged onto the glass when she saw a man walking across the lobby and started shouting. “Please. Can I come back in?”

  Brian unlocked the doors, made his way outside and explained to the woman that the library was now closed and added. “Sorry but we’re not letting anybody back into the library.”

  “But I must see Faith. I must see them all. I really need to talk to them.”

  Brian looked at her face and sighting the palm print on it asked. “You okay. You not in trouble are you?”

  “I’m okay it’s just that I…” she faltered, “I was in there just now. I saw it all. I don’t know what to do. I’m left with…” she hesitated, “I believe in the empty ghosts but what do I do now?”