Death Unleashed

by TJ Adams

  I ran my hands through my hair. “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Feel what you refused to feel back then.”

  “I don’t know how?”

  “Let me help you.”

  She took my hand and the scene began to change.

  8

  “What’re we doing here?” I pulled my hand from the woman’s hold.

  “You remember this?”

  “Of course I remember this.”

  “Let us mingle.”

  “What if I don’t want to?”

  “Because you’re scared.” It was a statement.

  “This was so long ago. It has no bearing on my life.”

  “That is where you’re wrong. This has everything to do with what is happening to you now.”

  I looked around me at the people dressed in black. Someone passed with a plate of triangular cut sandwiches and my stomach churned.

  “Come.” She didn’t bother to take my hand. I followed her out of the foyer and into the loungeroom. On the long couch sat Dominic’s mother, surrounded by her friends or family; I didn’t know enough about his home life to say for sure.

  Mrs. Campbell sat sullen between two chatting women, looking as if she wanted to be elsewhere. There were a couple of scrunched tissues in her hand and she dabbed her nose or the corner of her eye on the odd occasion.

  I turned to the woman that was me. “I’ve seen enough, I want to go.”

  This time she did take my hand and the scene warped and shifted. When the head-spin stopped I looked around to find us in a bedroom.

  “Must you do this to me?”

  She ignored me and walked around the room, looking at all the things that proclaimed this to be a teenage boy’s bedroom. I stayed where I was, watching her examine the montage of pictures framed and hung on the wall.

  “Come.” She waved me over.

  “I’m fine here.”

  She turned to me and frowned. “That is not good enough, Matteo.”

  I shook my head and went to her. At first I kept my eyes diverted, but knew it would only prolong our visit, so I gave in and had a look. I saw images of a boy who’d never had a chance to grow into a man; snapshots of a life cruelly shortened. The sickness in my gut transformed into acid in my throat. I closed my eyes and breathed deep, then gave a gentle punch to the wall while I rested my forehead beside the photos.

  “It was an accumulation of events that brought his end.” She said.

  “It was me.”

  “Remember I said it takes a life time of experiences to form a person’s beliefs.”

  “You brought me here, why are you trying to soften the pain?”

  “You need to understand a new perspective. Dominic was already struggling. He’d suffered before he met you.”

  I straightened and looked at her. “But it was me that pushed him over the edge.”

  All because I thought I was better; all because I wanted to impress Marsha Green; all because my friends treated me like king of the group. Life evolved around me such that I didn’t bother to think what it was like for someone else. I didn’t know Dominic; he was quiet, weedy and wore the wrong pants, his fringe too long and failed to defend himself; an easy target. It had been easy bullying him and everyone laughed; everyone kept laughing right up until the day he killed himself.

  It wasn’t how brutal I’d been that ripped something from my soul. It was my inability to accept the part I played. From the moment I’d heard about his suicide a wall descended within my heart. I shut out the memories and the part I played and got on with the job of living, because, at sixteen, I couldn’t face the reality of what I’d done; no teenager wants to believe they’re evil. But without realizing it the suppression killed an important part of me. Funny thing I discovered, you shut down one core emotion, next thing you find you’ve locked out the others.

  I wound my life to fast forward and refused to be diverted. It got easy to keep the memories at bay and to convince myself I wasn’t as cruel as I’d believed myself to be. I tried to make amends by becoming the devoted son, a reasonably good brother, a star academic, a success in my business, a wealthy man. On the surface that all looked good; underneath, the belief refused to soften and now, with everything going on, I found myself seized by the fear that I really was an evil person.

  The woman took my hands and turned me to face her. “You’re here to face the part of you you fear the most. Because it’s there. It’s very real. That part became apparent on this day. So far you’ve kept your darker side hidden, but it won’t go away. You should know by now that suppressing that which you fear doesn’t remove it from inside. There is great goodness in here.” She placed a hand over my heart. “But there is also evil.”

  “So I was right.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “I thought you said I was evil.”

  “Did you not hear me say there is also great goodness within you? Which do you want to be stronger?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Everyone has a choice.” She jabbed me in the chest. “And never forget that. There is always a choice.”

  “Sometimes I feel a great darkness inside.”

  “And it will only get darker while you refuse to acknowledge that which resides inside of you. Suppression gives the darkness life. It feeds the fear.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Accept your fate.”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “You must become both aspects of yourself, which means allowing the darkness into the light. Face it, Matteo. It is only then you will know how to master it.”

  “What if that’s what I become? What if it masters me?”

  “Is that what you truly believe will happen?”

  “Yes…I suppose. I don’t know. Am I strong enough to be any different?”

  “You must believe you are.” She stepped closer. “Great things await on the other side of your fear.”

  She rested her forehead on mine. I closed my eyes, injected with a sudden peace that welled inside the moment we touched. The confliction I’d carried my entire life, for that instant, melted away. She was the other side of me, or so she said, which meant this moment was what it felt like to be undivided.

  Unfortunately, the peace I’d felt a second ago was shattered by a turbulent dark force that shook my body as it rolled forward. I’d felt something similar the day Bounty and I collided and fell back on the couch while I was under Amanda’s influence. This was the aspect I’d spent my life suppressing so my natural instinct was to shut it away.

  She released me, and without her touch, I felt alone and vulnerable to the wild forces trying to claim me.

  “You know, now is not a good time for me to be dealing with this.”

  She smiled. “There will never be a good time.”

  “This has to be the worst.”

  “Your mother will choose her own path with or without your help. That is her journey, not yours.”

  “I can’t accept that.”

  “You can’t because you love her. That love is an important strength for you right now. Harness it. But remember, Matteo, you can’t live another’s life for them.”

  “What about the soul snatcher? My soul belongs to him. I’m giving it up for her.”

  “Coming from a man who believes he is evil.”

  I hard stared her. Was she avoiding the topic because she had no answer for my dilemma?

  Instead of elaborating, she created a gulf between us by stepping backward. “I’ve shown you the path, now it’s time you returned.”

  “I don’t feel ready. I can’t do this.”

  “Not yet, you can’t, but that’s only because you have hidden for all these years. These recent events are no coincidence. Your awakening must begin now. Believe it or not you’re ready.”

  She looked so earnest I could do nothing but believe her even if inside I questioned what I’d heard. But there was no denying one thing; there was e
vil inside of me, and whether I liked it or not, the dark was coming through.

  My world tumbled, my vision blurred, so I closed my eyes rather than suffer vertigo. I opened them when my back hit something firm, yet soft. It took moments for my eyes to adjust and when they did I found myself staring at my ceiling. I was back in my room like my adventure had never begun.

  I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of my bed, staring ahead at my wall. No sleep for me now, I headed for the kitchen, thinking only of having a drink. At the sink I changed my mind about something hot and headed for the scotch instead, perhaps a couple of these would relax me enough.

  Scotch in hand I wandered to my laptop and flipped the lid. Before I knew it I was typing in Dominic Scott. A further search and I had a contact for his parents. Was this going to change things? Probably not, but I would do it all the same. What I needed to do was be honest to his parents. Time to lay the skeletons bare.

  9

  The doctor tried his hardest to have me admitted overnight. They found nothing wrong with me, but the fact I had no visible scars to explain the blood on my clothes, plus having come back to life after being pronounce clinically dead for at least twenty minutes, was enough to bring the specialists flocking to my room, demanding to see the test results.

  Akako stayed with me the whole time, distracting me from the surrounding people. Occasionally a doctor or nurse caught me pulling faces at vacant spaces in the room, where Akako kept appearing, pretending to ambush the annoying mortals. He spoke incessantly, so my answers to doctor’s questions were vague and sometimes jumbled, which they put down to post resurrection trauma.

  Once the doctors performed every test available to help convince themselves I was well and truly alive and not about to die again soon, I discharged myself. Apparently I was the closest any of them had come to literal resurrection-their words. Next on their list were interviews. They hoped to capture my experience. By then I was ready to throttle Akako. I was irritable, my head throbbed and all I wanted to think about was the chosen one and what that meant in regard to me. Did it have something to do with Jericho’s big surprise?

  Akako floated along the cold storage fridge eyeing the ice cream. He’d taken to following me everywhere, and nothing I said seemed to make him want to go. It was as if he was afraid I would disappear and he would never be able to find me again.

  “A lot of colors. And people like this sort of thing?”

  “For most, it’s their favorite dessert.”

  “I would like to try this ice cream. But alas, that is beyond me. I cannot even smell it.”

  “You haven’t told me what a kagi is exactly.”

  I glanced around to make sure Maisy wasn’t in earshot.

  Akako sat-hovered on the glass top that covered the cold fridge. His thin legs dangled down, feet disappearing into a tub of bubblegum flavored ice cream.

  “I was a proud warrior for the great warlord Okejulli of the Owari Province. My prowess on the battle field was immortalized in the folk tales of my clan the Fujiwalla. My death was commemorated by the great warlord himself. Because of my ruthless reputation, which was deservedly placed, I won my freedom from death and instead became a kagi. I am the spirit of our clan.” He spoke with great pride. And then as if mentioned as an afterthought he said, “of course I am not the only spirit of my clan. The kami are my opposite as love is to hate.”

  “Let me guess, the kami are the spirits of those who lived a peaceful, virtuous life, and the kagi are the spirits of those who didn’t.”

  “Only those willing to perform extreme acts of self-denial and subjugation or heroism and bravery will be immortalized as either a kagi or a kami.”

  “Just great, I have a mass murderer willing to be my servant.”

  Akako leaped down to hover at my feet. “That is precisely why you need me, my lady.” Again he bowed low.

  “What can you do for me?”

  “Protect you, my lady. There are those who wish to see you dead.”

  “Are we talking the mortal realm or the void?”

  Akako’s pupils swiveled left and right in rapid succession as if he was scanning the area for the enemy before he revealed the secret. He leaned in and craned his neck upward. “They are all around us.”

  “You do realize I’m Death’s Angel. I’m immortal.”

  “There are those with great power who will see an end to your freedom. What is the point of being immortal if you are stuck within a cage?”

  “No one can cage me.” I hoped no one could cage me. “Death would make sure if it.” I hoped Death would make sure of it.

  “Are you certain of that?”

  Now I was spooked. Perhaps that was Akako’s plan so I would agree to take him on; although, I didn’t see how I could get rid of him.

  Maisy exited from Robert’s office having announced she was heading for the bathroom approximately twenty minutes ago. Robert had ducked out for the afternoon, or I would’ve been suspicious.

  “Wow, Maisy, you expecting to impress someone?”

  She’d changed into a peach colored dress, dipping a little low at the front and flaring nicely around her knees. The color washed her out and the waist could be pinched in a couple of centimeters, but she looked better than I’d seen her before. Her hair was brushed flat and framed her face nicely.

  She quirked a smile, the first she’d ever given me. Did this mean she’d met someone; finally given up on Robert. She clipped over in heeled sandals, playing with the hem of her dress.

  Akako floated around her. “She looks as though she belongs in the gutter. If I were her father I would slap her across the face for daring to expose her breasts and lock her in her room without food for two days. I would also spear the man through the stomach who showed to take her hand.”

  “You look sensational,” I said, perhaps louder than needed. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

  The door to Hot Swirls opened. I glanced over to see Robert enter, dressed in an ill-fitting suit, something he’d perhaps wore to his prom given the gap between his shoes and the bottom hem of his pants.

  “The offender arrives. How I wish for my sword.” Akako swirled through the air above the cold fridge.

  My gaze flicked from Maisy to Robert, both of them remaining awkwardly in their places. Could this be true?

  “At last,” I announced. “Was this the result of the chicken soup incident?” My plans had worked, who would’ve guessed.

  Maisy flushed pink, which clashed with her dress. Robert came over and rescued her with an arm around her shoulder.

  “I owe a thank you, Bounty.”

  “Don’t thank me. You two were bound to get it right eventually.”

  “Can you excuse me. I’ll be a minute.” Maisy ducked out from under Robert’s arm and headed into the office; most likely a nervous wee.

  Robert straightened his jacket lapels, looking a little nervous. I was about to tell him not to worry and that everything would go smoothly and to be himself, but he beat me to it. “Bounty.” He cleared his throat. “I hope you’re not disappointed.”

  “Umm…me.”

  Oh, of course. “I have come to accept that you and I were not suited. In fact, I came to my senses around about the time of the chicken soup incident.”

  He looked relieved. “I want my employers to get along. Jealousy has no place in Hot Swirls.”

  “You won’t get any from me. I’m glad to see you both happy.”

  “Oh, please, who is this limb fish?” Akako floated in between us. I made to swat a fly away and my hand actually touched him, sending him flying into the tubs of ice cream, but of course he went straight through and out of sight into the depths of the cold fridge.

  I heard the clip-clop of Maisy coming back but I was busy staring into the ice cream tubs, my jaw gaping. I could touch him?

  “We best be off. There’s only an hour left until the close of Hot Swirls, you’ll be all right, won’t you?” Robert said.

  “Of course. You
guys go have fun.”

  Maisy’s face beamed with joy as Robert wrapped an arm around her waist and ushered her toward the front door.

  Akako’s head popped out of a tub of mango dynamite. “You touched me.” He zoomed out of the tub and shot into the air, lapping the room in a lightening swirl before he came to rest in front of me. “My lady can touch me.” He stroked his hip where my hand had collided with him and his eyes rolled up into his head.

  So far my reapers where the only beings from the void I could touch. By the ecstatic look on his face I would say there was no getting rid of him.

  “I hope this means you’re not going to pester me incessantly. If you insist on being my servant, I have rules. Firstly, keep as far from me as possible. Secondly, if your first instinct is to be with me, ignore it, always. Finally, I don’t expect any help from you, so don’t offer.”

  “Of course, my lady. I understand, secrecy.”

  “You need to be so discreet I don’t even know you’re there, like ever.”

  He gave another one of his deep bows. “My lady does not even have to mention it.”

  I slumped back against the bench behind me and buried my head in my palms. I was possibly the chosen one-which sounded like a character straight out of a fantasy book-stuck with a murderous assassin measuring less than a meter tall, attempting to stop a spindly creature who wanted Dot’s soul. Could things get more complicated?

  10

  Dominic’s parents still lived in the same house, which surprised me. For me, memories were like hauntings, impossible to eradicate while remaining in the same environment they were created. His parent’s obviously felt differently.

  Two days and eight grams gone, I’d contemplated heading to the hospital first, since the diversion would only cost me half an hour. No use putting off what I had to do, so instead of exiting onto Fishers Drive, I kept on my way. Last night I discovered a way to break free of the soul snatcher’s deal. That was my priority, but I made this trip now because it was time to bust through the chain of guilt I’d dragged behind me all these years. No, it wasn’t going to further my ability to master the darkness inside, but it would make me a better man.