Whispers of Death

by Alicia Rivoli

  "After ten days, they opened the box. I hadn't had any food or water, not so much as a breadcrumb, but I still lived. They believed me to be possessed by some demon and sent me to the middle of nowhere and left me there to die. It wasn't until a day or so later that I found out my true fate."

  The scene changed again, and we were now standing in a place I had come to know. The grass blew with no wind, the hills rolled for as far as the eye could see, and in the distance I saw the Judgment Stone. Standing among the grass was Apollyn; he shivered, though I knew he couldn't have been cold. A figure approached from behind, a man dressed in a black cloak; he was holding a long staff with a long silver blade.

  I gasped. "I thought you were Death?" I asked, confused.

  "Watch," was the only reply I received.

  The boy faced the man in black, his little face afraid and scared.

  "Why do you doubt? Do you not understand who you are?" The cloaked man asked Apollyn.

  "I don't want to die," Apollyn told him, his voice shaky.

  "Death isn't the end, it is only another journey on your path. This is the path chosen for you. As Death, you can free people from pain, help them when they are suffering. Isn't that what you want?"

  Apollyn seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Do I really die if I become you?"

  "Eventually. For now you will be an eternal being, neither living nor dead. You will be the Angel of Mercy, the Grim Reaper, Death, among other names. You will have those that fear you, worship you, and those that want to be you. Being Death is not an easy job, especially with what lies ahead for the worlds you will be charged with."

  "If I'm neither living nor dead, how am I here? Isn't this the place of judgment? The place where all who die come to find their path?" Apollyn spoke clearly, no longer afraid.

  "Death, how did you know who you were?" I asked, afraid that I had somehow missed the explanation.

  "I had been having nightmares for as long as I could remember. Nightmares that led me to answers," he answered inside my mind.

  "How did you get to Limbo?" I was afraid of his answer; I felt I already knew it.

  "When they left me to die, someone would always come back to see if I had died yet. One day I decided when the man showed up that I would jump off the cliff. The man rejoiced rather than worried. The placed my tomb on that hillside next to the only tree that grew there. That tombstone was the only thing that connected me to this world," he explained, now breathless.

  "So you killed yourself? You just told Death you didn't want to die." I was more confused now then ever, not to mention I was beginning to really worry I wouldn't get back to my family in time. It had been too long, and I knew that by now Fear was surely torturing them.

  "Don't worry about your family," Death said, reading my mind. "Fear had to go get more energy before he took on a healthy living person. He can't harm your family yet; he isn't strong enough."

  I sighed in relief, but my feeling was short lived as I realized he’d said, "Can’t harm them yet."

  "I didn't die when I fell from the cliff. I landed on a ledge just out of sight of the man," Death continued. "That is when Death came for me and brought me to Limbo. I had already known then that there was something more to me, something that seemed off. When he told me who I was, it only took me a few minutes to know that I would do it. I already was anyway."

  "What do you mean you already were?" I asked, completely enthralled with his story.

  "When my family got sick with the plague, they begged for mercy. The plague was eating them from the inside out. My dad told me to come to him, and when I put my hand on his, the plague left his body, entered my own, and he died peacefully. When my mother saw what I had done, she pleaded for me to save my brother and sister. I didn't want to do anything at first: I was afraid. I was only three at the time." He paused; his breathing had become even more labored, and I could tell it was taking everything he had just to tell me his story.

  "After a couple of days, I could no longer watch them suffer in pain. No one would come to help us. No doctor or anyone else would come anywhere near our home. I built up as much courage as a three-year-old could, and I touched my brother, then my sister. Each of them let out a grateful thank you before they passed away. My mother refused my touch. She wouldn't leave me alone. She suffered a long time. Finally one day when she had fallen asleep, I decided I could no longer watch her suffer. I kissed her cheek as she slept. I watched as her soul left her body, and her life was over." His voice shook as he told of his mother's death.

  I knew that if I had my body I would be in full tears. That young boy that stood in front of me talking to Death had already been through so much. My motherly instincts wanted to grab the little boy and hold him tightly in my arms, but I knew that it wasn't possible.

  "Death, I am so sorry you had to go through that. What a horrible thing to happen." My heart ached.

  "I did the same for others in the village that had contracted the plague. I knew that I would be considered a bad omen, but I had to save them."

  "When did you become Death?" I asked, checking to make sure that the boy was still there.

  "I stayed with Death from that moment on. After a few years, Death took his own path, and I took his place as Death," he said. "That was many millennia ago."

  My curiosity was peaked; why did he want me to know this information about him? Why was this more important than getting to my family to protect them?

  "Haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked, annoyance clear by his tone. "Haven't you realized why you are so special? Why you can see and hear the dead? Why you can take away Vanessa's pain?"

  Shock emanated through every ounce of my being. "I am Death." It came out as a whisper. How could this be? How could I be Death?

  "Yes, you are here to take my place," he answered. At first I thought you were just the key to the Whispers of Death, but after what happened in New York and after talking with the Seer, I realized you were not only the key to the Whispers of Death, but also the Death Whisperer. You are here to take my place. You are now Death…The Grim Reaper…the Angel of Mercy."

  Eighteen

  I had never been more grateful that I wasn't in my human body. My head was spinning, and I was sure I would have fainted. I didn't know what to do. My life had been flipped upside down when I’d started traveling to the spirit world, and now it was more than that. My whole life was over. Mark was never going to understand. I didn't even understand.

  I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. My words were difficult to find, however after several long moments of trying to speak, I was finally able to squeak out one phrase.

  "What about my family?"

  Although I couldn't see Death, I could feel him within me. I could sense his presence. He seemed to mull over my question, unsure of how to answer.

  "Your life is different than mine was. My family was already gone," he answered. "I wondered the same question when I realized who you were. I knew that you wouldn't freely give up your family," he said.

  After a few quick breaths, he continued, "I went to talk to Seer, and he couldn't see your future after you connected with your body. He had nothing, not even a glimpse of your life after you re-entered your body. That was strange for him; he usually has some sort of vision, something that shows the person later on in life, but with you it was nothing. It was then that we both realized who you really were. We don't know what happens to you or your family from this moment on. Your fate and the fate of those you love will be completely dependent upon you and your ability to overpower Fear."

  I wanted to collapse.

  "It is time for you to take your place. The blade is already dying. If you don't get it back soon, not only will I not be able to take my own path, but no one will." He pleaded with me. "I need you to end my life, as I did for my family, and accept who you are."

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes again. I balled my fists and tried to slow my beating heart. I knew that the monitor that wa
s connected to my body was going crazy at this point. I could vaguely hear it. The quiet voices I had heard after I had reconnected with my body earlier were getting louder. Their urgent tones could now be identified, and I finally understood why I could hear them. They were pleading for mercy from Death, from me.

  I opened my eyes; the scene had again changed. This time we were back at the lonely tombstone on the hill. The storm had calmed slightly, and I could vaguely hear the crashing waves somewhere beyond the darkness, past an unseen cliff I now knew was there.

  Death lay crumpled in a heap of darkness next to his tombstone. The piece of Fear that had been left to devour Death's soul had moved quickly from his side and was now making its way up his arms and into his neck.

  "How do I get back to my family?" I asked the dark heap.

  A weak voice answered, one I barely recognized. "My cloak." This time it wasn't a voice in my head but a horse whisper from his crumpled up body.

  I looked at the torn piece of fabric that draped over his body. It had been ripped so badly that it looked like it had gone through a shredder.

  "Are you sure? It's pretty beat up," I said.

  "Take my cloak from me," he croaked.

  I moved quickly to his side and grabbed hold of the hood. As I made contact with the fabric, the pain shot through me so quickly it took my breath away. I gasped for breath. I felt like my insides were being ripped apart. The sensation quickly moved from my fingertips to my entire body. I struggled for breath. I curled into a ball, holding my stomach with my free hand. The burning sensation pushed its way all the way to my heart, and I felt it beating rapidly, too rapidly.

  "What is happening?" I wheezed through labored breath.

  "You are feeling my pain. You must take the cloak," Death said urgently. "Quickly!"

  I struggled to get my arm to move. The pain was completely unbearable. I could feel the fabric of the cloak between my fingers. With as much will as I could find amongst the pain I urged my fingers to grasp tightly and pulled. They reluctantly moved. I pulled hard. The cloak broke free of its master, and I flew backwards, landing roughly on my back. The pain left me instantly, and I lay gasping for breath on the cold, wet earth.

  The cloak rested in my lap. I ran my fingers down its length and could feel that it was soft like silk. It moved gently as the wind blew around me. The bottom hem was ripped and torn; the sleeves were hanging by almost nothing. I held it, afraid of what it meant. I sat up; looking at Death, my breath was taken away. I never expected what I saw there. A young man lay on the ground near my feet. He couldn't have been more than fourteen. His hair was a dark brown with large white streaks hidden amongst it. His skin was pale and seemed very fragile. The boy wore a solid black suit, black shirt, vest, and tie. The man that I had seen on many other occasions had been replaced by someone else, someone I recognized. Apollyn watched me, his eyes full of sadness and pain. So much pain.

  "What…what happened to you?" I managed to say.

  Apollyn flinched as he spoke. "That cloak you hold is the secret of Death. It holds the power to keep you an eternal being," he said. "It not only makes you an eternal being, it also hides your true form. You are seeing me as I was the day I put on the cloak."

  His words echoed in my mind. "It hides your true form." If I put on this cloak, my family would no longer recognize me. I would be lost to them, and I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

  "I won't leave my family," my voice came out harsh. It wasn't what I’d intended, but I knew that I wouldn't do this without my family. "They are all I have. I can't leave them."

  Apollyn's face didn't change; he kept the same look of pain and sadness as I spoke. He blinked, turning his head away from me before he spoke. "I knew you would say that. I have watched you with your family; they need you as much as you need them."

  I could hear the beeping monitor in my ear; it had increased to a speed that I knew wasn't normal. Mark would be going crazy. I tried to calm myself down. I stood and paced in front of Apollyn's tombstone. I could feel his gaze on me as I contemplated what I was going to do. I knew that I couldn't leave my family, but I also knew that Apollyn was in no shape to remain Death. There was only one option. I didn't know if it was possible, but I knew that I had to ask.

  "If I put this cloak on and defeat Fear, will you live?" I asked him.

  He watched me carefully, thinking about the question before answering.

  "I don't know. Your life was different than mine. You only recently started hearing the Spirits plead for mercy. The nightmares you have had were because I put them there. I was born so I could experience a life before becoming Death. You were born because you bring life to those that wish for death."

  "I don't understand," I said blankly

  "When Vanessa was in pain, she wanted nothing more than to die. She wanted to be free of all pain. After you were able to take away her pain and help her see what else was there, she wanted nothing more than to live. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to remember. She knew that she was forgetting, but the pain was so intense that she had started to let go. She wanted your help to ease her pain. You gave her more; you gave her a chance at a new life."

  My mouth dropped open. "I can bring Vanessa back to life?"

  Apollyn laughed, not a deep laugh, but it was definitely a laugh. "No, she has lived her life. You have given her back her life that she was forgetting. You have given her back her husband and daughter, when the only thing that kept her company recently was pain," he explained. His voice hoarse and quiet, he continued, "When we were in your house moments ago, Vanessa was freed entirely from her pain for a moment at the sight of her daughter’s birth. She felt alive again. She felt love and happiness. You give life to those that wish for death."

  I smiled. Watching her face light up at the sight of Mindy's picture really had felt like she was alive again.

  "Amelia, our time here is done. Fear will be coming for your family. You must make a decision. I can't make a portal for you to return. I have no strength or power left. Fear has made sure of that." He stopped and cringed slightly before speaking again. "See the cloak? See the rips and tears? That is my life force; it has been weakened. You have to decide if you want to take a leap of faith and fight for your family, or stay here, in this lonely single tombstone graveyard, watching as I take my last breath and enter the valley of the dead to take my place at the judgment stone with nowhere to go."

  He already knew what I would choose; he knew that I would go and save my family at all costs, but I still faltered.

  "If I leave here with your cloak, what will happen to you?"

  "When Fear has been defeated and the scythe returned to its rightful place I will die. With my blood on the blade of the scythe, Fear controls me. He controls when I die, and he has made it clear that I will suffer a very long time." He coughed, and blood dripped down his lips and onto the ground beneath him. "You must make your choice; there is little time left."

  I looked again at the torn and battered cloak, my mind reeling. I knew what I had to do, but I was afraid. The monitors continued to beep and whir in my ears above the sounds of the pleading voices of the souls in Limbo. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and swung the cloak over my head.

  The silky fabric slid down over my shoulders and dropped over the tips of my toes. It attached itself to my body, clinging to every bend and crease. I felt the power of the cloak push its way into my soul, spreading like wildfire inside me. My breath quickened as the power surged through me. The voices that I had been trying to ignore became stronger. Every sound around me became clearer, and I could now see clearly in the dark. I could see the cliff side in the distance and the ocean beyond that. I felt the strands of time weaving in and out between my fingers, as if they waited for me to manipulate them to my will.

  I looked at Apollyn as he lay on the ground watching me. I could see his soul trying to cleave to his body.

  "You are now an eternal being. You are the Angel of Mercy."
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br />   The thought came to my mind as if he had spoken it. I realized that I was hearing Apollyn's thoughts and smiled.

  "I will be back for you soon," I said aloud, knowing that he had lost the ability to hear my own thoughts. He was no longer Death; he was free to go on to the path chosen for him.

  He smiled at me. "You need to go. I have kept you too long," Apollyn said.

  I knelt down next to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. The pain instantly washed through my body. I kept my hand there for as long as I dared before releasing him.

  "I know I can't take it away permanently yet, but I can give you a little bit of relief," I told him.

  "Thank you," he said. "Now go!"

  I didn't hesitate. I leapt to my feet and ran a short distance away from Apollyn. I raised my hand in the air like I had seen Apollyn do before and twisted the strands of time. They began spinning in front of me, creating my pathway home. I looked back one last time before stepping into the spinning portal.

  The portal felt cold and damp as I walked through. I didn't struggle for breath or feel any pressure. I walked freely and watched as several scenes passed by me. I could see all different types of people, homes and buildings, before reaching my house. I stepped from the portal and pulled the hood of the cloak over my head. It covered every part of me, and even though it fell over my eyes, I could see just fine. I could feel the life inside the walls of the house. I could tell you where each person stood and how they were feeling and every other emotion that they were experiencing. I could even hear their thoughts running through my mind and feel each of their heartbeats. I quickly tuned out the voices of my family, giving them privacy. I didn't like hearing their thoughts, or anyone's for that matter. I could also feel something else inside; I could feel the pain of a soul.