Soul Taker

by John Garforth

  “We’re humanity as well,” it lied, “but because of things that were beyond our control, we’re different and we all have to live with that. We didn’t ask to be like this, but, bottom line, we’ve got just as much right to live on this planet as you have.”

  “You’re just the new kid on the block, that’s all,” said Jake, trying to pour oil on troubled waters, “things will calm down eventually and I agree with you, no one should blame you for defending yourselves, but there must be some middle ground here and I still think that we could find it if we start talking and stop all the violence.”

  “None of us know how you feel Henry,” said Piper,” but I think that all of us here agree with Jake, there should be no more killing on either side,” Piper hesitated, looking around at her friends before continuing, “there’s something else that I’d like to put on the table at this point, something that I just don’t understand. How the hell did you know my name when we arrived and have enough information to telepathically recognise my so called ‘life signs? There’s also the fact that you singled me out, I’m not a spokesman or anything like that, I’m no different from any of my friends here, so why pick on me?

  “But, you are the Piper Reed aren’t you my Lady, everyone who has been recently re-born in the blinding light of creation, knows your name and worships you. You are our Saviour and the architect of our lives. Without your help, we would not have been re-born, you have shaped our Destiny, led us out of the darkness and set us on a new evolutionary path.”

  The little figure moved backwards, then, removing his hat, he took a long ceremonial bow.

  “Whoa, Henry, just back up a bit, this doesn’t make any sense?” Piper’s mouth hung open with astonishment, she turned around to her friends and shrugged. Henry, seemingly overcome with excitement and awe, couldn’t stop himself and continued.

  “It makes all the sense in the world Piper Reed.” Said Henry, unable to contain himself, “The mighty Soul Taker reveres you and pays homage to you, we, your servants, who have built a mighty Temple in Rapture to honour you, rejoice the day that providence caused our paths to cross.”

  Piper felt dumbfounded with the revelation that she was considered a Saviour and Creator by this stinking, mutated horror, the information had shaken her to the core and understandably turned her world upside down. She stood, hands on her hips, leaning slightly forward, just in case the turmoil in her stomach, turned to vomit. Everybody else was stood, stock still, faces as white as chalk, staring at her with varying looks of disbelief on their faces.

  “How do you follow that?” Said Jake, looking sideways at Mary.

  Piper could feel her heart thumping in her chest, the blood pressure whispering in her ears. She put her hand up to the back of her head and began massaging, trying to ease the tension in her neck, at the same time, trying to calm and organise her thoughts. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before she spoke.

  “Where is this Rapture place Henry, is it round here somewhere, I’d like to go and have a look at it, straighten all this miss-understanding out?” She was stammering the words, feeling ridiculous as she heard them coming out of her mouth.

  “Rapture is not of this Earth, Piper Reed, it is in the afterlife, the home for your everlasting soul” Henry moved a pink arm to encompass her companions, “it offers eternity for all of you.”

  Piper felt like she’d had a bucket of icy water thrown all over her, the ultimate reality check. What am I doing,” she said to herself, “listening to a load of crap, from this pile of shit. How could I have been so stupid and naïve to believe any of it. She looked at the pathetic thing that stood before her, knee deep in a pile of mucus and stinking of human excrement.

  It was the talk of an everlasting soul and offer of eternity that had pulled her up short, she’d heard all those lies before. As a girl, there were often people trawling through the slums, kind, wealthy people who meant well and others that didn’t, knocking on doors, promising her that in the afterlife her soul would go to a better place. It had always confused the little girl Piper, she could never work out why she had to die before things would get better. Always disappointed, often with her mother screaming obscenities from the other room, she would close the door in their faces. It was time to close that door again.

  “Yeah right, that just takes the biscuit” she scoffed wearily, “I’ve heard it all that before Henry, but good for you, all that waffle about Saviour and Creator, you really had me going for a while. I must confess, that I did have a couple of theories of my own, as to what had happened to me. To start with, it did cross my mind that I’d lost my marbles and that I wasn’t really stood here, I was in some drug induced coma, in a Secure Hospital side ward. Then again, after all that’s happened today, it was just possible that maybe, just maybe, I had stumbled into some strange psychotic episode, brought on by a near death experience. A behavioural therapist would probably call it some strange wish fulfilment trauma, that I was living out in front of all my friends here.”

  “But My Lady, I am telling you the absolute truth,” Henry was beginning to sound agitated.

  “So, you’re telling me the truth are you Henry?” Piper was angry at all the lies that this thing was telling her,” Well that’s strange, because the last time that I heard someone talking like this, it was all lies they were spouting. Forgive me, but from what I’ve heard, it seems that you’re just another one of those sad, pathetic nobodies, that keep trying to sell me some stupid new religion. Not to put too finer point on it Henry, it literally stinks, so you can tell your Boss that he can stick all this crap where the sun don’t shine. Now, I’m fed up to the back teeth with all this, so I think it’s time that all my friends and I, got out of here, give the order for all the goo to pull back and give us a pathway Henry, then we’ll all be very happy to be on our way.”

  The Soul Taker was overseeing the growing of a new batch of Drones, when he began to realise that the ‘construct’ that he’d programmed to deal with the Piper woman had run into some sort of problem. He decided to shut it down and take control himself, he had a sucker punch to deliver that would allow him to regain total control.

  Henry’s face showed no reaction, his strange yellow eyes simply stared at her blankly, not blinking. Piper suddenly had the feeling that the figure in front of her was a mere shell, an empty husk, that the real Henry had been recalled to Rapture, or whatever his head office was called, to review his strategy and his selling technique. Then, without any warning, everything changed again.

  “Piper Reed,” Henry was back in residence, “It has been pointed out to me, that I have not explained myself to you in a manner that is befitting of a person of your station, I understand that I have let you and everybody else down, so please accept my profound apology. I have the ability to terminate my own existence and I will willingly do so now, if that will make up for the inferior service that I have given to you.”

  It was strange listening to such an impassioned speech from something that showed not even the slightest hint of emotion. She looked around before answering, shivering a little in the evening air, the sun had begun to set in a fiery red haze, what clouds that were left in the darkening sky were tinged with gold as they sank towards the horizon. The Brigadier General was on the phone again and Jake, Mary and the others had given up and climbed back into the Helicopter. All their gear was in neat piles on the tarmac, it seemed that everyone was patiently waiting for her.

  “It’s ok Henry, you don’t have to kill yourself, I accept your apology,” said Piper, wanting to be rid of the thing in front of her, her voice was distracted, she was anxious to be on her way, “the light’s fading fast, it’ll be dark soon, it’s been one hell of a long day and my friends and I have a long way to go, especially if we’re going to have to walk.”

  She broke off the conversation and looked across at General Brightside hoping that there might be news of a rescue from Naples. He interrupted his call and held the phone to h
is chest as he shouted across the gap between them.

  “I’m afraid there’s nothing much they can do, they won’t send a Helicopter for obvious reasons, in fact they’re operating a no-fly policy over Rome from now on. What they do suggest is that we ‘take’ a car, apparently, there’s plenty of them just lying about, then drive ourselves into Naples. Seems like a clever idea to me, as long as our friends here agree to let us go.”

  “May I continue Piper Reed?” It was Henry, sounding both insistent and anxious.

  “Yes, in a moment Henry,” she said, trying to put him off,” but you’ve just heard what my colleague has said haven’t you? That means that we need an answer from you now, are you going to let us go soon, so that we can make our way back to Naples and find some shelter for the night?”

  “I am told that that is an affirmative,” said Henry,” we will conclude our business shortly and then you will go. Now My Lady, I must continue, I was describing your Kingdom of Rapture.”

  “Stop it Henry, just pack it in, it makes me squirm inside when you talk of ‘my Kingdom,’? Said Piper cutting in, annoyed, “it’s blasphemous nonsense.”

  “I’m sorry My Lady, there was no harm intended, you are, after all, the one that led us out of the darkness and into the light and for that, we will be eternally grateful.”

  “Henry I’m going to have to go now, you are talking such a great heap of crap and its really getting on my nerves.”

  “Piper, you don’t even have to go through the trauma of death to enter Rapture, the Soul Taker, will transport you there without any stress or pain.”

  She started to walk back towards the Helicopter, shouting over her shoulder at the pathetic, pink figure.

  “My God Henry, that would be absolutely mind blowing, a cast iron certainty of eternal life, it would shake up the entire World. None of us really know if Heaven, or whatever else you want to call it, exists at all. The only nailed on way for us to find out for sure, is to die. But, by then it’s too late, because we can’t change our minds and come back, can we? Everybody knows that death is irrevocable, once you take that unique one-way trip, you don’t ever come back.”

  “But that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you Piper,” Henry shouted at her back,” I can take you to Rapture now, long before it’s your turn to die. You can see the afterlife for yourself, then perhaps you’ll finally believe me and realise that I am telling the truth.”

  The Soul Taker hesitated for a moment, before continuing, wanting to create the most dramatic effect.

  “I do actually have something of a personal nature to tell you, there is someone who pulled me to one side the last time I was in Rapture, he said that he was a friend of yours and was very keen to see you as soon as possible, in fact he told me that he could not wait to talk to you.”

  Piper spun round on her heel.

  “Jesus Christ Henry, you certainly believe in dropping bombshells don’t you? This must be the strangest conversation that anyone has ever had, you’re telling me that there is some dead person who wants to talk to me? Who is this person and why me?”

  “I’m sorry My Lady, I don’t mean to irritate you in any way, it was just that he was so insistent.”

  “He?”

  “Yes, he took me to one side, he was very earnest. Kept telling me repeatedly that you would be glad to see him. Please put it out of your thoughts though, My Lady, you’ve obviously no interest in Rapture, the next time that I see him, I’ll shall simply say that you were too busy.”

  Piper suddenly found it difficult to breathe, she had an awful premonition of what was coming. A coldness gripped her chest, although she didn’t want to know the answer, she still had to ask the question.

  “Henry, before we talk about anything else, I want to know the name of this person.”

  “I seem to remember that his name was name was Tom Steeler, he said that you’d remember him and that you were friends a long time ago.”

  Piper felt like someone had punched her in the stomach, her throat was so tight she couldn’t swallow and her legs had turned to jelly. She sat down hard on the tarmac, mind numb, eyes staring at the ground between her legs.

  Mary had been watching as she waited, now, seeing Piper collapse, she rushed out of the Helicopter and dropped on her knees at her friend’s side, reaching out, she pulled Piper to her.

  “What is it Piper, whatever’s the matter,” Mary asked, shocked at her friend’s sudden collapse.

  “It’s Tom, Mary, he’s dead,” she could hardly speak, her voice was more of a whisper, “I’m sorry, this Henry thing’s just told me and it knocked me sideways, I was only talking to him a couple of days ago.

  Mary looked around, the others had come out of the Helicopter, aware of Pipers distress and wanting to help. She waved them back, telling them that everything was ok. Then she turned her attention back to her friend.

  “Who’s this Tom, how do you know him?”

  “It’s complicated Mary, I had to use him on mission, when I was in Berlin, he gave me shelter, got me off the street when I needed help. The truth is, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him, when I thought I’d never make it, he was there for me, somehow, he got me back to the Sphere in time for retrieval. Then, I just left him there to take his chances with the Nukes, told him that if he drove all night he could probably out run them, well, he obviously didn’t make it, did he?”

  “He obviously meant a lot to you Piper?”

  “No, not really, not in the romantic sense Mary, he was a simple, kind and helpful man, but he had this way about him that was really irritating. He was nothing to write home about and I’d only known him for a few hours, but to be honest, I think he had a crush on me, I felt responsible for his wellbeing and I knew that I owed him big time for all the help that he’d given me. Then, in true Piper fashion, I deserted him, left him there to die, all on his own. He would never have done that to me Mary, I know he wouldn’t, that just shows you the kind of heartless cow that I really am.”

  “Oh Piper, it’s not all your fault, there’s nothing to be gained with all this self- criticism, stop running yourself down and taking the blame for everything.”

  “I can’t help how I feel Mary,” Piper continued, “I even told him all about the mission, I knew it was wrong, but I justified it by thinking that he’d helped me, so that gave him the right to know. But now, looking back, I think I was just being selfish, because he liked me, all I really wanted to do was to impress him, tell him about my fabulous Time Travel adventure, show him how lucky he was to have known me and just how special I really was.”

  “You weren’t showing off to him, or being selfish, you were sharing everything you could, you’d warned him about the dangers, and you did try to help him as much as was humanly possible.”

  “You’re a good friend Mary and you paint me in a better light than I deserve. But believe me, I’m no saint and now looking back, I can’t help thinking, that at the end, he must have felt used, then cast aside when he was no longer needed. I told you earlier that we were late getting back to the Sphere and it all ended in a rush.” She hesitated, taking a tissue from her pocket, she wiped away the tears that had filled her eyes. “Although he begged me not to, I made him get into a car and I told him to drive away. Gave him directions to head south as fast as he could, told him that I’d go back and find him when the war was all over. It was a stupid lie and I wish I’d never said it, because, deep down, I knew that he realised that this was the end and that there was no way that I’d ever go back for him.”

  “Piper, listen to me, you gave him a chance to live, if you’d told him nothing about the situation, he would have died in bed, like everyone else. Don’t beat yourself up Piper, it was a desperately difficult situation, and you did everything that you could to help him live through it. I’m so sorry for the pain and anguish that you must be feeling and it’s a desolate and lonely journey that you’re going to have to take before you feel any better. Death is so final and there�
��s no way of saying that you’re sorry.

  “So, the man was telling the truth, his name did mean something to you,” Henry’s face was as blank as ever, but for once his voice did sound concerned, “I have very little memory of relationships between sexes, I was however under the miss-understanding that this news would please you.”

  “What’s it talking about Piper?” Mary was looking both puzzled and annoyed, “how could it think that the news of someone’s death would please you?”

  Piper took a deep breath as she got to her feet, she knew that whatever way she said this, it was going to sound totally ridiculous.

  “It’s offered to take me to see him in this place that the Soul Taker has created, they all call it Rapture.”

  “Are we talking about his body Piper, it must be at least sixty years since he died, have they preserved it?”

  “No Mary, it’s not his body, it’s Tom the actual person, he’s waiting for me there, he wants to talk to me.”

  There was a long silence as Mary stood between Piper and Henry, her head moving from left to right as she looked from one to the other.

  “Just hold on a second,” she said, her voice sounded exasperated, “I’m starting to become a bit confused here Piper, you’re telling me now that he’s not dead, he didn’t get killed after all, what you were just telling me was a great pile of….”

  “No Mary, I’m not making things up” Piper cut her off, “what I’m going to tell you now is not some strange wish fulfilment fantasy, it’s the absolute truth, so, take a deep breath and count to ten, because this is going to be pretty hard to take on board.”

  Before she continued, Piper, turned around and gave everybody in the Helicopter a reassuring wave, then, smiling nervously, she carried on talking to Mary

  “This thing, stood in front of us, called Henry, and everything else that you can see, including all the shit and those tentacles that grabbed the Helicopter. They’re all controlled by a very young, immature mutant, with a fantastic, telepathic, super intelligence. You might have heard Henry refer to it as the Soul Taker.”