First Soul by Keeley Smith
“No!”
A chorus of protests filled the air around them. Stephen kept his gaze level with Death’s glowing eyes.
“Please, Stephen, please don’t do this,” Lester urged.
He ignored the ghost’s cold touch on his arm and maintained this staring competition with the hood.
“Are you willing to shake on it?” Death asked. His bony white fingers crawled out from within the long black sleeves of His hood. Death held His hand there between them waiting for him to seal the deal.
“No, Stephen you mustn’t,” Lester begged.
Stephen looked back at his friends.
The protests had died on their lips. He could see that they’d begun to think about it. After everything they’d experienced in this place, they couldn’t blame him for wanting to save the souls of the people down here. If what they had been through was one small part of what the ghosts suffered, he couldn’t leave them. They may be innocent like Lester and if they weren’t, well, that was a risk he’d take.
Phillip was stood chewing his lip, a definite sign that he was thinking. It was usually a pen or pencil he chewed. Deyna had adopted the glazed look that showed that she was lost in thought. Two lines formed between her eyes as she struggled with her thoughts and his decision. At least she wasn’t glaring at him and telling him he couldn’t do what he’d just suggested.
“If I did this, how do I know you won’t go back on your word? How do I know you won’t just keep the souls here with you?”
With His hand still held between the two of them, Death dropped His head to the side in thought. “I could say you needed to trust me in this instance but... I’m not trustworthy-”
“Don’t I know it, puppet master.”
Death laughed, it was a joy filled laugh that sounded like the cackle of a 50-a-day smoker aged ninety years old. He obviously understood the reference.
“Very well, I swear that I will keep my word and you can use that against me. You may also have this for leverage.”
Death stood back and opened His long gown. Stephen’s eyebrows must have shot up into his hairline. The hood was stripping? He could hardly believe he was stood in what looked like hell with a skeleton that talked and was now a fully naked skeleton. Death held onto one of His ribs and then with an almighty crack He pulled it off His body and held it across to him.
“You may use this if you are questioned.”
Stephen took the rib in his hand and tucked it into the top of his jeans. It felt slightly strange to have a rib from someone on your person.
“And what exactly does a bone prove?” Stephen asked.
“You wouldn’t have that bone if I hadn’t given it freely, which means we came to some sort of agreement. If we hadn’t come to an agreement, you’d be dead.”
Stephen nodded. Fine, that did make sense.
“So, we have a deal?”
Death held His hand out again. Was he really going ahead with this?
Stephen took a deep breath and stepped closer to Death. This was it and surprisingly he didn’t feel as afraid as he thought he would. He was giving Death the chance to kill him when He chose to. But he wouldn’t fail Lester and the other souls. They couldn’t remain in this prison for crimes they hadn’t committed. He was sure the other souls were innocent.
Stephen moved closer to Death and lifted his hand up. In the same second his hand wrapped around bone he felt two other hands twine with his.
“What are you doing?” he hissed feeling the shock and surprise at seeing their hands joined with his.
“If you are in this then we are in it together,” Phillip said, a ghost of a smile touched his face.
“Deyna?” He looked at her sure he would see uncertainty on her face, instead he saw grim determination.
“I couldn’t leave the souls down here, I don’t want Him to win,” she said through gritted teeth as she glared at Death.
As their hands held Death’s he felt an odd click inside his chest. It was almost like his heart had given one final push and then stopped. He couldn’t feel the pulse of blood anymore. He tried to breathe but his lungs wouldn’t function. He didn’t panic, that would give Death too much satisfaction. He knew at this moment Death couldn’t kill them, not without reason. He couldn’t. Deyna coughed and rubbed her chest.
The snakes that had slithered at Death’s feet were now crawling along their hands. He didn’t move, he was oddly fascinated to see what they would do. He watched as the black material from the hood crawled around their wrists. The skin at their wrists tore apart. He’d expected the burst of blood but the black held it back. As the black meandered its way into place, the skin pulled back revealing red, sticky muscle and bone. He held back the screech of pain. He wasn’t sure which was worse, the skin pulling back or the fact that he hadn’t taken a breath in over a minute. His lungs felt like they were on fire.
The black wrapped itself tighter until the bone felt like it was going to snap. Deyna hissed as the skin slithered back and cushioned neatly against the black band.
“It is done,” Death said smiling.
Stephen took back his hand and rubbed the black band around his wrist. It looked like a thick leather bracelet, just one ordinary bracelet that could end their lives.
“So, we want Lester and the souls,” Stephen demanded.
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that,” Death leered.
“What?!” Phillip shouted. “You gave your word!”
“That I did, but you came on a quest to save Lester’s soul. You have the opportunity to do so at this moment, if you cannot prove his innocence then he will remain mine and I will take my payment. You must do the same for the other souls.”
“You didn’t say anything about that,” Stephen argued.
“You didn’t ask,” the skeleton said as it continued to grin with the sharp teeth.
Stephen resisted the urge to punch the skeleton in the face, it would probably hurt his hand more than Death.
“Right but even if I told you who committed the crime, you could say I got it wrong and take Lester anyway.”
Stephen had been thinking of what had happened. He was like a dog with a bone and that many holes in Lester’s story had annoyed him. If he said this name and it was wrong, would their chance be over?
“If you say the right name, you will know. I do not wish to keep good souls here. I’ve made an agreement with the Boss.”
The Boss? He couldn’t mean God?
“Who is the Boss?” he asked.
“That’s on a need to know basis.”
“And I guess I don’t need to know?” he snapped.
For once he would love to receive one answer to a question he asked.
“Why now? Why are you doing this now? You’ve had Lester’s soul for over 30 years.”
“It has come to the attention of the Boss that the souls I keep may be innocent. They have argued it often enough,” He snarled and cast a quick glance at Lester who shifted his feet nervously.
Stephen didn’t like to see this. No man should ever be made to feel inferior. He stood in front of Lester making sure Death had to get through him first.
“If I was innocent, I’d tell you until I was blue in the face,” he snapped.
“Yes.” Death looked at him, his ruby red eyes trailed from head to toe in disgust. “You would.”
“Lester is innocent until he’s proven guilty.”
“Already proven guilty,” Death countered, “But fine.”
“As I was saying, the last person to undertake this quest failed-”
“Who was it?”
“This is not something you need to-”
“Fine! I get it!” Stephen shouted, he knew he wasn’t going to get the answers.
“The souls have remained here to wait for their chosen.”
“You mentioned that I was chosen, before, when you said to Lester he’d picked me...”
“Yes, I did, the soul i
Stephen felt something click and he was about to say it but Deyna beat him to it.
“So, how can you promise souls to us if someone has already been chosen, like Stephen?” Deyna demanded holding her arm up to emphasise the black band.
“Oh, did I fail to mention that your little group are the chosen ones? It must have slipped my mind.”
“You git!” Phillip lunged at Death.
Stephen grabbed him before he could touch Death. “No, Pip, that could get you killed.”
“We have a death wish already, why wait!” Phillip stormed, still struggling in Stephen’s arms.
“The souls need us,” he spoke quietly.
Phillip stopped struggling, panting with anger.
“You cheated,” Stephen hissed, glaring at Death.
His shoulder’s shrugged, the black material slithered around his bones to create the movement. “I’m Death, what did you expect? Anyway, Lester picked the wrong person last time, he didn’t get the tree quite right. You were his choice.”
With those words, Stephen knew who it was. Death had all but confirmed it.
“I know who did it.”
Death stepped forward and grabbed Lester.
Deyna and Phillip reached for Lester but their hands went through him. What was happening with Lester? They had been able to hold him and now they couldn’t. Did Death play a part in this?
“Let. Him. Go,” Stephen said through clenched teeth. He grabbed the bone in his belt and pulled it out.
Death laughed. “What are you going to do? Smack me with my own rib bone?”
Stephen waved the bone at Death. “If I have to.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Death goaded.
Stephen stepped forward; he’d never back down from a challenge.
“Fine, have it your way.” Death let Lester go.
Lester floated toward Deyna who grabbed his hand. Hers went straight through his but she left it there. Maybe that one single touch from Death had caused some sort of weakness in Lester, like he wasn’t moving forward but back.
“He will come with me if you get the answer wrong.”
“I only have one go at this?”
“Yes.”
He felt a tightness pull at his chest. He couldn’t get this wrong.
“It’s okay, young lad,” Lester encouraged. “Go with your heart.”
“If I say the name, what will you do with that name?”
He needed to know.
“They must take the place of Lester. If Lester didn’t commit the crime, the culprit must serve the time. That is the way of things. The Boss has agreed to those terms.”
Could he say the name? He was sure he would choke on the word.
He looked into Lester’s eyes. He’d been a part of his community before Lee Turner arrived in town and he’d lost his livelihood and the woman he loved. He couldn’t let him down so he really hoped the name was correct. Lester had put his trust in him, a lost sixteen year old boy.
“The name of the person who murdered Lee Turner and Marie Andrews is...” He took a deep breath staring at Death as he said it. “Tom Evans. My father.”
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CHAPTER TWENTY SIX