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  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  149 years ago

  The door to the mortuary swung open, and Richard Garrett stepped through into the cold, dank room. Immediately, his gaze settled upon the two bodies that lay on a table over by the room's far end.

  “You'll be Mr. Garrett, then,” the mortician, Andrew Bold, said, turning from the bench where he was preparing some fresh solutions. A young boy worked next to him. “It's about time you showed up.”

  “The paperwork took longer than it should have,” Garrett replied, making his way over to the table and holding up the document from the Sheriff's office. “Never have I encountered such officious fools as I find in some of these small towns. Still, at least now everything's signed and -”

  “I don't doubt that for one moment,” Bold said, interrupting him, before glancing with a nervous expression toward the two bodies. “Everyone wants rid of them. The fact that you're willing to pay is just a bonus.”

  Garrett stepped around the table and looked down at the two corpses. As he'd been informed, one was male and one was female. They'd been laid out naked, and the rope marks were clear around their necks. For a moment, Garrett could only stare at the bodies, and deep down he could already sense that they were of the type that he required. He'd been performing this service for so long, ever since the war had ended, that his gut reacted every time he came close to such creatures.

  “I suppose you know the stories,” Bold said.

  Garrett didn't reply.

  “I'm not a superstitious man myself,” Bold continued, “but ever since these two criminals were executed, it's like they've been... calling attention to themselves. We even buried them, a few days back, but then things got worse and they were dug up. Something's still not right, though. Can't you feel it in the air?”

  Still, Garrett said nothing. Instead he was staring at the corpses with a hint of wonder in his eyes.

  “I don't like what you do,” Bold said firmly, “but I understand it. So get on with it.”

  “Leave the room,” Garrett murmured finally, still staring at the bodies.

  “I think -”

  “I told you to leave the room.” Garrett's gaze was still fixed on the two corpses. “My horse and cart are waiting at the rear of the building. I shall go out that way, so as to avoid being watched by the townsfolk. For the same reason, I shall leave town along the old mining road. I do not like to make a spectacle of what I do.”

  “And you'll take them far away from here?” Bold asked. “We have your word on that?”

  “You do indeed,” Garrett replied. “You need not worry. Whatever effect these two souls have had on your town, it is over now. I know what to do with them.”

  “And what's that?” Bold asked. “If I might ask, that is.”

  “It is none of your concern.”

  “They were murderous in life,” Bold replied. “I don't know how many they killed, but it must have been at least ten. How they could claim to be in love, I'll never -”

  “I asked you some time ago to leave the room,” Garrett said, cutting him off, still staring at the bodies. “I note that you have not yet done so.”

  Bold hesitated, before turning and walked to the door. At the same time, the young boy – no more than eight or nine years old – began to follow.

  “The child stays,” Garrett said, turning to look at them.

  Bold stopped, and he seemed unsure of himself for a moment before, finally, turning to the boy.

  “You are to stay here and assist Mr. Garrett, Peter,” he explained. “I... I'm sorry.”

  “Aren't I expected back at the orphanage?” Peter asked.

  “No, not at the moment.” Bold turned to Garrett. “There are some parts of this arrangement,” he continued, “that I find harder to stomach than others.”

  “That is none of my concern,” Garrett told him. “I am performing a great service for this town. I would like you to remember that, should you begin to worry about how I conduct myself. What matters is that Lordstown is able to get back to its old ways. Once I am gone, that shall surely be the case.”

  Bold seemed for a moment as if he might argue some more, but then he turned and left the room. He pulled the door shut, and a few seconds later there was the sound of a key being turned in a lock, before footsteps faded into the distance.

  Garrett, watched by Peter, made his way around to the head of the table, and looked down at the face of the dead man. Then, slowly, he reached down and carefully opened the man's mouth, before slipping his fingers inside and removing a gold coin. He then stepped over to the dead woman and did the same.

  “What are those?” Peter asked, his voice tinged with fear.

  “Do you know nothing, boy?” Garrett asked, as he examined the coins. “I suppose I should not be astonished by your heathen ignorance. Out here in the middle of nowhere, far from civilization, you are deeply under-educated in matters of the divine. It has long been said that the dead must buy purchase passage across the rivers that separate the world of the living from the world of the dead. They must each give a coin to the boatman, Charon, in order to pass. That is why such coins are sometimes placed in the mouths of those who are to be buried.”

  “But...”

  Peter hesitated.

  “Then... why are you taking them out?” he asked finally.

  “You know who these two people are, do you not?”

  Peter nodded.

  “Thieves,” Garrett continued. “Murderers. Nobody would have spared a coin for either of them. Instead, their souls would have gone straight to the pits of Hell.” He paused. “But there are those who refuse to accept their fate. And if they are brave enough, and strong enough, they can descend into the darkest depths of Hell, and it is said that there they can find gold, with which to fashion their own coins. If they can then navigate the torturous path to the shore of the river Styx, they can use these coins to purchase passage in the other direction, passing from the land of the dead to the land of the living.”

  Peter stepped toward the table, although after a moment he held back a little. He wasn't sure why, but he felt fear in his heart.

  “It is said,” Garrett continued, “that although he is bound to transport such souls, Charon is not bound to accept their payment. Often, he lets them keep their coins, so that they may use them once they return to this world.” He allowed himself a faint smile. “So that they may use them to purchase new bodies.”

  A shiver ran through Peter's chest.

  “I first saw this, or something like it, during the war,” Garrett explained. “From that moment on, I knew that it would be my task to seek out these souls upon their return, and to aid them. For they do require aid, you see. They have been through so much. But are they not beautiful?” He reached down and gently stroked the hair on the woman's head. “They were killed for their sins, but they refused to accept death. Is that not the greatest act of disobedience that any soul can perform? They must have gone through unspeakable horrors in Hell, in their search for the means to manufacture these coins, but they were determined to return to the land of the living. And now, with just a little help from me, they shall thrive again. My wife and I shall look after them, once I get them home.”

  “I have to go now,” Peter said, turning to walk away. “I'm sorry.”

  “No.”

  Peter stopped in his tracks, terrified by the severity of Garrett's tone.

  “I am afraid,” Garrett continued, stepping up behind him, “that you are part of the deal I have struck with the people of Lordstown. They fear these bodies. They know there is something amiss with them. They accepted all my terms immediately.” He slipped a knife from his pocket. “They know that sacrifices must be made.”

  “But -”

  Suddenly Garrett grabbed Peter and pulled him back. Before the boy could struggle, the knife's blade sliced straight across his throat, and Garrett held up a small cup to collect blood as it sprayed from the wound. The boy struggled violently,
but only for a moment. He quickly weakened, and finally he hung limply in Garrett's arms as more blood ran into the cup. The whole process was quick. Garrett knew what he was doing, he'd done it many times before, and the boy was soon dead.

  Once he was done, Garrett dropped the boy's corpse and headed back to the table, where he took a moment to pour the blood into the mouths of the two bodies.

  “There,” he purred. “Just the first step, but soon you shall live again. I shall take you to my home and you shall be found two new bodies. The journey will take a few days, but you will surely be glad enough once we reach our destination. I truly believe that it is the Lord's wish that I help you.” His eyes were burning with madness now. “As I have helped so many before you. In the name of the Lord, the great Satan.”

  With that, he tossed the cup aside and hauled the dead man up, quickly carrying him out the rear door. He took him to where his horse and cart waited, and then he set the man on the back of the cart before going back to fetch the woman and placing her next to the man. Then he took the coins and set one in the man's hand an one in the woman's, to keep them safe during the journey. This was the first time he'd ever had two bodies to transport at once, but he

  “I require no payment from you for my services,” he said as he secured the rear of the cart. “Save your coins. You shall need them soon. To purchase your new bodies.”

  Turning, he headed around and prepared the horse, and then he led the animal and the cart out of the yard and toward the old road. The darkening sky threatened a great storm, and it had been said that the snow that year was worse than at any time in living memory. Still, Garrett felt certain that he could take a shortcut through some uncharted areas that would cut his journey time by up to a day. He did not notice his horse's faint limp but, even if he had, he would not have changed his plan. His madness had been forged in the heart of war, but he felt certain that the Lord would protect him and guide him on his journey home as he set off with his precious cargo.

  Ahead, gathering clouds portended a great snowstorm.

  Epilogue

  Today

  Her eyes narrowed slightly as she saw something moving in the distance. Whatever it was, it appeared too fast to be a normal person, but its shape was not that of a horse and carriage. Some kind of vehicle was bumping toward the clearing, bearing the word POLICE on its side in large letters.

  “How long were we gone?” the man asked, now inhabiting Chad Clark's body.

  She turned to him, and immediately she began to smile, although the smile felt unfamiliar. She was not yet used to the body that had once belonged to Catherine Chandler.

  “My love,” she said, not quite recognizing her own new voice, “I do not know, but I think perhaps it is longer than we intended. Look at these clothes. Aren't they unusual? What wondrous fibers are they made from?”

  “I remember screams,” he replied, his eyes filled with wonder, “and pain, and -”

  “I remember all of that too,” she said, reaching up and placing a finger against his lips to quieten him, “but it's over now. We made it back.”

  “I remember going to the shore of that river,” he continued. “I remember the man with the boat, and his face was like -”

  “Not now,” she said, trying to calm him. “We must be careful. However long has passed, much has likely changed. But we have one another, and that's all we need.” She placed her hands on the sides of his arm, as the police cruiser pulled up nearby. “And I don't know about you,” she continued with a grin that was feeling more and more natural by the second, “but I'm very, very happy with these new bodies we have purchased. Now it's time to get back to what we do best.”

  Her grin grew, and then they both turned to watch as a police officer stepped out of the cruiser.

  OTHER BOOKS

  BY AMY CROSS INCLUDE

  Horror

  Stephen

  The Farm

  The Haunting of Hardstone Jail

  Asylum (The Asylum Trilogy book 1)

  Meds (The Asylum Trilogy book 2)

  The Madness of Annie Radford (The Asylum Trilogy book 3)

  The Devil, the Witch and the Whore (The Deal book 1)

  Like Stones on a Crow's Back (The Deal book 2)

  The Devil's Blade

  Haunted

  Devil's Briar

  The Night Girl

  Last Wrong Turn

  Friend From the Internet

  The Haunting of Caldgrave House

  The Haunting of Blackwych Grange

  The Bride of Ashbyrn House

  The Ghosts of Hexley Airport

  The Curse of Wetherley House

  The Haunting of Marshall Heights

  The Ghosts of Lakeforth Hotel

  The Body at Auercliff

  The Soul Auction

  The Border

  Eli's Town

  Laura

  Annie's Room

  The Priest Hole (Nykolas Freeman book 1)

  Battlefield (Nykolas Freeman book 2)

  Perfect Little Monsters and Other Stories

  The Ghost of Longthorn Manor and Other Stories

  Room 9 and Other Stories

  Fantasy / Horror

  Grave Girl

  Raven Revivals (Grave Girl book 2)

  The Gravest Girl of All (Grave Girl book 3)

  The Library

  Beautiful Familiar

  Dark Season (book 1, 2 & 3)

  The Hollow Church

  The Vampires of Tor Cliff Asylum

  Dead Souls (book 1 to 13)

  Lupine Howl (books 1 to 6)

  Dystopian / Apocalypse

  Ward Z (The Ward Z Series book 1)

  Terror at Camp Everbee (The Ward Z Series book 2)

  The Dog

  Also by Amy Cross

  THE FARM

  No-one ever remembers what happens to them when they go into the barn at Bondalen farm. Some never come out again, and the rest... Something about them is different.

  In 1979, the farm is home to three young girls. As winter fades to spring, Elizabeth, Kari and Sara each come to face the secrets of the barn, and they each emerge with their own injuries. But someone else is lurking nearby, a man who claims to be Death incarnate, and for these three girls the spring of 1979 is set to end in tragedy.

  In the modern day, meanwhile, Bondalen farm has finally been sold to a new family. Dragged from London by her widowed father, Paula Ridley hates the idea of rural life. Soon, however, she starts to realize that her new home retains hints of its horrific past, while the darkness of the barn still awaits anyone who dares venture inside.

  Set over the course of several decades, The Farm is a horror novel about people who live with no idea of the terror in their midst, and about a girl who finally has a chance to confront a source of great evil that has been feeding on the farm for generations.

  Also by Amy Cross

  ALICE ISN'T WELL

  (DEATH HERSELF BOOK 1)

  “There are lots of demons in the sky above London. The problem is, this one came crashing down to earth.”

  Ten years ago, Alice Warner was attacked and disfigured by an attacker in her own home. She remembers nothing of the attack, and she has been in a psychiatric hospital ever since. When she's finally released, however, she starts working as a security guard at an abandoned shopping mall. And that's when she starts to realize that something is haunting her, keeping just one step out of sight at all times...

  Meanwhile, seventy years earlier, a little girl named Wendy is left orphaned after a World War 2 fighter plane crashes onto her house. Taken to a monastery, Wendy is quickly singled out by the nuns for special attention. They say she has been possessed by a demon, and that there's only one way to save her soul. Fortunately for Wendy, however, there's someone else who seems to know far more about the situation.

  What is the shocking connection between Alice and Wendy, reaching out across the years? Does a demon really lurk in the girl's soul? And who is Hannah, the
mysterious figure who tries to help Wendy, and who seventy years later begins to make her influence felt in Alice's life too?

  Alice Isn't Well is the first book in the Death Herself series, about a dark figure who arrives in the night, promising to help deal with the forces of evil whenever they appear.

  Also by Amy Cross

  MEDS

  (THE ASYLUM TRILOGY BOOK 2)

  “Welcome to the Overflow. And remember, all roads lead back to Lakehurst.”

  At the edge of a ruined town, a burned-out hospital houses one final, functional ward. There, a small group of doctors and nurses tend to patients who have been consigned to the Overflow. Unloved, forgotten by the people who knew them, these are the patients who will never receive visitors. If something happens to them, no-one will ask questions.

  When she starts work at Middleford Cross, Nurse Elly Blackstock thinks she's getting a second chance. She soon discovers, however, that this particular hospital is unlike any other. In one of the beds, an old man grapples with the horrors of his past, while in another there's a woman condemned to a life of darkness and silence. Ghosts stalk the corridors, and more ghosts are on the way. And watching over all of this is the hospital's administrator, Nurse Kirsten Winter, a woman who is desperately searching for someone named Annie Radford...

  Asylum: Meds is a dark horror novel about the lengths one woman will go to as she searches for the truth about the voices in her head.