Deaths inquest, p.1
Death's Inquest, page 1
part #1 of Arrival of the Four Horsemen Series
Medusa Publishing
Death’s Inquest
Arrival of the Four Horsemen
Copyright © 2022 By Marcelle Valentine
All rights reserved. No part of this book can be used, reproduced, transmitted, or distributed without written consent from the author, except for instances where a brief quotation is being used in an article or review.
This book is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, any and all of the names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to a real location, persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contact information: marcellevalentine.com/
Published in the United States of America by Medusa Publishing.
Medusa Publishing is a registered trade name of Medusa Publishing, LLC.
ISBN: 978-1-958154-07-6 (Paperback)
978-1-958154-08-3 (Hardback)
978-1-958154-09-0 (eBook)
Stand tall when others kneel
Table of Contents
Prolog
Chapter One: Faithful Decision
Chapter Two: Chance
Chapter Three: New World
Chapter Four: The Devil You Know
Chapter Five: Horde Life
Chapter Six: Dream
Chapter Seven: On the move
Chapter Eight: Sacked
Chapter Nine: Alone
Chapter Ten: Raven
Chapter Eleven: What Comes Around
Chapter Twelve: Dream a little Dream
Chapter Thirteen: Mistakes
Chapter Fourteen: Loss
Chapter Fifteen: Ghost
Chapter Sixteen: Time To Go
Chapter Seventeen: Scars
Chapter Eighteen: Lessons Learned
Chapter Nineteen: Who
Chapter Twenty: Not Ready
Chapter Twenty-One: The Real Monsters
Chapter Twenty-Two: Janie
Chapter Twenty-Three: I Don’t Believe You
Chapter Twenty-Four: Control
Chapter Twenty-Five: Time
Chapter Twenty-Six: Life Moves On 296
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Starting Over 303
Also by
Acknowledgments
Newsletter
About the Author
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:30-31.
Prolog
̴Death Winter 2019 ̴
The young soul before me is at the end of his mortal existence. Soon I shall deliver him to his next life, to the true glory that one can only know after they have shed the trappings of their realm, the realm of man. He was a dutiful child and would have been a great man had the soulless black heart masquerading as a man not cut him down. A coward who hid in ambush as this young soul returned from seeing the female he mistakenly fell in love with. Like the craven who holds her heart, she will be found wanting when their judgment is finally upon them, for his is not the only life they have stolen; it is simply the saddest.
Like so many others whose life is circling the edge between his realm and the glory of their afterlife, he fights to cling to the only reality he knows. What impresses me most about the young man, who has only seen twenty summers, is he fights with the strength of ten soldiers. My brother would be pleased to witness the courage, tenacity, and fortitude he shows in his fight to live, yet he would also find him wanting to have ended up in the situation that led him to this; his final moments.
My brothers still slumber while they wait until the day our almighty benevolent creator calls us forth to deliver his final decree, the day humanity will meet its end. Maybe then I will at long last be permitted to rest. Until then, I stand…. I watch…. I wait…. And I deliver because that is my purpose, for I am the pale rider, known by some as Thanatos, but my most common moniker and the one I am certain you will understand is Death.
“Come forth, my child.” The call of my creator is a beckon I cannot refuse; however, seeing the soul before me failing fast, I am honor-bound to deliver him to the next phase of his existence. So even as the summons is building within me like venom for not heeding my creator’s call, I wait, I watch so that when he finally succumbs, I will be here to deliver.
As the pain builds to an excruciating degree, I allow my eyes to slip closed, concentrating on holding my creator’s will at bay.
“Where am I?” The same question I hear from every soul who is passing through purgatory.
I open my eyes to focus on the young man’s confused face. “A better place, one where you will find your lost loved ones waiting. A place where pain does not exist.”
“Am I….” This is the second question they all ask.
“Yes, young soul, you have slipped from the realm of man.”
“But my mom.”
“Will greave you. She will have to learn how to live in a world where you do not exist any longer until the day she takes her last mortal breath, and then I will bring her to join you.”
“Come Death, for my patience grows thin.”
Taking the young man’s arm gently within my grasp, I escort him towards the gathering souls waiting to welcome him home. I stay until the boy falls into the embrace of his grandmother before I turn to heed my father’s call.
∞∞∞
“I have summoned you because I have a task you must fulfill.”
“I have a task already. Can one of my brothers not be awoken to oversee this new endeavor?”
“No, for when my lamb breaks the seals that will wake them, it will be too late for those I send you to judge.”
“Judge?”
“You will live among my children and determine if they are worthy of redemption or if it is time.”
“Time?”
“Yes, my Son. Time for me to call them home.”
“I do not believe I am best suited for this, father.”
“Then steel your heart and steady your soul, for this is not a request, my faithful child.” And with his final decree delivered, I am thrust into the realm of man, the land of the living. My task is to judge these beings and determine if they are worthy of his divine forgiveness.
Chapter One: Faithful Decision
The Bible says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That our world was formed from the void. He wanted to separate the light from the dark and saw the light as good. Does this mean only evil blooms at night? If this is true, how do you explain the souls like me, the ones who thrive in darkness?
̴Avalon Spring 2022 ̴
I find a quiet peace in the darkness. It is the only time I feel really alive since it is the only time I don’t have to hide who I am. A lost soul who has seen far more than my fair share of brutality. Tonight is the best kind of night, made darker by the steady rainfall. I exhale, watching the continuous drops trickle down the windowpanes; yes, this is the perfect night for someone like me.
If I had known how dramatically my life was about to change, I might have just climbed into bed to hide until the end.
Everything is perfect until shouts echoing off the sides of the building outside my apartment disturb my quiet peace. I peer down towards the road only to discover five men attacking one. This, in itself, is not unusual. Hell, it wouldn’t be a normal Saturday night if there was not at least one assault within the five blocks surrounding where I live. What is most interesting about this time is that the man seems unwilling to protect himself as they repeatedly hit him, knocking him to the ground.
“Hell yeah, kick him again.”
“John, finish him,” another guy interjects.
“If you are in such a hurry, Isaiah, you can fucking do it.” Oh shit, I know these guys. They are a bunch of ruthless thugs who terrorize the neighborhood. John glares at Isaiah, who puts his hands up and backs away from the sadistic prick.
“I see you’re not so interested in shoving the fucking blade into him yourself. No? Then keep your fucking mouth closed, or you may find yourself lying next to him,” John snarls. The man they have been beating is currently lying unconscious and bloody. He has no idea of the danger coming his way. John kicks the man in the head several more times before he bends down in front of him to jerk his head off the wet pavement. I hear the click before I see the glint of steel from the knife he pulled from his waistband.
“What, nothing more to say now, asshole? No words of wisdom you want to give us.”
I can’t believe it, but the poor guy actually mumbles something, although it’s too low for me to hear clearly from my vantage point.
“Still talking shit, I see. Well, maybe this will teach you the lesson you seem so fucking unwilling to learn.” John slams the knife into his gut before ripping it out to plunge it into his chest. I can’t help the gasp that follows. Son of a bitch, did I really watch John kill another man in cold blood? And like the sound that carried from them to me, apparently, mine filters down to them as well. Throwing my hand over my mouth, I duck behind the wall; my only hope is that they didn’t see me standing in the window because the room I’m in is concealed with darkness. The only sound I can hear is the pounding of my heart. After what feels like an eternity, I take a chance to
“Get this piece of shit off the street. No point in making it easy on Detective Asshole.” John snaps. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket, he lights one. The flame briefly illuminates his face, which chases away any doubt of who I just witnessed killing the man unfortunate enough to cross paths with these assholes. His eyes move back up towards the building, and I swear to God, I think he is looking directly at me.
“You all know who I am and what I’m capable of, so if you know what’s good for you, I suggest you mind your business and keep your fucking mouths closed, or that asshole won’t be the only body the police will be investigating.” He shouts before flicking his cigarette toward one of the first-floor windows, but I cannot erase the feeling he is looking at me. I watch as his goons each grab an arm or a leg to cart the man into the deserted building across the street.
I remain pressed against the wall, my breathing ragged until I am sure they have left. With one last glimpse out the window, I call it a night. Crawling into bed, I concentrate on calming my heart, knowing I am tucked safely between my sheets.
The longer I lay here, the more the images of the beaten man plague my every thought. Here safe and warm in my bed, I feel guilty for not doing anything. I know there is no way possible he could have survived the injuries he sustained, but what if? What if he is lying down there right now, praying someone will find him, praying someone will come to his aid?
“No, Avalon, keep your ass in bed. He’s beyond help, and the only thing you will accomplish if you go over there is getting a knife in your back when John returns,” I mumble to the empty room.
The ticking of the clock is a constant reminder of time winding down, of the life slipping away right across the street. I grab the blankets and yank them over my head, hoping to drown out the sound. When it does little to help, I bury my head under the pillow.
“That’s better. Now, close your eyes, Ava. Close your eyes and go to sleep.”
Tick-tick-tick, tick…. tick…. tick…. …. tick…. …. …. Tick.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Okay, I get it.” I scream as I throw my pillow at the clock, knocking it off the wall. The damn thing is finally quiet when it shatters on the floor, sending bits and pieces flying everywhere.
“I can take a look outside; as long as I don’t see anyone milling around out there, I can check it out. The dude is probably dead already. If he is, I’ll bring my happy ass right back up here, climb into my nice warm bed, and sleep until I have to go back to work.” Walking over to the window, I stand there for several minutes, watching the road and the shadows.
“Shit-shit-shit. Just get it over with Avalon. Standing around isn’t doing anything but assuring he dies.”
Slipping on my shoes, I jog down the stairs. Once again, I take a second to survey the road before I exit the building. Cautiously, I creep across the street; each sound I hear has me damn near jumping out of my skin. When I arrive at the entrance to the building they drug him into, I wish I could hear if anything was on the other side of the door, but I can’t hear a damn thing over the thud of my racing heart. Carefully opening the door, I inch along the wall, wishing the entire time I had brought a flashlight with me.
The burst of lightning from the approaching storm outside illuminates the space barely enough for me to make out the shape of someone lying in the middle of the room. I am not sure if I am more hopeful I will find him alive or discover he has succumbed to the wounds dealt out by his attackers.
“That is a shitty thing to hope for.” I chastise myself for letting such a horrible thought materialize.
When I arrive at his side, I place my shaky hand against the side of his neck. Holy hell, I think this guy might still be alive or is it purely my imagination? I lower my head toward his chest, trying to listen for a heartbeat. Hell, any signs of life would be great right about now. When a low groan rumbles from deep in his chest, it scares the hell out of me, and I end up on my ass.
After a couple of seconds, my legs stop shaking enough to let me stand back up.
He’s alive. Now I just need to…. Shit, I don’t know what I need to do. I guess I didn’t think this through all the way. I let my eyes drop back down to the man who was injured more by the assault than I realized. I know I need to get him out of here and back to my place if I have any hope of saving this guy’s life.
“If you can hear me, I have to move you. I’m sorry. I know it is going to hurt like hell, but those guys will definitely be back around to make sure you will not be able to identify them.”
Grabbing under his arms, I slowly begin pulling him towards the door. Inch by inch, one painful second at a time, I make it a little more than halfway across the room when I realize I will never get him all the way up to my apartment, not like this anyway. Maybe I have something over at my apartment I can use to help me.
“Ava? Are you in here?” My neighbor’s voice is unmistakable. This is the help I need is the thought echoing through my head as I rush around the corner to find her standing just inside the door.
“What the hell are you doing over here, Suki?” I ask, mindful not to raise my voice too loud.
“I was on my way home and saw you coming into this dilapidated shithole. What are you doing?” Good question. What the hell am I doing? Seeing her timely arrival as an opportunity, I decided that asking for her help rather than replying with one of my typical snarky comments would be most beneficial.
“Will you help me with something? We need to hurry.”
Suki’s mom was obsessed with a book series that came out in 2001. I remember her laughing when she told me the story. Apparently, her mom either misspelled her name or elected to go with the Japanese version.
Suki follows me around the corner and almost pisses her pants when she realizes we are both over here to help the man lying motionless in front of us.
“I need to get him out of here and over to my apartment before John and his band of thugs come back to finish the poor guy off.”
“John did this?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, hell to the no. What the hell are you thinking, Avalon? Those crazy assholes will kill us if they catch us in here.”
“Suki, what if this was someone you knew? Wouldn’t you hope somebody would have the guts to risk saving them?”
“I sure would, but I ain’t about to risk my life for some guy I don’t know.” She tells me as she starts her trek towards the exit.
“Suk, I can’t do this without you.”
“Then don’t.”
“I can’t just leave the poor guy here. Please, the only thing I need you to do is help me get him across the street; I’ll take it from there.”
“Once we’re across the street, the dangerous part is over, A.” A is the nickname she took to calling me right after I met her. To be honest, I like her name better anyway.
“Please. Suki, I’ll do your damn laundry for a week.”
“Not worth it.”
“Two weeks then.”
“Make it three.”
“You have got to be shitting me.”
“Take it or leave it.”
“Alright, three weeks. Now, will you help me? Please?”
“You better be damn glad I like you.”
“Love me.” I correct with a smile.
“Right now, it’s damn debatable.”
Even with Suki’s help, progress is slower than either of us is comfortable with. I also know dragging the guy across the road has to hurt like a bitch since he only has on a thin shirt. I don’t think I take my first breath until we are safely back inside my apartment. Thank God the super fixed the stupid elevator because there is no damn way we could have gotten him up the stairs.
Our next challenge is getting him up on the freaking bed. Like before, we both grab an arm and pull until we have the top half of his body on the mattress. I stay with his upper half while Suki lifts one leg at a time until we have him mostly on it. Panting heavily, I drop to the floor next to Suki, who is as winded as me.
“You know, we could have saved ourselves a lot of hassle if we had just called the cops.”
