Grave Danger (13 page)

Clarissa folded her arms across her chest. She was a
few inches taller than Leah and had the advantage of looking down
at the smaller woman. Clarissa hadn’t realized that she behaved
differently than the other ghosts. And she didn’t understand what
was wrong with behaving like a human being. Because she was dead
didn’t mean she wasn’t human anymore.

Seeing the expression on the slightly older woman,
Leah added,” I’m not trying to insult you. I’m just pointing out
how I realized that you were new to this existence. There is
nothing wrong with your behavior. In fact it’s kind of refreshing
to have a ghost who doesn’t exploit their abilities. You act like
you have to follow the rules of the living world and you don’t
realize that you don’t have to anymore.”

Clarissa wasn’t quite sure what Leah meant by that
statement and she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to find out.
Thinking it best to steer the conversation to the topic that she
had come in here for, she focused on the fact that Leah was an S.S.
(Spectral Services) member.

“
So you’re an S.S. member. Then you must be
aware that the city is being taken over by these killers from the
island.”

Leah nodded. “Yes. I’m more than aware of what’s
happening in this city; perhaps more so than you in fact. You said
earlier that you only recently moved here. We, the S.S. members,
and the Eidolon Community have been dealing with the flesh-eaters
for decades.”

“
You’re right,” Clarissa admitted. She hated
the fact that she was coming in on the tale-end of this issue and
had only a limited understanding of the players in this deadly war.
Every day, she was becoming more familiar with this existence and
how she fit into the old city. Eventually she would find a
permanent residence and when her memories of her living self came
back, perhaps she would be able to make a contribution to the
community like Lizzy or Mr. and Mrs. Mendez did with their shops.
But she still knew little about the flesh-eaters or the death bokor
who was supposedly able to control these creatures.

“
That’s why I thought to come into your store.
Perhaps you might have the information I need to understand what
this city is dealing with.”

Leah came around from behind her counter. Clarissa
could now see the rest of her. True to her lavender streaked hair
she was attired in a similar color scheme. Black was the dominate
color in her wardrobe, a combination of a black velvet skirt with
lavender stitching that created a swirling pattern over the fabric,
a matching velvet blouse with puffy sleeves with a lavender fishnet
long sleeve fitted shirt under it. The only jewelry she wore was a
necklace with a small silver charm that was the Korean word for
spirit.

Coming around the counter, Leah looked up at the
older woman. “You’re the first new ghost I have ever met who has
been so interested in solving our problem. I wonder why that is?
Who were you when you were in living form? That might be a reason
you seem to have such an obsession with the flesh-eaters.”

“
I don’t have an obsession with the
flesh-eaters,” Clarissa retorted, offended that Leah had come to
such a conclusion, even if it very well might be true. “What would
make you think that?”

“
Because,” Leah said, brushing her long black
hair over her petite shoulder. “Not only am I a S.S. member which
usually means I have certain capabilities that allow me to see the
supernatural world. I am a witch. I know more about the paranormal
than most of the Eidolon. Well, at least as much as my grandmother
knows. She was a shaman in the old country before she married my
grandfather and moved to the states. I legally changed my last name
to Moon, her name, when I was eighteen.”

“
What was your name before that?” Clarissa
knew that Korean women did not take their husbands last name when
they were married. She didn’t know how she knew this, but the
information just seemed to come into her brain
unknowingly.

Leah made a disgusted face before she answered.
“Scott,” she made the normal sounding surname sound abhorrent. To a
self proclaimed witch, it probably was. “My mother married an
Englishman and because she was born in the States she took his last
name. It’s fine for her, but I wanted a name that bespoke of my
beliefs. Both my mother and grandmother are S.S. members too.” Leah
walked around Clarissa’s form. “And right now I can see the trouble
with the flesh-eaters has really got to you, even more than the
others who have been here decades longer. It’s more than just
sympathy for the citizens of this community. It’s like your brain
in programmed for these creatures, but there was a glitch and when
you died you forgot everything you were supposed to know.”

“
I know nothing about flesh-eaters except what
people have told me,” Clarissa reiterated. “And if my curiosity
seems like obsession then it’s because I can’t stand to see
innocent people slaughtered like animals by these monsters you call
flesh-eaters. I think it is past time that something is done about
them and I intend to be one of those people who help exterminate
the lot of them.”

“
I would be more than happy to help you,
Clarissa.” Leah smiled at the ghost woman. She liked this woman and
believed her to be a wonderful asset to their community. “However,
not to get your hopes up, but there isn’t a lot of written material
on the flesh-eaters. It’s difficult to study a creature that
consumes anything living within its radar. Anyone who has gotten
close enough to find out about them has ended up in their digestive
tract. But let’s see what I have in stock.”

Chapter 7-

“
Let me see,” Leah mumbled to herself as
Clarissa followed the woman around the book store. “We have a lot
of stuff on vampires if you’re interested. In some ways they are
almost like flesh-eaters; walking dead corpses consuming living
blood to sustain their existence. Except in the case of the
vampire, they suck daintily at a person’s neck. A flesh-eater would
likely snap your neck in half then suck out all the insides. Then
gnaw on your extremities like they were a delicious turkey leg. But
flesh-eaters don’t like their meat processed or cooked. I guess
they’re on the zone diet or the raw diet.”

Clarissa didn’t comment on Leah’s idea of a dark
humor joke. “Do you have any books on the religion of vodou? I sort
of remember that the practitioners of this faith have some
understanding of the creation of zombies.”

“
They do, but I’m not sure it will be enough.”
Leah moved on to another aisle where there was a collection of
spiritual books from a religious or occult perspective. Most people
used the word occult to describe a system of beliefs that was dark
and usually favored a demonic character like Satanism or
demonology. Most forgot that before Christianity became one of the
dominant world religions, it too was cast in the light of an
occult. The ingesting of the body and blood of Christ could seem to
some as a form of cannibalism, an illegal practice in much of the
ancient world.

“
What do you mean by that?” Clarissa took a
book off the shelf, scanning the cover. It was a book of mythology.
Many of ancient cultures ventured into the concept of cannibal-like
creatures who consumed living flesh and even practitioners of these
pagan arts believed in consuming flesh as a religious or spiritual
practice. Christianity incorporated these beliefs into their faith
system. But the flesh-eater or zombie as it was referred to in
modern culture was more of an intellectual concept than a flesh and
blood creature.

“
There are two schools of thought when it
comes to a flesh-eater and even these don’t accurately describe the
creatures that live in our city.” Leah took the book Clarissa was
holding from her, putting it back on the shelf. “Hollywood, as
always, tries to help us understand these night creatures. The
eighties in particular seemed to be a high point in zombie mania.
And even within Hollywood there are various interpretations on
them. Some think they are slow moving, dull witted humans and
others make them more active and cognizant. But it comes down to
two reasons why there are zombies. One is based on some chemical or
bio-logical accident where humans are turned into mindless, angry
creatures whose only goal is to consume as much blood and flesh as
they can get their hands on. The second and slightly more accurate
version is that they are the dead who because of a curse or the
influence of a psychic medium re-animated them into something not
quite human.”

Leah picked up two books on an opposite shelf,
putting them in Clarissa’s hands. Clarissa looked down at her
hands. The one on top was a book entitled: Vodou: Life in the
Spirit World. The one beneath it was a philosophic study on the
human zombie. It looked like a text book and probably read like
one. “But you don’t believe either of those theories, do you?”
Clarissa questioned as they moved on to the next aisle.

“
No,” she said, continuing to layer books on
top of the ones Clarissa was holding. “I think they have some solid
arguments but in truth the supernatural world doesn’t always make
its history so black and white. Everything you think you might know
about the flesh-eaters is usually false or almost false. Yes, they
do consume flesh and blood, but they are not slow witted or human
like as many believe. Flesh-eaters are almost nothing like what
you’ve likely seen in movies or read about in a book which is why
the Eidolon community doesn’t refer to them as zombies. The zombie
refers to an animated human corpse that is without conscious or a
soul. I’m not sure if that’s true. These creatures are only as
human as they look, and the rest is bestial, but whether or not
they have a soul, I don’t know.”

Clarissa had heard this before from Richard. The
flesh-eaters, because of the nature of their creation, lost what
little humanity they might have once had. The living called these
creatures soulless and perhaps they were not wrong. “Do you know
anything about a death bokor or I think sometimes they are called
death dealers?” Clarissa went to the counter and placed her small
stack of books on it as Leah went around the other side to ring up
her purchases. “I believe they have some connection to vodou, but
very little is known about them. I was wondering if you might have
more information, considering you’re a witch.”

Leah laughed. “I’m not really a witch. I mean I
don’t fly on a broom stick or cast spells or anything. But the
term, witch, is the closest word to describe my talents which to be
quite honest I’m not even sure what they are. I just know things or
see things that other living people don’t understand or won’t take
the time to.” Tallying up the purchases on a slip of paper, she put
it in a box marked St. Augustine Eidolon customers.

“
As far as I know we haven’t heard of a death
bokor in over a century. For all we know they could have all died
out by now. The vodou practitioners believe that any spirit in the
natural world is vodou. And they believe that they can speak or
interact with the dead to some extent. The voodoo priestess or
bokor is said to be able to control and create the zombie. However,
a death bokor or a death dealer is like a policing force, they dish
out justice to the dead. They are the force that can impart death
to the dead, all dead, not just a flesh-eater. And it’s not
something you will likely come across in voodoo practice, its dark
magick. Most of the vodou practitioners will have never heard of
such a person.”

“
How much do I owe you for the books?”
Clarissa reached into her purse for her wallet. Eleanor had helped
to pick one out for her today insisting that she have the natural
accessories that any normal woman would possess.

“
Don’t worry about it,” Leah said, pointing to
the box on the counter. “I charge everything into the Eidolon
credit accounts. As long as you don’t over indulge, I think you’ll
be fine. I’m sure you don’t know this, but I get paid to be an S.S.
member.” At Clarissa’s astonished expression she continued. “You
didn’t think we worked for the dead for free, did you?”

“
I don’t know,” Clarissa admitted. “I haven’t
really thought about it. But of course you should be paid for your
assistance to the Eidolon.”

Leah went on to explain a little about what the S.S.
members did for the dead. “You have to be eighteen to join. Jackson
just turned eighteen this past month and he’s itching to be
initiated. No one is allowed to join until they turn eighteen and a
legal guardian has to agree one year in advance before initiation
if you’re under the age of twenty-one. So far Jackson’s parents
have declined to agree. Not that I can blame them considering what
happened with so many S.S. members recently.”

Clarissa didn’t at first connect what she meant by
that last statement until Leah continued.

“
The deaths that you mentioned earlier have
not just been ordinary citizens and tourists; they have been S.S.
members. Until now, they have been off the flesh-eater menu for
obvious reasons. It’s a breach in contract to attach an S.S. member
and what makes it worse is that none of my people would have been
out in the dark for them to get, which means the flesh-eaters are
not sticking by the rules anymore, they are coming into our
homes.”

Clarissa walked home with her canvas bag of books,
one of those environmental bags that all the stores now carried.
The store bag was black with a white logo of the stores name in
thick curving lettering on the outside. One might assume that the
living should have noticed a bag being carried down the street with
no human arm supporting it, but they didn’t. It wasn’t that the bag
disappeared when Clarissa touched the tangible item. It was more
likely that many of the living refused to believe they saw anything
as strange as floating bags. A part of their brain functioning
dismissed what was right in front of their eyes, a kind of veil
that kept the supernatural and paranormal out of their living
lives.