The Whispers of the Fallen
“Tortured fear and stupid confidence..."
“I knew the darkness was strong..."
The Whispers of the Fallen
By J.D.Netto
Copyright 2013 by J.D.Netto
Cover Copyright 2013 by J.D.Netto and Untreed Reads Publishing
Cover design, interior design by J.D.Netto, www.jdnetto.com
The author is hereby established as the sole holder of the copyright. Either the publisher (Untreed Reads) or author may enforce copyrights to the fullest extent.
Previously published in 2012.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
DEDICATED TO THOSE BOLD ENOUGH TO DREAM
The Whispers of the Fallen
J.D.Netto
ISAAC
“Tortured fear and stupid confidence
Are both desirable states of mind…”
C.S. Lewis
I
The deafening thunder of the storm outside awoke me suddenly. I was panting; my face was drenched in sweat. I looked at my pillow and it was soaked. I felt troubled, as if all joy had been taken from me. I headed toward the window and looked outside. The rain poured down like a waterfall and lightning ripped apart the morning sky. In my eighteen years of life, never had I seen such inclement weather.
I gasped when I saw my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were dark and heavy, as though I had not gotten any sleep during the night. Instead of their typical lively, green hue, my eyes were faded and dull. My brown hair was dripping with sweat and my mouth was incredibly dry. As I glanced down at my hands, I noticed they were shaking. I lit the candle that sat on my dresser and descended the main staircase. I was surprised to see that the house sat in darkness.
I made my way to the kitchen and saw that it was spotless. There was no bread on the wooden table and no fresh milk in the jar. This was rather odd, as my mother would always have breakfast ready before Dad and I left for the fields to work.
As I turned toward the door, I was surprised to see my father’s coat still hanging behind it. Confused, I ran to their room. The moment I opened the door, I lost my breath. The bed was broken into many pieces and the sheets ripped apart and stained with drops of blood. The glass chandelier that once hung over the bed was no more, and shards of its broken glass were scattered across the entire room. Even the mirror that hung next to the window was cracked. It was clear that something was terribly wrong.
“Mom! Dad…!”
I screamed, but there was no response. I made my way around the house, frantically looking for any other signs of what might have happened, but everything seemed untouched.
I lit all the candles so I could better see the entire place. The fireplace looked the same as it did from the night before. The old cedar table my dad built last year still sat snugly between the fireplace and the old clock.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I stood still for a while, afraid to open it. After some time, another knock followed, stronger this time around.
“Isaac, open up!” I heard Demetre’s muffled voice.
As soon as I opened it, he quickly stepped inside. His shoulder-length black hair was soaking wet. He wore the same black raincoat he had always worn during the rainy weather. The coat looked rugged from overuse.
“Why did you not answer the first time I knocked?” he asked, infuriated.
“Because…I can’t find my parents,” I said in distress. “I’ve looked everywhere but there is nothing.”
Demetre’s eyes suddenly seemed hollow and void. He shook his head in weariness.
“What’s the matter?” I cried.
“I…I don’t know what is going on anymore. I woke up terrified because of a dream I had during the night. Then I headed to the kitchen to see if Mom was there…but when I got there…nothing,” he spoke in a trembling voice.
“Your parents weren’t home also?” I asked, fearing his response.
“No. That is why I came. I thought they were here or you’d probably know where they had gone to.”
I grabbed Demetre’s arm and dragged him to my parents’ room. His blue eyes widened and his face grew pale the moment he saw what had happened.
“This is what I woke up to find,” I said. Demetre paced around the room with his gaze fixed on the broken bed.
“Isaac, we need to find them. I don’t like this. Agalmath is such a small village, there is no way they could have gotten far! Whoever did this must be close,” Demetre spoke in a hoarse voice.
My house was located in a far corner of Agalmath. I had neighbors but none that lived close enough to have heard a sound. No one would have been able to see what had happened here.
“Do you still have your horses at home?” I asked him.
“I believe they are there,” Demetre replied. “I left in such a hurry, I forgot to look for the horses.”
“Let’s head to your house and get the horses. We should go to the fields and see if our parents are there or if any of the workers have heard from them.” I knew many of them were going to be there. They had to save whatever they could from this violent storm.
I picked up a pair of old boots and put on a black raincoat. One last glance around the house was all I could bear before walking out the door. I sighed and closed my eyes.
I hope they are okay,
I thought as I made my way down the little steps and into the rain.
The howling of the wind sounded like whispers echoing in the air. Agalmath was quiet. Many houses were built high up on the hill surrounded by a dense forest of pine trees, which cast their dark shadow ominously overhead. Still, we could see a dim light flickering through the windows of our neighbors’ cottages. Strangely, the animals sometimes seen grazing outside the houses were nowhere in sight.
“What was your dream about, Demetre?” I asked as the rain poured.
Demetre was silent for a while.
“It was…different. It was so vivid, I actually felt as though I was there.”
Once again, Demetre fell silent and for a while, he was at a loss for words.
“Is everything alright?” I asked.
He sighed. “I dreamt I saw a huge precipice. The darkness was thick. The sky had run out of stars and the sun was no longer shining. As I stood on the edge of the precipice, I heard a voice calling my name. After some time, more voices joined in, almost like a chant. They repeatedly called me.”
He took a deep breath.
“What happened after?”
“Well…I closed my eyes and I fell into the precipice. As I descended, I felt as if I was leaving my body. When I reached the bottom of the precipice, I saw…” Demetre scoffed.
“What?” I asked.
“This…this is just stupid. This has nothing to do with our situation…” He kept shaking his head.
“What?”
“I saw a man with six wings. He stood on top of a hill and his eyes seemed to pierce the very core of me. As I stood before him, I felt as though all the joy and happiness that I have ever felt was taken away. I could not see his face, only his body. Flames surrounded him. His hands slowly approached one another and once they met—I woke up.”
A loud clap of thunder echoed. It was so strong that I felt the ground shake.
I was silent. What could I say to such a dream?
“Demetre…it is indeed…disturbing,” I said. “Do you think it means something?”
“I don’t know…I am not sure…” He couldn’t disguise the trembling in his voice. I could tell he was as worried as I.
On our way, we walked right in front of McCnolle’s pub. He was outside, trying to fix the broken wooden sign that hung from the window.
He saw us from afar. “Young lads,” he shouted. “Where ya off to?”
Demetre looked at me, his gaze indicating that nothing should be mentioned about our situation.
“G’morning, Mr. McCnolle,” I responded. “We are just heading to the fields to see if any of the workers need help.”
He laughed. “Dear boy, I don’t believe many of the men went off today. The storm is pretty violent. Maybe you two should just head on home, huh?”
We were both silent.
“Have your parents gone out to work today?” he asked.
The moment he did, I lost my breath. I could tell Demetre was shocked as well. To our relief, his dog ran out from inside the pub into the rain.
“Oh! ’Xcuse me,” he shouted as he frantically chased after his pet.
Demetre and I immediately quickened our pace, making sure that the moment he returned with the dog, we would no longer be within sight.
“I just want to know what happened…” I mumbled. I was trying to remain calm but it grew harder by the minute.
I could finally see Demetre’s house. The house was behind a small forest of trees. There was a little stone path leading to the flaming red door. His parents always loved vivid colors. Next to his house, many of the weaker trees had fallen on the ground. Tree trunks found a new resting place in the road ahead.