Chapter 5
The escaped soul stretched out his mind as one would stretch out his limbs after a long sleep. Languorously floating, gauging
time, absorbing the centuries as they flew by like a flash of lightening. Light as air he revelled and gloried in his freedom after so
long confined. His scream of pain at being released from his eternal torture had turned into a triumphant outpouring of emotion.
The realisation that he was now finally free to reap his revenge on the person that had enclosed him in the very purgatory that
his master Satan had enslaved so many weaker souls into, was a moment to be savoured and anticipated. Past hatreds and the
craving for vengeance fermented and spat forth from the soul�s heart like a witch�s brew boiling away in a fiery cauldron. How
ironic the soul laughed, for he had burnt at the stake many a woman under that very guise of witchcraft.
Strange how if they refused his advances, he loved nothing more than seeing their twisting tortured flesh melt and disintegrate in
the flames as they screamed and begged for mercy recanting of all their sins. All but one, and she had defiantly stood silent as
the flames licked at her feet.
Almost mockingly she inhaled deeply of the smoke, hastening her death so she would feel none of the torturous burning. Hers
was a soul, along with her body and mind he had thought to possess as his own but had failed. Such a spirit to be conquered
and won, a dominance of a mind and body to glory over. But in that past life he failed to gain what he desired. Failed, failed,
failed.
The soul roared in anger. It was all the more intense for being suppressed through the ages. He wanted to make them pay for
his time in purgatory. How dared that chit of a woman defy him and all his infinite power? How dared she mock him as she
died, almost as if she welcomed death rather than submit to his demands and desires.
What a loyal heart she was, the soul thought with a sneer.
Strange that one so young could be so steadfast in her love, when so many before her had submitted to his lust rather than lose
their life. Her defiance rankled, even after all these centuries.
Her love! The soul spat out as he shuddered in disgust. The soul screamed in fury as the memory of that night, the manner of his
death and his soul�s long arduous imprisonment came flooding back to him, all those years locked in a hell of her lover�s
making. Because of her�.he died at the hands of her lover because of her, such a chivalrous defender of that witch�s virtue
and honour. Well he had warned them both that he was not finished with them. It was a promise the soul intended to keep. He
would find their living souls now and reap his revenge on both of them together this time.
N not just both the soul thought, for the soul had a rage and a hunger inside of him that needed to be fed. It was like a thirst to
be slaked. It had only just begun, the soul would let his presence be felt and all would know of him and bow down before the
greatness of him and the master of evil he served.
*********************
Jules whistled jauntily as strolled home enjoying the night air after leaving the restaurant. He had seen Kevin and Charlie into a
taxi and watched as the late night traffic swallowed up the vehicle as it took its occupant�s home. It had been a very successful
day and to bring it to a fitting end he had used his influence to book a table at the very exclusive Italian restaurant Luigi�s.
Jules was filled to the brim with fine cuisine, champagne and as he strolled along swinging his cane feeling completely satisfied
with himself, he ran the day�s events through his mind.
The afternoon�s exhibition had been a brilliant success. Charlize was on the road to artistic greatness and the toast of the art
world, and no one was prouder of her achievement than he. From the very first moment that he had accidentally stumbled
across her precocious talent, he had known that this eccentric art student had possessed such a gift, that he as a lover of art
could only dream of. To Charlize, her art was as natural as breathing. In taking Charlize under his wing, he had grown to love
the dear child like a daughter and he dearly wished she were of his own flesh and blood and Jules was delighted with her
relationship with Kevin. He really liked her young man as he called Kevin.
From the moment these two completely different people had met at one of his intimate parties they had been inseparable. The
tall dark haired singer with the serious thoughtful exterior that he presented to the world, it hid sense of humour and a loving,
caring nature was a perfect foil for Charlize�s own unique bubbly personality.
Kevin�s serious green eyes looked out on the world and considered all his options, where as Charlize flung herself head first
into the fray. But those shining green eyes looked upon Charlie with nothing but love and adoration in their depths and that love
was returned equally in full measure. It was apparent to any person that gazed upon this gifted couple, that they shared a bond
that was special.
But as Jules thought back on that first initial meeting between the couple, it had been an instantaneous recognition, a
homecoming. Like a ship docking in the harbour they had each found their berth and bearings and they had looked so
comfortable together. There was an air of belonging about this couple that defied anyone to part them. So natural and easily did
they dovetail their personalities to fit into each others that Jules often wondered about destiny and if this couple before him
embodied all that was meant to be.
�Old souls.� Came the unbidden thought to his mind as he stopped walking and considered the attractive charismatic couple.
When one watched the obvious camaraderie between the pair, you got the sense but for all that, if you looked deeply enough,
under the surface burned a passion that was all the more intense despite the playful tenderness they showed each other in their
every day relationship.
With an indulgent smile he resumed his leisurely stroll and thought to himself. �Yes the day has been a pleasing success.�
*****************************************
The escaped soul floated aimlessly reveling, glorying in his freedom. In no time at all he had absorbed the changes the centuries
had wrought on the world. �Yes.� the soul thought with satisfaction. �I will do very well here.� As he watched the modern world
pass by oblivious to his presence he let out a gloating laugh.
A gust of wind twirled and surrounded those people that ambled and walked the late night city streets. Many stopped in
surprise and shielded their eyes as the unexpected dust storm engulfed and swirled restlessly about them. A few of the people
shivered as a cold chill ran down their spines. They uncovered their eyes and looked over their shoulders as a sense of menace
overwhelmed them. But the dust storm subsided and they shrugged their shoulders and laughed at themselves for being fanciful.
The soul gloried in his power. If a laugh could cause that gust of wind, what was he capable of? � Unrestrained evil.� He thought
as he stretched out his senses and basked in the endless possibilities.
The soul realised he must find a vessel so he could accomplish his work. He needed a host body and soon. For he felt the
growing restless nature of many other lost souls that had no chance of finding rest and peace. Soon was the dawning of All
Soul�s Eve and the escaped soul wanted to make his presence felt and his revenge on the two people that deserved it the most
before then. He had no doubt that he would find them�no doubt at all.
Espying a middle aged man strolling along the footpath the soul considered thoughtfully. Yes, he looked benign enough, his
countenance normal enough to escape notice. But he looked influential enough to have the means to be a man of financial
independence.
Letting loose a shout of triumph that caused another onslaught of wind and dust to engulf the street. The soul prepared himself
for his reentry into the world of the living.
*********************************
Jules looked about him. His eyes widened in surprise as the sudden gust of wind and the dust storm erupted out of nowhere.
He raised his hand to shield his face from the stinging girt that bit into his skin like thousands of needles. He dropped his cane to
the ground and it clattered away as the windstorm caught hold of it and like a piece of desert grass it blew effortlessly away.
The gust increased in tempo and he found himself battling to stay upright. His body was swaying with the effort to staying on his
feet. It was dark as a moonless night and with the dust storm it was impossible to see. An incredible wave of menace
surrounded him and he felt incredibly afraid and ill at ease. His skin froze and goosebumps covered him head to toe. He felt
himself shiver and shake in fear and the feeling of malevolence deepened and grew closer. Rooted to the spot and unable to
move, he felt the eye of the dust storm encompass him. All was quiet and still. Calm. A deathly and eerie silence oppressively
surrounded him and was all the more terrifying for that calmness.
His eyes darted about frantically as the air in his lungs froze and a smothering pain encompassed his chest. Jules� hands
desperately clutched at his breastbone as an incredible wave of suffering hit him. He staggered back, reeling against the
implosion that was causing him to feel as if his body would explode inwardly. His nerve endings were on fire. Yet his blood ran
cold. In front of his vision a haze of red blinded him and it felt like someone had stabbed a white-hot poker in his brain. Jules
collapsed and writhed around on the ground in agony, but from his mouth an inhuman scream burst forth, echoing throughout
his mind. The dust storm died down and the night air returned to normal.
Jules lay there exhausted, resting his head on the pavement, his ragged breathing coming in gasps, his body felt numb as he
regained his senses he felt a tingling in his nerves. His body hummed and vibrated as he felt his frozen blood come alive and
begin to pump about his body again. He crawled, dragging himself up to a sitting position, his head swimming with his vision
hazy, but something felt wrong. He couldn�t put his finger on it.
Then he heard the voice in his mind. �Well, well, well�now what do we have here?�
Jules shook his head, shaking it in disbelief. Surely he was running mad. He was hearing things now.
�No you�re not mad.� The voice spoke and Jules flinched and looked around his surroundings, trying to gain sense of what on
earth had happened to him.
�Who are you?� Jules muttered uncertainly as he struggled to his feet. He rested a hand against his forehead as dull ache
throbbed in his temples as he felt the entity inside of his mind absorb all of his emotions, thoughts and knowledge.
A laugh echoed in his mind, but it wasn�t a pleasant sound and Jules shivered.
�I have work to do and I�ve chosen you to help me in my quest.� The voice informed him evenly. And Jules again felt
surrounded by evil.
�What if I refuse?� Jules thought. He instinctively realised that he didn�t actually have to speak aloud to communicate with this
unknown presence that had possessed him.
�You won�t do.� The voice laughed cruelly. �You are mine to command as I wish it. You should prepare yourself to be covered
in glory. For as you go about my work, your deeds will make your name unforgettable. People will fear your name forever.�
And the voice laughed maliciously. The pure spite in its deep tones made Jules cover his ears in pain as he tried to shut this evil
out. Surely he had run mad, this wasn�t happening to him. It was a nightmare from which he would soon awaken. Maybe he
had indulged in too much champagne and good food.
But the voice just laughed cruelly again. �Don�t be foolish Jules Burman. This is no dream. Come we have work to do.�
And against his will Jules felt the voice take control of his mind and body.
********************************
Charlize tossed and turned, her limbs flailed about and tangled in the soft material of the bed sheets. A wave of blackness
threatened to suffocate her. Smoke and the acrid smell of burning flesh invaded her senses. She felt herself gag and choke as
the noxious stifling fog surrounded her. Fire, there was a fire and Charlize had always been a bit wary and afraid of the naked
flame. She glanced around in a panic only to see the flickering dancing flames leaping about a woman�s feet.
Charlize watched helplessly as the woman tried to move but found to her surprise she could not. Her bare feet were bound, as
were her hands, tied by taut leather bonds to a wooden pole that supported her body. Charlize felt the searing pain as the heat
from the fire caught at the faggots beneath the feet of the unknown female. Before Charlize�s horrified eyes the female�s flesh
began to melt away from the bones of her feet, exposing sinewy muscle and tissue. Then with a sense of shock Chalize realised
that she was the woman burning in the flames. Before she could draw another breath the fire caught at the rough linen of her
black gown and ignited her twisting, writhing pain racked body as the inferno engulfed her and the blackness overwhelmed her.
Charlize opened her eyes and screamed till her throat was raw.
******************************
Kevin fought his way desperately through the dense never-ending fog. He was running towards a faceless woman, to someone
he knew deep within his heart that he needed to save. That this someone, was a person he loved more than his very life itself.
The ground beneath his feet was giving way as if a sheet of fine material covered a slowly crumbling hole in the earth. What was
left of his footing felt as if he was sinking in quicksand and as he glanced down he discovered he was up to his knees in the
slimy sucking death trap. Frantically with his heart beating and his lungs fit to burst the fog cleared and the woman suddenly
appeared in front of him.
She was burning at the stake. The flames licked and caressed her feet as her outreached hands pleaded with him to reach her in
time. Her face was heartbreakingly familiar to him.
Kevin struggled against his squelchy, sucking prison, but to no avail. He just sank deeper and further to his waist. He found
himself crying tears of desperation as he realised he had failed her yet again. Kevin strained to see through the cloying smoke
that was beginning to surround him and he found his heart breaking as he recognised Charlize as the woman burning and saw
the fear and terror deep within the depths of her eyes. Then a scream filled his mind and he awoke in a daze to hear Charlize�s
frantic terrified sobbing shattering the night�s silence.
Pushing his nightmare to the back of his mind, he gathered Charlize�s shaking trembling body against his own with no small
measure of relief in the back of his mind. He found to his surprise and shock, that he was shaking just as much as the trembling
Charlize was.
He placed gentle butterfly like kisses all over her face has his hands captured her frantic fluttering fingers and stilled their restless
movement against his chest. All the while he whispered calming endearment's as he brought her shivering terrified body into the
warmth of his embrace.
�Baby..shush. I have you safe. Charlie I have you safe.� He whispered willing the frenetic beating of his own heart to slow back
to normal.
Charlies hid a wet tear stained face against his shoulder and he felt her hot scalding tears upon his skin. Kevin wrapped an arm
about her shivering body and dragged them both to a sitting position. He reached over and switched on the bedside lamp and
its dull light illuminated the bedroom, casting away the night�s shadows. Somehow that small bit of light eased Kevin�s own
fears. He desperately wanted to know what had caused this terrified reaction in Charlie, she was not a fanciful person and this
was unlike her. But his own bad dream still tugged at the edges of his consciousness and he thought it strange that they had both
awoken from a nightmare at the same time.
Kevin gazed down into Charlize�s terror stricken eyes and cupping her face lightly in his hands, with his thumbs he gently wiped
away the remains of her tears. Then finding her lips he kissed her tenderly and she eagerly responded. He sensed she needed
that physical contact for reassurance. Finally she broke the kiss and clung to him.
He wrapped a comforting arm about her shoulder and pulled her close against his chest. Stroking her fine short hair he could
feel the rapid beating of her heart settle as she slowly regained her composure. He shifted his body and puffed up the pillows
behind them, making them both a touch more comfortable.
�My god Charlie was it a bad dream?� he asked as he raised her face to his.
She blinked up at him, the shadows of her fear still visible in her pale green eyes. He touched his lips to her forehead and
hugged her tightly. �Do you want to talk about it baby?� he asked his voice gentle and reassuring.
�Oh Kevin�. Kevin it was horrible�There was a woman and she was being burnt at the stake. Her skin was falling off her
bones and the flames just engulfed her.� Charlize�s words rapidly fell from her lips, in reliving her horror she could not get them
out quick enough. Then she halted and clutched at Kevin tightly. In a small, frightened voice she whispered the words Kevin
instinctively knew she would say. �Kevin�it was me..the woman burning in that fire was me.�
�Oh shit Charlie..� Kevin whispered as he pulled her closer and held her tight. He rested his dark head against her fair blonde
one and she reached up and twirled a lock of his long dark hair restlessly through her fingers. He captured that restless hand in
his own and brought it to his mouth, grazing her knuckle with his lips. He didn�t want to alarm her further but he debated with
himself whether he should tell Charlie of his own nightmare.
She sensed there was something on his mind and she turned to look thoughtfully into his deep green eyes. They could hide
nothing from each other. She saw on his face that he was oddly unsettled and she had a feeling it was not just her dream making
him feel uneasy.
�Kevin is there something wrong?� He nodded. Again resting his dark head against hers, he spoke and relived his own bad
dream. They clung together for comfort as they each tried to make sense of both nightmares. They talked for a while then fell
silent as they lay companionably snuggled against each other.
Charlie wriggled around in Kevin�s arms and peeked up from under her blonde fringe. She didn�t want to go back to sleep just
yet. The nightmare was still too fresh in her mind. But she knew of a way to banish both their fears and ease their minds for a
while.
Charlize let her hand run lightly across Kevin�s bare chest and trailing her fingers lower she lifted the sheets sliding her hand
along his hip and down across his thigh then between his legs. He gasped in surprise but with a light laugh he captured her and
turned her over so she was now underneath him. On his raised arms he looked down at her with an amused smile tugging at his
lips. She returned his smile and linked her arms about his neck and pulled his head down so her mouth claim his in a searing
passionate kiss that left them both breathless. Kevin lowered his head to capture a rose bud nipple in his mouth. In doing so his
long dark hair trailed across her soft porcelain skin and that alone setting her nerve endings on fire. She gasped and arched her
body against him and he carried them both away to a place where for a time their fear was forgotten.
But both were not aware of the shadows of the encroaching evil building like a storm front on the horizon.
Chapter 6
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