Dead Souls Volume One (Parts 1 to 13)

  ***

  “I'll destroy him!” Edgar shouted, sitting up suddenly in bed and staring ahead into the darkness. Sweat was pouring down his naked body and he was out of breath, and for a moment he genuinely thought he was back in the war, holding Quillian's dead body. Finally, however, he began to realize that it had just been another nightmare, another recreation of the past. Looking over at the window, he saw that it was dark outside, but he could feel the Thaxos air drifting through the room.

  “He...”

  Pausing, he realized that the nightmare was over now, even if he still felt the same burning anger he'd felt when he first found Quillian's dead body. So many lifetimes had passed since that moment, but it felt so fresh and vivid, as if it had happened only a day earlier. The anger in his body, however, had nowhere to go.

  Slowly, he got out of bed and walked naked to the door. His body felt stiff, as if in his dream he had relived every moment of the torture that he had endured all those years ago. Sweat continued to run down his body as he made his way out into the corridor and then along to the top of the stairs, where he stood for a moment and listened to the sound of voices far off in the house. He still wasn't quite certain that the nightmare was over, although his sense of panic was starting to fade. Looking down at his trembling hands, he could still remember how powerless he had felt while holding Quillian's dead body. It was as if the intervening years had never happened.

  “Eddie?” a voice called out. “Are you awake?”

  Looking down at the foot of the stairs, he saw Didi hurrying toward him.

  “Did you have another one of your dreams?” she asked as she reached the top of the stairs and put her hands on his bare chest, pressing her fingers against his muscles. “Wow, you're, like, totally sweaty. What was the nightmare about this time, honey?”

  “Nothing,” he muttered. “You wouldn't... It was nothing.”

  “But Eddie, you always promised you'd tell me one day, so why not now? I wanna help you, but first you've gotta confide in me!”

  Pushing her aside, he began to make his way downstairs.

  “Eddie,” she continued, keeping pace with him, “you might wanna put some clothes on. You don't want Kate Langley getting an eyeful, do you?”

  “Leave me alone,” he replied, heading to the main door and pushing it open. Once he was out on the front steps, he finally felt the cooling night air against his body, but it did little to help ease the fury in his bones.

  “Eddie,” Didi said after a moment, “why don't you tell me about your dream, huh? Maybe if you share it, I can help.”

  “You?” he asked, unable to stifle a faint smirk. “No, you're the last person in the world who could help me.”

  “You think I'm too dumb?”

  “I believe there is no way you could possibly understand what happened,” he replied. “There are some events that are simply beyond the limits of your comprehension. That's not a personal slight, by the way. I'm merely commenting on the capabilities of your species.”

  “Was it about James Nixon?”

  He turned to her.

  “I just...” She paused. “Eddie, a girl needs to know these things about the man she's gonna marry.”

  “We're never going to get married,” he sneered.

  She stared at him, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing.

  “It's a joke,” he continued, feeling the rage growing in his chest. “Do you really think that I'd put up with you for a moment longer? It's a miracle that I've been able to tolerate you for as long as I have, and now you seem to think that prying into my private affairs is going to somehow make our union stronger? I'm not sure whether to be impressed by your naivety, or just pity you for believing in so many impossible things at once.”

  “It's not that,” she replied, trying not to panic. “Eddie, I just think that honesty in a relationship is really -”

  “We don't have a relationship,” he said firmly, interrupting her. “We don't have anything at all. I don't know exactly what you've been doing here, but I'm certain you're hiding something from me. All these questions about James Nixon have made me suspicious for a while now. I doubt Didi is even your real name.”

  “I...”

  “How much longer did you think I'd stay quiet?” he asked. “This is over. You're going to pack your things tonight and leave my home, and you're never going to return, do you understand?”

  “Eddie, no -”

  “Do you understand?” he shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her back until she felt as if she was about to fall down the stone steps. “Is there anything about my order that isn't clear?” he snarled. “Is there any part that might lead you to believe you can go against my wishes?”

  “Eddie, please -”

  “If you ever darken my door again,” he continued, “I will make you suffer. If you think that's an empty threat, think again. There have been people over the years who have gone up against me, and every single one of them has regretted it. If you're smart, you'll be grateful that I'm giving you this chance to walk away, and you'll leave. If you're not smart, then by all means continue to annoy me, but don't complain that you weren't warned. The consequences would be irreversible.”

  Opening her mouth to reply to him, Didi finally realized that his mind seemed to be made up. Although she wasn't ready to quit just yet, she figured her best bet would be to retreat for a while and come up with a new approach.

  “Fine,” she stammered. “If that's how you feel, then that's how you feel. I don't know what the hell your nightmare was about, but you've got some serious anger issues, Edgar. I hope you don't think you can make this up to me in the morning with a bunch of flowers, 'cause -”

  “Get your things,” he sneered, turning and pushing her back toward the house with such force that she stumbled and fell to her knees. “Try not to take too long,” he continued as he walked past her. “I'm sure you've squirreled away enough of my money to be able to find somewhere to stay in town, and I'd strongly advise you to get a ferry to the mainland at the first opportunity. There's nothing left here on Thaxos for you. I never want to see your face again.”

  Heading back into the house, Edgar made his way through to his study. Still naked, he poured himself a drink and listened to the sound of Didi's footsteps heading up to their shared bedroom so she could pack. As he made his way to the window, Edgar took a sip of brandy and tried to calm himself, even though the nightmare had reawakened the anger he felt at having never been able to gain his revenge on Quillian. In truth, he felt an overwhelming urge to drag Didi down to the basement and take out his frustration on her by subjecting her to the worst of his torture machines, but he knew it would be wiser to simply throw her out of the house. The longer he allowed her to stay, the more likely she was to end up dead after one of his nightmares.

  Staring out at the night sky, he felt the rage bubbling up through his body. He knew then, as he had known for many years now, that it would never leave his soul.