Zeke
I’ve been given a tremendous gift.
I hover for a moment next to the vacant body that floats limply in the mud and glance down at the harrowing scene below.
The ghoulish red glow emanating from the gaping maw of the portal illuminates the tableau, though I see a soft white light as well. Jake’s soul, now cleaved from his flesh, is dragged ever downward into the abyss in Amos’s wake, but I’m hopeful that change in the light means his last act redeemed him enough to save his soul.
As much as I despise Jake for having harmed Julia so deeply, I’m also filled with a grudging sense of respect for the dying wish he imparted onto me. I have no doubt that he understands that he wasn’t capable of coming back and living a life that would make up for all he has done. Offering me his body wasn’t for him, not one bit.
This is for Julia, a final act of the love that once flared between them.
I’ll do my best to honor Jake’s last request.
But can it even be done?
I’ve never heard of a spirit inhabiting a body that’s already lost its soul. I don’t even know if it’s possible. But at the same time, haven’t I already experienced the impossible? After dying at the malicious hand of a demon, I was condemned to walk this property as a mere shade of myself. Who am I to say this won’t work?
Bolstered by this hope, I picture Julia’s glowing face in my mind.
I have to try for her.
I reach out toward the lifeless body, copying how I jumped Jake earlier today.
Please let this work.
Every ounce of my very being calls out to the universe as I fill the void Jake left behind.
The experience of possessing the body is different this time. There’s no squeezing push against the bulk of Jake’s consciousness, nor the rend of Amos’s sharpened mind against my own. There’s nobody here to fight me, to push me out.
I simply slide into the vessel, peacefully, and with no resistance.
Sensations hit me all at once. Whereas my experiences had previously been muted by the presence of Jake’s primary hold over this body, I’m now bearing the whole breadth of that feeling, of having a heart that beats and blood that pumps. It’s clear that Jake’s body isn’t working at first, but with my burst of energy, things begin to drastically change inside of this corpse.
The most urgent thing is the burn of my lungs. It takes everything in me not to take a reflexive breath. It would certainly be a harsh fate to finally have a body again after almost a century only to immediately drown in the muck of the swamp.
I’m aware of my limbs next, and I flex them experimentally. The motions are clumsy and uncoordinated, but I suppose that’s to be expected after not having a flesh and blood vessel for the last hundred years. I’m bound to be a little out of practice.
Satisfied that I’m in control, I glance down for a final glimpse of the waring lights below.
Jake’s spirit gazes up at me for one last time.
I offer him a nod, but I’m not sure if he sees it.
A split second later, he slips soundlessly into the void, gone forever.
The portal pulses once, and then collapses in on itself, leaving me in darkness once again.
The need for air is painful now, searing through my chest. Acting more on instinct than intent, I move my limbs, steering myself upward. With the light gone, I’m trapped in thick, directionless darkness. I can only hope that I’m moving toward the surface.
It feels like an eternity passes before one hand rushes through the resistance of the mud and into the air. Black spots dance in my vision as I claw my way toward the surface, struggling to find purchase in the slick muck.
Hands grasp my arms, fingers digging into my skin as somebody hauls me forward in a series of sharp yanks.
Finally, my head breaches the slime.
Immediately, I gasp for air. The stench of the swamp floods my mouth and nose, but it’s still the sweetest I’ve ever tasted. It smells of death and rebirth, of loss and of life.
Of new beginnings fashioned from the past.
“Jake! Jake, can you hear me?”
The voice swims to my awareness as though from underwater. It takes me a moment to realize that the speaker is talking to me.
I raise a hand to my face in an attempt to smear the mud from my eyes. It doesn’t take me long to realize that’s a futile task, given that I’m covered in the stuff.
“Let me,” the familiar voice insists. As fabric runs over my face, I become more aware of myself.
I’m lying on my back, presumably in the clearing where my bones had once rested. My head throbs dully, and my neck is plagued by a deep ache. My body feels heavy, as though the mud has leached my muscles of all their energy.
“Jake?” It’s Julia’s voice, but she doesn’t sound too enthusiastic about having her husband back. I can’t really blame her, not after everything he’d done. She clearly doesn’t realize it’s me yet, but part of me is afraid that she’ll never believe that I am who I say I am. Wouldn’t that be a cruel fate for the both of us?
It takes a colossal amount of effort to peel my eyelids apart. When I do, Julia gasps in surprise.
“Zeke?” she exclaims in shock.
Her face swims into view, hazy at first before wavering into focus. Like me, she’s covered in mud. Her auburn tresses are stained brown and hang limply around her shoulders. Blood, partially dried, cakes her hairline. But the light in her emerald eyes is still there.
Amos was unable to break her after all.
I open my mouth and test out my new voice. “It’s me,” I rasp. It’s so strange to hear my words through the tones of another man, but I’ll get used to it. I’m just grateful to have a body again.
Julia’s eyes glisten with relieved tears that glimmer in the moonlight. “Oh my God,” she breathes reverently. “It really is you!”
Even though I’m overjoyed that she has no doubts about my identity, I murmur, “How did you know?”
She offers me a brilliant smile. “Your eyes,” she says. “I would recognize your eyes anywhere.” Her fingers trace lightly over my cheekbone and come to frame my face. I lean into her tender touch. My heart aches with joy as she leans down to press her lips gently against mine.
I wish we could stay here forever, cloaked in this sweet moment, but we both know that we’ve got a lifetime of love to look forward to, and so Julia eventually pulls back with a soft, apologetic smile.
It’s only then that I realize we’re not alone here in the clearing.
An older woman with graying hair steps forward into view. She looks familiar, and it takes me a moment to recognize her as Julia’s neighbor, Helen.
“You must be Zeke,” she says, as though my habitation of Jake’s body is the most normal thing in this world.
I nod stiffly.
“Is it done?” she probes. “Is Amos dead?”
I nod again, but Helen isn’t satisfied with that answer.
“You’re absolutely sure?” Her gaze is hard but haunted, and I wonder just how much Amos has terrorized her over the years as the closest neighbor to the old Gregory place.
“I saw it,” I confirm. “It’s gone.”
Helen’s shoulders sag in relief. “Thank God,” she murmurs.
“What about Jake?” Julia’s tone is tinged with guilt as she finds my hand with her own. I lace my fingers through hers and offer a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
Tears once again well in Julia’s eyes at the news. Even though she must have already come to that conclusion, I understand that she just needed the confirmation. Grief sets across the planes of her delicate features.
“I need to know more,” she insists.
I open my mouth to fulfill her request, but Helen cuts me off. “Honey, there will be plenty of time to talk about what happened, but both of you are a mess. Let’s get inside, clean you up, patch up what we can, and have a hot drink.”
Julia glances down at herself, as though realizing for the first time how grimy she is. After a moment, she nods wearily.
“Can you stand?” she asks me.
“I think so,” I reply, though I’m truly not entirely sure.
In the end, it takes both Julia and Helen to help me to my feet. My legs wobble underneath me, but I’m stable enough with the two women propping me up.
Together, we hobble through the dredged remains of the swamp and back toward the house. The darkened building, once bustling with the souls of the dead, is empty now, hollow.
Perhaps Julia and I can fill the space with life again.
The thought gives me the strength to traverse the rest of the journey to the back porch. Helen instructs us to clean up while she puts some tea on, and we dutifully obey. While Julia retreats to the master bedroom, I shower in one of the guest rooms. The wound in my head has stopped bleeding, though the hot water makes it sting. I dab it dry before throwing on some of Jake’s clothes. It feels odd to dress in a stranger’s garments, just one more thing I’ll have to adjust to.
We all meet again in the kitchen where Helen is waiting with two steaming mugs.
“You’re not staying?” Julia asks.
Helen shakes her head. “I have a feeling that you two have a lot to discuss,” she replies. “But I’ll be just next door if you need me.”
She catches Julia in a warm hug before reaching her arms out to me. I embrace her gladly. I’ll forever be in her debt for the part she played in banishing Amos.
Julia and I don’t speak until we hear the rumble of Helen’s car in the driveway. In that silent space, I let my gaze run over the form of the woman I love.
She’s once again wearing a dress, this one a pale cream color, along with a matching pair of heels. Her hair, damp from the shower, is still the lustrous auburn I remember. She’s even taken the time to brush on some light makeup. It doesn’t hide the bruises on her cheek, though. Seeing her so put together after everything she’s been through, I can’t help but feel that this is a sign that we’re going to be okay.
Eventually, Julia speaks. “Did he suffer?” Her voice is small, guilty.
“Not at the end,” I reassure her.
She regards me with wide, surprised eyes. “You were there?”
“Until he was gone,” I confirm. “I knew you wouldn’t want him to be alone.”
Fresh tears course down Julia’s cheeks at my words. Her hand finds mine, her palm warm against my skin. “Thank you.” She squeezes her eyes closed. “He died because of me.”
I shake my head. “He died because he made bad choices.” I push back gently. “He understood that at the end. That’s why he let me have his body. He didn’t want you to be alone. He wanted to be happy.” I don’t think Jake was strong enough to force his way back into his dead body and make his heart beat again, but I was, and that strength came from my love for Julia.
A sob of mingled grief and relief escapes her mouth. I wrap my arms around her as she presses her face into my chest. It doesn’t escape my notice that this is where I first held Julia all those weeks ago. It feels fitting, somehow, that we’re here at this moment.
Although Jake’s path has ended, ours is just beginning.
Amos is gone. Julia is free of both of her tormentors. And I’ve got a real, flesh and blood body.
We have a chance now to build a life together from the ashes of what we lost.
I press a kiss to the crown of Julia’s head and gather her more securely in my embrace, feeling more alive than I’ve ever been.