Morpheus Road 03 - The Blood (34 page)

Coop looked to Press.

Press responded with a slight shake of his head.

"Soon enough," Coop said to Maggie. "You didn't think I'd skate through the Black this quick, did you? In spite of all my amazing heroics. I guess I've still got some work to do."

He threw another look to Press to see if he'd get a reac
tion. He didn't.

"I'll do my time, and then we'll see what happens," Coop added.

Maggie threw her arms around Cooper and hugged him close. "I love you, Cooper Foley. Thank you for saving my life."

Coop had to blink back tears himself. His reply was to squeeze her back.

"Okay," he said, holding her at arm's length. "The sooner you get out of here the sooner I can start working on doing the same thing."

Maggie nodded, then looked to Marsh and Ree. "I know I'll see you all soon."

"I hope so," Marsh replied.

"Good-bye, Maggie," Ree said.

Maggie gave a quick kiss to Cooper. "Say good-bye to your grandfather."

"I will."

"Don't forget me."

"I think I should be saying that to you. You're the one who's about to become some higher form of life."

Maggie giggled, then turned and took her mother's
hand. Together the two walked into the Threshold. Maggie
gave one last look back to Cooper, blew him a kiss, and the
two disappeared.

Cooper took a step closer to the Threshold and stared
expectantly into the light.

No more spirits appeared.

"I guess that's it," he declared. "Looks like we get the
consolation prize . . . time in the Black."

"Could be worse things," Marsh said.

Coop spun back to them and said, "Who wants to come
with me to visit Gramps? He'll want to know
about Maggie."

"Among other things," Ree said with a chuckle.

"I'll go," Marsh said.

"We'll all go," Ree added.

"No."

They all turned quickly to see that the two Watchers
had moved to the mouth of the Threshold.

Press said, "There's one more thing to be done."

The lions were gone. The pen was empty. The Roman Colos
seum was deserted. There was nothing to prevent access to the last remaining Rift.

Marsh, Cooper, and Ree stood facing the portal between the Black and the Light.

"Tempting, isn't it?" Coop said.

"You know we can't go through," Ree cautioned. "It would go against everything we fought for."

"Yeah, but . . . we just saved humanity," Coop argued. "Shouldn't that earn us a couple of get-out-of-jail-free cards?"

"I guess I don't see this as jail," Ree argued. "Our lives haven't ended."

"Yeah, I get it," Coop said with resignation. "I don't love it, but I get it."

"The Rift has to be closed," Marsh said. "How do we do that?"

"You don't," Press replied without actually speaking. Press stood behind the others on the far side of the lion pen, along with the woman Watcher.

"It will close once we have finished," he added.

"You mean you had the power to close the Rifts all along?" Coop asked.

"The negative spirit that created the Rift no longer exists," the woman answered. "Therefore the Rift will no longer exist."

Coop said, "And I'll never understand how any of this works."

"What else has to be finished?" Marsh asked.

"First, I must commend you all," Press said. "I have no doubt that you all will soon be moving through the Threshold yourselves."

"Yeah, get on that, would ya?" Coop said. "Put in a good word to somebody."

"I still want to know," Marsh said, "was this all random? I mean, could this have happened to anybody and we were just the unlucky ones?"

"Damon was right," the dark-skinned woman said. "We all make choices based on the influence of others. Anyone could have found the poleax. But they didn't. It was you, Ree. And that brought you all to this point. At any time you could have made different decisions and Damon might have triumphed, or Brennus, but you didn't. None of you did. Sometimes things simply happen because that is the way they were meant to be. The positive spirit of mankind is strong. Was it random? Yes. But circumstances brought the exact right people together, and that was no accident."

"Uh . . . did that answer the question?" Coop asked.

"Close enough," Marsh answered.

"So close the Rift," Coop said.

"Not just yet," Press replied. "Cooper, you arrived in the Black the way all spirits do. You died in the
Light."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," Coop said.

"Ree and Marsh, yours was a different route. You came through unnatural Rifts that Damon created. You did not die to get here."

"So what?" Coop asked. "They're just as dead as I am." Neither Press nor the woman responded.

"Aren't they?" Coop asked.

"Their journey was not the same," the woman answered.

"Whoa, what are you saying?" Marsh asked. "We're not dead?"

"Your spirits came through, but your physical bodies remained in the Light."

"They did?" Coop exclaimed.

"So what does that mean?" Ree asked, her excitement growing.

"Oh man," Coop said, stunned. "Can they go back?"

Press stepped closer to Ree and Marsh and replied, "Ree, you fell through the Rift quite some time ago. I'm afraid that too much time has passed. Your physical body still exists in the Light, but it has deteriorated to the point that it cannot be salvaged."

Ree nodded in understanding, but was then hit with a realization.

"So you're saying . . . ?"

Press turned to Marsh and said, "Your coming here has turned the course of this conflict. Without your guidance and trust in the better nature of mankind, I dread to think what Damon would have accomplished. Or Brennus. "

"Just tell me he can go back through the Rift," Coop exclaimed.

Press focused on Marsh and said, "Your physical body
is still sound. Yes, you can go back to the Light."

Everyone stood in stunned silence. Ree and Coop looked to Marsh, waiting for his reaction.

"I . . . I
. . .
I
. . . I'm not sure I
want
to go back," Marsh said. "I mean, we all end up here eventually, right? You said it, Mom. This isn't jail. It's not a punishment. It's just part of life."

"It is," Ree said. "But your first life isn't over yet."

She took Marsh's face in her hands and through tears said, "Go home, sweetheart. Your father is going to need you. There are so many things you can do before coming back here."

"But I
will
be back here!" Marsh said. "So what's the point?"

"Life begins in the Light," Press said. "It isn't just the first step. In so many ways it's the most important step. This is a journey for everyone, and everyone's journey is differ
ent. Where you are is as important as where you're going. Embrace the life you were given, and the rest of your jour
ney will be that much richer for it."

"But . . . I don't want to leave you," Marsh said to Ree. "And Coop."

"You have to," Coop said sincerely. "Think of how much cooler things will be now that you know what you have to look forward to. Talk about stress-free."

"
And we'll be with you,
"
Ree said, holding back her tears.

"Not all the time," Coop interjected. "That could get uncomfortable."

"Will Coop still be able to talk with me?" Marsh asked Press.

"No," the woman said. "We took a great chance in giv
ing him that ability. It won't happen again."

"That's cool," Coop said brightly. "Every once in a while I'll move stuff around and freak you out. We'll be great at parties. Everybody will think you're magic."

Coop was trying to be casual, but his tears proved that
he was anything but.

Ree hugged her son and said, "You have to go back. You
know that."

Marsh nodded. He knew.

Press said, "You know more about life and death than
anyone else alive. It's a great gift to have that knowledge. Be
careful how you share it."

"Yeah," Coop added. "Don't go making some reality
show about the great beyond or anything. People will think
you're nuts."

Marsh pulled his mother close.

"I don't want to lose you again," he said, his voice cracking.

"You're not, sweetheart. You're going to live your life,
and then come back."

Marsh took a deep breath to calm himself, then kissed
his mother on the cheek.

"Yeah," he said. "Soon enough."

"No!" Ree said quickly. "Not soon. Live a long life. I'm
counting on that."
She wiped Marsh's eyes and said, "Now go."

Marsh turned to Cooper.

"How twisted is this?" Coop said. "Instead of being
sad because somebody's gonna die, we're all weepy because
somebody's about to live."

Marsh laughed. "Yeah, well, we never did things the
normal way."

"Seriously," Coop said, then added, "Would you do me
one favor?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Live for the both of us."

Marsh fought back tears and said, "I will."

The two best friends hugged. For the last time.

"So long, Ralph," Coop said. "I'll be watching."

Marsh nodded and backed away.

"How does this work?" he asked Press.

"Just walk through," Press replied.

Marsh walked up to the tear in the wall that was the
seam between lives. He took one last look back at the Black,
at his mother and at his best friend.

Cooper gave him the double okay sign.

Marsh smiled, turned, and stepped into the Rift.

When Marsh opened his eyes, he was completely disori
ented. He saw nothing but black and wondered if there had been some mistake. Perhaps Press was wrong and it was too late for him to go back after all. He found himself lying on his back staring up at nothing.

To his right he saw a jagged, gray hole. Instinctively he knew what it was. He pulled himself to his feet and stood up to face the gray opening. Behind him was nothing . . . and every
thing. In front of him was life. He stepped out of the Rift . . .

. . . and into the mausoleum that held his mother's grave, that wasn't his mother's grave. On the floor was the open coffin and the remains of the mystery man who had been transported from Greece. As Marsh stepped out of the Rift he immediately felt heat at his back. He jumped forward and spun around to see the Rift healing itself. The seam between lives was closing up as if an unseen hand were sewing it back together. In seconds, the wall of tombs had returned to the state that Marsh had first found it in. The marble facade of his mother's crypt was again intact, the coffin and the remains were gone. All was as it had been.

"Whoever you are," Marsh said. "Rest in peace."

Marsh ran to the stairs leading up and out of the basement crypt. He climbed quickly, ran through the mausoleum, and out the front door. He stood on the roadway in front of the
mausoleum, breathing hard, hoping that nobody had seen him. It was daytime, but what day was it? How long had he been in the Black? One day? Two? A century?

He walked quickly through the cemetery, headed for the front gate. With any luck, he'd be out of there before anybody saw him.

"Hey!" somebody shouted.

Luck wasn't with him.

Marsh froze.

A maintenance worker in coveralls strolled toward him. "Here kinda early, ain't ya?" he asked. "I just opened the gates."

Marsh took a quick look around and realized that the shadows were long and the grass was covered with dew. It was early morning.

"Just wanted to pay a quick visit," Marsh said, trying to control his voice. "I'm leaving now."

The maintenance worker gave him a curious look and continued on, "Okay. Have a good one."

Marsh started for the entrance but then stopped and turned back.

"Hey, could you call me a cab? I thought I'd be staying longer but realized I can't."

The ride from the northern border of Stony Brook to the center of town was familiar to Marsh, though this trip seemed anything but. He stared out of the cab window at the trees, the birds, the people . . . marveling at the fact that they were all alive. This was no vision. It was all very real. He rolled down the window and sucked in the orangey smell of jasmine. It smelled like heaven. It smelled right.

Sydney Foley was asleep. It was nearly nine thirty but she didn't have to be to class for another few hours. She wanted
to sleep. It was the only way she could keep her mind from
spinning out of control, wondering what was happening to
Marsh. And Cooper. And life as she thought she knew it.

She felt a slight breeze on her face that gently nudged
her awake. She was lying on her back and through half-
open eyes saw that someone was standing over her bed. She
wasn't shocked or scared. She smiled.

"Good dream," she said lazily, and rolled over for another
few minutes of sleep.

"Good morning," Marsh said.

Sydney's eyes snapped open as she went from half asleep
to about as awake as you can be in less than a second. She sat
bolt upright to see Marsh standing over her.

"Sleeping in?" Marsh asked.

Sydney threw herself at Marsh and hugged him tight.

She then pushed him away just as quickly.

"You're real!" she exclaimed. "You're not . . . not—"

"
A ghost? No. It's me. In the flesh."

"But . . . I saw you dead."

"
And I came back. Special privilege."

Sydney threw herself back at him and squeezed him
until he squirmed.

"Easy," Marsh said, chuckling. "Or you'll put me back
there."

"If you could come back, what about . . . ?"

Marsh shook his head. "Just me,
Syd
. I'm sorry."

The news only made Sydney hold him closer.

"Thanks for sending the crucible," Marsh said. "It helped."

"It kept Damon away?"

"No, I broke it for him. As a reward."

Sydney pushed Marsh away, stunned.

"You . . . reward for what?" she asked.

"For saving the Morpheus Road."

"Uh . . . what?"

Marsh held her close and laughed. "There's so much to tell you but the bottom line is, it's over. For good this time."