Morpheus Road 03 - The Blood (35 page)

"So what happens now?"

"That's easy," Marsh replied. "We live our lives."

Marsh had a new mission that he pursued with dogged determination.

The man who was in Ree Seaver's coffin was identified as a homeless man with no family. He had died of natural causes and his body had been waiting for burial in a mortu
ary in Greece when it had mysteriously disappeared. Fur
ther investigation turned up a series of local officials as well as customs workers who confessed to accepting bribes and allowing his body to be released under the name of Theresa Seaver to an American named Ennis Mobley.

Ennis had needed a body to be Ree Seaver in order to move the poleax to a place where he thought it would never be found.

The news caused a scandal that helped Marsh and his father accomplish their true goal. If not for the embarrass
ment it brought to various government agencies, they may not have had the same level of
cooperation that they received.

The
Necromanteio
was not only a sacred, historic site, it was a popular tourist destination. A search through the rubble left by an earthquake on such a site needed to be approved by many different government agencies and car
ried out under tight scrutiny. Marsh and his dad had the benefit of the international press on their side but it was still a long, frustrating process. Finally, one year to the day after Marsh had come back from the Black, search teams located the body of the lone victim that had been buried in the rubble of the
Ammoudia
earthquake: Theresa Seaver.

Her second funeral in Stony Brook was much different
than the first. Only a few people attended the very private service. Marsh was a rock, helping his father get through the difficult experience. He thought of telling him the truth, but decided not to throw something else at him that would seem so impossible. He knew the time would come, but it wasn't then.

Sydney had held on to the lignum vitae branches and made sure to place them on top of Ree's coffin before it was slipped into the crypt.

Marsh was the last to leave the mausoleum that day. He wanted to be alone for one final moment with his mom. It wasn't a sad parting. Marsh actually felt relieved. He leaned into the crypt, kissed his hand, and touched his mother's coffin saying,
"Now
we're done."

As they were leaving the cemetery, Sydney held Marsh by the arm and said, "Promise me something?"

"Sure, what?"

"Let's never come back to this
freakin
' cemetery ever again."

All Marsh could do was laugh.

Marsh went on to do exactly what Coop had asked him. He lived a life for both of them. A very long life. He had learned a great deal from his premature exposure to the after
life, not the least of which was the realization that life was precious. Every life. It was up to each person to live it the best way they could. For Marsh, it meant doing the things that he loved best, no matter what anyone thought of it.

Or of him.

One of the things he loved was his art. Rather than brush it off as the folly of a juvenile sensibility, he embraced it. Marsh went on to art school and became a successful fan
tasy writer and artist. He was responsible for creating many characters that lived in the pages of graphic novels, movies, and television. His work created a legion of fans who waited
eagerly for his newest creation and followed the adventures of his popular characters with fan-boy glee.

His most famous and successful creation by far was his first. After having drawn Gravedigger in so many incarna
tions with no connective narrative, he finally found the story by creating a nemesis for the demon. A hero. It was a spirit who battled Gravedigger's dark, Gothic magic by drawing upon the positive power of the spirit world. Their adventures and battles spanned dimensions, worlds, and times. Marsh wrote and drew thousands of stories, many of which became successful movies, introducing Gravedigger to legions of fans who loved to be surprised . . . and scared.

As a joke that only he and Sydney could appreciate, the ironic name he chose for Gravedigger's spirit nemesis was Damon. Whenever he drew the handsome and noble general, he always chuckled to himself and thought:
I'll bet Cooper's turning over in his grave.

Marsh wrote many stories and created hundreds of characters throughout his life, but he always came back to drawing Gravedigger and Damon for the simple reason that it made him happy. Not only because it kept him connected to his roots, but it also acted as a comforting reminder of the larger reality of life. That knowledge was indeed a gift.

Of course, there was only one name he could have given
to the series.

He called it:
Morpheus Road.

THE END