The small quiet village has only a small corner shop with a attached post office and a pub that doubles as a community gathering. The only folks around here have a quiet life and live with mostly the vegetables from allotments. More small fields are all that gap between the houses. This place is a no where sort of area. A picturesque roll of hills, fields and the odd sprout of replanted woodland. The rain three nights ago has left clean surfaces for any traces to stick among dry stone walls.
A investigator in white full suit took photos of the traced blood smears. The luck of not being ate by any fox make for easier discovery.
The god of death has already paid his due here... but finds that although he has collected the name of the dead. The soul is not in sight. A common place, sometimes souls find their own ways and sometimes they are to earth bound. Death has already moved to the next.
"Excuse me." The baggy clothing and pale skin and helpless eyes, "Hey!"
A hand fazed through the living investigator, who did pause to shiver... has he done always for the short lived.
"What the..." At further study of themselves had brought a drastic awareness forward.
A loose bundle of void like netting is all that could be formed as hands or arms for that matter.
"Hey Jerry! Got something!" In walking back to the road was that of a kitchen knife out of place for what should woods. Photos, location tagging and metre measurements from the body.
Unconfirmed blood stains and possible finger print. A break through in helping speed the investigation along, yet they are not lazy. Everything is looked at, no stone left unturned. This body is leaned up against a farmers wall, being careful photographed in the undisturbed as possible. Once clear, pockets are checked for phone and wallet. ID and family contact.
"You really shouldn't focus on what they are doing. It don't matter now." A more rougher bundle of shade walks right up to the newbie, "You want to move out the way." Something whom looks like himself in someway and is actually talking to him, "Follow me before you starve and forget."
He looks around at how life blurs out of sync... out of time. Only at reflection that his the one whom is discontinued. He walks following the floating pale face and rough cut cloth. It was like a unfinished puppet art project, tatters of what seems the body float ethereal as himself.
"I am dead though. How would I starve?"
"Your living memories need emotional energy to continue being retained inside yourself. Now that your without a living body to produce that, you just eat away at what little you died with. It can become a big problem and you don't want to be stuck like this. No one does."
They ignore physical barriers like walls, cars and objects like light posts. They were wherever they needed very quickly, as long as they stayed among the shadows of such objects.
"What are we?" The material that make their bodies relied on the fade of dim dark to stay whole. Anything like the torn bit the flew off this helping stranger, crumbed into Thanos dust. That is the closest logic he could make to describing that happening in the light.
"Dead souls whom have unfinished business. Ghost even. The living call us shadow people." There is stop with avoiding a sun ray from cloud cover, "When you died, do you remember what you regret no finishing?"
"School?" Avoided touching such strong power of the sun. Crumbling in the light would solve his problem of having unfinished business. His mind wonders in many ideas of things he could have not wasted his life with.
"No. No. It has to be something really important. Like from the chest. You wasted you time never doing." So deep and personal.
Like... Having a girlfriend and having kids, although it wasn't his concern before and it be impossible now. No... it wouldn't be that.
"I can't think of it right now." Admittedly it was hard to pin exactly what it was he felt so strongly for.
"Well that means I have to give you a proper run down of things. With starting at the basic questions. Like any religious stuff and afterlife questions." Back areas alleys towards the village pub. Its semi dark for 9pm.
The whole community is out with a candles and singing songs. Everyone he knew from school and his family that could make it on short notice. He became distracted with something he wasn't exactly expected.
Why can I taste food? What exactly am I tasting?
"Offically we call ourselves Shadows of the Damned. No normal humans under normal conditions and no gods are able to see us for ourselves. To them if they did see. We are just sad looking masked shrouds of human vague shape." This stranger pulls them both on track, "The light will burn us. Sun or true fire flames. Their candles, zipo lighters and fireworks."
Make it around the beer garden out the dark side. Away from streets and pub electric. Their sight is indifferent to the low lights.
"So like vampires?" Getting his head around.
"Real food doesn't matter, prayers can seem insulting after the 100th time and we have reflects. And no. We do no sparkle in sun light, since you zults keep asking." Sitting at the empty bench, little things were also coming to awareness.
There a sense of temperature to themselves. Total darkness is cold and sunlight is lava. As such, regulating temperature is all about staying between that.
It always dim sight, light has no baring to what can and can't. Inhumanly too, to be able to read the parking sign four streets and two small fields was amazing. There is no sense of straining, only angles when other moving objects get in the way.
"But we starve? I get what you mean with why we can. But what do we do to prevent that?"
"Your not going to like it. I don't exactly want to tell you straight away. To some, they prefer finding out for themselves then being told much."
"Oh... well at least what should have asked was your name. I just realized how rude it is to not have asked."
"You're thoughtful but you shouldn't tell people your name. You can sell your soul that way, if you want. I am not the demon for that sort thing." Wait... there several things wrong about that. Demon? Sale my soul? All because I asked his name?
I guess there a lot of stuff to work out now I am dead. Like why I am still here. Why am I here?
"Damned have this society of souls whom are sort of like yourself and me. Dead folks with unfinished business looking for answers. Everyone got a personalised issue. Some take a long time to achieve it. But you know what... it is possible. It like having a second chance before you're dusted. Hopefully when your dust, you would be happy about it."
I tried to listen with soon being distracted again, some small few folks were coming over and lighting cigarettes. Living poeple whom can't see us.
"I pity the boy. Had a whole life ahead of him." In recognizing that I wasn't listening again, we instead listened together to this chatting bar staff folks. Trying to hide from customers to smoke.
They talked of the murder case and the investigation getting no where. That the case was going slow for no public announced reasons. Thrown speculation between the older lads. Whom mock the misfortune of others. The whole lot of them screamed and scattered back to the pub floodlight, phones shining out to search for that sudden scare.
"So like we are dead. There is demons out there that want my name to steal my soul. Gods like Death can't see or hear me. I can starve my memories." Getting back on track, "There a whole society of lost dead folks whom all are going about seeking answers."
"You are listening. Very good. I have some really obvious rules for you to keep in mind as the longer you are damned in this cursed way." Still hasn't told me the bad about being a ghost other then being ignored and almost invisible. It sounds like a dream.
"If you want to move on, you got to deal with all your inner problems in that heart if yours. Second you can find folks that see you... but they are always never good news. Even with their good intentions, they cause us pain. Third, in order to keep remembering, you have to eat negative emotions. Only emotions." Oh... but that means that there taboo to not eat something else. Whatever that maybe.
"The most important thing of all is to not physically harm a living breathing anything. Break that last law and you will be dusted forcefully. If you break these rules at levels of degree, the worse the outcome of krama. Break a god's jaw, you will be dusted. You kiss or touch a human, you will be slaughtered. You murder or break bones, you will be hunted down by the best of the worst. You can try bathing in light and become forced ashes but something will always come collects your debt. Reborn or not."
"Fine... I can accept all that."
"Its not that you need to accept it or not. That is the natural order of laws. Every else is possible. You can time travel, fly, see gods and travel the universe. You have to eat negative emotions and eventually make peace with your business."
Warps of time passed and sunlight was getting bad around here.
"Two last things before I am off to find some other smuck." They pulled on a shadow of an object and tore a void space of strange into existence, "This is how you summon a door to the shadows corridor. The corridor takes you any where, when and reality. You can get lost there if you don't have a strong enough sense of where you want to go. Also takes you closer to getting trapped in some other world and laws and things." It steps up close, "This book is a guide book. Now... the last thing. You have cartoon pockets. The objects you put in and take out dont matter how big or small. When your dust, this gets spilt wherever you end up. Keep in mind that some stuff is illegal to realm cross man. All it the guide book. Now I am off. Later Newbie."
The slab of shade drops and the tear was gone. Like a doorway. Makes sense. I guess now its my turn to go find whatever it is that makes me linger about unfinished like.
I should go home... see what of my pets and whom is looking after them.
Shadow followed the road, there in no time. I stupidly pattered about for keys. Laughing at myself for not needing keys.
The police have been through everything. Empty snake tank... someone must have put Snow scale into rescue or to someone in my circles. The Electronic is cut... so no computer. Scrap that. The police took my tower.
I hovered up through the ceiling up to other renter rooms. Someone been busted for drug sale and making... it explains a lot. It nothing to do with me directly, maybe indirectly.
No one is here, the small house was only three people. I took all of the downstairs. The other two had the attic and upstairs. Which they hardly seemed to use. Now I get why. It wasnt that they lived here. Landlord going to be mad.
Nothing left unturned by cops then. I have nothing stashed away for safe keeping. Only my expensively stuff like computer, consoles and replaceable rings or cuff links. I only ever worn fancy for weddings, job applications or funerals.
I guess I don't need a job anymore to pay for my bills. My insurance covered my funeral and nothing much at all was left for anyone next of kin. Yup someone went through my paperwork already. Stacked in a unorganised piles around a floor space.
"Did you ever get to tell her?" I looked at some other mask fella like me.
"Tell her?" I asked and think for a long time, "I guess I didn't get to tell my mother... Oh." It dawns on me, "Thank you for reminding me. I totally forgot."
"Being dead does that. Before you do... I. I wanted to tell you something. I had been watching and waiting." I pout with studying them. Right up around hugged around me, "I never forgotten you or your mother. I died before I could be a part of the slice of life. I hope that now you realise I been here all along... you would forgive." I felt bitten into and like I was shot. In seeing I have tears, how it was actually blood. I had quickly stopped myself.
"I forgive you. You did everything possible... You had be watching over me. Even now." They smile and turned into light and dust. This light faded off some way. The dust just... blankets over all the surfaces and also fades. Left no trace, "That is what they meant when they said to accept being dusted." I noted and shook out of it, "Well now I know I need to tell..."
I turned into a tear of shadow and stood right at my mothers back. She cooking something. She tasted sweet like parmoviolet gin. I did that thing again, almost patting her back.
I can't touch humans... not living ones. She can't see me. She's not going to hear me. So... how do I tell her sorry?
I guess the only way I had alway did as a kid. Leaving her something like candy. Given her emotional taste. It was my inspiration. So now I just have too... think of how to do this.
Time blurs as I am left behind. Her days pass around me. I find small ways of hinting. Moving my photo... with a bit of candy. One evening I managed to pour a drink, left it on the counter with a little ribbon trailing to my photo and a little purple candy resting on tipping point.
"I am so sorry..." She weeps, I dare brush her hair in not letting poke her eyes. She only sobbed more. I make a clock jump off the wall. It landed with a whole hamper of flowers and candy... a card.
I watched her go through it... that flavour was tasted horrible. But she was nostalgic and smiling. Cookie recipe I made for her. Hers and mine favorite chocolates. The card was of good times... childhood when all three of us were happy.
This card I had done month before I died... I didn't have the courage to just send a lousy card. I am glad this was better.
"I love you always." She reads and cries. I feel better with this sorrow lifted... but... I not crumbled into dust nor do I feel any better. I am starved almost. So... Not to ruin her mood, I left her with the basket and with ability for her to move past grief.
Maybe I am still here because of whom murdered me. What made the case go slow? Was it that drug bust that slowed it? Was it my fault? Did I do something drunk and stupid?
"Hey Damned." I tilted with how someone live can notice me and just called me out like that. I looked around confused for a while. Plucking courage to walk over to this... in old style costume for some film.
"Oh boy we have a newbie." The more causal comfort of someone with the times, "Look kid, we just have some questions." I look at how everyone around those two think they acting strange. So these two are maybe good and bad news. That fella said that good intentions can cause pain. I best avoid being bible bashed then.
"You met us at the pub around the corner. At the swings." There is beer garden swing seats that shaded by trees. I knew exactly where... I slip to shadows and be right there, "Hey!"
"Must be a local whom knew the area." So it seems they had a conversation between then when I appeared around the tree by the beer swing. They already both had drinks and must have been talking about my murder case. Maybe? I am not actually sure why they want to talk as someone they can't get answers back from.
"Ah, bloody hell." The causal spilt his drink when he jolted in seeing me. I pull back with feeling bad. That is a nice drink in his hand, "Sorry. Just not used to seeing folks of the shadows." Ah... OK...
"Do you know about the murder that happened 2 years ago?" Did time really fly away that quickly? I guess with the hamper... the money to buy and working on pulling it off. It all makes sense, they even lifted a picture from my Soical media. So they want to know about my case.
"OK, so you seem to be highly interested too." They pass me the paper. I quick slip with taking a look through my own murder file. Old injuries in my medical history.
The look into the irregular wounds not made by the knife. The knife was burnt but no blood by my own. I had burnt arms and messed up hands.
The memory of that time was quite hard striking, recalling the face and the voodoo force powers that werido was doing to chase me into a woods. The paperwork fell out of my grasp, making them two have to pick it up.
"Wow there..." One them did something like that too. A finger flick that made the paper slide back into the folder. I hide around in the shadow of the roots. They are exactly like the weird mad freak that killed me.
"Maybe we should have asked the important questions before they disappeared." They peer into the fold with taking a paper out, "A innocent fella... how strange. Damned are often guilty of something." I guess the living don't have a clue.
I pluck up more courage again... this time for sure. I need answers. I get why anyone would nevet want to eat off crying unhappy people.
"You're like him." I find voice that whispered at them... they heard me and stood with backing off.
"Oh, your... I am sorry for your loss." The causal fella picking up the file, "I guess its not everyday you read your own file." Not wrong there.
"Him... what way do we remind you of who?" I not really sure how to say it. Its like I forgot how to speak English. How do even explain voodoo magic?
Ah. I draw in the dirt near the edg of light. I touched a finger but it was enough.
"Mage then... the one whom attacked you." They interpret the picture. We know who did this.
That was all I needed. I let the light consume and take away it all... and I felt clean and free.