Paranormal Agency BOOK 2 : THE FUNERAL HOME.

When Alison opened her eyes she was standing in a large, plain white room. The room was bare of anything other than herself. It was silent. She felt disorientated and frightened, wondering what she was doing there.

The only sound she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat. She crossed her arms in front of her, looking around self-consciously. She was wearing a tight, short black dress and strappy black heels. She was dressed up. She was never that dressed up. It wasn’t really her style. A heavy silver necklace hung from her neck and silver hoops from her ears. Her hair was pulled up into a bun. What was going on?

She took a cautious step forward, feeling dizzy and delirious. It was hard to think. The room was spinning. Where was Greg? Usually, he’d be here with her by now. Anytime she was feeling scared or uncertain, she could always count on finding him by her side. That was the wonderful thing about Greg. He was her best friend for so many reasons.

She blinked.

When she opened her eyes again, there was a tall man dressed in a black suit standing only inches in front of her. She gasped and jumped back. It was Death. The mysterious being that had visited her so many times before, particularly when she had been investigating Josh’s sister’s house.

“The Soulless are here,” it spoke, its low voice echoing in the silent, empty room. “The Soulless are already here.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice.

Without replying, it pulled out an athame and held it in front of his face, the tip facing up. It was the same athame Emily had bought for her from the metaphysical store that Marissa and her aunt worked at. “The Soulless are here.” He took a step closer to her. “You’re immune to their Hell-fire. When you see a Soulless, you aim here.” He pointed the tip of the athame to his wide chest. “You stab here only. They hunt the Blessed. If the blessed die, the world will end. The Soulless know about you. They may be looking for you now. Don’t forget this dream, Alison. Whatever you do, don’t forget this message when you wake up.”

Alison blinked again.

When she opened her eyes again, she was laying in her bed in her bedroom, covered in a cold sweat. She was awake now. She wiped a warm hand across her soaked forehead and tried to sit up. Just a dream. It was just dream.

Death.

She had seen him so many times before. Glancing over at her nightstand, she saw her athame laying on top of it. It hadn’t been there when she had gone to bed. She realized Death must have moved it there for her to see. Slowly, she reached out for it, wrapping a hand around it’s cool handle. She brought it to her face, gazing at it.

What was it about this athame that was so important?

It was the same athame she had used to kill the Soulless that had attacked her weeks before. Even Marissa had told her she should hang on to it, since Marissa had claimed to have a dream of her own about it. Was this athame special somehow? Was it because Emily, who was one of the Blessed, had bought it for her?” Or had Death done something to it himself to give it a special power.

She had no idea what the answer was. Letting out a deep breath, she got of bed and tucked the athame into her purse. She was going to make sure this thing was with her wherever she went. She wasn’t going to forget it. Not ever.

The dream had scared her. Death had said that the Soulless knew about her now. He said that the Soulless may be looking for her. Was that true? And if so, what was she supposed to do about that? Were the Soulless going to kill her the way they killed Emily?