Secrets of Autumn

By Jo Cattell

We live with this notion that when we die, we move on to a better place. The evil of the world is behind us. The ones that we leave behind will mourn and we will always be with them. It’s believed ghosts are just lost souls refusing to move on.
But is that really true? What happens if you die before your time?
Autumn Milley’s life was full of possibilities of the future when it all ended in a flash. In life, she learned of demons from books and movies and in death, she finds out just how real they are. Can Ty and the other souls save her from the darkness? Or will the battle for her soul wipe her from existence completely?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Cattell
• Release date: Sep 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310975448

Jo Cattell

Hello and welcome. I'm Jo Cattell, author, wife, mother, and story teller. I live in New Jersey with my husband, two girls, and two cats. I've been writing most of my life and find it's a great way to escape the reality of normal life. I find stories in everything I see. I've been told that my books can make you feel like you're really there, experiencing everything the characters are. So come on in and see just where my imagination will take you.

Book preview

PART ONE

Whispers

If the dead can come back to this earth, and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the garish day, and the darkest night. Amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours always, always, and if the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air cools your throbbing temples, it shall be my spirit passing by. Do not mourn me, think I am gone, and wait for me, for we shall meet again.

~Major Sullivan Ballou; July 14th 1861~

CHAPTER ONE

With Death, It Begins…

We live with this notion that when we die, we move on to a better place. The evil of the world is behind us. The ones we leave behind will mourn and we will always be with them.

It’s believed that ghosts are lost souls refusing to move on; they have unfinished business. We’re told that we’re stuck in limbo if never baptized and that when we die, we are put into a state of eternal rest until the second coming of Christ. When the time comes, He will judge whether we are worthy enough to enter the kingdom of Heaven or spend eternity in Hell.

What if none of this is true? What if all we were led to believe is a lie? What happens to you if you die before you were supposed to? Where do you go then?

The day I died started like any other day. My alarm went off late. I had just enough time to take a quick shower and have an argument with my mother over what I should be doing with my life. Somewhere between thinking it may be time for me to move out and her telling me I needed to be more structured, I glanced at my phone and saw the time.

Rushing out the door, I ran to my old, beat up Nova that sat waiting for me like an old friend. There were so many times I had thought about getting into that car and driving to nowhere - just cranking up the music, drowning out the world, and going. Today, however, would not be the day for my runaway plan.

I wanted to be a Physical Therapist and work primarily with children. I’d worked in a day care center over the past summer and fell in love with this little boy with Down’s Syndrome. It was in Aden’s eyes that I saw the world in its purest form. He was so full of unconditional love and affection, even when things didn’t go his way. For every medical setback he had, he would come back three times harder. Because of his determination, I learned my calling in life. My parents weren’t happy with this choice; they wanted me to be a doctor or follow in the family footsteps and be an accountant. I guess they never really understood that I sucked at math.

Oh well, there was still my sister, Zoey, that they could train. She would make them proud even if I didn’t. Zoey, although a thorn in my side, is everything I’m not: captain of the track team and enrolled in all honor classes. Hell, there were even colleges competing for her. She was already crowned Homecoming Queen and I bet she will finish her senior year as Prom Queen. As much as I hated her achievements, I envied her.

Zoey was pretty, smart, and outgoing compared to my shy awkwardness. I’m the bookworm who hid through high school. I didn’t start to come out of my shell until I hit college where I became the rebel of the family and found my own path. While Zoey is ‘cookie-cutter’ with her long brown hair and deep brown eyes, I decided to break away from the mold and add blonde streaks to my hair. To top off my rebellion, I added a lotus tattoo, which now graced the bicep of my arm. Zoey was mad because she didn’t think of it first, and she was more than happy to report to my parents what I had done. Sibling rivalry at its finest.

Between my normal array of classes that day, I found time for lunch with my friends at the bookstore before heading back to school for three more classes and an argument with my physiology teacher about one of my papers. I hated that class with every fiber in my body, but I needed it if I wanted to graduate. I would someday make it through Mr. Bank’s class without thinking the man was a complete idiot. Leaving the class in a huff, I suddenly felt like someone was watching me.

I saw her for the first time standing by the wall, watching people going by. What caught my eye was the fact that she looked out of place. Maybe it was the way she was dressed, in a sort of Bohemian outfit that had a long tie-dyed skirt and white blouse. She glanced around the hall, searching until our eyes locked. Her red hair appeared to be translucent and flowing while clipped back with a single yellow rose. Her skin looked pale, but I shook that off as trick of the sun. She gave me an unsettling smile. I nudged my friend Danielle to see if she noticed the way this girl watched me.

Who the hell are you talking about? She searched in the direction I was staring.

Dani, she’s right there, next to Connor Francis.

She stared hard at me and felt my head. Really, Autumn, are you feeling okay? There’s no girl standing next to him.

I looked back to protest but she was gone.

Later in the day, I thought about how the college locker room reeked of chlorine. I laughed to myself about how dull my life was that something as stupid as the smell of chlorine was even a part of my thought process. My current plan was to run off all the day’s frustrations and lose myself in some Maroon 5.

Hey, are you sure you want to go out there? It’s after five and getting dark. It’s not safe to be out running the trails this late, Dani pointed out.

I threw my books into the locker. I’ve done this a million times. I’ll be fine. Besides, isn’t it time for your make out session in the weight room?

Dani blushed and started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. Ah, Jay is practicing for his test as a personal trainer, he’s gotta show me how to…lift without hurting myself.

I smirked at her. Yeah, and I’m sure that includes his hands all over you, too. Have fun with that. Tightening my laces, I stood and stretched. I, however, have a hot date with Adam Levine and the trail. See ya in about an hour?

Got it. She shut her locker. Hey, do you want to go check out that new bar on Twelfth? Jay said the food isn’t half-bad. Plus, its half-price drinks until eight.

Bad call, trying to entice me with alcohol. You know that’s my weakness. I laughed and started towards the locker room door.

Dani giggled and finished applying her last coat of cherry-pink lip gloss. Autumn, be careful, ok?

Again, I’ll be fine. Go and give Jay a kiss from me. I laughed and headed out into the coolness of twilight.

First rule you learn as a child: pay attention to your surroundings. That’s something I really should have thought about as an eerie feeling ran up my spine. Getting out to the trail, my world fell quiet. Stretching, I closed my eyes and breathed in the evening air. I loved this time of night. Hitting play, Adam’s voice filled my ears and I started my pace to the rhythm of the music. The trail leading to the woods was my normal routine. To get my heart pumping, I used my arms to punch out my aggressions as I started my run. I could almost see my breath in the cool air as my body temperature started to rise and the first beads of sweat formed on my brow.

When the first beads of sweat started to run down my forehead, I thought of Dani’s offer about checking out the new bar. It was something to do after the day I’d just had. I only hoped some of Jay’s friends were there so I had someone to talk to while the two of them continued the kissy-face session going on at the moment. I guess a part of me was a little jealous. I would love to have someone to write me little notes or cuddle next to me at night.

A cute guy was jogging towards me. For a split second, I wondered if he would be at the bar tonight. His eyes were fixated on the trail. He must have been running a while because his hair was drenched with beads of sweat dripping onto his earbuds.

What do guys think about when they’re so focused like that?

I let my mind race with stupid thoughts and I tripped right in front of him, almost falling on my face.

He smiled, looking back to make sure I was okay and kept on his merry way.

God, you’re such a klutz Autumn Milley!

Once again, I focused on my pace. I needed to clear my mind. I noticed a couple standing by a tree, talking. I couldn’t make them out but they struck me as oddly familiar.

The guy threw down his cigarette when he noticed me, the girl, wringing her hands, continued to pace. They both stared at me then as I ran by, their eyes boring into me.

I never felt the blow to the back of my head. I simply remember falling forward and rolling down the hill. After coming to a stop, I glanced up at them standing over me. I reached for them; at least, I thought I did. Their voices were muffled.

One was staring at me closely. The other came closer and then kicked me in the ribs.

I couldn’t feel it. Suddenly, it seemed as if I was watching them. I couldn’t see their faces clearly, but could hear fear in their voices. I knew one of the voices. Why couldn’t I place it? I looked around, fearing what was going to happen. Were they going to rape me? Cut me into little pieces and spread me all over the place, so no one could find me? Or would they just leave me here to die? I was still alive, couldn’t they see that?

I heard someone laugh and gazed up. It was the strange girl I’d seen earlier. Her arms were crossed and she stared at me. When I started to ask her what the hell her problem was and why she wasn’t helping me, I noticed I couldn’t speak. I could say the words, but I couldn’t hear the sound of my own voice.

Yeah, Sunshine, can’t hear a word you're saying. She seemed to be mocking me while looking from me to the ground.

When I followed her eyes down, fear overtook me. My body was lying on the ground covered in leaves and dirt. A trickle of blood ran down the side of my mouth. My blue-green eyes stared off into the night. A puddle of blood formed at the back of my head making my golden brown hair almost black. How is it even possible that I’m looking at myself?

Kneeling down, with a shaky hand, I touched my face. My hand went straight through. As it passed, I felt the pulsing of my body. The hard, fast throbbing, like my heart was struggling to catch up with itself. I stared over at the girl again and tried to speak, moving my hands around as a way to express myself.

Sweetie, I don’t do the hand thing...unless it’s flipping the bird.

Sand, she doesn’t understand what’s happening. Seriously, like you can’t see that? a male voice said from behind me.

Turning, I saw a guy standing there, watching the whole scene. How did I not notice him before?

He stood taller than me and he looked pale, like her. His brown hair was cut short, but long enough to still hold a little wave to it. His eyes drank in my situation and tried to comfort me when he knelt down next to me. For a moment, I was lost in the deep blue hues gazing into mine, giving me comfort in knowing everything would be okay. He seemed to be clean-cut and not someone to be afraid of, as he was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. He reminded me of someone I might go to school with.

You’re confused. I know you can’t speak and you want to know what’s going on. It’s crazy, right? We’re here to help you. You just have to trust us. He sat down close to me and continued to study my despair. He smiled softly and placed his hand on his chest. I’m Tyler, but you can call me Ty. He pointed to the girl, That groovy chick over there is Cassandra, or Sandy. I call her Satan, but I’ve got my reasons. Don’t be scared, ok?

Reaching out, he gently touched my arm in an attempt to further comfort me. A jolt of electricity ran though me, knocking me back to the ground. It was the first real pain I’d felt since this situation started.

Hey ass wipe, you just shocked her. God, have I taught you nothing? You can’t touch her yet. She’s still connected. Throwing her arms in the air, she looked towards me. Sunshine. Hey, over here. She clapped her hands so I would look at her. You’re dying. Yeah, those two jerk offs hit you, sending you down the hill and you hit your head and probably broke your neck. You’re pretty much a goner. I don’t sugar coat anything so, get used to it, she explained and sat down on a nearby rock.

Ty rolled his eyes. Yeah, she won’t help much. But she knows what she’s talking about. I can’t touch you right now, sorry about that. All you can do is sit and wait. How old are you, like twenty, twenty-one?

Confused by his question, I nodded my head. I was just twenty-one.

Thought so. I’m going to guess a junior

Sandy made a noise. Are you going to ask her what her sign is next? For Christ's sake, she just bit the big one! Give her a break before you start hitting on her.

My heart still belongs to you, Sand. He made a kissing face at her and laughed. See…Satan. She’s harmless though; at least, I think. Come, sit with us.

I refused to leave my body. This had to be a crazy-ass dream. Could it be an effect of the energy drink I had before I went to bed? It had to be screwing with my subconscious.

Ty sat next to Sandy and waited, watching me. Someone had to come soon. They couldn’t leave me like this. I passed my hand through my body again. The pulsing was starting to slow down. I looked over at Ty with questioning eyes.

Your body is slowly fading. You’re going to feel cold soon. Kind of like you’re trapped in Antarctica. That’s when the end is near. Try to motion at us then, we can give you energy to keep warm during the transition.

Ha, speak for yourself. I’m not wasting any energy on her. I need it for when I pay a visit to my favorite person, Sandy stated and chuckled.

Ty rolled his eyes. Fine, I’ll do it without you. Muriel told you about that. You are walking a thin line with what you’re doing.

Then, they sat quietly and continued to watch me.

I racked my brain trying to figure out what was happening. What am I and where am I, for that matter? Then it hit me. God, please let it be someone I don’t know who finds me. What if they don’t find me right away? Would I be left here to decay into nothing but bones? My family living with a false hope that I was still alive somewhere until some kid finds my skull and they have to relive everything.

No, Dani would come looking for me when I didn’t return to the locker room. She knew my routine. She had said to me once how easily you could fall down the hill and no one would find you. This would be the first place she would look.

I looked at my face and noticed my eyes were changing. They were starting to roll back in a strange way. My body was starting to convulse like I was having a seizure. Was this the end? No! I wasn’t giving up without a fight. I frantically did the only thing I could think of I lay down inside my body.

What the hell is she doing? Sunshine, that isn’t going to work! Sandy called to me.

She’s doing what we all do. She’s in denial. She thinks that by getting back into her body, there’s a chance. It’s one of the five stages. You don’t remember doing this? Ty asked her.

She laughed at him. I knew I was dead and couldn’t do anything to change it. I skipped all of those silly steps and went straight to acceptance. I pulled that bandage off right from the start.

Their voices began to sound muffled to me again. I tried to lie really still. I wanted to take back my body. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, all I saw was darkness. I kept willing myself to regain control and open my real eyes. A shooting pain kept rippling at the back of my head. It added to the pulsing.

This couldn’t be it. There was still so much I wanted to do. My God, what about my family? How can I leave them like this? What would this do to them?

Then, I heard the footsteps. Someone was calling my name.

Someone’s coming, I heard Ty say.

When I heard the scream, I knew who it was and started to cry. Why did it have to be her?

When she lifted my hand, I started to feel cold. My fingers were numb. She kept screaming my name. I was starting to feel dizzy and felt myself starting to shake. The deep freeze Ty spoke of started to take over. I couldn’t breathe. Every part of my being struggled in some way or another to fight for life. The frosty quick-freeze kept climbing through my veins. I started screaming, begging—I wanted to live. There’s still so much I wanted to do. Then everything went—

Black.

CHAPTER TWO

Beware Of The Image You See

People say that when we die, we are surrounded by our loved ones who have passed on. We are met with this incredible white light that engulfs us and we are overcome with peace.

Instead, I stood in a dark, cold hospital room watching my lifeless body as my family said goodbye.

My father kissed my forehead as he had always done when he would tuck me into bed as a child. Tears were running down his face, landing on my cheek. I longed to feel the wetness from them, still hoping for that slim chance to hold on or come back.

My mother collapsed to the floor, unable to handle seeing me this way. One of the nurses had to help my father lift my inconsolable mother to a nearby chair. The pain that I felt while watching her sob made me regret that the last words we said to each other were said in anger. I will never forgive myself for leaving the way I did, telling her how I needed to get away from her.

Only my little sister stayed behind. She held my hand for the longest time. Just seventeen and ready to rule the world, she looked smaller to me now. Like she did as a child who always wanted to tag along. I should’ve let her hang out with me more. I shouldn’t have been so mean to her the other day about borrowing my sweatshirt. I now watched her take my bracelet off my wrist and hold on to it tightly. Wiping her eyes, she left, and I was now alone.

It went quiet. In the first few moments after the machines were finally off and I passed into wherever I was now, the surreal quality of it all overtook me. There was nothing but silence. Dark, cold, mind-numbing nothingness. I guess part of me expected heavenly music, or voices from those who had passed before me. That wasn’t the case. I found myself standing next to my body, trying to fully understand what was happening.

Autumn, Ty spoke my name.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I cringed, expecting another electric jolt, but instead, it took away the pain from the freezing cold inhabiting my body. What happens now? Where’s the light I’m supposed to walk into? Where’s my aunt who used to have tea parties with me? Or my grandparents?

Ty tried to comfort me by holding my hand. You died before your time. There won’t be a light until you reach the point when you were supposed to go. Sandy and I are in the same boat as you.

What he is trying to say is that you’re in limbo. All you can do now is wait. Cheer up, Sunshine, it could be worse, Sandy added.

I looked at her, trying to figure out how this could possibly be worse. So, you’re saying we just drift now? Haunt houses and stuff like that? I started rubbing my temples. I really don’t understand any of this.

No one does, Ty answered for her. We can take you to Muriel and she can try to enlighten you, but there is pretty much nothing left to do. The next few days will be the worst for you. I suggest we leave this place and hit somewhere warm and sunny. Ever been to the Bahamas?

Sandy scowled. And just how do you think we are going to get there? Hop on a plane and go? There’s bad mojo there, my friend. Nothing you want to mess with, even just to get away for a few days. It’s best we let her just deal with all of the messiness that comes from death and let her move on that way.

Two orderlies came into the room and started to prepare my body. I remained glued to the spot, watching them go through their checklist. They started by removing all of the tubes and lines that I was hooked up to.

What a hottie, too bad, one said, pulling the gurney up to my bed.

The other glanced down at a chart. They’re going to do a work-up on her. Still not sure what happened to her. Rape kit and all. You ask me, it was the hit to the head.

Autumn, Ty urged, maybe we should go now. You don’t want to see what they are going to do.

A sheet was brought out and then laid over me. They pulled it over my face and I quivered. What will they do now? Where will they take me?

I would bet the morgue. You’ll go into a little box until they come to get you. It’s better to leave now. Come on, Sunshine, it’s time to move on, Sandy added.

Where do we go? I mean, do I haunt the gym, the woods? It only made sense to do it where I died.

I wouldn’t mind haunting the locker room, Ty said and laughed.

Sandy shook her head. Perv. We talked about this. We don’t haunt places, we just exist. There is a difference.

I left them to argue and walked to the door. If I am a ghost, can I walk through walls? I placed my hand out in front of me and took a step. My hand went through the wall. Okay, I got this.

Out in the hallway, a lone nurse walked by. She looked tired and drained from a long day of work. She stopped at a phone that hung on the wall close to the room I just left. Hi, sorry to do this again, but Mr. Wolf has just passed. Can you send up another stretcher? Yes, I’ll have him ready. Not a good day here on 7 west. Hanging up, she leaned against the wall and sighed. The lines on her face showed the wear from her job. I could imagine her being young and excited