LAST PRAYERS: Geoff Wakeling

It was one of those grey days in Britain. You know the ones; the days that are so heavily overcast that midday almost feels like dusk. I think it was autumn, though I can’t quite remember, and there was a hint of moisture in the air as my father rushed towards the hospital, pulling his cassock over his head and preparing to give an elderly woman her last prayers. He does that a lot, especially with us living so close. It often occurs that he’ll be summoned in the middle of the night to attend the bedside of someone’s whose life is waning. I’ll wake and hear the latch, the click of the door, the rumble of his car engine.

Anyway, the woman my dad was hot-footing it to see was really close to the end, though she was both conscious and compos mentis enough to know where she was heading. My dad normally stops and has a chat with the receptionists, but due to it being the early hours of the morning and having the need for speed, he quickly rushed by the desk. Not wanting to delay himself further, he took the stairs to the second floor instead of the elevator. There were very few people about, a few doctors and nurses in the hallways and a couple of visitors; on this occasion he only saw one soul on the stairs that smiled and nodded as he leapt towards the first floor.

Unfortunately he was too late, and as he hurried down the corridor towards the room where the old lady lay, he heard a commotion. Rounding the door, nurses were carefully removing the woman’s respirator, for she hadn’t made it and had died before my dad had reached her. The moment he entered the room and saw her face, his heart skipped the beat. He may have missed her death, been unable to give her his last prayers, but he realised that he had, in fact, already seen her. She was the soul on the stairs who smiled and nodded as he passed.

I’ll always remember that story; particularly because I don’t really believe in the supernatural and up until that point, I didn’t think my Dad did either. Of course, he believes in God and heaven, but ghosts? I hadn’t thought so. I’m a very scientific individual, and if I haven’t seen something, I have a hard time believing it. I wonder if that’s why I indulge in paranormal and supernatural entertainment – books, writing, movies, television. I can live in this fantasy world and then return to ‘real life’ without worrying that any of it will actually come true. If it did I think I’d be scared to death.

But for now I have to live these little supernatural events through my loved ones. My father’s not one to embellish or lie or make a spooky story up, and to this day he attests that what he saw was true. So, next time you’re wandering around a hospital it might be worth taking a look at the people you’re passing; they might not quite be what you think.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Geoff Wakeling lives in London and escapes the smog of the city through his writing. Inside Evil, even though being dark and mysterious, was a way to escape the drudgery of every day life and indulge in something a little more fantastical.

With a degree in Zoology, Wakeling is animal mad and has a dog (Beetle), three cats, fish and five chickens in his London home. He is a keen gardener and conservationist. He is also still awaiting the arrival of his Hogwart's Owl!

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OCTOBER 15th GIVEAWAY: 

Today's giveaway is Geoff Wakeling's terrifying new novel PACIFIER 6, THE SHADOWS WITHIN. It's a zombie thriller that'll have you looking under the bed and over your shoulder for several days. 

UPDATE: ONLY TWO ECOPIES LEFT!!! YOU CAN STILL WIN!!! 

We're giving away TEN ECOPIES! That's right. Just be one  of the first TEN to go to the HALLOWEENPALOOZA Official Event Page and comment in the October 15th post announcing today's giveaway and you'll win yourself some amazing reading! 

This is the link to the Official Event Page: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/164385847097718/170895756446727/?notif_t=event_mall_comment

So what are you waiting for? Go and win yourself some horror!

Good luck ... and don't look behind you! They are there!

PACIFIER 6: THE SHADOWS WITHIN

The apocalypse has come and gone. A disease, an infection, that blackened the Earth with horror. Then came Pacifier 6; a 6th attempt to create a drug to calm the evil, to dampen the cravings for flesh and bone. Now you go to the store and pick out a zombie as if you were buying a new pet.

But what happens when you realise that familiar faces still have feelings?

Carl's pulling himself back together, attempting to cope with the losses that life has dealt him. Amidst the horror of the past few months, he begins to realise that death isn't necessarily the end; it can be the start of something new, something that has never been seen before. With everyone around him battling to keep society intact, Carl manages to see beyond the ravaged faces of those he once knew. There's a new creature in the darkness, a consciousness that most have overlooked, and it's waiting to reveal itself.