The life departed, unnoticed except by neighbors, or friends who wondered why no one answered the knock at the door. Other journeys have already been completed. Those who fear the Dead suddenly turn from the broken vessel, for they are not the ones who have been called.

But where just a few hours before none would have left this precious person alone, now there is blood on the pavement and an abandonment to a cold, barren place. Alone, beneath a tarp, on a roadside or in a quiet room the body waits for those who care to come carry it away. The journey is sometimes a swift one, unexpected and unwelcome. They expect it to be neat and tidy, and contained but Death is not tidy. The progression from dust to dust is one with which most Modern Humans of the Civilised World are not familiar. One is quickly reminded that there is nothing you can do ten minutes ago, people were desperately working to save this life, to put it all back together, but now this earthly shell no longer contains what made it sacred. When the undertaker has not yet come, when the family is not yet notified, or the crime scene tape is still in place, there is a special reverence that comes with the task of walking with the Dead.

They came in, mortality haunting them, their faces lined with the unease that comes from walking with the Dead.Д®scorting earthly remains to the realms of Life Everlasting is a terrible honour and a privilege. Not so last night there was no call for Roast Beef and Potatoes, no clatter of dishes or chatter of excitement. When they do, it usually is accompanied by hunger and a need to talk. They both have a uncanny knack of being called out right before dinner, and as a result, I spend a lot of time waiting for them to show up. I myself was one such, before Some Healthlike Unexpected Stuff Happened (aka SHUSH) now I provide material and intel support for Chief вЂRuns-Towards-FireвЂ™ and his homegrown Partner, Sir Chance-a-Lot. I live in a family of First Responders - volunteer FireFighters, certified Emergency Medical Technicians, Community Chaplains and Storm Spotters. The natural invokes its own fear the physical world provokes a primitive dread more insidious than that of the metaphysical realm, because it is bedded in realityвЂ¦ But inspiration can also come from this present Life. The unseen or unknown provokes a terror that transcends the mundane. One has to get in the mood, and for most of us, this involves the invocation of unnatural or supernatural events.

Shush the walking dead