Ronin of the Dead: Book Two: A post-apocalyptic zombie action series by Keith McIntosh

Author:Keith McIntosh [McIntosh, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McIntosh Books
Published: 2023-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Elliott

When Elliott awoke the morning after burying his mother under the large tree they used to have picnics underneath, he found the world around him had suddenly changed, and without his permission. At least, that’s what it felt like. He was still in the exact same house, still ate at the same table he always had. Everything in his little world was still in exactly the right spot, and yet… everything was different.

Now everything around him was haunted by these little ghosts, not actual ghosts, of course. Those weren’t real. Elliott knew he was being haunted by his own memories. His cruel brain gave everything a faint little life all its own. If he looked at something, anything, for too long, his mind would dredge up a memory associated with it.

He was brushing his teeth that morning, as he liked to, when the first ghost struck. Elliott had looked down at the brush after he had rinsed it off, and was suddenly reminded of the memory of how he came into possession of that toothbrush.

It was when his mother took him to the dentist in Walsenburg, Doctor Melnor, for a routine cleaning and checkup. Elliott didn’t enjoy getting his teeth cleaned, but he did like the bag of goodies his hygienist would give him afterwards, as well as the Macdonald’s cheeseburger Momma would buy for each of them along with a small coke for the ride home. It was a stupid memory, not even one of the good ones, but it was enough to send Elliott back into his room weeping and frustrated.

The entire house was filled with those little ghosts. Worst part though, they were sneaky, always coming up on him when he didn’t expect it. Elliott tried to keep them out of his head. He thought maybe there was a way he could build a wall around himself inside his mind. Maybe that would keep them out. He went through the motions of his day, did everything Ken told him to do with no complaints or even a comment, because the rest of him was actively trying to keep the ghosts of his past at a safe distance. They still seeped in, usually when his guard was down. He was heading down the stairs one morning and had to stop mid-way because another sweet memory of his mother caught him.

He just stood there on the step of the stairwell, looking down at the spot where they sat together a lifetime ago and let the memory play out in his head. What else could he do? It was a nice memory, but when it was over, Elliott felt a dark sort of emptiness inside him that he didn’t like. He came to find that each little ghost left that feeling behind it when it went. After a single day, he felt drained and tired of fighting these ghosts in his house, so he told Ken he’d like to go to town. Elliott knew he would agree. Ken didn’t enjoy staying in any one place for too long, however, the town wasn’t much better.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.