Soul Redemption: Supernatural Horror with Scary Ghosts & Haunted Houses (Soul Collector Series Book 6) by Ron Ripley & Nick Efstathiou & Scare Street

Author:Ron Ripley & Nick Efstathiou & Scare Street [Ripley, Ron & Efstathiou, Nick & Street, Scare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scare Street
Published: 2024-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 27: A Deep Melancholy

Tom lay with his back to the room, facing the wall.

He couldn’t move. His eyes refused to open, and his brain refused him sleep.

He knew he should eat but lacked the will to get out of bed and feed himself.

He could smell himself, and he understood the need to bathe. But the ability to force himself to do so was as lacking as his will to eat.

Nothing mattered.

Tom nestled further under the blankets.

The books he had found with Frank were placed close to his head. He felt their weight on the bed, smelled the scent of old books, and discovered there was no pleasure there.

There was no pleasure with anything.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him of the lack of food in it, and Tom ignored it.

He couldn’t be bothered. Victor was dying, and there was nothing Tom could do about it. He understood there was nothing anyone could do unless they murdered the man, and Tom could not bring himself to do such a thing. Not even if Victor had asked him to.

Tom lacked such inner strength.

He lacked the strength for anything.

***

Frank sat in his chair, his tea forgotten. From where he sat, he could smell Tom’s unwashed body. He could even hear the younger man’s stomach growling, desperate for food. Tom hadn’t eaten anything since the previous morning when they had been on their way out to go book hunting.

And Frank could see Tom was getting worse.

Frank rubbed at the stubble on the back of his head. He needed to get Tom out of the house. The younger man required a change of scenery and someone who could help him come to grips with what he was feeling.

Frank could change the scenery; he couldn’t do anything about the way Tom was feeling. He needed more than being away from the home he had shared with Victor. He needed support from someone who understood loss at a young age.

Picking up his phone from the table, Frank sent a text to Shane.

Hey, are you around?

Shane’s response came a few minutes later.

On the road right now. What’s up?

Need to bring Tom up to see you. Victor’s bad.

Head up whenever. I’ll be gone for a few days.

Frank frowned. How’s that going to help if you’re not there?

Carl.

Frank blinked, surprised he hadn’t thought of the dead man sooner.

Got it, Frank wrote back. Be safe.

Always am.

Frank shook his head at the blatant lie. He put his phone away and looked at Tom. For a moment, he considered getting him out of bed and forcing him to pack, but that would, he realized, make matters worse.

Frank would get everything packed and loaded before getting Tom out of bed and into the car. The less stress, the better.

With a nod to himself, Frank stood up and set about packing. Soon enough, they would be on the road, and Carl, he hoped, would help pull Tom out of his depression.

Frank paused in his packing and thought about how a long-dead German soldier had become a father to them all.

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