The Bank of the River by Michael Richan

Author:Michael Richan
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2013-06-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The rain came off and on that afternoon, with few sunbreaks. It was pouring by the time Steven reached Roy’s house, and he grabbed an umbrella from the back seat, handing it to Roy as he prepared to step out of the car.

“I don’t need that,” Roy said. “I’ve been getting my head wet here for seventy years.”

“Fine, I’ll use it myself,” Steven said, and popped it open outside of the car, trying to shield himself from as much rain as possible. Roy scampered to the front door and unlocked it, and Steven followed him inside, shaking the water off the umbrella before entering. Roy put on a pot of coffee.

“I don’t feel like we’re making much progress,” Steven said.

“Oh, I think we found out quite a bit,” Roy said. “And I’ve got a theory forming. Ben was right, Lukas wasn’t human. We saw that in the flow. And, therefore, I don’t think the shadow of Lukas is a ghost. I think it’s something else entirely.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because it doesn’t behave like a ghost. It drained Ben, and it’s draining me. That’s more parasitic, like a mental vampire. And it’s far too powerful. What the shadow did to you and me put Ben’s ghosts to shame. Ben could make things appear, but Lukas could physically move you, hold you down, harm you. Ben was human, and his ghost lingers for a reason – to warn us about Lukas, about Ben’s unfinished business. Lukas was undergoing some kind of metamorphosis; that takes energy. The shadow is a projection of himself, at the only level he is able to function at right now, in his current state. It’s not a ghost.”

“So wherever he’s buried right now,” Steven asked, “he’s…functional.”

“To some degree.”

“Then why attack you? What is Lukas after?”

“I think what he takes from me,” Roy said, “he’s using to continue his metamorphosis, or to stay alive in the grave long enough to find a way to continue.”

“And we’re helping him. We keep offering you up, and he’s using what he takes from you to try and return. No more séances, no more trances.”

“Too late,” Roy said, “we’ve engaged, the connection has been made. He knows me now, he views me as food. He’ll keep coming after me until he wipes me out, just like Ben. My fate was sealed the moment I walked into your house.”

“We know how to keep him at bay. We just have to sleep in shifts.”

“For the rest of my life?” said Roy. “I don’t think so.”

There was silence. A wave of guilt washed over him. Had he not involved his father three days ago, his father wouldn’t be in this position. Of course, he hadn’t known the consequences at the time, or he wouldn’t have. And his father had practically insisted. But he had invited him over to witness the occurrences. That was when the connection was made. Steven could still see the shadow and its eyes staring at Roy, sleeping in bed, floating an inch off the mattress, being slowly drained to feed the corpse of Lukas Johansen.

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