The Dead Woods by Christian Francis

Author:Christian Francis [Francis, Christian]
Language: eng
Format: epub

Findley had no idea anyone was in his house, let alone waiting for him to emerge from his bedroom. Still in a sleepy daze, he padded down the stairs barefoot, his eyes tired and half open. It was only when he saw Emmie, still wearing her pajamas from their sleepover, standing in the hallway speaking to Binh and Kathy Tran, he remembered all that happened late last night. The hospital visit. Hamish’s coma.

With a worried look, Emmie looked up the stairs at Findley. “It’s James,” she said.

Immediately Findley’s thoughts - James is dead. His face went slack with shock.

“He won’t come out of his bedroom,” Binh added.

The shock soon turned to confusion as Findley reached the base of the stairs and looked at both James’ parents and then Emmie. “James,” he began to say before pausing for a few beats. “...won’t come out of his room?”

Amber, Findley’s mother, walked out of the living room and smiled at her confused son. “Good, you’re awake,” she said. “Get dressed. You and Emmie are going over to see James.”

Findley was more than confused. After a friend went missing and another fell into a coma, anyone wanting to stay in their room seemed inconsequential to him and more than understandable. “You want me to go over to James’,” he asked in a monotone. “And get him to come out of his room?” he looked at his mother. “Really? That a thing now? Maybe he wants to sleep?”

Amber shook her head, not wanting to extend this conversation. “Please, go upstairs and throw some clothes on.” She said, then turned to Emmie. “You too, dear.”

With a disbelieving shake of his head, Findley strode back up the stairs to his room, closely followed by Emmie.

“Thank you,” Kathy Tran called up after them.

“It’s all gonna be fine,” Findley heard his mother say quietly to the Trans.

Before he opened his bedroom door, Findley heard Kathy reply to his mother, her voice almost too soft to hear.

“I’m so worried,” Kathy said. “He won’t stop crying.”

Findley and Emmie turned to each other as they walked into his bedroom. Without words, they knew each other felt the same… That this was strange. That all of this was almost too weird to be real life.

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