The Arrival | The House of Voices #3

I Feel Them Nearing...

*COMING IN JUNE/JULY*

SNEAK PEEK:

Welcome to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, son.

Parish could help but let the Warden’s words play in his mind over and over again, stuck on repeat. Sitting in his cold, dreary, and immeasurably depressingly white padded cell, Parish had nothing else to do besides think about the Warden’s first – and only – words to him from when he was first brought to the horrible hospital.

It had been three days now. Three days since he’d stormed out of The Black Tarot in a rage and gotten tossed into the back of a St. Elizabeth’s transportation bus. And he had no one to blame for the mess he was in but himself. If he hadn’t gotten into that stupid, senseless fight with October, he wouldn’t be here. He’d be back at The Black Tarot with the girl and their new friends.

Slumping his shoulders and resting his head on the dirty wall behind him, Parish looked blankly up at the cracking ceiling above him. He sighed. He’d messed up and now he had to deal with it. There was no sense in wishing to change the past. Nothing could change the past.

There was also, Parish realized, no sense in replaying the Warden’s words in his head. It was depressing him, worrying him and only seemed to make him angrier with the nurses who came into his room to check up on him. Absentmindedly, Parish ran his fingers over the needle marks in his arm – presents from the nurses that he’d argued and fought with in attempts to escape from them when they entered the rooms. He’d been sedated so many times that he’d lost count.

His touching the needle marks reminded him of October, and the way she’d traced the scars on his wrists and Parish found himself wondering if she’d come.

Would she come for him?

Would anyone come for him?

Oh, they aren’t coming silly boy, a malicious voice whispered into his ear, right on cue. But don’t worry, we’re here. We’ll stay with you.

Three days.

The Voices had been with him for three days.

And it didn’t seem like they’d be leaving any time soon.