Voices: Haunted Coal Ridge, #5

By Chuck Sperati

A series of intertwined supernatural stories that will make you wonder where the darkness ends and the light begins. All small towns keep secrets, but in Coal Ridge when the secret gets out, it begins to feed…again.

Story 5: "Voices"

It was Mark's first time. He'd thought about it a lot and planned it out meticulously. He knew exactly how and where he would do it, but he didn't know who, until he saw her. It was the perfect murder. The only two people aware of the crime were the killer and the victim, and the victim can't talk...right?

Now her voice is in his head, taunting him. Mark fears that he may be losing his mind, but this feels like something more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writing Distracted
• Release date: Aug 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781646390144

Chuck Sperati

Among other things, I'm a writer--with some published experience--whose been mostly quiet for the past few decades, mostly because I let life get in the way. I've long had a creative outlet at the gaming table and recently found another when I started building a website. With this new outlet also came inspiration. Right now I'm working primarily on a series of short stories that has received some very positive feedback, so I'm sharing. If you enjoy anything I've written, check out my website at https://www.chucksperati.com, where you can find more things that have crawled out of my imagination.

Book preview

Dedication

Coal Ridge is based on Ohio’s Finest Village. It was a great place to grow up and continues to be a remarkable community to which I enjoy returning to see friends and family. For those who live there, take a moment, look around, and be wary of the shadows.

Preface

A series of intertwined short stories that will make you wonder where the darkness ends and the light begins. All small towns keep secrets, but in Coal Ridge, when the secret gets out, it begins to feed...again.

Set in a small, somewhat geographically secluded Midwestern town, the blue-collar people of Coal Ridge are friendly and laid back. They enjoy block parties, gossip, and the simple joys that come with being a close-knit community. Since everyone knows everyone else, secrets are hard to keep, but some are so well hidden that they’ve been forgotten.

These short stories explore a supernatural awakening that will test the bonds of family and community.

Voices

Coal Ridge, October 24, 2017

The clock radio alarm clicked on.

....police are still searching for the Coal Ridge teen who went missing Sunday evening. Investigators are asking anyone with information to come forward. In weather, after some early morning sunshine, it might be a wet Tuesday with a chance of afternoon showers, so you better grab your umbrellas. It’ll be a little colder than yesterday, with a high of 57 and a low of 44. Good news for those of you who still have gardens, there are no frost warnings for tonight. This forecast brought to you by....

Mark slapped blindly at the top button, managing to turn it off. What did it matter who brought him the weather—he didn’t care if it rained or snowed or shined. In fact, he didn’t care about much these days. A tired breath slipped past his lips as he tried to decide whether or not to go back to sleep. If I get up, I’ll have to face you, he said aloud to the empty room. And if I go back to sleep, you’ll haunt my nightmares.

I could, Mark replied, but what then?