Comotose - Kestral Volta (popular ebook readers txt) 📗

“Nah! What about Sam?” Sarah looked at him.
He smiled back at her, holding her gaze. “Yeah, I like Sam.”
“Sam it is!” chirped Lucy, laughing. “So, Sam, the Doctor says that you can go in a few days.”
“Yeah, I don’t quite know where I’m gonna go yet...”he started, looking down, frowning.
“Look, we’ve told the Doctor that you can come home with us for a while until you get sorted out.” explained Lucy.
Sam looked up at Lucy, surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah, it’s no trouble.” reassured Lucy.
“Thank you so much! I can’t thank you enough!”
Sarah leaned in and placed her hand on his. “It’s ok, really.”

Jack watched as his mother and Sarah left the room followed by Sam. Over the past few days, Sarah and his mother had been visiting Sam more times than he’d felt comfortable with. They’d even named him! And now, this stranger, someone who they’d just found in a random cave was going to live with them! They didn’t even know him! It’d be different if Sam knew who he was, then at least someone would know if he was a killer or a druggie or something! At least he’d have an identity!
Jack followed them from the hospital and out into the snowy street. Sam didn’t have any possessions, apart from the clothes he was frozen in. He’d been given some of Jack’s father’s old clothes, which Jack wasn’t particularly happy about.
The atmosphere in the taxi was icy. Jack stared at Sam, as if trying to find some clue that would suggest Sam was lying. Sam ignored him, looking over at Sarah.
Jacks house stood alone at the end of the road. Behind it was the vast snowy valley that led right to the cave entrance. The house was down a long drive- it’d been given to the family by their father, who had died from a stroke. The house had been in his family for years and only now was it actually being lived in. It was huge! There were about 5 empty bedrooms, one of them to be given to Sam. Jack’s mother had often talked about renting the rooms out, but had never gotten round to it.
When Sam left the taxi, he stood, gazing in awe up at black stone pillars, the black tile roof and the evergreens that surrounded it. Moss clung to the cold, stone walls. Snow coated the porch and the windowsills as Sam followed Sarah, leaving footprints behind him.
Jack stared at the footprints as if Sam had burned stains onto his home.
Inside, there was already a fire blazing on the lounge fire place. The whole of the ground floor was lounge and dining area. The kitchens were to the side of the house and in the back was a conservatory which backed onto the valley.
Beth, the house cleaner was busy with her back to the four, dusting the mantel piece, above of which was a huge, Victorian-styled portrait of jack’s grandfather.
“Hi Beth!” called Lucy. “We have a guest; he’s staying with us for a while. Could you please make up one of the spare rooms?”
Beth turned. Jack turned to Sam, who was gazing, not in horror but in wonder at Beth’s face. One side of her face was distorted and scarred; when she was young, she’d had acid thrown in her face, leaving her scarred for life.
“Yes, of course. Who’s this, then?” she asked, coming over. Jack kicked off his boots and threw his coat over the banister. He started to climb the stairs, but still held onto the conversation.
“Well, the truth is, we don’t know. Jack rescued him from the ice flows in the caves and Sam had no memory at all!” explained Lucy, putting a hand on Sam’s shoulder. Jack felt a stab of jealousy.
“Well, then, Sam, I hope you feel very comfortable here.” smiled Beth, turning and making her way past Jack and up the stairs. As she past, Jack noticed something in her expression, whether it was just the scars, or something more sinister, he didn’t know.

Chapter 3

Sarah took Sam’s soft hands and pulled him up the stairs. Jack had gone to his room, so Sarah had said she’d give Sam a tour.
“These bedrooms are all empty.” She explained, gesturing to the rooms on either side of the corridor. “This room’s my room.” Sarah opened a door. Sam stood in the entrance. “Come on in!”
Sam stepped over the threshold and sat on the bed. “It’s nice in here.” he commented.
“It’s not much.” mumbled Sarah, looking around at the blue walls, the many bookcases that housed her many books. She loved books! One day, she hoped to publish some of her own work. “Anyway, come on, I’m gonna show you your room!”
She took Sam’s hand and took him from the room. Out in the corridor, she felt Sam’s hand slip from hers. She stopped and turned to see Sam gazing at one of the family photos framed on the wall.
“Hey, we’ll find your memory. Don’t worry.” Sarah put a hand on his arm. He felt so strong, so sturdy, yet his skin was cold. Too cold. Like ice.
“Thanks.” he mumbled. They carried on until they came to the end of the corridor.
“This is your room!” Sarah stepped aside to let Sam through.
The room was about as big as Sarah’s. There was a bed in the middle, beside of which, Beth was fumbling with the sheets. A lamp stood on a bedside table. There was an empty wardrobe and the curtains were white, torn in some areas.
“Mum says you can have some of Dad’s old clothes.”
“I don’t know how to thank you enough.” whispered Sam.
“It’s ok.” Sarah took his hand. Sam looked down at her. His eyes were a pale blue colour, yet so deep, Sarah felt as though she could swim in them!

It was just before dinner and Sam was stood at his window, staring out into the valley, he could just make out the entrance of the cave in the distance. The tiny black dot spooked him somehow- it was as if it knew him. As if the cave knew him, but Sam didn’t know it. There was no doubt about it- he’d have to go down there sooner or later!
For now, he was nobody.
It felt strange, having nothing. No name, no age. No purpose. Only now, questions were really beginning to surface. Why was he frozen in there? Who was he? How long ago was he frozen in there?
Yet, Sam was beginning to see no point in asking these questions. The answers were there, just really far out of reach! Too far.
“So Sam! How you bearing up?” said Jack, announcing his entrance.
“Fine thanks.” answered Sam, turning from the window.
“Nothing coming back to you yet? No sudden flash backs or anything?” smirked Jack.
“No.” answered Sam, truthfully.
“You know, strangers aren’t really welcome in Riverdale these days. People are talking. We don’t know who you are. You could be a killer for all we know! You could be the next psycho in town! And what’s worse is that you don’t know that either!” ranted Jack.
“I...I...” Sam didn’t want to apologise, yet didn’t know what to say, either. It was true.
Jack turned to go, but stopped at the door. “Oh, and stay away from my sister.”
Sam stared after Jack as he left the room.

The Doctor said that he’d visit every week to check up on Sam and to try therapy to see if any of his memories would come back. Doctor Richardson sat opposite Sam at the dining room table, looking down at a pile of papers.
“So, Sam, I’m going to take some of your DNA and see if it has any matches. In the meantime, I want to run a few tests.”
Sam nodded.
The tests weren’t bad. They didn’t last very long either. It was things like memory tests- looking at cards and then the Doctor taking them away and Sam answering questions about what was on them. Sam was ok with these, he found them easy. It was the tests where the Doctor would ask him to try and look back into memories before the hospital. Every time, Sam found himself looking at blank space. He hated these tests.
It was 11:00 when the Doctor finally left with a promise of a visit the same time next week. Jack and Sarah were at school and Lucy was working in her office. Beth wasn’t around, so Sam took the opportunity to go for a walk in the valley.
Expecting it to be cold outside, Sam pulled on his boots, coat and scarf, but, stepping outside, he found he didn’t really feel cold. In fact, he felt just right- not warm, but not too cold! Sam pulled off his coat and scarf and left them on a table in the conservatory.
The valley was larger than Sam had imagined! He watched as a throng of black birds skimmed the knee-deep snow beneath white, fluffy clouds. It was so...peaceful!
The mouth of the cave wasn’t big- it was only just high enough for Sam to step through without having to bend down. He ran a hand over the pale blue walls, feeling the soft heat from the walls climb up his arm. It was as if the cave was welcoming his return.
Sam’s vision began to blur. Flashes of sharp mist clouded his mind, a pounding headache started to pummel at his skull. Blurred shaped flittered across his vision, colours, moving.
Sam’s hand fell from the wall and his vision cleared. Sam gazed down the tunnel. He was suddenly scared; there was something in here. Something unknown. Whatever it was, it scared Sam.

Chapter 4

“What do you think of Sam?” asked Jack, leaning against the doorway.
“I think he’s a nice boy. Very polite.” replied Beth, looking down at the papers on her desk.
“Ok, so what do you really think?” Jack came into the room and sat on the bed.
“I-I don’t want to talk about it.” Beth mumbled.
“Oh, come on! There’s something about him! Something weird!” pushed Jack, dipping a hand into his schoolbag and taking out a piece of paper.
Beth said nothing.
“There’s an old story about those caves, isn’t there? There’s a curse or something! But the strange thing is, that there’s no record of it on the internet. None of the teachers know anything about it. Nor does mum, but you...you know it, don’t you?” Jack looked down at the piece of paper. He pushed it onto the desk, in front of Beth.
Beth looked at it. “Not now. Sam is in the house.”
Jack glanced out of the window at a tiny black figure making it’s way into the conservatory.

The walls of the train station were blank, white tiles. There was no door, no way out. The platform ended, but there was no rail line. There was just...black.
Sam sat on one of the white benches, gazing out into the darkness. He was so...tired! However hard he tried to sleep, he couldn’t. It was so cold! Although he didn’t know where he was, he felt he’d been here before.
Bobby? Bobby!
Whispers echoed around the walls. Sam looked around. Who was Bobby?
Bobby! It’s you!
Sam stood and turned. Something was with him. A girl’s voice.
I love you, Bobby! I’m so sorry!
The voice turned to a scream.
Sam’s eyes