Where the Shadows are Heavy (Bastille)

CHAPTER 1

He saw his first ghost at six. Not that he knew at that age what it was he was seeing, it could have easily been explained away by his childish imagination or the shock that came with seeing the family cat trot into the living room, a small bird clamped between its teeth. Dan had watched, hand still raised to his Legos, as their cat deposited the small feathery creature in front of him. A gift. The cat began furiously licking her paws. Dan simply watched, as the bundle in front of him began to float up and start flapping around in panic, seemingly trapped in the room, a grey blur, before it flew through the ceiling.

His mother had hurriedly put the small dead bird into a plastic bag, before scolding the cat, and taking the bird to the kitchen bin. There hadn't been many feathers, but she'd still returned with the hoover to thoroughly clean the floor, and the absence of blood made the scenario infinitely less horrific than it could have been. Dan had just turned back to play with his Legos.

He realised he could see ghosts at twelve. For the past few years, small occurrences such as the bird incident had happened, but it wasn't until he talked to a girl crying on a park bench that he realised what those grey creatures he'd seen were. He'd been walking home from school, when he saw her sobbing into her hands. It was a cool day, and the wind had lifted her grey hair gently from her grey shoulders. She had looked every bit like a solid person, until she'd reached out to grab Dan's wrist as he'd walked by, and her fingers had passed right through his arm.

She had looked a few years older than him, she had looked sad, she had looked confused, but most importantly, Dan had realised, she had looked like the girl who'd been on the news after her body had been found in the woods on the other side of town. She'd looked up at him them, recognising the realisation on her face, and had just asked for help. Dan had bit his lip. He'd shaken his head. Stumbling back, he hurried away from the girl and the bench and the park. He didn't walk through there on the way home from school for the next 5 months.

During those months, he began to realise just how many of the 'locals' weren't actually living. A man by the post office, and old lady crossing the road, the dog always tied to the lamppost by the corner shop. Grey from head to toe, the ghosts never really approached him, but would talk if spoken to, they were exactly like living, breathing humans, except they were neither living, nor breathing.

He saw someone become a ghost at sixteen. The weather was hot, the sun had scorched the grass and boiled the tarmac, the smell rising in hot waves through the air. He could feel the sweat on his temple. Crouched on the pavement behind a car, water gun clutched to his chest. Kyle knew he could see ghosts. Well, he knew Dan thought he could see ghosts. His friend Kyle was a sceptic. But he was also better at water fights, and using his water gun with deadly accuracy. Dan fell forwards as cold water hit the back of his neck and ran down his back. With a yelp, he turned to find his friend gone. He crept carefully around the car that had been providing him with shelter. His finger ready on the trigger.

There was a blur to his side, and he turned and raised his gun, not fast enough. A jet of water hit him squarely in the face, so he fired blindly ahead, his own laughter echoed by his friend. Both boys gave up on trying to avoid the water then, attacking each other head on. Kyle stumbled back into the road, and that was when the car had screeched past.

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Aaaaahhhh i'm back guys!! This is the first thing i've written in a while. I really hope people like this story, there's gonna be ghosts, there's gonna be violence, there's gonna be death, and it's gonna be a wild™ ride, so pls don't forget to vote and leave comments. Updates every Saturday and Tuesday, love you!
- K XXX