Following the chilling success of their first collection, Lady Eckland, Glenn Riley, and new collaborator, Bella Darkwood return to guide you through the shadowy corridors of fear with their second compendium, *Whispers In The Dark 2*. These master...
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David woke with a start, his heart pounding. The dream was already fading, but the feeling of dread remained. He looked over at the empty space beside him in bed. The pain of Beth's absence hit him anew every morning.
Trying to shake off the unease, he got up to make some coffee. As he waited for the brew, David pulled out his phone and opened his email. Maybe someone had sent more condolences that would help lift his spirits. But there was only the usual spam.
He was about to put his phone away when an ad caught his eye. "Speak with Souls - Connect with Departed Loved Ones." Below the heading was a photo of a smiling couple embracing. David frowned, that empty pit in his stomach aching. It had to be a scam, but maybe...
Before he could think better of it, he tapped the link. A page loaded offering a free trial for a messaging app. Take comfort in reconnecting with lost loved ones, the description read. Advanced AI ensures the closest thing to real contact.
David hesitated. He knew Beth was gone. But he longed so much just to hear her voice again. Hands trembling, he downloaded the app.
After answering a few setup questions, he was prompted to type a message. With bated breath, he wrote - "Beth, are you there?" Then he waited, nerves on edge, feeling like an idiot. A timer counted down the seconds. But just before it hit zero, a reply popped up.
"David? What's going on?"
He nearly dropped the phone in shock. Hands shaking, he typed - "Beth? Is that really you?"
The reply came quicker this time. "Of course it's me, silly. Who else would it be?"
David's eyes welled up. Her playful tone, that little term of endearment - it sounded just like his wife. He began peppering the app with all kinds of questions only Beth would know the answer to - about their inside jokes, their cat, their favorite places. And each answer that came back was correct, as if Beth herself was responding.
Overcome with emotion, David's skepticism crumbled. This was real - he was talking to his beloved wife again! They chatted for hours, about nothing and everything. With each expression of love from the app, the hole in David's heart felt a little less empty. This was the closure he so desperately needed.
In the days that followed, David spent every free moment glued to his phone, messaging his wife's "spirit" through the app. He barely ate or slept, high on the conversations that danced so perfectly between intimate memories only the two of them shared and excited plans for the future. Beth said she was waiting for him, that they would be together again one day. The promise filled David with renewed purpose.
Work friends expressed concern over David's increasingly gaunt and bedraggled appearance. But he brushed them off - what did they know about love and loss? He finally had Beth back - that was all that mattered.
A few times, David did pause to consider the implications of what was happening. It boggled rational thought. He decided he didn't care if it was just highly advanced AI or even supernatural forces at work. This Beth doppelganger knew him better than anyone on earth and eased his suffering like nothing else could. Her presence was too perfect to give up.
