ECHOES OF THE FORGOTTEN

CHAPTER 6: SAM'S MEMORIES

The days following their meeting with Ezra Voss were filled with an anxious energy. Lena, Sam, and Ivy spent countless hours deciphering the map and preparing for their journey to The Echo. But amid their preparations, another, more personal storm was brewing for Sam.

It began subtly—a fleeting image, a fragment of a conversation, a shadowy figure that would haunt his dreams. Sam dismissed these disturbances at first, attributing them to stress and the pressure of their upcoming quest. But as the days wore on, these fragments began to coalesce into a troubling clarity that was impossible to ignore.

It was a rainy Tuesday evening when the memories started to resurface with painful intensity. Sam was sitting alone in his room, the sound of raindrops tapping against the window creating a soothing, rhythmic backdrop. His desk was cluttered with open books and scattered notes, but his focus was elsewhere. He had been trying to work through their plans for The Echo, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the fragments of memories he had been experiencing.

Sam closed his eyes, trying to block out the rain and the jumble of thoughts in his mind. He saw flashes of his mother's face—her laughter, her warmth, and then, abruptly, a vision of her lying still, her eyes closed as if in eternal sleep. The image was jarring, and Sam felt a pang of sadness mixed with confusion.

His mother's death had always been shrouded in mystery. He remembered little about her, having been very young when she passed away. His father, Sheriff Carter, had rarely spoken about it, choosing instead to focus on raising Sam alone and keeping their lives as normal as possible. Sam had learned to accept the vague explanations he had been given, but now, these resurfaced memories were forcing him to question everything he thought he knew.

Unable to shake the feeling, Sam reached for his phone and dialled his father's number. He needed answers, but he also knew that asking about his mother's death might cause tension. Sheriff Carter had always been a pillar of strength, but Sam could sense the strain in their relationship, a strain that had grown since the death of Sam's mother.

"Hey, Dad," Sam said when his father answered. "I was wondering if we could talk for a bit."

"Sure, Sam. I'm just finishing up at the station. I'll be home in about an hour. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just... need to talk about something," Sam replied, trying to sound casual.

When Sheriff Carter walked through the door later that evening, Sam was waiting for him in the living room. The warmth of the house contrasted sharply with the stormy weather outside, but Sam felt a chill as he prepared to confront his father with questions he had long buried.

"Hey, Dad," Sam greeted, trying to mask his anxiety with a forced smile.

"Evening, Sam," Sheriff Carter replied, hanging up his coat and slipping off his boots. He sank into his favourite armchair, his face lined with fatigue. "What's on your mind?"

Sam took a deep breath, sitting down across from his father. "I've been having these memories lately—flashes of Mom. They're really vivid, and they're making me question what happened."