The haunting of father Frank. (Frank X Eddie)

8

This chapter will be more faster than usual, I got injured and it's hard for me to write. So this will be a chapter to read for a few days before I'll be able to post another one!
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It had been a few days since the incident, and Frank and Eddie had been on high alert ever since. The tension between them was palpable, though neither wanted to admit it outright. The thing Frank had seen that night in the lounge room still weighed heavily on his mind. He hadn't stopped thinking about it, and he could tell Eddie hadn't either. They hadn't spoken much about it, but something was different. There were subtle shifts—changes that Frank couldn't ignore.

For starters, his bow ties had started to go missing. It was a small thing, but Frank noticed. He'd wake up and one would be gone, only to reappear later, crumpled in some corner of the room. It made no sense, but he tried not to think too much of it. He had bigger things to worry about. Like Eddie.

Eddie had been drifting away from him, little by little. It wasn't obvious at first; they still slept in the same bed every night, still talked and kissed. But something about Eddie was...off. Ever since that night when Frank told him what he had seen, Eddie had been distant. He had told Frank he needed time to think about everything, and then he didn't return to their room until late that night. Frank hadn't questioned it, but it hurt.

As the days passed, Frank stopped taking his pills. He wasn't sure why, but something inside him told him it was better this way. Since then, the strange occurrences had only intensified. He prayed more frequently now, sometimes every hour, seeking solace in the familiar rituals of his faith. Kneeling before a statue of the Virgin Mary, Frank clutched a rosary in his hands, whispering prayers under his breath.

"No, please!" A voice shouts.

Frank's eyes shot open for a moment before he forced them shut again, trying to focus. He needed to concentrate.

"Min fadlik daeh yadhhab— please mercy!" The words ranglouder this time. His fingers tightened around the rosary

"He is not fit to be in your care, Mr. Al-Khatib. You both cannot take care of a child with such a condition and be immigrants." The cold voice of a man echoed

"No, no, we—we will help. We can help," a woman's voice, full of desperation, pleaded.

"Al'umu?" A young child's voice, confused and frightened, called out.

"Sarih..." the woman whispered, her voice breaking with emotion.

"AL'UMA!!" The voice of the child screamed, tearing through Frank's mind like a blade.

Frank gasped, his body lurching forward as he dropped the rosary. He clutched his chest, struggling to breathe as his eyes darted around the room

.....
..

An hour had passed since Frank and Eddie sat down with Miss Miller, an elderly woman with sharp eyes and a delicate smile. She spoke with an air of authority, her voice soft but deliberate. They were discussing arrangements for the church's wine supply, as her husband owned a wine factory near the coast. Frank sat across from her, listening politely, while Eddie, ever the charmer, engaged with her more openly.

"And I must say," Miss Miller continued, her voice tinged with nostalgia, "it's becoming so difficult for churches to get decent wine these days."

"We surely appreciate your help, Miss Miller. Mighty kind of ya," Eddie replied, flashing a warm smile.

"I'll be sure to let the abbess know about your generous offer," Frank added, his tone measured. He wasn't in the mood for small talk, but he knew the importance of this meeting.