A spirit between us (bxb)

Chapter 7 - The Voice.

Finn found himself walking to Archie's house once again, but this time it was different. This time, he wasn't stealthily shadowing his crush like some sort of awkward teenage serial killer; this time, he was actually invited, and they were walking together. The mere thought made his heart flutter, but the excitement quickly faded into the background, overshadowed by a far more pressing concern.

That voice.

It had echoed in his mind throughout the agonizingly long classes that followed lunch, taunting him with an almost sinister familiarity. "Finn." Just one word, yet it was enough to unravel him. When the final bell rang, the moment of freedom did little to soothe the anxiety coiling in his stomach.

How could he stop thinking about it? The voice hadn't returned, but its single utterance was like a haunting refrain that refused to fade. It was the first time he'd ever had actual evidence of what Archie claimed. Ghosts could speak? Archie had told Finn that spirits communicated telepathically, that he could sense what they were saying, but they never truly spoke aloud. So why had it chosen to call out to him? Why did it say his name?

He felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine as he recalled Archie's words. "If they want to communicate with me, they can... kind of... telepathically? It's hard to explain, but I know what they're saying without hearing their voice." But this voice.. this deep, echoing whisper that had crept into his ear, was unmistakable. It wasn't just a figment of his imagination, it was real, as real as the ground beneath his feet.

With each step toward Archie's house, a sense of dread crept in, gripping him like a vice. What did it want? Was it a warning? A plea? Or something more sinister? Finn could barely focus on the path ahead, his mind racing through every horror movie he had ever seen, imagining all the possible outcomes of his impending visit.

What if the ghost was somehow connected to Archie? What if it had come to warn him, or worse, to manipulate him? Finn's heart pounded in his chest as he neared the familiar street, the sight of Archie's house looming before him like a dark fortress.

"Are you okay?" Archie's voice was sharp, slicing through the thick tension that hung in the air like a heavy fog. His demeanor was calm, almost stoic, an unsettling contrast to the storm brewing inside Finn. This was no surprise; Archie had probably faced situations like this before, standing his ground against unseen forces while Finn felt like a lost child in a darkened room.

Finn swallowed hard, the lump in his throat nearly choking him. He wanted to play it cool, to give Archie a confident nod and brush off his concerns like they were nothing more than pesky flies. But the truth clawed at his insides, raw and unyielding. "No..." The word escaped his lips, barely above a whisper, but it felt monumental, as if he had just unveiled a truth he could no longer hide.

Archie nodded slowly, his eyes scanning Finn's face with an intensity that made him feel both exposed and understood. It was clear that he didn't know how to deal with someone in distress. He wasn't a therapist, a coach, or a comforting mother figure, just a boy standing at the crossroads of their brewing friendship and the unknown. "Okay."

That was all he said, yet it resonated deeper than any elaborate pep talk could. The simplicity of the word offered Finn a flicker of solace. It wasn't a dismissal, nor was it a hollow platitude. Archie recognized the fear etched across Finn's features, the vulnerability that lay beneath his bravado.

In that moment, Finn felt a sense of relief wash over him. He didn't need grand gestures or pity; he just needed Archie to acknowledge the reality of his fear. The atmosphere shifted slightly, the weight of unspoken fears hanging in the air, a silent agreement that they were in this together. As Finn stood there, heart racing and breath shallow, he realized that sometimes, just knowing someone was there, standing in quiet solidarity, was enough to weather the storm.