Page 63 of The Haunting of Lockton

Unlike when I’d tried to communicate with Mary from Bellview cemetery—who didn’t seem to register my presence at all—he was not only aware of me but engaged. He seemed less like a fraction of a memory that dwelled in a space, frozen, and more humanlike.

“I loved when he said my name.” Roy returned his attention to the window. A dark line trickled from his hairline and streamed down his cheek and jaw, dripping onto his white shirt. Blood. “I called him my brave knight.”

“Who?” Julian asked. He rubbed at his chest as a tormented expression flickered across his face. Was he sensing Roy’s emotions?

He looked toward Julian. “I feel you. We all do.”

“Feel me?”

“Your light. But not all like the way you shine.” Roy returned his attention to the window and stared into the night. Saying nothing more.

A thought then clicked into place. Records suggested that Roy’s family brought him to Lockton and signed his life away, all because of his “unnatural” urges. A common phrase people used against homosexuals back in the day. Hell, some of the holy rollers still did.

“You were in love?” I asked.

Roy’s head twitched, and the dark stream of blood trailing from his temple intensified. “Love. Yes.” A sad sound escaped him. “I gave him my heart, and he gave me his.”

“Was he another patient?” Julian asked.

“We were nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Prisoners. But he made me feel safe. Seen. And loved.” Roy faced me, and more blood speckled on his bronzed skin. Some dripped from between his lips. “Where is he? I miss him so much it hurts.”

Julian took a small step forward. “Tell me about him.”

“His hair was like the sun, a dark gold. His eyes were like soft green grass.” Roy’s body became more translucent and reminded me of how Alan looked when he was overcome with a strong emotion, unable to focus enough to keep a solid form. He drifted closer to the window and placed his hands on either side of it. “He was supposed to meet me here to watch the sunset.”

A low cry left Roy’s lips before he dematerialized, leaving no trace that he’d been there at all.

Tears welled in Julian’s eyes as he stared at the window where Roy had stood. He then swayed forward.

Taylor caught him. “You okay, man?”

“Jules?” Skyler rushed over to him.

“I’m fine,” Julian said shakily. “Just… tired.”

Drained was more like it. He was noticeably paler. Was it an effect of his gift?

Taylor hooked an arm around Julian’s waist and guided him toward the stairs, making sure he didn’t stumble.

“Come on.” Skyler slipped his hand into mine. “We’re done for the night.”

I held him a little tighter as we returned to the first floor. Roy’s sadness had been so palpable, thickening the air around him. He’d been in love. A love that was torn from him. Torn from both of them.

If only I knew who the other man was. None of the information I’d found on Roy had mentioned anything about his personal life. He’d been nothing but a four sentence entry in a section of dusty patient records.

He deserved more than that. They all did.

The equipment would need to be gathered before we left, but the four of us needed some fresh air. Needed a moment to process what had just happened. Once outside, we sat on the stone steps in silence.

Moonlight shone on the tops of the trees, and the leaves rustled as a breeze swept through them. More cold weather was coming into Ivy Grove that night, and the wind hummed low. Not a howl like it was sometimes described. This was more like a barely audible wailing that reminded me way too much of Alison’s ghost from the medical ward.

Skyler dropped down beside me on the steps and scooted as close as our bodies allowed. His leg pressed to mine. Did hesense I needed the physical contact? Maybe he did too. “I hope the cameras caught some of that.”

“This is much bigger than our show, Sky,” Julian responded. “The spirits here are screaming out for someone to help them.”

“Our job is to find proof of a haunting, uncover more about a location’s history, and then we move on. We’re not equipped to do more than that. Bringing ghosts peace or whatever isn’t in our wheelhouse.”

“I know.” Julian scrubbed his hands over his face. “Lockton isn’t like other places we’ve investigated. Whatever’s happening here isn’t like anything we’ve ever faced before. My head is buzzing right now. I can sense so much damn pain, and I just…” He exhaled. “I want to help them.”