Synopsis
Kenny lived alone in a double-wide on two acres, not in the middle of nowhere but far enough down the highway that it felt like nowhere. He lived out-of-town. Kenny worked at the wood mill wearing OSHA approved ear protection. He drove eight miles to work and drove eight back. His car stereo had been stolen years ago, but that was fine with him. The clock had stopped working on it long ago anyway.
At home he heard birds if he listened. Acorns like bullets on the tin roof. He heard the occasional asshole without a muffler on the highway. The tinny sounds from his little TV or his little radio if he turned them on. His own sounds. Cleared throats, sighs, sniffles. That kind of thing, and always the constant ringing, and then sometimes the whispers.
Kenny has been living with, or mostly ignoring, a serious case of tinnitus for almost a decade. All his problems seem to be inside his head, but after a harrowing night in the woods during a camping trip, it seems there might be more to things than he thought. After nearly a decade of ignoring the symptoms in self-isolation, Kenny finds himself navigating his daily life now with spirits, monsters, and psychic stoners.
Details
People Sounds is available for sale on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited for $1.99 (or for $0.00 on Unlimited).
The novel is 237 pages, and falls under the quiet horror and urban fantasy genres.
People Sounds is my first published novel. A piece I decided to share because it was important to me. Something of a love letter to Oregon, childhoods, and anxiety.