Book Excerpt Darkview: Psychosis ~ Bookish Madness

Book Excerpt

Jack,

Where are you? Why have you abandoned me? Why, Jack? Why? You promised you would never leave me … that you would never hurt me. Help me, Jack. I’m scared! I can’t remember how I got here. I’m in that place again, the place I spent my last days. But it’s different. It’s dark, always dark, not as I remember it at all. I’m in pain, Jack! A pain you cannot understand. I don’t know how or why I’m here. Please help me. Please come take me home!

I love you, Jack

FAA Chloe

* * * * * * * * *

At the end of every letter Chloe sent Jack, she wrote FAA – Forever and Always – before her name. It was their little peace of mind, their little piece of trust. To anyone who read the correspondence, which passed between the couple, it may have seemed over the top, but to Jack it meant the world. He used to spend half the year working in Africa, so to him, FAA meant Chloe was waiting for him, that she was faithful and devoted. Perhaps it was because Jack secretly felt a little insecure. FAA gave him the reassurance he needed, especially when so far away from home.

However, Chloe had stopped writing to Jack six years ago, so this was bizarre. He could not explain it. The strangest thing about this particular letter wasn’t the bloody fingerprint stains, or the fact that it was written in Chloe’s handwriting, but the date on which he had received it: June 6, 2001. Exactly six years since her death.

* * * * * * * * *

Jack opened his eyes to find himself gazing into a large, old, dirty cracked mirror, in a rundown, dilapidated public toilet. His dry hands grasped the sides of a rusty metal sink beneath him. The slight haze in his eyes cleared, revealing a dim light flickering above his head. There was a faint cold breeze, causing the light to swing from side to side. Jack looked deeper into his reflection, ignoring all the imperfections in the mirror, and the strange substance smeared all over it. In a trance, he stroked drops of water, slowly dripping from the tap below, cupping his hands to catch as much moisture as he could. He straightened up and sighed, pale blue eyes continuing to lock into the tattered mirror.

He stared deep into his reflection, as if he were searching for his missing soul. He was not aware of where he was or how he had got there. Nor was he aware of the stench of stale urine that permeated his nostrils. Jack could only think of one thing: the letter. He constantly went over it in his head, character for character, word for word, as if Chloe herself were speaking to him…

About the Book

Title: Darkview: Psychosis

Author: R.J. Bathgate & M.J. Hall

Genre: Psychological Thriller / Horror

Teaser

Take a journey into the disturbed, delusional mind of Jack Cyrus … take a journey into Darkview … a small, remote coastal town, deep within the Scottish Highlands. The sleepy, isolated spot bears a sinister, horrific history, shrouded by a chilling secret. A secret one man must unveil, which will ravage his soul … and sanity!

Synopsis

Jack Cyrus is in damnation! After witnessing the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, he has become plagued by dark memories and devilish visions, the result of post traumatic stress. Compounding his trauma, he is faced with the sudden death of his wife, from cancer, after returning home to Scotland. Lost and alone, and struggling to forget the horrific circumstances surrounding her passing, Jack has developed schizophrenia, experiencing chaotic, disturbed thoughts and demonic hallucinations.

On the sixth anniversary of his wife’s death, Jack receives a cryptic, hand written letter from her, telling him she is still alive. Suffering and held captive, she pleads with him to return to Darkview, the place she spent her last days, and rescue her from purgatory. Upon arrival in Darkview, strange things start happening, and what appears to be a centuries old mystery, starts unravelling itself. Jack must piece together the clues and lost fragments of his sanity to solve the unravelling mystery. Is any of it real, or is it just a manifestation of Jack’s mind, or another facet of his schizophrenia?

Author bio

R.J. Bathgate, born and bred in Scotland, is the creator and co-author of Darkview: Psychosis. A father of two, and enormously proud of his heritage, he has studied psychology, social sciences, and is currently working towards an advanced diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling and hypnotherapy. His heart lies with new experiences and an interest into the unknown, particularly with writing. He has travelled the world from the dusty, wildlife-filled plains of Zambia, to the glaciers of Alaska, and the soaring peaks of the Canadian Rockies. He is extremely fond of NHL ice hockey, video games, good films, fine wine, and Jack Daniels. He originally wrote Darkview as a screenplay when living in Canada, but upon returning to Scotland, researched mental health issues, namely psychosis and schizophrenia. Inspired by this research, he brought in his lifelong friend, M.J. Hall, to help create a more realistic take on Darkview. The result is a story that combines traditional Scottish history with real life, catastrophic world events, told through the eyes of the protagonist, Jack Cyrus.

M.J. Hall was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, at the turn of the eighties. Despite being born in England, he identifies more with his ‘adopted’ country, Scotland – he’s lived there since he was four, and his late maternal grandfather was Scottish, too. He presently lives in Edinburgh and is currently studying Environmental Science at the Open University, but has always dreamed of a career in music or writing, or both. He is vegetarian, loves animals (especially cats) and is devoted to his black and white moggy, Tahlula. He humbly admits being just a small voice in a big chorus, and his life changed for the better, or at least would never be the same, when his lifelong and best friend – R.J. Bathgate – invited him to collaborate on Darkview.