Page-Turning Tales

Part 2: Graveyard

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" I whispered as I followed my brother through the rows of headstones that were illuminated by the moonlight that shone upon the cemetery.

"Yes. We should be close," John answered.

Suddenly, he stopped, causing me to bump into him and dropping my flashlight as a result.

Fuck I thought as I bent down to retrieve it.

"We're here," he said as he pointed to the gaping hole near a 3-foot-tall headstone.

"So, you saw a freshly dug out grave and thought it was a good idea to come out here and drag me along?" I frowned.

"Look, this is the third grave that has been disturbed tonight and I intend on finding out what's going on."

All of a sudden, I noticed some kind of box lying about 10 feet away. I shined my flashlight on it and gasped.

"John! Come here," I whispered to my brother.

"What is...." His voice trailed off as he saw it.

It was an open coffin that was completely empty except for one or two cobwebs.

"Where the fuck is the body?" He asked, shining his flashlight around us.

Suddenly, I heard a strange sound coming from my right and when I turned towards it, I saw some strange figure on the ground 50 feet away.

"John. Over there." I pointed and we started to carefully walk in that direction. As we approached the thing, the sight that met my eyes sent chills throughout my body.

It was the body alright. But its head was completely missing, and the rotting intestines had been torn out and spread on the grass in a Pagan symbol. Its rib cage was completely bare and empty, like someone had sucked it dry. One of its legs had been ripped off and chewed on.

I heard John throw up next to me and when I turned around, he was on his knees with his entire dinner strewn out on the grass in front of him.

"Who the fuck would do that?" He eventually said, getting up and wiping his vomit-stained mouth with his sleeve.

"How the fuck should I know?"

"Maybe some kind of wild animal?"

"Are you serious?" I asked, looking at him like he was insane, "How the fuck could a wild animal dig out an entire grave, drag the coffin out, and open it? Are you hearing yourself right now?"

"Well, there's got to be some logical explanation."

I was about to retort when I suddenly heard a branch snap behind me. I whirled around but didn't see anything.

"What is it?" John asked in a hush tone.

"I don't know. I thought I heard something." I shone my light around.

I shivered as I felt a sudden chill on my body. Then I heard it. Whispers, a demonic laugh, all those sounds mixed together circled around us as an ice-cold breeze blew through the cemetery. John was standing in front of me, and his eyes were wide with shock as he heard them too.

"What the hell-AAAHHHHH!!" John's words were cut short with a loud scream as he was abruptly yanked backwards and dragged out of my sight with lightning speed.

I stood frozen for one second before I started to run after him while shouting his name, following his screams until they ceased. I somehow ended up back at the place where John and I had discovered the open coffin, and I stopped.

Out of nowhere, I heard a whimper above me and as I glanced up, my heart froze.

My brother was suspended in the air with the most horrifying creature holding him up from behind with its hands under his jaw. John couldn't utter a single word and could only look at me with his eyes wide open in terror. I could see his entire body shaking as the creature tilted its head at me and smiled from ear to ear, showing its blackened teeth.

And I watched petrified as it twisted my brother's head with such force that his body spun around freely a few times while the creature held his head in place before it dropped his body on the ground right in front of me. I flinched as his warm blood splattered my face and clothes. I stared speechless at my brother's dead eyes staring up at me, blood pouring out of his neck and staining the grass around him.

The creature suddenly appeared in front of me, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

"Mom?" I said in a shocked voice as I blinked several times to make sure that I wasn't dreaming, my breathing hollow as I stared at the creature, Mom, standing in front standing in front of me.

"Hello darling." Mom smiled, the black cracks in her grayish face opening up, revealing the rotting flesh underneath that was crawling with maggots.

I didn't understand. John and I had dinner with our mom a few hours ago...

Mom suddenly laughed maniacally, apparently enjoying my confusion.

"You ungrateful bastards never listened to me when I warned you to follow your nightly curfew. Instead, you're wandering around at night like disobedient brats."

"What? So, you're going to kill your own daughter too?" I wished that I was dreaming, and this was all just some stupid nightmare.

"No. I can never kill you, sweetheart. I despised your brother because he was always a nosy little piece of shit, but you? I know he brought you out here. I love you, and I always will."

The relief that flooded my body abruptly disappeared as I heard a demonic growl in my ear before I was flung backwards, landing inside the open coffin. I watched in horror as Mom and Dad peered down at me, dark red blood dripping from their mouths and landing on my face. They both smiled at me as Mom said:

"You'll do the killing for me," before the cover slammed shut. I started to pound at the wood and shouted for them to let me out as I heard dirt fall on top of me, burying me and my cries forever.