*Ten years later.*
I walked across the graveyard listening to the Autumn leaves crunch beneath my feet. I haven't visited this place since last year. It's always hard for me to visit the place where both my brother and sister's graves are. I stopped in front of two identical head stones and placed flowers on both. Sticking my hands in my winter coat i took a look around the graveyard at the what seems like hundreds of dark gray headstones. Even though there are so many, no bodies are buried here, and thats for one reason only. They're never found.
Ten years ago my brother, who was only twelve at the time, went missing. Of course every one knew what happened to him. It's what happens to about five people every year in this town. They went near the woods on the worst possible time of year ever and were taken. My big Sister, who mostly took care of us, went after him. Even at a young age i remember that night perfectly. The day before was when my brother went missing.
At first my sister, Cassie, wasn't worried. Tyler would leave home and stay at his friend's houses without consulting anyone, but the following day he didn't come home. After that my mother and sister called all of his friends, which isn't many. Everyone of them hadn't heard from or seen Tyler Since school on the day he disappeared, and when that familar moon appeared that night, They knew what had happened.
When my mother finally fell into a fitful sleep after crying for so long, Cassie snuck into my room like she did every night. She sang the same song she always did. It was called "Angels On The Moon" By a Band Called Thriving Ivory. Looking back at it now the song fit pretty well with what we go through in this town every year. I can still hear my sister's soft melodic voice as she sang The chorus.
" Don't tell me if I'm dying
'Cause I don't wanna know
If I can't see the sun, maybe I should go
Don't wake me 'cause I'm dreaming
Of angels on the moon
Where everyone you know
Never leaves too soon"
When she finished She kissed my forehead and told me how much she loved me, and how no matter how much she forgot about her life she would never forget me. I closed my eyes and listened to her soft footsteps leave my room and the click of the door closing behind her. Somehow i knew she wasn't going to come back to me and i think she knew that too.
I remember getting out of bed and looking out the one window in my room that i could reach and saw her stepping cautiously into the woods behind our house. Before she disapeared she turned around and looked straight at me, or so i thought. She blew a kiss and mouthed something that i thought was the words "go back to bed." Then she was gone. I obediently got back in bed and tried my hardest to go to sleep.
The last thing i remember was waking up in a cold sweat gasping for breathe. I got out of bed, certain that i had heard someone scream, and ran to my window. Looking out though, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I felt a sudden pang in my heart as the clouds parted and i saw the blood red moon. I quickly shut my blinds and got back in bed, hoping sleep would come soon.
I never told anyone about seeing Cassie go into the woods or hearing the horribe blood curdling scream. I felt i owed it to her to not tell anybody she went into the woods willingly. People who did that were always called Insane or suicidal, and i didn't want that for her. I just wanted everyone to remember her as Cassie Breeze the towns best singer who had been destined to become famous. She did become famous in the end, our whole family did as the first family to have two members taken in the same week.
Sometimes i think she wanted to get taken. I'm the only one who knew her secret. Cassie was dying mentally. Her disease got worse every day. Eventually she wouldn't be able to remember anything at all. One night when she thought i was asleep she stroked my hair and whispered, "I think i'd rather die than live and not know who you and Tyler were."
I knew mom got mad when ever Cassie's grades started to drop. She tried so hard to remember things for school. She didn't tell mom what was happening to her because we didn't have a lot of money then "and besides", she would say,"I've researched it. There's no cure for what i have."
When Cassie and Tyler died my mom kind of snapped and i went to live with my aunt. I haven't seen her since Thier funeral. Every year on the day before Tyler went missing i come to visit thier graves alone. Ever other day on this week is to dangerous. Everyone tries to stay inside and no kids go to school.
No one knows when The thing started killing people exactly. It was taking victims long before i was born. what I do know is that one week every year a blood red moon shines over our town, and our town only. It's our signal to know the Hunter is coming again. Only the hunter's victims know what it looks like, and they never come back alive.
Everyone tries to stay away from the woods on this week, but somehow one person, sometimes more, goes missing on each day the Hunter's moon shines. Some people think the moon has something to do with the people disappearing into the woods, others say the Hunter calls to them in a voice sounding like a missing, assumed dead, love one and tricks them into entering the forest. I guess the only way you know is if it happens to you.
We've tried to tell people from other towns what happens here, but they Usually don't believe us. One town did, and they sent police officers to help us, but they never found our town. We can't leave it either, for some reason or another if you try to leave the town by the one road that is supposed to lead out you just end up back here. Most everyone has stopped trying to leave, or get help long ago.
Crouching beside my sister's grave, a whispered a short prayer asking her to help me through the week. It's silly, I know that if the moon or the Hunter chooses me to be next there won't be anything she, or anyone else can do about it. The wind picked up stirring the leaves around me, as if in reply to my prayer. I stood, pulled my hood on top of my head and began the walk back to my aunt's house.
I wouldn't want to get stuck outside at night. Especially not on this time of year. My aunt is standing on the porch when i get home. I can tell something is wrong by the look in her eyes. I walk up the steps and she beckons for me to come inside. I follow her into the kitchen and take a seat in one of the old wooden chairs sitting at the kitchen table.
"What's wrong Aunt Rachel?" I asked.
She gives me a small smile and tucks a piece of jet black hair behind her ear. "Your mother called. I didn't get to the phone in time to answer it, but she left a voicemail. I know it's for you so i didn't listen to it."
I shook my head causing my curls to bounce wildly. "Your joking right she hasn't contacted me in 7 years. What does she want now?"
"I don't know you better listen to the voicemail and find out Clara," She replied with a shrug.
I relunctantly picked the phone up from the table, as my Aunt left the room. My hand shook a little as i hit the button to listen to voicemails. I gasped a little when i heard my moms voice come through the speaker.
"Clara honey, you won't believe this. I hear them baby girl. They're right outside, calling for me. No one believed me when i said my children were fine, and here they are waiting for me. Can't you hear them baby girl? Here listen."
There was a pause. I strained my ears trying to hear what she was hearing, but all i heard was the sound of her breathing heavily.
"Clara They're waiting for me, waiting for me to come get them. Oh Clara once i go to them we'll be a family again. Little sweet baby i'm going to go outside now. They're calling me and you know how impatient Tyler can get."
She laughed and then there was another pause.
"Tyler, Cassie come to me my sweet children. Oh how i've missed you so much. Oh baby girl i can see them. There standing a few feet away. Clara honey you have to join us so we can be a fam-"
The last word was cut off by a gasp. I clenched the phone tight to my ear. That was when i heard a faint voice.
"Where have you been mommy? we've been waiting for you."
"Ty- Tyler go away. Take your sister and go away." I could hear my mom crying.
"We can't do that mommy. We're going to be a family again just like you wanted."
My mom let out a spine chilling scream. Then the line went dead. I was shaking Violently as i dropped the phone. My aunt rushed into the room and embraced me into a hug in an attempt to stop me from shaking.
In between sobs i said, "I have to go save her."
