We Were Standing in the Cemetery

~Chapter One~

We were a ways down the road from Hawkins Academy, where the rest of the school was celebrating the new high school graduates. Hawkins takes all our events to the fullest. The varsity boys play scrimmage against another high school team, and there hasn't been a game in over 50 years that Hawkins lost. After the boys, girls varsity plays, and there was only one game they lost, because their point guard had AIDS and couldn't play that game. But that's a different story. Anyways, after all the exciting wins, we all go out in the football field, the stadium lights gleaming down, and we all blast old ghetto music and have dance offs, it's awesome. But I wasn't there, engulfed in all the fun like everyone else.
     Me, Ruby, Jack, Sabrina, Jamie, Chelsea, and Brady had snuck out. We wanted to go out in the woods behind the cemetery, because the moon shone right through the trees in this one spot, and you can take beautiful picture there. This was our squad, and we wanted a picture of the seven of us before Jack, Chelsea, and Jamie graduated. So as we reached the cemetery gate, we heard a little crack. Sabrina jumped, but I figured it was just a twig or something falling out of a tree. Nothing important. (Ha, little did I know.)
     "Relax, probably just a squirrel." Jack told Sabrina.
     "Okay, you can see the moon coming up behind mountain over there. It should come through the trees any minute now." Chelsea told us.
     We walked back into the woods behind the headstones, got together and I took out my phone. Ruby had a selfie stick that we would use to get us all in the picture. (Maybe more than just the seven of us would be in that picture.)
     "Ruby, you got it?" I asked her.
     "Right here, and the moons up." She pulled it out of her bag, and we looked above the mountain, where the rest of the moon reaches out into the sky.
     "Let's go quick, we're not supposed to be here. Someone's gonna realize we're gone." Brady was right, it was against rules to leave school grounds at graduation night, but we weren't that far away, what could happen? (Oh you wait and find out what could happen.)
     "Ready?"
     "Yup."
     "I'm good."
     "Ready."
     I got approval from the other 6 and started my countdown.
     "Five... four... three... two... one!" *click*
     I pulled in the selfie stick to see our results.
     "Ah, my eyes were closed."
     "One more? I don't like my hair in that one."
     One more. Count down #2. "Five... four... three... two... one!" *click*
     "This one good?" I asked, and the heads of our squad looked over my shoulder to see our picture.
     "I like that!"
     "I look the same as always, hot."
     "Alright Brady, calm your ego."
     "This one it is!"
     We finished admiring our future screensaver, and made a quick plan to get back in without being noticed.
     "Wait wait. Shush." Chelsea flapped her hand in a signal of silence.
     "What?" Sabrina whispered.
     "Shhh! Don't you hear that?" Chelsea looked back at us. She looked kinda freaked out.
     "Chelsea we don't hear anything, what does it sound like?" Jack asked her.
     "It's movement." Chelsea was definitely freaked out. "Over here."
     She started creeping past the headstones.
     "Woah woah, wait. I'm hearing something." Ruby tilted her head in the direction Chelsea was walking. "Holy sh*t, that's freaky."
     "What are you hearing?" Jamie looked frustrated. Can't blame him, I couldn't hear it either and I was frustrated too.
     "Wait shh, I'm getting something." Brady furrowed his eyebrows as he listened intently. "What the hell is that?"
     "Why can't I hear it? Stop moving, I can only hear your feet on the ground." Sabrina shook her head in annoyed fright. Now, Chelsea has wandered a little farther, and some misty fog had gathered, making her hard to see. But I could tell she stopped moving now.
     "Chelsea, what does it sound like?" I quietly called to her.
     No response.
     "Chelsea?"
     Nothing.
     "Chelsea, you okay?"
     Still nothing.
     I know she could hear me, she wasn't that far away. I could see her figure, just not her face.
     "What's up with Chelsea?" Jamie was a little worried now.
     "Not sure, I'm gonna go over there." I cautiously stepped past the headstones. I made my way to Chelsea, then I heard it.
     It was a strange sound. Really strange. It was hard to identify. Chelsea was right, it was some kind of movement, but more than that. It was starting to freak me out, so I attempted to block out the sound and get to Chelsea.
     "Chelsea? Can you hear me?" She was about 15 feet away from me, but the fog still made it hard to see her face. Though her figure seemed still as ever.
     "Chelsea, is everything okay?" I wanted to get closer to her, but instincts held me back.
     "Maddy, step back." Jack told me, pretty sternly. He had made his way through the headstones, and was about 10 feet behind me. "Step back."
     I listened to him, but I was confused. "What is it?"
     "Step back more. Chelsea is not okay." Jack tried to hold posture, but he was more freaked out than Chelsea was. Was.
     "Jack, what is it?" It was hard to look at Chelsea so frozen, so... so... unreal.

    "Stop. Talking."

     That was not one of us talking. "Who's there?" I looked around for another person. I saw no one more than us seven.
     "Show yourself." Jack had his arms to his sides, fists clenched.
    
     "Oh, I can't do that." There was a menacing laugh to follow.

     Yikes. That voice, it just had a cold, menacing, deranged tone.
     "Guys, which one of you is doing that?" Sabrina asked us. She always been pretty delicate, but when she's messed with, your better option is just to run.
     "It's not us. We know the way each of our voices sound. And that, that is not one of our voices."

     "Ha, you smart little girl."

     "Come out!" Ruby stepped in.
     I had a thought, and looked around. Not a sign of her. "Guys, where's Chelsea?"