Eternally, I Do

Chapter 1: Cemetery Stupidity

The city of the dead stretched away before me, stark and black under the swollen yellow moon, steaming in the humid air.

Rows upon rows of crypts, tombs and mausoleums lined the narrow streets, some lovingly decorated with flowers, candles and plaques while others crumble from age and neglect. Some of them looked like miniature houses, or even tiny cathedrals, spires and stone crosses raking the sky. Statues of angels and weeping women peered down from the rooftops, looking stern or in the throes of grief. Their hollow eyes seemed to follow me down the tomb-lined alleyways.

I shall say this once. And only once. So, make sure you pull your ears tight and listen carefully. I HATE THE CEMETERY!!! Why? Because it's creepy and scary... it gives me the chills and goosebumps all over my skin. Those back itching shivers and cold sweat down my forehead - I hate it. Creepy crawlies, bogey monsters with a touch of ghouls and ghosts, come at me! I'm not a bit scared! I'll chop your head off, ram a stake through your heart, rip your eyes off and feed it to the dogs! After that, I shall burn you alive! What can you do about that, eh?

But maybe... could you give me a handicap? I am, after all, only a sixteen year old girl... not some roman warrior with shield and swords.

But what the heck, who cares. I have been here for the last one hour and so far, there hasn't been anyone passing by. On a Halloween night, I would've expected a bunch of naive goth kids hanging around amongst the tombstones up to no good, but there hasn't been a single soul in sight.

I am already starting to freak out from the deadly silence and it was already almost midnight. This is as bad as detention... the teacher at the desk staring at you as if you were planning a horrid scheme as you shrink into your seat, trying to be as invisible as possible. But if I were to choose between detention and the cemetery, detention wins by default. After all, I get the company of the teacher with me. Here, I only have the company of the dead. Plus the dead wouldn't even talk to me no matter how I scream and shout at the tombstones. Not that I would do that, of course. I respect the dead with all my heart and soul. A girl-guide's honour.

ANYWAYS, back to the matter at hand. Here I am, standing in the cemetery under some ancient Oak tree waiting for death to come out and grab me. Not exactly what I had in mind for a Halloween night actually. Halloween is a event which people dress up and have fun, trick or treating. But not for me, I had to stand in the cold with a sweater which barely block out the cold.

A warm breeze whispered between the crypts, kicking up dust and causing dead leaves to skitter along the ground. My overactive imagination kicked into high gear as I thought of zombies shuffling between the rows, the tomb doors creaking open as skeletal hands reached out.

I really have to learn to keep my mouth shut, I thought, hugging my arms around me tighter, my skin crawling with every noise and suspicious-looking shadow.

Violently, I shivered and snapped my phone open, the screen's brightness glaring at me - 23:55 and no reception. Way to go Mia, a phone and no signal. You're a genius. "Five minute more... come on," I urged to particularly no one. I rubbed my arms and said a curse at Courtney Baines.

Yesterday, me and her cliche of airheads got into a argument in class. Everyone was discussing something about superstitions and supernatural crap like breaking a mirror or a black cat crosses your path brings you bad luck. Then Courtney started blabbing about the news that a girl had recently disappeared and was found dead a few days later.

And me, being old me, told her straight up that it was bull crap and that supernatural and superstitions were fake and that it's only influenced by fairy tales told at bedtime. (You should have seen her face when I told her that, it was completely priceless!) After that, needless to say, we argue like hell for ten minutes until, out of exasperation declared that I would go the the cemetery, stand under an ancient Oak Tress on a Halloween night, and wait for some ghosts or ghouls to come and grab me.