Once Upon A Wonderland~ Killian Jones

The Grave

My feet dragged over roots as Phil pulled me along, the forest floor obscured in darkness. The rope around my wrists chafed against my skin as he jerked me along. The gag in my mouth reeked of gas-station beer, the scent so strong it stung my throat.

"I've been waiting for a long time to get my revenge." Phil called back, tugging at the rope just to watch me stumble. He grinned in satisfaction, white teeth glinting like fangs in the dim light. "I tried before, you know. I wanted it to be quick at first. Unfortunately the car didn't kill you and you weren't in your bloody house when I set that fire. But now that I have you alone... well, this should play out a little differently, shouldn't it?"

All I could do was send him the meanest glare I could muster and yell at Hades in my head to lend me a hand.

Sorry, Megaera. You're on your own. He must have enchanted the ropes to keep me away, because I can't reach you.

Great. I growled in my mind. Thanks for all your help.

"I realized this is better, anyways," Phil kept on prattling. "Because now I get to watch you suffer."

We came out of the woods to a moor studded with crumbling graves and looming statues. Hidden back near the trees, a mausoleum covered in ivy towered over the surrounding terrain. I recognized it immediately as the Storybrooke Graveyard. Phil stopped, jerking me along until I was at his side. He yanked the dirty gag from my mouth, and instantly I was screaming- but before I could get out a full word, Phil turned and sank a punch in my stomach. I doubled over, coughing clutching my stomach, and sent Phil a glare that could slice him in two. "You won't- get away with this-" I wheezed with a grimace.

Oh, if looks could kill.

"Scream all you want. No one will hear you." Phil sneered.

"Let me go!" I growled in response.

"Not a chance." Phil tugged me towards a deep cluster of graves. "Follow me."

"No!" I bit back. I tried kicking at him with my heel, but he was too far to land a clean shot. "Let me go!"

Phil sighed and flicked his wrist, holding up a long knife in the moonlight for me to see. The light caught the silver of the blade, reflecting into my eyes as if to warn me of its danger. "I'd suggest you stop struggling, or the next thing I throw at your stomach won't be my first." I swallowed my reply, the warning of the knife enough to keep my silent.

"Now, come with me. There's something you'll want to see." He tugged me towards the graves again and I followed obediently, watching his back as he lumbered down the hill. From what I could tell, the knife was in his left jacket pocket. If I could just get it somehow...

We stopped in the densest part of the graveyard, with the mausoleum glowering over us some feet away. Phil sucked in a deep breath, facing one small grave clustered amongst the others.

"What is this?" I asked suspiciously, keeping my hands tucked towards my chest.

"This," Phil said, turning to me with fire in his eyes. "Is the grave I buried Hercules in after you killed him."

All of the blood drained from my face. It can't be. My body went rigid, my heart forgot how to beat. "You're lying." I finally decided, staring Phil down. "You're trying to scare me.

Chuckling darkly, Phil stepped away from the grave and swept his arm out in a grand gesture, as if he were welcoming me to some magnificent event. "Take a look for yourself."