He Returns - Part 1 (Patreon)

After some deliberation and at the urging of a friend I've decided to split this years Halloween story into two parts so it's not one massive chunk. But also so you guys aren't forced to read it all on the same day and possibly miss out on some of the intended spookiness. So without further ado here's the first half of the story, it contains no sex but a whole lot of spooky stuff (I hope)!

Like a hand reaching out to smother the wick of a candle a shadow was slowly stretching out across the sleepy New England town of Bridgeton. Perceptible only as a pervading sense of unease it sent animals scurrying beneath beds and sent the hairs on the back of people's neck rising. Although none had any idea of the source they all felt the same uncertainty and foreboding, as though every single person had stepped out of their familiar homes and onto some dark, unknown street late at night. But even the warm glow of the sun did little to diminish that feeling and the lower it crept towards the horizon the more intensely that unease was felt. To some it was akin to a force slowly constricting their heart and pressing down on their lungs. To others it was the constant feeling of being watched, of knowing something was lurking out of sight but never being able to spot it or even discern the source. To the rest it was a formless disquiet that never seemed to lessen or increase. But rather than providing comfort the consistency of that feeling only afforded them more opportunities for fear. Even the familiar banality of their own homes and hometown failed to provide succor as something arrived at their town. And when the sun finally set behind the gentle ocean waves and Halloween began in earnest many could only wonder if the season had somehow gotten to them. 

They rationalized their feelings as the work of the exceedingly well crafted decorations put up by the community every year. To the myriad of ghost stories and legends that surrounded their home and brought in so many tourists each year. After all, what else could it be but their own superstitions getting the better of them? There certainly wasn't any earthly explanation for why nearly every rational adult within the town felt the same apprehension. Because in spite of how often they played it up for the sake of visitors few actually believed the stories about their home. They were simply stories the older generations had fostered to scare their offspring into line. Or concocted after a night spent drinking and wandering the beaches in a bleary eyed stupor. It was easy enough for them to rationalize how they felt to one another and even to themselves as they filtered into the streets to start trick or treating. Yet no amount of reassurances could bury the simple and undeniable fact: the anxiety they felt hadn't gone away. Indeed after spending the entire day doing their best to ignore it those feelings were beginning to crystallize. Like seeing a foggy silhouette gradually sharpen as it drew near. Only none of them had any idea what it was they were 'seeing', just that their feelings were growing and growing fast. It felt for all the world like some great, unknowable presence had arrived. 

Trick or treaters flooded the sidewalks as kids eagerly sought out their yearly supply of free candy while nervous parents followed close behind. In a veritable sea of costumed figures, both real and decorative, it was impossible for those affect to not start seeing ghosts everywhere they turned. In many cases by design but every so often they'd spot a shadowy silhouette standing at the edge of a streetlight's glow. One that didn't seem to fit with any of the surrounding decorations and one that set their blood to ice. But when they looked away and looked back it was gone. Unlike the pit it'd left in their stomachs. Nobody had the courage to comment on what they'd seen or even think about it directly, they simply shivered and did everything in their power to focus on something else. Had they spoken to one another about the frightfully surreal things they glimpsed on the edges of their vision the adults of Bridgeton might've noticed a pattern. They might've realized the first sightings of this mysterious being took place near the famously haunted City Hall where all manner of evil things were said to have taken place centuries ago. They might've similarly noticed how the figure seemed to be moving deeper into town, through it's very heart and towards whatever it sought on the far side. Perhaps the most canny among the afflicted might've realized it was heading towards the cemetery. They might've even wondered what it could want with such a place . . .

After driving for several days through boring, flat countryside and arriving at perhaps the most mundane town any of them had ever seen Kimberly, Taylor, Angelica, and Kelsi couldn't wait to actually do something fun. Which to most nineteen year old party girls would've involved a fake I.D. and a bar bar or at the very least an attractive sexual partner. But since all four of them were rather successful Instagram models and YouTube influencers their goals were a lot more business focused than their peers. After doing a bit of research to figure out the most haunted places in the country to visit over the course of October the four girls had finally arrived at their final destination. Between the videos and pictures they'd taken along the way, the ones they'd taken at each location, and all the miscellaneous ones in between their trip had already been an unqualified success. Every single one of them had seen increased traffic on their various profiles with the constant crossovers and guest appearances adding a further sprinkling of money to the pile each was making. And now that they were at their well documented last stop everyone with even a passing interest in the antics of four beautiful, slightly haughty women pretending to be scared was tuning in for the big finale. If nothing else they could poke fun at how rural and boring Bridgeton was like they'd done with pretty much every town outside of L.A.

Fittingly for a group of women living in California and making considerable amounts of money all four of them stood out like sports cars in a lot full of rusting beaters. At least by their own estimation. All four of them had arrived in the kind of fashion conscious, obviously expensive outfits that couldn't have been more at odds with how the people around them were dressed. While they might not have been wearing Prada they were only a step or two down from such extravagance and it definitely showed in their attitudes as well as the Halloween costumes they would eventually don before leaving for the cemetery. Although none of them were openly rude or snooty there was always an air of cocky, aloofness that even the most socially inept person could pick up on. Kelsi was perhaps the most overt with her behavior as she visibly shied away from anything dirty looking and only ate or drank things she kept in an expensive looking back. Taylor was more or less the same although she didn't have quite the same look on her face or the same reaction to nearly everything even slightly unseemly, most of the time she was just happy to be with her friends. By contrast Angelica didn't give a damn about any of it, she talked shit to her friends whenever they were alone but at all other times she treated it almost like a game akin to eating some gross foreign food or doing a crazy dare. As the only one of the group not born into wealth Kimberly was the most down to earth of her group but most of the time that didn't translate into much more than a smirk instead of a laugh or an eye roll instead of a 'witty' comment. In essence all four of them were exactly the sort of stereotype lower middle class people imagined when they thought of rich, spoiled youth from the West Coast and they knew it.

When it came time to don their costumes and head out to the cemetery it was no surprise to anyone what the four girls chose. Despite none of the being old enough to have any awareness of the decade they'd all gone for an extremely flashy, stylishly garish discotheque look that would've been right at home in a movie wallowing in nostalgia for the eighties. After hours of preparation they emerged into the fading daylight with massive hairdos, brightly multicolored outfits, and the distinct air of four women who'd spent quite a lot of money to get their matching ensembles looking right. As they clomped down the sidewalk they turned the head of just about every person they passed, an experience not unfamiliar to them, with many of the older generations staring in abject confusion. Because for all their arrogance the four girls had done a remarkable job recreating the look and feel of the era they were dressed up in. To the point of looking like they walked right out of it and into the modern day. Or what passed for modern in a podunk town like Bridgeton. But even without the eye catching nineteen eighties clothes and the distinct smell of hair spray and perfume clouding around them the newcomers would've drawn no small amount of attention. Such a thing was inevitable when a group of undeniably beautiful and racially diverse women got together.

As the tallest of the group Kelsi was the one people noticed first. Usually they started at her long, soft legs and traveled upwards to enjoy her firm and rounded buttocks one could bounce a quarter off of. From there it was a short trip up her appropriately shapely body, pausing at her modestly sized breasts for an instant, to enjoy a strong but undeniably feminine countenance. With dark brown eyes set above a strong nose and large, pouty lips she was every bit as gorgeous as a model and the saunter with which she walked wouldn't have been out of place on a runway. Just about every move she made seemed to draw attention to one or more of her attractive features, whether by accident or design it was impossible to truly say. Though it wouldn't have been a bad bet to assume the latter considering the knowing smile spread across her features at all times and that unmistakable glint in her eye. Her wavy brown hair and alabaster features were similarly striking, especially when framed alongside her best friend's appearance. 

Shorter in stature than her companion by a head but still quite tall Taylor was the picture of what the average person imagined when they thought of a California valley girl. Slender to the point of being willowy with a tight little ass and appropriately petite breasts her straight platinum blonde hair stood at odds with the natural tan color of her skin. Possessed of a face that managed to be both incredibly sexy and noticeably adorable she was something of a walking contradiction looking like she'd just walked out of a high school but having that air of confidence and allure that few teenagers had and only a handful of older women ever possessed. A cute button nose set between large hazel eyes and small yet undeniably plump lips cemented her as the cutest of the group with only the occasional sidelong glance at her bestie betraying the truth beneath her facade. Though by no means lacking in confidence it was readily apparent she was a follower and that the women around her led in just about every scenario they possibly could. But such a thing was hardly surprising given the company she was keeping.

Beside them was Angelica, the most buxom and confident of the group. Although she wasn't nearly as plump and curvaceous as say a plus sized model compared to the women around her she was the picture of womanly curves. Her curly black hair framed her beautiful, cocoa skinned face in a way that always seemed to enhance the sparkle in her blues eyes and the perpetual, sultry grin spread beneath her slightly upturned nose. Even dressed as she was in several layers of eye catching clothes and jingling accessories there was no pretending she didn't have the kind of wide, jiggling ass that any sane man would fawn over. But it was matched by a pair of large, often heaving breasts and a the general silhouette of a body that made just about everyone jealous. Her every step made her whole body sway in a manner that was almost hypnotic, even to those normally disinterested in women. 

The final member of her group was perhaps the most normal in appearance but no less gorgeous despite that particular 'flaw'. Considerably shorter than her friends with nothing quite as striking as Kelsi's legs, Taylor's face, or Angelica's ass Kimberly was beautiful in a very down to earth, girl next door way. If her three friends were all models straight off the runway then she was a strikingly attractive manager one might suddenly find themselves across from at a bank or similarly banal location. Her thick black hair and warm auburn eyes had a certain allure to them that paired well with her relatively normal nose and cute mouth. As a native of the Philippines her skin was a wonderfully natural shade of brown that similarly fit her slender but ever so slightly chubby look. Her thighs and buttocks had just a little bit of extra plumpness to them while her breasts were the sort of nicely rounded and perky that seemed almost fake. But not a single thing about her had been altered and that all natural beauty gave her a sense of confidence that was practically radiating from her body.

And yet for all their physical attractiveness and confident strutting the most noteworthy thing about the group was their apparent immunity to the malaise overtaking Bridgeton. Either they were the greatest actors in the world or they didn't feel that oppressive unease that everyone else around them did. It made for quite an odd sight watching the four of them practically skipping down the road while all around them people were quiet and reserved. Maybe they were protected by the crushing ennui so many of their generation was afflicted by. Maybe they were too self absorbed to even notice what was going on around them. Or maybe they were just too dense to realize the entire town was being smothered by the presence of some ineffable being beyond mortal comprehension. But whatever the reason was the four newcomers were apparently unaffected by it all. For the time being anyways. With the palpable sense that whatever was in the town had it's sights set on the cemetery their continued sauntering towards that same location spelled out their doom as surely as a neon sign. The townsfolk probably should've done something to stop them or at the very least offer a sort of warning. But after the way they'd been treated they weren't exactly feeling generous and when combined with a growing fear of even approaching the cemetery it was difficult for them to even entertain the notion. They simply watched as Kelsi, Taylor, Angelica, and Kimberly made their way towards the last place any of them should've been going.

Upon arriving at their destination they found it both weirdly expansive and also just as plain as the rest of the town. Supposedly it'd been used to bury every single person that'd ever died there since Bridgeton was founded but all of them had assumed that was just flavor to make it seem more interesting for tourists. But if the sheer number of headstones, family mausoleums, and statues were any indication it could very well be the place everyone was buried. It wasn't even remotely big by the standards of a metropolitan area like Los Angeles but for a relatively small town it seemed utterly massive. And the girls couldn't have been more excited about that fact. They're already read up on all the ghost stories, legends, and any other remotely supernatural tale surrounding the place. Including the names of all the people supposedly causing such things. Which meant they had a veritable checklist of graves to visit and ghosts to perturb. All while making their characteristically sarcastic quips and being vaguely flirtatious with one another and their viewers. It was a formula that'd worked gangbusters for years and there was no sign of the gravy train slowing down. So without the slightest concern for anything but their view count the four of them marched into the cemetery, keenly unaware of the shadows practically nipping at their heels. Or the figure watching from the suddenly unlit road they'd come by.

For a time everything was perfectly normal as Kelsi, Taylor, Angelica, and Kimberly wandered through the rows reading off the graves and occasionally pausing to take a little selfie with interestingly named ones. At one point Angelica stopped beside a statue to suggestively pose beside it with her ass on full display and a wildly perverted look spread across her face. Taylor and Kelsi did the same thing with a different statue, both of them taking up positions on either side of it. Kimberly simply snapped the pictures and laughed at the absurdity of what they were all doing. Once they found the first grave of a supposed ghost she took the lead explaining what it was and what was supposed to happen when their rest was disturbed. Immediately afterwards all four of them took turns disturbing the grave and pretending to act scared in the process. This went on for a few minutes of vaguely sexy and always over the top shenanigans until they announced that no ghosts were present and the stories were complete bullshit. In their overacting antics none of them realized how much darker it'd gotten. Not just from the absence of sunlight but in a way that defied any sort reason. What little lighting present from the town seemed had started fading completely and the lights keeping the cemetery proper illuminated weren't far behind.

Though even when they did notice the bulbs above their head starting to dim none of the girls even thought twice about it. Of course a place like that in a town like Bridgeton would have shitty lighting in it. That sort of thing was so expected it would've been infinitely more surprising to find adequate lighting instead! They continued on to the next grave, this time finding it with a big statue in front of it that would supposedly come to life and attack trespassers. But after doing everything short of climbing onto it and doodling glasses and a mustache they found nothing in the way of supernatural occurrences in or around that spot. Something they were quick to mockingly announce to their fans while generally behaving in the sort of exaggerated way that did absurdly well on YouTube. The lights around them continued to flicker or dim with many of the ones they left behind going dark entirely. It provided a decently spooky atmosphere that all of them were happy to capitalize on even while they started to wonder about the coincidence of it all.

They spent about thirty minutes wandering back and forth through the cemetery before the rising hairs on the back of their neck couldn't be ignored a moment longer. Despite their cavalier attitude and general disrespect they were starting to feel the effects of all the stories and legends surrounding the place. Or at least that's what they told themselves and one another when Taylor finally brought up the slightly queasy feeling in her stomach. None of them could pretend they weren't feeling the same unease even if they sorely wished they could. Under different circumstances that might have been enough to send them away from that place. They certainly had enough content for what they were trying to accomplish. But they hadn't even scratched the surface of all the supposedly haunted and specter ridden places within that section of Bridgeton. Something Kelsi was quick to remind her companions when they stopped to take stock of what they were doing and what they were feeling. It was hard for them to deny her point or the promise of more views and extra money if they were to stick around a little longer. Even with the unpleasant feeling of being watched that allure was too good to pass up and after less than a minute of deliberation they decided to press on. Nothing was stopping them from leaving once they got what they wanted.

Clinging to that notion like it was a holy cross the four girls continued their trek through the cemetery, everybody keenly aware of their constantly heightening discomfort but none of them willing to directly address it. Periodically they'd stop and do what they'd been doing since they arrived but it was easy to see how much they were being affected by the sinister aura of the place. Despite their antics and attempts to hide it. With every new video being shot it was readily apparent to all of them that their time in that unsettling place would have to come to an end soon. At least it was readily apparent to three of them. Although she felt everything the rest of her group felt Kelsi flat out refused to let it stop her. Even as goosebumps lit up her skin and little beads of sweat formed across her forehead and beneath her collar she pressed on. And it wasn't long before that bull headed bravado started to take her further and further from her group. While Taylor, Angelica, and Kimberly remained huddled in one spot talking quietly among themselves and casting nervous glances around their de facto leader continued towards the next spot on the checklist. Her friends would invariably fall in line behind her but it took a little bit longer for them to do so each time. Something Kelsi wasn't properly aware of in her fervor to deny the common sense that was filling her mind.

Slowly but surely she was distanced from the rest of her friends and subsequently what little comfort there was to be found in that cemetery. Each and every time she walked away from them the shadows seemed to stretch out a little further. The darkness closed in a little tighter. That feeling of being watched by something that wasn't really there intensified. Perhaps the seventh or eighth time she sauntered off those sensations started to grow nearly unbearable. Kelsi was unable to pretend they weren't there for a moment longer. Stopping what seemed like a short distance away from her companions she took a deep, shuddering breath and turned around. Her intention was to rush back to their side and maybe even apologize. To urge them to leave with her and put this place in their rear view mirror forever. But instead of the reassuring sight of Taylor, Angelica, and Kimberly standing around the mausoleum they'd just left she found nothing but darkness. Fear closed in around her heart like a vice and adrenaline surged through her veins.

Obviously she'd gotten turned around somehow. That was it. In her haste to leave she'd over corrected and turned to far in one direction. But as her head slowly turned from side to side she found no trace of the three girls she'd come to Bridgeton with. There wasn't so much as a whisper of their quiet conversation in the unnatural silence. She couldn't hear anything but the rapid beating of her own heart and the blood rushing through her veins. Above her sat a single flickering light while shadows encroached all around. Pulling away from the edges and stepping as far into the middle of the glow as she could Kelsi started to pant. Her eyes darted every which way, hoping to glean something in the pervading darkness. But it was so utterly black it was like standing in a void. Eyes seemed to be watching from all around her even if she couldn't see them. As if an entire crowd had formed just on the edge of the light. Quickly finding her back pressed against the lamppost Kelsi hung on to it for dear life. Whatever cheap, inefficient bulb sat inside that glass box was flickering more than a candle in a stiff breeze. The more it did so the more she could swear each flash of darkness was lasting a little bit longer than the first. Almost as if it and she were being purposefully toyed with. A notion that grew more and more difficult to refute as brief instants turned into entire seconds of utter blackness.

“W-who are you?!” She asked in a voice tremulous with terror, “W-what d-do y-you w-want?!”

No answer was forthcoming and while she fully expected that Kelsi was nonetheless terrified by the utter silence. Never in her life had she experienced a quiet so utterly consuming. It was even more overwhelming than the darkness. Or at least that's what she assumed until the shadows finally swallowed her up. Flicking out for what would be the last time the waning bulb at long last died and she was plunged into a lightless abyss. Managing only a little whimper she immediately closed her eyes as though that would do anything. For a split second there was some small reassurance in the knowledge that the darkness obscuring her vision was of her own making. But then the presence she'd been trying her best to pretend didn't exist made itself known. It loomed above and around her in a way that set every nerve in her body shivering. Her breath caught in her throat as the urge to run screaming into the shadows became so overwhelming it was a wonder she didn't immediately follow through with it. Instead her eyes suddenly flew open as she expected to see the leering face of some demonic entity or evil, folkloric beast. 

But there was nothing. Nothing save the slightest glimmer of hope taking the form of a lighter patch of darkness. Instead of the more pervading and all encompassing black that surrounded her it was akin to what she knew as normal. And compared to the rest it was like a beacon of glowing radiance. Without a thought she hurried towards it, her spirit already lifting. Within a few steps the oppression started to life and by the time she was nearing the source of her relief she could swear she heard the sounds of her friends. It was impossible to tell if it was her mind playing tricks or the genuine thing but it hardly mattered. Kelsi rushed towards it all the same and even heaved a little sight of relief upon reaching that spot. Though her companions were nowhere to be found simply being free of that wretched shadow was cause enough for celebration. So great was her relief when she sensed something approaching her she could only imagine it was Taylor, Angelica, or Kimberly having finally discovered her.

She turned to face what she assumed to be one of her friends, her mind already brushing off what she'd experienced as the work of ghost stories and legends. Then she witnessed what had been stalking her through the cemetery. Every muscle in her body froze as her blood turned to ice and the scream that should've burst from her lungs like the wail of a banshee instead died with nary a sound. She stared into the deep, unfathomable eyes of the being before her, paralyzed by the intensity she found within and utterly helpless to rest the trembling of her knees. He stepped closer and although her heart beat so loudly it could drown out a waterfall she could neither flee nor attack. What little light was shed by the moon seemed to dim as the stranger loomed over her. The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly upwards and Kelsi felt a rush of adrenaline. But rather than spurring her to flee his imposing presence or lash out to defend herself the goosebumps she felt had an entirely different effect. One that utterly failed to register in her mind as the being slowly reached towards her with large, clawed hand. Her eyes started to flutter and she felt a strange sort of relief when his long fingers closed around her shoulder. They were swallowed up by shadow before her mind or body ever had a chance to react.

Elsewhere among the headstones Taylor, Angelica, and Kimberly were too busy snapping exaggerated pictures of one another to notice their missing friend. The first two were taking pictures of one another as they adopted varying poses in front of gravestones purported to be the not so final resting place of local ghosts while their friend was doing the same but with selfies. Every time they were satisfied with an image they liked they went about posting it to all their places their fans might enjoy. Usually with a snarky comment about the lack of scares they were finding. Soon they were forced to move on as they worked their way through the cemetery wildly disrespecting the people interred there. Nobody even gave a thought to their missing friend until nearly an hour had passed and even then only because they planned to take a big group selfie. As the three of them gathered in front of the grave of a man that supposedly still haunted the very ground they walked on Kimberly, Angelica, and Taylor finally realized they were one woman short. All three looked around in confusion, then to each other with equally perplexed expressions on their face. Not long after they called out to their friend, half expecting her to simply emerge from one of the small mausoleums that dotted the area. But their words were met with silence and the group started to wonder what was going on.

“Did she say she was leaving?” Angelica asked.

“No,” Taylor replied, “Maybe she's going to the bathroom or something?”

“Where?” Kimberly wondered, “I don't see any restrooms around here and there's no way in hell she's squatting behind a headstone!”

The three of them shared a chuckle at that mental image as well as at the expense of their prissy friend, “KELSI!” They shouted again, “KEEEEEEELLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIII?!”

After waiting several seconds for a response and finding only the silence appropriate to a cemetery the trio exchanged slightly more concerned looks, “I'm getting a little worried. Taylor remarked.

“Don't be!” Angelica replied, “I bet you she's waiting behind a statue or something. As soon as we get close she's gonna jump out and scare us!”

“You think?”

“Totally!”

Kimberly nodded in agreement despite not believing for a second that such a thing would occur. Their missing friend had always been the type to get pranked not do the pranking. “Let's head back the way we came them.” She suggested, “We'll probably find her faster that way.”

“Or she'll find us!” Taylor added.

“Totally.”

Satisfied with that course of action the three of them turned on their heels and started walking towards the entrance to the cemetery. They continued to call out to their friend and scan the innumerable rows of graves around them. Any time they reached a statue one might conceivably hide behind Taylor would peek tentatively behind it with a hopeful yet nervous expression on her face. When she found nothing but empty space she'd return to her nearby companions and they'd continue on. The first time their search party happened across a proper mausoleum she repeated the process both inside and out the somber and quiet structure. But again she found nothing and it was easy to see her growing more fretful with every passing second. She'd always been closest to Kelsi and never was that more apparent than during their search for her.

But in their haste to find their friend none of the girls noticed the subtle changes affecting the world around them. While their eyes busily scanned every shadowy corner they completely failed to notice how much deeper and longer those shadows seemed to become. How the lights of the town seemed so much more distant and faint. How even the stars twinkling above them appeared to be going out one by one. Subconsciously they might have noticed the soft crunch of the grass beneath them as the air grew more chilly but such a thing had a rational explanation. Even if the rest couldn't be explained away so easily. What the three of them did notice however was a growing sense of foreboding that filled their chests. All of them simply chalked it up to concern for their friend but had they examined their feelings they might've realized the truth. Or at the very least glimpsed it like a figure through frosted glass. A certain amount of their growing apprehension was unquestionably tied to their absentee companion, in Taylor's case it was a substantial portion, but the rest was an inexplicably growing presence within them akin to a malignant tumor. There was no earthly reason why they should be growing so fearful so quickly and yet their heartbeat quickened and their breathing grew labored wholly independent of their concern for Kelsi.

An unintended and unnoticed consequence of this growing trepidation was the slow spreading out of all three girls as they continued to search. Without even realizing it Kimberly and Angelica were drifting away from one another one step at a time. It started off subtle enough that neither one even noticed but when they finally glanced back at one another they realized they were standing with several rows of graves separating them. They immediately returned to one another's side and continued without saying a word. Meanwhile their friend was orbiting around them in constantly widening circles. Expanding her search in the hopes of finding her friend Taylor was the only one totally conscious of the widening gulf but she gave it no real thought. Concern was eating at her like a million little ants and every time she peered around some stone carving or silent tomb and found nothing that feeling grew. Her ever growing path was soon taking her out of sight of her friends for quite some time, although none of them were truly aware of how long it actually was. Both Angelica and Kimberly would simply watch where she'd last disappeared to and wait for her to reemerge either on the other side or in the same spot. Their hearts always skipped a beat when she vanished then momentarily relaxed upon her return. This went on for quite some time, nobody wondering why they weren't already at the edge of the cemetery despite all logic dictating they should have been.

Starting to feel a little bit of anger at the thought of Kelsi hiding nearby listening to them Taylor's worried expression took on a more frustrated bent as she made her way towards another statue. Like all the others it was of somebody she didn't know and would never meet but given it's size and the plinth it was standing on there was more than enough room for her friend to hide behind. So she approached with slightly nervous steps. Although she didn't want to be startled and wind up the butt of a joke she was also just plain nervous for no reason. That feeling grew with every step she took towards the potential hiding spot and no matter how hard she tried to push it away her trepidation remained. By the time she reached the weathered stone she was actually panting a little and sweating. Her stomach was near constantly doing flips and she didn't have the slightest clue why. With one hand trailing against the pedestal as she walked around it's rather large perimeter and the other nervously pressed against her fluttering stomach Taylor was in no position to be scared. A very small part of her almost hoped Kelsi wouldn't be there just so she wouldn't end up shrieking at the top of her lungs. Upon rounding the corner to peer at the backside she found it devoid of anything special and a paradoxical rush of concern and relief struck her.

Releasing the pent up breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding Taylor started to turn away from the plinth. She had every intention of returning to her friends but was swiftly interrupted. Not by anything as harrowing as Kelsi leaping out and startling her or even something like a cat suddenly streaking across her path. Instead she was stopped by a powerful sense of creeping dread. One that sat on her shoulders like a freezing blanket. Her whole body tensed and her mind conjured a thousand different images and scenarios all fueled by one overriding certainty: something was watching her. As surely as she knew her own name she knew whatever was staring intently at her wasn't one of her friends or even an animal. Although she didn't have the faintest idea why or how she was aware of this the certainty she felt was as strong as the fear. Every muscle in her body tensed and her rational mind was screaming for her to sprint back to Kimberly and Angelica. Or possibly sprint past them and leave the cemetery altogether. Instead of that sensible response she just stood there staring blankly into the darkness while the feeling of something staring at her grew more intense. The harder she tried to fight her frozen body the more hopeless it seemed. Whatever found her so interesting was drawing closer or at the very least growing more curious.

Sweat started to bead down her pale features while her heart raced so fast it felt as if she was about to die. That constantly burgeoning presence continued to swell all around her until she felt absolutely smothered by it. What little breathing she managed came in short gasps while her body instinctively huddled as though making herself smaller might save her. But it didn't nothing and even when she dropped to her knees because her legs would no longer support her that overwhelming sensation remained as strong as ever. It wasn't until her hand fell away from the plinth beside her and her head slumped forward like she was about to pray that the feeling stopped growing. She hoped for a split second it might recede but when it didn't Taylor still thanked whoever would listen for that small mercy. Then she noticed a strange addition to her torment. For the the first time in what could've been hours for all she knew there seemed to be a source. Instead of a nebulous and all encompassing presence there was an origin. One that seemed to tower above her as though coming from the heavens themselves. Oddly comforted by the thought that whatever was watching her had some form of eyes and perhaps a physical presence she lifted her head to look at the creature.

Her gaze inexorably rose towards the inky black sky above but as it crossed the horizon she felt an odd compulsion to turn her head. Without really knowing why she did exactly that and found her eyes gradually moving up the statue beside her. As she stared at the time weathered stone carving there seemed to be nothing at all out of the ordinary. It looked exactly as it had before without any alterations whatsoever. And of course it would. Why would a statue suddenly be different? Such a thing wasn't possible without a sledgehammer or some insanely inclement weather. At least that's what Taylor thought right up until her gaze reached the head. Her blood turned to ice and her stomach seemed to drop out of her body altogether as she met the inscrutable stare of a figure very much more than a simple statue. With it's head turned to look at her and the unmistakable glint of a living being in it's once lifeless eyes the statue watched her in a silent, terrifying vigil. Taylor squeaked in abject horror and threw herself back. She landed hard on her rump and scrambled a few feet away as quickly as she could, her gaze never leaving the sculpture.

It's eyes never wavered as they watched her and when her back collided with another plinth she suddenly found herself trapped. Despite there being nothing physical stopping her from rolling onto her hands and knees and crawling away, at the very least, she could do nothing. Not even when the rest of the figure's body turned to face her as well. A strangled gasp burst from her lips and she retreated as far back as she could possibly go. But with her back flattened against the stone and her knees pulled up against her chest there was little else she could do except shake in terror. When the sculpture descended from it's plinth as casually as one might step off a curb her eyes went as wide as dinner plate. Though made of stone and by all rights heavy and cumbersome the figure moved as effortlessly as a flesh and blood person. It didn't make a sound as it stepped of the pedestal and towards her and in the silence Taylor couldn't hear anything but her own heartbeat. As it approached her color started to infuse the statue, it's once uniformly gray features gaining a visible life. The clothing that'd been carved onto it seemed to transform into cloth and the once rigid and unmoving shape of it's face slowly twisted into a smile. Before her eyes it came to life and the form it took was far more chilling than the thought of a living statue as Taylor stared up at those unfathomable green eyes. She watched the figure's head tilt to the side and felt the darkness close in around her but didn't make so much as a peep even as she was swallowed up.

Unlike before Angelica and Kimberly noticed their missed friend immediately. But as they looked around for her they couldn't find any sign where she'd gone. There weren't any statues nearby or even any particularly large headstones for her to have disappeared behind. It made no sense at all and yet neither could properly explain that feeling to the other when they stopped. Calling out to both their friends with increasingly panicked tones the two remaining members of the group were about ready to run screaming from the cemetery without a second thought. As much as they wanted to find their friends their self preservation instincts were beginning to override their emotional connections. A fact that wasn't lost on either of them as their eyes met following another round of frantically calling out to Kelsi and Taylor. It was abundantly clear they were thinking the same thing and yet despite that when they started moving again their feet only carried them at a brisk shuffle. The oppressive darkness all around them and the mist slowly blanketing the ground made it impossible to run for fear to tripping over one of the headstones not sticking out high enough to be visible. 

Angelica managed to trip over one of those little plaques the moment she tried to move faster than a brisk stroll. She managed to catch her self before she tumbled headfirst onto the ground but that did little to assuage the throbbing pain in her foot. Brought to a knee by both that unexpected obstacle and the discomfort now pulsing through several of her toes she stopped to grimace and rub the injured appendage. Somehow completely missing what'd happened Kimberly pressed on towards what she assumed was the exit to their living nightmare, confident her sole remaining friend was present beside her. After all her own breathing wasn't that loud. It couldn't be. Angelica was similarly convinced her companion had heard and stopped to wait for her while she collected herself. She was probably to frightened to say anything about what'd happened and that was the reason she remained so deathly quiet. The truth was revealed when she finally looked up from her aching foot to find herself completely alone. There wasn't so much as an earthworm anywhere nearby, not that she could've seen it with all the mist shrouding the ground. Her whole body tensed and her heart seemed to explode into frenzied beats as she stood up and tried to resume walking towards the exit.

“K-Kimberly?!” She exclaimed as her limping gait sped up ever so slightly, “Taylor?! Kelsi?!”

Not only did her frantic cries fall on deaf ears but they seemed to echo in a way that shouldn't have happened in such an open and expansive graveyard. Although she knew better it sounded like she was standing in some massive, empty room. Like a church or cathedral. When she repeated her cry it was greeted by echoing silence once more and Angelica was gripped with a fear unlike anything she'd ever experienced. A soft whimper escaped her lips before she even knew it was happening and her already hastened footsteps increased once more. Her head swiveled back and forth as she tried to spot something, anything that might help her escape whatever was going on. But all she found was endless rows of headstones broken up by a mausoleum or statue, neither of which did anything to help the growing pit in her guts. Feeling almost queasy with fear she pressed her arms against her belly like she was trying to hug herself and hoped against hope that this was all just a bad dream. It had to be.

Yet no matter how hard she tried she couldn't wake up from the welling terror nor could she find a more conventional way out. No matter how many weathered headstones she passed or how many old statues of long dead men there were always more. Angelica tried to read their inscriptions as she passed but her unwillingness to stop made it nearly impossible at the speed she was going. She rationalized what was happening by telling herself she'd been going in circles. Had she only been able to cease rushing forward she might've proved that to herself but there was no way she could ever do something so foolish. If she stopped something bad would happen. There was no basis for that linking and yet it'd taken root in her mind so firmly it could never be displaced. So long as she was moving nothing bad could happen to her. Which meant that if she was moving faster she'd be even safer right? That was only logical and in such an utterly frightening scenario logic was about the only bastion left to her now that even the comfort of the stars and moon had apparently been taken away. 

And the longer she hobbled through that seemingly endless cemetery the more terrified she became of the idea that she was somehow going in circles. Normally such a thing wouldn't warrant a single thought considering she wasn't turning and the rows around her had remained perfectly straight. But with how utterly insane and impossible everything else was it made a strange sort of sense that she might be inadvertently retracing her steps. Although she couldn't see it beneath the mist there was a good chance the grass beneath her feet had already been stamped down. In fact it seemed downright likely as she passed a statue she could've sworn she passed not a few minutes ago. Since she was practically running at that point it must be quite a small circle indeed! Which meant all she had to do to escape was break free of the endless circle she was trapped in. Surely the exit would appear if she did that. It had to!

Having worked herself up into a frenzy Angelica waited until the first gap in the headstones to abruptly turn almost ninety degrees without breaking her frantic, limping stride. She made it all of a single step in this new direction before the ground disappeared from under her and she pitched forward in the yawning blackness. She tried to scream but only manage a gasp as the earth swallowed her up and she tumbled into an open grave. By sheer luck she managed to avoid hurting herself as she dropped at least six feet onto cold, tightly packed dirt. Though she did knock all the air out of her lungs thanks to a bout of terrified flailing that caused her to land flat on her back. She lay there, gasping and shivering while the uncompromising darkness above her seemed to close in. Were it not for the unmistakable feel of cold ground beneath and to the side of her she would've thought she'd fallen right through the world and into some horrifying other place. Even when she managed to pull in a breath longer than a split second it was truncated by her wild panting and increasingly horrified scrambling. In a hoarse, quavering voice she called out to her friends again and prayed that they'd finally respond. That whatever was happening would finally end and she could go back to their bed and breakfast for a long, hot shower.

Angelica cried out until her words were little more than raspy cough and her body was shaking from the cold. At some point she'd stood up but in the darkness it felt no different from laying down. She was still trapped in an open grave waiting for something to rescue her. The only reason she could guess at the location of the sky and subsequently her salvation was because the earthen walls on either side of her. Even that was little more than a supposition of course. At least until she noticed a silhouette appear somewhere up above. At first it looked like little more than a flicker of her imagination. A trick of her growing fear and waning hope. But when the shadowy presence remained her eyes widened and her mouth curled into a frantic smile. Then the shape grew, it's contours widening into the vaguest shape of a head and shoulders. Upon seeing this undeniably human trait Angelica nearly burst into relieved tears. It didn't matter that whoever was looking down on her was obviously too large to be one of her friends. It didn't matter that their glittering green eyes seemed to glow despite the omnipresent darkness. And it didn't matter that she couldn't make out a single feature besides that piercing stare. She was saved.

Reaching out to the figure like a child beseeching their parent Angelica didn't think twice about what she was doing. When she saw a hand stretch towards her she even let out a relieved gasp. It wasn't until that hand made contact with her skin that she knew something was wrong. Long, cold fingers closed around her wrist with frightening strength and though she tried to instinctively pull away her efforts were fruitless. The eyes she'd noticed before seemed to twinkle like the stars that were no longer there and she tried harder than ever to free herself. She'd have had better luck bending steel beams or leaping out of the grave herself. In a desperate bid to stop the being from lifting her up she pulled back against it's gasp and flailed wildly in an effort to grab something sturdy to hold on to. With nothing available and her strength utterly ineffectual she was lifted off her feet seemingly without difficulty, squirming all the while. Her free hand jumped to the being's wrist, clawing and pulling at it like a wild animal while the rest of her was suspended in darkness. Her blood turned to ice and her whole body seemed to stiffen at once as all of her efforts failed and she drew inexorably closer to whatever was 'rescuing' her from her grave. The darkness shrouding it's face seemed to vanish as she drew closer, despite it growing more oppressive everywhere else, and she stared up into the face of her captor in disbelief as reality itself seemed to collapse around her.

Alone and wracked with genuine, unbridled terror for the first time in her life Kimberly wanted to flee the cemetery and never look back. She wanted to run screaming from that terrible place and return to the suddenly comfortable banality of her life in California. And yet she could only stand there clutching her phone against her chest as the shadows seemed to close in around her. She could see the lights of the town twinkling off in the distance but they seemed so dark. So distant. Like she was looking at them across a great, foggy lake. In her mind she knew they were only a short walk from where she stood and yet they seemed impossibly far. Running to the moon would have been more feasible than reaching the safety of Bridgeton. But as she stared up at the heavens Kimberly watched the moon vanish behind the gathering clouds, it's last pale rays of light disappearing all around her. For a single instance, just before her salvation faded, she thought she glimpsed something on the surface of that great celestial body. It looked for all the world like eye peering through the shrinking gap at her. But that was impossible. Her mind was just playing tricks in the darkness. Suddenly finding herself standing in the most pervading darkness she'd ever experienced she knew she had to do something. Anything. If she remained there was no doubt in her mind it would be the end of her life.

That certainty finally allowed her frozen muscles to move once more, even if that movement was stiff and near paralytic with fear. She turned towards what she thought to be the exit and hoped her friends managed to escape. More than that she hoped this was all somehow one elaborate prank on their part, upon leaving she find them laughing and recording her terrified reaction for Instagram. A voice in the back of her mind told her that wasn't the case but she paid it little heed. Instead every fiber of her being was dedicated to putting one stumbling foot in front of the other. But as she took one shaky step after another through rows of graves and past leering, wickedly grinning statues that surely hadn't been there before Kimberly started to realize she wasn't headed towards the exit at all. She was headed deeper into the shadow, deeper into the cemetery, and undoubtedly closer to whatever terrifying presence seemed to be watching her every movement. Her heart was gripped with fear and her whole body trembled as she came to a shuddering halt. Though she looked around her as if hoping for an exit sign to materialize in the darkness she knew it was fruitless. No matter which way she headed it was impossible to find the right path among the labyrinthine hell in which she currently found herself.

“Oh my God.” She whimpered, “Oh my God-oh my God-oh my God!”

Ready to succumb entirely to her terror and drop to the ground in a quivering heap Kimberly was kept upright solely by her paralyzed legs. Unable to bend and wholly unable to move outside of constant quivering there was nothing she could do in every possible sense. She clutched her phone even more tightly against her chest like it was some religious artifact, the plastic case creaking from the strength of her grip. But in the pervading silence even that little sound was like a peal of thunder. Actually starting as the noise reached her ears she let out a gasp and hurled her phone away from her without thinking. It spun off into the darkness carrying with it the last shreds of hope she might have found and Kimberly watched it go with a look of pure horror. Lurching forward after it she dropped to her hands and knees and scrambled across the grass. Her hands flew wildly over the nicely cut lawn as her eyes struggled to catch even the slightest glimpse of her cell. Searching fruitlessly for it her panic only continued to grow with every second it remained missing. She didn't even realize she was moving in circles frantically searching the same few yards again and again. There was no telling how long she might have remained there had pale light not caught her eye.

Midway through another unwitting rotation across the well trampled path she'd carved out Kimberly froze. Every fiber of her being tensed and she slowly lifted her head. Mired in the absence of light for what'd felt like days the sudden presence of it was blinding. Even the cast off rays that illuminated her back and framed her silhouette against the ground were nearly piercing in their radiance. Yet at the same time they seemed almost nonexistent when measured against the shadows around her. Squinting and shielding her eyes against it's paradoxical glow she turned towards the source of it with a growing sense of apprehension. Although it'd saved her from the endless night that threatened to consume her she was much too afraid to consider it a simple reprieve. She heard a voice in the back of her head tell her it was a salvation from the nightmare she was trapped in but that only heightened her terror. But as she grew more accustomed to the glow and her hand slowly fell away Kimberly noticed her phone lying discarded only a short distance away. It was resting some ten feet from the door to a large, unassuming mausoleum. It was from the cracks around this door that the light spilled out, as if directly behind it was the setting sun. While she wanted nothing more than to turn away she couldn't leave her phone behind. So she crawled towards it without ever considering standing up. When her fingers closed around it's reassuring contours she actually let out a little sigh of relief.

Once more holding it to her chest she straightened with every intention of turning away from the tomb opposite her. Maybe even use the light it was shedding to navigate her way out of the cemetery. But as she lifted her head and glanced at the door a strange sense of longing filled her. By no means rational and by no means comprehensible it was the most powerful sensation she'd ever experience. An odd mixture of curiosity and an overwhelming need to see what lay beyond she could no more resist it than she could change the time of day. Before she knew what she was doing she found herself stepping towards the mausoleum, each quivering step bringing her a little closer. The rational part of her mind rebelled against those feelings but it was no longer in control. Kimberly knew it was insane. She knew it was foolish. 

She knew it was the last thing she should be doing. But she continued to walk towards that strange light all the same. It called out to her in a way she'd never known. Like the siren call that'd lured sailors to their deaths in Greek myth but so much more overt in it's otherworldly nature. By the time she reached to steps leading up to the tomb her need to see what was inside had become so powerful it was her only comprehensible thought. Reaching out with her left hand she pressed her fingers against the smooth wooden door. For a moment she hesitated, the last vestiges of her self control taking over for an instant. A second later it was gone and she pushed against the nicely filigreed  portal. As it swung open with nary a sound or even a displacement of air she knew there was no turning back now . . .