07: Creeper

The girls walked into the hollow stone building, the door creaked behind them and the wind blew it shut with a loud bang. Nancy screamed and clutched at Freedom’s arm as Kalene and Nedra moved deeper into the open space. There were spider webs filling the majority of the room as well as dust balls the size of their heads.

Leah stepped towards one of the marble slabs and peered inside the opened top. She gasped at the sight of the old bones rotting within the coffin and backed away to rejoin the group.

Jill counted the number of coffins as well as the wall markers and names on each tomb. “This is a huge family memoriam, quite possibly the entire family is in here,” she sighed.

“Well maybe we should leave them resting in peace,” Nancy offered as she backed into another coffin. It creaked as her weight caused it to shift on its stage sending a cloud of dust everywhere.

Freedom took another step forward and something clicked beneath her foot. “What was that?”

Everyone moved in closer to see what had happened and noticed a small panel just under the surface of the floor tile that seemed to trigger something beyond the wall of the tiny mausoleum. It turned once but didn’t open all the way.

“Looks like another passageway,” Daijah remarked stepping towards the wall.

“Let’s see where it goes!” Nedra suggested as she gripped the book tighter in her arms and moved along next to Daijah. She watched as Jill and Leah helped pull and push at the object to make it open a bit more for them to enter.

“A secret door? In a tomb? Hello can you say ‘no thank you!’?” Holley asked. “I came here to see the outside not more dark, dank and scary places underneath the ground. Who knows what’s in there or why it was kept hidden?”

“She’s right,” Kalene quickly agreed. “I’d like to get out of here now.”

“Weren’t you the one calling everyone chicken earlier?” Leah smiled at her. “Besides, we’ve come this far. We’re in a group, everything should be fine as long as we stick together right?”

“You know everything you’re saying is just as cliché as you’d hear in a movie. I don’t like the idea and I think I’m going to wait up top while you go in there. Thanks anyway,” Holley sighed.

“Holley is right. I’m getting the weirdest feeling. I know you don’t believe that I saw what I said I did but it came here and I don’t think I’d feel comfortable running into it either; especially if it’s not friendly. Even with it being daylight, I doubt the creature would care,” Karima paused and looked at Holley. “But I don’t think we should split up either.”

 “So you’re coming? Who has the light?” Daijah asked looking around.

“I do,” Leah said.

“That means you’re leading us,” she laughed.

“Uh…”

Jill laughed and took hold of the lantern and led the group into the stone cavern. The panel groaned behind them as it settled into its new position. She coughed once and pinched her nose. “It’s really foul in here. I doubt this has been seen in over a decade.”

“Maybe there’s hidden treasure or something inside. Or something really freaky that needed to be kept hidden forever,” Kalene offered.

“Yeah, or more bodies,” Nancy smiled.

Before they could get any further than a corner, there was an ear piercing yell behind them. They all jumped and ran back towards the entryway.

“What are you doing in here?” they heard a raspy, old voice croak behind them and turned quick. The caretaker stood holding a shovel and glaring at them.

“We were just looking around,” Daijah said stepping forward.

“It’s very disrespectful to go nosing around a graveyard you know that? This isn’t an amusement park and the people ‘round here take these things seriously. Get on out of here ‘fore I call the police to have him run ya in! Go on now!” he yelled making a shooing motion with the shovel he clutched in his palm.

They exited quickly out the mausoleum door without looking back and moved towards the cemetery gates.

“Ok, raise your hand if you were creeped out by that guy,” Nedra said as the girls resurfaced. She looked over the faces of the group and gasped. “Where’s Holley?”

He bared his teeth and growled, his deep voice echoed the night
I remained in my bed but I knew something wasn’t right
Calmly I pulled myself from the comfort under my sheet
I moved as quietly as I could but the wood cried beneath my feet

I peeked outside my window and caught a sight
of an angry, old beast wrapped in bandages pale white
Sharp teeth and claws with jaws that clenched tight
I shivered at the thought: How big is its bite?”

He moved stealthily and slow down the narrow streets
Slinking on two legs and oozing blood from its teeth
I heard screams of terror and sounds of confusion
Everyone was hoping it was some kind of illusion

But reality set in quick as the streets filled with red
Neighbors and friends were all dropping dead
lock your doors, bar your windows pull your covers in deeper
and stay far away from that beastly old creeper


Continue ---->