17

Her legs felt like rubber. She had never been so nervous in her life. No help for transportation meant the obvious. Too obvious for their own good. The sky was dark, and that didn’t help. The moon had a strange silver glow around it. Staring at the light, it reminded Kailie of an eye staring back. Stephen’s eye, possibly. Or her grandfather’s. It was bare, no stars crowding it. The temperature rose a bit, but not too much. The air was thick and moist, almost like fog. Thankfully, she could still see in front of her.

The other three trailing next to her, there was a brief sense of comfort. She didn’t want them in harm’s way, but it still felt nice that she wasn’t alone for the journey. The coyotes howling close to them, gooseflesh prickled on her arms. She felt James’s fingers wrap around hers.

“This is ridiculous,” Miriam whispered. “He’s going to kill us all!”

“Shush!” Michael hissed.

Their feet crunched on old leaves and grass. Somehow, the winds were another small comfort. Not too warm, not freezing. It felt like a blanket being wrapped around her body. It made her think of times when she was sick with a fever. Her grandfather, his hands so cool, would put them on her cheeks and forehead to bring her temperature down. The feeling made her giggle, momentarily forgetting she was sick.

My god, how I miss that!

Her leg muscles burned like they were being hacked away. She had only done this distance one other time, a couple days ago. Her legs were killing her then, too. Judging by that particular pain, though, Kailie knew they were getting close.

“We’re almost there,” she assured them.

“Thank God,” Michael sighed.

She could feel James’s hand gently squeeze hers. The whole time, he never said a word to anyone. Not since they stepped outside of the church. He was scared, she knew it. She’d be worried if he wasn’t. Against the moonlight, his face was a pale gray. Somehow, he looked older than he was. His lips were dry, his eyes were dark, and the smallest wrinkles outlined across his forehead.

“You ok?” she asked.

He only nodded slowly. She hated when he did that. Only I’m allowed to give the silent treatment, she had teased. They knew he couldn’t talk her out of this plan, and it bugged him. She wasn’t an idiot. But what other choice did they have?

On the left side of the road, the opening to Bethesda was recognized immediately. Going down into the tunnel made her breathing uneven. The image of those trees threatening them just days before made her start panting.

“Kailie, is something wrong?” Michael asked. He rested a hand on her left shoulder.

Her breathing calmed after a few seconds. “Just a case of déjà vu, that’s all.”

James scoffed. She remembered the look on his face when they saw the branches attack them. If there hadn’t been that split second to get out of the car, they would be dead right now. If it hadn’t been for Stephen, they would have frozen to death, assuming they would have survived the wreck.

Walking down the tree tunnel, she noticed that the trees were in their proper standings. No disturbed branches and no leftover branches were seen. It was like the wreck never happened. Kailie moved her head in speeding motions, looking for something. She didn’t know what it was, but felt like something was missing. With the exception of the wind blowing a little harder, it was too quiet. The neighboring homes on the street were still there, but were different, somehow. Disturbed.

“What happened here?” James asked. Kailie was beginning to think he had lost his voice.

The homes were trashed. Parts of roofs were falling off of them, and doors were hanging open. Glass was broken, and even the cars looked wrecked. Their windows, in turn, were smashed and they were so dusty. Kailie figured they hadn’t been cleaned in months. But there weren’t any people around them.

He was looking for others. He’s very good at hunting, I have to give him that.

“He happened here,” Kailie answered. “Let’s keep moving.”

In the corner of her eye, she saw Miriam shaking. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling and her panting was increasing in volume. Michael and James were trying to calm her, but it was no use. Why did she come along? She’s just a messenger, and she’s already delivered. Kailie shook her head, frustrated.

“We’re going to die!” she shrieked. “We’re not going to make it!”

“Quiet!” Michael cried. “Keep your voice down!”

Somebody, please shut her up!

The moon was the only light they had since their flashlight was running low on its juice. Thin clouds moved their way past it, showing off a hard glow further down the sky, heading toward the headstones. They were getting close. Kailie had to admit, though, she had never seen something so beautiful. The glow was a light purple swirling into distant clouds away from the moon. James stared with her and they were nearly hypnotized by it beauty.

Coyotes barked and howled about one hundred yards away from them, on all sides. The light was closing in on them. Kailie thought that they were the only ones left alive at this point. Even if that was true, she figured, there were still some to rescue, including Stephen.

God, please let him be all right through this!

The howling was becoming more eerie and louder by the minute. A small shiver ran through Kailie’s spine, and she knew it wasn’t from the cold. When she looked down at her feet, she couldn’t find them. A small patch of thick whiteness covered them, up to her ankles. In front of her, just ten feet away, stood the Bethesda Cemetery gate. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the others. The slight coolness on her legs made them ache, but they weren’t burning anymore.

“Guys.” She found her voice was trembling. “We’re here.”

They looked toward her direction. Michael’s eyes widened as he took slow deep breaths. Miriam screwed her eyes shut, warm tears moving down her cheeks. James stared at Kailie, most likely hoping she wouldn’t disappear. She looked back at him and squeezed his hand. Her face told him it was going to be all right. But deep in her eyes, there was terror. She had no idea what was going to happen. They could all die tonight, here, in the boneyard.

“We’re going to die!” Miriam hissed. “That’s all there is to it!” There was shivering in her panting. James thought she was going to have a heart attack. She already had one scare.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re going to die if you don’t shut the hell up!”

“He’s here,” Kailie whispered. “I know it.”

There was a dim redness a few feet more ahead of them. It was a bright haze glowing from one of the headstones. Kailie found herself drawn to it. She slowly began walking toward it. The moonlight, still silver, mixed in with the red as she got closer. The grass was hard against her shoes, crunching after each step. The light led down a specific path, so nothing could stand in her way as she followed it.

“Kailie!” someone called from behind her. It sounded like James, but she hardly noticed.

Continuing to move, the redness became brighter and clearer. It was a red, fuzzy blur. It became more solid than her first assumption. The silver mixed in with it made it look so beautiful. It was more of a light blue. That would have explained the purple. The wind pushed her forward.

“Kailie,” a smooth voice called. It was Stephen.

Kailie blinked and looked around for the voice. She couldn’t see anything but the purple mix in front of her.

“Kailie, you have to stop him.” Definitely Stephen’s voice. “Stop him and save your family. Please, Kailie.”

He was still alive. She lit up with a small, relieved smile.

“Where are you?” she whispered. “I want to see you.”

“If that happens, he will kill what’s left of your group. He’s becoming too powerful. Soon, he won’t even need me anymore.”

An acidic feeling crept into her throat. His voice disappeared so suddenly it was like he was already dead. Was it real? Or was it in her head? She couldn’t say for sure. She would have asked them if they heard him, but that could lead to an unnecessary argument.

When she looked back at the headstone, the redness was gone. The moon was covered by thin clouds, and the winds were blowing her hair everywhere. Looking at the name of the headstone, she froze in place.

So, this is where it happens. Where it ends. And it ends tonight.

“Kailie!” Michael’s voice. “Kailie, come on!”

“Guys,” she said as calmly as she could. “This is it. This is where it ends.” She pointed at the headstone.

Marked in the cement was a single name:

Williams