Chapter 1

Although it was only August, the wind was crisp and could chill anyone to the bone. The drive to the cemetery would have been silent for hours if not for the rattling of the car and the static from the radio.

"How much longer?" Barbara says to her brother, Johnny, in the driver's seat.

"Maybe 10 or 20 minutes." He replies. With the silence finally broken he asks the question that has been on his mind the whole trip. "Why don't we just move mother back here, to Parkville? She would be much closer to the grave and we wouldn't have to make this god forsaken drive every year."

"Don't be silly, Johnny. In her condition, she couldn't make it out the door let alone the drive. We would still be left to tend to father's grave." As Barbara finishes, she hands Johnny a gray cross with "We Still Remember" written in gold on the center and flowers near the base.

"We still remember? I don't. I can't even remember what the man looks like and you were far too young when he died. The only one who remembers is her."

Barbara lightly slaps Johnny on the head from the back seat. "Would you shut up? It takes you 5 minutes a year. You're acting like a damn child."

"5 minutes to put the ornament down, and 6 hours to get there and back. Mother forces us to remember and gets to stay home. Now how is that- "

"We're here alright?" Barbara says, cutting Johnny off. She's annoyed with her brother. She opens her door and steps out, slamming it a little as she does. "We should've left earlier, the temperature is dropping fast." She is shivering and didn't bring a jacket.

A news bulletin faintly comes in on the radio, just barely louder than the static.

"Ladies and gentleman… please forgive… do not be al…"

Johnny takes the key out of the ignition, exits and locks the car, and then drops the key in his jacket pocket. He runs to his sister's side.

"I told you to bring one didn't I?" Johnny says handing Barbara his jacket. "Now which row is it again?" Barbara puts the jacket on and points and the two start walking in that direction.

"I think the radio is working again. Sounded like something was coming through." Johnny says, scanning every headstone for their last name.

"Good. You'll be less bitchy on the way home then." Barbara fires back with the typical brother/sister annoyance.

They find the grave and Johnny hands Barbara the cross. The grave is unkempt. The headstone has small cracks all along the surface, the grass is overgrown, and the flowers around are wilted. Barbara moves some of the grass aside and plants the cross while Johnny is scanning the cemetery looking for anything more interesting.

"You every wonder what happens to all of these? Every year I spend good money on the cross and every year we come up and the last one is gone."

"Are you really that worried about 25 dollars? The flowers die and the grave keeper takes it away probably."

Barbara gets on her knees and starts silently praying. Johnny puts his hands in his pockets starts rocking back and forth on his foot to keep warm. "Barb, you know church was this morning right?" He says. Barbara ignores him and keeps praying. Johnny takes his hands out and starts rubbing them together. "I just mean praying is for church and it's getting late."

Barbara, now done, gets up and says "When's the last time you were even there?"

"Oh… I don't know. Grandpa always said I was damned to hell anyways." He says smiling. Johnny spies a large tree about 20 feet from the grave. "You remember when we were kids and I jumped out from behind that tree there and scared you good? Grandpa sure was pissed. 'You'll be damned ta hell' he said."

Barbara starts to go pale in the face.

"You used to be so scared coming here. You're not still afraid are you?" Johnny says before Barbara stomps over to him and smacks his head again.

"Stop it! I mean it!"

"Barbara… they're going to get you, Barbara…" Johnny says in a ghastly voice trying his hardest to hold back his laughter.

"Johnny stop it. Stop being so ignorant."

Johnny sees and older gentleman walking towards them. He points to the man saying "There's one now!! Out of his grave and coming right for you!" He can no longer hold his laughter in at this point. "I'm getting out of here." He says mockingly, running towards the car.

"Johnny stop or he will hear you." Barbara is more than fed up now. Embarrassed, she walks closer to the man. "Sir, I apologize for how my idiot brother is acting." He continues walking towards her a little faster now. As he gets closer, Barbara can see his drooping pale yellow skin much clearer. She screams and runs for the car. "Johnny!? Johnny please help!!"

Barbara trips over a headstone and falls. The man takes the opportunity to grab her by the throat. Johnny, seeing this, picks up an rock and runs full speed at the man. When he gets close enough, he swings at the man hitting him in the head and causing him to drop Barbara.

"Come on, Barb, we need to get out of here."

"Shouldn't we call the police or someone?" Barbara frantically asks.

Johnny frantically searches his pockets for his phone but can't find it. "Once we get to the car. I think my phone is there." Barbara looks behind them to see the ghoulish looking man slowly getting up and she and Johnny bolt to the car. The man isn't far behind however. Right as they get to the car, the man removes the rock from his head and slams Johnny's with it.

"JOHHNY!" Barbara screams. She starts rapidly pulling on the door handle to no avail. Reacting fast, she picks up the rock from Johnny's lifeless body and smashes the window so she can get in. She takes the keys out of the pocket and starts the car. Right as she gets it in drive and slams the gas, the ghoul grabs onto the trunk.

Barbara does everything she can to shake him off but nothing seems to work. Eventually she gives up and slams the breaks. THUD! The ghoulish man flies forward ahead of the car, landing on the ground, and Barbara speeds over him to get away.

She pulls off to the side of the road to make a call on Johnny's cellphone.

"Shit… no service." She mumbles to herself trying to remember when the last house she saw was.

It's going to be pitch dark soon and if there's more of those… whatever they are I need someplace safe to stay the night and there should be a landline if I can find a house. 

Barbara drives for about a half hour until she comes upon an old farmhouse. It looked almost as if had been sitting abandoned for a bit. The grass was almost up to her shin. It had to do though of she wouldn't make it to morning.

As she pulls into the driveway she can hear the groaning of another ghoul. It's already getting to be too dark though so she has to take her chances. She parks the car right by the house and exists, instinctively locking it as she doesn't even think about the smashed window, and after gaining the courage she bolts to the front porch and wiggles the doorknob. It's locked.

Afraid to make any noise, she quietly searches around the house for another way in. An open window, an unlocked door, something… anything.

Just as she's about to give up she hears a loud KERCHUNK coming from the front door. A lock perhaps? She circles back around, turns the handle, and is met with the barrel of a rifle in her face.