Unhallowed Ground Page 3

  “True enough,” Kelly said, tucking the envelope into his coat pocket without opening it. “My fridge is a little empty right now.”

  “As if you ever cook at home.” She shook her head and looked off to the side. “Also, I’m sorry about this morning. I know you don’t understand how bad the history is in this town regarding that God-forsaken cemetery.”

  “Brayton takes its paranormal rap just a little too seriously,” he replied. Kelly didn’t want the conversation to get heated again, but his instinct to bristle at the utter stupidity of the town’s superstitious nature made it difficult.

  “My grandparents were alive when it all happened, Kelly. Everyone who actually lived through what took place is dead now. Growing up and hearing first-hand accounts of those days...” She paused and shook her head, bringing her gaze back to him. “I know you can’t relate, and I know it does all sound insane, but what if it’s real?”

  “What if what’s real?” Kelly leaned a hip against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve heard stories about the cult that was out there and the claims of ghosts or whatever, but there’s no evidence of any of it.”

  “It was all real, Kelly.” Mrs. Suhr flattened her hands against the counter and cocked her head to the side. “There were accounts in the paper from back then! It’s the reason those street lights were put in!”

  “I’ve never seen anything,” he said. “I’ve heard that urban legend, too. Bright lights to keep something spooky at bay... Conveniently, the library with all the records burned down in the sixties, so none of that can be proven. I don’t mean to doubt you were told things, but the fact is, there is nothing to back any of it up. Besides, it’s all impossible.”

  She pressed her lips together and gave a shake of her head. He was absolutely right about the evidence being long gone, and she knew there was no way she’d convince him. “All right, Kelly. I know you have your mind made up, and you think I’m just a crazy old woman, but will you do me one favor?”

  There was a pang of guilt within him and he acquiesced. “All right, what is it?”

  “Once you start working out there, keep your guard up.” She got up and moved around the counter. “Maybe it is all superstition, but if it’s not, being aware might help. At the very least, it can’t hurt.”

  He looked down at her and offered up a smile. “Sounds like something I can do. It’s insurance I can afford, I reckon.”

  Grace gave him a quick embrace before heading to the store’s window and flipping the open sign around. “Good. Now, go on home.”

  Kelly nodded and gave her another smile before he slipped out of the shop. Grace stood in the window and watched him walk down the street, her expression growing dark. She muttered under her breath for a while before going back to the counter and picking up her phone. Within seconds, she was waiting for her friend to answer.

  “Hello, Madgie.” She went back toward the door and flipped the lock. “I know, I know. I heard, too. There has to be a way to stop them.”

  Chapter

  5

  The grating buzz of the alarm clock dragged Kelly up reluctantly from a dream. He’d been so sound asleep the visions began to fade instantly, but he was left with the uncomfortable feeling he’d been having a nightmare. He reached over and smacked the alarm’s off button a little heavy-handed, mercifully stopping the God-awful racket. He lifted his head to see the time.

  3:30 a.m.

  He’d tried using his phone’s alarm for a time, but after cracking two screens in his morning rage, his old alarm clock had been pressed back into service.

  He sat on the edge of his bed for several minutes, debating if he could afford a little more sleep or not. Ryan would be there within fifteen minutes, however, already leaving him with very little time to get ready for the workday. Kelly went through the motions of getting dressed and slogged out the door just as Ryan called to say he was on his way.

  The harsh glare of the impossibly bright streetlamp in front of his house greeted him. He gave a passing thought to the legality of going into the house to grab his old .22 and shooting out the light, but Ryan pulled up before he talked himself into it.

  He dragged his body out to the car and dropped into the passenger seat, tugging the door closed. The smell of coffee filled the car and Ryan quickly passed a cup to his groggy friend. “Stopped at the mini-mart on the way.”

  “Thanks.” Kelly took a sip, the hot liquid helping to cut through some of the haze as they pulled from the curb. “Why does your dad insist on these weird farmer’s hours?”

  “Because he was a farmer, Kel,” Ryan said, glancing at him. “I hope the weather holds out for us. I mean, it’s going to be cold and miserable, but if we can avoid the snow for a while, it’d sure help.”

  Kelly gave him a small nod. Ryan was always far more talkative and social than he was that early. He turned his eyes toward the window, hoping they could just make the rest of the short drive in peace.

  That wasn’t in Ryan’s plans. “How did it go talking to Mrs. Suhr last night?”

  He sank down further in the seat. “It was fine. She seemed to be in a much better mood. Maybe something else was bugging her in the morning.”

  “Well, Dani’s grandma didn’t seem any better last night. She was still hot about it.” Ryan turned the corner, keeping his eyes on the road. “She said if we break that ground, something’s going to come up and kill us all.”

  Kelly turned to face his friend, scowling. “That was what Grace seemed to think yesterday morning, too. Like I said, though, she chilled out by last night. You know all the weird stories that go around small towns like this. And while I’m sure something did happen out at that church at some point, there isn’t any evidence of anything major. It would have been documented somewhere other than just the library that burned down.”

  “Hey, you’re preaching to the choir!” Ryan replied, glancing over. “I don’t believe in any of that, either. And I agree with you on the lack of evidence, though, it’s not like they would have a bunch of selfies on their phones from back then.”

  Kelly gave a slow blink, and his frown lingered. He hadn’t thought about exactly what sort of evidence he’d been hoping to see as proof. Any documentation of the events, if they’d actually happened, would have been written.

  Ryan looked at Kelly again when he didn’t respond for several seconds. “What?”

  “You know, if something did happen, you’re right. The only means of recording it they would have had would have been to write it down,” Kelly said, his voice quiet. “It very well could have all been in the library.”

  Ryan’s eyes panned toward the windshield as a cold and unwelcomed tingle ran through the center of his being. He’d rarely felt the back of his neck prickle before, but that’s what it did. They had moved beyond the edge of town, everything around the vehicle black.

  Ryan was overtaken by the absolute dread something he didn’t want to see was either going to run into the beam of his headlights, or he’d turn his head toward the door window and see something against the glass.

  “Holy shit!” he yelped, smashing down the brake pedal. The road was dry, fortunately, and the car didn’t veer to the side or slide off the road.

  Kelly turned his eyes forward and jutted out his free hand, steadying himself against the dashboard as the car came to an abrupt halt. “What the hell, Ryan!”

  Ryan’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly they were already tingling. He didn’t let go, however, knowing they’d be shaking if he did. He gasped for breath and tried to calm down, his skin going cold.

  “Goddamned deer. It was just a Goddamned deer jumping across the road,” he said, his voice cracking. “All this spooky talk has me high strung, and it scared the living hell out of me. Thank God we missed him.”

  Kelly let out a long breath and flopped back against the seat. He took a sip of his coffee, wanting to hide just how scared he’d gotten, too.

  Slowly, Ryan began
to accelerate down the highway. There wasn’t another word spoken between them for the remainder of the drive. The predawn morning was thick around them. There was no moon above, leaving the car’s immediate path ahead the only thing visibly illuminated.

  Both men felt a wave of relief when they crested a small rise in the road, and the lights of the work site came into view. Even if the graveyard was the source of the town’s superstitions and paranormal rumors, being around Henry and the other workers would be welcomed company.

  Ryan parked the car on the shoulder of the highway. They walked toward the job site a little quicker than they normally would have. After the deer had gotten their adrenaline pumping, neither of them wanted to linger in the darkness.

  When they got into the ring of work lights, both of them relaxed and tried to shirk off the last of their remaining fear.

  Henry walked over to them and offered up a smile. “Good morning, boys! Let’s get to work.”

  Kelly had never been more excited to see the old man, regardless of the hour. “Glad to.”

  Chapter

  6

  Kelly and Ryan were sent to the lot across the street to begin digging the new graves. They’d gotten to work, trying to distract themselves from the earlier scare they’d had on the way to the site.

  Several hours had passed with the two men working in relative silence. While they were desperate to get their minds off what they’d talked about earlier, there was nothing in their current situation that would let them think of anything else, the church looming beside them.

  The sun came up, casting a cold, gray light onto the worksite. The frost was thick on the ground, and the clouds above threatened snow. Overcast or not, the two young men were just glad it was light out, and their moods began to improve.

  Kelly got out of the backhoe and stood to help Ryan set another marker stake in the ground as he continued plotting out the new cemetery’s graves. They’d just started to go back to teasing and giving each other a hard time as they normally did, but it didn’t last long.

  Henry came across the highway, his hands shoved into his coat pockets. “Are the two of you just goofing around, or have you made any progress?”

  Ryan tossed the mallet he’d used to drive a stake into the ground to the side, putting his hands on his hips. “We’ve gotten a good start.”

  Kelly motioned back toward the first line of graves he’d excavated. “There’s room at the inn.”

  The older man looked over, quickly evaluating the work done. The graves were all evenly spaced out and in a straight row. That was all he could really hope for. “Not bad, boys. You two wanna come over to see what we’re about to do?”

  They looked at one another, their earlier trepidation creeping back into their minds. Still, they had enough morbid curiosity between them to want to know exactly what was going on with the exhumations taking place.

  Kelly opted to reply for both of them and he nodded. “Yeah, show us what you’re up to.”

  The three of them walked back across the highway toward the other group of workers. All of the machinery had been turned off for the moment, everyone gathered together around the first grave they’d excavated in the old graveyard.

  Kelly, Ryan, and Henry made their way to get a better view. The grave they stood beside gave off a wet scent, but nothing like decay. The red dirt walls were dark with moisture, and Kelly was surprised to see how shallow the grave was.

  He leaned closer to Henry, whispering. “I thought they were supposed to be like six feet deep.”

  The older man shook his head and leaned in a little closer. “I guess they weren’t real stringent on that sort of thing at the time. These are the same people that put heroin in their cough syrup, for shit’s sake. The funeral director was surprised how quickly we reached it, though. Who knows, a lot of the topsoil could have eroded away over the years. The headstone to this one was knocked down ages back.”

  Kelly simply nodded. The dark gray of the coffin’s lid contrasted with the dirt, making it easy enough to distinguish. The box wasn’t very long, and Kelly realized he certainly couldn’t have fit. It was extremely narrow, too, at least compared to the modern coffins he’d seen.

  The funeral director was down in the hole, holding a long crowbar in hand. A second man, another of Henry’s workers, was there, too, and ready to help open the casket.

  They began prying at the lid, but nothing happened. Several minutes went by, and the funeral director finally climbed out and came over to Henry, shaking his head.

  “What’s the problem?” Henry asked.

  Steven, the funeral director, was in his mid-fifties, and the brief exertion of trying to open the coffin had made his cheeks red and his breaths heavy. “It’s not opening. They might have soldered the damn thing closed. There doesn’t look to be a break in the lead casing.”

  “Damn it,” Henry huffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I guess we’ll have to get some straps around it and pull it out to cut the stupid thing open. I hope it doesn’t fall apart under its own weight and drop the poor guy’s bones all over creation.”

  The director looked back over his shoulder at the coffin. They’d worried about the integrity of the caskets being pulled up before removing the remains, but cutting the lids off while they were in the ground wasn’t a simple proposition, either. “Well, we’ll give it a shot, and if it looks like the coffin is going to break, we’ll rethink it.”

  “All right.” Henry turned away from Steven and back toward his son and Kelly. “Well, it looks like we have a delay of game here.”

  “We’ll have all the new graves dug on the other side way before you guys get them out of the ground over here,” Ryan said, disappointed they weren’t going to see the coffin opened yet. His morbid curiosity had gotten riled at the prospect.

  Henry pulled out his wallet and dug out a couple of twenties, passing them to his son. “Yeah, so why don’t the two of you go get some donuts or something?”

  Ryan took the money and shoved it into his pocket, a smile cropping up. “We’d be happy to. C’mon, Kel.”

  Chapter

  7

  Dani sat behind the counter of the bakery, looking bored. While her grandmother was busy in back, the young woman had little to do on her side of the shop. The morning rush was already over, and Madgie refused to let her help with the baking as the young woman was a disaster in the kitchen.

  When Ryan walked through the door, she hopped up and broke into a wide smile. She jogged around the counter and jumped into his arms, giving him a quick kiss.

  “Glad to see me?” he asked with a laugh when she finally stepped back.

  Dani nodded and then looked around Ryan to offer Kelly a wave. “Yeah, it’s been dead. Wednesdays are always a drag after the farmers come in and get their donuts and coffee. I thought the two of you were going to be out working today?”

  “We were sent on a donut run,” Ryan said, reaching into his pocket to pull out the money his dad had given him. “I hope you have some left.”

  Dani plucked the cash from his hand and spun around before going behind the counter again. She pulled out four donut boxes and set them onto the glass case. “I think I can accommodate you.”

  The two men went closer to the case and watched as she started lining the boxes with assorted donuts left from the morning rush. Neither of them had any particular requests about what kind they wanted.

  Dani glanced at them over the case, speaking in a whisper. “Grandma’s in back. She’s still hot about what you guys are doing out there.”

  Ryan rolled his eyes and let his head lull backward. Madgie had read him the riot act for a few days straight, and he didn’t feel up to hearing it again. “Please tell me she’s too busy back there to come out and go bug nuts again.”

  She glanced over her shoulder before looking at him. “Yeah, she’s frosting a cake for the old ladies in the knit-and-bitch club meeting tonight.”

  Kelly stifled a laugh. “Knit and bit
ch?”

  “Oh hell, all they do is sit around knitting and bitching about everyone in town who doesn’t happen to attend their little social hour,” she replied, smirking as she started filling the second box. “Drives me nuts, but it’s grandma’s big outing for the week, so...”

  “I guess it’s good to have hobbies,” Ryan said, resting his elbows on the front of the glass case. “So, if she’s got that going on tonight, does that mean you’ll be home all alone?”

  She gave him a sly look, not losing a beat with packing up the donuts. “Yeah, but don’t get your hopes up. I’ve got to finish up that stupid final project tonight.”

  “Come on, it’s not like that online crap is real college.” Ryan pouted and leaned further forward.

  “Well, it’s costing me what little I make doing this for a living, so I’d say it’s pretty important. I don’t want to be a cashier in this bakery for the rest of my life, Ryan.” She set the second box to the side. “Get off the glass. I already wiped it down today.”

  He straightened back up and raised his hands in a mock plea for forgiveness.

  She filled the remaining boxes and shoved them across the top of the case. “There ya go. I threw in some of the stuffed croissants your old man likes. I’m not even gonna charge you extra for them.”

  “You’re a real humanitarian, Dani,” Kelly said, picking up the boxes. “Going soft on us and not living up to your grandma’s reputation.”

  “Somebody in this family has to try not being a jerk. As for you, Ryan, you’re welcome to come over after work. I have to get that project done, but when it’s finished, we can watch a movie,” she said before going to the register to get Ryan’s change. She passed the money to him and then gave him another kiss.

  “I’ll even take a shower first.” Ryan gave her a smile before turning back toward Kelly. “Let’s go before Madgie picks up our scent and comes out from the underbrush.”