The Grave Keeper

“LOCK THE DOORS!! HURRAY – HE’S COMING FOR ME!!! Jessica screamed as she’s slammed the front door behind her and swooped through the house. Room by room she checked all windows, double checked that they were securely locked and repeatedly pulled curtains shut and blinds drawn. 

Robbie, her older brother stood in the middle of the hallway, watching his sister act eradically. 

With a peanut-butter spoon hanging out of his mouth, holding the jar in his right hand asked, “Whoa! whoa – Jess What the hell? Where’s June? ” He was trying to figure out this bizarre behaviour, and what happened to her best friend she left the house with earlier. The same one who was suppose to sleep over and was to sneak into Robbie’s bedroom later that night. 

“Oh Shit!….. June! She was right beh….” Her voice trailed off. Jess rushed toward the window then stopped abruptly before opening the curtain. The look of apprehension on her face was clear. Her grip on the material was tight, as her clutch was trembling, causing it to shake. Jess’ heart was racing and the pupils of her eyes were huge. She had a spooked look about her and was afraid to look outside. Then she let go and ran back to the other wall to shut off all the lights in the hallway. The house was dark. 

“Jess; what the fuck? Are you on something, geez!” Robbie pulled the spoon out of his mouth, put it back in the jar, placing it on the hallway table closest to the light switch and turned the lights back on.

“NOOOOOO !” Jessica screamed, and flicked the switch off again. 

“June is out th-e-e-re…. W-w-with him!” Jess stuttered as her back was pressed against the wall and then slid down to the floor, and began hugging her knees for comfort.

“Jess – I don’t know what you mean? With him? Who?…. Who is June with?” Robbie asked, as he tried to keep his jealousy in check. He walked towards the front door then placed his hand on the door knob.

“Don’t! Don’t go out there!” She ordered her brother.

“Ok …now you’re freaking me out, what happened? Whose after you and where the hell is June?” Robbie demanded, “Were you girls partying with that Riley Douchebag again?” 

“We were looking for a little fun that’s all. Harmless fun.i didn’t know he existed,” Jess admitted.

“Who? You’re not making sense – I’ll go find her, you stay here then, ” ordered Robbie. “NO!!! Don’t leave ME! DON’T GO OUTSIDE!!! She screamed at him in between sobs. Jess jumped up and flung herself against her older brother, wrapping her arms tightly around him to convince Him to stay with her.

“The Grave Keeper… He saw me… He looked me straight in the eyes! He’s coming for me!” Jess confessed. She was embarrassed and couldn’t face Robbie and cradled her face  in the palms of her hands as she wept. She backed away from her sibling, and resumed her position against the wall in the dark s like a limp doll.

“The Grave Digger? Really that’s just some slack story they told kids to keep us outta the cemetery at night,” stated Robbie. 

Even though there was no proof it was a very old ghost story, a myth that everyone heard and it was handed down for years. Story goes that the local kids would vandalize the cemetery on gate night,the night before Halloween. It would drive the groundskeeper insane with the cleanup the next day. The damage these rouge teenagers would do with broken beer bottles, torn up wreaths, and on the odd occasion tomb stones turned over and spray painted. The grounds keeper would start to patrol the grave sites to keep out the little underage revellers and prevent any destruction. But one year, as fate would have it the old man had a heart attack while on watch. The kids who witnessed it, thought it was a stunt to scare them and didn’t realize he actually died. They thought he passed out drunk as he was seen to carrying a flask with him as he walked about the graves. So several of the kids wanting to mess with the old man, dug a shallow grave and threw his body in the hole, but did not cover him with dirt so he could free himself when he woke up. Their last mistake was that when they threw him in the makeshift grave, his eyes remained wide open. Two of the three kids caught their reflection in his glossy stare. They literally looked death in the face. Legend says he wakes up every October 30 th and looks for a body to take his place. The grave digger wasn’t happy with the grave the kids dug for him that night and every year on gate night he returns to finish the job. The grave digger will use your body if your eyes meet with his – he has chosen you to be buried alive!

“Maybe he got June instead?” Robbie teased trying to comfort his sister in some awkward way, then changed his tune. “What the hell were you girls doing at the graveyard to begin with? Especially with all the little assholes running around tonight? What were you thinking?” 

Jess continued to sob. “Maybe.. Maybe she’s the chosen one?” Theorized Jess as she wiped the tears from under her eyes. “Holy Shit don’t start believing that crazy myth!” Warned Robbie. He was a little worried, there were a lot of nut jobs in town. Now with sweet 16 year old June wandering out in the night somewhere, who knows what could happen. The spirit of the Grave Keeper was the last thing on her mind. His night was not going as planned. He was hoping for a little slap and tickle with June and not a rescue mission.

” okay, sit tight. I’ll go chase her down. And don’t worry – I didn’t ‘stare the grave digger in the eyes’ I’m sure I won’t die,” Robbie stated, and before Jess objected, her only brother went out the front door. He left her behind. She rose to her feet and was speechless. She didn’t know what she was more afraid of; her brother going out, into the night or the fact he had left her alone in the house. She made a quick dash and turned the dead bolt, to lock it securely. She peaked between the slant in the horizontal blinds to look outside. She could see the outline of her brothers show on the ground as he walked further and further down the street. She took a seat on the floor again this time her back was against the door. Fear and panic swirled in her head as she tried stay awake until she heard from her either her brother or her friend. 

‘BANG…BANG…BANG’ Jess could feel the heavy hit on her back through verberation of the door. But it wasn’t a fist, it sounded like something metal swinging against her front door. Then she heard something being dragged across front porch of the house. Jess jolted up into a standing position she was terrified to look outside. Then she wondered if Robbie had his house keys or not? But would be sure he would shout at her to unlock the door for him. 

She looked outside cautiously. Everything was still, quiet. No breeze, no cars. Only the glow of the moonlight casting mysterious and distorting tree shadows. Then on the top step, she noticed something strange. It was the peanut butter jar her brother was eating out of when she rushed home. ‘What the hell..’ Jess thought to herself. Instantly she thought it was Robbie and he was trying to get back in the house. All fear aside, Jess opened the lock on the front door. She leaned forward to retrieve the oddly placed peanut butter jar. Two steps onto the porch, she heard the front door swing closed behind! As she swung around to grab door handle, a hand, a deathly cold hand gripped her wrist. She looked up and it was her friend June. Her eyeballs were missing as the hallowed out sockets were peering into Jess’s terrified face. Jess tried to scream but nothing came out. The icy grip on Jess’s hand tightened even more

“Jess you naughty girl! You took off so fast! You left me to meet Riley – didn’t you? .. I can’t believe you left me ?? That’s ok I brought the grave digger with me.. Cause he wanted to meet you tonight!” Explained June as she looked to her right. Jess sharply  turned her head to see a looming figure standing over her with a raised shovel, just before it came hammering down on her head. Instantly Jess loss consciousness as an outline of blood started to encase her body on the porch, before being dragged off by the grave digger toward the cemetery outside of town.