In the spirit of Halloween, I write you this little story. . .
It was a dark and windy night as Abby made her way down the street. She probably should have accepted a ride home from Mr. Endicott, but the guy gave her the creeps and she decided to take her chances walking home. She loved babysitting his kids, but on more than one occasion she'd caught Mr. E staring inappropriately at her chest and like I said, the guy gave her the creeps. So, here it was well after midnight on a Saturday night and Abby was making her way home.
The wind had really picked up and was blowing leaves across the sidewalk. Occasionally Abby would hear a tree limb creaking in the wind, or a loose shutter banging against a house as she walked up the block. The air was getting cooler and Abby could hear thunder off in the distance as the rain the Weatherman had been promising, made its way into the area. Abby hoped she'd make it home before the rain started coming down.
Maybe she should have chanced the ride home with Mr. E after all, but it was a little late to be changing her mind now. A dog howled in some body's backyard and Abby just about jumped out of her skin! She pulled her jacket closed tighter around her and picked up the pace, hurrying across the street. She had about eight blocks to go, but it seemed like it was taking her forever. The closer she got to her own neighborhood, the darker it became because the area she and her Mom lived in, didn't have as many houses and had no street lights.
There was a big cemetery separating one neighborhood from the other and Abby was coming closer to that just as the first fat drops of rain started splashing down. Abby never walked through the cemetery but always chose to walk around it, regardless of whether it was night or day. Cemeteries had always given her the eebie jeebies and this one in particular was especially foreboding as it was surrounded by a high stone wall that seemed to block out all civilization. When you were standing in the cemetery, it was like you were in a different world.
Abby had grown up hearing all the stories and legends from the old timers about the ghosts and spirits that haunted the cemetery. She knew of the superstitions about visiting the cemetery after midnight, but the rain was really starting to come down hard and taking a shortcut through the cemetery would get her home quicker. The entrance gates were locked at dusk to keep the neighborhood kids and troublesome teens from coming in and causing mischief, but Abby was a small girl and knew she could squeeze through a gap in the gate if she stood on her tiptoes and raised her arms above her head. She took a deep breath for bravery and made her way through the gate and into the cemetery.
Once inside, it seemed so much darker and quiet. Even the wind seemed to still and the moon went behind some clouds making the path through the headstones barely visible. Gravestones loomed around her as Abby made her way down the pebbled path. She tried not to look to either side, for fear of what she might see. One particular tale the old timers liked to spin was that if anyone dared make their way into the cemetery after midnight, they stood the chance of having a restless spirit or demon latch onto them and it would follow them home where it would haunt them forever. Abby tried not to think of this as she hurried down the path, but it was impossible not to be freaked out by the possibility.
Halfway through the cemetery a cat jumped from one headstone to another, hissing and spitting at Abby. Obviously the cat was just as startled by her presence as she was of it. Abby's heart was thumping in her chest so loudly that she was sure if anyone were to be standing nearby, they'd hear it pound. She heard a sound behind her on the path and turned quickly around to nothing but eerie blackness. The hair stood up on the back of her neck and a chill ran down her spine. She had the frightening feeling she was being watched. Probably the cat, following her through the cemetery. At least that's what she tried to convince herself of.
Finally, Abby was nearing the end of the path and in a matter of seconds she was up and over the exit gates and back out onto a neighborhood sidewalk. Just a few more minutes and Abby would find herself safely home, so she breathed a sigh of relief and hurried on her way.
The rain was slowing but the wind was still swirling leaves all around her. She could see her house down the block, but was disappointed to notice the porch light wasn't on and her Mom's car wasn't in the driveway. She must have had to work another double shift at the all-night diner, which meant her Mom wouldn't be coming home until morning.
Abby made her way up the steps and fumbled in her pocket for her house key. She came up empty in both jacket pockets and started to panic. Maybe she dropped the key when she climbed over the fence at the cemetery! She had that feeling again that someone was watching her and she looked over her shoulder into the yard. Was that someone standing behind the oak tree? Was that a figure in the shadows? She dug her hand into the front pocket of her jeans and there was the key! She jammed it into the lock and threw open the door, heart beating wildly. Just as she stepped over the threshold, a gust of cold wind blew in behind her and she slammed the door closed and threw the deadbolt, locking out the world. Safe at last!
Abby hurried up the stairs, flicking the light switch as she walked down the hall to her room. The light fluttered and snapped off with a poof! Darn! Darkness again! She made her way to her room, where thankfully the lights worked just fine. She changed into her pajamas and fell into bed, exhausted from the walk home, but mostly drained from the stress and fright along the way.
Abby laid there in the dark, willing herself to sleep, but she couldn't get that niggling feeling out of her mind that she was still being watched. She glanced over toward her window, where she saw the moon shining brightly now that the clouds had moved on. The only other thing visible through the window was the top of the oak tree from the yard and the leaves were rustling in the wind. She laid there watching the leaves and that's when she heard the noise.
It was barely noticeable at first, just a faint wisp of a sound and she held her breath to listen closer, trying to identify the source. Was it the furnace pushing air through the vents as the heat kicked on? No, it was too cold in the house for the heater to be on. Mom probably turned it off when she left the house this morning, to conserve energy. Was it the water running? No, it was more of a hiss, like air through a straw.
It was getting louder now and seemed close by. Abby lay still in the darkness, eyes wide, straining to see what might be causing the sound. It sounded like it was right there in the room with her, a little louder now, like breath wheezing in and out, slow and drawn out. It was coming from under her bed!
Frightened beyond belief, Abby slowly leaned over the side of the bed and lifted the bed skirt to peer underneath to see what was there. As her eyes adjusted to the under-bed darkness, she saw two red glowing orbs and a mouth of sharp pointy teeth glistening wet with slime. She started to scream and a long, bony arm snaked out and grabbed her and pulled her under the bed. The demon had followed her home from the cemetery after all, and Abby McMillan was no more!
