IN A GRAVE: By Jim Bronyaur
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012The darkness consumed Asa again and this time she could hear voices. She heard herself talking, along with Abby. However, all she heard though were mumbled words, nothing clear enough to make sense.
A warm wind rushed past her face and it did not take Asa long to realize that Abby’s grave wasn’t a normal grave. This was certainly deeper than six feet. Asa put her hands out and felt dirt. She was definitely falling and surrounded by dirt. A few seconds later a dim orange light formed as did a dirt covered ground. Asa’s feet touched without so much as a hard hit or scratch.
This was all nothing more but a giant setup.
As she stood there in the four walls of dirt, she thought about everything that had happened. From being on the street, to running home, to following a dead body.
Asa wanted to feel stupid, but she knew that no matter what she would have ended up here. It was her destiny and destiny cannot be changed. Plus, if it brought her closer to the old man vampire, she could finally finish the job she started back in that damn parking lot.
The wall of dirt in front of her started to chip itself away. Chunks fell and started a small avalanche. Asa started to worry that perhaps she was going to be buried alive. Then suddenly, a hand reached out of the dirt towards her. The hand grabbed onto her, but she gripped it and the bones snapped allowing her to wiggle it off. The fingers then clawed at the dirt and disappeared. It reminded Asa of a crab at the beach digging its way into hiding.
More hands began to come from the dirt wall as it fell. They all worked to dig another path for Asa to take. The ones that reached for Asa she had to fight away. Asa could handle vampires, but she hated spiders and the hands reminded her of spiders. They had yellow fingernails that were filthy from the dirt. Entrails came out at the wrists where they had been attached to someone, or something.
With the wall down, Asa walked forward through a dirty tunnel. She made it three steps before falling again. She could have cursed or screamed, but instead took the fall in stride. She reminded herself that each step would take her closer to the end of all this. Even if that meant her own end, she would accept it.
The second fall was shorter than the first. Again an orange glow came, lighting up more dirt walls. These ones were bigger, wider, and Asa found herself standing in a normal sized room. In the corner, huddled, was a black figure. She refused to acknowledge its existence, waiting for it to make the first move.
It did.
Its head came up and white eyes glowed at her.
White eyes…
The creature stood up and opened its arms. Frail looking wings were attached to its arms, and it looked like a mix between a human and a bat.
Asa had never experienced anything like it before.
It opened its mouth and screamed.
The scream didn’t bother Asa as much as the fangs did.
A vampire.
The creature lunged at Asa like they always did. She dropped to her knees and rolled from the attack. She stood back up and pulled the old world wood from her waistband, ready for another easy kill. She spun around and threw the old world wood. It hit perfect, right in the chest. The creature stood still and stared at Asa.
She smiled.
“Had to be done,” she said. “You attacked me first.”
The creature laughed a laugh that sounded more of a howl. Then it reached down, grabbed the old world wood from its chest, and dropped it to the dirt floor.
“What…” Asa couldn’t finish her thought.
The creature was attacking again. It came at her and she rushed to wiggle her way around it. How was she going to kill this thing? She figured she could use her bare hands. Asa started to back up with her hands out, curled. She had to attack at its neck to crush its windpipe.
The creature stepped towards her. Asa knew she needed to stop walking backwards, but of all things, fear crept in and was winning the small battle. Her back hit the dirt wall and there was no more moving.
The creature came closer and Asa readied to jump at it. A second before she jumped, two hands came from the wall and grabbed her arms. They held tight and Asa was trapped. She was stuck against the wall with the vampire walking towards her.
Was this how it all ended?
Stuck to a wall in a grave?
To be eaten by a creature she had never seen before?
Why didn’t it die?
“Because it’s not a vampire,” a voice said.
The creature leaned in and stopped.
“Back away now…”
The creature growled, but listened.
“It’s a demon, from hell. One of many. They don’t die with your stupid wood like the vampires do. They are different. More mean.”
Asa saw the orange glow again and a black shadow formed within it. A second later, a human outline came into view.
“This is all just for the fun of it,” the voice said. “To see what you would do…to get to me…”
There, standing five feet away was the old man vampire.
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©2012 Jim Bronyaur
