The Haunting Read Free Page B

corpses I stepped over.
    Though I’d take this over a frozen landscape and an abominable snowman.
    Swinging around a thick oak tree, I saw a belly-crawling mist rolling and curling over itself to get closer. My stomach flipped, as it was moving faster than normal mist.
    Glancing over my shoulder, I stopped moving and listened to the pregnant silence. Keeping my eyes wide, I watched the shimmering shadows and imagined movements more than actually seeing any. The cover from the trees had darkened the area. This was a mistake. At least before I had full stars and a slivered moon.
    I struggled to control my short, shaky breaths, straining to see any sign of danger.
    A rumble at my feet was barely enough warning. Dirt exploded beneath me, blinding and stinging my eyes. Screaming, I flailed my arms, and the world tilted.
    The blanket cushioned my fall, leaving me less winded than I would have been otherwise. Eyes watering through the grass and dirt, I scrambled to my feet, leaving the blanket behind.
    A high-pitched scream, like that of an eagle, brought my attention to what burst free.
    It was blurry through the tears at first. The dark grey glob floated over the open grave. It had basic human shapes with a few distinct deformities.
    Wiping my eyes with the back of my arm, I got rid of most of the dirt.
    The thing had long arms, and bulbous knuckles that were nearly touching the ground. The legs were stout but curled up into folds of grey skin.
    Suddenly, I wished for the dirt back in my eyes.
    Layers of loose skin folded from the dirty skull and belly in flaps. Pointed bat-like ears perched high on either side of its rounded head. Its nose was wide and flat, nostrils flaring holes just above a lipless mouth. Abnormally large eyeballs lined with vivid red veins glowed in the dim light. I realized in a heart-stopping moment that they were focused on me.
    I swallowed the string of curses that first came to mind as I backed away several more steps.
    The thing floated closer. Its blank expression was deceiving. It couldn’t be thinking of anything pleasant. The sinister-looking creature advanced, pushing me back.
    I didn’t run. I wasn’t sure I could outrun this floating catastrophe of nature.
    My head spun with ideas. I needed to get away from it somehow.
    Was it herding me? It hadn’t attacked yet.
    Shifting to the right, the creature paused, stopping in mid-air. Those disturbing eyes never wavered as I side-stepped, giving it a wide berth. As I inched past its shoulder, the thing shrieked. The piercing sound made me jump. The thing landed on the ground and ran at me on fat, tiny legs. It could have been comical on any other day.
    Yelling in surprise, I stepped back the three steps, hands up to fend it off.
    The thing stopped and curled up its little legs, hovering off the ground again.
    “What I want is past you, isn’t it?” I said. “You’re trying to keep me from going there.”
    The creature stared back at me, unmoving.
    Tugging at my shirt, I glanced over my shoulder. Should I just venture back for another way around? I doubted I’d find many easier roads.
    A hand grabbed my shoulder. Screaming, I launched myself forward, batting at the clinging fingers.
    The hand let me go. It was just the creature, too far away to have touched me, even with those long arms.
    Making up my mind, I charged to the right of the floating, loose-skinned creature. It moved to grab at me, shrieking its teeth-grinding warning as I sailed past. I didn’t even feel the wind of its swing.
    At least I could avoid one more injury.
    My fingertip still throbbed from the nail being cracked down the middle. The three distinct deep scratches down my back still spasmed with each twist and pivot around the gravestones.
    Behind me, dozens of the same high-pitched shrieks resounded between oak trees.
    Peeking over my shoulder, knowing I shouldn’t, I saw at least five new graves explode in violent sprays of dirt. Five pairs of red eyes glowed through