Just a step outside
*Διήγημα θρίλερ/τρόμου για διαγωνισμό εκτός Ελλάδος, με περιορισμό λέξεων και θέμα "Cemetery chillers"
Lara sat next to the recently covered grave, trying to avoid the uprooted plants and flowers around it. The storm had stopped about an hour ago and it had taken its toll on the whole cemetery. The tombstone in front of her, was half-covered with mud and her summer clothes already seemed ruined.
That’ll be fun to clean up tomorrow, she looked around, feeling sorry for the poor sexton.
The sun was setting.
Her mother was always terrified of cemeteries. It didn’t matter if it was a sunny day or a foggy night, dozens of people around her or if she was completely alone. It wouldn’t make any bit of difference and it hadn’t made any. At most funerals or even afterwards, even if someone really beloved died, she would not even go one inch beyond the gate, making everyone else commenting on her rudeness or even her mental health.
“It’s-it’s death, you know?” she’d said some years ago, when the thirteen year old Lara had demanded a reason, tired of all the talk in town. “The dead walk in such places, you know? It’s horrible to see them or hear them...if I come inside, it all weighs on me, love. Like an actual weight. On my chest, in my head. I cannot breathe. But outside, even just a step outside-they cannot come. Outside, I’m safe.”
“Oh-my-God mum! Many people feel that way in cemeteries!”
“I’m not talking about feelings” she sighed in defeat. “You’re still so young...maybe when you’re a bit older, I’ll explain better. Another day. Alright?”
Lara stormed out of the room without answering.
And that day never came.
Something moved on her left.
Probably the trees or an animal. Or even someone else visiting…? she tried to calm herself and looked sideways.
A tall, large figure, standing some distance away. Dark clothes. Long, awfully entangled hair. They seemed to be softly kicking another tombstone. She couldn’t see if it was a man or a woman.
Shit, my glasses. Where did I leave them?
The figure kicked again.
That’s rude. But maybe they, too, can’t handle death huh? she looked at the grave beside her.
Suddenly, the person let out a long-winded cry.
“Jesus” she exclaimed, somewhat annoyed somewhat deeply uncomfortable.
She turned around awkwardly, as the cry died down. The tall railings of the cemetery, just beyond her reach to the right. The old and weathered gate, a dozen steps behind her.
“Well, I guess this is as close as it gets to the outside, mum” she spoke softly. “They could have gone with cremation, knowing you, but-here we are.”
She did not remember many things from the accident. It was the two of them. She was driving. Her mother was laughing – a proper laugh, that Lara had seldom heard.
Something hit them from behind. She tried to steady the car. And then nothing, until she woke up today.
Another person appeared, closer to her. A man, most probably. His right hand was missing and he was dragging his feet. He sat on the ground facing her. His features were blurry but he seemed to suffer from some kind of terrible acne and his eye sockets were so deep, like he had no eyes at all.
Lara shivered.
A woman with a long dress and a shaved head and something that seemed like a baby in her arms, appeared behind the man and stood next to a large, family tomb. She started singing and rocking the baby. Her voice echoed all around.
Lara wouldn’t have come here at this hour, in any other circumstance. It would be dark soon and, although she wasn’t totally overwhelmed by cemeteries like her mother, such people would be creepy anywhere. But she had just woken up from the accident and she had to come, even for a few minutes. She stood up and took a deep breath.
“I miss you so much” she spoke to the grave, trying to hold back a sob.
“Oh, love!” another voice called out, behind her.
Lara stumbled.
She knew that voice. She thought she would never hear it again.
Some kind of smoke seemed to have filled the area, without her noticing. The long-haired person cried again, the man let out a muffled laugh, the woman stopped singing and the baby yelled – shrieked, more like.
More people appeared around her, like they came from nowhere.
What the f-
She turned to the gate. A woman was standing there, just a step into the cemetery.
“Mum?” she whispered.
“My love!” her mother smiled but immediately turned serious. “Don’t-don’t come closer! They will not let you.”
Lara looked again at the blurry, creepy people. They were everywhere now, most of them just dark figures through the smoke, coloured by the twilight sky.
“Is that-?” she asked, terrified suddenly, as her whole life passed before her eyes. “-is them, what you saw when you were alive? What kept you away?”
“I am so, so sorry...my beautiful girl, I am so sorry!”
“I’ll see them too, from now on? Am I like you, now that you’re gone!?” she yelled and her body started trembling.
Her mother’s eyes goggled. “Oh, love, it’s not what you think!”
Lara felt a hand on her shoulder and screamed. It was the tall, large figure. It was a man. He wasn’t wearing dark clothes. He was naked and his body was cut and rotten everywhere.
They’re dead...oh God, they’re-
His grip on her was light so when she bolted forward, he didn’t hold her back. But the woman with the baby, appeared right in front of her, blocking the way. Lara screamed again. The woman’s throat was cut from side to side. There was no baby in her arms, only chunks of meat and bones.
“Will you help me find my Tommy?” the woman asked, her voice now hoarse and chilling. “They said I birthed a monster but I know better. Will you help me?”
“Mum!” she cried for help.
“I cannot stop them! Oh, God, I’m so sorry!”
The man with the missing hand started running towards her mother.
“Look out!” she yelled and run to protect her, pushing the woman with the baby aside.
Her mother managed to dogde him and fell backwards, startled.
Lara saw the smoke thickening around her as she reached the gate and everything else faded out. She stopped and stiffened, waiting for the man to attack again but no one came.
“Mum!? Where are you?”
She’d fallen right here, just outside the cemetery, where the hell is she? Lara thought and raised her foot to step forward.
Outside...? She’d said the dead cannot go outside. Isn’t she-?
The realisation came too late. Her foot had landed beyond the gate.
A thousand screams pierced her whole body. A thousand stars blinded her. And everything went pitch black.
She found herself sitting next to the grave again. The smoke was gone. The sun had set. The dead people were back where she had first seen them. And her mother was still crying I’m sorry, still laying on the spot where she had fallen. Just a step outside the cemetery, where Lara couldn’t go anymore.
That’ll be fun to clean up tomorrow, she looked around, feeling sorry for the poor sexton.
The sun was setting.
Her mother was always terrified of cemeteries. It didn’t matter if it was a sunny day or a foggy night, dozens of people around her or if she was completely alone. It wouldn’t make any bit of difference and it hadn’t made any. At most funerals or even afterwards, even if someone really beloved died, she would not even go one inch beyond the gate, making everyone else commenting on her rudeness or even her mental health.
“It’s-it’s death, you know?” she’d said some years ago, when the thirteen year old Lara had demanded a reason, tired of all the talk in town. “The dead walk in such places, you know? It’s horrible to see them or hear them...if I come inside, it all weighs on me, love. Like an actual weight. On my chest, in my head. I cannot breathe. But outside, even just a step outside-they cannot come. Outside, I’m safe.”
“Oh-my-God mum! Many people feel that way in cemeteries!”
“I’m not talking about feelings” she sighed in defeat. “You’re still so young...maybe when you’re a bit older, I’ll explain better. Another day. Alright?”
Lara stormed out of the room without answering.
And that day never came.
Something moved on her left.
Probably the trees or an animal. Or even someone else visiting…? she tried to calm herself and looked sideways.
A tall, large figure, standing some distance away. Dark clothes. Long, awfully entangled hair. They seemed to be softly kicking another tombstone. She couldn’t see if it was a man or a woman.
Shit, my glasses. Where did I leave them?
The figure kicked again.
That’s rude. But maybe they, too, can’t handle death huh? she looked at the grave beside her.
Suddenly, the person let out a long-winded cry.
“Jesus” she exclaimed, somewhat annoyed somewhat deeply uncomfortable.
She turned around awkwardly, as the cry died down. The tall railings of the cemetery, just beyond her reach to the right. The old and weathered gate, a dozen steps behind her.
“Well, I guess this is as close as it gets to the outside, mum” she spoke softly. “They could have gone with cremation, knowing you, but-here we are.”
She did not remember many things from the accident. It was the two of them. She was driving. Her mother was laughing – a proper laugh, that Lara had seldom heard.
Something hit them from behind. She tried to steady the car. And then nothing, until she woke up today.
Another person appeared, closer to her. A man, most probably. His right hand was missing and he was dragging his feet. He sat on the ground facing her. His features were blurry but he seemed to suffer from some kind of terrible acne and his eye sockets were so deep, like he had no eyes at all.
Lara shivered.
A woman with a long dress and a shaved head and something that seemed like a baby in her arms, appeared behind the man and stood next to a large, family tomb. She started singing and rocking the baby. Her voice echoed all around.
Lara wouldn’t have come here at this hour, in any other circumstance. It would be dark soon and, although she wasn’t totally overwhelmed by cemeteries like her mother, such people would be creepy anywhere. But she had just woken up from the accident and she had to come, even for a few minutes. She stood up and took a deep breath.
“I miss you so much” she spoke to the grave, trying to hold back a sob.
“Oh, love!” another voice called out, behind her.
Lara stumbled.
She knew that voice. She thought she would never hear it again.
Some kind of smoke seemed to have filled the area, without her noticing. The long-haired person cried again, the man let out a muffled laugh, the woman stopped singing and the baby yelled – shrieked, more like.
More people appeared around her, like they came from nowhere.
What the f-
She turned to the gate. A woman was standing there, just a step into the cemetery.
“Mum?” she whispered.
“My love!” her mother smiled but immediately turned serious. “Don’t-don’t come closer! They will not let you.”
Lara looked again at the blurry, creepy people. They were everywhere now, most of them just dark figures through the smoke, coloured by the twilight sky.
“Is that-?” she asked, terrified suddenly, as her whole life passed before her eyes. “-is them, what you saw when you were alive? What kept you away?”
“I am so, so sorry...my beautiful girl, I am so sorry!”
“I’ll see them too, from now on? Am I like you, now that you’re gone!?” she yelled and her body started trembling.
Her mother’s eyes goggled. “Oh, love, it’s not what you think!”
Lara felt a hand on her shoulder and screamed. It was the tall, large figure. It was a man. He wasn’t wearing dark clothes. He was naked and his body was cut and rotten everywhere.
They’re dead...oh God, they’re-
His grip on her was light so when she bolted forward, he didn’t hold her back. But the woman with the baby, appeared right in front of her, blocking the way. Lara screamed again. The woman’s throat was cut from side to side. There was no baby in her arms, only chunks of meat and bones.
“Will you help me find my Tommy?” the woman asked, her voice now hoarse and chilling. “They said I birthed a monster but I know better. Will you help me?”
“Mum!” she cried for help.
“I cannot stop them! Oh, God, I’m so sorry!”
The man with the missing hand started running towards her mother.
“Look out!” she yelled and run to protect her, pushing the woman with the baby aside.
Her mother managed to dogde him and fell backwards, startled.
Lara saw the smoke thickening around her as she reached the gate and everything else faded out. She stopped and stiffened, waiting for the man to attack again but no one came.
“Mum!? Where are you?”
She’d fallen right here, just outside the cemetery, where the hell is she? Lara thought and raised her foot to step forward.
Outside...? She’d said the dead cannot go outside. Isn’t she-?
The realisation came too late. Her foot had landed beyond the gate.
A thousand screams pierced her whole body. A thousand stars blinded her. And everything went pitch black.
She found herself sitting next to the grave again. The smoke was gone. The sun had set. The dead people were back where she had first seen them. And her mother was still crying I’m sorry, still laying on the spot where she had fallen. Just a step outside the cemetery, where Lara couldn’t go anymore.
The end
Α. Γάρδα
*Photo credit: from wallpaperflare.com
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