One Halloween Night

One of the two girls woke up out of fear. Dreadful hoplessness engulfed her as she looked into the vast graveyard. How could they even think of coming here, when there were much better things to experience on the night of halloween. Why was she so determined to prove her friend wrong? Her temper was the reason they landed here in the first place. All these frustrating thoughts made Rose sigh with anger, as she kicked a stone angrily, her freezing hands in her pocket. Kymara, on the other hand, was better off sleeping . Rose looked up towards the full moon, her eyes scavenging for a ray of hope in the starless sky, not knowing how to escape a graveyard of ghosts and spirits.

........... ........ .............. .... ................. ......... Thunder, storm and eerie winds. In spite of the night being spooky enough, a group of teenage girls couldnt get enough of the horror. Five of them were sitting in a wide circle and reading gross, horror stories that sends chills up your spine. Playing ouija board, narrating scary stories and creeping out of the house at the dead of the night were usual traditions that the girls would follow on the night of halloween.

Leslie Brown, Kymara Belle, Rosamund Mary, Maya Hale and Clare Robinson sat still in a room with lights off, with a single candle lit upon the wooden table. " Well, lets hope the spirits have mercy upon us today, for they visit the mankind on the night of halloween looking for entertainment. Little does the mankind know that the spirits are bound to take one of them forever." said Maya with ghostly concern on her pale face. Maya and her family stood staunch upon their ancestral beliefs which suggests that ghost and spirits were real. She had even claimed that she once had a proper conversation with her dead ancestors. Not so surprisingly, the others girls shook their heads and rolled their eyes. "Oh please just stop with those fake beliefs already. " said Rose, who was the bravest of them all and had no time for nonsense. "Lets just continue with horror story we were reading lest Clare will soon yell for help ." she continued, pointing at the petrified Clare. The others girls agreed and shared and read stories to their hearts content but little did they know about the unpredictable fate awaiting them....

" Iam feeling sleepy. I think iam going to bed." said Leslie yawning, lieing down on the floor . " Uh oh. We shant sleep until we did something spooky enough. Come on girl, its halloween. Get into the spirit and wake up, sleepyhead." ranted Kymara , sticking her tongue out. Maya, on the other hand was quiet the entire time, her eyes focused and steady, she said," I dont think we should. None of us are safe this night. My inner eye warns me about the horrifying events going to happen today. Seriously guys, just trust me on this. " " Do you always have to be like this? It doesnt hurt to be normal for once you know. Come on guys lets go out." said Rose, walking towards the door to head out but found her path blocked by the determined Maya. "I shant let you. You have to fight me."

Her friends were now annoyed. Maya was being stupid. Rose, growing more furious by minute, retorted, " Dont you understand? There are no such things as spirits. I dont want my halloween spoiled by your stupid inner eye! No place, not even a graveyard contains something a little harmful."

" Please...." croaked Maya, her tears streaming down, while Rose hastily pushed her out.

" Anyone wants to spend a night with me in a graveyard? We can finally knock some sense into our friend."

" Yeah well, I guess there is no harm in it so count me in. Oh and we will let you know if a monster or something attacks us." Kymara said, with an ignorant care, oblivious to Maya's state.

"Anyone else?" asked Rose.

" Umm...Thats a little too much for halloween dont you think? We could go someplace fun" suggested Leslie. But Rose was indignant.

So there. They took their sleeping bags, some snacks and a video camera and journeyed to the creepiest graveyard available. " Its getting pretty chilly.....brrrr ..."

The graveyard was vast. Huge white tombstones stood neatly aligned, with the names of bygone people etched on it and the respective person lying underneath it. Dark woods were right behind it, looking creepy as ever with eerie winds and thunder bestowing upon it.

The two girls set to explore graveyard , occasionally crying out the names of dead people they knew.

A little while later Rose yawned. " Well, lets take a rest now. I am kind of bored. Kymara? Hello? Kymara? " called out Rose. But there was no sign of her. A few minutes later, there was a sudden movement in the woods and rustling of leaves. Rose stood still. " Kymara?"

She crept towards the woods, scrutinizing into the darkness. Then she heard a rasping voice " Rossee...." it called out.

Rose knew she had to dash but there was something in the rasping voice which made her stand still. The voice was oddly familiar. Before she could figure anything out, a shadow crept behind her, approaching her. Her adrenaline shot up and she sprinted, screaming for help.

She ran and ran and finally found a fainted Kymara lying on a tombstone. Shaking her, she shouted, " There is something wrong with this place ...wake up ..please please..." .Kymara stirred and finally awoke, rubbing her eyes, not recollecting how she had gotten there. The rasping shadows arrived. This time there were four of them" Rosseeee..... your life is the one we need...." .

"We have to get out of here. Fast, run!" screamed Rose. The girls ran but try as they might , the exit from the graveyard was nowhere to be seen.

There were huge rocks situated at the entry of woods. Sensing more danger and no escape, the girls hastily climbed up the rocks, reaching a barren land.

One, two, three hours passed, the shadows seemed to have quited on them. The sleepy eyelids of the girls soon shut.

One of the girls woke up out of fear.

.......... .......... ............ .......... .......... .......... .. ..........

Rose paced around, trying to make sense of the happenings. It cant be real. It just cannot.

If it is, why on earth would the rasping shadows with familiar voices want her life? And how come Maya predicted it? The whole story just doesnt make sense. Who would have thought that so much happened in just few hours?

A little while later, Kymara awoke and sat beside Rose, putting out different theories.

" So its true. Spirits, ghosts are real and Maya wasnt being weird. Oh my god! " exclaimed Kymara. " and according to her, someone is in danger. " she continued , shivering.

Rose nodded when a thunder erupted, throwing them into the cave, unhurt.

Rose felt something on her hand and she noticed something written on it.' REVENGE' .

Little beads of sweat broke out on her brow. The girls freaked out, ran deeper into the cave. Complete darkness overcame them but they ran and ran until the hit a hard wall.

Kymara switched on her flashlight. They did not hit a hard wall, it was a large tombstone with many others beside it.

Rose paralysed as she read the name on the tombstone. Her stomach did a double somersault. What she saw made her hair prickle. ' Maya Hale' - died on 2019, a year ago. The same time they became her friend.

She suddenly recognized the rasping voice she had heard earlier. It was something like Maya's.

To be continued..........