Dancing Bones

Dancing Bones

”No,” I tell Amber. “You’re ridiculous.” We’re sitting cross-legged in her extravagant bedroom, Amber grinning like a fool.

”Why not? Scared?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I poke her stomach. “Yes.”

Amber rolls her vibrant blue eyes. ”And here I was, convinced that you were braver than this.”

I cough out a laugh and tuck a lock of red hair behind my ear. “Bravery and stupidity are two sides of the same coin.”

”Come on Kat!” Amber shoves me playfully. “If you agree, I bet I can get James to come too.” When she says his name, my stomach fills with butterflies. I bite my lip and blush. Amber giggles at my expression. “Why don’t you tell him how you feel?” she asks seriously.

Easy for you to say, I think to myself. Amber is absolutely beautiful, with straight, glossy, jet-black hair to her chin, tan skin, cute freckles, and dark blue eyes. She oozes confidence, is so sweet, and funny. I am pale, with long reddish hair and green/brown eyes. I’m smart, but not much fun to hang around unless I’m comfortable around you.

”I’m not going to the graveyard.” Even mentioning that cursed place sends shivers down my spine and raises goosebumps. I grab Amber’s comforter off her bed, wrap it around me, and sit back down.

”Why not?” she whines.

My mouth goes dry. I try to swallow, and fail. “Will,” I say quietly. My eyes sting and my stomach turns.

”That was six years ago, and we were kids. The...boogeyman that we thought we saw was a product of our imagination. It was a terrible man, and we couldn’t comprehend that bad people existed so we imagined the claws, the teeth, the...eyes.” Amber goes quiet too. We sit, staring at the carpet.

”We still lost a friend that day. And we still lost him at the graveyard. And I’m not going and I don’t understand why you want to!” The words start to rush out, and I start to shout.

She doesn’t look at me. “I...I want to prove to myself that I can get passed that. That the memory of that place won’t always haunt me.”

”Exposer therapy?” I suggest, and then laugh quietly.

”Sort of,” she says, shrugging. Amber sighs. “Lately, I‘ve been having these dreams. It’s dark, and cold, and windy. I’m at the graveyard. I can see stars, but there’s not a moon. Then I realize that I’m at the graveyard. And Will is next to me. But he’s not...Will.“ I raise an eyebrow questioningly. “He’s not ten, I should say. He’s sixteen, like us. All grown up.

“I try to give him a hug, but he steps away. That’s when I look at his eyes. They aren’t the soft, brown color I remember. They’re...his eyes. The boogeyman’s eyes. Red, empty, cold. And then I wake up. Screaming.

”For some reason, I think that if I go to the graveyard and see that he’s not there, the nightmares will go away. But I’m not strong enough to go alone.” Amber looks up at me with tears in her eyes. Her voice wavers and cracks. “Please, go with me, Kat. I need you!”

“But on Halloween? On the anniversary of all of this?”

Amber nods. “It needs to be tonight.”

”What aren’t you telling me Amber?” I scoot over to her and put my arm over her shoulders.

She starts to cry. Really cry. “Every night, Will is holding a knife. And every night, he takes a step closer to me. Last night, the knife was at my throat Kat.” Amber sobs.

”And you think that if you go to sleep tonight without going to the graveyard, you’ll...” I can’t finish the sentence. “...you won’t wake up.” Amber nods, then puts her head in her hands. “I’ll go with you.” I tell her softly.

With my mom out of town, I’ve been staying with Amber, in her big sister’s old room, who left for college a couple of months ago. I thought I had heard something the past few nights, but I had no idea it was Amber or else...

”Let’s get ready for tonight,” I say, rubbing my hand on her back. I stand up, and start packing.

I get my backpack and shove flashlights and blankets in there. I run downstairs and grab a couple of granola bars from the kitchen. While in there, I see a knife block. Don’t be ridiculous, Kat. But then the temperature in the kitchen drops and it feels like someone’s watching me. I turn around violently, but no one’s there. I face the knife block and grab a huge butcher knife.

I run back up the stairs and find Amber, calm and composed. She walks around the bedroom, tossing her things in a purple backpack. I lean against the doorframe and cross my arms, smiling. “What time will we leave?” I ask her.

She looks up at me. “As soon as the sun sets, so probably around 7:30 or so.”

It’s amazing to me how quickly she can change her attitude, from chaos to calm. Like a hurricane. She looks up at me, looking at her. “What?” Amber asks, smiling softly. My stomach fills with butterflies, the same way when James smiles at me.

She stops smiling and falls.

“Amber!” I rush over to her.

”Sorry, it’s really difficult to keep myself together sometimes. I’m just so scared Kat.”

I hug her tightly to me. “You don’t have to pretend around me. I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay?”

As soon as the sun sets, Amber says goodnight to her mom. She gIves her a kiss and a tight hug, telling her that we‘ll be home soon. She gets teary as she tells her mom to tell her dad and big sister that she loves them.

I grab her hand and practically drag her out of the house. As soon as we shut the door, she puts her head on my shoulder and starts to cry, quietly. I turn to her and cup her face with my hands.

”You will be alright, ok? You’re going to see you’re mom again, and dad, and sister, and everything is going to be ok. We just have to get through tonight.” Amber nods. I wipe away a tear with my thumb.

The night is chill. The trees are bare, and leaves litter the ground. Little kids dressed as goblins, ghosts, and ghouls run around laughing. Amber gets choked up, watching them.

I lean close to her. “Remember when we were that little?”

”So innocent, unaware of what the future holds. I miss it.” Amber grabs my hand.

The wind blows harder, and air gets colder, and the streets grow quieter as we get closer to the graveyard. The gates are padlocked, but they are only six feet tall. I give Amber a boost, and then climb up. I drop down, and then grab my ankles and curse.

”You okay?” Amber puts her hand on my back.

”Fine, thanks.” I stand up. “Where are you, during the dream?”

She shivers. “Near his grave.”

Will’s body was never found, but his grandmother still wanted a funeral. She died, the first of this month. I wonder if that’s what started Amber’s dreams. A vengeful ghost...

We climb up a hill, and reach his grave. I open up my backpack and take out a blanket. I lay it out, and we sit down like a picnic. She rests her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her.

Eventually, her phone rings. Caller ID identifies it as her mom. She hangs up. Her dad calls, and then her sister. Amber ignores them all. Then I get calls, but I don’t bother to even look at my phone.

After what feels like hours of us sitting there, holding each other, I feel Amber tense up. “He’s here,” she whispers. I look around frantically, and see two red dots shining the the pitch blackness. Amber sits up and looks at me. I hand her a flashlight, and I grab the knife I packed.

The red lights grow larger. He gets closer. “Kat, I’m scared.”

The trembling in her voice breaks my heart. I lean forward, and kiss her. Amber kisses me back. I pull her closer to me for a minute, and then lean back.

”Amber, you need to run.”

She looks panicked. “I’m not leaving—“

”Yes you are. It’s you he’s after, so he might not hurt me. Run, and I’ll fight. I’ll meet you back at your house. I love you.”

She bites her lip, and tears run down her cheeks. “I love you too, Kat.”

I stand up, holding her hand, pulling her up with me. I put my hand on her cheek and kiss her again. My chest warms despite the cold, despite the danger.

And then I push her away. “Go,” I tell her softly.

Amber runs away, and I run towards the eyes. My own eyes adjust, and I can see his frame. It is Will. He’s as tall as an adult, and his hair is longer, but his nose, lips, eyes are the same.

”Will,” I say, my voice cracking.

He smiles at me. “Kitty-Kat,” his menacing voice says. Will reaches for me, outstretching his hand.

I touch his hand softly, but pull away. His hands were so cold that they burned. I curse from the pain. He laughs.

”You’re not Will.” I accuse him.

He tilts his head. “No, your precious Will died, when you and Amber and Henry abandoned him here that fateful day. My old body was decaying, and his was young and strong. His soul was tough too, delicious to devour.”

Tears pour unwillingly from my eyes. The creature takes a step towards me, and I catch a glint. The shine of metal. I gasp when I see the huge knife he’s holding.

I raise my own knife shakily. “Oooh, I fighter, is she? Much stronger than six years ago, huh? Maybe something made you stronger. Love, perhaps? Such a disgusting cliche, but truthful nonetheless.”

Amber. My hand starts to shake terribly, and the knife falls. He laughs, which is more of a hiss. I turn and run. I run faster than I ever have before. My feet pound steadily on the ground, my lungs burn and the cold air stabs my them.

The creatures fingers wrap around the collar of my shirt and pull me backwards. The cold metal kisses my throat. I can feels it’s breath on my ear. I cry, terrified.

”I don’t want to die,” I plead.

The creature laughs and presses the blade harder to my throat. I feel blood run down and a slight sting.

”Kat!” I hear Amber scream. The knife leaves my throat, and the creature turns towards her voice.

”No!” I say to the creature. “Leave her alone!” I shout.

The creature ignores me and walks towards her. I can see Amber now, not too far away. She gasps, and I know that she sees him too. I put my hands on the creatures chest and look at Amber over my shoulder. “Run!” I yell. She doesn’t move. “Amber, I’ll be fine. Run!” Amber turns around and runs.

The demon smiles at me. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he tells me, right before he shoves his blade into my heart.

It’s so cold. Why is the world spinning? I fall backwards, and see the creature walk after Amber. I love you Amber. Please hurry.