The Graveyard Shift

The time was 7:45 PM exactly, on one sided town Vernon Cutter was sat at his kitchen table tying his work boots. His wife hands him his 'Lunch' "Careful out there, it's Halloween you know, when all the ghosts come out to play " She says with a grin on her face. "Don't be silly" He replied with a soft laugh as he stood up and throws on his jacket. "I'll see you in the morning" He says before planting a soft kiss on her forehead and heading out the door towards his car. On the other side of town Carl Laurner was sat in his car scowling out the window waiting for the frost on his windshield to clear, he could see his own breath. “I'm regretting this decision already “He tells himself. Carl never works on Halloween, at least not until today. There is a work 'Emergency' the boss had told them, "I don't work on Halloween" Carl had replied to him but he would get Vernon to help him and world pay him double for missing his sons first trick or treating, So he reluctantly agreed. 

Halt an hour later Vernon and Carl both pull up to the local Cemetery, They park and get out to meet each other.

 "It should be illegal to work when it's this cold" says Carl.

 "Work is work, think of the money" replied Vernon with a laugh.

"If you weren't such a sacredly cat, I wouldn't have to work today at all, what’s the emergency anyway? " Added Vernon as he led the way towards the gate. 

Carl refuses to reply as it would only upset sensitive old Vernon, He pulls out a key from his boot. 

"Why are you keeping the key in your boot? Also why in the hell is the gate even locked?" asked Vernon.

"Because it's Halloween" Answered Carl as he unlocked the gate.

"you've worked nights in this graveyard five years longer than I have, you've heard all kinds of terrible things but you still get Spooked on Halloween. Why?" asked Vernon.

“I just have a bad feeling about it...” Whispered Carl scowling at the visible breath coming from his mouth. 

“Best be getting to work then” Vernon said unenthusiastically as he gave Carl and friendly smack on the back “Hurry up and open the gate” He added. 

Carl opens the gate, his hands already shaking from the cold, he slowly unlocks the gate, as he hears the clanking of the chain dropping and the gate opening his whole body shivers as he steps through into the graveyard. Vernon claps his hands “You get the backhoe, i’ll mark up where we need to dig, we’ve got our work cut out for us tonight” Vernon exclaims. 

Carl nods and faintly replies with an “OK” before heading over to the large shed in the far left corner and unlocking the shed, he walks inside and hops onto the ‘Tractor’ before starting it up and slowly driving it forward out of the shed, pin pointing Vernon he drives towards a dark open space under a large oak tree where Vernon was sectioning off four separate graves to start digging. Carl remembers the terrible true tale his boss had had to tell him not a few hours earlier, a family of four had been murdered only a few miles from their quiet, homely town. Carl edges the ‘tractor’ as close as he can to the graveyard, lining it up to the edge of the grave, he swears he stepped on the break but it doesn’t stop, there is a sudden scream as the backhoe falls backwords into a deep hole in the ground exactly where Vernon had marked it off. 

“What the hell!?” Carl exclaimed loudly before he could even process what had just happened, He hopped out of the ‘tractor’ and stumbles back with wide eyes and a hand over his mouth. Before him he could see the tractor fallen into a large hole, with Vernon’s bloody arm poking out of the side. A very soft cackled laughing could be heard in the distance but Carl looks around and couldn’t see anything.

Carl already felt like something like this would happen “Nothing good ever happens on Halloween” He whispered to himself. He puts his fingers to the corners of his mouth and manages a soft whistle. Not one minute later a shadowy figure looked as if it had jumped down from the sky, once the smoked cleared he could clearly see tall woman in a long black lace dress, holding a broomstick in one hand and in the other all he could see was what seemed to be a ball of yellow glow. She smiled as her eyes glow red and she said “What soul do you have for me this time” She asked before Carl pointed towards was used to be his best friend as he turned his back on the whole scene. “Hurry up, take it and leave me alone” Said Carl. The creepy grin never left her face as she smiles wider and wider making her sharp teeth clearer and clearer. A tear ran down Carl’s cheek as he covered his ears and closed his eyes but he could still faintly hear the tearing and the chewing. As he stood there gritting his teeth he felt a cold chill flow through him as the witch turned back into a shadow figure and disappeared back into the sky in front of him. He looked back and the tractor was back on the level grass, four graves were dug and Vernon’s body was gone. 

“I guess I’m suppose to say thank you for doing my job for me...” He says to himself with a sniff before shakily getting back into the tractor and putting it back where it belongs, He locks the shed behind him and walks back over to the oak tree, he falls to his knees and quietly repeats a prayer to himself before begging the heavens for forgiveness. He sits by the graves and pulls out a small bottle of whiskey from his other boot, he gulps three times and holds it to his chest, He waits until morning to leave, making sure no-one else enters the graveyard on Halloween. In the morning he goes back to his freezing cold car, waiting for it to warm up he grabs a piece of paper and a pen from the messy floor of his old car. He starts writing a letter for Vernon’s wife and daughter, ‘My beautiful girls...’ He begins, He goes on to apologise from Vernon, he explains how he must go away, how they are not to look for him as he’s organising a special surprise. Carl folds the piece of paper and shakily puts it into his breast pocket. He drives to Vernon’s house, luckily for him it was early and no-one was awake yet. He slips the paper through the letterbox and hurridly drives away. 

Arriving back home he sniffs, wipes his eyes, nose and takes a deep breath before heading for the door, he unlocks the door, steps inside quietly closes the door behind him. His wife and son are already awake, they are sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, while his waited on the table. “Welcome home” His wife says smiling towards him.

“Daddy!” yells the little boy as he jumps up and runs to hug his father. Carl smiled for the first time that night and got down on his knee to hug his little boy, he held him tight to his chest as if he was happily surprised that his son was still there. He gives a sigh of relief and says “You’re safe now...for another 5 years”.