Do it for the views

“What’s up guys! Welcome back to ‘dareswithLandon’ today we are doing something crazy!”

I clicked the stop button on the camera and walked over to where my guest for this video was waiting. I set the camera up and started recording again,

“For this dare I’m bringing along…”

I swung my arms to the right and she jumped into frame,

“What’s up everyone!”

I smiled,

“My sister Miriam!”

I pulled out my phone and made a show of scrolling through comments, even though I already knew what we were going to be doing.

“Oh! Today’s dare is, staying overnight in a graveyard!”

Miriam faked a gasp and threw her head back,

“Noooo.”

I laughed,

“It’s too late to back out now!”

I turned off the camera and we went inside, Miriam looked at me,

“Are you sure about this?”

I winked at her, making her smile. We spoke simultaneously,

“Do it for the views.”

We finished packing our bags, filled with supplies that the camera wouldn’t see. I shot a video once a week, doing different crazy challenges. Miri showed up most on my channel, she’s supported me from the first subscriber, to the millionth subscriber.

Today, we were staying overnight in a graveyard, “Mason Hill Graveyard” to be exact.

Said to be the most haunted burial ground in all of Colorado. Luckily, Miri and I didn’t believe in ghosts or anything like that, so we’d be fine. What I was worried about, was whether or not the content would be interesting enough. When it comes to YouTube, you either succeed, or you don’t.

She was waiting for me at the door, I had gone to the wrong front door. It was easy to lose each other in a million-dollar-home. She smirked at me,

“Why would I try to leave the house from behind exactly?”

I shrugged, knowing that a blush was rising to my cheeks,

“I don’t know, guess I thought you wanted to walk through the woods first.”

She rolled her eyes but laughed,

“Boys, you’re so terrible at admitting you’re wrong.”

I finger gunned her,

“Darn right we are.”

We laughed and I slung my arm around her shoulders,

“You ready to sleep with the dead?”

She slapped my hand,

“Don’t say it like that you creep.”

Smiling, we walked out the door, just us, and two cameras. Making our way, to a night that we would never forget in the many years to come.

I drove us to the place where we’d stay for the night, we hopped out of my car and stood before the gate. Filming a quick segment of us entering it, we turned the cameras off to set up camp. No tent, people wouldn’t find that interesting in the video.

Two sleeping bags later, we were preparing to continue filming, when we heard something. A branch snapping in the woods that surrounded us. Turning quickly, we scanned the dark trees, only to see nothing. Miri shrugged and turned back to the camera, fiddling with it more,

“Meh, it was probably just a deer.”

I tore my eyes away, knowing my voice would sound uncertain,

“Right, totally.”

Wind blew through the graveyard, pulling our jackets away from our skin, swaying the tall branches over head. We huddled close, shivering as the strong wind gusted through the trees, tugging leaves away from the creaky old trees.

I looked at her, my little sister, her blonde hair blowing across her face, her blue eyes wide with fear.

I almost didn’t see it happen.

I saw her lips trembling with the cold, saw her mouth slightly open, watched, as it opened to let out a scream.

She flew backwards, blood streaming from a cut on her cheek. She went to sit up when something grabbed her. Yelling out to me as it pulled her backwards by her hair. I shot up and raced to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to me. Her hair fell onto her shoulders and we ran to get to the gate,

“What was that!?"

She shook her head, tears falling quickly,

“I don’t know, we need to get out of here!”

I could barely hear her over the whistling of the wind, the sound of my heart racing in my chest. Just as we got to the gate, it slammed shut. I heard voices all around me, murmuring unintelligible nonsense. Muffled screams echoed around us, bouncing off the iron fence. That’s when I saw her, a pale white girl, curly red hair, and dark red eyes. She was staggering towards us, her head tilted, she wore a smile that would’ve scared grown men.

Her body was dripping blood, her tattered dress barely hanging off her shoulders,

“MIRI GET BEHIND ME!”

She turned and saw the ghost, screaming,

“LANDON! THAT’S KATI!”

I took a second look at the demonic figure heading towards us, and realized that she was right. Kati was Miri’s ex best friend, she died years ago in a car accident. She was identical to the girl in front of us.

Suddenly, the girl stopped, throwing back her head and cackling maniacally. I threw my arm around Miriam, putting myself in front of her. I don’t know if I could really call her, her. She, or it, definitely wasn’t human. I saw a knife in her hands, which must’ve been what cut Miri.

We were going to die.

Kati giggled to herself and creeped ever closer to us, the voices and the screams getting louder and louder as she approached. In one leap, she was face to face with me, slicing the blade through the air. I felt a hot pain in my left shoulder and cried out, this was bad. She grabbed me by the neck, her fingernails digging into my flesh,

“You’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

Her voice was shallow, raspy. As if multiple people were talking in the place of one. I clawed at her hand, trying to get her off me,

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

My voice was weak, labored. Miriam tried to pull me off but Kati sunk her weapon into her leg, she fell over, clutching at it and screaming in agony.

“You fool, you’ve awakened spirits of power that you could never understand, you’ve destroyed us all!”

She smiled at me as she began to squeeze. I saw my life flash before my eyes, I really did, I always thought that that was just an expression. Until I was facing death. I saw Miri and I, filming our first YouTube video together, I saw my dad playing dinosaur with us when we were kids.

Then, I saw my sister, so brave and strong, plunge the knife into Kati. Obviously it wouldn’t kill someone that was already dead, but it caused a high pitched screech and laughter. Giving me enough time to wrench myself away from this, whatever she was, ghost, spirit, take your pick.

We bolted to the gate and pulled it open, running out and into the car. I don’t think I’ve ever driven so fast. Miriam curled up in the seat and cried, I rubbed her shoulder, trying to comfort her when I myself was crying too. We got home and dressed our wounds, some of them were deep. I refused to leave her side the rest of the night. How could I?

—————————————————————————————————————

15 years later.

“What’s up everyone, welcome back to another video!”

I shut off the camera as my mom walked in,

“Alex aren’t you supposed to be doing homework?”

I looked at my feet, I was a freshman this year, homework was way harder than last year.

“But Mom-”

She held up her hand,

“Young man I do not want to hear any arguing, you understand me? I agreed to YouTube, if you get your work done first.”

I dropped my head,

“Yes ma’am, I’m sorry, I just got a really good idea for a video.”

She looked at me, her eyebrow raised,

“Really what’s that?”

I smiled,

“Staying overnight in that old graveyard by the soccer field.”

She straightened up, her eyes hardening,

“No, absolutely not, on no account are you to ever set a foot in that cemetery. you hear me? Never.”

I was confused, she usually let me do crazy things for videos,

“Well I-”

“Miri! I have five bags of groceries and I require assistance.”

Uncle Landon, Mom turned and helped him, he came in and greeted me the way he always did. By messing up my hair. She turned to him,

“I was just explaining that he isn’t allowed to go the graveyard.”

His eyes widened and he looked at me,

“You listen to your mother, alright? Don’t go in there. Whatever the situation is, do not.”

They looked at each other, the sun illuminating the scar on moms face. I saw deep and seeded pain in her eyes, nothing but sadness in her expression. I had a feeling there was something that she wasn’t telling me. After a second she sighed and looked at me,

“Just remember kiddo, your life, is more important than YouTube, if it is dangerous, don’t do it for the views.”