Terror filled her, and Charlotte second guessed herself. Maybe she should have just gone without Billy. She squinted in the direction of the sounds but still saw nothing. She took a few halting steps forward, hoping she would draw close enough for the flashlight to reveal something, but she was ready to go. She’d wasted too much time and gotten nothing out of it.

Fresh dirt, scattered around, appeared at the far reaches of her light, and she moved with purpose again. That had to be where Billy had fallen. He’d disturbed the pile of freshly dug ground, and that had made it more difficult for her to find the right spot, she was sure of it.

In her haste, Charlotte tripped and fell to her knees. She caught herself with her hands, and her phone went flying several feet away from her. She cursed under her breath, wanting to cry and sucking it up. As she turned to look at what had caused her fall, she frowned. She couldn’t make it out without the light, and she reached down to feel for it.

It moved when she touched it, and she cringed. But it had just slid out of her reach, and she grabbed it. A twig? No, it was too smooth for that. She pulled it closer to her face and screamed, tossing it aside.

A bone!

She crab-walked backward, away from where she’d tripped, seeing several similar items there. Clamoring to her feet, she spun, seeing her phone a few feet away and diving for it. Had someone dug up an old body? Was that what this empty gravesite was?

The groan behind her was louder, closer, and it made her jump. Fear ran cold through her veins, but she’d come this far. She wasn’t going to leave Billy now. Rushing to the side of the hole, she peered down, shining her flashlight. But her battery died, and the phone shut off. “No, no, no!” she cried, whimpering. She couldn’t see anything at all.

A dim light came from below. Did Billy have his phone? Could he reach it? He must have as a shadow appeared in front of her. “Oh, thank go—”

She stopped, strangled, as she took in what was in front of her. An empty coffin, a translucent figure standing in it and staring at her with shining, demonic eyes. The skeletal body looked like it would fall apart at any moment, and yet, it seemed unnaturally strong. The jaw moved, opening wide and emitting a terrible roar.

Charlotte screamed.

One bony hand reached out, grabbed her ankle, and pulled. She fell and clawed at the ground, kicking with one foot and trying to get away as it yanked her toward the grave. She fought, but the dirt was too loose for her to catch hold, and her nails broke as she tried harder to get free. She cried out again as the bones of the other hand encircled her free ankle, and her chin hit the ground as she was tugged into the hole.

Pain shot through her jaw, jarred her head, but she rolled over, still determined to break free. But the figure stood over her, chanting something she couldn’t understand. It held her down, like an invisible shield, and struggle as she might, she couldn’t escape. She let the panic overtake her, tears streaming down her face as she screamed and cried. But she couldn’t get up and watched in horror as the demon-like figure placed a lid over her. She heard the nails pounded in, locking her into the casket, and she shook her head fiercely, denying her fate.

But she didn’t need to translate the words that carried through the wood in an echo to know the truth. “Tapā'īṁ bhāgna saknuhunna. Timrō bhāgya yō kaphina jastai banda cha. Balidāna dinuparcha.”

You cannot escape. Your fate is sealed like this coffin. The sacrifice must be made

The air was thin and quickly ran out. Charlotte whimpered softly as her consciousness drifted. She shouldn’t have been able to understand the words, but then, she floated in that space between life and death, where all things were possible. Buried alive, she thought as she drew a harsh breath and felt no relief. What an unexpected end.