James opened his eyes to see a little girl standing above him. He groaned as he lifted his body upright. "We gotta get out of here, little girl! Someone murdered my friends in
The little girl stood there, looking demure and suddenly she began crying, but instead of tears, blood flowed down her cheeks. "Why have you disturbed the dead?" She asked in a soft, crackling voice.
James stumbled backward when he saw her crying blood and heard her question. He turned and began to run when suddenly a rope slid around his neck. James reached his hands up to pull the rope away when cold hands grasped his wrists and held them against his back. While he struggled to free his hands, the rope tightened around his neck. James felt his body being lifted from the ground until he dangled in the air. As his life came to a close, James saw the little girl standing below the tree with tears of blood still streaming down her face. Then he saw a soldier who missed an eye appear next to her. The soldier placed his arm around the little girl as the Confederate and Union Soldiers that had chased him appeared on the other side of her. Then, as if by magic, the graves began popping open, and the dead came from them. The ghostly figures of men, women, and children, dressed in clothing from the 1800's, floated above the ground as they gathered in a circle, watching the life of James end. They wailed, and it was as if the wind carried their voices.
"Help!" James cried once, but as the rope tightened around his neck, cutting the air from him, he could not cry out for long. As the last light of life ebbed from James, he saw the ghosts of Adam, Mark, Eddy, and Tim, walking down the old dirt road.
Chapter Five
Mark woke up the next morning hearing cries of his mother from the living room. He jumped from the bed and hurried out of his bedroom. When he reached the front room, he saw Adam sitting on the sofa with his parents while Eddy and Tim's parents sat in nearby chairs. As he searched the room further, his heart gave to fear after realizing that James, Eddy, and Tim were
"Mama, where is James?" Mark asked with anxiety building.
"Mark, son." Mark's father walked to Mark and placed his hand on his shoulder. "When was the last time you saw James, Eddy, and Tim?"
"We walked to the old graveyard last night together, but Adam and I went a different direction. We ran into Tim and Eddy later, and the four of us walked here. Tim and Eddy said that James had already left the graveyard. I am not sure of the time."
Adam looked at his the other boys' parents, as his father said, "Jack, I've called the police and told them Adam's story. They are sending an officer out to the old church."
Jack nodded as he grabbed his jacket and looked at his wife, "Marie, honey, why don't you and the women stay here."
Marie and the other women stood, withdrawn, yet determined expressions as Marie replied, "We're going." Then, the women turned and walked out of the door. Jack looked at the other two men and frowned, "Let's go."
Chapter Six
On the way to the old church, Mark had a bad feeling about James. He sat staring out the window, not saying a word, but simply eyed the sides of the road. When they arrived at the old church, a police officer pulled up behind them.
The officer introduced himself. "I am Officer Lonny Miller."
Jack explained to Officer Miller, "My son was here last evening, and he never made it home. These people's boys were with him, and they never returned either."
The officer frowned and cleared his throat. "Please remain here a moment." Before he turned away, he gave Jack a sympathetic look.
Mark felt a lump in his throat as he looked at the old abandoned church. Suddenly he thought he saw a flicker of light coming from a top floor of the church, but then he blinked, and it was gone. He decided it was his imagination, and refocused on his parents and the officer. Mark watched the officer speak into a microphone attached to his radio, and he somehow knew he would not return to his father with the good news.
"Sir, I am going to take a look around. Why don't you all remain here until I return?"
"Our sons are lost. This graveyard was the last place they were. I'm not staying put," Tim's father, Grant, informed Officer Miller.
As they walked, Grant held his wife, Leslie, while Eddy's parents, William, and Theresa followed them. Jack and Marie walked behind them with Adam and Mark bringing up the rear.
They walked a fair distance until they stopped at a broken down tombstone. The grave appeared to be freshly dug but uncovered.
Jack looked into the large grave and then cried, "James! No! My son that's my son!"
Marie crumpled into her husband's arms. He then heard the others scream and cry. "What happened to them?" Grant asked as he held Leslie in his arms.
"Look at their expressions; they were terrified of something!" William groaned.
Officer Miller shook his head. "There doesn't appear to be any visible marks on them, I see no blood, ah, nothing which looks like a weapon, nothing." The officer grasped his radio and called into his headquarters. "We have three bodies in a large open grave."
He turned back and then said, "I need you all to clear the area while I tape it off."
The men pulled themselves back together as they gently led their wives to two old benches not far from the large grave which held their dead boys.
Chapter Seven
Mark stood behind one of the benches; a bright reflection caught his eye from a full-length window on the top story of the church. When he focused on the window, he gasped. There stood a little girl in a pale green dress, holding a doll, and sucking her thumb. As Mark looked at her, he noticed that a gaping hole appeared in her stomach area. "Adam!"
Adam followed Mark's pointed finger, and he too saw the ghostly appreciation. He swallowed hard as suddenly, ghostly apparitions of James, Tim, and Eddy appeared just behind her. Tim had a sword in his head, Eddy's body seemed broken, with bones sticking from it, and twisted, and James' head lay sideways as if his neck were broken. Their cold eyes glared down at Adam and Mark, as an eery, dark voice whispered in the wind, "Never Disturb The Dead."
The two boys looked at each other with fright, and then back to the window, but the ghosts were gone.
"Aye!" Mark screamed and pointed at the window, but Adam grabbed his hand, forcing it to his side, and then pulled Mark against him. "Shhh, shhh, don't tell. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. And even if it were, nobody will believe us."
As Adam held Mark, they each looked at the body of James with his dead friends. "What happened to them?" Mark asked.
"The ghosts got them," Adam answered shakily. "They must have done something to upset the ghosts. I think that's why we're still alive. Whatever they did, we did not do, or else, we would be dead alongside them."
And then the dark, ominous voice danced through the wind once more. They disturbed the Dead.
A Message from the Author
I hope you enjoyed Disturbing the Dead; If you enjoyed this offering, please check out my other work.
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About The Author
Lisa Vandiver lives in Tupelo with her husband, Matthew, their daughter, Keira, one cuddly Calico, four feisty little dogs, and three horses. Lisa enjoys Geo-Caching, attending her daughter’s Equestrian events, and homeschooling.
Lisa writes multi-genre stories, serves as coordinating producer and co-host of Deadly Reads Radio. Look for Lisa on YouTube with Deadly Reads Podcasts.
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