Box of Bones
Page 7
And how the hell had he put me in one? I could only speculate, but I imagine he would have enlisted the help of a friend, or perhaps several friends. They would have been comfortable traversing the cliff face, given they’d grown up with the mountainous terrain out here. They likely would have been drinking beer and laughing at the “fucker American” who came to their country to take their girls.
I looked up the precipitous wall, then down it, to the ground. It was far too sheer to ascend or descend without a rope. Nevertheless, that didn’t matter. I knew where I was now. I simply had to wait for Ava or the Edward Sharp to call me back. They would send the police or firefighters or whoever the hell you called to bail you out of a hanging coffin.
Instinctively, I felt my pockets for my iPhone before my eyes fell on it at the foot end of the coffin—or at least what remained of it.
“No…” I whispered as I knelt forward and scooped up the shattered screen, the smashed circuit board, the freed battery, knowing immediately the phone was broken beyond repair.
Slumping onto my butt, I stared myopically at the green carpet of forested jungle that unfurled away from me far below. I told myself this couldn’t be happening, I didn’t just survive the night believing I was buried alive to end up stranded on the side of a cliff face, I told myself this again and again, and when I couldn’t stand listening to myself any longer, I began to scream.
EPILOGUE
Many of the hanging coffins in the Philippines predate the arrival of the Spanish, and some are alleged to be over two thousand years old. The unusual funeral custom is still practiced today by members of the indigenous Igorot tribe. A common belief is that the higher the body is “buried,” the closer it is to the tribe’s ancestral spirits. However, suspending a coffin from a cliff face also prevented dogs from digging up the corpse, and rival tribes in Kalinga and the eastern Bontoc provinces from violating them when headhunting was a common practice.
The procedure begins before death, with the elderly being given the undesirable task of carving their own coffin. When they die, their body is tied with rattan and vines to a wooden sangadil, or death chair, covered with a blanket, and placed at the front door of their house, so relatives can pay their respects. The vigil is performed over several days, during which time the corpse is smoked to slow decomposition, as well as mask the smell. Afterward the corpse is placed inside the coffin in a fetal position, with the knees pushed up toward the chin, as the Igorot believe a person should depart the world the same way they entered it. The coffin is then carried to the burial site, with mourners vying to smear themselves with the blood of the deceased, which they believe will bring them good fortune. At the end of the procession a group of young men scale the face of the chosen cliff, chip holes into the rock, hammer in supports, then place the coffin on the supports, where it is meant to rest undisturbed for eternity.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for taking the time to read Box of Bones. If you enjoyed the story, it would be wonderful if you could leave a review on the Amazon product page. Reviews might not matter much to the big-name authors, but they can really help the small guys to grow their readership.
Also, please check out the books in the award-winning “World’s Scariest Places” series below:
BOOK 1: SUICIDE FOREST
SUICIDE FOREST IS REAL - ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK
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Just outside of Tokyo lies Aokigahara, a vast forest and one of the most beautiful wilderness areas in Japan...and also the most infamous spot to commit suicide in the world. Legend has it that the spirits of those many suicides are still roaming, haunting deep in the ancient woods.
When bad weather prevents a group of friends from climbing neighboring Mt. Fuji, they decide to spend the night camping in Aokigahara. But they get more than they bargained for when one of them is found hanged in the morning—and they realize there might be some truth to the legends after all.
“In Bates’ (The Taste of Fear, 2012, etc.) horror novel, a simple excursion into a reputedly haunted forest turns into a nightmare when people start dying in conspicuously unnatural ways. Ethan Childs, an American teaching English in Tokyo for the last four years, plans to climb Mount Fuji with girlfriend, Mel, and a few pals. But when a looming storm nixes the outing, Israeli tourists Ben and Nina convince the group to join them on a hike through nearby Aokigahara Jukai. The forest is infamous for an incredibly high number of suicides, reportedly in the hundreds per year, and some believe the ghosts of the dead haunt it. What begins as an unsettling ambience (there are no sounds of animals or any trace of wind) quickly gives way to serious, tangible threats when one of the party members dies from an apparent suicide. Ethan and company are soon lost, and the noises they hear in the woods either confirm the existence of ghosts, or perhaps worse, mean that a murderer is tracking them down. Readers may recognize a slasher-film vibe—people willingly go into the creepy woods—and familiar characters...But Bates’ approach to the story is surprisingly restrained, cultivating impressive frights in the unnerving environment...No one is sure whether the unseen villain is human or apparition or whether they are simply victims of unfortunate circumstances...Bates’ choice to avoid brazen scares makes for an understated horror story that will remind readers what chattering teeth sound like.”
- Kirkus Reviews
BOOK 2: THE CATACOMBS
WELCOME TO THE EMPIRE OF THE DEAD
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Paris, France, is known as the City of Lights, a metropolis renowned for romance and beauty. Beneath the bustling streets and cafés, however, exists The Catacombs, a labyrinth of crumbling tunnels filled with six million dead.a
When a video camera containing mysterious footage is discovered deep within their depths, a group of friends venture into the tunnels to investigate. But what starts out as a lighthearted adventure takes a turn for the worse when they reach their destination--and stumble upon the evil lurking there.
“Some books use different approaches to characterization as their ‘hook’ and others have a twist to their plot, but few sport the attraction of The Catacombs, a novel in ‘The World’s Scariest Places’ series, set in the catacombs of Paris. Why should the setting be such a draw? Because in creating a story that revolves strongly upon a sense of place (and an unusual place, at that), it succeeds in making a horror story like none other. There really could be no better place for horror than the Catacombs, when you think about it: an ancient burial place for the dead, they hold antique mysteries and a foreboding reputation as “the world’s largest grave”...The first-person story of growth and challenge fuels the underlying horror in The Catacombs: readers live every footstep, every decision, and every uncertainty in a gripping story that is hard to put down. The protagonist, a feisty female whose new moniker is ‘Stork Girl’, is anything but staid and retiring and drives a story replete with as many twists and turns as the Catacombs themselves hold. It’s the ‘you are there’ feel that creates compelling tension throughout... Readers don’t just follow the story line; they are in the Catacombs right there with the protagonists, reliving the decisions and choices that come with exploring the unknown...If it’s one thing that can be said about The Catacombs, it’s that the combination of a back-and-forth perspective that enhances overall events and a focus on action that is less than anticipated makes for a read that will delight horror fans who want their novels steeped in psychological suspense as well as action.”
- Midwest Book Review
BOOK 3: HELLTOWN
NO ONE LEAVES ALIVE
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Since the 1980s there have been numerous reports of occult activity and other possibly supernatural phenomenon within certain villages and townships of Summit County, Ohio—an area collectively known as Helltown.
When a group of out-out-town friends investigating the legends are driven off t
he road by a mysterious hearse, their night of cheap thrills turns to chills as they begin to die one by one.
“I just tore through Helltown by Jeremy Bates and I have to tell you—I am fast becoming a fan! The latest in Bates' World's Scariest Places books is a bloody romp through backwoods horrors and Satanic Terrors. Reminiscent of books by Richard Laymon, the story telling is hard and fast, barely leaving you any breathing room between thrills. Now this one isn't quite as epic as some of the others. While we get a little of the history of Helltown, I wanted more history to add to the atmosphere. This is a little more of one of those 1970's horror flicks starring Ernest Borgnine mixed with a little Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Still supremely cool, but I did miss the history and the atmosphere that Bates had in his books in Japan and Paris. Nitpicking aside, this is still good, gruesome horror. And the fact that it takes place in a place you could actually visit only adds to the fun. I'm on board for whatever Bates throws at us next!”
- OulawPoet [Top 1000 Reviewer Vine Voice]
BOOK 4: ISLAND OF THE DOLLS
THE CREEPIEST ISLAND ON EARTH
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Deep within an ancient Aztec canal system on the outskirts of Mexico City lies Isla de las Munecas...a reportedly haunted island infested with thousands of decrepit dolls.
While there to film a television documentary, several friends discover a brutal murder. Soon fear and paranoia turn them against one another—even as the unknown killer stalks them throughout the longest night of their lives.
“Island of the Dolls adds to the ‘World's Scariest Places’ series with Book Four. Each book’s setting is actually a real-world place, and so Isla de las Mune-cas (the Island of the Dolls) is actually a floating garden in Mexico. A legend about a drowned girl and dolls that haunt the premises forms the foundation for a gripping story that is a fine addition to the series, but also stands well on its own, making it an attraction for newcomers.
The tale opens with a little girl’s near-drowning and the threat from gruesome dolls that leads her to flee. The compelling opener immediately shifts to the first person as the protagonist awakens from a nightmare and an alcoholic binge from the night before. He’s part of an ad hoc TV documentary group that has come to investigate the legend of an area haunted by dolls, but the truth is even more bizarre when they find themselves immersed in murder, mayhem, and a legend that may prove all too real for comfort…
Thriller fans and readers of Stephen King, Joe Lansdale, and other masters of the art will find much to love in this highly recommended, action-packed read.”
- Midwest Book Review
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeremy Bates is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than a dozen novels and novellas, which have been translated into several languages and downloaded more than one million times. He has won both an Australian Shadows Award and a Canadian Arthur Ellis Award. He was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book awards decided by readers. His debut novel reached #1 in the Amazon Kindle Store, while the novels in the “World’s Scariest Places” series are set in real locations, and so far include Suicide Forest in Japan, The Catacombs in Paris, Helltown in Ohio, and Island of the Dolls in Mexico. You can check out any of these places on the web, or visit his website at: JEREMYBATESBOOKS.COM