Raising the Dead

by Mara Purnhagen

  Avery and I ordered deli trays and fruit platters from a local caterer. Before we could move on to finding the Civil War band my dad wanted, he called. He was going to be at the funeral home for longer than he had anticipated and wanted to know if Avery could drive me to William’s house. “Your mom could use some help, I think.”

  I told him it wouldn’t be a problem. I was eager to see William. I wanted to erase the image of him lying on a stretcher from my mind. I also wanted to find out if he remembered anything else about the attack.

  “Noah thinks the guy who hurt William might come back tonight,” I told Avery as she drove us out of town.

  “I thought about that, too. The police will be busy with Halloween.” She turned down the country road that led to William’s house. “And this place is in the middle of nowhere.”

  “I wonder what he wants.”

  “The attacker? Who knows.”

  It all came back to the coffins. It had to. “This guy showed up after the storm, right? So maybe he knew what was hidden in the caskets. Maybe he’s been waiting for the right time to steal everything.”

  “Makes sense.” Avery slowed down as we approached a dip in the road. “But how did this guy know anything was inside those coffins? Besides bodies, I mean? No one knew.”

  That was true. I cringed at the thought that it was the actual bodies he was after. A modern-day ghoul roaming around town was a disgusting thought. A ghoul on Halloween was worse. Dad had thoroughly questioned me the night before about my belief in the creatures, concerned that I was taking them too seriously. I assured him I wasn’t, which led to a speech about how I shouldn’t dwell on the events in Charleston.

  “I’ll figure this out and you’ll see,” he promised. “There’s a natural explanation.”

  “Sure,” I said. But I knew Dad’s theories would never be strong enough to change my mind. I had glimpsed the paranormal.

  We arrived at William’s house. Mom led us inside to the kitchen, where I was surprised to see Noah. “Hi,” I sputtered, suddenly overcome by a flutter of happy nervousness.

  “William’s napping right now,” Mom explained. “We’re making him lunch.”

  “Grilled cheese and tomato soup,” Noah said. He smiled at Avery. “You here to help?”

  Avery walked over to the stove and picked up a spatula. “Grilled cheese is my specialty.”

  “I know how to stir soup,” I offered. Seeing Noah making lunch was oddly unsettling. I hadn’t expected him to already be here.

  “We’ve got it covered. Maybe you could find some plates and bowls?”

  I dug through the cabinets until I located the plates and bowls. They looked dusty, so I took them to the sink for a quick wash. Avery and Noah chatted about school and Mom went outside. As I washed the dishes, I looked out the little window over the sink. I could see the hill and a few gravestones. I also saw people.

  “Who’s out there?”

  Noah came up behind me. “Oh yeah. The museum people. They’ve been here for hours.”

  “Really?” I craned my neck to get a better look, but the hill blocked most of the action. “How long have you been here?”

  “Mom and Shane dropped me off an hour ago. William was asking for you.”

  I turned around. “He was?”

  “Yeah. He really wanted to see you.”

  “Huh.” I wondered if he had remembered something about the attack. I looked out the window again. This time, I saw Mom walking away from the cemetery. A minute later, she walked in through the kitchen door, her cell phone pressed against her ear.

  “I can meet you in twenty minutes,” she said. “Right. Sounds good. See you then.” She shut her phone. “Good news and bad.”

  The good news was that the museum team was open to allowing our family into the morgue, but only for a few hours. The bad news was that she had to go now. Dad, Shane and Trisha would meet her there.

  “I hate to leave like this,” she said.

  “We’ll be fine,” I assured her. “We can sit with William and give him lunch and everything.” Noah and Avery agreed.

  “Okay, well, I’ll try to be back before dinner. And Shane said he’d spend the night tonight.”

  I was glad to hear it. Mom left, and I saw a few more cars follow. Avery and Noah finished making lunch just as William woke up.

  “Why don’t you take it to him?” Noah said. “It’ll give you a chance to talk.”

  Avery ladled the soup into a bowl and arranged triangles of grilled cheese on a plate. “And Noah said he’d go out to the cemetery with me.” She carefully handed me the tray. “I want to see the place that’s causing such a commotion around here.”

  William’s room looked like how I might have imagined it would. Brown plaid wallpaper covered the walls. A double bed sat in the middle of the room, and a tall wooden dresser was pushed against the wall. William was sitting up in his bed, dressed in pale blue pajamas.

  “Charlotte.” His voice was soft.

  “I brought you some lunch.” I felt awkward holding the tray. “Are you hungry?”

  “Not at the moment. I could use some water, though.”

  I set the tray on his nightstand and handed him the glass of water I’d brought with me. His hands shook slightly as he sipped from the cup. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” I waited until he finished his drink. “Noah said you wanted to see me.”

  He set the glass back on the tray. “Yes. I wanted to thank you for helping me.”

  “You’re welcome.” I looked around for a place to sit. There was a wicker chair near the closet, so I pulled it over to the side of the bed. “Do you remember anything about the attack?”

  William sighed. “I remember seeing someone in the cemetery. I remember walking up the hill to talk to him.”

  “And then?” I wasn’t trying to push him too hard, but I did want some answers.

  “And then I was on the ground.” He furrowed his brow. “And the young man said something to me. Something strange.”

  His eyes seemed to be looking at something else, something in the past. “He apologized. He said he couldn’t help what he was.”

  I waited, not wanting to say the wrong thing. William coughed. “He said he was sorry. And then he told me that he was a monster. He said he was a ghoul.”

  “What do you think he meant by that?”

  “I don’t know.” William closed his eyes. “It scared me, though. My grandfather used to tell me stories about the strange people who would visit our cemetery. He called them ghouls. He said it was our job to guard the land.”

  Even though he had just taken a nap, William seemed drained. His breathing slowed and he kept his eyes closed. I wanted to leave him alone so he could get some rest, but I didn’t know when I would have another chance to talk with him about what had happened.

  “This guy said he was a ghoul after he attacked you?” I tried to keep my voice soft and calm so it wouldn’t feel like I was interrogating him.

  “I can’t remember.” William opened his eyes. “He was standing over me, apologizing. And then you and your friend were there. And then I woke up in the hospital.”

  “Oh.” I could tell William was tired of talking, so I promised to check on him in a little while and left him to rest. I didn’t understand why a self-proclaimed ghoul was hanging around William’s property, but neither did William.

  Noah and Avery were sitting in the living room when I emerged from William’s room. “Look what’s on!” Avery pointed to the TV. My mother’s face appeared on the screen. I’d forgotten that one of the cable channels was airing a Silver Spirits marathon all day in honor of Halloween.

  “I hope I’m not in any of these episodes,” I groaned. I flopped down on the sofa next to Noah. On the TV, my father appeared holding an EMF reader. He looked younger. “It’s an old one,” I said, feeling relieved. I knew I wouldn’t be in it.

  “This is so cool,” Avery said. “I’ve never watched a show and known every
one on it.” She looked at Noah. “Isn’t this cool?”

  He just nodded in response, and I wished I could tell if that was good or bad. “So how’s William doing?” he asked me.

  “Okay, I guess. He seems tired.”

  “Do you think it would be okay if I invited Jared over?” Avery asked. “He would love this.”

  “I think so,” I said.

  She stopped with her hand on the phone. “I’m being insensitive, aren’t I? But hey, if we’re going to be here for a while, let’s have fun.”

  “Tell him to bring snacks,” Noah said. While Avery called Jared, he leaned in toward me.

  “I checked out the kitchen. Unless you want to eat dried prunes and saltines, we’re going to need reinforcements.”

  I laughed. “Fine. But we’re here for William first, and having fun second.”

  “Agreed.” Noah got up. “I want to keep an eye on the cemetery. Jared and I can make rounds once an hour.”

  We both went over to the kitchen window. “I hope he doesn’t come back,” I murmured. What kind of person calls themselves a ghoul? He had to be mentally unstable.

  Noah stared out at the hill. “If he does come back, he’s in trouble.” He touched my shoulder. “I’m ready for him.”

  Chapter Eleven

  I was impressed with Jared’s pumpkin-carving skills. “That’s not a jack-o-lantern,” I told him. “It’s art.”

  He eyed his work, a striking image of a raven perched on a tree branch. “Needs a little more off the side.”

  I was glad he’d come over to William’s house. And I really appreciated the grocery bag full of snacks he’d brought with him, as well as the plump pumpkin. “It’s not Halloween without one,” he’d declared. Avery spread out newspapers on the kitchen table. Noah found a sharp knife, and Jared went to work while the rest of us gathered in the living room. Avery had insisted on watching the Silver Spirits marathon, despite my halfhearted protest.

  “I’ve never seen an entire episode,” she explained. “And how cool is this?”

  We were four episodes into the marathon when Mom finally called to check in. “We’re about to open the last coffin,” she said. I could hear the excitement in her voice. “So far, we’ve uncovered so many artifacts! It’s really amazing. And the museum team is allowing us to stay for the final coffin, so we may be awhile. Everything okay there?”

  I looked over my shoulder. Avery and Jared were sitting on the sofa together, sharing a bowl full of jalapeño chips. Noah was lying on the floor with his elbows propped up. His comment about being ready if the attacker came back was still lingering in my mind. I felt safe with him around.

  “Yeah, things are good. William’s been sleeping a lot, but he ate some lunch an hour ago.”

  “The doctors said he should take it easy. Rest is what he needs.”

  Mom said she’d call back later and we hung up. The episode came to an end, which automatically prompted Jared and Noah to get up. They were making rounds in the cemetery at the end of each hour.

  “It’ll be dark soon,” I said as I sat next to Avery.

  “We can light the jack-o-lantern for trick-or-treaters.”

  “Do you really think we’ll get any tonight? The nearest house is two miles from here.”

  “No.” Avery dug into the bowl of chips. “But I really want to see Jared’s pumpkin lit. It’s good, isn’t it?”

  “It’s beyond good. It’s great.”

  “He’s so artistic.” Avery examined a chip, then let it fall back into the bowl. “I’m not trying to be self-absorbed, I swear. But I worry about what people will think. About me getting closer with Jared, I mean.”

  I thought about my response. Avery had loved Jared’s best friend. Adam had died, and now she was taking those first careful steps toward a new life. A life that included Jared. I knew that might fuel rumors. I understood her concern: would people think she hadn’t loved Adam because she had moved on with Jared? I knew Avery. I knew how much she had struggled, and I had no doubt that if she felt a connection with Jared, then that connection was real. I knew all of that. I also knew that people on the outside might not see it that way, so I understood what she was really asking me. She wanted to know if people would perceive any type of relationship with Jared as wrong.

  “He’s a really nice guy,” I said. “And if he makes you happy, then I think that’s great.”

  “Yeah.” Avery poked at the bowl of chips. “I don’t know. It’s too soon.”

  I didn’t disagree with her. Adam had been killed less than a year before. I understood that Avery felt a certain loneliness, but I also understood that she needed time. Thanks to my parents’ career, I’d been around enough grieving people to know that everyone needed time, and the people who moved on too fast ended up regretting it. I didn’t want to push Avery in either direction. I wanted her to realize what she needed to do on her own, but no matter what she decided, I would be there for her. I could do at least that much for my best friend.

  The guys returned from their hourly inspection of the cemetery. “All clear,” Noah announced.

  Jared immediately sat next to Avery on the sofa. Noah plopped down on the floor, and I got up to give William his medication. As I tipped the brown bottle into my palm and counted two pills, I glanced out the window. The sun was setting, casting a deep red glow across the sky. Halloween. My parents were spending it in a morgue while I was in an old house with three friends and an old man recovering from a brutal attack. Somehow, it seemed fitting. I took the pills down the hallway. At least I wasn’t at home with the lights off, hoping that morbid fans weren’t descending on my front porch.

  I rapped three times on the door to William’s bedroom.

  “Come in.” His voice was soft and slightly hoarse. I pushed open the door. He wasn’t sitting up this time. Instead, he was lying down with blankets tucked all the way to his chin.

  “I have your medicine,” I said as I slowly approached his bedside and handed him the pills and the water from his nightstand.

  “Thank you, dear.”

  The tone of his voice made me feel like I was his granddaughter. And that made me feel a rush of affection I was unfamiliar with. I hadn’t known my grandparents. They had died when I was little, and all I had was a few faded photos in an album stored on a bookshelf. If I could have chosen my grandfather, though, I would have chosen someone like William. Someone caring and sweet and full of passion when it came to his history. William didn’t have any family that we knew of, but he had spent years trying to protect his ancestors. And his memory book was a kind of Bible. It held information sacred to him. He was basically the last thread, the final branch of his ancient family tree. He knew that, and he took his responsibility with a sad, fierce seriousness.

  “It’s Halloween, isn’t it?” He asked the question with his eyes closed. He was exhausted, even though he’d spent all day in bed. I wondered if that was a bad sign. Should he be so tired? Was that a bad sign? But Mom had said he would need rest.

  “Yes, it’s Halloween.” I stood near his bed, unsure what to do. I knew he wasn’t sleeping, so I kept on talking. “It’s almost sunset. Some friends of mine are here. If we’re too noisy, let me know, okay?” I rushed to add. “We’ll keep it down.”

  “No, you’re fine.” William coughed. “I’m glad you have friends here.”

  I waited. It seemed like he wanted to say more.

  “Charlotte.” I instinctively moved closer to him after he said my name. I hated the way he looked: small and pale in his bed, his eyes tightly shut. I hated the way I felt: awkward and desperate to help, but also desperate to leave the room.

  “You’ve been so kind to me,” he began. “My wife and I were never lucky enough to have children. But if I could choose a granddaughter…” His voice trailed off. I was suddenly anxious. Was this a deathbed confession? If it was, I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t handle emotional moments. Forget end-of-life pronouncements. I couldn’t do this.

 
William seemed to sense my discomfort. He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I’m sorry.”

  “Please, don’t be.”

  “Charlotte, listen to me. I’m sorry.” I had never noticed before the color of his eyes. They were pale blue, almost gray. And they were focused on me with a strange intensity.

  “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m so sorry for what you’re about to go through.”

  I begged him to explain, but his medication made him groggy and sleepy and nearly incoherent. I couldn’t decipher his mumbled words. After an initial moment of panic, I tried to tell myself that he didn’t know what he was saying. The weird apology didn’t mean anything. Maybe he was having some kind of medication-induced flashback to a sad time in his life. He’d been through so much. He was traumatized.

  I returned to the living room, determined to push past my anxiety and enjoy a little time with my friends. Mom and Dad would be back soon, which would basically mark the end of my evening.

  “We saw you!” Avery squealed when she saw me.

  “You what?”

  “On TV,” Noah explained. “There was a shot of you with your mom. You were really cute.”

  “Cute?” The Silver Spirits episode on the screen was an old one. A really old one. Dad looked wiry thin as he examined a basement and concluded the mold was probably the cause of the home owner’s hallucinations. I tried to remember the house, but I couldn’t.

  “You looked like you were about eight or nine years old,” Jared said. “Was that strange for you? To be so young and wandering around haunted houses like that?”

  I sat down and grabbed a handful of caramel corn. “It wasn’t haunted.”

  “Yeah, but you were a little kid in a dark, strange house. You didn’t know what would happen,” Noah said. “I couldn’t have done that at nine. I was nowhere near that brave.”