Adam J Wright [Wright - Twilight Heart

LOST SOUL

BURIED MEMORY

DARK MAGIC

DEAD GROUND

SHADOW LAND

MIDNIGHT BLOOD

TWILIGHT HEART

I hadnt planned on spending a cold November night in a cemetery but here I was.

No one had hired me to be out here freezing my ass off but Id noticed a news article about a strange event that had occurred at the Whispering Pines Cemetery and Id felt duty-bound to check it out.

A couple of days ago, the police had decided to exhume the body of Mrs Linda Whittington, a woman whod only been a resident of Whispering Pines for one week. Mrs Whittington had died at home in an apparent suicide while her husband had been on a business trip to Albany. At least that was what the police had been led to believe.

But recent evidence had come to light that placed the husband at home during the night his wife had died. Since shed already been buried, a decision was made to exhume the body and search for evidence of murder.

The grave had been opened but the coffin had been found to be empty.

One side of the coffin had been splintered and broken and close examination had revealed scratch marks on the outside. The earth had been disturbed. Not the earth at ground level but the earth at the level of the coffin, six feet under.

It was as if something had burrowed into the coffin and taken Mrs Whittingtons body away.

That left the medical examiner and the police scratching their heads in disbelief and confusion. They couldnt explain what had happened.

That was to be expected; they were regular people with no belief in the paranormal. They couldnt be expected to recognize the work of a ghoul.

Instead of enlightening them--and thereby tipping them off to the fact that hideous creatures like ghouls actually existed--Id decided to deal with the subterranean grave robber quietly while everyone else slept.

So here I was, creeping around Whispering Pines in the dead of night, casting my flashlight beam around the small cemetery in search of Linda Whittingtons tombstone.

The flashlight was in my right hand. In my left, I held a shovel.

Digging my way into the ghouls tunnel was going to be hot work so, despite the cold, I wasnt wearing a jacket. Instead, I wore a black tee and a dark blue flannel shirt. Black jeans and boots completed my ensemble and ensured my clothing was dark enough that I wouldnt be seen from the nearby road. I doubted anyone would be driving past here in the dead of night but I wasnt taking any chances.

An enchanted dagger hung from my belt in a leather sheath.

There was no point bringing a larger weapona sword, for instancebecause I was probably going to have to kill the ghoul inside one of its tunnels and a long weapon might snag on the walls or low ceiling. The dagger would give me better maneuverability in a tight area while still packing enough punch to kill the beast.

My light finally came to rest on the stone that bore Lindas name. The grave hadnt been filled in again after the discovery of her vacant coffin and was covered by a green tarpaulin that had been staked into the earth around the hole.

I lifted it off and dragged it aside. The empty grave beneath my feet was lost to darkness. I shone my light down there and examined the earth. I could see a section of earth that looked as if it had been disturbed recently. That would be the way into the ghouls tunnel.

Climbing down into the grave, I remained alert for the slightest sound or movement. Ghouls generally avoided human contact but theyd fight and kill if cornered and had long claws and teeth with which to carry out the deed.

The air in the grave was cold. I thrust my shovel into the disturbed earth, eager to get to work so I could keep warm. When this was done, I was going home to a long, hot shower.

The earth gave way to the shovel blade easily and after a few minutes it collapsed, revealing a tunnel beyond. I shone the light into the tunnel and saw that it led into the earth for about twenty feet before branching both left and right.

Great, I was about to climb into a subterranean maze. I just hoped there was only one ghoul down here. With so many tunnels heading in different directions, it would be all too easy to find myself flanked by the damned things.

I took comfort in the knowledge that ghouls were usually solitary creatures. That didnt mean there couldnt be more than one in these tunnels but it was unlikely.

Still, I couldnt allow myself to become complacent.

The tunnel wasnt large enough for me to stand up in but the ceiling was high enough to allow me to crouch.

Leaving the shovel in the empty grave, I unsheathed my dagger and climbed into the tunnel. The blue glow from the dagger, along with the bright beam of the flashlight, lit my way.

A fetid smell lingered in the air and seemed to cling to me as I proceeded deeper into the tunnel.

When I reached the intersection that led left and right, I decided to take a right. There was no logical reasoning behind my choice other than the fact that the right hand tunnel led deeper into the cemetery where the one that went left led toward the road.

I guessed that the ghouls nest would be far away from the road and more likely to be situated at the rear of Whispering Pines, where the cemetery gave way to the pine woods that gave the place its name.

Moving forward in a crouching position made my thigh and calf muscles ache so I dropped into a crawl and made my way carefully forward. No point risking cramped muscles, especially down here. I needed to be in peak condition when I finally came face to face with the resident of this underground maze.

The deeper I went, the worse the smell got. After a couple of minutes, I was almost gagging on the stench of rotted flesh. It got so bad, I wasnt sure I could go any further.

Maybe I wouldnt have to. I could hear a scrabbling sound in one of the tunnels ahead. Something was coming this way.

And then my phone began to buzz in my pocket.

I couldnt imagine that anyone would be calling me at this time of the night unless it was an emergency. The scrabbling ahead sounded far enough away that Id have a chance to at least check who was calling before the creature reached me so I dropped the flashlight and dug the phone out of my pocket.

Felicitys name was on the screen.

The sound in the tunnel was getting closer.

I backed up slightly and answered the call. The flashlight illuminated the tunnel in front of me so Id know as soon as the ghoul appeared. I should have enough time to find out if Felicity needed me urgently. If she did, Id back up all the way out of the tunnel and go help her. The ghoul could wait. It wasnt going anywhere.

Alec, she said as I held the phone to my ear. Are you there? The lines a bit crackly.

Im here, I told her. Im in a tunnel.

A tunnel? I thought youd be in bed. Its-

Yeah, I know how late it is. Whats up?

The scrabbling sound had stopped. Maybe the creature was biding its time or maybe my light had put it off. Either way, I couldnt hear it moving toward me anymore. I hoped I wasnt going to have to go chasing it deeper into this underground warren; I wasnt sure I could handle the smell if I had to go any further.

Ive received an email, she said. From the Society. I was wondering if youve received one as well, since its contents concern you as well as me.