The Demon of Rose Hill Cemetery

"Ugh… come on 9:30! Hurry up!" Alice whined staring at the clock above the desk in their room.

"You not going to make it sooner? I don't even know why I'm going with you," Ben kicked at the blanket on his bed. They still looked a lot alike. Alice's hair was curly, and Ben's was straighter with a much shorter cut.

"Because you've already went tell on me the second, I've gone out the window. You want me to talk to Marissa, right?" Alice smirked at her younger brother. He had such a crush on one of her friends. "We're going see Grandpa anyway."

"Alice, you know those stories are just stories, right?" Ben pushed pillows under his blanket while Alice did the same. He had been worried since she started reading that stupid book about raising the dead for closure.

"How can you know that?" Alice complained. She tossed a spirit board in her back pack. "I have to try. I promise I'll tell Marissa that you were so brave--"

"Look I'm happy you will talk to Marissa for me, but Mom and Dad would kill me too if they found out I let you go alone," Ben adjusted his warm hat.

"Don't blame me. You know you are curious too. I'm sorry you don't remember grandpa." Alice tied her shoelaces and tossed her bag on her back.

"I'm not that curious," Ben replied. After a few moments of silence, he added "I'm just worried is all,".

"Touching. My little brother is worried about me," Alice remarked. "Are you sure you're not concerned more about what you tell Marissa?" She opened the window.

"Alice, you think those spooky books are real. I'm worried about you." Ben followed Alice out the window.

"You sound just like Mom," Alice chided. Ben laughed in reply. They walked together in silence down the empty street with the mountains glaring at them from a distance. The moon was still almost full, so it completely illuminated the empty streets.

A wolf or coyote howled in the distance making this trip extra creepy for the two. Ben grabbed his sister’s hand protectively. He fumbled for a second with the lantern he was carrying. It was so bright out that this light seemed unnecessary.

Rose Hill Cemetery was in a secluded area of the city. Alice had taken her time during the day to memorize the exact location of her maternal grandfather’s gravesite. “Alice, you know those books you read are not real, right? You can’t bring Grandpa back.” Ben consoled his sister.

“How do you know for sure? I have friends that said that they could talk to spirits with this board so I bought one last week,” Alice argued with Ben. “You’re only 15 years old. You wouldn’t get it!”

“You’re just 13 months older than me!” Ben pointed at his sister. They had reached the gravesite and she began unpacking her bag. It was all a blur. He stood there observing her diligent unpacking and put down the lantern.

The planchette of the spirit board flew about before Alice could even call her brother to put his hand on it as well. It flew all over the board so fast she couldn’t make any sense of the letters. A black silhouette slithered out of the board. Hazy scarlet eyes stared straight into her face with ill intent. A heinous laughter filled the air. “Alice!! What is that?” Ben screamed.

The creature slid a hand around Alice’s neck. “Go run home!” she yelled to her brother. He stood there in shock for a few moments. The hazy red eyes glared at him. The roots of the trees grew out encompassing Ben. He couldn’t even scream.

“Let my brother go,” Alice ordered the spirit. “You’re not my grandfather. You are not welcome here.” She tried to remember what her friends told her to do in case of emergencies.

"You can't even save yourself, but you worry about this human?" It taunted her. Her brother's cries became fainter.

"You are not welcome here. Go away," she yelled. "If only my grandpa was here instead." She saw the tree envelope her brother completely.

There was a sound like the sky had cracked open. "What are you doing to my grandkids,” asked a very familiar voice to Alice. “Leave my grandkids alone, you ole useless monster.” He continued to taunt the creature.

“Grandpa!” Ben cried between gasps for air. The creature was beaten down into the ground slowly. It made seething noises as Grandpa beat it down harder and harder with a bright cane.

“Will we see you again?” Alice croaked through tears. Her spirit board had been broken by the vile creature.

“I'm always by your side. I'm even watching you constantly Be—” his voice cut out as his spirit disappeared.

The next day, Alice and Ben could hardly speak to one another. Alice assumed her was angry over almost getting killed. Ben couldn't get over getting to see Grandpa one more time. He had even missed saying bye to his favorite crush, Alice's friend- Marissa.