Blood Part 5

The sun was setting over the graveyard, the green horizon outlined with a crimson hue. Emilie heard a rustling in the trees and swung around towards the noise “Remi?”

In the dark she could barely make out the figure running past. A shadow weaved in and out of the trees.

“Remi!” Emilie cried again, growing disoriented.

Remi’s childish laughter filled the graveyard. Overhead, bats swooped low just grazing Emilie’s head.

“Remi!” Emilie’s voice echoed among the trees.

She ran through the rows of headstones as more bats swooped down on her. Dread overcame her as she ran faster to avoid the winged devils until she fell exasperated to the ground. Her body crumpled under a headstone and her shrieks pierced the air.

Suddenly, everything became still. She looked up to find all the bats had gone. Breathing heavily, she placed a hand on the ground and tried to stand.

“Ow!” she said, pulling her hand back to see a trickle of blood pooling at her thumb. She looked down to see a bushel of roses at the grave, thorns sticking out like razors. She glanced back up and gasped in horror. For the first time she noticed the name on the headstone and now it shined like a light before her eyes,

RIP

Graham Anderson

1990 – 2018

She thought of all the times he wanted to meet her son and all the times she told him she wasn’t ready. She stood up and began to call out for Remi again.

“Remi?” She asked spotting him in the distance. “Remi? Is that you? It’s ok. Just come back to mom and everything will be ok.”

Remi walked slowly towards her. He looked pale and thin. A row of sharp teeth displayed behind his crooked smile.

“Remi? What happened? Why did you run?” Remi stopped behind Graham’s headstone and smiled. “Remi?” Emilie asked again as if she weren’t sure he was her son. She noticed a singular bat silhouetted against the red horizon flying directly to them. “Remi watch –” She began to warn but the bat halted and hovered by Remi’s side. Another kind of laughter filled the graveyard, haunting and familiar.

The bat began to shift and change shape until a man was standing next to her son. There was no mistaking it now and Emilie could hear the beating of her own heart in her chest when she saw him. Standing before her was the man who had terrorized her for five years, who she had ran from and kept running for a year. Standing before her was the father of her son.

Eli’s laughter continued to echo all around her.

“Come here, baby.” She said turning to Remi, “It’s ok. Come here.” Remi’s eyes stared coldly back. “What did you do to him?” Emilie screamed but Eli only continued to laugh. “Give me back my son! Give him back to me!”

Rose vines suddenly sprung out of Graham’s grave and wrapped around Emilie’s legs, pulling her down. She screamed as the vines climbed up her torso, thorns piercing her flesh.

“Give him back –” She choked as the vines wrapped around her neck, blood trickling down her shoulders. “Give me my son…”

Emile woke up sticky from sweat. She picked the phone up from the bedside table and called Graham.

“Hello?” Came a tired voice.

Emilie’s words were lost at the realization that she didn’t know why she dialed his number.

“Hello? Em?” He asked sounding more awake.

“Hi,” she said at last, “I’m sorry. I know it’s late but could you come over?”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yea, everything’s fine. I just want to see you.

To be Continued...