The first thing Travis noticed was the smell. Damp earth, lilies, and something else… something metallic and sickly sweet that made his stomach churn.
His eyes fluttered open to complete darkness. Panic pierced his confusion. He tried to sit up, but his head struck wood with a dull thud.
Where am I?
His hands shot out, pressing against smooth, cool timber. A box. Claustrophobia washed over him, stealing his breath. He thrashed, elbows banging against the confines. A coffin. His heart hammered against his ribs like a caged animal.
Then, a presence.
His hand brushed something cold and unyielding. Not wood. He recoiled, choking back a cry, then forced his trembling fingers out again. Fabric. Then… skin. Cold, clammy skin.
He scrambled backward, pressing against the far end of the box. He was alive. But the thing next to him was not.
Whimpering, he explored the impenetrable darkness. He found a face, smooth, cold. He traced a jawline, an ear, and finally, a hard eye locked open. A gasp tore from his lips. He was sharing his grave with a fresh corpse.
The metallic smell intensified. Blood. He felt the cold dampness clinging to his clothes. He tried to scream; only a dry rasp emerged.
Then, a sound.
Scratching. A rhythmic scraping against the lid above. Slow. Deliberate. Something was trying to get in.
He pressed his back against the wood, trying to become one with it. The scratching grew louder, like a fingernail dragging across slate.
Suddenly, silence.
Then, a new sound. A wet, low groan from beside him.
Travis froze. He felt a shift against his arm. The corpse was moving. The groan came again, closer this time, guttural and hungry.
In the dark, a cold, dead hand closed around his wrist.
By Pamela Beach ‘Beyond the Blog’
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Pamela Beach is a multi-genre author, poet, and lyricist who writes from her home on California’s foggy Central Coast. She is the creator of the “Morro Bay fog-mythos” and author of The Unstoppable You. You can read more of her work and explore her complete “fog-mythos” collection at her blog, Beyond the with Pamela Beach
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