A red mustang parked in front of a tall rusting gate, as the five blonde girls got down from the car.
Emily looked around.
"The place this tradition is happening is in a - a graveyard?" She said, her brows raised looking confused.
Remi turned towards Emily with a smile. "Here's the thing, Em, when I was small, my mom used to tell me a little story. She said, a creature roamed this graveyard looking for his wife. And at night, when the moon reaches its zenith, any woman that stands on his tomb would be claimed."
"Uh?"
"So, what better tradition is there if not this." Remi grabbed Emily's hand, as they opened the gate and walked through into the graveyard.
"I-" Emily stuttered at a loss for words.
"Come on, it's going to be fun, it's not that real. Don't tell me you're scared." The other girls giggled, as they stared at Emily.
Trying to act brave, she raised her shoulders as she walked with them. She still felt uncomfortable, but decided to play along. Emily had initially thought it was going to be a game of chess or something, not a graveyard folklore play.
"We've all done it. It's no big deal. Plus it's fun." She heard Ava say.
"Well, I did say I'm in." She replied, sounding a little skeptical and gave an ask award giggle..
They all walked forward while murmuring to each other. Emily couldn't be bothered about what they said because she was engrossed in observing her surroundings.
The graveyard had an eerie feeling to it, and the atmosphere was oppressive. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay, the silence was deafening punctuated by the soft creaking of the rusted gate and the hooting of owls.
Mist covered the area, making it hard to see where she was going.
Finally, Remi stopped at the front of an unmarked grave, and Abigail brought out the rope she had in her carry-on.
"So it's simple, we tie you here for 40 minutes, and after 40 minutes, you're free. This will prove your readiness," Remi said excitedly, "and you'll officially be one of us."
Emily knew she had already gone too far to stop now so without hesitating, she climbed on top of the grave and Abigail tied her legs and hands to the unmarked stone.
"Is that- is that a skull?" Emily said as she stared with horror.
"Of course, it's a graveyard." Zoey, the quiet one, replied, rolling her eyes.
Emily swallowed, and she couldn't wait to get this over with. The twisted tradition was making her feel sick.
"There." Abigail said, once she was done tying her up.
"You wait till the moon reaches its zenith, and after 40 minutes, we'll come get you," Remi said with a smirk, before turning to leave as the others followed her.
"Are you leaving me?!" Emily screamed, horrified.
"We're just going to be on the other side, we're not leaving you, dummy." Ava said, humor evident in her tone.
She watched them as they walked towards the other side of the gate, and closed it.
Emily felt goosebumps all over her body as she frantically looked around. The place gave a dark aura that increased her discomfort.
Trying to seem braver, she steadied her breath and remained calm. "Focus Emily, just do this nonsense tradition and get it over with. The life you want is just ahead." She told herself.
She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself before finally opening it.
Emily immediately noticed something was strange as she opened her eyes; the mist in the air was thicker and she couldn't see anything anymore except darkness.
"Uh guys?" She called out. "Remi!!!"
Emily continued looking around, her skin began to tighten as the hairs around her body rose.
"HELLO?! AVA?!" She called out, but there was no response.
"You know what? Fuck it. I want out. I don't want to play your stupid game anymore, so untie me." She yelled, but her cry was met with silence.
"Zoey?!! Abigail?!" She yelled again, her panic beginning to build up.
Emily struggled against the ropes as she tried to untie herself. She was now terrified and looked around the graveyard.
A loud cracking sound came from her left, and she turned her head towards the sound before looking around. As she finally quieted down, she listened.
The air in the graveyard seemed to have halted. Even the hooting sounds of owls and the chirping of crickets had gone silent. The sky took a reddish hue and it got darker.
Everything seemed different; the graveyard was now a deserted expanse. It felt as though she had been automatically transported to another dimension.
In her head, Emily heard the menacing and disturbing sounds of a bell. She could feel her head throbbing.
Emily looked around, as fear clouded her senses. "HELLO?!!"
"Hello."
Emily screamed as she turned towards the voice that greeted her back.
A small creature she could barely see mimicked her scream, before running away. Its silhouette looks like a small ball with wings.
Emily could feel her heartbeat in her mouth as she continued to scream and tried to scramble away.
"Someone, help me!!" She screamed.
She heard the sound again, and it was the sound of breaking twigs and she snapped her head towards the direction of the sound.
Emily screamed, her lungs burning, as her face contorted into pure horror.
She stared at the large creature in front of her, its eyes red and a menacing crown atop its head.
She felt her breath seize in her throat, and she succumbed to darkness, falling unconscious.