Page 44 of Into the Dark, We Go
"Someone told us the grimoire is buried in one of the graves," Nick said.
"Don’t know ‘bout that one."
"Interesting town you have here." Nick scratched the back of his head like he couldn’t quite believe his ears.
"You should come for Halloween. It gets really crazy here."
"Have you ever noticed anything strange yourself?"
"What do you mean?" Gideon poked the side of his mouth with his tongue.
"I don’t know, maybe someone took the story seriously?" Nick offered. "Tried to vandalize graves or maybe attempted some rituals or whatnot?"
"Ayuh, every now and again, for sure. But I’ve got it under control. I shoo ‘em away for good. Whatcha wanna know for?"
"Just curious. A place like this must attract all sorts of people."
The caretaker shrugged. "We’re a quiet town, mostly. Been that way for a spell now."
Mitch flipped out his phone. "Truth is, we’re here on business. I’m looking for my sister; she’s been missing since last year. Mind taking a look?"
"Sure thing." Gideon scooched closer with a hint of curiosity.
I pulled out my phone, too, ready to show him a photo of Lucas. It hadn’t escaped my notice that Mitchell conveniently forgot to mention him. I shivered as I waited, a strange sense of déjà vu slipping over me like a ghost’s embrace. I’d done this so many times before with little progress. It was starting to feel surreal. I’d looked at Lucas’s pictures more in the past few days than I had in the last six months. But the more I stared at that once familiar face, that boyish smile, the more he felt like a stranger. Somehow, my memories of him no longer matched the person in the photos.
The caretaker shook his head at Amanda’s picture, then pointed at my phone. "I know him—the Whitman boy! He’s over there!" He gestured to the West of the graveyard.
I stumbled, the ground unsteady beneath me. "What do you mean he’s over there?"
"His grave is over there. Want to see?"
I rushed towards the location, without waiting. By the time the others caught up, I was already standing before a plain stone plaque with Lucas’s name and the engraving "Forever in our hearts, our dear son".
"This can’t be right," Mitch said, stunned.
"There’s a fucking date!" I almost yelled, my voice shaking. "Oh my god, it’s empty. It must be empty, right? Why did they do this?"
The shock short-circuited me. My feet were lead, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gleaming tombstone. Everything was foggy and far away, as if the world were moving in slow motion. There had to be some mistake. Lucas was missing, not dead. Nick’s hand brushed my elbow gently, but I stayed numb.
"Okay, let’s get out of here." Nick turned me away from the grave. I followed without resistance. It felt like all energy was suddenly sucked out of me, leaving me hollow and limp.
"Hey! I see you!" Gideon’s angry shout slashed the air like a scythe.
We caught a glimpse of a small figure darting between the gravestones before getting lost in the bushes.
"Little dirtbag," the caretaker muttered. "Steals from the dead, for cryin’ out loud."
"Why do you care?" June asked. "You throw it out anyway."
The caretaker licked his mouth again, tipped his hat and walked away, returning to his duties.
We started making our way out, but I kept looking back at Lucas’s grave. Nick, walking ahead on the narrow pathways, turned back occasionally, as if to check I hadn’t sprinted back and thrown myself, sobbing, on the grass. Mitchell and June, however, seemed to have already moved on, their attention diverted from the matter at hand.
"Come check this out!" June exclaimed.
We approached and saw that it read "Boyd."
"Isn’t that your last name?" she asked Nick.
