The Cemetery

By Steven Huffine

The Hardings were extremely happy with their recent move to Granite. The quiet country farmhouse was everything they had hoped for, but it held a dark secret. As Halloween approached, local ghost stories begin manifesting themselves into real-life nightmares. An abandoned cemetery had a long history of eerie sightings and strange occurrences. The family would be forced to confront evil face-to-face. Would they die in the grips of a demonic supernatural power, or find a way to destroy it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662484889

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The Cemetery

Steven Huffine

Copyright © 2022 Steven Huffine

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-6624-8487-2 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-8488-9 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

About the Author

To my wife, Lyra,

for your undying love and support.

I love you.

Chapter 1

The sun slowly drifted lower and lower in the western sky as Mark made his way across the open pasture after school. Shadows grew longer, and a strange feeling of dread began to set in. The day had been long as he made his way through each class. He never really liked school, as most kids don't, but he never hated it either. Since moving from Portersville to Granite, Mark Harding was just trying to fit in and get some semblance of a normal life. Although he and his parents had only been in town for two months, things were already looking up. He had made good friends with two boys at school and had caught the interest of one of the varsity cheerleaders. Mark had a good life back in Portersville. He was extremely popular at school and was involved in many clubs and other activities. He had been elected president of the science club, vice president of the computer club, and treasurer for the art club. He did not really have a girlfriend but had been out on several dates. Since Mark wasn't old enough to drive, these dates consisted of one of his parents driving him and his date to the local movie theater and coming back and picking them up. Mark classified himself as basically normal. He had normal parents and a normal house, went to a normal school, and had normal friends. He did not believe in strange things like Bigfoot, UFOs, or the paranormal. He was exceptionally good in science and believed there was a rational solution for everything. He really did not want to leave everything that he was used to, but his mom and dad had always made good decisions, so he went along with their idea to move out of the fast-paced city life and into a slow-paced, small-town life.

After school, Mark had gone exploring across the countryside. Being from a larger city, he never really got out much and generally stayed in his room on the computer, searching the Internet or playing video games. Today, however, he felt free and full of life as he walked through knee-high grass and crossed slowly rolling streams. He took time to roll up his jeans and wade in small pools and try and catch minnows and bullfrogs. He kicked back on a large rock by the creek and enjoyed the afternoon sun. Some leaves had already started turning colors, and a couple would occasionally fall next to him on the rock. As he walked, grasshoppers jumped and flew away from his footsteps. The air was crisper now that summer was transitioning into fall. Maybe this move was going to be a good thing, he thought to himself. But then why was he feeling the way that he was? This feeling had started the day they arrived at their new home. Mark could not put a finger on it, but something was just not right. It was typically subtle things like a feeling that someone was in the room with him or weird noises throughout the house. As the October sun set on the day, Mark was feeling as if he were being watched as he made his way home. He would stop on occasion and look around. He was sure in his mind that he saw someone standing inside the wood line, next to an old oak tree, or in the open door of a barn. But a second glance would prove otherwise. Nothing was there except for sparrows fluttering in the laurel bushes and an occasional squirrel jumping from one tree to another. Scratching his head, he thought, what is going on? He picked up his pace and made it home just before dark. Willie, a yellow Lab, had been the family pet for six years and had been a birthday gift for Mark's tenth birthday. Willie was waiting on the porch of the two-story country home as Mark made his way up the steps and sat down beside him. Since the move, Willie would spend most days outside running and playing, then snoozing on the porch in the sunshine. Without a doubt, the dog loved his new home. Willie and Mark had always been best buddies. Mark put his arm around the dog and got a lick across the face in return. Looks like you got the best part of this move, said Mark. Now you get all this free space to run and play on. Willie did seem more active. Always chasing after a squirrel, finding new sticks to chew on, and exploring around the house and barn.

Suddenly, something caught Willie's attention along the tree line to the east of the house. The sun had sunk below the horizon, and the tree line was now lost in ominous, dark shadows. The flashes of lightning bugs that were just there were gone. The frogs croaking and the cicadas buzzing had stopped. The farmhouse fell in silence, and bone-chilling, cold air enveloped Mark. Willie tensed, and the hair on the back of his neck stood erect. A slow gnarl creased the side of his snout, exposing sharp teeth. Mark sensed a problem and said, What is it, boy? What is out there?

As Mark peered into the darkness, he swore he saw a shape materialize in the woods. Mark stood quickly, not believing what he was seeing. Blinking several times and rubbing his eyes, he strained harder to see who or what this was, and a low growl came from the area of his feet. Willie was slowly backing away and quickly bolted through the doggy door and into the house. Mark could hear limbs breaking as if being stepped on, but it appeared as if the shape was floating above the ground, like an apparition. Whatever it was stayed just a few feet inside the wood line, preventing Mark from getting a good look. The shape had a dim, eerie white glow that told Mark that this was not his new friends from school playing a joke. Slowly, the thing moved back and forth along the edge of the woods as if watching the farmhouse. Mark tried to rationalize what he was seeing and tried to come up with a reasonable answer, but a sudden feeling of fear gripped him. Never had he felt this scared and in danger. He quickly followed Willie's lead and bolted into the house himself.

Mark's mother, Rebecca, was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Mark suddenly burst through the door, slamming it behind him. She could see that he was visibly shaken and rushed to his side. What's wrong, son? she asked.

Mark gathered his composure, not wanting his mother to think of him as a scaredy-cat and moved on into the kitchen. Being sixteen, Mark wanted his parents to see him as a growing adult and not a child. Just got spooked, he said. New place, new shadows, guess it will take a while to get used to, he said.

I guess Willie is feeling the same, Rebecca said. He bolted through here just before you did and ran upstairs. Your dad will be home soon, so you better get cleaned up for dinner, she said.

Mark agreed and made his way upstairs to his room. Upon entering his room, Mark looked around and was happy with his decision to go with the minimalist design. His mom had asked him prior to the move how he wanted it decorated. Back in Portersville, he had wall posters, remote-controlled cars, a multitude of action figures, and many different models sitting around collecting dust. Mark felt that this was a good opportunity to catch his room up with his age. Since they were moving to the country, he opted for a wooden, log bed frame with matching nightstands on each side and a matching dresser. A large lamp set atop each nightstand provided enough illumination for the entire room. His old Star Wars comforter was replaced with a rugged plaid comforter, and he loved his spacious walk-in closet. A new desk sat in the corner of the room, which afforded plenty of room for his laptop or any project he may be working on. Next to it was his dad's old Pioneer stereo system. It had a turntable on top, two cassette players, a sixty-disc roundabout, and two massive speakers. Mark's dad had a great collection of music, and most were on vinyl, which he especially liked. He was hoping for the day his parents were not home, so he could see how Guns N' Roses sounded turned up to ten.

Rebecca Harding was nearing her fortieth birthday but did not look to be thirty. Her and her husband, David, had met during their first year of college. Their relationship had always been strong, and they worked together to solve any problem that came up. Rebecca had gotten her business degree, while David got his degree in veterinary medicine. After moving to Granite, Rebecca had spent most of her time organizing the new house. She had decided not to return to work right away, so she could be there for the family during this time of transition. She had spent her days relaxing on the porch, enjoying the morning sun and drinking coffee. Like Mark, she was feeling that the move was going to be a good thing. Back in Portersville, Rebecca had worked for a high-profile real estate company. She spent long hours each day driving to different locations meeting with clients. The job