The Cemetery’s Secret

The cemetery loomed before them, a sprawling labyrinth of ancient tombstones and leafless trees that rattled in the wind like dry bones. The iron gate creaked ominously as Jess pushed it open, the sound swallowed by the thick mist curling along the ground. Overhead, a crescent moon cast jagged shadows across the graves. The whole place felt like something out of a horror movie.

I swear to God, if we get attacked by a real Headless Horseman, I’m out,” Hannah muttered, gripping Kevin’s arm tightly.

Kevin smirked. “You and Olivia were the ones who wanted to come.”

Yeah, well,” Olivia whispered, clutching onto Leanna’s sleeve. “That was before I realized this place was actually terrifying.”

Jess rolled her eyes but didn’t blame them. The place was unsettling, the silence thick with expectation. Every rustle of leaves or snapping twig made Hannah and Olivia jump. The mist twisted into eerie shapes, making the tombstones look like figures watching them.

As they walked deeper into the graveyard, a sudden galloping sound echoed through the still night. Then—

“BOO!”

A figure on horseback, cloaked in black, burst from the fog, brandishing a fake sword. Olivia shrieked and grabbed Jess. Hannah screamed and nearly climbed onto Kevin. The rider let out a deep, echoing laugh, and another horseman charged from the other side.

Oh, come on!” Leanna groaned. “Teenagers.”

Sure enough, laughter followed as two kids removed their cheap pumpkin masks. “Man, you guys should’ve seen your faces!” one of them cackled.

Kevin shook his head. “Get outta here before I find a way to haunt you for real

Still giggling, the pranksters rode off, leaving the group shaken but mostly annoyed

Eventually, they reached their destination—a pair of gravestones, nearly swallowed by time. The first was for Erasmus Vellum. The second, smaller, was for Lazarus Vellum. The inscription revealed a tragic truth—Lazarus had died on Halloween nearly thirty years ago, only five years old.

“Poor kid,” Olivia murmured, brushing leaves from the headstone.

A thick mist curled low over the graves, casting long, shivering shadows beneath the old trees. The air was unnaturally still, the kind of quiet that made every breath feel too loud. They stood in silence before the row of worn tombstones, each one marked Vellum—the name faded but unmistakable. The air was damp, the mist curling low around their ankles.

Jess crouched, brushing lichen from one of the stones. “These are real,” she said quietly. “Erasmus Vellum had family here.”

Leanna scanned the surroundings. “So where would he be?”

Jess stepped between two leaning headstones, her flashlight beam cutting through the fog like a blade. Something tugged at her—instinct, maybe, or the weight of history pressing in on all sides.

“Over here,” she said softly.

The others followed. The path wound past weathered markers, most too faded to read, until they reached a section of the cemetery that felt older—untouched. Forgotten.

Beyond the last row of graves, half-swallowed by undergrowth, stood a crypt carved into the hillside. Thick vines clung to the stone like veins, and the door hung slightly ajar. The name above it stopped Jess cold.

Crane.

“Crane,” she whispered. “As in Archibald Crane.”

“Like… Ichabod Crane?” Hannah asked, still gripping Kevin’s arm.

“The real one,” Kevin said. “His family goes back to colonial days. Some say he was involved in… strange things.”

Jess stepped closer, heart pounding. Her flashlight caught on the edges of the stone—worn, but still legible. Then she saw it: a line, faintly etched along the foundation, almost like a catalog number. Not cemetery-maintenance standard. More like something from a research file.

Jess felt her chest tighten. “Crane,” she whispered. “That name was in the notes we found in Langford’s lab… next to Vellum’s.”

Leanna stepped beside her. “Family? Collaborator?”

Jess shook her head. “I don’t know. But if there’s something hidden here, this is where it starts.”

“So you think this is where they hid them?”

Jess swallowed. “If he was paranoid enough—and he wanted to bury the truth somewhere no one would think to look…”

Jess looked up at the crypt. “…why not bury it with himself?”

The silence stretched. …We’re seriously going to break into a crypt, aren’t we?” Hannah sighed.

Kevin grinned. “Congratulations. We’ve officially become grave robbers.”

Leanna shot him a look before stepping forward. “Let’s at least pretend we have standards. We’re looking for clues, not stealing gold teeth.”

With some effort, they pried the heavy iron door open. The air inside was stale, filled with dust and decay. Crumbling stone walls lined with old coffins and plaques surrounded them as they stepped carefully inside. It wasn’t until Olivia accidentally leaned on a loose torch sconce that something shifted.

A section of the wall groaned and slid open, revealing a passage leading downward.

“Nope,” Olivia whispered. “Nope, nope, nope—”

Jess grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Come on.”

They stepped through the hidden door and descended a narrow stone staircase into a long-forgotten lab. Dust coated every surface, the air thick with the scent of mildew and neglect. Broken equipment littered the counters, and old medical books lay scattered on the floor.

Then they found it. On a cracked desk sat an old, encrypted flash drive and two massive research volumes. The final entry, dated Halloween 2009, held the words that made Jess’s stomach drop:

“Life’s work… No cure found.”

Jess stared at the words, her vision blurring as tears welled in her eyes. No cure. No hope. No way back. Jason was gone. Forever.

No one spoke as they left the crypt and walked back to the cabin. The wind howled through the trees, but Jess barely noticed. Silent tears streaked down her cheeks, disappearing into the darkness.