Screams from beyond the grave

Kayla Hayes, Reporter

This event occurred years ago when I was much younger, possibly when I was just an 11 year old. I live in a very quiet neighborhood where there aren’t many cars going by, just horse buggies and a few cars a day. The morning started like any other: our mother woke us up, we took a shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast. Our parents wished us to have a good day and sent us off to walk to the stop. The minute we took a step outside we felt a shivering breeze rush past us as we walked down our driveway. That morning was incredibly foggy and cold, and we were already getting tired from the weight of our bags. We were barely past the first hill and we were stopping to catch our breath from the mix of the weight on our backs and the cold breeze.

It’s a good half-mile walk to our bus stop, so we would all leave ten minutes before the bus would get to the church at the end of the road. On the walk, we would pass houses, abandoned buildings, shops, and a cemetery. There’s wooded areas scattered all around the road as we walk, including around the cemetery. The cemetery leads all the way back into more parts of the woods, with fog scattered around the gravestones and small trees. There’s a small hill that hides the cemetery, so we could never get a clear view to see the animals or the autumn trees. When we were walking, almost halfway past the cemetery, all three of us heard a scream. It was so high-pitched and loud that it sent shivers down our spines, making us stop in our tracks. 

We turned towards the cemetery to see if we could see what was making such a horrific noise. In the distance, my older brother and I could almost see a white figure walking in the same direction. We heard another scream. All three of us exchanged looks and all agreed to sprint as fast as we could to the bus stop where there were other kids waiting to get picked up. When we got to the end of the parking lot, we all took a deep breath and relaxed as the bus rolled up to the stop. I told all my friends what we witnessed, but they all claimed it was a prank or we were just using our imagination or that we were all lying. After that day, we haven’t heard or seen such a thing from that cemetery since, almost believing that maybe it wasn’t real after all. But when I walk past that place every day, I feel like I can almost hear a faint screech from way back in the woods.