The Witch’s Grave

  L.E. ELDRIDGE

  Editing by The Fiction Fix

  Though this title is loosely based on Connecticut Hill, none of the characters or actions are based on any real life person or event. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2023 by L.E. Eldridge

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Trigger Warnings

  This is a very dark book compared to my others. It is a short story, but the triggers are plentiful, so please be sure to read if you have triggers. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me before reading.

  • Sexual Assault/attempt

  • Rape attempt

  • Discussions about rape

  • domestic violence

  • blood/gore

  • violence

  • murder

  • cursing

  • explicit sexual content

  • primal place

  • dub-con

  • restraint (sexual and non-sexual)

  • toy usage

  • outdoor play

  • possessive romance dynamics

  • Dom/sub dynamics

  • parental emotional abuse

  • mentions of grave defacing

  • general horror

  • Marijuana usage

  • Alcohol usage

  • Mentions of drunk driving

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  About the Author

  Also by L.E. Eldridge

  1

  “And how are your studies?” my mother asked. It was all she ever asked, all she ever cared about.

  “Good. I aced my pre-calc exam.”

  She hummed. “I still don’t understand why you need pre-calc. We had planned for you to be in regular calculus so you could take differential equations by your second semester junior year, and now we’ve had to reorganize your entire schedule. If you had studied harder for your entrance exam, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

  We had this conversation every time we talked. I had no say in the college I ended up at or my schedule—it was all set by my parents. I said nothing, knowing my wants or opinions wouldn’t matter.

  Luckily, she moved on quickly. “And how is Elise? I assume you’re getting along.”

  “We are.” Sort of. Elise Martin was my roommate and was considered an ‘appropriate friend.’ My parents were very particular about the company I kept. They even requested Elise on my behalf, even though I had never met her. Our parents were friends, which was code for business partners. She was nice enough, though she came across as spoiled most of the time. I always heard her yelling at her father because he cut her credit card off for a few days, or at her boyfriend for not taking her to a nice enough dinner.

  I wish I wanted to be here. I was studying data analytics, which I didn’t even like; it was just something I showed promise in, and my parents forced me to major in it. My life had been laid out for me before I was even born. Every day was carefully constructed around me, and I was puppeteered within it. Every day, I wished to break free of this life, to forge my own path, no matter how difficult the journey. Did that make me ungrateful for wishing away my privileged life? Maybe, but I couldn’t help it.

  “Her mother told me you had plans for Halloween.” The word Halloween was spit out in judgement. We didn’t do holidays in my family, unless it was related to work. The only Christmas I’d ever celebrated was the company party my parents hosted every year. I was allowed to dress up for Halloween one year, and it was because my math-letes team had a match where everyone else wore costumes. The one thing worse than celebrating a holiday was standing out socially.

  “Yes,” I told her. “We’re going to one of the small towns around here.” I didn’t tell her why we were going, but it’s not like she actually cared enough to ask.

  “How quaint,” she replied. “Well, honey, I have to run. Your father is having clients over for dinner, and I have to make sure the cook is preparing everything right. Be sure not to stay out too late. You have an exam next week and you need to study.”

  “I won’t.” How she knew about a test I didn’t tell her about made me want to question her further, but I knew I would receive the typical ‘I pay for your school, so don’t ask questions’ response.

  I got off the phone and prepared for the night, not entirely sure if I was ready.

  We had stopped in town before heading up the hill, and James, Elise’s boyfriend, stopped at a convenience store to get some beer. None of us were over twenty-one, so he was using a fake ID, which made me nervous, but when I voiced my concerns, Elise told me to relax.

  As I sat in the car, I looked around at the lively little town. The bank sat across the street from the convenience store, someone standing outside, handing out candy. Kids were dressed up and running around, going door to door. You could tell the town was small enough that everyone knew everyone. Growing up in the city, I didn’t even know my neighbors. The only people I was allowed to associate with were ones my parents approved of, which was almost no one. Something like this might have been nice, but there was no reason to dwell on that now.

  Soon, James returned, beer and hand, and we headed toward the hill. All the houses in the area were spread out over large corn fields, the stalks high, ripe corn sticking out of some of them. I even spied a bonfire in the middle of one that had already been cleared for the season. I gasped as the truck skidded across the road when Hunter, one of Elise’s friends, took the turn too fast, almost throwing us into the field.

  "God, Hunter, knock it off," I shouted over the loud music and screech of tires grating against the dirt road. We had officially hit the hill, and I felt a shiver rake over my body.

  "Chill out," he said to me. I looked back to Elise, who was making out with James in the back, not paying us, or the fact we'd almost run off the road at least twice, any mind. I knew this was a bad idea, but Elise had convinced me to join in. James was the one who wanted to come up here, but Hunter was the one with the truck. I’d agreed to this ridiculous trip, and then I’d found out it was a double date as soon as I showed up. Elise told me to be cool, and what was I supposed to do?

  That's how I ended up in the passenger seat of this weird smelling truck, going way too fast down this dirt road, up to Connecticut Hill. I knew what I was in for when I chose to go to Cornell, and the town the university was in wasn't so bad, but the outskirts seemed to be all open fields and cows.

  Hunter rolled down his window, and I pulled my jacket tighter against me as the crisp fall air gusted in. Elise and James hadn't even come up for air. Hunter lit up his joint and took a big inhale, blowing it out of the window. Great. Now our driver was high. That made this much better.

  "Want a hit?" he asked me.

  I shook my head and focused my eyes out the window.

  "I do," James said. Apparently, the only thing that could grab their attention was a little weed.

  "What's the big deal about this place anyway?" I asked.

  Hunter took a sharp turn, and I felt the tires spin as they briefly lost their grip. My hand tightened on the door, the plastic creaking under my hand. "It's something one of the locals told me about," James replied, passing the joint to Elise. "Apparently, there's a graveyard out here, and one of the people buried there is a witch. On Halloween, she comes out to play.”

  I nodded and turned back to face the front. I wish I hadn't asked. I intentionally hadn't looked it up to avoid being scared. It's not that I believed every old folktale told in small communities like this, but I avoided horror movies for a reason. Just because I knew it was fake didn’t make it any less scary.

  This felt like a worse idea as time went on, but there was no turning back now. Hopefully, we would arrive, they would get bored quickly, and we could leave.

  I turned my gaze back to the woods. Suddenly, a bright light whipped through the woods. It happened so fast, I was sure it was a trick of the mind. That didn't cause me to jump any less, though.

  "Don't be scared, cutie," Hunter said, putting his hand on my thigh. "I'll keep you safe from the big, bad ghosts."

  I shuffled away from him slightly, letting his hand fall away. "I'm fine. Just cold." There was no way I was telling them what I saw. It was probably all in my head. James’ small town spooky ghost story was just getting to me.

  "I think that's it," Hunter said, slowing the truck to a stop. He turned shut the car off, and we all looked toward break in the trees. "Let's go," he said as he hopped out of the car.

  James took off after him, but I turned and caught Elise's arm before she could get out. "I don't know if this is a good idea," I told her.

  "Come on, Cel, lighten up. It's just a bit of fun." She pulled out of my grasp and hopped out after James. I sighed and considered staying in the car, but I didn't want to make things weird. So, against my better judgement

, I joined them.

  2

  Our steps crunched loudly as we walked down the small pathway. It was lined with sticks, denoting the path clearly. We all held our phone flashlights to illuminate our way through the dark. Checking mine, I realized I didn’t have any service, and I would bet no one around me did either. That was less than comforting, but I kept telling myself we would go in, see the grave, and get out.

  We passed other gravestones as we walked, mostly knocked over or completely crumbled. I tried to read one more clearly, but the stone was so faded, it was illegible.

  "This would be a sick place for a party," Hunter commented.

  "True. Maybe we should get the guys out here," James said. I rolled my eyes—every frat guy wanted to make things like this into a party. He looked at his phone and his face dropped. "Man, no service. What about you guys?"

  We all shook our heads. "Next time," Hunter said. "Let's scope it out, find the best place for keg stands."

  They fist-pounded, and Elise giggled. How did I end up with these people?

  We moved further into the woods, the car and dirt road getting further and further away. An unease settled in my chest, but I pushed the feeling away. It was just the woods, and just because it wasn't what I was used to didn't mean it was scary.

  At least, that’s what I told myself anyway.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spied what looked like a car light, but when I turned to it, it didn't move. It felt...sentient, like it was staring back at me.

  "Do you guys see that?" I asked, pointing toward it.

  "See what?" Hunter asked from in front of me.

  When I looked back again, the light was gone. What the hell? I was truly losing it. “Just the, uh, branch. Didn't want anyone to trip."

  "Thanks for looking out," James said from behind me. I sighed, glad that no one questioned me.

  "I think I see it," Hunter announced, picking up his pace. Soon, we were all crowded over a stone slab, knocked on the ground like most others and snapped in half. The top read Elizabeth...something; her last name was illegible from years of exposure. The base was still there, littered with dolls, partially melted candles, and what looked like old, dried herbs and flowers.

  "What is all of this?" I wondered aloud.

  "Probably someone doing witchcraft," James said. "Some guys told me people come up here to do rituals and stuff in front of the grave. I even heard that sometimes, they make sacrifices."

  I just nodded. Other than being old and in the middle of a dense forest, there was nothing super strange about this grave.

  "Well," Hunter said, holding up the case of beer, "lets chill out and see if anything happens."

  Everyone grabbed one, but I asked Hunter if he thought he should be drinking, since he was driving.

  "Don't worry,” he said. "Five beers is my driving limit. I'm totally fine before that."

  I blinked at him, unsure if anyone could be this dumb. Why the hell did I agree to this? Maybe I could stay in his car until we got to town and then order an Uber. There were a million and a half trees he could run into from here to there, but there were also giant, open fields we would probably survive if he wrecked there. Did Ubers even come out here? I could only hope.

  James pulled a blanket from his bag and laid it out. Things started to feel a bit more normal as we lounged and chatted. I mostly stayed out of the conversation, just content to listen in. I sipped lightly on my beer, but decided it was best if one of us was mostly sober. The cold October breeze was mainly blocked by the trees, so it wasn't unbearably cold.

  "Oh shoot," James said, "I think I left something in the car. Elise, wanna go back and get it?"

  "Sure," she shrugged.

  A look passed between James and Hunter that I didn't quite understand, and then James and Elise got up and walked off.

  "It's a nice night," Hunter commented.

  "It is," I said. I hadn't participated in the conversation, so having to talk now brought my anxiety back around.

  “So, you're a data science major, right?"

  I nodded absentmindedly. "Yep."

  "Cool, cool. I'm doing business. I don't really get it. I'm just here for the football team."

  "Interesting."

  I knew nothing about football, but apparently, my comment was a show of interest, because he dove into all the logistics of the team and what felt like every play by play that happened this season. He told me how he wasn’t starting this year, but swore it was just because he was a freshman, and he would start next year. He said that a bunch, though, making me think it may not be true.

  I drowned most of it out, trying to nod when necessary. While I couldn’t care less about what he was saying, I was glad he didn’t seem to need me to have this conversation. A particularly strong wind blew across, causing me to involuntarily shiver.

  "Are you cold?" Hunter asked, putting his arm around me.

  I froze. I didn't want him touching me, but I wanted to tread lightly. Men could be scary, especially one's like him. "A bit, but I'm okay."

  "Don't sweat. I got you." He pulled me closer, and I still didn't move. I wasn't sure what to do.

  "Hey, they've been gone a while. Maybe we should check on them." I moved to shuffle away, but his hold tightened.

  "Don't worry about them," he said, leading me downwards. "Let's worry about us."

  I was quickly on my back, and I began to panic. He hovered over me, his hot beer breath hitting me in the face. "No, I don't think so,” I insisted. “I want to go find Elise."

  "Just relax. This will be fun." He pressed his lips to mine. I tried pushing him away, tried yelling, but he covered my mouth with mine and was much stronger than me—I was trapped, his kiss sloppy and unwelcome.

  "Let go," I managed, continuing to struggle.

  His hands traveled down my body, leaving me in a cold sweat. "Just be cool," he said, his voice taking on a harsh edge. "Elise said you would be easy after a few drinks," he mumbled to himself.

  Elise said that? I continued my struggle, refusing to give up. He reached under my shirt and squeezed my breast, beginning to dry hump against me. His groans filled the air as his mouth drew downward over my neck, and he covered my mouth as I cried and begged for it to stop.

  I looked around, searching for a way out. My hands were stuck, and I couldn’t grab anything to hit him. There was nothing I could do.

  Then, I saw it: the light from earlier. Everything happened quickly after that. Vines snapped around Hunter's shoulders and he went flying off me, landing on his back with a thump. I scrambled up, readjusting my clothes.

  "What the fuck?" he screeched. In the light from the phone flashlight still on the ground, I could see large thorns sticking out of the vines now digging into his skin. I peered down the path we came from, but it looked closed, as if the dense forest had covered it up.

  I heard a swaying behind me and noticed a new path seemed to open, one I was sure wasn't there before. Without giving it further thought, I took off down the path, leaving Hunter's screams far behind me.

  3

  I took off as fast as I could, as if I could hear something calling to me, telling me this was right. It made no sense, but it felt like nothing did now. I could still feel his beer-saturated saliva covering my mouth, drying to my lips. His touch was burned into me, and I wanted to be rid of it.

  The path cleared in front of me, as if the trees themselves moved to make way. Branches slashed at my legs, but I kept moving. Then, I could see it, like a light at the end of the tunnel, and it felt like sanctuary. My legs ached and my breath was ragged, but I knew I needed to get there.

  The light grew bigger; I thought it was the one I had seen all night, but it wasn't. No, it was much larger, and growing larger still.

  I soon ended up in a large clearing, the grass hip height. It seemed impossible such a large clearing would exist in this dense a forest. At the other end sat a cottage, lights glowing around the windows and smoke billowing out of the chimney at the top.

 

1 2 3 4