The dark shape stood its ground like an unyielding rock.

Jack’s mouth fell open and Vickie’s face froze while she remained firmly seated in the car. The figure’s unusual condition sent a shiver down her spine.

The wind whispered through the rustling leaves while the crows stood motionless, perched on branches and wires, their usual caws silenced. Then, faint, ghostly voices drifted and resounded through the woods and then dissolved into the vast sky. Jack’s breaths grew quick and shallow while his hands trembled as he searched for the source that slipped just beyond reach. His eyes met the dark figure which stood like a statue with its fixed gaze on him.

Grounded in the car, Vickie’s heart pounded at each step Jack took toward the silhouette. She hollered for him to return to her.

A sudden crack of thunder burst. She jumped.

A fork of lightning illuminated the dark sky for a brief moment.

The shadowy shape flickered out of sight. Jack flinched. He then turned around to join Vickie, but his foot slammed against the slab. He palmed the gritty surface of a plank embedded in the earth. The intense, burning rush of atoms in his blood caused him to howl in sheer pain.

Vickie stepped up and joined him. As Jack struggled to pull himself up, his eyes were drawn to an unusual object nestled in the dirt beneath him. He squinted, then attempted to tap the earth but yelped as the pain in his palms felt like needles and pricks. He took a deep breath and rubbed his palms. His fingers then sifted through the cool dirt, felt the fine grainy texture as he combed and wiped with his bare hands. Jack’s fingers found a soft spot and exposed the plank’s surface.

She leaned forward and dusted the earth off the plank swiftly while her eyes were glossy. He wiped the surface clean and ran his finger around the mysterious shape. His fingers traced the line. It had a rectangular shape. He ran a fingernail on the surface, then grabbed the edges with his fingertips and shook the plank.

Dust exploded then rose to Jack’s nose and eyes. He coughed and stepped back a few paces before waving his hand at the cloud of dust to clear his view. When he resumed, his hands felt a sudden draft coming in from the cracks between the plank and the earth. Jack rolled his soiled sleeves up and tried to lift the plank which was stuck in the dirt. He clasped the sides of the plank with his blistered fingers and lifted the thing. The plank snapped off its hinges exposing the buried wooden frame. He then pitched the plank aside. She raised her brows. His eyes scanned the odd-shaped structure in the frame, on the earth, wondering what it was. Vickie dug in, reaching for a granular substance. Jack placed his hands on the coarse, gritty substance and then grasped it. It turned out to be a bone. Vickie dug into the dirt and found tiny bones. Jack screamed in pain as the bone temperature changed, heating up significantly. He dropped the bone. Vickie grabbed the small bones and quickly experienced a burning sensation, causing her to let go of the small bones.

Then, distorted voices assaulted their ears.

Suddenly, a light emanated from the bone pit. Beams of light shot upwards from the bones, resembling a spotlight. As the light beams hit them, Jack and Vicky shielded their eyes with their hands.

The pit quaked, the couple lost their balance and fell. Then, a shape rose from the pit.