All Chapters of Graveyard Watchman: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

114 Chapters

Chapter 1: The Beginning

I'm not sure how long ago it was when I first saw him, staring down at the oldest, crumbling gravestone in his black hooded cloak. He has completely captured my attention; I want to know more about the mysterious man behind all that darkness. Is he grieving like me? Maybe. It's the reason I've been coming to this God-forsaken cemetery over the last five months since Zack died.He was my best friend and he died saving someone else's life. A firefighter's duty, I'm supposed to believe. Everyone still tries to comfort me by saying he died doing what he loved but they don't understand. I no longer have my big brother to protect me, especially from myself.After our parents died three years ago, only blocks from our house, I became a different person. The drunk driver kept going after he plowed into them during their nightly walk. The fourteen-year-old who killed them had found his parents' whiskey stash before taking his dad's truck for a joyride. He only got two years of probation. Back

Chapter 2: Best Friend

I'm wide-awake after only a few hours of sleep but apparently it was just enough to rev up my brain. I try like hell to will my mind to relax but it's no use. It's as if my body is attached to someone else, keeping me from the very thing I so desperately want-to avoid my shitty reality for a little while longer. I reach around the bed for my phone and finally find it, still warm from somehow working its way under my hip. I have to turn the brightness down before I can focus and switch the music to my Mozart playlist. It's at the top, so it's easy to find. Hopefully, it'll do the trick and send me back to dreamland. It always worked when Mom played him for me as a kid. Especially when I had nightmares.Another few minutes go by but I'm completely awake. I can't get him out of my head, no matter how hard I try. My curiosity about him is starting to make my daily trip almost a game. Will he be there today? Will he take one look at me and walk away, like he did the last time? Why is he

Chapter 3: The Meeting

We're within twenty feet of each other when he slowly stands, turning his face toward me. His eyes meet mine and I have to stop and catch my breath. The intense combination of brown and an almost orangey-red mix is incredible. I'm not sure if it's the cloud cover or the tiny wedge of sun somehow managing to cast light on them, but I'm mesmerized before I say a word. We stand in silence for a few more seconds while the rapid thud of my heart pounds in my ears. Then suddenly he turns and walks away. Shit.Did I piss him off? Does he want privacy? I watch him head toward the woods, his heavy coat swaying in the wind, giving him an almost otherworldly look, and for a moment I wonder if he's real. Maybe he's been in my imagination all along. But then he glances back at me and I see that same rusty-red glow in his eyes, even from where I'm standing. I think he's looking back to see if I'm following him. Wait...should I? Follow him?I don't give myself enough time to think about it be

Chapter 4: The Fire

I don't have time to think more about it because Aunt Kelly is hugging the life out of me."Thank God you're okay!" she says in my ear."I'm fine," I reply, wondering how long she'll keep me in a vice grip.She pulls back, keeping her hands firmly planted on my shoulders. "I made soup. You hungry?" "Yeah, sounds good," I say automatically, so deep in thought I probably would have agreed to anything.Was it really him? Or was it just my imagination? "Hey, cutie," my uncle says, winking as I walk past him to the kitchen. Gross."Hey, Uncle John," I say with little enthusiasm. I can't stand him. He's made Aunt Kelly's life a living hell for years. Mostly because he barely works, only taking jobs here and there when he feels like it, then spending every penny of it gambling or buying beer. The other day I smelled pot when I took out the trash and I knew it was him puffing away behind the fence. He's such a loser. It's hard to see what my aunt saw in him. According to her, he was

Chapter 5: Homeless

"Here you go," the older lady behind the motel front desk says, holding out two key cards. I take them and smile. I'm happy to finally have a decent bed to sleep in after two nights on a hard sofa in Uncle John's hospital room."You're paid up for the rest of the month. If you need your rooms for longer, just let us know." I nod and walk back out to my car. Aunt Kelly is waiting in her Explorer with Uncle John, who looks asleep and is most likely high on pain meds. She's wiping her eyes. "Are you okay?" I ask, hoping the concern on my face doesn't reveal how frightened I really am. She doesn't need that extra burden right now."Oh, yeah, honey." She quickly hides the Kleenex I already saw. "I just hate that you're having to use your inheritance money." She looks over at Uncle John, then back to me, and whispers, "He doesn't know this, but I managed to put a little money away for emergencies... It's not-"I interrupt her guilt trip. "Aunt Kelly, this was my choice and I want to

Chapter 6: I Will Follow

The air remains damp and there's still no sound of crickets or even birds, but after my eyes adjust I can just barely see. I don't have time to think any further because the Watchman is darting in and out of trees and brush so quickly I have to stay aware of his every move. And like before, we're definitely following a well-established, albeit hidden, path. Occasionally, he looks back to make sure I'm keeping up.I swear we've jogged a mile and we're still going. My side is beginning to cramp and I need to take a break so I slow down and stop, leaning against a tree as I try to catch my breath. Out of nowhere, I'm scooped up under a black cloak or a wing or something. I can't be sure because as quickly as I'm up we stop and I'm down on my own two feet again.What the...I hear shuffling and what sounds like flapping, as if a giant bird is nearby. My attention is drawn to a flicker of light on a torch anchored to a stone wall. Then another. My eyes quickly scan the area and I realize

Chapter 7: Protection

This time I'm fully conscious, flat on my stomach under his cloak, but I can't see even a speck of light. I flinch when violent, animalistic growls take over the silent night air. The Watchman's body huddles closer to me as more guttural snarls come from every possible direction. I'm too frightened to move, the pounding of my heart a deafening boom in my head.Out of nowhere, the sounds of shooting flames and large flapping wings crash through the air. I question my own sanity as my eyes dart from side to side, trying to follow the shrieks above us, mentally picturing mythical creatures I've only read about in books. What the hell? "You cannot have her!" a familiar voice shouts.Wait, was that Zack?I want to call out for him but know I shouldn't. I'm trapped and pretty sure he and the Watchman are protecting me from someone or more likely some thing. Seconds go by like hours; I can only imagine the terror going on above me. The Watchman's body is practically lying against min

Chapter 8: Always on Watch

"Go back to the motel, Kate." He reaches around me and opens the driver's side door.I know he's not going to elaborate because he's practically shoving me in the car, but I can't stop myself. "Wait, if you're my protector, why are you letting me drive alone? Hell, why are you letting me do anything alone?"His lips curl up slowly, as if he's genuinely amused. "You are never alone." I shoot up my arm so he can't shut the door. "What? Do you magically appear in my bedroom or something?"I meet his gaze, watching the slight smile he had only seconds ago completely fade. "I am everywhere you are."Gulp.Our eyes stay glued for another second; he looks away first. I'm still trying to grasp what he just said when I hear a faint scream. Or maybe it was a high-pitched growl, I can't be sure. Whatever it was now has the Watchman's full attention. He pushes my shoulder all the way inside the car and slams the door, then disappears right in front of me. Disappears.Into thin air.My h

Chapter 9: Secrets

After throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and my favorite gray sweater, I brush my teeth and apply a few swipes of mascara and lip gloss. I run a quick brush through my wavy hair because I let it dry against a pillow. I'm about as presentable as I'm going be today. Unfortunately, even after several hours of sleep I'm still mentally exhausted. I should probably talk my stomach into eating. I know that's part of my problem.I grab my phone, shoving it in my back pocket as three quick knocks come from the other side of Aunt Kelly's door."Kate? I have your food," she says in a loud whisper.I unlock the deadbolt and pull open the door. The smile on her face is the first thing I see, but I can tell there's worry behind her eyes. Uncle John, the house burning down, and what the hell to do next-it's got to be weighing on her. Hell, if she knew that I have an otherworldly bodyguard watching my every move, it might actually help her stress level. Wherever he is right now. The thought of him

Chapter 10: Wait, What?

Aunt Kelly smiles like she just gave me good news and her eyes well up again. She reaches for another tissue; I can do nothing but stare. I don't even know what to say or hell, what to think. I have no idea what she's talking about."Okay, first of all, what the hell is a Seraph? And if you actually believe any of this is really happening, how the hell did I not know about it?"Her face drops and she scowls, like she knows I'm not buying it."I mean, I know you believe it, Aunt Kelly, but...""Kate," she stops me, her expression now much more serious, "listen to me very carefully. Seraph is the proper noun that refers to the word Angel," she says matter-of-factly, shifting in her chair, "and that necklace you're wearing is proof that your brother, my nephew, is no longer in his coffin. If you can accept that he's actually alive, then why the hell can't you believe what I'm trying to tell you?" Whoa. She's got a point."Okay, say I believe you," I begin, "and everything you've be

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