All Chapters of Soul Kept From the Grave: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The rough trip didn't shake my resolve to meet Evanna's parents, but I regretted my eagerness to come the moment we reached the settlement's entrance.It was already late at night when we got there. Hardly any houses still had the lights on, but the whole place gave me this illusion of being crowded and noisy. It felt like there were these vague, flickering shapes drifting along the road. Now and then, I even caught scraps of voices in my ears.It was my first time in such a remote settlement, so I didn't think too much of it at first. But when I saw all the dolls lined up along the roadside, the regret really kicked in.They looked especially creepy in the dark. Each doll was a little different, its expression and posture off in its own way. When I looked more closely, I noticed they were all dressed in different outfits, too.I asked Evanna, "Why are there so many dolls along the road? Is this some kind of local custom? Like that doll village overseas that they did a news piece o

"I heard something moving under the bed and thought it was a rat, so I grabbed a shoe to whack it," I said.Evanna thought for a moment. "We really do have rats at home. There's a trap under the bed. Guess you got lucky and didn't set it off."I let out a breath. "Good thing my luck's not that bad."She didn't respond. The room fell quiet again. After a long while, she said, "Damian, listen to me. I'm the only person in this house you can trust."I had no idea why she said that, but I still nodded. "Of course. I only trust you."No sooner had I said it than another thought hit me. "Wait. I can't even trust your parents?""Like I said, you can only trust me.""Okay, okay. I'll remember that."Dawn hadn't fully broken yet, and we drifted back off to sleep. Then a knock at the door jolted us both awake. We sat up at the same time.Mrs. Zeller called from outside, "Evanna! Evanna, come out for a second."Evanna answered, then leaned over and kissed me on the forehead before lifti

When I woke up with a splitting headache, I realized I was locked in the same room as the night before. I pounded on the door and shouted at the top of my lungs, but no one came.Eventually, I slid down, my back against the door, and sat on the floor. I'd trusted Evanna so much. Why would she do this to me?That was when I remembered the voice from my dream last night. A ghost who claimed to be Evanna's ex-boyfriend had said he was hidden under the bed.I went over, got down on my stomach, turned on my phone's flashlight, and crawled underneath. Sure enough, I found a hidden latch with an old iron padlock. Strange symbols were carved into the metal.I grabbed the lock and yanked hard. It was aged, but still solid. I couldn't get it open.I glanced at my phone, hesitated for a second, then raised it and slammed it down on the lock. It became dented, but the flashlight stayed on. After a few more blows, the lock was still intact, but the latch had finally broken.I hurried to pull

Everything really started about a week before the holidays.That day, I told Evanna I wanted to meet her parents. She shot me down again, and we fought. In a fit of anger, I stormed out alone in the middle of the night.There were a few drunk kids on the street, tearing around on motorcycles. One of them suddenly swerved up onto the sidewalk and sent me flying.I was rushed to the hospital, and the doctors said I was in a vegetative state.My body lay on the hospital bed, but my soul was still wandering around the crash site. Because it all happened so suddenly, I had no memory of the accident itself. So for the next few days, I just drifted around like a restless spirit, going through my usual routine.Looking back, everything made sense now. No wonder no one at work had talked to me, and the bus had blown past me even though I'd waved at the driver.No wonder Evanna had only called for one motorcycle to take us back to the settlement. I'd sat at the very back, constantly feelin