Gravekeeper

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I finished cleaning a few hours later. Exhausted I collapsed onto the floor and looked around for Gravekeeper. He was no where to be found. I had figured as much; he hadn’t been able to help me at all, since I was afraid he’d end up poisoning himself with the cleaning agents, and he had left some time ago to do whatever it was he did at night, patrolling the graveyard or something.

I wonder if Keith knew that there was someone already here to do his job and doubted it. I had never heard any mention or reference to Gravekeeper and doubted that anyone else even knew he was here. Which brought me back to one of my earlier questions; just why did Gravekeeper reveal himself to me?

He could have stayed in his mist and I would have never known what had happened, but he didn’t. He allowed me to see him and even kept coming to see me afterwards. Hell, he even comes to me when I call for him.

I didn’t understand why he did it. Why would he risk exposing himself for me? He had said that I respected his graveyard and its occupants but was that really enough of a reason to show himself? If so then why didn’t anyone else know about him?

Surely there had to be someone else, Keith or one of the other workers, which held as much respect for this place as I did. Was it because I looked to be around the same age as him? I didn’t know and it was bothering me.

Dragging myself up I crawled over to the tomb and tugged by backpack off of it. Leaning back against it I ate the sandwiches I had brought with me and looked around. The dirt, dust and cobwebs were all in a pile by the stairs, something I’d have to have Gravekeeper take out later since I couldn’t.

I thought about somehow getting the locks on the door to work but then realized that that wouldn’t be a very good idea. Not only would someone notice and come to investigate it but if I ended up using them then there’d be no way for me to lock the door after me and someone could easily get inside. No, it was better if Gravekeeper was my only way in and out, as nervous as that made me feel.

I didn’t expect him to actually do something like leave me here but still, the thought of him being able to do so was more than a little hair rising. I really didn’t want to be stuck in a mausoleum, even if it was a clean one like this. I wouldn’t admit it to anyone but when I had been cleaning the tomb a spider had crawled on my hand and I freaked out.

Finding a spider in your home was one thing but finding one in a tomb, inside a mausoleum, was another. Thankfully Gravekeeper hadn’t been there to see it but he had shown up soon after I had freaked out. I pretended that nothing had happened and he didn’t say anything about it.

I’d have to think of a way to keep Gravekeeper occupied for a while because I really wanted to bug-bomb the place and didn’t want him to end up inhaling the fumes just because he didn’t understand what was going on. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to fix this place up so much, but it was kind of like a secret getaway for me. A home away from home if Gravekeeper would allow it.

I didn’t think he’d have much of a problem with that. After all he had shown himself to me and was willing to take me down here and let me have run of the place in the first place. I wasn’t sure when I had become more comfortable living with Gravekeeper than my own family, but somehow it had happened.

We haven’t known each other for long but even so this arrangement was much better than the one I had at home. Sure, I could do practically whatever I wanted as long as I didn’t get into trouble, but I could never forgive their indifference to both Derek and I. Here I didn’t have to avoid anyone, except maybe the police at night, and Gravekeeper made a very interesting roommate.

Not that I was planning on moving in, but I did like it here and hoped he’d let me visit again. At least until the cops stopped watching the graveyard so closely. I sighed and put the empty sandwich bags away. I hope they don’t try to stop me from seeing Derek.

There was no way for them to legally do this but I’m sure they could make some crap up about it being for my own safety or something. I also didn’t want to piss them off too much in case they notified my parents. That would make things even more difficult.

I realized I was starting to repeat myself and forcefully stopped before I went around in an endless circle. There was one issue I was desperately avoiding but I knew I couldn’t put it off forever, which I would sure as hell try to do if I allowed myself to, but having the thought in the back of my head would eventually drive me crazy.

Why did I kiss Gravekeeper?

Was I so desperately lonely that I’d attach myself to the first boy who showed interest in me? What about Derek? How did this, if at all, change my feelings for him? I didn’t know.

I still loved Derek but Derek was dead and there was no way for him to love me back, not that there had ever been the chance in the first place. Why was it that I had to fall in love with my own brother? Why did it have to be with the one person who could never love me back, at least not in the way that I loved him?

Maybe it was a good thing that I was having such strange feelings for Gravekeeper. Maybe this would help me and allow me to move on and get over my love for Derek and his untimely death. Or maybe it would make things worse than they already were.

Was Gravekeeper just another person who could never love me back? I didn’t see how it’d work out between us in the first place. He wouldn’t leave the graveyard and couldn’t be seen by others. That didn’t bode well for any normal sort of dating, not to mention that he had wings of bone and web. Then of course was the fact that he ran around naked.

It was extremely weird that I was even considering having a relationship with Gravekeeper, but then again I was pretty weird to begin with; sleeping and practically living in a graveyard just so I could be with my dead twin. Of course no matter how hard I tried to rationalize my feelings away, they still remained. Haunting me and always remaining in the back of my mind, waiting to drive me insane.

I supposed…that I kissed Gravekeeper because I like him. It was hard to admit but even though he was so weird and creepy I was still attracted to him. He wasn’t bad looking after all, once you got over the wings and the seemingly dead eyes. In a way I think I may want to be the one to put life back into those eyes of his.

It was hard to accept since I was still in love with Derek. It almost felt like a betrayal, but then again the feelings I had for him were a betrayal in itself. Which was worse; being in love with your twin or being in love with an inhuman creature?

I paused at that. I wasn’t in love with Gravekeeper, at least not yet. I was certainly attracted to him but it wasn’t that bad, was it? I wasn’t certain.

I wasn’t certain about much these days.

I supposed I should figure out just what I did feel for Gravekeeper. There was attraction, affection, and extreme curiosity, but did I have the capacity to love him? I think that if I kept spending time with him and he kept showing me qualities that didn’t put me off I might love him eventually. I don’t think I even know myself anymore.

I wish there was a way I could speak with Derek. Not in the way I did with him now, but in a way where he could answer me and help me decide what to do and feel. He may not have known about the extent of my feelings for him but he did know that I was attracted to men. He hadn’t had a problem with it though he had never shown the same inclination.

It was for the better, I think. It would have been harder to see him with another guy than with a girl; to know that I would have had a chance if only I hadn’t been his brother. Not that he had been with a girl either, but still.

When you were almost constantly sick and dying you didn’t go looking for girlfriends or boyfriends. I was still just grateful that he had allowed me to stay by his side until the end. It helped us both, I think.

Shaking my head I tried to clear it of thoughts of Derek. Thinking about him always made me depressed and there were other things for me to be concerned about at the moment. Like just what I was going to do about Gravekeeper.

I wanted to kiss him again and maybe more, though I wasn’t ready to think about what ‘more’ entailed at the moment. I didn’t even know what he thought and felt about the kiss, other than surprise for it having happened. His lack of reaction made me both worried and hopeful. While he hadn’t been disgusted he hadn’t really been positive about it either.

And then there was the fact that he had been so easily distracted from it. I was grateful that he had been in that moment but just what did that say about the kiss? That it wasn’t even worth mentioning?

How was I supposed to feel about that? Glad that he had forgotten so quickly or disappointed that he didn’t really care enough to begin with? Why couldn’t things just be simple with him—with Derek—with everyone? Things were never simple, never, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

Mine was especially troublesome.

Sighing I decided to think about this more later and dug out my squished pillow from its place at the bottom of my backpack. Thankfully it hadn’t gotten any chocolate sauce or anything on it and I placed it about a foot away from the old cabinet and laid down on it, trying not to think about spiders or rats. I should at least try to get as much sleep as I could while I still had the chance.

When I awoke later I couldn’t tell what time it was, since I didn’t have a watch, but I instantly realized that I had forgotten to turn off the light before I went to sleep and that the lid to the stone tomb was now closed. I was pleased to find that there were no bugs on me or anywhere near me but I had to wonder just when Gravekeeper had returned and how he had moved that lid without awakening me. I knew he was strong, but was he really that strong?

For some reason I didn’t doubt it. If he was able to break bones with such little effort he could certainly move a stone coffin lid by himself. The light must have bothered him but if so then why didn’t he just turn them off? He had watched me when I turned them on and off earlier so he should know how to do it by now. Was he just trying to be considerate for me?

I didn’t understand how a man who had lived with basically no human contact could be so kind and considerate. It was like I was the one who needed to be taken care of, and not him. And maybe I did too.

Looking around I noticed that both the cleaning supplies and the pile of dust and dirt were gone. He must have taken care of them as well, but why didn’t he ask me for help? It made me feel weird to be so taken care of when I hadn’t experienced it before.

My parents were basically absent and even though Derek was the older twin I was always taking care of him, physically at least. I still think that he might have been my emotional crutch. Who knows how I would have turned out without him? I certainly wouldn’t be here in a mausoleum with Gravekeeper.

Still, I refused to be the least bit grateful for his death. Gravekeeper there or not he shouldn’t have had to die. Scowling I pushed away those thoughts once again, though sometimes it was very hard thing to do.

Getting up I shoved my pillow back into my backpack, which Gravekeeper had moved onto the floor next to me (probably in order to get away from the evil chocolate), and stared at the tomb. I wanted to let him sleep or whatever it was he did but I couldn’t get out of here without him and I needed to restock on sandwiches and stuff at my house.

Walking over to the tomb I placed my hand on top of it and traced one of the leaves that hung the large vine which spread across it. It wasn’t a bad tomb, if one had to have one, but I still couldn’t believe that Gravekeeper actually slept in it. Or at least I thought he did.

Come to think of it, it really wasn’t that big of a surprise after all. I mean, where else would he sleep when he lived in an old mausoleum in a graveyard? There really weren’t that many places to hide. It was still a little creepy to think about, mostly because I had been the one to clean the thing out, but I supposed it was normal for him.

“Gravekeeper?” I wanted to knock on the lid as well but didn’t think it’d have much of an effect. After waiting a minute the stone lid started to move and I stepped back in surprise even though I had expected it. I thought that he might just end up misting his way out of the thing but I guess even he did things the old fashioned way sometimes.

I could barely see him inside the coffin and realized that he was trying to avoid the light. It was probably like how the light hurt my eyes when I first woke up, but even worse for him since Gravekeeper practically lived in darkness. I turned off the light and although I now couldn’t see it seemed to comfort Gravekeeper and I heard him crawling out of his coffin—at least I hoped to hell that it was Gravekeeper.

I tried not to think about what else it could be and fished around for my backpack in the darkness. It was put into my hands and I thanked him for it and then told him why I had awoken him. He didn’t seem put off by it and took me outside as I requested, wincing and using his wings to try and shelter him from the light.

I apologized for making him come out during the day and then noticed the cut on his arm. It was fresh, so much so that he must have gotten it while climbing out of the tomb. His crouch made it easier for me to get to it and I cleaned it off the best I could, though as I did so I noticed that it was already healed once the blood was cleared away.

He tolerated this with more patience than I would have had and then captured my hand as I finished. I didn’t have a fear of blood or anything like that so I had used my hand and shirt to wipe it away. Apparently Gravekeeper didn’t like that for he immediately started licking the blood off of my hand, offering me no explanation for it.

His tongue was still cold and icy and the touch of it made me shiver like I had before when we kissed. Though I didn’t think I cold handle having that tongue on me anywhere else, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like if it were warm like it was supposed to be. Then I remembered that I probably still had chemicals on my hand and yanked it away from him.

He gave me an unreadable expression and I muttered something to him about the cleaning products that I wasn’t sure if he accepted. Avoiding his gaze I looked around to see if any of the workers were there yet and saw no one. By the time I looked back Gravekeeper was gone, probably going back to sleep by now.

I bid him ‘goodnight’, though I was uncertain if he could actually hear me, and started heading back home. I took the long way around again, in case someone happened to see me and report me, and was once again distracted by thoughts of Gravekeeper, mostly about his tongue, too.

Looking at the hand he had licked I noticed that he had missed a spot along the side of my thumb. Before I knew what I was doing I licked away the rest of the blood and was startled out of my trace at the taste of it on my tongue. What the hell is wrong with me?

Shaking my head I wiped my hand off on my shirt but it was too late. I couldn’t get rid of the taste of him.

At home I expected to walk into a silent house, with my father absent and my mother busy with work, but instead I was assaulted with the scent of fresh coffee hanging in the air. Who the hell is in my house? Cautiously I walked towards the kitchen/dinning room and was greeted with the sight of my mother talking with Officers Nickle and Salom.

Shit.

What the hell do they want?

One of the Officers noticed me and then everyone turned to stare at me in a way that made me want to get the hell out of there. My mother, in particular, didn’t look too happy with me. Just what the hell did they tell her? I hope she didn’t call dad…

Knowing my luck she probably had and now I’d have to fight with the both of them to even get out of the house aside from going to school. Right now I hated those Officers more than anything and wished that I had never met them in the first place. I didn’t care if they were just doing their jobs; they had just fucked up my life and I wasn’t going to forgive them for it.

“Shane Carlial?” I nodded, inwardly scoffing at the question. They had met me before and now they were in my home asking me if I was really me? Who did they think I was—Derek?! Such great work these officers put in.

“We’re going to need you to identify the people who robbed the graveyard a few nights ago.”

“What? Why?” They were right there in the middle of the graveyard with broken bones and shovels—what else did they need?! There should be enough evidence against them to put them away without my help.

“An eye witness would make the case more solid. Don’t worry; since they’re facing 10-20 years for Criminal Mischief, attempted murder, and Burglary in the second degree (1) we’ll have someone watching you for your own protection.” Why did I get the feeling there was a secondary motive in there to keep me out of the graveyard at night? But then again that one guy did try to kill me.

I didn’t really see why they’d come after me, I mean it was their own damn fault that they got caught. Hell, Gravekeeper even kept them from adding murder onto their wrap sheet. I was very grateful to him for that.

What sucked was that my mother was here to hear all of this. I doubt I’d be going anywhere anytime soon, unless I somehow snuck out of the house. Though if someone came to check on me and I wasn’t there I’d get into even more trouble. I guess I wouldn’t be seeing Gravekeeper any time soon. Shit.

“We’ll take you down to the station and we can get this over with. Don’t worry; they won’t be able to see you.” I already knew that, but really, who else would be able to identify them? I was the only witness and they knew that—just how did the officers expect to hide that from me? My faith in law enforcement was failing with every moment that passed.

“Now?” Part of me wanted to hurry up and get this over with but part of me wanted to hide out in my room until it was all blown over. The only problem with the second part was that I would be bothered incessantly both by my parents, the police, and whoever else was in on trial until this was dealt with.

“Yes. Since you’re a minor this trial will be sped up and your name kept out of public records. The sooner you identify the perpetrators the faster the trial can commence.”

“How soon will that be?”

“If we’re lucky it’ll be wrapped up within a week(2).” A week was a long time to have to deal with this but I guess it was better than the alternative. I knew that some cases like this could be stretched out for months—possible years. I couldn’t deal with this for that long, I’d go crazy.

The officers had already gotten up and were waiting for me to comply with them. I bet if I pushed I could postpone the identification until later but what purpose would that serve? Anyone who tried it knew you couldn’t put off the inevitable. I might as well face this and get it over with.

“Alright, I’ll go now. I want to get this over with.” My mother looked about to protest but held her tongue, probably wanting to ridicule me about my dirty clothes or something. Really, there was no reason for me to clean up for a line up.

I followed Officer Nickle to the squad car while Officer Salom convinced my mother that it was best if I went alone, since she wouldn’t be allowed to be with me during the identification anyway. I was grateful that he got her to agree and stared out the window as we drove in relative silence, save for the crackle and talk on the police radio.

This, like everything else, was just another something that I couldn’t quite decide how to feel about. Without the grave robbers I would have never met Gravekeeper, but then again, without them I wouldn’t be in the predicament I was in right now. I supposed in a way I was glad that it had happened. If it hadn’t I would still be sitting in the graveyard by myself while talking to my dead brother.

I still talked to him, of course, but not nearly as often as before and now I had more than his death to think about. Like what I was going to do about Gravekeeper and about this criminal investigation. It was a little too much for my tired brain to handle right now and I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes, hoping we’d get there soon.

The finger-pointing took longer than the officers said it would and I was there for about an hour or two before they actually took me into the room to identify them. Apparently it took a while to transport them, prepare the line up, and get everyone else ready for it. It was a rather ridiculous effort, I thought, for it seemed more like a performance than anything else.

In order for me not to pick them out based on the public reports of their injuries they had the others in the line up with similar wounds. It had been dark when I had seen their faces but I wouldn’t forget them anytime soon and pointed them out rather easily. I think one of the people in the room was a counselor of some sort because he kept trying to reassure me and make sure I wasn’t afraid, which I wasn’t.

Who would be afraid with an inhuman creature out there to protect them?

Even if he couldn’t leave his graveyard he would still make people think twice, if they knew about him that is. But besides me those two grave robbers were the only ones who knew anything about him, which wasn’t saying much. No one could see through that fog and by the time it was gone they were out cold.

It didn’t matter, though. I still felt safer knowing that Gravekeeper would do what he could to help me, even if it was only out of duty.

After my identification the prosecutor asked me some more questions, which I had already answered previously, and then told me how the trial was going to commence. I didn’t really care as long as I could get it over with ASAP. The prosecutor, I couldn’t be bothered to remember his name, then told me that the two grave robbers had been put in jail previously with a $100,000 bail bond set, something they didn’t think they’d be able to pay, and not to worry about them.

I didn’t know why everyone thought I was going to break down at any given moment. Yeah, it was a big deal and everything but I wasn’t emotionally distraught. I don’t think anything could affect me as much as Derek’s death did.

When they were done with me the officers drove me home and walked me inside, informing my mother about how everything had happened and stalling her long enough so that I could slip into the shower before she could catch me. I was not looking foreword to the conversation we would be having and wanted to avoid it for as long as possible. I severely hoped that she wouldn’t try and ban me from going to the graveyard, at night or otherwise, because I just couldn’t tolerate that.

No force on earth would keep me from visiting Derek. And no force on earth would get me to stop seeing Gravekeeper. They were the only things that gave meaning to my life and I would cling to them with a death grip if I had to.

If forced otherwise I didn’t know what I would do.

A few minutes later there was a knock on my door and I heard my mother’s voice telling me to hurry it up and that ‘we had a lot to talk about, young man.’

Wonderful.

Just fucking perfect.

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(1): Taken from rather recent events with boys who tried to engage in necrophilia. It was really rather hard to find laws and punishments against grave robbing so who knows if it’s accurate. (Note that my grave robbers were NOT based on these people, nor were any other characters I have! I was only looking at the article for the charges rendered!)

http://www.channel3000.com/news/9792536/detail.html

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/section15/chapter_p_09_02.html

(2): Trail time varies and I read somewhere that it could be under a week, and since this is a short story that isn’t centered around the trial, I’m not prepared to go into detail about it or make it last a longer.