Shallow Grave

A Shallow Grave is a spooky story about a man who returns from the dead to save his wife from the clutches of her murderous, scheming brother.

The thing stirred beneath the earth. It pushed upwards, clawing its way to the surface. Clumps of mud fell from its mouth as it scrambled out the grave. Clumsily, it stood up and slowly looked around. The forest was bathed in moonlight and the twisted trees rustled in the breeze.

Where its eyes should have been, there were just black, hollow sockets. Bits of rotting flesh still clung to its skull. The thing stirred its moldering arms and legs and shuffled forward.

In a small clearing in the forest, Marie lay on the grass, her hands bound behind her back. She tried to scream, but her mouth was gagged. Her brother Jeff was beside her, shovel in hand, digging her grave. He stopped for a moment and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Scream all you want, he said. “Nobody can hear you in these woods. We’re miles from anywhere. With you out of the way, I can keep the entire inheritance for myself. As you know, I’m not the type of person who likes to share. Your husband can’t help you now. He’s dead. I murdered him weeks ago and buried him out here, beneath the stars.”

Marie stared at him, tears running down her cheeks. Her eyes pleaded for mercy, but Jeff just laughed at her despair. He grabbed her by the arms and threw her into the grave. Then, he picked up the shovel and began filling it in, throwing clumps of earth down on top of her.

Just then, Jeff heard a rustling in the trees. He turned around and saw something that struck fear into his heart. The thing stumbled from the shadows and came straight towards him. Jeff fell to his knees, covering his mouth to stifle a scream of terror.

While her brother was distracted, Marie managed to scramble out of the shallow grave. Frightened out of her wits, she crawled to safety.

The thing grasped Jeff by the neck and squeezed tightly. He screamed as the thing turned its fleshless face towards him. He tried to break free, but the thing’s grip was unbreakable. He screamed as it clutched him to its rotting chest in a deathly embrace.

Marie watched in horror as the thing carried her brother to the shallow grave. It fell on top of Jeff, pinning him down with its heavy weight. She listened to her brother’s terrified screams as the thing reached out its rotting arms and clawed at the dirt, pulling it down and burying them both.

It wasn’t long before the grave was filled in and after a while, the terrible screams ceased.