CHAPTER TWO:

A red mustang parked in front of a tall rusting gate as the five blonde girls got down from the car. 

 Emily looked around. 

 "The place this tradition is happening is in a.. graveyard?" She said with a confused look.

 Remi turned towards Emily with a smile. "Here's the thing Em, when I was small, my mom used to tell me a little story. She said, a creature roamed this graveyard looking for his wife. And at night, when the moon reaches its zenith, any woman that stands on his tomb, would be claimed."

 "Uh?"

 "So, what better tradition is there if not this." Remi grabbed Emily's hand as they opened the gate and walked through into the graveyard. 

 "I-" Emily stuttered at a loss for words. 

 "Come on, it's going to be fun, it's not that real. Don't tell me you're scared." The other girls giggled as they stared at Emily.

 Trying to act brave, she raised her shoulders as she walked with them. She still felt uncomfortable but decided to play along. Emily had initially thought it was going to be a game of chess or something, not a graveyard folklore play. 

 "We've all done it. It's no big deal. Plus it's fun." She heard Ava say. 

"Well, I did say I'm in." She replied as she giggled. 

 They all walked forward while murmuring to each other. Emily couldn't be bothered about what they said because she was busy observing her surroundings. 

 The graveyard had an eerie feeling to it. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay, the silence was oppressive punctuated by the soft creaking of the rusted gate and the hooting of owls. 

 Mist covered the area making it hard to see where she was going. 

 Finally, Remi stopped at the front of an unmarked grave and Abigail brought out the rope she had in her carry on. 

 "So it's simple, we tie you here for 40 minutes. And after 40 minutes, you're free. This will prove your readiness and you'll officially be one of us." Remi said excitedly. 

 Emily knew she had already gone too far to stop now so without hesitating, she climbed on top of the grave and Abigail tied her legs and hands to the unmarked stone. 

 "Is that- is that a skull?" Emily said as she stared with horror. 

 "Of course, it's a graveyard." Zoey, the quiet one, replied while rolling her eyes. 

 Emily swallowed and couldn't wait to get this over with. She felt a bit sick from their twisted tradition. 

 "There." Abigail said once she was done. 

 "You wait till the moon reaches its zenith and after 40 minutes, we'll come get you." Remi said with a smirk before turning to leave as the others followed her. 

 "Are you leaving me?!" Emily screamed with horror. 

 "We're just going to be at the other side, we're not leaving you dummy." Ava said. 

 She watched them as they walked towards the other side of the gate and closed it. 

 Emily felt goosebumps all over her body as she frantically looked around. The place gave a dark vibe and now she was very uncomfortable. 

 She tried to steady her breath and stay calm. "Focus Emily, just do this nonsense tradition and get it over with. The life you want is just ahead." 

 She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself before finally opening it. 

 She immediately noticed something was strange as she opened her eyes, The mist in the air was thicker and she couldn't see anything anymore except darkness. 

"Uh guys?" She called out. "Remi!!!"

 Emily continued looking around, her skin began to tighten as the hairs around her body rose. 

 "HELLO?! AVA?!" She called out but heard no response.

 "You know what? Fuck it. I want out. I don't want to play your stupid game anymore so untie me." She yelled but was still met with silence. 

 "Zoey?!! Abigail?!" She yelled again, still no response. 

 Emily struggled against the ropes as she tried to untie herself. She was now panicking and looked around the graveyard. 

 A loud cracking sound came from her left and she turned her head towards the sound before looking around. Finally quieting down, she listened. 

 It felt as though the air in the area had halted. Even the hooting sounds of owls and the sounds of crickets no longer sounded. The sky now had hints of red and it got darker. 

 Emily looked around as fear clouded her senses. "HELLO?!!"

 "Hello." 

 Emily screamed as she turned towards the voice that greeted her back. 

 The creature mimicked her scream before running away. 

Emily could feel her heartbeat in her mouth as she continued to scream and tried to move away. 

 "Someone help me!!"

 She heard the sound again, The sound of breaking twigs and she snapped her head towards the direction of the sound. 

 Emily screamed. Her lungs were unable to grasp more air as her face contoured into pure horror.

 She stared at the large creature in front of her with red eyes and a menacing crown atop his head. 

 She felt her breath seize before succumbing to darkness as she fell unconscious.