Graveyard Diaries #3: How Not to be Killed by a Zombie
Chapter 1 Lucy Got a Scare Barry’s Diary Saturday March 19 7 05 p m Lucy was scared in the cemetery She usually pulls so hard on her leash that I can barely keep up After dinner we were out near the old Marshfi eld Grove chapel Lucy is always smelling for rabbits or squirrels She had her head down and was following a trail sniffi ng like crazy Then she stopped She started shaking and hid behind me I didn’t see anything strange But she kept staring at a gravestone It said Alma Simmons Born 1850 Died 1862 Twelve years old just a year older than I am I wonder if they had sixth grade back in the 1800s We walked home Lucy kept looking back and 6
whining Did she see a ghost There are lots of them in our town All four cemeteries are haunted Lucy never seemed to be bothered by ghosts before But now she’s curled up on the fl oor of my bedroom Her eyes are wide open She’s shivering Lucy got a scare At Marshfi eld Chapel I don’t know what was there Maybe a rotten apple I’m the king of stupid poems like that It’s my best talent I’ll go back to the cemetery tonight I’ll check Alma’s grave again Dogs can see things in daylight that we can’t But sometimes they’re visible at night for humans Barry Bannon pulled open a drawer He pushed aside some socks He felt under his T-shirts Where was his À ashlight Have you seen it he asked Lucy Lucy stood up and wagged her tail She stretched back straightening her front legs Then she yawned 7
Barry found the À ashlight in a second drawer He checked it The beam was getting weak so he changed the batteries He patted Lucy on the head Are you over that scare now he asked I’m going back out You relax Lucy followed him down the stairs She was a mutt mostly a mix of Labrador and hound Her hair was the color of cream There was a golden streak along her spine It went all the way to the tip of her tail In the kitchen Lucy went straight to her leash She pointed at it with her nose and looked up at Barry Then she whined Didn’t you just walk her asked Barry’s mother Less than an hour ago Barry said Looks like she wants to go again his Fine with me Barry said I was going mom said out anyway 8
When they got outside Barry knelt next to Lucy I thought you were scared he said I’m going back by the chapel Are you sure you want to come Lucy started pulling heading for the cemetery Barry followed Marsh eld Grove was the biggest of the four cemeteries in town The Bannons lived right by the entrance Barry had friends who lived on the edges of each of the other graveyards They often got together to talk about scary things they’d seen or heard Several times they’d fought ghosts or other spirits They called their group the Zombie Hunters Barry’s friend Mitch lived next to Evergreen Cemetery It was swampy and had thick bushes Stan lived at the edge of Hilltop Cemetery Amy lived near Stan And Jared’s house was next to Woodland Cemetery Because there were so many cemeteries 9
