If Stan hadn’t come by at just the right moment he wouldn’t have known they were there The sun had pointed the way The graves were already shaded again by two big boulders Stan counted the gravestones Nine of them dated between 1854 and 1868 Stan felt a gentle shove on his back He looked around but the area behind him was clear Was that the wind he wondered Amy reached the grove and called him over I brought cookies 10
Stan looked up at the hemlock branches Nothing unusual Had he imagined that shove No He shook his head and walked back to Amy You haven’t posted on your blog this week Amy said She handed him a cookie Your fans miss you Stan laughed I think I have six readers he said You the three other Zombie Hunters and my parents We care about what you have to say she said Stan shrugged Things have been quiet lately Not much to write about 11
They both lived on the edge of Hilltop Cemetery It was one of four graveyards in the town of Marshfield Each one of the cemeteries was haunted Their friends Mitch Barry and Jared also lived right next to cemeteries They called themselves the Zombie Hunters they battled vampires ghosts zombies and other spooky creatures Stan wrote about their adventures in his online blog Together had July is a slow time for ghostly activity Stan said They’re more 12
active on crisp fall nights or around Halloween Or on icy winter days Why is that Amy asked She twirled her dark hair with her fingers I think it’s because they’re cold blooded Stan said Or no-blooded Hot days like this make them want to sleep I guess Amy yawned Me too She shut her eyes and sat back against a gravestone What was over there she asked By the boulders Just some old graves Stan said I’ve been in this cemetery a million 13
