Eye for an Eye

"This one, quickly dig it up Erik." Spoken by a tall man, dressed in black with short hair, a scar above his left eye. "Sure thing Dave. Paul get your fucking ass here right now" Erik, the one with the mohawk, spoke. Paul stood next to Erik and helped him dig the grave, all 6 feet of it to find the coffin.

They wipe away the dust and cob-webbed covered dust. All three of them lifted the coffin from its home and cranked it open with crowbars and other such tools, prying it open and rummaging through it. They removed the corpse of one Ms. Janie Ellie and just launched her onto the rain-soaked grass, they checked her skeletal form and looked in her coffin for anything special. All they found was a wedding ring on her finger.

"Fuck, this one's empty except for that shitty little ring, put her back." Dave said. He kicked the coffin back into its restless home and rolled the body inside, closing the lid on her, as part of her foot was still hanging outside. They decided to move onto the next one. This one was called Reverend Peter Ectger. Erik and Dave began digging up his grave, while Paul stood in awe, motionless and just reading that name over and over again. Reverend. That word bounce around his head. "Guys, I think we should leave this one alone, something doesn't seem right with it." He said. Erik kept digging and Dave went up to Paul with a disgusted look.

"Are you a fucking idiot? We're grave robbers, it doesn't matter who it is or what they were, get to fucking work or get out of here." Dave shouted. They all kept digging up the grave and opened it up, the only thing they found was a package, when they were busy searching through it the grave-keepers light switched out. "Shit! Lets get out of here now, take that and run!" Dave said. Erik grabbed the package as they all fled from the graveyard. The grave-keeper came out and saw what happened, when he noticed the Reverend's grave had dug up he started to chuckle. "They took his book..." He said as he started cleaning up.

The three robbers ran down back alleys and pathways, ditching their dirty clothes and the spades. They stopped for a few moments to check their surroundings. Erik went up to Paul and ripped his bag from his back, he searched through it and took out the clean clothes. The three of them changed and threw the bags away, ensuring that all their savaged items were kept inside their pockets and jackets. Casually walking back to their shed, outside Pauls home, they lit up a cigarette and conversing about the' haul' they would call it. Dave took out the package, threw the cover in a bin and looked at the strange book, the one call the Code of Hammurabi.

They entered the shed and put everything onto a table, everything except the book. Dave took a seat and continued reading it, laughing at its 'idiotic mumbo jumbo' he would call it. Paul stood up to him, looked at him scared. "I-I think we should return the book, it's just scary. Isn't there bad luck if you steal of someone holy?" He said. Dave threw the book into the unlit fireplace and pushed Paul back, while Erik was sighing. "That's just superstitious nonsense Paul, we've been doing this for years and we're still kickin' aren't we? You might be new but don't get pissy about the stuff we do." He said, Paul just nodded along and sat back down.

Erik poured them a double shot of Jack Daniels Tennessee Whisky each and started a discussion about the book. "So what should we do with it? Sell it to one of them old, historical collectors?" He said. Paul downed his shot and started coughing up, but raised his thumb in agreement to that idea. Dave downed his and put the glass back down, signalling another one. Erik poured it and downed it at the same time as Dave, whom had finally spoken up. "I don't give a shit about that book, it can go burn for all I care." Paul managed to sit back up while Erik chuckled to himself. "How about we stab it all the way through? Just completely chop it up."

Paul sat back down and asked for another shot, managing to down this one and not cough his guts up.

"I still think it should go back in the ground." He stated. Dave got up and threw the half empty bottle of whisky at Paul, but it missed and ended up in the fire place. "That book can do fuck all to us, you're being paranoid so get over yourself, it can't kill us!" He shouted. Erik went to get another bottle as the fire started up, it burnt brighter then it ever had, the toxic smoke was too much for them so they left the shed in a hurry.

The shed lit up in flames, the crimson fury shot right through Pauls spine, sending chills all over his body, Erik just watched the shed burn as Dave was laughing at it. "Don't worry Paul, you can get a new one. We'll go to another graveyard tomorrow." Dave mentioned. As they turned around to enter Pauls house, a little piece of paper fluttered by their feet and stuck to Daves shoe.

He picked it up and realised it was a page from the book, one called 'Eye for an Eye' in italic, bold lettering, written in Monotype Corsiva font. Dave was getting pissed off. He took the bottle of Jack Daniels that Erik had, walked over and started pissing on the fire, the fire was raging out of control. Spitting at Dave, jumping at him while Dave continued to mock it.

He walked off and down the bottle of whisky, stumbling to walk as he had alcohol down him from the bottle, he walked to Paul and laughed in his face. "S-See, nothing happened" He said, hiccuping part way through." I'm still alive." He said. He stood back and started falling towards the shed slowly, his heart was beating through his chest as he closed in to the shed, he couldn't stop himself and he knew what was going to happen. Just as he was about to fall through, Erik grabbed him arm and pulled him back. Dave thanks him as Erik helped him into the house and put him on the couch, Dave just passed out as Paul put his lit cigarette into the ashtray. Erik went into the kitchen as Paul just sat down and looked after Dave.

Paul looked at the flaming shed as it began to die down, some flickers of flame flew off and landed in random places, Paul left through the back and watched it all die down, several minutes later the shed was gone, the only thing remaining was a tiny bit of paper, with four simple words. Paul entered and picked up the paper, reading aloud to himself. "So it begins again?" He said. The paper burnt up, looking in the fire he saw that, strangely enough, the book was perfectly fine.

Back in the living room Dave was still sleeping, the cigarette in the ashtray was still slowly burning away, part of the ash landed inside. Dave let his alcohol covered hand fall of the couch, the bang his made had made the cig fall from the ashtray, it was slowly making it way to the end of the table, bit by bit, inch by inch. Dave was still busy snoring as the cig reached the end, almost falling off. Paul re-entered the house and saw the cig. As he ran to pick it up Dave slowly woke back up, Paul had picked it back up, by the ash fell off and landed on Dave. This little spark of flame grew and lit him completely on fire, Erik ran in to all the commotion.

Dave ran outside and down the street, not meaning to head toward the construction site near by, Paul and Erik chased off him to try and put him out, but by the time they arrived Dave had fell down a ditch in the ground and burnt alive. Erik threw up at the site as Paul was too awe-struck and conceded by his thoughts. "I told you Erik... I fucking told you something was off but you didn't listen to me!" He shouted as he ran back home. He ran into the shed and got the book from the shed, upon entering his house Erik was there, trying to calm down Paul and talk some logical sense into him, but he wasn't listening. Paul launched the book at Erik, it missed him and hit the wall, landing on the table and knocking a glass over, the book faced up, pages first, bits of Alcohol landed on some pages, within those alcohol spots were two particular words, which read 'one' and 'down.'

It began to rain as Erik grabbed the book and grabbed Paul, opening his car from outside Pauls house and pushing him in the passenger seat, handing him the book. Erik got in the driver seat and drove off, leaving the door of the house unlocked. "Where are we go Erik?" Paul asked. Erik just kept on driving towards the graveyard. They arrived moments later outside of it and put their car in park. They both lit up one final cigarette. "We're putting the book back, if we get rid of that shit we might be safe for a bit, or maybe for good. We should of really heeded your warning, but we didn't think this would actually happen. It's crazy! Think about it, we score some old ass book, say shit about it, then Dave died... Isn't that conspicuous?" He said, finishing his little rant of with that.

"That's what I was saying Erik, but Dave wouldn't listen." He said. Erik got out of the car and stood by the fence of the graveyard, Paul joined him and locked his car from a button. "Dave was a stubborn bastard but he knew what he was doing... Most of the time." Paul said. They both went their separate ways to see if anyone was around, none of them could see anyone right away.

As Paul turned back to go to the gate, he bumped into a person and fell to the floor. He looked up and saw who it was, but didn't recognise the person. The guy just stood there and looked at Paul. "Here to return the book are you? It's too late for you, you know. You're friend is already dead and your second one will die soon, just be careful." He said, grinning and walking off slowly.

"Wait! Just who the hell are you?" Paul said. He stood up and walked towards the person. "Oh you don't need to worry about a silly little grave-keeper, just focus on that friend of yours." He said. Paul turned around and began walking off, when he turned his head back the grave-keeper was gone. Paul was shocked and mind-blown, he decided to run toward the gates, arriving their slowly he saw the Erik was climbing over it slowly. "Erik be careful!" He shouted. Since the gates were spiked on top Erik was scared, the sweat from his hand made him slip, slowly falling towards the spike.

Paul pushed him over and he landed on the leg, the crack could be heard from the next town over, it seemed to shimmer through the air as did Eriks screech of pain. Paul opened the gate and helped Erik up, stumbling slowly towards the grave of Reverend Peter Ectger. Step but slow, painful step they finally reached it. Paul dropped the book back in and pushed the coffin back inside, while Erik was checking on his wounded leg. They heard the gate slam shut in the background and slowly lock, with no escape they finally put it back where it belonged and re-buried the Reverend. "Thanks god it's all over." Erik said, stumbling to his feet. Paul backed away and helped Erik up.

Erik turned to attempt to walk away as Paul observed nearby gravestones. He saw one with an empty coffin. "Paul hurry up man, we need to leave." Erik said. Paul turned to face him and nodded, as he walked off he slipped on the watery grass, banging his head on the side of the gravestone and landing in the coffin. Erik saw this and watched in fear, as his second best mate had fell to this phenomenon. "It's not over yet! Paul stay there! I'll get help!" He shouted, slowly walking towards the gate.

When he arrived he tried to open up the gate but to no avail. So he pulled himself up onto the fence, but just as he climbed over, he landed on his leg and broke it fully, falling to the floor while still holding onto the fence. Erik screamed out loud as the fence broke off and impaled him in many places. Instantly killing him.

Paul was still in the coffin, unconscious, unknowing. Barely breathing.

He woke several hours later, banging his already in pain forehead on the lid of the coffin, he tried to push the lid but it wouldn't move. "Okay this isn't funny Erik! Get me out of here! I think I'm going to be sick." He said, putting all his power into pushing, but nothing worked. Only a little voice could be heard from the outside. A familiar voice. Once which said; "You're second friend died, not long after your 'accident' last night." He began to laugh out loud. "I told you it wasn't over, it's your turn now." He said. The grave-keeper began walking away, whistling and singing to himself. The last words heard by Paul's ears... The only thing he could hear was the song.

'The devil hides in the dead of night, Knowing all but never helps you. His little book with give you a fright, His wicked powers will belt you. You try your best to put up a fight, You'll only know his scold. Close to death he's in your sight, Here lies your undead mould.'