I follow the pulses of this strange decay.

  Taren trails close behind me, muttering to himself. “Better not be another Rot Heart.”

  We quiet our steps as we slip by Ferlon’s house. The windows are dark.

  The pulses we follow strengthen with each second that passes. I hurry my pace, and Taren jogs beside me. “Do you know what it is?”

  “No idea.”

  We slow at the edge of the graveyard—something moves in the darkness ahead of us. Dark clouds obscure what little moonlight colors the sky.

  Taren takes hesitant steps closer. His eyes glow with a golden hue.

  “Dirt moves in the graveyard, near Ponel’s grave.”

  [Detect Decay] strengthens with my attention. The pulses bounce off of me, one after another, giving me a stronger sense of where the decay lies.

  “It’s not near the grave, Taren. It’s coming from it.”

  I can see the dirt now, breaking apart, like something underneath digs at it with a shovel.

  We continue to creep closer. Taren’s mouth hangs open as we walk. He doesn’t believe what he sees. Neither do I.

  Before we can reach the edge of the graveyard, a section of dirt falls away, opening to a pit.

  Then a hand appears, latching onto the side of the grave and pulling. A body comes with it. Within seconds, someone climbs up and stands on two feet. Dirt cakes them from head to toe. Where there should be eyes, I see coals of black and red.

  [Reanimated Corpse] – Level 4

  Those marbled eyes turn to catch sight of me. Then the corpse walks. Slowly at first, then at a brisk pace. Its steps are awkward, but sure.

  Taren snatches the bow from his shoulder and prepares an arrow.

  I put out a hand to stop him. “It’s Ponel.”

  Taren glances at me. “No, it’s not. The scrapping creature is a walking corpse, and it’s going to attack us.”

  Corpse Ponel continues to trample over the other graves as it takes the shortest path to where we stand. Its eyes do not leave mine. It doesn’t even watch its steps.

  Taren doesn’t wait for my permission. He draws back a single arrow and looses it at the corpse.

  It strikes true, catching Ponel on one shoulder.

  The corpse doesn’t react.

  Another arrow lodges in the same shoulder, and the arm connected to that shoulder falls off. Ponel does not deviate, but lets out an unearthly cry that sounds way too deep for a boy of his age.

  Taren prepares another arrow and I slip out my knife.

  I activate [Chilling Presence], but it has no effect on the corpse that I can see. [Pulse Sever] comes next. The vitality points on the corpse are fewer, and I cannot find a core. I [Pulse Sever] a leg and Ponel collapses.

  Taren eases the tension in his bow. “Did you hear that?”

  I glance around quickly. Ponel struggles to regain its feet.

  Lights bob at the edge of the village, heading our way.

  Taren sees them too. “Crit. They weren’t joking about the night watch.”

  The lights carry loud voices as well. Two of them. I cannot make out who they are from where we stand.

  Taren glances over at Ponel, who rises to its feet.

  It tries to take one step and I trip it up with [Pulse Sever] again.

  “What do you think they’ll say when they see us standing around with a walking corpse?” Taren asks.

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  I look down at Ponel. “Probably that I brought him to life.”

  The lights rush forward.

  Taren and I lift the corpse together and haul it back to the grave. Ponel trashes in our grip, but both Taren and I are higher leveled, so there isn’t too much it can do to resist us.

  Though I rescind that thought when the corpse bites my shoulder.

  Pain flares up from there to the side of my neck and head. I stumble and Ponel slips from our fingers and back onto the ground. The empty grave is twenty feet in front of us.

  The lights reach the edge of Ferlon’s house. I can see the night watch better now. Brennic and Honep’s eldest son, Brelt, stand in place and gaze back and forth, listening.

  My shoulder hurts enough that I [Leech Grip] moss to ease the pain.

  Corpse Ponel tries to stand again.

  Taren and I snatch it up and push on towards the grave. The corpse tries to bite again and I drop it before its unnatural teeth can reach me. Only three feet from the grave. Then we push it the rest of the way into the grave.

  Taren seems satisfied.

  I turn to look at the night watch. A small something stands out in the grass at the edge of the graveyard.

  Taren sees it too. “The scrapping arm,” he curses.

  To add to our dilemma, Ponel issues a deep cry.

  The night watch swings in our direction.

  “Crit.” Taren jumps into the grave with Ponel. “I’ll keep him quiet. Get the arm before Brennic sees you.”

  Both Brennic and Brelt start towards the graveyard, though in no hurry. Both hold torches.

  I slide between wooden grave markers, working towards the outside edge of the graveyard. I don’t want to step into their view.

  The decapitated arm rests in the grass, ten feet from me. Brennic and Brelt are only thirty feet away. They might see the arm if they stop to look around.

  I can’t let them get any closer. I reach out with [Pulse Sever], only for a fraction of a second. Brelt stumbles and I catch the other leg with [Pulse Sever] to bring him down.

  Brennic turns to the boy. “You and your gangly legs, kid.” He doesn’t reach down to help Brelt up. “Bad enough that I got to stay up all night without some kid to babysit.”

  Brelt bristles as he pulls himself up to his feet.

  I activate [Chilling Presence] before they turn around. Brennic and Brelt both shiver in the midnight air.

  I thread only a little mana through [Chilling Presence]. Brennic might recognize a stronger sensation of fear.

  “It’s creepy out here,” Brelt says.

  Brennic glances back at the graveyard, then changes direction. I can see he intends to circle the graves without entering the graveyard. Brelt follows him.

  I remain hidden, a steady flow of mana fueling [Chilling Presence] until they reach the edge of my range.

  I slip out from my hiding spot behind the wooden grave marker and slink forward. The darkness of a tree gives me some cover as I slide across the dirt and grass.

  Brennic stops to gaze into the graveyard and I freeze in place. Brelt pauses too, then mimics the older man. His eyes are sharper than Brennic’s—he finds me despite the darkness.

  “Something’s in the graveyard,” Brelt says.

  I pulse [Chill Presence] at his words. They both stare at my shadowy form.

  “You’re seeing things,” Brennic says. He holds the torch out to get a better view. I don’t move a muscle. “It’s just the darkness playing with your eyes, kid.”

  Brelt doesn’t question the man, but he continues to watch me.

  I pulse with [Chilling Presence] again, a little stronger. My mana’s half depleted now.

  [Chilling Presence] has reached Level 5.

  Brelt jolts in place. Brennic shivers, then turns and gestures for the two of them to continue onward.

  Before Brelt can take a step, I trip him with [Pulse Sever] and he crashes to the dirt, his torch snuffed out in the grass.

  [Chilling Presence] erupts within me and Brelt screams.

  Brennic has frozen in place. I hope the scream from Brelt times well with his fresh fear.

  “Back to the village, kid,” Brennic says, then lops off back the way he came. Brelt abandons the dead torch and scurries after him.

  Once they are out of view, I walk back to the edge of the graveyard and retrieve the lone arm. It has that dark glow of rot. Now that it’s severed, I see no vitality points in it.

  I find Taren with Ponel. The corpse has its remaining arm tied over its own mouth with a piece of ripped fabric. Taren grips the cloth in hand, leaning against the back of the grave. A pile of dirt covers his shoulders and head.

  “Took you long enough,” Taren says. He releases the corpse and it moans again, but not as loud.

  Taren climbs out of the hole, then kicks Ponel’s hand off the edge. It falls back into the hole. Then it tries to climb up again. Taren knocks it back down.

  “We need to decide what to do with this thing,” Taren says as he kicks at it again.

  I watch the struggling creature, more animal than man. The eyes give it a haunted look. I cannot let myself imagine this is the young man I tried to heal.

  Taren takes out his knife and slashes at the corpse, taking off the other arm.

  Ponel cries out again.

  “Just kill it,” I say, then look away.

  Taren finishes the corpse and then we both sweep the dirt back over the grave. The moon has moved out into view again, washing moonlight over us as we work.

  I don’t have the energy to hunt for more decay tonight.

  “What if this happens again?” Taren asks as we walk back into the village. We can see the night watch over by the chapel, so we circle around the side of the village and wait for them to move.

  “Then we bury that one too,” I say.

  “You can’t keep taking on every problem that comes up in the village, Sevorn.”

  I reach my shed door. “I can try.”