An Erotic Ghost Story Ch. 06

Damn it. There it all was and there was no taking back even one word he'd just uttered. He didn't want to even if he could.

Lilly's heart was breaking for them both. She couldn't tell Edward about this wretched curse hanging over their happiness. Lilly had to push him away.

"There in no chance in hell we will ever be together. I have no desire to be yours, you're not even a Christian." She regretted the words as soon as they were uttered.

"What...what...?" he stuttered, flabbergasted by her callous treatment. He stepped back and acted as if she'd struck him.

"I speak from my heart and this the callous treatment I receive?"

"Edward, I don't mean to hurt your feelings." Her voice softened.

"You've not only 'hurt' my feelings, you've deeply offended me as a gentleman." His eyes were strained he looked completely devastated.

"Offended you as a gentleman, really? We've engaged in two very hot and heavy premarital sexual encounters. The last one you crawled in through my bedroom window and made love to me while my family slept nearby and now you want to come across as such a gentleman? Wow, that's rich!"

"I'm in love with you Lillian. Yes, I was weak but I had every intention of marrying you! And I am a Christian Muslim."

I'm not even supposed to be in this century Edward! A curse hangs over us. We can't be together unless I break it."

"Enough!" He bellowed so loud an echo rang through the forest.

"Enough of this insane rambling! You're quirky and spirited and so damningly opinionated and that is why I love you so much. But you ramble like a madwoman and I'll not indulge your wild fantasies anymore."

"Oh wild fantasies, that's what they are? Now we've gotten to the gist of what you really think about me!"

Lilly reared up at him her fists clenched at her sides. He backed away knowing he raised her ire. He tried to sooth her by caressing her cheek but Lilly slapped his hand away.

"Just leave me alone." Lilly walked further into the mist.

"I'm homesick and want to go home, to my century. I miss my parents, my life and my friends and my iphone and clubbing and shorts skirts," she continued to bawl realizing she truly was very sad and homesick.

Edward was flabbergasted and thoroughly confused by her odd descriptive words for things he'd never heard of before. What was an eye phone? Why would any person find enjoyment 'clubbing' someone? Short skirts sounded like something only dancers and prostitutes would wear.

Lilly fell into his open arms. He was the only person she could talk too about her weird insane life and even he thought she was nuts. She knew if she were in his shoes she'd think she sounded crazy too.

"I confess Lilly, I am very perplexed by your strange words." Help me understand my precious. Let me carry the burden for you."

"If only I could Edward." She looked up at him with the saddest eyes.

Edward wiped away the matted hair from Lilly's face and kissed her cheeks. Lilly sighed deeply. He drew his thumbs through her tears and tried to wipe away the sadness. Khan wanted to take her pain away and make it his own. At that moment he knew he would do anything to make Lillian happy.

"Tell me you love me Lilly. Please lie to me if you don't. I can't bare the pain if it isn't so, a sweet, pretty little lie." He closed his eyes and gripped her face in his hands. His chest heaved and he released all the breath in his chest.

"Oh, Edward, I can't lie to you. Our souls are indefinitely linked. Yes, I love you very much. But I can't be with you unless we find my mother and break this curse placed on our happiness.

"Then together, my love, we will find your mother."

Edward linked his fingers through hers. He kissed her lips softly.

****

The thick foliage and branches swallowed up the couple as they descended into the forest deeper and deeper, closer and closer toward the cemetery. Edward gripped her hand tightly refusing let her go even for a moment.

Edward didn't give a hang about the town gossip mulling around about Misses Jonathan Taylor. He felt bad his friend, Jonathan had to endure the tarnish to the families reputation. Now, though the mystery surrounding Misses Taylor's disappearance was deeply affecting his lover in a way he was still perplexed by. If breaking this so called curse would get Lillian to marry him he would do whatever it would take.

As they approached the graveyard a cold wind blew though the thick tall trees hiding the secrets of the dead in the old cemetery. Edward loathed this place. He was still shaken from their shared dream in this dreadful place weeks before.

As Edward swung the metal enclosure open the rusty iron gate was nearly rotted off the hinges. Lilly stalled a moment before crossing the threshold as if doing so would drop them both into the bowels of hell. Edward sensed her hesitation and pulled her back.

"We don't need to do this Lilly." He took both her hands in his.

"I know you're strong my love but I need to protect you. I can hire people to deal with this nasty business. They will be very discrete, I promise. Please, I implore you. You are too close to this. If your mother's body is buried in this creepy place do you really want to be the one to dig up her bones?"

"I have to do this Edward. If I don't find her grave the curse can't be broken."

"And how can you be certain, Lilly, surely there must be some rational explanation?"

"No, Edward there isn't and I just know. So please trust me." Lilly stepped though the gate.

****

All the gravestones were weatherworn and crumbling. The incessant pervasive fog taunted them continually. They stepped through the spindly gossamer vapors. The high stone wall surrounding the cemetery seemed like a dungeon closing in on the couple. Headstones were toppled over. Chiseled inscriptions once cut deeply into the stone were now worn and shallow after decades of assaulting weather.

"What are we looking for my love?" Edward wasn't sure what to do. This all still seemed like an eerie fools errand.

"Anything that seems odd or out of place." Lilly murmured as she waded across the fog-shrouded ground.

"Everything looks odd in this place." Edward muttered looking about the crumbling area that'd long fallen into disrepair.

Low wailing and terrifying growls snapped both Edward and Lilly to attention. Near a shrouded corner of the graveyard, the horrifying sounds got louder and were joined with shrieks, screams and howls. Edward grabbed Lilly and hugged her close.

"What...what was that?" Edward's lips were nearly pressed to hers.

"The ghosts and demons, Edward. I believe evil is battling for the souls of the dead."

"Dear god in heaven above, have mercy on our souls." Edward closed his eyes and prayed the sounds would cease. He wanted to gather Lilly into his arms and run out of this god-forsaken place but he would stay strong for her.

Lilly was still tormented and traumatized by the putrid ghoul with flesh rotting off its body that only moments before tried to break the bone in her body as it tried to bury her in an earthly grave. She had to be insane even being in this place after that.

Edward's strong, protective arms held her tight and kept Lilly rooted in the earth when she wanted to run away shrieking in terror. They clung to one another, their commingled warmth protecting them from the chilly gloom.

The shrieks, growls and wails reached a crescendo. The hairs on the backs of Edward's and Lilly's neck stood ramrod straight. The still air turned even more icy cold. Something in the darkest corner of the graveyard was forming and growing. They turned their heads slowing just as a cloudy specter arose from behind a crumbling tombstone. Each bit back the primal, instinctual urge to scream out in shear terror.

"Please tell me you see that Edward?" Lillian whispered, her voice trembling in unadulterated fear.

"I do Lilly." Edward murmured then snapped his mouth shut trying to capture the screaming fear rising in his throat.

He pressed Lilly's cheek tightly against his chest. Every nerve in his body urged him to flee.

The apparition began to mold into a female shape. The mouth moved and twisted into a sickly form. Weird hunks of long blonde hair swirled around her face. Terrifying hollow eyes sockets appeared. Edward and Lilly stood transfixed in horrid fascination. This was the exact ghost from their nightmares.

"Edward," Lillian whispered as her fingernails dug into his waist. "That is my mothers ghost."

"Oh, dear god!" Edward whispered hoarsely. "This cannot be real."

Edward held her tightly and closed his eyes a moment, hoping if he opened them again maybe the ghoul would disappear.

This was surreal and so unbelievable. He knew whatever the circumstances he loved Lilly too much and he would go to hell and back with her. He wouldn't back down and he'd be brave and stalwart even now.

The specter rose over the tombstone. Lingered like a shroud of mist and gigantic puff of wispy smoke. The phantom tried to speak but only groaned sickening and unintelligible scary gibberish came out. The ghost made direct eye contact with Lilly and pointed and jabbed her bony finger to the left in a direction up and over the graveyard.

"What's she trying to tell us?" Edward swallowed hard still wishing she'd disappear. Still wishing she was a nightmare he'd wake from.

"She's trying to point to where she is buried." Lilly had to swallow a scream.

"It can't be, this can't be happening!" Edward shook his head in disbelief.

The specter became enraged. The ghost shrieked and wailed and darted swiftly toward Edward trailing strands of thick mist behind her. The ghost stopped quickly, within an inch of Edward's face. The apparition screeched a deafening high-pitched wail. Terrified and frozen with fear Kahn stood motionless for a second then bellowed as he leapt backward. He was able to catch himself before he fell over a headstone nearly dragging Lilly with him.

From behind the angry ghost, a dark mass rose up then grew into a huge, thick, black solid form. The entity radiated pure evil. Edward and Lilly felt instant despair and sadness. The apparition fed off their negative emotions and grew larger and engulfed the shrieking ghost into its mass. Lilly felt instantly sick. She clutched her stomach and heaved but nothing came out. She fell to the ground and was retching over and over. Edward tried to reach for her but the massive black creature swooped in between the couple and blocked him.

"Go back to hell demon!" Edward bellowed at the supernatural being.

Edward was brutally shoved ten feet backward. He landed on a sparse patch of grass inches from a tall head stone that if he hit would've cracked his skull open. He bolted up and came after the entity once again but was again viciously hurtled in the air. The mass began to swallow Lilly into a shroud of blackness.

Lilly looked up at Edward for a moment. Her face was deathly pale. Her lips were blue. Edward was losing her. He was desperate, frantic.

"You must fight this demon Lilly, fight it! Focus and know I love you more than life itself my love."

"The Lord is my Shepard I shall not want, He restoreth my soul..." Lilly could barely recite the prayer.

Her stomach continued to heave but she pressed on. A tarry black tendril from the ghoul tried to force itself into her mouth to choke her but Lilly persevered and the words came out louder and stronger. The wisp jerked back as if the prayer was a searing hot poker jabbing into the evil icy form.

The creature shrieked in a deafening rage and began to dissipate. Then hundreds of gaping black mouths seemed to form all over the shrinking entity. Collectively, each orifice wailed an ear splitting cry from out of the creature. The sound was so heart wrenching. It sounded like thousands of trapped souls were screaming for mercy and redemption. The demon went after Edward but as Lilly continued reciting the prayer it shirked back. Lilly tried to rise but the entity had her pinned. Her face was now planted into the decaying cemetery dirt.

The female ghost suddenly appeared larger, bolder and stronger and she managed to block the evil mass. Edward bolted toward Lilly and ran right through the ghost's vaporous form. As soon as he reached her, Lilly collapsed and the world went black as she fell unconscious.

Edward scooped her up quickly. He cradled her in his arms. Her face was sickeningly devoid of any color. Kahn rocked her then kissed her cold lips.

"Lillian!" Edward shouted at her in a panic. Wake up my love!"

Edward pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed the sickness from her mouth. He smoothed his hand over her face streaked with dirt and grime. They were both filthy. Their clothing was tattered and torn.

The female ghost and the black mass appeared to be battling as they swirled into the other in a terrifying supernatural vortex. Violent turbulent winds as cold as winter blew across the graveyard. The wind was so strong Edward could barely move without getting knocked down. He took Lilly gently into his arms and without looking back galloped through the dense forest, primal fear driving him forward.

****