Gravebooks by J. A. White

Author:J. A. White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

11

The Nachpyr

Alex stared at the boy in disbelief. He was about ten years old and looked like he belonged in a hospital bed. His skin was sallow, his arms as thin as matchsticks, his face gaunt. There was something wrong with his left ear. It was twice the normal size, with a curtain of thin, reddish skin covering the canal. Indeed, the only thing that looked remotely healthy about the tiny figure was his luxurious blond hair. Alex suspected the boy—or whatever he was—took a certain pride in this. The hair was carefully parted to one side, leaving a perfect sliver of scalp.

“Who are you?” Yasmin asked as Alex ran to Lenore’s side. Her breathing was weak, but she was still alive. He placed a comforting hand on her chest, just to let her know he was there.

“You might as well call me Simeon,” the boy said. “It’s a name I’ve used before.”

“What are you?” Alex asked.

Simeon looked at them with cold amusement. His slate-gray eyes were not the eyes of a child.

“That’s a longer story. I should rescue my witch first.”

He started toward the coffin. The lid was rattling like a storm door during a tornado. Alex wondered if Natacha was even there anymore. The hole in the sky might have already swallowed her.

Yasmin, however, wasn’t taking any chances. She stepped in front of Simeon, blocking his path.

“You’re not helping her,” she said.

Simeon chuckled and tapped her shoulder. Yasmin screamed and began frantically swatting at her body.

“Get them off me!” she exclaimed, her eyes bulging with fear. “They’re everywhere!”

“There’s nothing there,” Alex said. “It’s some kind of trick.”

“One of them just crawled up my nose!”

Yasmin pinched her fingers together and shoved them up her nostril. She yanked hard and made a flinging motion toward the grass. For just a moment, Alex thought he saw something long and brown wiggle into the dirt.

A worm, Alex thought. That can’t be a coincidence.

Yasmin hated worms. No particular reason. They just grossed her out. Simeon had somehow identified that fear and was using it against her. As Alex tried to explain this to his friend, however, there was an explosion behind him, and a coffin lid landed a few yards to his left.

He turned around and saw Simeon helping Natacha out of the grave. Her dress was tattered, her hair in disarray.

“You!” she snarled, pointing at the kids with one trembling finger.

She marched toward them, looking as though she intended to grind their bones for soup.

“Stop,” Simeon said.

Natacha didn’t look happy about it, but she obeyed Simeon’s command. Alex felt Yasmin’s hand touch his own. She wasn’t freaking out anymore, so he assumed the wormy illusions had come to a stop.

“They tried to kill me!” Natacha exclaimed, stomping her foot.

“They tried to survive,” Simeon replied. “You or I would have done the same. It’s your fault for being so careless.”

Natacha looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn’t dare. She’s scared of him, Alex thought. It was a startling revelation.

“What are you?” Alex asked for the second time.

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