Dark Grove

Anumos blinked as he felt his resting place open. “what in the world?” he thought to himself as he opened his emerald eyes as he saw the outline of a figure peering into his sarcophagus. A frown lit across his face, he knew exactly what they were doing. They were trying to rob him! The sarcophagus flung wide open as a tanned hand reached out grabbing the figure as it pulled him on into it. “Did you think your trespasses would go unnoticed?!” he cried out to him, of course he was speaking ancient Egyptian so it was doubtful that the trespasser would be able to understand him, though the anger was clear from the tone of his voice.

The man raised a brow as he saw an arm come out and grab onto him and he let out a scream as he was pulled into the coffin, and he looked at the figure below him and he scrambled to get out of the coffin, afraid of what would happen next if he stayed inside the coffin, and he clutched onto the ground above, trying to pull himself out.

Anumos saw as the man pulled himself out and scrambled on out to the ground. He wouldn't let him get away that easily. The hand shot out again as it pulled him back into the sarcophagus the top slamming shut, a slim hand on his mouth to keep him from screaming. "What makes you think that stealing from a grave would not upset someone? Do you not know the phrase let the dead rest?"

Luke screamed as he was grabbed back into the coffin, and it was slammed shut on top of him. He attempted to scream more before he was silenced. He looked at the source of the hand and attempted to speak. "Needed......money........die.......if........not get any, food.........sorry" he said in a hoarse tone and started to panic, losing even more air.

Anumos listened to his words as he sighed, "Foolish, why do you humans always think that the dead won't mind what is taken from them?" he asked as he removed his hand. "You didn't think that stealing from the dead wouldn't cost you some way down the line? It is not death you should fear but the judgement of my father." he explained. "That and the feather..." he explained.

"I wasn't going to take anything that big! I just need something small, just to get by in this time and place. I don't have anything........i'm sorry, God......I never thought I would stoop this low, I would never do something like this, why.......why did I decide to do this......" he said with a weak tone, and shook his head. "Please, please be merciful, I meant no offense, or anything.....".

Anumos looked at him, "Even a small thing is precious to the dead..for they have no life anymore." he remarked as he heard his apology and sighed. "You...humans always make things worse than was intended. Gods had their wars but humans?" he shook his head. "All right, I shall be merciful but do not ever let something like this happy else your very soul will be eaten with your body.

"I'll pay out back somehow.........I want to make up for this, I never meant to disturb your rest, just.........nevermind. I'm really sorry for this, if it's alright, I would offer my life, or my service, to be a slave or something........just to repay what I did.....I....." he stopped, Anumos would see that this man was not one of ill intent or heart, he was just one that had fallen on rough times.

Anumos shook his head, "I have been resting for a while I think it is time I get out and explored. I don't do slaves, I had followers but I did not force them on people." he explained seeing his heart. "...as always..." he whispered. "There is always someone with a good heart on hard times..." he whispered.

"Alright......I'll be your follower, and help you with whatever you need, just let me do this, I need to do this, to repay you for what I did......I did not realize how much this would get me in trouble." he said with a quiet tone, and shuddered a little. "I feel disgusted with myself....".

Anumos looked at him. "You'd follow an ancient Egyptian god?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow. "It isn't a debt or payment that needs to be done for me. It does not effect me...no it affects you." he explained. "as you should feel for trying to steal from a graveyard." he commented. "Now then help me out of here."

"I'm a terrible person........look at me, stealing from the dead, and just scavenging like a worthless animal........maybe you should have killed me, would of made the world a lot better if I wasn't around in the first place" he said with a quiet tone. He had taken Anumos to his small place, and was sitting on the couch, next to Anumos.

Anumos had changed into his human form, better to fit in with this realm of men, "Hush now." he said, "You are not the first man to steal from the dead. You are not the last either." he commented. "I do not kill! Do not confuse me, please it is...weird." he said. "And you are far more valuable than an animal, you have just hit a rough patch." he explained, the feather on his necklace glowing slightly.

He stood up, walking back and forth in the room, "It doesn't matter if I am what order of people stealing from the dead I am! I shouldn't be like that, I'm not like that, I'm not a thief, and I'm not some pitiful excuse for a person, which it sure seems like I am!" he yelled, and then moved to the corner of the room, and shook his head. "I'm a goddamn monster." he said and slumped against the wall, some tears running down his face.

Anumos crossed his bare feet as he saw him pace back and forth hearing him, "But that is where you are wrong, for you see the first will be judged the most the last...it depends." he commented. "No you are not pitiful." he whispered as he stood up and walked over to him, his tanned feet not making a sound as he knelt down. "Now that is an exaggeration, you are no monster for I have seen monsters." he remarked as he wiped away the tears. "Come now, none of that."

Anumos woke up with a throbbing headache as he groaned. "Drank too much wine..." he whispered as he ran a hand through his white hair, he had stayed in his human form it appeared, though he was shirtless... not all that surprising for the Godling, he put a hand on his chest feeling the feather there as he sighed in relief. Then he felt...a weight on him, he blinked as he looked down to see it was Luke. A blush appeared on his face as he said something in Ancient Egyptian, he must have drank a lot of wine it seemed!

Luke groaned as his eyes opened slowly, he then blinked a little, stretching a little bit before he looked around with a slow motion. He felt unusually warm, and that was odd, and then he came to his senses, and opened his eyes fully, leaning up. He looked at a figure, and then saw it was Anumos. "Huh......why are you in my bed Anumos.....where's my pillow?" he said with a sleepy tone and still hazy eyes.

Anumos looked at Luke, "I can say I do not know why I am in your bed Luke...I remember a lot of wine and that is all I fear." he said. "As for your pillow it could be on the floor...or stuck in a crevice." he explained as he looked down on him. "Tell me do you remember anything? I fear I drank much to much."

Luke scratched his head a little, "Huh? Wait......my pillow is in the direction of your chest, but that means.......my pillow was your chest.....and it was really comfortable" he said with a raised brow. "Wait.....i'm not.....gay...though.." he said with a shudder, and fell off the bed, backing up a little.

Anumos saw the gears of Lukes' head working. "It appears my chest was indeed your pillow, Luke..."" he agreed, "Would explain the weight I felt on me afore I woke up." he said as he saw him back up and fall off of the bed. "You probably just drank too much, just do not think too much into it. If it makes you feel better we both have our lower clothing on." Anumos stated he was no stranger to drunken antics...after all he was an Egyptian God it was common ground.

"Well uhm........then why do I feel.......like I liked it?" he asked with a quiet tone, and looked down. "Even if it was drunk......" he said with a sigh, and shook his head. "Why am I confused.....I thought I liked girls, maybe......maybe I don't" he said with a realizing tone.

Anumos blinked, "Well that I cannot answer for you, you must find your answer for yourself." he explained to him. "I could be that you like both...do people still look down at that in this age?" he asked with a frown. "If so you humans need to learn that it is fine." he said as he flopped on the bed.

You could see the abandoned funeral chapel, iron doors padlocked, ivy on the sides of the spire a small tree growing out of the guttering at roof level.
You could see stones and tombs and vaults and memorial plaques. You could see the occasional dash and scuttle of a rabbit or a vole or a weasel as it slipped out of the undergrowth and across the path.
And if you had the eyes for it, you would see a boy walk through the wall of a tomb.
Nobody flops on the grass underneath him, his blue eyes looking at the starry sky; the gate around him looked well kept. The Graveyard and Cemetery look to well kept, but not used in a long time. This was his home, where he had lived for all his life, well for all his life that he can remember. Most of the ghosts he is friends with are already asleep for the night. In fact he is supposed to be asleep as well; he looks at the tomb behind him the only word recognizable on it is the last name ‘Knoes’ on it. “I don’t want to sleep…” he mutters to himself. He knew he was safe in the graveyard, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to go out. He wanted to explore the world! He knew People could not see him here, well most. It wasn’t likely anyone came out here either…most people had forgotten about this place.
“I could sneak out…but…Silas would get angry at me…and I am being hunted, or so Silas says…and Silas hasn’t lied to me before.” He mutters as he looks at the night sky, pondering what to do. “I…could stay Faded, or at least half…that way people won’t pay attention to me…well unless I do something to stand out…” he mutters as he pulls on his oversized black coat, pulling the sleeves a bit as they cover his hands and arms. “…Silas is away at the moment so it isn’t like he will know…” he mutters as he looks at the locked gate, it would be such a simple thing to do…just to walk on over and walk through the gate. And then say he was practicing…but Silas always knew when he was lying. He hated to disappoint and lie to Silas, and he would hate to see him angry. “But…he doesn’t have to know he won’t be back for a bit…but Miss Lupescu is going to be here tomorrow and I promised to stay here…” he murmurs having an internal conflict. He wants to explore the world, but he hated to break promises and to disappoint his friends and family. He walks to the gate of the Graveyard peering out of it as if to look for any signs of life out there.

And life he would find.

Walking to the graveyard was a young lady clad in very bright clothing, robes of gold and orange, that came just to her ankles, and didn't drag on the ground. Though she had caramel skin, her hair was sunflower blonde, and her eyes a cherry brown. A racial hiccup if there ever was one.

She was holding a bell in one hand, and not the one she normally carried. An old carnie necromancer had given it to her days prior to her visit to the graveyard, telling her it allowed the dead to talk.

"... you better be right old man," grumbled the young woman as she approached the gate, closing her eyes. It was as though she hadn't even seen Nobody yet. Well, until she rang the bell.

"Dyrim," she whispered. "Maiṁ apanē gā'iḍa hūṁ, bōlō," she continued, in badly translated Hindi. "Speak, as I am your guide to heaven."

She opened her eyes. Once she did, she screamed.

Nobody blinks as he spies the girl, "Hello?" he asks and then she screams. He covers his ears with his hands as he puts a finger to his lips. "Shhh, you will wake the others!" he scolds her. "And they don't like being waken..." he remarks, "Hey..wait are you a Live One?!" he asks happily. "Or..are you just another dead? But...if you are a dead one, a ghost...then why are you out of the graveyard? Ghosts can't leave the graveyard they are buried on." he says with a frown.

His hair was honey gold and shaggy and looking like it need a trim, his blue gray eyes looking at her curiously. "So...that leaves eight other types... well Seven, you don't look like a Ghoul after all..." he mutters as he tilts his head curiously. "And how did you see me anyway? Your not supposed to be able to see me in the Graveyard."