Free Three Sides of the Tracks by Mike Addington Page A

Be quiet now.”
     “Oh, crap. Don’t worry ‘bout that. They’re probably so hugged up, they
couldn’t hear a bulldozer coming through,” Chuck said and laughed.
    Jason thumped Chuck’s head with a knuckle. “Just be careful and don’t
ruin it. This is gonna be a hoot. You got the flashlight?”
    “Yeah, I got it. Okay, I’m gone.” Chuck pushed through the bushes,
walking carefully to avoid stepping on dry sticks. He bent low when he crossed
the road even though he was not in view of the car, which was parked farther
up.
    Chuck stepped among the graves and entered the woods on the other side,
just inside the tree line. He worked his way toward the car until he saw the
tombstone with the angel. He dropped to his stomach and slithered over the
ground till he came to the grave then lowered himself in and positioned himself
so his face could be seen when he raised up.
    The parked car was swaying back and forth when the couple inside heard
the first sound.
    “Hooooo, hoooooooooo.”
    The girl pushed her partner up. “What in the world is that? Did you hear it?”
    “Oh, just some critter, an owl maybe; come on.”
    “Hoooooooooooooooooooo.” The sound was louder now.
    The young man jumped up and wiped off the condensation on the window. “I
don’t see anything.”
    “Well, you heard it, didn’t you?”
    “Yeah, I heard something . . . but it’s probably nothing.”
    “I don’t know. We are in a graveyard, you know,” the girl replied.
    “So what. There’s nobody else here. That’s why we’re here,
remember?”
    “Hooooooooooooo, hooooooooooooo, Whooooooooo’s innnnn here wid
meeeeeeeeee?”
    The young lady pushed her amorous lover off and pulled up her
undergarments. “Get your butt up and get us outta here.”
    They collided trying to climb over the back of the seat.
    “I can’t see. Wipe off the window,” he said as he fumbled for the keys.
    The girl snatched a roll of paper towels from the floorboard and frantically
wiped the windshield.”
     “Hooooooooooooooooooooo,” came a moan from just ahead.
    The couple looked toward the sound, and the young man turned the key.
    “Hooooooooooooooo, hoooooooooo.” A pale face rose slowly from the grave.
    The girl screamed.
    The car lurched forward.
    “Hoooooooooooooooooo, . . . you arrrrrrr mine now. You can’t get
awaaaaaaaaaaay.”
    A tree fell across their path, and the light inside the grave grew
brighter. An eerie hand pointed straight at them.
    “Ha, ha, ha,” the voice cackled, “yessssss, staaaay with meeeeeeeeeeeee.”
    “To hell with this,” said the young man. He gunned the car and rammed the
tree, pushing it in front of the car.
    Bam . The car slammed into another pine tree bordering the road,
slowing only briefly as the tree broke in half and crashed onto the roof. The tires
bounced onto the hardtop road outside the cemetery and skidded sideways before
straightening and roaring off, leaving the top half of the broken pine far
behind.
     Chuck jumped up in time to see the car slam into the tree. He and Jason
embraced, then both doubled up laughing. Tim and Ricky joined them.
     “Did you hear her scream?” Jason howled, slapping Chuck on the back. “I
thought he was going to drive straight through the woods for a minute there.
You did great, man, great. Heck, you almost scared me. Hoooooooooo, hoooooooo,”
Jason cooed. “That was worth all the work. Come on, let’s get back in the
grove.”
    “You little squirt, you did great too. Pushed that tree down at the
perfect time,” Jason told Tim.
    Jason reached in the sack and pulled out a six-pack of beer. He gave one
to each of the others then opened one for himself and lit a cigarette.
    “To the Graveyard Gang,” he said and banged his beer can against the
others in a toast then tilted it up and drained the can in long gulps.
    Tim was glowing after Jason’s praise. “Reckon how long it’ll be before we
get another one?”
    “Shouldn’t be long; it’s Saturday