#my Ibis paint crashed seven times

[melmos-basement]

Guess who's back 🤪

Guess who the grave belongs to cause it's not hers💗

Alternate version plus closeups here

[wolfgangisdead]

dancing with the bones

|masterlist|

fandom original content

rating teen and up

warning n/a

notes

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Bones was quiet as we walked. He said nothing and did nothing, looking forward into as if he could see the fabric of time itself. It was a bit weird seeing him like that since moments ago he was the happiest, cheery skull painted stranger I had ever seen. He didn't seem to like the children much: he scowled every time one came near.

Harold hadn't stopped talking since leaving the cemetery. He was a very bitter skeleton, for all the right reasons. Apparently, his wife stoke his money, his kids, and let him fall into despair. He was hit and killed by a train.

Ibis and Bartholomew were quiet, not even attempting to add onto the conversation which was fine since I more or less was worried about the sudden attitude shift in our more lively companion. Did these children traumatize him or something? 

“There is a spirit of evil among us.” Bones’ voice took a chilling turn, no longer tinged with the usual accent. He sounded more like Johnny Depp’s mad hatter whenever things got serious and he’d space out. 

Harold, if it was even possible, seemed to frown. “Yes, I sense it too. Now, dears, we’d very much appreciate it if you stay here! Things could get quite dirty around here. Try not to wonder away, though! It’d be lovely to get to know you two better.”

Percy and I were left alone pretty quickly after that, with Bones being the last to leave as he squinted at me before leaving. 

“We should definitely go and see what they’re doing, Nef. It’s gonna be fantastic.” Percy grinned at me, acting almost as if it was perfectly normal to follow a painted skeleton, a real skeleton a ghost and a werewolf after hearing them say there was something evil among them. Perfectly normal.

“I don’t now, Perce, did you see the look Bones gave me? It’s like he knows something. Something bad could be happening. It’s best to just sit here and wa - and there you go. Leaving me alone. Outside a cemetery. I always said I’d be the first to die in a horror movie setting.” I blinked, watching as Percy disappeared down the path the group had taken. 

Alone. That’s what I was and what I wouldn’t give to have Bones pop out of nowhere asking what I was looking at. The longer I stood there, the more aware I become that there was, in fact, no Bones to pop out of nowhere. So, I silently treaded forward, walking uneasily as I rapidly looked around. 

My heart was practically in my throat when I had felt something practically breathing down my next. When I looked behind me, nothing was there. I turned back around quickening my pace only for it to happen again. 

I broke into a sprint, but I am not in shape and it was fairly short. To say I needed to exercise more was a complete understatement of the millennium. I wasn’t fast enough to escape whatever had been creepily breathing down my neck like that one uncle at a family reunion. 

A shadowy tendril wrapped around my ankle as I stood hunched over, catching my breath. Suddenly, I was yanked backwards and then I was on the ground, nails digging into the dirt.

Now would be a wonderful time for Bones and the rest of the graveyard pals to show up, but I knew better than to hope for something that might not happen. 

I kicked and trashed at the thing that had grabbed me until I fell to the ground with a thud. Screaming, I darted from the shadowy creature, running as fast as I could because something deep in my bones told me it was following me. It felt surreal, like running to the next room after turning the lights off except this time you could probably die. 

I ran. Faster than I had ever run before, faster than I ever would again. I ran and I ran and in a split second, Bones had emerged from the brush in just enough time to be my cushion. I collided with him almost instantly. 

Do you ever just look at someone, deep into their eyes, and see every emotion known to man as they let out the most startling scream ever produced? It sounded more like a crow call being cut off by being blindsided, but I owed him a little respect after knocking him seven ways to next year.

Bones laid on the ground for a while, just staring up at nothing. It was a bit concerning - I even wondered if he could get concussions, but I tried not to think to hard on the pain I caused him. 

“Can I ask what that was for?” He was serious, so much so that I honestly was a little terrified. He sat up, dusting himself off and righting his hat. 

I pointed and just beyond where I had crashed into him, stood the creature that was big and black, like a shadow, but it had about a thousand blinking eyes and a mouth that curled upwards, baring the sharpest teeth I wish I never saw. Tendrils wiggled and waved beside it, as if waiting for me to get too close again. 

“Are ye fokin’ me sideways?” His voice had raised several octaves, probably terrified too at the creature that just so sadistically stared at us like I would stare at bacon. Mm, bacon. 

Bones stood, grabbing me with him before tugging me further away. The creature did not follow. 

“Are ye alright, Nef?” It was the first time he said my name. 

“It dragged me.” I stared up at him, gesturing to the dirt that had caked itself on me during the joyride. “What was that?”

His face hardened and he looked down at my ankle and for the first time, I noticed the black ring around my ankle, as if it had inked on me or something. 

“Not good.” Was all he said before he tugged me with him, silently, until we reached the others and of course, Percy was with them. “It got the wee lass.” 

They murmured, but I didn’t care much. I just wanted to get away from whatever that was, but if all those movies were right, this wasn’t over.