Soon enough they cleared the trees and turned off the trail onto a paved sidewalk. They passed the trailhead sign, which read Oakridge Cemetery Nature Trail - Hours: Dawn to Dusk.
The street they were now walking along was lined on both sides with a stone brick retaining wall topped by cast iron fencing. Large oak trees towered from each side, spreading their branches overhead and creating a pleasant canopy. The occasional vehicle drove slowly down the two-lane road.
Noah listened to Leah trying to convince May that soup was a perfectly acceptable breakfast food, preferable, really, to any other possible option, for a few minutes before taking pity on her and interrupting.
“So, soup is great and all, but are we really not going to see a doctor or something? I feel like we should tell somebody what happened last night. Maybe someone has an explanation.”
Brian scratched his head. “I don’t know how legal our actions were. Maybe if we didn’t break into somebody’s tomb, I’d feel more comfortable about getting professional help. I agree we should at least pay a visit to the health center once we’re back on campus to see what they have to say, though.”
“Hey, I didn’t ‘break’ anything,” Noah said. “They left the door open. They probably wanted visitors to pay their respects to the dead there.”
Brian gave his friend a doubtful look. “That’s not how it works, buddy.”
“Well, then we just don’t tell anyone! Problem solved. We went to the cemetery, left at a normal hour, slept the night in our own dorms, and woke up feeling a little ill. There’s no reason they can’t figure out what we’ve come down with and treat it if we give them our symptoms, right?”
“That sounds fine to me,” Leah said. “Brian?”
He shrugged. “Sure, we’ll just lie to the people who only have our best interests at heart.”
“Oh, don’t be so negative about it. They’ll probably talk to campus security, who will talk to the police, who will talk to us about how we suddenly have to pay whoever’s mausoleum we stayed in a big fat fine for disrespecting their dead or trespassing on their land or whatever,” Leah said.
Brian looked down. “We wouldn’t have to tell them everything.” He sighed. “It’s fine, though. We can lie.”
“Great, it’s decided,” Noah said.
“I don’t want to lie,” May said quietly.
Leah looked over in surprise. “What?”
She seemed to shrink. “What if we have something truly dangerous? They’ll be able to help us better if we tell them what really happened. And I know one of the nurses there. She wouldn’t share anything that would get us in trouble.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Leah sighed. “She might not have any control over what information gets shared. I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to deal with whatever consequences arise from someone making a fuss. You think I wanted to sleep in a mausoleum? The situation was outside my control. Outside the control of any of us, and I harbor no guilt in keeping the exact events of last night something that I keep quiet. I know it might be uncomfortable, May, but I’m asking you to do the same.”
May considered her words for a minute. They reached a somewhat busy intersection and stopped to wait for a break in the traffic.
After they had crossed, May finally shook her head. “I don’t know, Leah. You’re talking about this like we’ve committed a mortal sin. We were just dealing with some unlucky circumstances and made do with the resources we had available. Even if we went right to the authorities and told them every detail, I believe they would be understanding. I need you to let me think about it.”
Leah looked unhappy at her friend’s response, but she nodded. “Okay. But we have to reach a decision before we go to the doctor. I don’t want you to start recounting everything all of a sudden.”
By now they had reached the beginning of the commercial section of town. This area was so close to the local community college that it was practically part of its campus, so the landscaping was tidy and a lot of the two-story shops lining the road displayed college merch in their front displays.
Noah and his friends strolled past the various storefronts, aiming towards the Corner Market at the far end of the street. It was like the poor forgotten cousin of the other buildings, with slightly out-dated siding, plasticky windows, and brash blue-tinted lighting glaring unpleasantly from buzzing light fixtures. The building was small, cramped, and the quality of maintenance both within and without had led many a customer to believe it was in danger of running out of business any day.
In reality, it saw more sales than all of the other shops on the road combined, simply because every student on campus went there for groceries and casual shopping. The store owner, a large man named David, knew the names of nearly all of them.
They reached the front entrance of the Corner Market, a single black door with the hours of operation listed on a handwritten note taped to the inside of the window. Leah breezed inside and beelined for a particular aisle.
“I guess that’s where the soups are,” Noah said, watching her vanish around the corner.
“Yeah. She comes here every week just for soup. It’s completely absurd.” Brian shook his head. “I think she started getting it all the time as a joke, but at some point it kind of got absorbed into her psyche and became a genuine obsession for her.”
“I can see that,” Noah said, as she reappeared from the aisle with an armful of cans and a huge grin on her face.
“I’ve got enough for all of us,” she said brightly when she had drawn up beside them. “Do any of you need anything else before we go?”
“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Brian said.
“You sure you want to do that here? You know what the restroom is like,” Leah warned.
Brian smiled tightly. “Oh, I’m well aware. I’m quite desperate.”
“I think I’ll use the bathroom as well, actually,” May said.
The two of them walked speedily off towards the back of the store.
“I’ve been out of milk for a few days, might as well grab some while we’re here,” Noah said. “You can go check out if you like, I’ll be quick.”
He wandered off towards the refrigerated section. As he stood in front of the rows of dairy products, trying to find the brand he liked, he suddenly coughed. A small cloud of black dust bloomed from his mouth.