Cursed ✔️

63. The News

After around 45 minutes, the funeral service van pulled on their driveway. The sound of the engine slowly dying, alerted the family that they had arrived.

Hearing the knocks, Emily and John came downstairs as Rose walked towards the door.

"Mr. Shaw," Rose said opening the door, "welcome,"

Mr. Shaw, the funeral director was in his mid-40s with an ivy league haircut. His hairs were white but neatly trimmed. He was wearing rectangular-framed glasses and a rolled-up white shirt with blue pants as he stepped inside the house.

"Mrs. Jackson," Mr. Shaw said, "Sorry to hear about your loss."

"Mr. Shaw," David said slowly walking towards him. "It was nice of you to come this late,"

They both shook hands with a firm handshake.

"It's alright, Mr. Jackson, no worries." He smiled. "Mrs. Petunia was really a nice lady. She will be missed. May I ask where is she?"

David looked in the direction where his sister's corpse laid on the floor.

Mr. Shaw followed David's gaze and called for his team which was inside the van. He walked towards the body and stood speechless seeing it. "Oh, dear," he said in a depressing tone. "Never in my entire carrier I've seen death so gruesome like this." He looked at Rose and David but both of them stood quietly.

After a quick few seconds, the team came - two men and a woman - with a gurney. The men looked in their late 30s wearing a dark navy blue uniform with the funeral home logo on one of their sleeves. The woman appeared to be in her late 30s as well but a little bit younger than those two men. Her hairs were tied in a messy side bun. She was also wearing a uniform.

They placed the body on the gurney and pushed it as the wheels rolled in the direction of the door.

"So," Mr. Shaw began, "what kind of funeral would your family like?"

"Nothing big," Rose said, "just a really small one with only us four members. A private service would do. A private viewing and burial at the cemetery. " They cannot invite anyone in their family at the funeral. Because if they do, everyone will ask only one question - how did all this happen? They cannot tell anyone about this. They cannot tell them that her life was taken by a possessed Hannah. They had to do the services in private.

"It's alright," Mr. Shaw said, "so, do you want to place obituary notice in the newspaper?"

"No, that won't be necessary," David said looking at the papers Mr. Shaw was taking out of his briefcase.

"Ok and at present Mrs. Shaw, my wife would take care of the embalming as the others are on leave." He said taking out a pen.

"No problem," Rose said.

They all discussed a few more things about the funeral and then Mr. Shaw said, "If everything is alright, all you need to do now is to sign these papers." He said handing Rose the papers.

After Rose and David had signed the papers, Mr. Shaw walked towards the door with his briefcase telling them that either Mr. or Mrs. Jackson or both have to visit the funeral home the next morning to complete the rest of the paperwork and legalities. When he and his team had left, Rose said, "Emily, I've spoken with your mom. David will drop you safely at your house."

Emily nodded.

After David had safely driven Emily home, he returned back after around 30 minutes. It was almost one in the clock. "Now, everyone, I know it is very late but we have to clean the house and make sure to take a bath," David instructed.

After thoroughly cleaning the house and having taken the baths, David, and John sat in the family room.

The father and son duo were sitting on the couch in front of the telly while Rose was in their bedroom making the bed.

"Mom!" John called out.

"Just a minute, John, " Rose yelled from the bedroom tucking the sheets.

"No, mom, you have to see this. Come fast." John said with his eyes glued to the screen where a man wearing a suit and red polka dots tie was speaking with a news channel mic in his hand standing in some neighborhood where only a few houses had lights on.

"It's the most disturbing and scariest event that this whole town is witnessing right now. It is affecting an entire neighborhood but which neighborhood would be next, no one knows. Imagine that you come home after a long and tiring day and all you want to do is sleep in your bed and rest but what if you never wake up from that sleep? You think that your home is a safe place for you but what if your home is the exact place where you aren't safe anymore? There is something unknown which is lurking in your house. The people are suddenly and without any reason at first go in a coma state where they cannot sense anything and then slowly their heart rate drops and soon you are put in a forever sleep. We have a few brave residents who have come to talk with us who had seen these unexplainable happenings from their eyes."

"I'm Matthew Davis. My family and I live a couple of blocks from here. I had come here to visit my granddaughter who had just turned four. After I had tugged her in her bed, I began to turn off the lights. But she said to let them be left on as she was afraid of the shadow that was walking on her ceiling. At first, I thought that she was just imagining things. Kids her age do that. They have their wild and vivid imagination. But now I think that I shouldn't have left her alone." He began to sob."When I came downstairs and shouted goodnight, no reply came. I went upstairs and saw her lying still in her sheets. She wasn't moving. I screamed her name again and again, but she never responded. My son and his wife came too and we tried everything, but she wasn't responding. Her body started to become lose and rubber-like. Her heartbeats started to drop slowly and then it stopped beating. We were at lost what to do. Our phones weren't working. And then suddenly, she gasped for air and sat on her bed like she just had a nightmare. We got relieved that nothing happened to her but then she screamed looking up and then she quickly fell in her bed with her eyes closed shut and we lost her forever." He was on the edge of crying. Anyone could tell that he was keeping himself together with a lot of effort.

"Thank you, Mr. Davis," The man said and then the camera focused on him. "All the scientists are still working to find a cure and the police are clueless. Some say that maybe this is a sign from the aliens and some say that it could be the onset of a zombie apocalypse. No one knows the exact truth. What is causing all of this is still continues to remain unknown. But whatever it is, it is spreading and consuming everyone. We all fear that our town could be called the corpse town if no one finds a solution soon. People are even scared to sleep or even close their eyes for long."

Just then a lady wearing an office suite whispered something in his ears. He instantly became terrified.

"We just got the news that this epidemic had hit two more neighborhoods. The ambulances had reached the spots taking the bodies to the hospitals for further studies on this case. It is causing havoc. The government had given the notice that the town is going through some tough times. We have to be strong. All the shops, schools and every place will be closed until further notice. The government even suggested that if possible we should stay away from our houses a couple of days till they find a solution. We also have the news that people are migrating to other towns and cities to save themselves and their families. But the question still remains - are they even safe there? Is it gonna be just a matter of time when this unknown, almost paranormal phenomenon hit beyond this town too?"