Beyond the Grave - original story

Prologue

❝H O M E ; A place where you are always welcome and surrounded by those who love you.❞

If there is one thing that can be used to describe the Blackburn family, it is undoubtedly their love of animals. As animal lovers, the Blackburn family owns many acres of land for the horses, cows and other livestock that live on their ranch.
On this day, however, while all the animals were grazing in the pastures, Joan and Matt were out on horseback to observe the general peace and quiet.

"It's really quiet today, isn't it?" Matt asked his bride as he looked around.

Joan shrugged, not quite agreeing with the blond man's opinion. He was somewhat right, but the black-haired woman sensed something strange in the air. She definitely didn't like it. When the woman looked around, she understood what was going on. There was no sign of passing cars on the road behind their house, which was really strange. She furrowed her eyebrows and then clicked her tongue, signaling the horse to move.

Shortly after, when Joan was only a few yards from the blonde, he also moved off, trying to catch up with her. Soon the two of them were in front of a large, white wooden house with silver trim and dark brown stairs leading inside. Joan dismounted and stroked the horse's back before looking at her lover.

"I think it's unlikely anything would happen. Maybe there's just a big traffic jam on the other side of town and that's it." she suggested, while shrugging her shoulders slightly.

Matt just nodded at the woman's words and sighed. Maybe she was right, and he was just thinking too much and that's why his brain was starting to write horrible scenarios. As soon as he dismounted, he adjusted his cowboy hat and bit his lower lip before following the woman. A few moments later, as the couple put their horses away in the stable, they both slowly walked back toward the house.

Inside the house, the first thing you could smell was the aroma of tomato sauce mixed with the scent of herbs. Slowly Joan and Matt entered the kitchen and the young woman smiled as she saw her father trying to instruct her younger sister on how to make the sauce. Joan remembered the smell very well, the same sauce her mother used to make before she divorced her father. The dark-eyed woman sighed, and as she approached, her father turned in his wheelchair to greet her with a broad smile.

"So? All is well? The animals are grazing?" the older man asked, his eyes shifting from his older daughter to her fiancé.

Matt just nodded and smiled in his father-in-law's direction. Despite appearances and the fact that the Blackburn family was Native American, Jeremiah accepted that his daughter had chosen to become involved with a white American. More than that, he had come to trust the young man in a short time, and all because he had seen the love Matt had for Joan.

As Jeremiah and Matt talked, Joan quietly approached her younger sister and rested her chin on her head. Goldie stirred the sauce for a moment before turning with a soft laugh and hugging her older sister. Despite their age difference, the two girls got along very well, and it was evident at every turn.

"In case you haven't noticed, dad gave me a very responsible task today," the younger girl began, putting her hands on her chest and smiling proudly.

"Really? And what is this important task, hm?" Joan raised her left eyebrow and leaned her hips against the kitchen counter.

Goldie took a breath before looking at the simmering sauce, only to return her gaze to Joan a moment later. The two girls stared at each other for a moment before Goldie narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"You really don't know?" the brunette asked, rolling her eyes after a moment.

"He gave you the job of making the sauce according to Mom's recipe?" Joan finally asked, even though she knew the answer.

Goldie smiled broadly and nodded vigorously, even though it was obvious. Joan just sighed and shook her head from side to side. It wasn't that she didn't love the sauce her mother used to make, but she was the only one old enough when her parents divorced to understand that her mother was no good for anyone. This woman decided to leave their father alone with two children, one of whom was two years old, because she didn't feel she had the strength to be a mother of two children and a wife.

But her thoughts of her mother were interrupted by the touch of her fiancé, who wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, resting his chin on her shoulder. He smiled slightly and looked from his beloved to her younger sister with interest.

"What are you girls talking about?" he asked, wrinkling his eyebrows before kissing Joan on the cheek. "Could it be that Goldie has a potential boyfriend and I don't know about it?" he asked, pretending to be offended.

The two sisters looked at each other in amusement before bursting out laughing. They laughed for a while while Matt furrowed his brow, not quite understanding what was making them laugh so much. He muttered something to himself and hugged Joan a little tighter before turning her around to face him.

"Did I say something funny?" he asked, completely confused, and his lover placed her hands on his cheeks and stroked them.

He stared at her for a moment, still with the same sad and somewhat confused look on his face, while Goldie went back to stirring the sauce, still laughing under her breath.

"It's just that I'm not interested in a boyfriend right now, but if I'll be, you'll know," the young brunette replied, giving her brother-in-law a small smile.

Joan just laughed softly and shook her head slightly before kissing the tip of Matt's nose tenderly. At the same time, Goldie finished making the sauce, so she began placing the pasta in deep plates and pouring the sauce over it. Soon after everyone was seated at the table, the house was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the television playing softly.

After everyone had eaten for a while, Joan busied herself with the dishes while her father, Matt and Goldie went into the living room. As Matt and Goldie sat down on the couch, Jeremiah turned up the television and frowned as he heard the host.

"Recently, there have been increased reports of the disease spreading. A distance of at least three feet between people is recommended, and caution is also advised when dealing with infected people. They can be aggressive and any contact with them will require quarantine."

The message went out to all three of them in the living room, but it did not escape Joan's attention. This whole "disease" thing sounded pretty serious, especially if the infected were aggressive. It could have been a serious threat to her family and friends. It even crossed Joan's mind for a moment that maybe, just maybe, this disease could turn into something even worse.

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Hi, hello!

Here we are, first chapter! (or rather prologue but it still counts)

I'm really happy of how it turned out aaand I hope you'll like what I got up my sleeve for you for the next chapters...