The Statue of the Corpses

Introduction

"Robby, this is stupid!"

"Come on, Meg! We're almost there!"

The sound of the rain pounding on the leaves of the surrounding trees drowned out any more of Megan's complaints, and she jogged a little to keep up with her boyfriend as he eagerly bounced ahead through the forest. The young couple hiked through the gnarled roots, thorny bushes, and the branches that seemed to grab for them like outstretched hands in the darkness.

Robby slowed as he neared a statue perched on the edge of a cliff, half hidden in shadow. The stone was carved to resemble a young man with a hand shielding over his eyes as if he was constantly searching for something over the edge of the cliff.

Robby clambered up next to statue, adjusting himself into a funny pose. His blue eyes glittered lightly with amusement from his own antics.

"Be careful," Megan complained, keeping a cautious eye fixed on him. Her stomach fluttered nervously and she gasped just as she caught sight of her boyfriend losing his footing before regaining it again quickly. She let a breath of relief escape her lips before she returned to her worried nagging. "This is really stupid, Robby. You're going to fall!"

"Relax," he called, flashing a grin. He combed a hand through his short, black hair to fix his appearance before returning to his pose. "Take the picture!"

Megan tucked a long strand of her dark, curly hair behind her ear. When it first started to rain, Robby had offered Megan his hoodie, and it was naturally a bit big on her. The sleeves came up past her fingers, and she had to roll them up a little in order to turn on her digital camera.

"Don't worry so much, babe. Nothing's going to happen. I'll get down as soon as you take the picture." Robbie flashed a toothy smile, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Megan rolled her eyes but allowed a small smile to flicker on her lips before she lifted the camera to her eyes. She adjusted the camera, zooming out to capture the full view of the statue and her boyfriend.

The statue slowly turned its head to face Robby with a stony expression.

"Meg, what's taking so long?" Robby called with a lopsided grin.

Megan slowly lowered the camera with shaking hands, revealing her wide eyes of striking minty green color. Robby fell silent when he caught sight of her paled face and frozen figure.

When Robby followed Megan's gaze, his eyes met with the statue's soulless eyes.

Robby gasped and made an effort to scramble to his feet, but the soles of his sneakers slipped on the rocks slick with mud. He felt his heart drop and his panic spike as he lost his balance. In the distance, he could hear Megan screaming. Clawing desperately at the air in an attempt to grasp onto something, he finally caught a hanging branch. Just as he was straightening himself back up, he felt a force shove him over the edge of the cliff.

Robby's scream echoed through the forest as he plummeted to his death. His screams were cut short when he hit the bottom, but they were soon replaced by Megan's.