Corpse Groom

Chapter 2

I thank December Silentvale for helping.

Awakening, Trisha's mind was a jumbled mess, her eyesight blurry at first as the world around her became clearer. Surrounding her, was nothing but the dead. To her left, were two well dressed skeletons. Neither had eyes in their eye sockets. The farthest wearing a suit and top hat while he held a drink. The closest of the skeletons wore a similar purple suit without a hat and still had a dark mustache clinging to his skull without skin. A pipe clenched in his teeth.

To Trisha's left, the Corpse Groom leaned in close with another corpse dressed as a chef beside him. The Corpse Groom looking concerned.

"A new arrival." The mustached skeleton announced happily.

Hearing him speak, more noise was introduced to Trisha's ears. It sounded like a pub of some sort and actually sounded pretty good, Trisha couldn't help but think absentmindedly.

Seeing Trisha's confused expression, the Corpse Groom leaned in closer and used his hand to support Trisha's head.

"She must've fainted. Are you all right?" The Corpse Groom asked.

Looking up at the Corpse Groom in a different lighting, he was quite different from how he appeared in the spooky winter night. The clouds having kept any moonlight from even coming close to seeing the Corpse Groom properly. In the better light of the pub, he was actually quite the catch. Despite the slight spots of decay here and there, he was still handsome.

Seeing everyone staring at her, Trisha broke out of her stare with the Corpse Groom and looked around her surroundings.

"What-? What happened?" Trisha asked.

"By Jove, man. Looks like we've got ourselves a breather." The mustached skeleton noticed.

Pushing him out of the way, another corpse, a woman in chef's attire came over for a better look at Trisha. Her blue skin wrinkled and her hair wiry as it stood up. The woman, known as Mrs. Plum, spoke. "Does she have a dead brother?"

"She's still soft." A skeleton boy pointed out, wearing a sailor outfit and his bones brown with age, darker than the two skeletons from before, and lacking eyes just they did, poked Trisha and her soft skin.

"Stop that." Trisha told him, gently moving the little boy's bony hand away from her.

Still a little shaken up, Trisha backed away from the skeleton child and stood up. Looking around, Trisha saw other skeletons and corpses around the pub.

Dressed in what appeared to be a royal navy captain's uniform, Trisha wasn't entirely sure, a dwarf skeleton with eyes in his sockets and a sword ran through his chest spoke up.

"A toast, then." The skeleton known around the pub as General Bonesapart offered a to a Prussian skeleton soldier next to him, the man wearing an eye patch and a hole through his chest where maybe a cannonball went through. The two hitting their steins together before Bonesapart took a drink, the Prussian soldier removing the sword and the drink flowing into his own stein. Drinking it as it reappeared through the cannon hole.

"To the newlyweds." Bonesapart finished. The sword sheathed back inside the man.

"Newlyweds?" Trisha asked.

Hearing what she said, the Corpse Groom chuckled as he cleared it up for her. "Back in the woods, your vows were perfect." Holding her hand in his own, he showed her the ring she had put on. Looking at his own hand, Trisha saw her ring on his own finger.

"They were? They were." Trisha realized. Turning to the bar, Trisha couldn't believe this was truly happening. "I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming! Wake up! Wake up!" She shouted at herself, hitting her head repeatedly against the wood in an effort to wake up. But the pain was all too real.