A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.
Time seemed to have traveled by too quickly. With the few street lights in Teller's Den, (f/n) could see the entrance to the graveyard up ahead. A chill ensnared her body, and she managed to lift her hands up to her upper arms and rub them a little bit. She imagined being tucked into the comfortable sheets and comforter back at Nick's house, and she wished that she was there now. Then again, no one else would be there. If her previous tormentor decided to attack her, she would be practically defenseless in her current state. Another chill raced up her spine at the thought.
Ether glanced over to (f/n), and he noted how she became tenser. It didn't surprise him, especially since the graveyard didn't look to have too many lights by it. At least, at the entrance that was the case. Within, there might be more, but they couldn't be certain until they passed through the open wrought iron gates.
When she diverted her attention over to him, he gave her a simple nod to acknowledge that he would keep her safe. A smile didn't meet her lips. Rather, she turned her focus back to the road; however, he saw her relax by somewhat of a fraction. On his lips, a pleased smirk formed, and he paid attention again to their surroundings.
The car progressed towards the open gates. Nick made the right turn. He kept the headlights on since they would work against Callest potentially if he tried to come at them head-on. Then again, he might be able to ignore the lights to a degree due to adjusting his sensitivity to light. Keeping the lights on also would raise less suspicion for them. There was security around; he was sure of it, but it would look odder to drive in with no lights on.
As they drove further into the area, headstones and graves passed them by. A thin layer of snow covered the ground, and most of the headstones had ice on them. Flowers were frosted over, and the pine trees were the only trees with leaves in the cemetery. The maples were barren and provided little coverage to the graves beneath them.
Over the entire region, a haunting atmosphere greeted them. From the road, they only could see out so far into the cemetery. There were only lights along the road, and there were few to begin with. In the deeper parts of the graveyard, there were none, which made the tall pines frightening. Her past tormentor could be hiding behind any of them, and they wouldn't know unless Ether was able to smell his scent or hear him.
By a little bit, her heartbeat picked up. Thankfully, the main road did have a right and left turn up ahead, which allowed visitors the ability to stop closer to their loved ones' graves. Nick made a right turn. "How do you know where she was buried?" (f/n) asked, wondering if they would end up spending longer out in the night.
"I did some research." Chris leaned forward on the seat again and grinned. "It's about all I can do right now with this leg." (F/n) resisted the urge to give her a sympathetic look, and she smiled instead so that Chris's mood wouldn't drop. It probably was keeping her from freaking out about the fact that she may never make it back to the car. "But, I found the news article on her burial in the town paper online. There was a picture where she was buried. I compared that to the map of the graveyard posted on the funeral home's site. It took awhile due to all of the trees, but I managed to find the location." She pointed out towards the far northeast end of the cemetery. (F/n) couldn't make out the scenery too well due to the lack of illumination. "We're looking for a collection of maple trees. Her name is Wilhelmina Sinnel, but her headstone might just say Mina Sinnel. According to the news article, her family used Mina as her nickname."
"It looks like we'll still have to walk a bit, then," (f/n) muttered more to herself than to anyone else. Chris frowned and nodded as she leaned back against Ren.
"We'll all make it," Deidre reassured from the front. She peered around the back of her seat and to (f/n). "That's why we're all doing this. It gives us a better chance for the future even if it's incredibly risky. None of us will die."
(F/n) only was able to give a nod. She couldn't believe Deidre's words even if she wanted to. A sorrowful smile fell on Deidre's lips when she saw the younger female's reaction, but she didn't say anymore as she turned around in her seat. It didn't help that (f/n) noticed Nick's grip on the steering wheel tighten.
Eventually, though, her mind focused on the fact that they would be leaving the car any moment. Nick pulled into a parking space and turned off the car. Surrounding them was darkness and outlines of the cemetery's scenery. No security had crossed them yet, and she wondered if they were patrolling on foot since she had seen no cars so far. There were no other cars in the parking lot either.
"Stick close. The farther you're away from me, the less I can do to help you," Ether voiced with a neutral tone. That changed, however, when his optics met Nick's in the rearview mirror. A giggle parted from him. "But if you want to, I don't mind." Chris frowned and looked ready to punch the creature while Ren mentally sighed in irritation and held Chris back. Deidre didn't say a word, but she gave a small smile to Nick to help ease the fear that developed in his brown eyes.
"Let's just go," (f/n) advised, hoping to reduce the tension in the air. Ether averted his gaze over to her, and she resisted the urge to back away. She met his grin with a frown, and he released another giggle, but she could view the seriousness in his eyes. He knew the risks of what they were about to do, and he intended on making sure that she survived. It relieved her, but she also felt ... awful. Again, her life would put others in danger, but it was either the graveyard or stay at Nick's home, and one of them would definitely die, then.
Hopping out of the car, Ether closed the door behind him and came over to her side. As he helped her out, Nick and Deidre left. Each of them now had a flashlight strapped to their sides. Deidre moved to the passenger backdoor when Ether had (f/n) in his arms. She helped Ren and Chris exit. (F/n) would've felt her cheeks heat up, but she was too worried about what might come in the future. In fact, she snuggled into him a little because the warmth from him provided her a minuscule portion of comfort, which she desperately required at the time.
No comment on her behavior left Ether, but he did smile secretly. If only she had asked to be carried. Then, the situation would've been made all the better. Once Ren and Chris were out and ready to head towards the headstone, Ether began to walk towards the small dirt path guiding visitors through the cemetery and along the headstones. Nick and Chris walked in front of Ether and (f/n) while Ren and Deidre were behind them. With Ether in the middle, it provided the four investigators a better of chance of being helped if Callest struck.
Traveling through the cemetery was slow due to Chris and Ren's crutches, but (f/n) didn't complain. Ether didn't either, which was somewhat of a surprise. She expected him to push them along so that they could get out of the area faster, but he was being ... respectful of their injuries. In the past, he had shown care towards her own wounds, but towards others ... It was uplifting in a sense to view, but she kept that thought to herself.
Both Chris and Ren had a flashlight strapped to one of their crutches. It was clear that it affected their movement, but neither of them complained. Most likely, the additional light comforted them. At the front of the line, Nick held the shovel close and was ready to swing it through the air in case they received a visit from ... him. (F/n) clutched a little more at Ether at the thought. Briefly, he spared her a glance and whispered, "I'll dig quickly."
Lightly, she hummed in response, but Ether paused when Chris stopped. She squinted and leaned forward on her crutches by a little bit. "There. To our north and right. Do you see all of those maple trees? Her grave should be over there." Nick squinted too before he nodded and began to head in that direction, leading them all over to the trees.
Only a few minutes passed before they were among several headstones. In the center of them and at the base of one of the trees, the headstone read Wilhelmina Sinnel. Carefully, Ether set (f/n) down. With the tree right there, they had another barrier against her prior tormentor, but he always could leap into the tree and attack from above. Her stomach tightened into a horrible knot at the thought, and she rubbed her arms slightly as she seated herself by it. Even if that was a possibility, the tree still was sturdier than Nick and his team, and she'd rather have a tree get slashed than any of them.
Grabbing the shovel from Nick, Ether stabbed the device into the earth and began to move aside the thin layer of snow and the dirt underneath it. Nick and his team formed a protective barrier, with their flashlights on a dimmer setting so as not to attract unwanted attention, around Ether and her, and (f/n) saw that they were trembling even if they were doing their best to hide that fact. She brought her knees closer to her chest and hugged them. It was going to be a long night, and she listened in closely to their surroundings.
Soft footfalls were her main target, but she listened for others too in case a security guard was approaching them. Thankfully, she saw no other flashlights in the graveyard, and no footsteps met her ears. Her eyes concentrated on Ether digging, and she couldn't wait until the shovel hit the coffin. They would be one step closer to leaving the blood-chilling environment. Mentally, she spoke to herself, "Please hurry," and she could tell that the others were thinking the same thing.