Work Text
October 7, 2023
Some gravesites were in dire need of care. Weedy, unkempt grass and faded, crumbling epitaphs were commonplace. Fallen branches, dead leaves, and overgrown shrubbery littered the area. The black, steel fencing around the graveyard had fallen in spots. An eerie spatial ambiance was supplemented by the off-center, rusted entrance sign that loosely creaked in the cool autumn breeze. It looked as though it could fall off its mount at any moment.No cemetery was a desirable place to be for most people, but the Arcadia Bay cemetery was different, to an extent. One grave drew a sizable crowd on a particular night each year. Every October 7, The Black Veil Lady visited. At least that was the rumor. Most paid no attention to it directly, labeling the entire spectacle as “a kid’s ghost story”. Nobody had ever captured a video or even a still shot of The Lady, so it became myth in the minds of the locals. Despite the disbelief of the townspeople, everyone still celebrated the event as a sort of kick-off to the Halloween season, even if they didn’t make it to the graveyard that evening.Arcadia Bay, itself, was mostly a dead town. Only those fortunate enough to telework, teach in the local school system, work in the healthcare industry – at the hospital, or work in the shipping-receiving trade found it prosperous enough to live there. Most families who once called the bay area “home” for many generations, had left when the fishing industry tanked. The economy was ultimately strangled by a wealthy local family who exploited the town and everyone in it. For the past decade or so, the small municipality existed mostly to support Blackwell Academy; a private school dedicated to science and the arts.Just like in previous years, the wind suddenly began to howl, kicking up leaves and small debris, causing the entrance sign to harshly sway. Gathered groups standing around the parameters of the cemetery were forced to hunker down to weather the squall-like gust. Most had their cell phones out ready to capture the moment since nobody ever had. They squatted and huddled together for a minute or so until the wild wind died down to a zephyr.“There she is!” A cherub-faced, red-headed, teenage girl named Tabitha shouted, pointing in the gravestone’s direction from the rolled-up car window on the passenger’s side.Unlike other groups, Tabitha’s was much more prepared. Her blonde girlfriend, Sara, had broken the rules, parking inside the gate– far enough away for the group to feel safe, yet close enough to get a good look. They always wanted to be there when The Black Veil Lady showed up but were too scared before recently. Since it was their senior year, the group mustered up the courage with a strength-in-numbers approach. And for Tabitha, specifically, she was ready to prove to the world that this being actually existed.Her paranormal podcast, Para 4 Normies, had over one million subscribers. Her TikTok and YouTube accounts were similarly popular. At Blackwell Academy, she had redefined an artistic genre of photography and videography, utilizing her technical skills to live-stream, photograph, and develop commentary around spooky events in the Pacific Northwest. At eighteen-years-old, Tabitha was already earning tons of money after monetizing her online content. If she were to finally prove The Black Veil Lady’s existence, it would be the highlight of her young career.“Phone’s not working,” Teri urgently mentioned, holding hers out of the backseat window, desperately trying to make it work.“Shit. Same here,” Curtis confirmed. “Mine won’t even turn on.”As if all simultaneously realizing the haunting reality of their situation, a stunned silence swept through the navy-blue Toyota Highlander. All eyes, locked seemingly in a trance, faced forward as they witnessed the materialization of a petite woman wearing all black. Her face was shrouded by a thickly netted veil, and her hands and arms were covered by black, elbow-length gloves. The lessening breeze swam around the woman’s grim clothing, causing ripples to dance at the loose edges.From the group’s perspective, they couldn’t clearly see The Black Veil Lady’s features. She was turned towards the side, face pointing downward at the site where a father and daughter were buried beside one another. Beneath the veil, from their angle, features appeared more like creepy shadows than anything tangible.Blinking rapidly to break from the trance-like state, Tabitha hurriedly tried to revive her phone. It was still out of commission, so she reached up to check the dashboard camera she installed the day before. The tiny red light was no longer on, and it appeared to not be working. She couldn’t check the app due to her phone’s non-responsiveness.Scanning the area, Tabitha glanced at the other groups of people standing around. She noticed them also attempting to get their phones in working order with limited success. Whatever was happening, it seemed to be impacting everyone.Having made a contingency plan for issues that might arise, the orange-haired teen located her handheld tape recorder and hit the button with the red circle in the center. After a dull clicking sound, the reels began to spin. She brought it close to her lips and started speaking.“Okay, girls and gays. We are at the Arcadia Bay cemetery, and The Black Veil Lady has appeared. Almost by some supernatural force, our cell phones and camera have all gone out. They aren’t just getting shitty service; I mean the electronic devices won’t even turn on. It’s fucking freaky. Also, there are at least several dozen other people here, and, judging by their mannerisms and physical actions they, too, do not have access to their cell phones. Super weird. It all seems to be connected.”Tabitha paused, recalling what she had read about the gravesite.“Ten years ago today,” she continued, “a girl named Chloe was murdered in the Blackwell restroom. A gunshot to the torso. Her body rests about fifteen meters from my current location, buried beside her father, who was also tragically killed years ago. As I mentioned on the podcast last week, my hypothesis is that this... Lady... she is the ghost of that murdered girl. She’s standing over the grave as I speak.”Tabitha hit the ‘stop’ button and inquisitively looked around the vehicle. Her friends were gazing at The Black Veil Lady, still mesmerized by what they were seeing. Other than occasional blinks and the normal rising and falling of their chests, nobody seemed to be moving.She placed her hand on the door handle and pulled it open. Stepping out of the vehicle, Tabitha took a few steps forward, leaving the door hinged open. She glanced around at everyone else around the cemetery. They had their eyes fixed on The Lady, each one appearing dazed.Tabitha pushed ‘record’ again.“I stepped out of the car for a better look. Everyone else is in a fucking trance. I might be the only one who’s not. This is bizarre as shit. Calling it surreal would be an understatement.”The Black Veil Lady crouched down and propped herself on her knees beside the grave.Tabitha tiptoed to the nearest bush so she could find a better view while staying out of the entity’s eyeshot.The Black Veil Lady raised both hands towards the bottom of her veil. Slowly, gingerly, she pulled the meshed fabric up enough to reveal white skin and a nose and cheeks that were peppered by freckles. There was an innocent beauty about the woman. She had high cheek bones and perfectly proportioned lips.Bending her torso towards the grave, the woman leaned down and pressed her lips to the grass. Tabitha couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw tears streaming down The Lady’s face.After about sixty seconds, the kiss was over, and the woman stood upright.“I... I don’t really know how to describe the emotions right now,” Tabitha lowly spoke into the recorder, practically a dull whisper. “There’s a grieving emptiness flowing from The Black Veil Lady. This is certainly haunting and spooky, but it feels more heartbreaking than ghostly. I don’t even know.... So...”Suddenly, The Black Veil Lady lifted her veil all the way up and swiftly twisted her head in Tabitha’s direction, locking eyes with the redhead, causing her to stumble backwards.“Fuck!”The moon’s shine glared off The Lady’s beautifully illuminating blue eyes. From the ground, Tabitha stared back, gazing deeply into the shimmering orbs that seemed to radiate with passion.“I... I...”A paralyzing fear entered the teenager’s heart. She wanted to run, but her body wouldn’t move. Abstract thoughts began to swirl through her head. The moon, darkness, gorgeous sapphire eyes, decay... a black veil... butterflies... destiny... love... a deer... a storm...………A brisk wind tickled the skin on Tabitha’s face. From her spot on the ground, the girl pushed upward. She looked around the area and it seemed that everyone else was regaining their mobility at the same time.“H-How long was I out,” the girl asked herself. She looked down at her hand and she was still holding the tape recorder. Tabitha pressed ‘stop’ and ejected the tape. Between her fingers and thumb, the redhead looked at the small item, which was reeled almost completely to the opposite side. She placed it back in the recorder and put the whole thing in her tight blue jeans pocket.“Shit, where did she go?” Suddenly, the podcast host felt a strong desire to protect her work. “Fuck. Where is she?”Tabitha stood and ran over to the closest group.“Did you see her?! The Black Veil Lady! Did you see her?! Did you see her leave?!”The group just shrugged and began walking away.“Nah, it’s just a myth,” one boy named Brandon responded. Tabitha had a photography class with him last semester, though he was more into science than art. “Nothing happened. I knew this was a ginormous waste of time.”“She’s not real,” another girl from the same group confirmed.Tabitha shook her head. “No! I saw her... she was...”From behind, Sara called out from the vehicle. “Tabitha! Tabitha Nelson... where are you?!”Confused, the red-haired girl made her way back to the SUV.Once inside, she told the group about her experience. She mentioned The Black Veil Lady kissing the grave, that trance-like state they were all in, and the abstract visions she had as she entered the same trance. She mentioned The Lady’s beautiful eyes and freckles, which earned a feigned look of jealousy from Sara.Her friends had a different experience, corroborating one another’s stories. They all said that the wind picked up and Tabitha oddly ran from the vehicle, disappearing on the other side of a patch of shrubbery.Tabitha argued back, citing the time. They had been there for over an hour.“How could we be here this long if nothing happened? What the hell were we doing this entire time? Think for a fucking minute, people. Sara, you believe me, right?”“I don’t know, Baby.” Sara shrugged it off. “Maybe time just got away from us, you know? I mean, I’ll believe anything you say; I’m in love with you. I just... well... I didn’t see what you saw. That’s all.”The other two concurred, though Tabitha couldn’t tell if Curtis really agreed or if he was only wanting to impress Teri. That boy had been trying to get into Teri’s pants all semester, even though she didn’t seem particularly interested.After returning to campus, Curtis and Teri went their separate ways. Sara joined Tabitha in her dorm room, number 219, and they sat together on the bed.Sara began nibbling on her girlfriend’s ear and dragging her lips across the skin of her neck. “You want me to stay tonight? We could... you know...”Tabitha moved away. “Please don’t take offense, Sara, but I need to be alone tonight. I’m sorry.”Sara slowly stood, disappointed. “Okay, no problemo. No offense taken. My love for you isn’t frail. Plus, I’m pretty fucking beat. My bed is calling my name. Are you okay, though? I know tonight was a big deal for you. I’m sorry it didn’t go as planned.”“It’s fine,” Tabitha responded. “Love you.”“Love you, too.”The young couple gave each other a peck on the lips and a warm hug. Sara headed to her own dorm room and Tabitha shut the door behind her.As she was taking off her clothes to put pajamas on, she felt the tape recorder in her pocket.“Oh, shit!”Anxious, Tabitha struggled to get the device out. When she did, she hit the rewind button and waited for it to spin back to its starting position.Quickly, she pressed play.Her voice was the first to be heard upon playback.
Okay, guys and gays. We are at the Arcadia Bay cemetery, and The Black Veil Lady has appeared. Almost by some supernatural force, our cell phones have gone out. They aren’t just getting shitty service; I mean the electronic devices will not even turn on. It’s fucking freaky. Also, there are at least several dozen other people here, and, judging by their mannerisms and physical actions, they, too, do not have access to their cell phones. Super weird. It all seems to be connected.
Ten years ago today, a girl named Chloe was murdered in the Blackwell restroom. A gunshot to the torso. Her body rests about fifteen meters from my current location, buried beside her father, who was also tragically killed years ago. As I mentioned on the podcast last week, my hypothesis is that this... Lady… she is the ghost of that murdered girl. She’s standing over the grave as I speak.
I stepped out of the car for a better look. Everyone else is in a fucking trance. I might be the only one who’s not. This is bizarre as shit. Calling it surreal would be an understatement.
I... I don’t really know how to describe the emotions right now. There’s a grieving emptiness flowing from The Black Veil Lady. This is certainly spooky, but it feels more heartbreaking than ghostly. I don’t even know.... So...
Fuck!
I... I...
An odd resonance of warbled, wonky, unfamiliar noise followed. Tabitha pressed ‘fast forward’ but only heard the same sounds. She moved the tape forward, then pressed play repeatedly. The podcaster continued with the same process until she was nearly at the end of the tape. Finally, she heard something. A tiny, slow-paced, tender voice began to speak.
“Chloe, it’s Max... again...”
Tabitha’s breathing caught, and her heart thundered in her chest. She quickly stopped the tape and took several elongated breaths to calm herself. “Max? That name sounds so familiar. A girl named ‘Max’.”She remembered seeing a list of everyone who had lived in the same dorm, and she knew there was a ‘Max’ who was there several years before her. The name stood out because she had only met one other with the same name, and that person was a boy.Tabitha opened her laptop and searched for the year Chloe was killed. She typed: “Blackwell Academy murder Chloe”.Information immediately popped up about the events of October 7, 2013. She cross-referenced that year with the year ‘Max’ was in the dorms. Everything matched up.“Holy shit, Max Caulfield and Chloe Price! I wonder if they were… more than friends.”In her head, Tabitha imagined losing Sara in such a horrific manner. “If Max loved Chloe even half as much as I love my girlfriend, that loss had to be fucking brutal.” She almost cried just thinking about the whole thing.Tabitha closed her laptop and picked up the tape recorder, pushing ‘play’ once again.
“I miss you so much, Chloe. I’m… I’m still trying so hard. I will find a way to bring you back. I have to.”
With her palm, Tabitha wiped the tears that began trickling from her eyes.
“I have more control now. You would be so proud. I wish you were here to see me. You have no idea how hard I’m trying. It’s taking everything I have inside of me. But it will be worth it. To see your beautiful, pissed off face again. Chloe, I will never give up on you. I’ll never again leave you. We’re Max and Chloe, remember? We’re always together even when we’re not.”
Tabitha could hear herself audibly sobbing. She held her hand over her mouth, though it did no good.
“I’m close, Chloe. I’m so close now. We’ll be together soon. Promise.”
The tape made a crackling sound followed by silence. The orange-haired teenager fell back on her bed– the same one Max once slept in, cradled in the fetal position. She could empathetically sense Max’s sorrow. It was a dark, despairing horror. Despite the hopefulness in The Black Veil Lady’s voice, Tabitha didn’t feel very optimistic.After at least half an hour of bawling, the podcaster pushed up. She could finally bring herself to exist regularly again, though she sat in deep contemplative thought. She had no idea what happened back at the gravesite with the trance and electronics. She didn’t know how The Black Veil Lady, Max Caulfield, could materialize then disappear at will, but it apparently had something to do with her love for Chloe. She could hear that desperate love in her voice.Tabitha considered her online content and shook her head. All of a sudden, none of it seemed to matter. The only thing that did matter, was pure love. She took the cassette she had recorded for her podcast and broke the tape with her finger, effectively destroying it.She felt guilty about blowing her girlfriend off earlier, so she picked up the phone. After two rings, Sara answered.“Hey, Baby! What’s up?” Her voice was cute and raspy like she had been asleep but pretending she hadn’t.“Hey, Sara. I just wanted to tell you… I love you so goddamn much. You know that, right?”“Of course I do.”“Can you come over? I need you right now.”“Say no more. I’m on the way!”