Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

In the dark of Kersal Moor
By the time they finished singing, I could see them quite clear ly. They had long
hungr y faces w ith sunken cheeks and hollow eyes. Their featur es had no colour , as
far as I could see, or even substance to speak of. It was like they w er e etched on the
dar k in faint gr ey glimmer s.
?Gather round!? cr ied a voice in the dar k. ?Gather round!?
One by one they joined me on the dar k summit. In that eer ie cr ow d, lor d and
leper stood shoulder to shoulder as equals. I thought I could make out their clothes,
or maybe just the memor ies of clothes, conjur ed out of nothing. A gr eatcoat her e
and a flat cap ther e, knitted fr om the thr eads of the night itself.
?Hallo!? called the r ingleader.
I tur ned to look at him and star ted w ith sur pr ise. His neck had been cleanly
sever ed. He car r ied his head like a football, holding it aloft to pr oject his voice.
?Do you fear the hereafter?? he began. ?Have you been a sinner? Are you willing
to face God and the Devil, and risk your immortal soul??
?I - I don?t know ,? I said honestly.
A mur mur of concer n r ose fr om the cr ow d. Their leader looked disappr ovingly
dow n at me, then stamped his foot for silence.
?Swear the oath instead!? he ur ged. ?Take the pledge! Promise to join us when
you die! Spend eternity here, on the moor!?
The ghosts began to sing again. This time, the chor us had a mor e ur gent quality. It
was almost a touch of menace. I scanned their faces in w onder , looking for signs
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