Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

T hey Walk Among U s
by Jane Collins
They Walk Among Us was inspired by the many walks I have taken along
the beautiful Suffolk coastline, the setting for some of M.R. James?s
wonderful stories, and a rich source of local folklore. Here, when the
mist rolls in, day-to-day reality slips away and the supernatural comes
to life.
The l i ght s of t he tow n t hat gl owed i n haught y def i ance of t he dar k ness wer e
now behi nd t hem . Winds, fir st funnelled thr ough the nar r ow str eets of Aldebur gh,
sw ir led about them unleashed. Uptur ning the collar s of their coats to the biting
squall that had tur ned the Suffolk coast into an outpost of Siber ia, they felt for one
another ?s hands. Hair blew acr oss their faces like finger s, obscur ing their view , but
they knew their jour ney of old. Leaving the war mth of the Chr istmas lights behind
them, they made their way along the shingle towar ds the shadow y outline of
Thor peness in the distance.
They walked in silence. Their s was a union of longevity and the w hip of the w ind
made w or ds unwanted. Tr aver sing steep pebble banks, they moved towar ds the
water ?s edge, keen to watch the tur n of the sea w hilst a fitful moonlight still gave
them the chance. Her e, the lee of the shor e gave shelter fr om the w ind; they stalled,
listening as the tide sucked the pebbles, r ooted by the hypnotic dr aw -and-pull of the
sea, w hich this night claw ed desper ately at the shor e. He pulled her towar ds him, as
he had done countless times befor e, a pr otective, loving instinct guiding her fr om a
wave w hich had outstr ipped the other s, sur f seeking feet. His actions saved the boot
only for a moment, w hen another wave lapped, r eaching to dr ag it fr om her. They
lost their footing, tumbling onto the stones. They lay, bodies pr essed w her e they
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