May 19, 1986:

“Don’t ever laugh as a hearse goes by, for you may be the next to die.” Sang an eerie voice inside William’s head. His smile faded as he turned his head to see a hearse driving past him and his group of friends. He hit one of his friends and moved his head slightly toward the hearse. In an instant the three of them were no longer laughing, nor smiling.

Unfortunately for the town they lived in, while it was small there was a mad man on the loose. No one has ever seen him, but he takes people who laugh while a hearse drives by and buries them alive.

The people of his town wrote ‘the hearse song’ to ensure that no one forgets to keep an eye on their surroundings. On both hearses and those who are around the area.

William stared at the hearse, then looking to his friends he asked, “do you think it’s really true what they sing about in that song? Like yea, there’s been some disappearances every once in a while; but that doesn’t mean that someone’s going around killing people.” Trevor, the one William hit, looked at William horrified; “you’re joking right? You know they found four of the bodies right?”

William’s brow furrowed, “what?” Trevor nodded looking at Luke who was making the same facial expression as Trevor. “Yeah, this morning. They found four of the bodies, Will. They had been missing for a couple years but got a positive ID through the teeth. That’s why a few hearses went by in the last couple minutes. ” Luke said.

William looked at them confused, then he nodded; “okay then. Forget it.” William chuckled then looked over to see another black hearse driving by slowly.

William’s heart sank, as he turned white he looked at his friends who had a horrified look on their faces. Like he was the embodiment of death. William shook his head, “I-I-I thought… that doesn’t count right? It wasn’t a laugh, it was a chuckle. They are different right? Right?!” William stammered on his words, looking for any kind of hope. But his friends only shook their head and slowly back away from him.

William dropped to the ground. ‘How could this happen? It was an accident. I’m only 16, I can’t die now!’ William thought as he put his head in his hands.

“Don’t ever laugh as a hearse goes by, for you may be the next die…”. The voice sang again. It was a duet of a man and a woman. The woman’s voice was high and gave William goosebumps, and the man’s voice made him feel uneasy.

William got up, and put his hands over his ears then ran back home.

“Mom! Dad?” William said as he opened the front door. He looked throughout the house for them but they were no where to be found. He checked the calendar on the fridge, Monday was was circled, ‘that’s today.’ William thought, “crap… my parents are on a corporate vacation today and for the next six days.”

William’s parents worked for a large company about two hours away from home. They usually stay home and work, but recently they had been going into the office so they would qualify for the vacation.

William cursed under his breath, then sank down to the floor leaning against the refrigerator. ‘What am I going to do?’ William asked himself.

He sat there for a while until he heard a knock at the front door. He got up and began to walked towards it, “they wrap you up in bloody sheets.” the voices sang.

William stopped right before he touched the door knob. The knocking at the door got heavier; BANG, BANG, BANG! William jumped back, his mind raced as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. If it’s them, what could he do? He wasn’t the biggest or the strongest. Moderately strong but only stood at 5’7. He wasn’t impressive. To say the least.

The knocking echoed through the house again, William panicked and grabbed his mom’s decorative garden gnome statue. He held it behind his head, read to strike. He slowly reached for the door knob, “Dude, we know you’re there.” Trevor’s voice was muffled behind the door but William recognized it and set the gnome back.

Opening the door he seen his two friends with their backpacks on their shoulders. “We may have freaked out, but we aren’t going to let you face this alone.” William sighed in relief, smiling at his friends he told them to come in and they spent the rest of the day setting up a trap.

“Dude. My house looks like a scene from a movie.” William said as he sat at the top of the stairs looking down at the front door. The light from the sun had just disappeared a couple minutes ago.

“What if this doesn’t work?” William looked over to Luke who was lighting a cigarette, taking a long drag Luke shook his head; “it’ll work. It has to. I mean come on, we put nails in boards and set them in front of every entry way. If someone comes into the house, we’ll know. Then we can run, or fight. Whatever you wanna do, man.”

Luke let out the smoke and handed the cigarette to William who took it and took a couple puffs. “Where’s Trev?” William asked, looked around behind him.

Luke took the cigarette and pointed towards William’s parents room, “went to take a squat.” Luke said.

William nodded. “Okay.”

They had finished the cigarette and Trevor came out of the master suite. “Sorry. My stomach is screaming because of this crap.” Trevor sat on the wall next to William.

“Does it suck having that stomach issue?” Luke asked, he chuckled. “I mean.. think about it dude. If this ever happened to you, they wouldn’t have to look far cuz you’d be in the bathroom. Your coffin would turn into a shit box, literally.”

The boys laughed, Trevor threw a piece of trash that he found in his pocket at Luke. “Shut up, man.” He said through a smile.

William laughed with them, but then suddenly stopped as he heard the voices singing again. “To drop you six feet underneath.”

William looked down at the front door, his heart rate rising as he seen a tall shadow approach the stained windows. Trevor and Luke were still laughing but William hit Trevor on the arm, and kicked Luke in the leg. Pointing towards the front door with a shaky finger.

They all got quiet, looking at each other with concern as they slowly got up from off the floor.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound echoed up to William’s ears. His heart sank. He shook his head as he stared at the figure behind the door.

“Please. Please don’t.” William whispered under his breath.

William stepped back, when the knocked turned into hard banging. Bang, bang, bang, bang. Hard and fast the figured knuckles hit the door.

Trevor grabbed William by the shoulder, “come on man, we gotta hide.” William nodded then slowly started backing away, keeping his eye on the front door.

“Police. Open up.” A man’s voice shouted through the door. William stopped and looked at his friends who looked at him with wide eyes, they shook their heads. William nodded. They shook their heads again.

“Dude it’s a trap!” Trevor said in a loud whisper. William shook his head, “what if it’s about my parents?”

Luke grabbed Williams arm as he began to turn to go downstairs. “If it is about your parents they will come back in the morning. Okay? If your parents are dead, what good is it going down there just to die? Then you’d all be dead. Just…” Luke whispered, letting go of William. “Just hide, until we know for sure what is going on.”

William stared at the shadow that receded into the darkness outside. William looked at his friends and nodded, “okay.”

They hid. William was in his dad’s closet. Trevor was under the bed and Luke hid in the bathroom. Trevor’s stomach gurgled, his sweat began to roll down his face; he began to crawl out from under the bed but then heard footsteps and pushed himself back under. He got his breathing under control. The persons boots had dirt on them, like a gravedigger.

Luke sank down lower into the shower, and William covered himself with his dad’s clothes. The person began to humm the hearse song.

It was a man’s voice. He hummed the rest of the song but stopped at the chorus.

William’s breathing became shaky. He was scared. Beyond scared. He covered his mouth as he peaked through a hole in the clothing to see what it was. But the person moved into the bathroom. ‘Luke. No!’ William thought, he got up and began to run towards the bathroom. But when he reached Luke, Luke was running out so fast that William couldn’t stop him. William watched as Luke ran out of the room, hearing the door open and close.

“Trev? Trev are you there?” William called out as he ran to the bedroom, Trevor wasn’t answering. William looked under the bed, “Trev?” William whispered, as he lifted up the bedside skirting. He peered into the darkness, searching for his friend. His friend was on the farthest side, “Trev.” William said, “sorry dude you’re on your own.” He ran out.

“There you are.” Said a man’s voice behind William. Before William could see his face, William was struck with something hard.

“They put you in a pinewood box, and cover you up with dirt and rocks.” The duets voices echoed in William’s head, his eyes shot open. It was dark. William reached out with his hands but were stopped by the top of something.

“No!” William cried out. He hit against the coffin door, he hit it against it again. But nothing worked; he was trapped. Already buried alive.

William cried, “mom! Dad! Trev! Luke! Anybody, help me!” He banged on the door; kicking with his feet and punching with his hands. He was desperate. He stopped, breathing heavy.

“It all goes well for about a week, and then your coffin begins to leak.” The voices sang, William got confused. ‘But that’s in a week, right? I’ll be dead.’ But as he thought the only sliver of hope he had of possibly dying semi-peacefully, the coffin began to creak.

“The worms crawl in. The worms crawl out. The works play pinochle on your snout.” The voices sang.

“No! NO!” William cried out as he felt worms, maggots and bugs crawl over his body. He hit and kicked them off but more swarmed in. He screamed as the crawlers covered his entire body.

“They eat your eyes, they eat your nose; as you begin to decompose.”

As the voices sang the song all that they said happened in that moment, William smacked his face, pulling off bugs and worms but nothing helped, it put them in a frenzy.

“A slimy beetle with demons eyes, chews through your stomach and out your sides. Your stomach turns to rancid grease and puss pours out like melted cheese.”

William wailed as it all happened, he begged and pleaded. He didn’t want to die. But nothing could stop the inevitable, now.

As the song continued William felt himself slipping away; as his body was eaten, as the oxygen ran out, as the bugs poured into his mouth and into his lungs. His eyes became bloodshot, his face red.

Death came fast but the pain continued to radiate through William’s body even after death.

Above the grave stood a man, “So, don’t ever laugh as a hearse goes by, for someday you’ll be the one to die…” he turned and left.

“And when death brings his cold despair, ask yourself will anyone.. care?” William’s voice echoed.