CHAPTER 2: THE SCREAM IN THE RAIN
The scream did not belong to an adult.
It was high. Fragile. Panicked.
And it cut through the cemetery like a blade through silk.
Every head turned.
Even the gravediggers froze mid-motion as the ropes holding the white coffin creaked above the open grave.
“STOP IT!” the voice cried again.
From the edge of the cemetery fence, a small boy burst through the rain.
He was soaked. Barefoot. Mud clinging to his legs.
No one had seen him before.
Arthur Vance’s breath caught violently in his chest.
The boy pointed straight at the coffin.
“She’s alive!” he shouted. “She’s still breathing! I heard her inside!”
A wave of shock rippled through the crowd.
Someone laughed nervously, thinking it was a sick joke.
But the boy ran forward again.
“I heard her knocking! She’s not dead!”
Beatrice’s fingers tightened under her veil.
Her eyes narrowed.
Impossible.
The doctor had confirmed everything.
The hospital had signed the papers.
The child had been declared dead after “complications.”
Everything had been perfect.
Clean.
Final.
Arthur took a step forward, voice shaking.
“What did you say?”
The boy stopped right in front of him, soaked and trembling.
“She’s not dead, sir. Please… don’t bury her.”
A long silence fell.
Then—
A faint sound.
Tap.
From inside the coffin.
Arthur staggered back as if struck.
Beatrice stiffened completely.
The gravediggers exchanged confused looks.
Another sound came.
TAP.
Stronger.
More desperate.
Arthur’s entire world collapsed into one realization.
His daughter was inside that coffin.
May you like
ALIVE.
“OPEN IT!” he roared.
