Nameless

by papa55mike

Old Chapel Hill Church has existed for over a hundred and fifty years. There's a large pond behind the red brick building, and it was used for baptizing people in the early days of the church, but now it's a fishing hole for the local kids. To the left of the church is one of the oldest cemeteries in Tennessee and the home of Nameless, the ghost. The legend says he was buried there before the Civil War in one of the unmarked graves at the rear. This giant figure of a man roams the surrounding woods on some nights. Over the years, he's known to be a champion for the area's children. Many stories still exist about Nameless saving several lives.

It's been a hot July day, but now dark, gloomy clouds fill the sky at the pond. Two young men are fishing along the bank near the spillway under the shade of a big Maple tree. They've been there since noon, and each caught a Bream and a small Bass. They rode over on their bikes from Dylan's house with tackle boxes, poles ready, and a big bowl of worms.

Dylan sees his float begin to drift away. It bounces twice, then disappears. He gives his fishing rod a pull and connects with a good-sized fish. A Catfish comes to the surface and spits the hook back at him. "Wow, that was a two-pounder!" Dylan sees the skies darken, and a shiver runs down his spine. He turns to Colt, "We need to get out of here before it gets too dark."

Colt pushes his blond hair out of his eyes. "Why is your precious ghost going to get us? Since I turned eleven, I don't believe in fairy tales anymore."

"That's what Mom thought when she was a kid." Dylan laughs and adjusts his Cubs hat. "Until one day, Nameless appeared beside her and snatched Mom out of the way of a car."

"So, she really saw him?"

"Yep, Nameless appeared in his usual bib overalls, white shirt, big straw hat and saved her life. That woman in the car never saw Mom walking on the road and would've killed her."

"That's just a story. I'll have to see Nameless for myself."

"Well, if we don't get out of here, we might." They start gathering their tackle.

The boys stop at Holt Road to check for traffic, and a strange car comes flying down the road. It has all the windows darkened and slams on the brakes to turn down the gravel road through the cemetery. A trail of dust billows down the road, following the old black Ford.

Dylan turns to Colt, saying, "That's weird. Ain't nothing back there but graves. We need to follow that car."

"Aren't you afraid we'll run up on Nameless, Dylan?"

"I don't think that matters, Colt. Something is wrong. I can feel it."

They leave their stuff along the side of the road and head after the car. Dylan sees the darkness gathering with a clap of thunder to the west.

Colt and Dylan park their bikes under an old Oak and sneak between the tombstones to find the car. They see the taillights still glowing through the gathering blackness.

A man is standing in the headlights and looks to be smoking a cigarette, but it doesn't smell like it. The man throws it to the ground and slowly walks to the back of the car. He unlocks the door, and suddenly, a girl leaps out of the backseat to run, but his hand grabs her blonde hair and yanks her back. The girl's scream is silenced with a loud slap.

The boys look at each other with shock, then continue.

The man, dressed in all black, collects the lump of flesh from the ground and lays her face first on the hood. He steps back to admire his prize. The girl is dressed in blue gym shorts and a matching tee shirt. She looks twelve or thirteen.

Dylan and Colt arrive by a large tombstone a few feet from the car. They're trying to see the man's face, but he stays just out of the light. He finally decides it's time and approaches the girl with an evil smile.

A roaring wind blasts from the back of the cemetery while a churning cloud races toward the man. Inside the cloud, a huge light emerges, and there stands the giant figure of Nameless. He's at least ten feet tall, from his boots to his hat.

The boys are frozen in fear, but the man doesn't see Nameless until a massive glowing hand appears around his throat. He thrashes about until Nameless's other hand appears through his chest. Inside it, a heart squirts its last drops of blood. His body goes limp.

Nameless slowly lays the man on the ground and places the heart on his chest. He sees the two boys peering around the gravestone and says, "Help her." Nameless slowly disappears to the back of the woods.

Colt shakes Dylan out of his trance. "Dylan, I'll stay with the girl. Go get help."

He shakes his head, saying, "Okay, I'll be right back!" Dylan stumbles before taking off.

Leaving Dylan's house shortly before midnight, the police are unsure what to believe. They know somebody surgically removed that man's heart from his body without any incisions.

The girl's name is Maddie, and she was abducted in Jackson. She's back at home with her Mom. The man's name is Michael Travers. He's a suspect in several disappearances of young women, but the police never had any proof. They don't need it now.

Dylan sits on the porch throwing rocks in the driveway when Colt plops beside him. He smiles and says, "I'm sorry for not believing you, Dylan."

"That's all right. I'm glad Nameless showed up and saved that girl."

"Hey," Colt smiles. "Maybe we can write a ghost story?"

"Yeah, I like the sound of that."

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