Catherine knelt down behind the towering grave marker. The angel at the top had huge wings that sheltered her from the drizzling raindrops. Her hair was already plastered to her scalp, with rivulets of water running down into her eyes. Wiping her hand across her face, she looked out across the cemetery toward the row of mausoleums at the farthest corner. The leaves had all fallen from the trees, naked branches creating black silhouettes against the darkening grey sky.

Clutching the large kitchen knife in her left hand, she shielded her eyes with her right as she ran to the first tomb. She pushed the dripping hair out of her eyes and looked up at the metal plate above the door. WOODBURN. Catherine slowly walked to the next door. The plate above that one said PEARCE. There were four more concrete crypts farther down. “Where is Claiborne?” she said out loud to herself. Loud cracks sounded behind her and made her gasp, choking on a scream. She spun around, to see where the noise had come from. A sudden movement in her peripheral vision had her looking upward as a large branch came crashing down inches from where she stood.

With her heart pounding hard enough to escape her chest, Catherine fell back against the mausoleum wall. She heard flapping wings and looked up to the top of the crypt. Several crows had landed there with black, shining eyes staring at her. Their beaks were wet and glistening. She watched as a red droplet fell from one of the bird’s mouth.

She tore her gaze away from the crow and walked nervously past the next building. CLAIBORNE was stamped into the plate above the door. The doorway was indented from the front walls of the tomb, but there was no doorknob. She looked around the edges of the door, trying to find a way to get in. Her fingers barely fit into the space between the door and wall.

After about fifteen minutes, she felt defeated. She was not going to be able to finish the initiation. With her back against the door, she slid down into a crouch, trying to think. As she rocked back on her heel, she felt the door give way.

Before she could scramble to her feet, the door slid open the rest of the way, her arms flailing to regain balance.