Warning: There is a bit of swearing in this one.
Almost exactly a year later, Katherine inevitably found herself drawn back to his grave. Sometimes she would simply camp out in the area with a book and thermos of tea and others she found herself seated atop his reburied casket scouring tomes of old necromancy texts. Not that she had any real intention of doing anything, but she HAD become insanely curious about what raising the dead really entailed.
She tried asking around at OMEN, but Allison, the shop owner had shooed her out. She'd insisted the young witch didn't want to mess around with that stuff. Trust her, she'd said. It made Kate wonder if perhaps Allison knew something about the magic of the Sanderson's and simply wouldn't talk about it.
Did she know Billy?
It never really occurred to ask before….but now. Well, there was always time in the morning. On this Samhain night, Katherine had decided to stake out the Old Burial Hill in case anything strange happened or anyone felt the need to rise. Again.
Baring all of that, which was unlikely anyways (or so she told herself), there had been some vandalism happening in other parts of the cemetery. A group of teens had taken it upon themselves to claim a section of headstones on top of the hill for drug use and promiscuous sex. Katherine had no doubt they'd likely be trouble tonight if she came across them.
Not that she was without her wiles, of course.
But it came as no surprise to her that she felt responsible for the safety of William Butcherson's resting place. It was her fault that a small article had run in the local paper about grave-robbers and such last year. That wasn't even close to the gist of it, but she didn't want there to be anymore trouble.
As fate would have it, the sun set and trouble found her. Shortly after darkness had settled over the town of Salem, Katherine heard the wild hooting and cackling of a few youths as they approached the older graves. One of them had a flashlight in one hand and a beer can in the other. That second boy was holding a baseball bat.
"Seriously?" she huffed to herself. "They think they're gonna wreck tombstones tonight. That's not the brightest thing to do."
Rising to a low crouch and pulling her black hoodie up over her red curls, she backed slowly towards a tree and edged behind it as the boys came into view.
"Who do you want mess up, first?" one asked.
The other laughed. "Let's burn the witches."
"There aren't any real witches buried here, dumbshit" Oh dear, if only they knew. As the two boys started eyeing up headstones and reading off the epithets, Katherine wondered if she should get involved or try to scare them off.
Wouldn't it be grand if Billy the Butcher burst up from the ground suddenly and had them pissing themselves? The story might spread and the place might finally be a resting ground again for these ancient spirits.
Still, she felt guilty about last year's debacle and so she hesitated in place, keeping her eyes glued to the hooligans chortling over some 18th century spelling. Shifting a bit in place, her foot came up against something sharp and hard. Looking down, she was pleased to find a couple of rocks small enough to hold in one hand. At the risk of causing these idiots brain damage, she hefted one in her palm and made to toss it.
It landed just to the left of Beer Can's foot and the guy whipped around with a yelp. "What the heck was that?"
"Quit screaming. What's your problem?"
"Something almost hit me. It came out of the woods!"
Batter sneered at his friend, "It was probably a bird, you pansy."
When the second stone collided with Batter's leg, he jerked around with wild eyes and breathing heavily.
"I told you man," Beer Can whined. "Something's here with us."
Katherine grinned in the darkness. Good, she thought. They're spooked, maybe they'll leave now. Instead, the batter puffed up his chest in a show of bravado and shouted into the woods. "I know you're there, a-hole. Quit messing with us and come out or I'm gonna take this bat to your skull."
Feeling around for another stone, a twig snapped beneath her foot and she froze. "From over there!" and suddenly footsteps began approaching. Oh shit, she grimaced, don't let them find me. And then she felt it - that familiar upheaval of earth, sifting soil, and cracking wood. The boys must have felt it too because they'd stopped just shy of trampling on Billy's coffin. Now they both stood, faces white, and looking around frantically.
Katherine would look back on that night and wish she had her camera. Billy lifted the lid of his casket and sat up before stretching out his arms. He caught sight of the duo and glanced up. That's really all it took and they were both screaming like children and fleeing in terror. The beer can was abandoned and the baseball bat could be heard clicking against tree trunks all the way back down to the road.
The young witch stood up and meandered over to her reanimated friend. "So we meet again, William Butcherson."
With a jerk, the zombie gazed up at her, recognition immediately painting his features and he gladly accepted the hand she'd offered down to him.
She looked less….witchy, to him this time. Gone were the long black skirts and dark makeup. Tonight she wore a simple pair of jeans, buckled up ankle boots, and a dark jacket with a hood, which had been pulled up over her loose curls.
Impulsively, he reached over and tugged the hood down, freeing her hair. "That's better."
Katherine grinned. "Yeah, it was my half-assed attempt at a Dark Templar costume. Probably a complete failure since I'm sure denim is black-listed in their dress code."
They were sat side by side again, on that same bench, only this time the night was young and full of potential. She'd filled him in on the teen revelers he unwittingly frightened and he asked about Dani again.
"I guess Lacey's been talking to her a lot, lately. She's coming back to Salem for the winter holidays. If I get a chance to meet her, I'll tell her to stop by," Katherine offered. "I'm sure the look on her face will be priceless."
"Think she'd remember me?"
She thunked him on the shoulder. "Dude, you're pretty unforgettable. Those kids will probably have your filthy, poofy hair etched into their memories until kingdom come. Speaking of memories….."
"What is it?" his head tilted and he fixed her with those brilliant blue orbs.
"Does the name Allison ring any bells for you?"
He perked up almost immediately. "Oh yeah, twas Max's lady friend. A beauty too. Course, she couldn't hold a candle to you." The last bit was added rather hastily, as in fear of offending her. Then he began to fidget. If zombies could blush, would he be right about now?
"She's still lovely," Katherine assured with a sly grin. "And unattached. Perhaps I could offer my newly discovered matchmaking skills and reintroduce you…."
Billy could only blink stupidly at this girl for a moment before it clicked. "Ahhh, you're joking. Nearly frightened me back to death, you did."
"I suppose I was half joking."
He shook his head slowly. "No, she's a lovely lass, and clever. Not my type, you might say."
The witch chuckled. "Yeah, we're not even going to get into your type, sir. Feel up for a stroll around town?" She had stood, flexing her ankles to loosen them up and gazed expectantly down at him, before he too stood.
"I would be delighted." He offered her his arm and felt a genuine smile creep over his mouth as she accepted and they began their trek toward the heart of Salem.
So, here's the next piece to my first short Billy-centric fic. Yes, this one does kind of leave you hanging, but that's because I have more in store for these two. Be prepared for a part two and then maybe a third separate story.