Night fell so swiftly I had yet to realize until I found myself engulfed in complete darkness. The silence and serenity sent a wave of relaxation through my body calming my every nerve.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. Everything was at peace and thus an air of eeriness surrounded me. It seemed too perfect a night not to have some kind of disturbance. I cautiously looked around trying to distinguish something, anything, in the darkness. I shook my head to relieve my tormented mind of its ill thoughts.

I felt the soft texture of freshly churned soil under me, something I hadn't noticed before.

'That's odd,' I thought to myself. 'Nobody's been buried in this graveyard for years. All the plots are taken.' Looking down I cupped a small amount of turf in my hands letting it fall through my slender fingers. It crumbled easily. It seemed almost moist. I turned to look at the name engraved on the stone. Shock hit me in a sea of involuntary waves congruent to the beating of my heat.

"No…It can't be…I'm still…alive…" Just as I spoke these words a hand thrust from the hearth grabbing my wrist. My eyes grew wide as my breathing became irregularly rapid. Panic was working its way into my body oozing, covering, and smothering everything in its path with a river black as coal. As it flooded my existence basic motor function ceased.

It started at my feet working its way to my ankles, gliding gracefully up my legs on to my chest cavity, slowly, crawling onto the back of my neck, then to my head. Once I seemed to have bathed in it, it found a way to seep through every pore on my body. Its black aura seemed as if poured onto my heart out of a boiling vat, steaming hot and while hardening, constricted, making oxygen a thing of the past.

I tried to pull away. Harder and harder but the hand was relentless. The more I fussed the stronger it became. One false move and I was pulled forward into the shallow grave. I gasped for air but the reassuring breath never came. All was black and silent.

I woke with a start. My senses were out of sync leaving me disoriented. I stirred looking around even though everything was a blur of darkness. Shaking my head quickly trying in vain to regain a conscious feeling, I spun to look at the name engraved on the stone I had my back against. It stayed out of focus for a second but shortly after, the letters became clear.

"Keika Terie: Jan. 18, 1970 – July 21, 2001." I read the name with a sigh of relief that it wasn't my own. I placed one hand on my knee running my right through my hair letting it fall where it may.

A twig snapped giving way to an unknown weight. I spun my body facing the right in which the sound was heard. I scanned the horizon. A figure of about 6 ft. was not 5 yards away from the very spot in which I was kneeling. Only a few gravestones were between us. A gust of wind carried the figure's cloak to the left defining half of its body. I stared fascinated and horrified at the same time.

For a second I thought it to be glowing. Its right arm suddenly shot out from the cloak, sending my head in the direction of the wind. There, almost directly in front of me was a being I had never seen to exist but in books and fantasies.

The armor shone in the moonlight periodically as clouds passed overhead. Its arms seemed to be crossed on its chest and held in place with a jacket of metal that coated it entirely. Two ribbon like spears sprouted from its shoulders crossing and forming an X in front of it. The flat metal, sharp as knives, shone for an instant as the clouds parted. There was just enough light for me to make out its face. A helmet split in two with jagged edges covered only half its face to reveal the right eye, illuminated with a synthetic red light, a line of white down the center. Its humanly features and robotic attributes sent me aback as it stood at attention, ready to strike.

I looked to see the hooded figure was still there. Darkness had fallen once more as a cloud concealed the light. The wind blew even harder bussing the clouds to drift wherever they may letting the radiant glow flow through the graveyard more defiant than ever. The wind had blown the person's hood down revealing a young man whose features were hard to determine.

I had since risen with one hand to my chest clasping the charm that hung on my necklace. It seemed to pulse, posing as my heart beat, or rather another's. My bangs that flew in front of my eyes at a moment so pivotal, agitated me as I flipped them out of the way.

The moonlight shone lighting up the face of a young man only to be in his late teens. His countenance was stern and unrelenting, almost emotionless. His short hair flittered with the wind in front of his eyes. It sustained for just a few seconds, long enough for me to see his deep red eyes filled with desperation, longing, and determination reflect the moon back at me.

Such a wave of unexpected emotion crashed onto the shores of my mind so violently it sent me physically backwards hitting my back on the hard stone I was so carelessly leaning upon a few moments before. Not even a second had passed and they were gone, nowhere to be seen. The ominous clouds that were passing all vanished leaving no traces.

"JIN!" A distant voice called my name. I stood stupefied for a moment while my mind spooled up, as if it had been restarted after and improper shutdown. A single ray of light made its way through the dark cemetery zoning in on me after a few seconds of wondering astray. I dusted myself off and slowly made my way to my father cautious of the stone slates, hidden in the tall grass, of unmarked graves.

"What did I tell you about being out so late? Especially in this place. It's so cold, and you with no jacket!" My father said shivering slightly. I walked with my arms crossed to keep from shivering.

'It wasn't this cold just a few minutes ago.' I thought to myself. 'It had to have been…The temperature can't just drop almost 20 degrees in a few seconds, at least not here anyway. I know it wasn't this cold when I came out here. Maybe I just didn't notice because…' My thoughts drifted to the young hooded man and the droid.

"Are you listening to me?" I found myself still and my father a few paces in front looking at me with an agitated tone to his voice.

"Oh, sorry. I got derailed, what were you saying?" I said catching up.

"I was just saying that you should be more watchful of the time and things around you. When it gets late who knows what weirdoes could be out here. You need to be alert at all times especially at night, even more here." He looked around the cemetery in distaste stepping over a small stone.

"I mean yeah, sure, the gates are locked but the walls are so short anyone can jump them. How do you think I got here? I don't have a problem with you going out on your own as long as I know where you are, but staying out so late has got to stop. You got that? I know you like it here and I can see why, it's peaceful but, ugh, can't you find a less creepy place to relax or whatever it is you do here?" I looked up to the smiling face of my father and couldn't help but smile back.

As soon as his eyes were off me my brow furrowed and I was lost in translation.

'Who was that? Who were they I should say…I've been coming here for over two years now and I have yet to see another living person anytime after the gates close around seven-thirty. Maybe it was a spirit of some kind, a ghost perhaps. But even if they were, they sure seemed real to me, so life like. The man…He seemed so familiar…The robotic form felt like it was a part of me. And if the robot felt like a part of me then so did the man, because the robot is a part of him…' My hand shot up to my chest almost spasmodically. Time seemed to stand till just for an instant. A gasp out of pure shock escaped my lips ever so cleverly, without my realizing, until it was too late.

"What's wrong?" My father asked already over the East-end wall. I quickly fixed my expression.

"Nothing, I was just getting ready to jump that's all. You know it's such a big leap." A false smile with false accusations close behind found its way to my mouth.

With my left hand on the wall supporting me I hopped over it with a perfect landing and not a sound heard.

"It worries me that you can do that so quiet and effortlessly. I don't know where you got it. The whole family is athletically challenged. I wouldn't be surprised if I walked into your room one night and found nothing but ruffled sheets and the curtains flailing in the wind." He said winking.

"You know I wouldn't do that! Besides, it's a good fifteen to twenty foot drop to the ground from my window." I replied with the same kidding tone as he.

"Well, knowing you I still probably wouldn't hear your body hit the ground."

"Ugh, dad, you're such a moron!" I joked, pretending like I was completely engrossed in what he was saying.

'Too much enthusiasm. That last sentence sounded funny. Hopefully he won't notice.' I quickly glanced up to see the expression on his face. It was carefree and loving as usual. 'What a relief.'

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees around us sounding like a thousand pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other. I felt the gruff prickles rub against my spine almost painfully.

'The moment I stopped before jumping the wall I felt…odd. A thought had occurred to me but was lost just as it had came, quickly and as a shock. The weird thing is that I don't recall what it was at all. It was like remembering the taste of something you had when you were young but the recollection was there for only a blip of time leaving an essence rather than a remembrance. How funny a feeling to have. But why?'

"Close the door you're letting the air out!" My father called from inside the house.

"Coming!" As I looked above me the crescent moon's rays fell, illuminating my face with it's silky pallor.

"NOW!"
I retreated into my home closing the door silently behind me.