Disclaimer: I own nothing from lotr although I wish I did.
Ch3 Resurrection
As Bob was about to leave the ward she stopped, that feeling of something wrong was back again only this time it was crying out to her. She put her hand on her head trying to work out what it was saying. It was afraid, trapped. The person was familiar but different at the same time. It made no sense and yet it felt right to Bob. If only she could work out who it was. Who was calling out to her?
It suddenly hit her. She instantly knew who it was and what they wanted. Ned.
Bob rushed back into the ward and ran straight over to Fred's bed. Fred was just about to get into bed when Bob ran through the curtains with a shocked and distressed look on her face. Fred didn't understand what was going on but she knew it was serious from the look on Bob's face.
"What?" She questioned, hoping her friend would tell her what was going on.
"That feeling. I know what it was. It wasn't just a random feeling, it was someone calling out to me and I think I know who it was. It's so loud now. It's Ned, I'm sure of it." Bob was trying to keep her voice steady even though this was becoming increasingly hard because of her excitement.
"Ned? She's dead. Are you sure it's her?"
"Yes I'm positive. Fred, she's alive and she's scared. We have to help her."
"But if she's alive that means." Fred didn't have to finish; she was already pulling a pair of trousers on over her nightclothes. She grabbed a thick jumper from the bag under the bed and threw it on, followed by her long black coat she had worn to the funeral. She barely thought about the pain as she was dressing, all she could think about was Ned being alive and underground. No wonder she was scared.
Bob was waiting patiently although she was moving closer to the door. Finally, Fred was dressed and they practically ran out of the ward, causing several of the staff to look confused and one nurse trying to run, unsuccessfully after the fleeing Fred.
They raced through the hospital going as fast as they could. Fred was doing a great job of keeping up which surprised even herself. Bob ran through the double doors into the cold night air. Although the night was fresh and quite nice she put her coat on quickly and waited for a moment as both herself and Fred caught their breath.
"We could get a taxi." Bob suggested. Fred nodded a little too out of breath to be normal. "Or we could 'borrow' a car." Bob hesitated. She looked to Fred who was trying to decide whether it would be alright to steal someone's car just so they could get to the graveyard quicker. The thought of Ned trying to claw her way out of the coffin and through the heavy mud made up her mind.
"Okay but we bring it back when we have Ned." Bob nodded.
They ran over to a car that they thought wouldn't have an alarm. Bob took out a card from her purse and began fiddling with the door. Fred was looking nervously around her; she was sure that a policeman would walk by any second and catch them stealing the car. Somehow she didn't think that telling him that they were going to the graveyard to dig up bodies was such a good idea.
"Come on Bob." She urged getting more and more anxious.
"It won't work." Bob said, frustration evident in her voice.
"Give it here." Fred took the card from Bob's hand and started working on the lock of the car. Soon there was a small click and the door opened when Fred pulled the handle.
"How did you do that?" Bob asked looking in amazement at Fred.
"You must have loosened it." Smiled Fred, not wanting to make her friend feel too bad. "The master locksmith, remember." Bob smiled back, pleased that her friend was not too tired already.
"Okay, who's going to drive?" Bob asked.
"Well, I've only had about three lessons so I guess you." Fred was suddenly very worried about getting in the car with Bob.
"Fine. I should warn you that I've only had five so far so."
"I really don't think that matters a whole lot. Just drive the damn thing." Fred said angrily walking around to the passenger's side.
"What if we get caught without a license?" Bob asked, truly concerned.
"Bob, we're in a stolen car going to a graveyard to dig up bodies, I really don't think this will matter too much." Fred answered as she got into the car.
"Right." Bob said, "Where are the keys?"
"For God sake. Just."
"Maybe we should take a cab?" Bob suggested.
"I think that might be a good idea." Fred answered getting a little annoyed at herself for not thinking ahead.
They got out of the car and slammed the doors shut. Just as they did they saw a taxi just leaving so Bob practically stepped out in front of it to make it stop. It did and Bob threw open the door causing the man inside to get out the other door. Fred sighed at her friend's impatience and got in after Bob.
"You know where the graveyard in Salisbury is?" Bob asked the driver. He nodded. "Take us there, as quick as you can." She said sitting back and rummaging through her pockets in search of money.
**
They eventually reached the graveyard and Bob quickly handed the money over to the driver and told him to keep the change. He smiled happily and asked,
"So what do two young girls want to do out in the graveyard in the middle of the night? Not getting into any trouble I hope." He smiled again.
Fred and Bob looked at each other and thought about what he was saying. It was risky to be out in the middle of the night in a place that they didn't know anything about but they knew they had to help Ned.
"We're digging up bodies. Is that alright?" Bob said before Fred could stop her. The man just stared at Bob as she got out of the taxi.
"She's just joking." Fred smiled although she got the impression that the driver didn't really believe her.
Fred got out of the taxi more slowly and slammed the door shut. The driver looked at them through his window once more with a look of disbelief on his face and drove steadily off. That left Fred and Bob standing at the side of the road. Fred was looking angrily over at Bob who was trying to look over the fence into the darkness of the graveyard. She glanced over at Fred and stopped her observations when she saw the annoyed look on Fred's face.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"You didn't need to tell him why we were really here. He thought you were insane. He's probably calling the police on us right now." Fred said accusingly.
"Don't be stupid. He thought it was a joke."
"I hope you're right. I really don't want to be caught with a shovel in my hand in the middle of the night digging up graves."
Bob laughed at her friend's little outburst. "You could have stayed in the hospital, no one forced you to come." She smiled.
"Really? Do you honestly think that I would let you come out here on your own? I'm not that stupid."
"Well, you're here now so."
"Lets get this over and done with, I don't like it out here." Fred said impatiently. She looked into the graveyard and shivered at the thought of all those bodies only six feet under.
"Not scared of ghosts are you?" Bob said happily as she opened the gate.
"Yeah, you remember what happened last time when we went on a little adventure. I ended up in Middle Earth."
"Come on Fred, this is nothing like that. We're in a graveyard not a torture chamber, what could possibly happen?" Bob smiled but instantly regretted saying it when a small animal, probably a cat, ran in front of her and she jumped back almost knocking Fred over.
"You're absolutely right. Nothing to be afraid of at all." Fred smiled as she gently pushed her friend forward in the direction of Ned's grave.
They slowed down when they saw the bright white head stone that marked Ned's grave, neither wanted to do this but both knew they had to. If Ned was alive they needed to help her. They stopped when they reached the small mound of dirt that Ned was buried under. They stared at it a moment expecting Ned's hand to reach out and grab them. It didn't and they knew that they had to dig.
Bob pried her eyes from the grave and walked over to the wall behind the headstone. Luckily someone had left a spade there, very convenient for them. Bob picked it up and walked back over to Fred who was still staring down at the grave. Bob could tell that she didn't want to do this and she understood why.
"Okay. I dig." Bob said as she pushed the spade into the ground.
"Bob, tell me you're absolutely sure about this. I don't want to dig up a dead Ned." Fred asked worry in her eyes.
"I know I'm right. I heard her calling out, just like you in Middle Earth, I was right then wasn't I?"
Fred nodded. "I just don't want to get this wrong." Bob nodded in understanding and began digging.
**
After quite some time Bob was standing in a deep hole. Fred was stood at the side watching, she had offered to do some digging but Bob insisted that she wasn't well enough and that it wouldn't do her any good. Fred had not liked this but knew that Bob was right so had stood watching as her friend dug to find the coffin. Neither of them liked this and both hated the thought of finding a normal dead body in the coffin. At the same time the thought of Ned alive down there was too much to make them leave.
Bob stopped digging for a moment and looked up at Fred.
"How deep do you think this is? It must be nearly six feet right?"
"I don't know. Do they actually measure these things or just guess? Are you sure you don't want me to."
"No. I think I must nearly be there by now." Bob interrupted.
"I hope you're right. I really don't want to get caught out here. It seems a little disrespectful don't you think?"
"Will it help if we said a prayer afterwards?" Bob laughed.
"That's not funny. I was being serious." Fred scowled.
"I know. I was only joking. You know lighten the mood."
"It'll take a lot more than that to lighten the mood of this place." Fred said grimly. Se didn't like it and all she wanted was to be at home.
"You have a point there." Bob said as she started digging again. "I would have thought this place wouldn't have spooked you out after what happened."
"Are you kidding? I know it's not as bad as Orthanc but it's still a graveyard with bodies rotting underground."
"Okay. I really don't need a description of what is underneath here I have a pretty good imagination without you helping it along."
Bob dug in silence for a while not wanting to think about where they were or what was under their feet. She just hoped she was right. Seeing her dead, and probably rotting friend was something she was not looking forward to. She knew that Fred felt the same. Both of them just wanted to get this over with and have their friend back and alive with them.
Fred was sat down with her legs dangling into the grave when she heard Bob's spade hit something solid. Bob stopped digging and froze. It was something they had been expecting but shocked them when it happened. Secretly Fred had been hoping that the coffin would be gone and that they wouldn't have to open it to see their dead friend.
"I guess this is it." Bob said as she removed more earth from the lid of the coffin.
"I guess so." Fred said. She slowly lowered herself into the grave so they were both standing beside the coffin. They stood silently as if they expected to hear shouting from inside. Nothing. Not a sound came from the graveyard. Fred looked over at Bob who had her eyes closed as if it would help her deal with what was going on.
"Someone has to open it." Bob finally said. "So, do you want to or shall I?"
"I can't say I want to but."
"Are you sure? I can do it."
"No, you did the digging, besides I have to feel like I did something to help."
Bob nodded; she was really pleased that she didn't have to open it. Fred walked to the other side and bent down. She looked at the lid.
"I think it just opens. I don't think it's screwed down or anything."
"That's good." Bob said trying her best to sound unaffected by what was going on.
Fred put her hands at the side of the lid and tried to lift it. It was very heavy but she kept trying knowing that she had to see what was inside and that she couldn't just leave. Fred pushed harder and the lid broke away. It lifted slightly before Fred dropped it back down.
"At least we know it opens." She said as she looked up at Bob who was leaning over. "Are you ready for this?"
"Yeah I suppose so. Do you want a hand?"
"No I think I'm okay. Just be ready to run if something terrible jumps out at me." Fred smiled but soon realised that the joke had only succeeded in making both of them more nervous.
She gripped the lid again and took a deep breath preparing herself for what she was about to see. She lifted the lid, it was slightly heavier than she had first thought but she managed to lift it on her own. The first thing that hit her was the smell and once the lid was pushed right back she recoiled because of it. She covered her nose with her hand hoping it would block the smell. It didn't.
Bob had done pretty much the same as Fred. Now both of them looked inside the coffin at the same time. Fred let out a small cry when she saw Ned's pale and dirty body lying there in her black funeral clothes. The cry wasn't really because of the condition Ned's body was in it was more because of the fact that Ned's chest was gently rising and falling. She was alive. Not awake but alive. Fred couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was expecting to see a rotten body barely recognisable but instead she was seeing a very alive Ned.
Bob couldn't believe it either, she had been right. She moved closer as if to confirm what she was seeing. She looked up at Fred who was just staring into the coffin. It was as is nothing had happened. Ned looked asleep. She shook her head wondering if this was her imagination but from the look on Bob's face she guessed it wasn't.
"She's.alive. Oh my God Bob you were right. She's alive. How is this possible? They did a post mortem on her. How?"
"I don't think I want to think about it. It seems impossible but it's true. She survived."
"But. she can't be alive. It's a medical impossibility."
"I know that but she is alive. I'm not sure if she's well." Bob looked down into the coffin again.
"Her breathing seems steady. She looks pale but you'd expect that right? Bob we'd better get her out of here before dawn."
"I don't think she's going to burst into flames when the sun hits her."
"No but we could get into trouble if they find us in here."
"You have a point. Lets get her out of here."
Bob and Fred reached down and dragged Ned as gently as they could out of the coffin and out of the grave. Neither could believe what they were doing.
"So where now? Should we take her to the hospital?" Fred asked.
"No. They would never believe us. Let's take her to my uncles; he has a flat a few miles from here. We can take her there and help her."
"What are we going to do Bob? I know some first aid but not how to help someone that's been dead for three weeks. What am I meant to do?"
"I don't know alright. I just know that it's not a good idea to go to the hospital that's all."
"Not another feeling?" Fred asked sarcastically.
"I was right before wasn't I?" Bob proved her point.
"Alright. How do you suggest we get to your uncle's flat, we can't carry her all the way there and there aren't any cars we can steal."
"We should try and wake her up." Bob said.
"What and ask her to walk after being dead?"
"Do you have a better idea? Fred I don't know what to do, all I know is that we have to get her out of here and I'm trying to think of a way to do it. Okay?" Bob shouted, she surprised her friend.
"Fine, we'll try and wake her up and maybe she can at least help us get her into you uncle's flat." Fred sighed as they lowered Ned to the floor in an attempt to wake her up.
They sat on the ground watching Ned's steady breathing for some time, they knew that what they were seeing couldn't be real and yet it was. It didn't make any sense, there was no way someone could come back after having all of their organs removed during a post mortem. Fred and Bob really didn't want to think about it. They needed to wake Ned up but they had no idea how to do it, how did you wake up a person that has supposedly been dead for three or four weeks?
Bob suddenly got to her knees and slapped Ned hard around the face. Fred sat up surprised at what her friend had just done. Bob slapped Ned again only harder this time, she was going to wake her up no matter what it took. She didn't tell Fred but she actually enjoyed hitting Ned so hard and not having Ned shouting at her.
"What are you doing?" Fred almost shouted when Bob readied herself to hit Ned again.
"I'm trying to wake her up of course. What's the one thing that always annoys Ned? People hitting her, so this might wake her up. It makes sense." Bob smiled innocently.
"I hope you're not just doing this because you can. She'll be very angry if she ever finds out."
"Hey, I'm just trying to do all I can to help a friend, since when was that so wrong?" The innocence was fading fast.
"Since we dug her up and are hitting her across the face." Fred smiled at her friend's pleasure at hitting Ned.
"You have a point there." Bob looked down at Ned who was still sleeping soundly. "You want a go?"
Fred looked sharply over at Bob who was now shaking Ned violently in an attempt to wake her up. Fred smiled as she looked down at Ned's face, she knew exactly how much Bob was enjoying this. She was about to turn away and check that no one was coming when she saw Ned's face move, or more precisely her eye open just for a second. Fred looked back and there was nothing. Maybe it had been her imagination but when Ned suddenly put out her hand to stop Bob from shaking her Fred almost cried out with joy. Ned was alive; probably not well, but alive.
Ch3 Resurrection
As Bob was about to leave the ward she stopped, that feeling of something wrong was back again only this time it was crying out to her. She put her hand on her head trying to work out what it was saying. It was afraid, trapped. The person was familiar but different at the same time. It made no sense and yet it felt right to Bob. If only she could work out who it was. Who was calling out to her?
It suddenly hit her. She instantly knew who it was and what they wanted. Ned.
Bob rushed back into the ward and ran straight over to Fred's bed. Fred was just about to get into bed when Bob ran through the curtains with a shocked and distressed look on her face. Fred didn't understand what was going on but she knew it was serious from the look on Bob's face.
"What?" She questioned, hoping her friend would tell her what was going on.
"That feeling. I know what it was. It wasn't just a random feeling, it was someone calling out to me and I think I know who it was. It's so loud now. It's Ned, I'm sure of it." Bob was trying to keep her voice steady even though this was becoming increasingly hard because of her excitement.
"Ned? She's dead. Are you sure it's her?"
"Yes I'm positive. Fred, she's alive and she's scared. We have to help her."
"But if she's alive that means." Fred didn't have to finish; she was already pulling a pair of trousers on over her nightclothes. She grabbed a thick jumper from the bag under the bed and threw it on, followed by her long black coat she had worn to the funeral. She barely thought about the pain as she was dressing, all she could think about was Ned being alive and underground. No wonder she was scared.
Bob was waiting patiently although she was moving closer to the door. Finally, Fred was dressed and they practically ran out of the ward, causing several of the staff to look confused and one nurse trying to run, unsuccessfully after the fleeing Fred.
They raced through the hospital going as fast as they could. Fred was doing a great job of keeping up which surprised even herself. Bob ran through the double doors into the cold night air. Although the night was fresh and quite nice she put her coat on quickly and waited for a moment as both herself and Fred caught their breath.
"We could get a taxi." Bob suggested. Fred nodded a little too out of breath to be normal. "Or we could 'borrow' a car." Bob hesitated. She looked to Fred who was trying to decide whether it would be alright to steal someone's car just so they could get to the graveyard quicker. The thought of Ned trying to claw her way out of the coffin and through the heavy mud made up her mind.
"Okay but we bring it back when we have Ned." Bob nodded.
They ran over to a car that they thought wouldn't have an alarm. Bob took out a card from her purse and began fiddling with the door. Fred was looking nervously around her; she was sure that a policeman would walk by any second and catch them stealing the car. Somehow she didn't think that telling him that they were going to the graveyard to dig up bodies was such a good idea.
"Come on Bob." She urged getting more and more anxious.
"It won't work." Bob said, frustration evident in her voice.
"Give it here." Fred took the card from Bob's hand and started working on the lock of the car. Soon there was a small click and the door opened when Fred pulled the handle.
"How did you do that?" Bob asked looking in amazement at Fred.
"You must have loosened it." Smiled Fred, not wanting to make her friend feel too bad. "The master locksmith, remember." Bob smiled back, pleased that her friend was not too tired already.
"Okay, who's going to drive?" Bob asked.
"Well, I've only had about three lessons so I guess you." Fred was suddenly very worried about getting in the car with Bob.
"Fine. I should warn you that I've only had five so far so."
"I really don't think that matters a whole lot. Just drive the damn thing." Fred said angrily walking around to the passenger's side.
"What if we get caught without a license?" Bob asked, truly concerned.
"Bob, we're in a stolen car going to a graveyard to dig up bodies, I really don't think this will matter too much." Fred answered as she got into the car.
"Right." Bob said, "Where are the keys?"
"For God sake. Just."
"Maybe we should take a cab?" Bob suggested.
"I think that might be a good idea." Fred answered getting a little annoyed at herself for not thinking ahead.
They got out of the car and slammed the doors shut. Just as they did they saw a taxi just leaving so Bob practically stepped out in front of it to make it stop. It did and Bob threw open the door causing the man inside to get out the other door. Fred sighed at her friend's impatience and got in after Bob.
"You know where the graveyard in Salisbury is?" Bob asked the driver. He nodded. "Take us there, as quick as you can." She said sitting back and rummaging through her pockets in search of money.
**
They eventually reached the graveyard and Bob quickly handed the money over to the driver and told him to keep the change. He smiled happily and asked,
"So what do two young girls want to do out in the graveyard in the middle of the night? Not getting into any trouble I hope." He smiled again.
Fred and Bob looked at each other and thought about what he was saying. It was risky to be out in the middle of the night in a place that they didn't know anything about but they knew they had to help Ned.
"We're digging up bodies. Is that alright?" Bob said before Fred could stop her. The man just stared at Bob as she got out of the taxi.
"She's just joking." Fred smiled although she got the impression that the driver didn't really believe her.
Fred got out of the taxi more slowly and slammed the door shut. The driver looked at them through his window once more with a look of disbelief on his face and drove steadily off. That left Fred and Bob standing at the side of the road. Fred was looking angrily over at Bob who was trying to look over the fence into the darkness of the graveyard. She glanced over at Fred and stopped her observations when she saw the annoyed look on Fred's face.
"What?" She asked innocently.
"You didn't need to tell him why we were really here. He thought you were insane. He's probably calling the police on us right now." Fred said accusingly.
"Don't be stupid. He thought it was a joke."
"I hope you're right. I really don't want to be caught with a shovel in my hand in the middle of the night digging up graves."
Bob laughed at her friend's little outburst. "You could have stayed in the hospital, no one forced you to come." She smiled.
"Really? Do you honestly think that I would let you come out here on your own? I'm not that stupid."
"Well, you're here now so."
"Lets get this over and done with, I don't like it out here." Fred said impatiently. She looked into the graveyard and shivered at the thought of all those bodies only six feet under.
"Not scared of ghosts are you?" Bob said happily as she opened the gate.
"Yeah, you remember what happened last time when we went on a little adventure. I ended up in Middle Earth."
"Come on Fred, this is nothing like that. We're in a graveyard not a torture chamber, what could possibly happen?" Bob smiled but instantly regretted saying it when a small animal, probably a cat, ran in front of her and she jumped back almost knocking Fred over.
"You're absolutely right. Nothing to be afraid of at all." Fred smiled as she gently pushed her friend forward in the direction of Ned's grave.
They slowed down when they saw the bright white head stone that marked Ned's grave, neither wanted to do this but both knew they had to. If Ned was alive they needed to help her. They stopped when they reached the small mound of dirt that Ned was buried under. They stared at it a moment expecting Ned's hand to reach out and grab them. It didn't and they knew that they had to dig.
Bob pried her eyes from the grave and walked over to the wall behind the headstone. Luckily someone had left a spade there, very convenient for them. Bob picked it up and walked back over to Fred who was still staring down at the grave. Bob could tell that she didn't want to do this and she understood why.
"Okay. I dig." Bob said as she pushed the spade into the ground.
"Bob, tell me you're absolutely sure about this. I don't want to dig up a dead Ned." Fred asked worry in her eyes.
"I know I'm right. I heard her calling out, just like you in Middle Earth, I was right then wasn't I?"
Fred nodded. "I just don't want to get this wrong." Bob nodded in understanding and began digging.
**
After quite some time Bob was standing in a deep hole. Fred was stood at the side watching, she had offered to do some digging but Bob insisted that she wasn't well enough and that it wouldn't do her any good. Fred had not liked this but knew that Bob was right so had stood watching as her friend dug to find the coffin. Neither of them liked this and both hated the thought of finding a normal dead body in the coffin. At the same time the thought of Ned alive down there was too much to make them leave.
Bob stopped digging for a moment and looked up at Fred.
"How deep do you think this is? It must be nearly six feet right?"
"I don't know. Do they actually measure these things or just guess? Are you sure you don't want me to."
"No. I think I must nearly be there by now." Bob interrupted.
"I hope you're right. I really don't want to get caught out here. It seems a little disrespectful don't you think?"
"Will it help if we said a prayer afterwards?" Bob laughed.
"That's not funny. I was being serious." Fred scowled.
"I know. I was only joking. You know lighten the mood."
"It'll take a lot more than that to lighten the mood of this place." Fred said grimly. Se didn't like it and all she wanted was to be at home.
"You have a point there." Bob said as she started digging again. "I would have thought this place wouldn't have spooked you out after what happened."
"Are you kidding? I know it's not as bad as Orthanc but it's still a graveyard with bodies rotting underground."
"Okay. I really don't need a description of what is underneath here I have a pretty good imagination without you helping it along."
Bob dug in silence for a while not wanting to think about where they were or what was under their feet. She just hoped she was right. Seeing her dead, and probably rotting friend was something she was not looking forward to. She knew that Fred felt the same. Both of them just wanted to get this over with and have their friend back and alive with them.
Fred was sat down with her legs dangling into the grave when she heard Bob's spade hit something solid. Bob stopped digging and froze. It was something they had been expecting but shocked them when it happened. Secretly Fred had been hoping that the coffin would be gone and that they wouldn't have to open it to see their dead friend.
"I guess this is it." Bob said as she removed more earth from the lid of the coffin.
"I guess so." Fred said. She slowly lowered herself into the grave so they were both standing beside the coffin. They stood silently as if they expected to hear shouting from inside. Nothing. Not a sound came from the graveyard. Fred looked over at Bob who had her eyes closed as if it would help her deal with what was going on.
"Someone has to open it." Bob finally said. "So, do you want to or shall I?"
"I can't say I want to but."
"Are you sure? I can do it."
"No, you did the digging, besides I have to feel like I did something to help."
Bob nodded; she was really pleased that she didn't have to open it. Fred walked to the other side and bent down. She looked at the lid.
"I think it just opens. I don't think it's screwed down or anything."
"That's good." Bob said trying her best to sound unaffected by what was going on.
Fred put her hands at the side of the lid and tried to lift it. It was very heavy but she kept trying knowing that she had to see what was inside and that she couldn't just leave. Fred pushed harder and the lid broke away. It lifted slightly before Fred dropped it back down.
"At least we know it opens." She said as she looked up at Bob who was leaning over. "Are you ready for this?"
"Yeah I suppose so. Do you want a hand?"
"No I think I'm okay. Just be ready to run if something terrible jumps out at me." Fred smiled but soon realised that the joke had only succeeded in making both of them more nervous.
She gripped the lid again and took a deep breath preparing herself for what she was about to see. She lifted the lid, it was slightly heavier than she had first thought but she managed to lift it on her own. The first thing that hit her was the smell and once the lid was pushed right back she recoiled because of it. She covered her nose with her hand hoping it would block the smell. It didn't.
Bob had done pretty much the same as Fred. Now both of them looked inside the coffin at the same time. Fred let out a small cry when she saw Ned's pale and dirty body lying there in her black funeral clothes. The cry wasn't really because of the condition Ned's body was in it was more because of the fact that Ned's chest was gently rising and falling. She was alive. Not awake but alive. Fred couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was expecting to see a rotten body barely recognisable but instead she was seeing a very alive Ned.
Bob couldn't believe it either, she had been right. She moved closer as if to confirm what she was seeing. She looked up at Fred who was just staring into the coffin. It was as is nothing had happened. Ned looked asleep. She shook her head wondering if this was her imagination but from the look on Bob's face she guessed it wasn't.
"She's.alive. Oh my God Bob you were right. She's alive. How is this possible? They did a post mortem on her. How?"
"I don't think I want to think about it. It seems impossible but it's true. She survived."
"But. she can't be alive. It's a medical impossibility."
"I know that but she is alive. I'm not sure if she's well." Bob looked down into the coffin again.
"Her breathing seems steady. She looks pale but you'd expect that right? Bob we'd better get her out of here before dawn."
"I don't think she's going to burst into flames when the sun hits her."
"No but we could get into trouble if they find us in here."
"You have a point. Lets get her out of here."
Bob and Fred reached down and dragged Ned as gently as they could out of the coffin and out of the grave. Neither could believe what they were doing.
"So where now? Should we take her to the hospital?" Fred asked.
"No. They would never believe us. Let's take her to my uncles; he has a flat a few miles from here. We can take her there and help her."
"What are we going to do Bob? I know some first aid but not how to help someone that's been dead for three weeks. What am I meant to do?"
"I don't know alright. I just know that it's not a good idea to go to the hospital that's all."
"Not another feeling?" Fred asked sarcastically.
"I was right before wasn't I?" Bob proved her point.
"Alright. How do you suggest we get to your uncle's flat, we can't carry her all the way there and there aren't any cars we can steal."
"We should try and wake her up." Bob said.
"What and ask her to walk after being dead?"
"Do you have a better idea? Fred I don't know what to do, all I know is that we have to get her out of here and I'm trying to think of a way to do it. Okay?" Bob shouted, she surprised her friend.
"Fine, we'll try and wake her up and maybe she can at least help us get her into you uncle's flat." Fred sighed as they lowered Ned to the floor in an attempt to wake her up.
They sat on the ground watching Ned's steady breathing for some time, they knew that what they were seeing couldn't be real and yet it was. It didn't make any sense, there was no way someone could come back after having all of their organs removed during a post mortem. Fred and Bob really didn't want to think about it. They needed to wake Ned up but they had no idea how to do it, how did you wake up a person that has supposedly been dead for three or four weeks?
Bob suddenly got to her knees and slapped Ned hard around the face. Fred sat up surprised at what her friend had just done. Bob slapped Ned again only harder this time, she was going to wake her up no matter what it took. She didn't tell Fred but she actually enjoyed hitting Ned so hard and not having Ned shouting at her.
"What are you doing?" Fred almost shouted when Bob readied herself to hit Ned again.
"I'm trying to wake her up of course. What's the one thing that always annoys Ned? People hitting her, so this might wake her up. It makes sense." Bob smiled innocently.
"I hope you're not just doing this because you can. She'll be very angry if she ever finds out."
"Hey, I'm just trying to do all I can to help a friend, since when was that so wrong?" The innocence was fading fast.
"Since we dug her up and are hitting her across the face." Fred smiled at her friend's pleasure at hitting Ned.
"You have a point there." Bob looked down at Ned who was still sleeping soundly. "You want a go?"
Fred looked sharply over at Bob who was now shaking Ned violently in an attempt to wake her up. Fred smiled as she looked down at Ned's face, she knew exactly how much Bob was enjoying this. She was about to turn away and check that no one was coming when she saw Ned's face move, or more precisely her eye open just for a second. Fred looked back and there was nothing. Maybe it had been her imagination but when Ned suddenly put out her hand to stop Bob from shaking her Fred almost cried out with joy. Ned was alive; probably not well, but alive.