I could smell the earth that surrounded me.

The mud was damp and it made it easier to claw my way outside the grave. It must have rained sometime earlier. It always did rain at odd times. I hated rain. It made everything humid and sticky. But I would not let it spoil my mood. I was ecstatic to finally breathe in the fresh air, to feel the sun against my decomposed skin. I would be able to see the mesmerising green leaves, the blue of the sky and sound of the river as it rushed by.

I would be able to wrap my wrinkled arm around my wife and smell her hair. My dear wife. She must have missed me.

I clawed faster. I wanted her back. She must have cried every night for me. Our love was eternal. We could write a romance novel on us. I smiled widely at the thought. I remembered her black eyes and the way she turned scarlet every time I complimented her. I had nicknamed her - Rose. My friends had always been envious of us. They did not love like we did. They could not. Such love did not happen often.

Something cold licked my face and I gasped at the first touch of air. I was close. I was so close. I pushed my arm through the dirt and searched for something to hold on. Finding what felt like a root of a tree, I pulled myself up. I climbed slowly, letting out a low groan as I inhaled. The air hurt me. It burned my nose and my chest. I blinked back tears as I pushed myself through the dirt. I needed to get home. I needed to find my wife. I needed to tell her that I was alive.

I wanted to feel her against my body. I had longed for her touch for so many years.

I dragged myself outside. I was buried where I always told my wife I wanted to be- along with the river under the giant oak tree. She had remembered.

The night was cold and the air was damp. I could hear chatter and smell of cheap cigarette smoke exploited my newly acquired senses The town was home to me. It was where I had been raised. I lay on the wet mud, feeling the earth throbbing beneath me. I closed my eyes in contentment. I was back to where I belonged.

I slowly  turned to my right read my tombstone - 'Here he lies, Jack Jones. The man who taught me how to live.'

A teardrop slipped from my eye as I re-read it again. Rose, sweet Rose! Jack was here.

The wet mud stuck on my body at odd places as I dragged myself towards the water stream. I could see the reflection of the silhouette of the silver ball in the sky hidden by dark clouds. But my eyes found my face and cringed at my own reflection. I was not the handsome man people thought anymore. My skin was pale and grey. I plucked a worm trying to climb inside my ear and threw it in the water. My eyes were black as soot and my teeth were rotting. I had become bald and several mites scurried in delight on my head. I dipped my hand in the cool water and washed them off. Rose was not too fond of small creatures. They scared her, she was a bit silly like that. I mustered all my strength to stand up and looked at myself. I could not recognise myself but I knew my Rose would. She always told me that she did not love me for my looks. It was my personality, my heart that had captured her attention and eventually made her fall for me. Rose was special. She would love me for what I am.

I turned my back towards the river, my grave and the big oak tree. I would never return to this place. I would be with my wife. I would sleep in the same bed as her. I smiled at the thought, my facial muscles ached at that little movement. They were not used to any movement and had become limp. I inhaled again and the air burned through me. But it was less painful now that I was getting used to it. Closing my eyes and telling myself that I was doing the right thing I took my first step. I was surprised that my legs paid heed to my brain's command. I was regaining my strength. Maybe all was not so bad.

I started walking towards the town. I could hear the hustle bustle of people moving and chattering. I could hear the low rumble of the car engines as they drove by. It did not look like anything had changed in the seven years that I had been gone.

I walked slowly at first and my muscles protested. The little workout was tiring them. I willed myself to keep moving. I imagined my beautiful wife's face. She needed me.

I passed by a bunch of kids laughing, smoking and munching loudly. No manners. I called such type of kids 'educated barbarians'. It always made Rose give me a disapproving glance. But what did she know about the world? She had the perfect man and a perfect life. She did not need to care about the world.

"Cool costume, dude." Someone called out. The kids laughed when they realised I had heard them. Imbeciles. Good thing we never had kids of our own. Rose wanted one of her own but I could never handle kids. They were stupid, needy and they would take her attention away from me. I would have to keep reminding Rose that I was the man she loved. And the only person she could love.

"He looks so real. The way he painted his skin." Someone else whispered and they stared at me wide eyed.  I continued walking. Ignorance was something I was good at.

The entire town was lit up. There were orange pumpkins at every entrance. There were witches and wizards, trolls and superheroes. I could not believe my luck. No one would question the way I looked because everyone would think that I was a part of the Halloween celebration.

Halloween. It was Rose's favourite time of the year. She loved the kids in their strange costumes. She had always been so kind. So beautiful. So perfect. She was the woman a man like me needed.

I quickened my pace as I went through the throng of kids and their parents. The parents gave me strange looks and pulled their kid away from me, the kids were in awe of my 'costume'. I ignored them. I had waited for so long. I could not wait any longer. Every time I had tried to claw my way out before. My grave would return to its original way in the morning. Tonight was an exception -- it had remained the way and I had continued clawing. This was the night. The opportunity I had waited for. I could not waste it. I would not waste it.

I reached our house and something warm spread through my cold heart. Our house. The house that Rose and I had built. I walked on the steps and stood in front of our door. The house was dark which was odd. Why would she go to sleep so early? Especially on Halloween? I looked around. There was no decoration. Nothing. I frowned. Maybe the fact that I had left her had changed her. She always loved me a bit too much. I shook my head. I would have to change her back to the sweet Rose that I remembered. She would do that for me. She always did whatever I asked her to do.

I retrieved the key for our house from under the mat. She always kept a spare there. Some things did not change. I smiled as I unlocked the door and entered.

Something barked. I froze. Dog? Why would she have a dog inside our house? She knew I hated dogs! I felt anger develop inside me. Maybe she had changed. No. No. No. My Rose could not change. She could not. She was not supposed to! Maybe she felt lonely without me.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. The burning of my throat and chest helped me stay calm. I opened my eyes to meet a pair of black one. The dog barked loudly. Saliva dripped from his mouth as he growled.

The dog was ruining my surprise! I gritted my teeth and held my head. Wrong move. The dog, thinking that I had just provoked him, attacked me. The dog jumped on my chest, it's paw hitting with a soft thud and I landed on my back. It was large and strong. I pushed it away but it came back. It barked and growled. It's spit fell on my face. I had to silence it. It was ruining everything. I tried to listen whether the commotion had woken up Rose. But the dog continued to growl. Gritting my teeth, I stared at the four-legged useless creature.

I flipped the dog to the side. It's head crashed against the shoe cabinet which left it in a daze. I dragged myself towards it and wrapped my hand around its neck. I hated dogs. They were dirty and they licked. The dog struggled and whimpered but I continued choking it. This dog had tried to ruin my surprise. Had tried to come in between Rose and me. No one did. No one survived if they did.

I felt the dog take its last breath. His body shuddered and his eyeball rolled upwards. The dog went limp and I grinned. Stupid dog! Wiping its saliva from my face I climbed the staircase. The pain in my thigh muscles were excruciating but I was distracted by something else. My cold heart had come to life. I could feel it beating. The sensation was odd after so many years of it remaining silent. I stood perplexed as I placed my hand on my chest. It was really beating. Maybe it was because of Rose. Being so close to her made me feel alive. She was my lifeline.

I tried to be as soft as I could when I climbed the stairs. I remembered every inch of the house. Rose wanted something big and lavish. But I wanted something small and comfortable. We would never have kids or grandkids. What was the point? She had agreed. She always did. It was the thing I loved the most about her. She never opposed my decision. She was obedient.

I gently pushed the door to our room. I could hear her soft snores. I always found it adorable. I used to watch her snore for an hour after I woke up. She always looked so innocent when she slept. I could make out the shape of her body on the bed. But something was wrong. There was another body. It was of man. The man's arm draped over her protectively. He was not wearing a shirt!

I felt the air that I had just inhaled burn even more. It bothered me. My head was not clear. My thoughts were muddled and confused. It did not make sense, nothing made sense!

No. No. No. No. No.

My eyes moved to her side table where she kept our wedding photo. Only that it was not there. There was another photo. She looked beautiful in her white dress and she stood beside a different man. It was not me. She had betrayed me!

No. No. No. No. No.

My hands moved to my head and I fell to my knees. I could feel warm tears stream down my eyes. I was trembling with anger and rage. Emotions that felt strange within me. It was not always that a dead man came back to life only to be betrayed. I sobbed ever harder at that thought. Why would she do that to me? I had been so good to her. She was nothing. A simple woman living a miserable life. I had taught her how to live. I had given her life!

Our love was eternal. We had made vows. Till death do us apart. She had broken the vows. She had broken my trust. She had broken my heart. I placed my hand on my chest. It was not beating anymore. I was dead again. I felt dead. Hollow. Betrayed. Enraged.

She could not do this. I would not let it happen. She was mine! Mine alone!

Something emerged from within me. It was as if I tried to suppress it for long and finally at the sight of my wife with another man, I had unleashed it. I licked my lips as I continued staring at the couple. They would not be a 'couple' anymore. Not when I was alive.

I felt the tendrils of pure white rage seize me. My hands trembled and everything turned white. Pure white. Magnificent white. Vengeance was so perfect.

_

MARRIED COUPLE FOUND DEAD INSIDE THEIR HOUSE ALONG WITH THEIR DOG.

November 1, 2016.

Timothy Kain, 44, and his wife Maria 'Rose' Kain, 42, were found dead yesterday when police broke into their home.

The neighbours had called the police to report that they had seen someone enter the Kains' house in the middle of the night.

The family's German Shepherd was also found dead too. It is presumed that the dog had died defending the family from the intruder.

The couple's bodies were found in different part of the house. The initial report claims that they may have died due to asphyxiation.

In a shocking turn of events, the grave of Jack Jones, former husband of Maria Kain, has been dug up and the body is now noted as missing. The police believe the missing body to be linked to the murders. The police have advised the town to stay vigilant of suspicious activity.

The murder is still under investigation.

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