Silence enveloped Maura, the kind that was so quiet it hummed. Everything was white. She reached out with one hand and felt for something tangible within the nothing.

Maura's hand brushed against something cold and grainy. It was a wall of sorts. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over its rocky surface. When she exhaled, her breath rebounded. It brushed against her face and tickled her cheeks.

It was freezing.

When Maura opened her eyes again, the white world began to piece itself together, like a web being slowly spun into something understandable. The walls around her turned brown, the ceiling became unending and strange shadows inhabited corner.

A papery voice whispered in her ear, sending a tremor down her spine. "Who am I?" It breathed.

"I... I don't know." Maura answered hoarsely.

A wind blew angrily around the small space, so cold it numbed her whole body.

"I don't know!" Maura screamed into the storm. She squeezed her eyes shut tight and clenched her fists.

The air became still again. "Where are you?" The words were like a sigh, and a breeze rustled her hair.

Maura peeked once more at her grim surroundings. She spun in an unsure circle, trying to make sense of the dark space. When it clicked, her gasp echoed on all four walls.

She was in a grave.

"Who are you?" The voice asked now, inquiring of Maura.

Her heart pounded in her chest steadily, an incessant drum. In a disbelieving voice, Maura uttered a single word.

"Nameless."

Her eyelids flew open. Now there was the sound of her floor fan blowing and her clock ticking, and the world was no longer white nor black, but more of an in between, cobalt gray. The only pounding was that of the rain on the roof, and the only breathing was her own, coming in desperate pants.

Maura had kicked her covers off sometime during the night, and now, exhausted and cold, burrowed back under them and slept once more. This time, she dreamed of nothing.

****

Maura woke again around 11:00 am that morning.

She stretched and climbed out of bed. Outside the world was bright and the sun shone. Maura smiled. This was the first time in the past week she had seen a break in the constant rainfall.

Maura scooped some grounds into her coffee machine and hit 'brew'. It started up with a gurgling sound.

"Hello?" Brooke's voice sounded through the phone speaker.

"It's been a week," said Maura by way of greeting.

"It's muddy outside. And humid and gross." Brooke protested.

Maura sipped her coffee. "You promised me, remember?"

"Well I can't really forget when you keep reminding me." The girl on the other line groaned.

Maura laughed. "So I'll see you in 20 minutes?"

Brooke sighed. "An hour."

"Fine," Maura clicked the red end-call button.

Exactly one hour later, Maura was standing at the curb of the old couple's lawn. She spotted Brooke a little ways off, down the street, walking toward her. Maura waved.

As she waited for Brooke to catch up, Maura thought about Adelaide. She wondered when she'd see her again, and if maybe she was there waiting for her.

She wasn't. Brooke and Maura were all alone together in the cemetery. After looking around for a few minutes, they sat down on the gravel where the grassy graveyard met the dusty pathway, gazing out upon the headstoneless graves. The gravel was rough but the grass was too wet to sit on.

"I came without you last week." Maura admitted, leaning back on her palms.

"I'm not surprised. You seem a little obsessed with this place." Brooke flashed Maura a look.

"Am not," Maura said, glaring at her. "Anyway, when I was here I met a girl."

Brooke looked at her like she was crazy. "You met someone? In this creepy, obscure, unheard of graveyard?"

"It's not that unheard of. Just up this path is the main road and some houses. People cross through this place on their bikes to get to our neighborhood." Maura informed her defensively.

"Was she on a bike then?" Brooke asked, doubt coloring her voice.

"You think I'm making this up?" Maura stared at Brooke in bewilderment. "When have I ever lied to you?"

"When have you ever encountered someone here before?" Brooke replied, dodging the question. "You said you used to come here all the time."

Maura folded her arms and looked away. "Her name is Adelaide."

"That's a peculiar name." Brooke commented.

"You'll meet her someday, and then you'll believe me."

It was quiet for some time.

"Come on," Brooke stood to her feet. "Let's go explore this shit hole."

Maura upraised Brooke's outstretched hand unsurely. "You want to?"

"We have to finish what we started."

They walked together up the dirt road. About fifty yards from where it began was a clearing. It was all dusty ground and open sky. In the far left corner of the clearing was a red van with every window smashed in, situated in front of a makeshift supply shed. Just fifteen feet in front of the broken vehicle was a pile of scrap car parts and broken wood.

"That car didn't used to be there." Maura murmured.

"Let's go check it out," Brooke began walking toward it.

"Wait!" Maura called out, "I'm scared!"

The midnight terrors twisted deep in her stomach. She hugged her arms around herself. Brooke turned in question. Maura said, "What if there's someone in it?"

"There's no one in it." Brooke replied simply. She continued on.

Maura caught up to her and grabbed onto her jacket sleeve.

When they got to the car, Maura let go of Brooke and the girl went to the back of the vehicle to peer inside the trunk. The sun beat down on them from above, making the million glass shards littering the vicinity shimmer like diamonds. Maura stayed at the front of the car.

"Is there anything inside?" Maura asked. Fear made her voice small.

"Nothing. It smells awful, though." Brooke covered her nose with her shirt.

Maura smelt it, too. "Gross," she commented, staring down at the rough hood of the van.

Maura slowly inched her way to the side of the car. She stared at the jagged shards protruding from the base of where a window once was. Lost in an empty mind, she reached out and ran her hand along the framework. The world in her peripheral slowly drained of color.

"Maura." Brooke nudged the girl. "Maura!"

"Hm?" Maura was still staring blankly, though her hand's movement ceased.

"Let's go back."

"Mm."

Near the very beginning of the trail Maura found some bright yellow dandelions. She knelt down to pick them, counting each one individually. There were 9 altogether.

Maura stood before Caroline's grave. She prayed for the first time in a month: Lord, let her eternity be restful.

Maura opened her eyes and looked to the flowers in her hands. Their stems were painted scarlet by blood. It ran down Maura's gently sloping wrist and dripped softly onto the soil.

Maura dropped the dandelions to the ground. Noticing her, Brooke muttered, "not again."

Maura's arms dropped and hung limply at her sides as the blood continued to drip from the fingers of her right hand. Brooke came over and grabbed her wrist, lifting her hand to examine it.

With unseeing eyes, Maura spoke- "Trample this earth with curious toes;
amble about these nameless rows.
Deep down in earth so full of heat
lies a soul that death can't beat."

Her body had a slight spasm, then fell foward and collapsed into Brooke's chest.

Brooke looked upon her lifeless form in horror.