Nestled between the hallowed walls of vine-strangled homes, I sat myself upon my knees, eyes buried in my clasped hands, and heart racing rampantly. I called to anyone who might answer, friend, foe, or fiend, with the hope of easy respite or retirement from this treacherous village. Many a panic encroached the town, wherein peasants and nobles alike ran in fear of something they never dreamed could affect them. In such an isolated place, enveloped with mountains and forests, who would suspect the plague could spread so rampantly here?

"O plague ridden town," I cried. "O horrid town. I would a life free of pain, of sickness, of woe, live and cherish. Set me free from this place. O, I pray--"

"Up now, woman!" a commanding voice boomed from behind. I turned to see the once tranquil doctor in torn garb and antic breath. "Stand! Are you not aware of what is coming?"

"A plague, then? I am well aware of what has strangled these lands."

The man groaned and stomped towards me. Only when he was close enough could I see the blood on his clothes and his black gums. He gripped my arm and raised me to my feet with the haste and strength of a wolf.

"A plague, yes, but the plague you know of is no more," he riddled.

"Pray, speak plainly," I cried.

"Those who fell victim to the plague... those who passed many moons ago," his eyes bore into my soul. "They have returned."

"Returned? From where?" I inquired, a new sense of fear flooding my body.

The doctor sighed. "It is difficult to explain, but I will simplify it for thee. Do you recall the young stonemason who was attacked and killed by rogue hunters in the woods last summer?"

"Aye, his father wept for many days."

"O'er the course of the last day, I studied his body for reasons that I will keep hidden. All you must know is that his grave still remains, yet his body does not. He has returned to his father's home, gathering arbitrary materials in voiceless motion."

"His body still moves? Why then are your clothes torn?"

The doctor finally released my arm, looking off into the field behind me. "There were others who merely left their graves. They all turned towards the woods, and marched as though they were leagued in some military in siege. I confronted them, questioning what demon had brought them back from the depths of the earth, and whether their bodies moved without their soul's consent."

"And their answer?"

"Two large ones lunged at me and scratched me until I bled. I believe more have returned from their graves and now commit the same crimes done to me unto the villagers here, and thus, a spell of frenzy has fallen upon this town."

I stepped back, trying to take in everything the doctor told me.

"Do you understand why you must leave? Thou who art so calm in such a time, with a mind still intact to pray. I prithee, seek refuge away from this place."

I looked away, and then fell again onto my knees. I thought, if God or some devil has brought a plague that can return the likes of anyone killed in combat, cold, or curse, then I might be able to see him again. I clasped my hands, returning to my prayer.

"O joyous plague, I pray," chanted I, "command thy fingers to intertwine with my love's and pull him with heaven's unwavering force from the earth. Allow him to return... as a revenant soul."

The doctor did not interrupt my prayer, which felt ominous in a way shouting never quite achieves. Silence, I was learning, was the favored language of things that planned to answer you. My hands trembled but I kept them clasped, because backing out now felt rude, and possibly fatal. Somewhere between amen and regret, the air thickened, like breath held by the world itself.

A sound followed, not a voice but a rearranging, as if the village were being edited. I smelled earth before I heard footsteps, wet soil dragged reluctantly across stone. The doctor swore under his breath and backed away from me, which was a strange response considering I was still kneeling and actively begging supernatural forces to do something extremely irresponsible. When I looked up, I understood his concern immediately and felt the first sharp pinch of buyer’s remorse.

He stood at the edge of the square, posture familiar, shoulders set in the way I remembered during colder mornings, head tilted like he was listening for something just out of reach. His eyes found me without searching. That was new. That was wrong. He smiled, and it was my love’s smile exactly, warm and gentle and paired with hands that were still dusted with grave soil.

He spoke my name softly, and behind him, from the woods, something answered back in perfect unison.

"Is that truly you?" I whispered, my voice choked with emotion and disbelief.

He nodded, taking slow steps towards me. "I have returned, my love, as you wished."

I stood, unable to tear my gaze away from him. "But how? What has brought you back from the dead?"

His smile faltered slightly, a flicker of the person he once was shining through. "I do not know, my love. All I remember is darkness, and then I awoke with a hunger that could not be sated."

My heart sank at his words. "Are you truly you, or just a shell of your former self?"

He reached out for my hand, his touch cool and clammy. "I am still the man you loved, but something has changed within me. I can feel it, a darkness that threatens to consume me."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the price of being heard by the unknown forces that lurked in the shadows. "I don't know if I can bear to see you like this, my love."

He squeezed my hand gently, his touch sending shivers down my spine. "Please, do not abandon me. I need you now more than ever."

I looked into his eyes, seeing a glimmer of the man I once knew. "I will stay by your side, no matter what challenges may come our way."