The moment those words left my mouth, something in Simon’s eyes changed.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Certainty.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“Then whatever you see next… don’t react,” he whispered. “No matter what.”
A chill crawled down my spine.
Before I could argue, Simon grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind the old chapel near the cemetery. From there, we had a clear view of the men in black loading my mother’s coffin into a dark van.
Uncle Jimmy stood nearby… speaking in hushed tones with one of them.
“…it’s not safe here,” the man in black muttered.
“I told you to finish it before today,” Uncle Jimmy snapped under his breath.
My heart began to pound.
Simon tightened his grip on my arm.
“Watch carefully,” he murmured.
One of the men opened the coffin again.
I held my breath.
But something was wrong.
Her eyes were no longer open.
They were closed again.
As if nothing had happened.
As if what I saw earlier… wasn’t real.
“No…” I whispered.
But then—
Her fingers moved.
Just slightly.
A twitch.
So small that anyone else would’ve missed it.
But not me.
Not Simon.
I staggered back.
“She’s alive…” I breathed.
Simon didn’t respond immediately.
When he did… his words hit harder than anything else that day.
“She’s not dead,” he said quietly. “She was never supposed to be buried.”
My head snapped toward him.
“Then why—”
“Because someone wants her gone.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
“And your uncle…” Simon continued, his voice darker now, “…he knows exactly why.”
Before I could process that, the van doors slammed shut.
Uncle Jimmy turned… and for a brief second—
His eyes met mine.
And I swear…
He smiled.
Not a normal smile.
Something cold.
Something… guilty.
“Simon…” I whispered, panic rising in my chest. “They’re taking her away… we have to stop them!”
But Simon shook his head.
“Not yet.”
“What do you mean not yet? That’s my mother!”
“I know!” he snapped, then lowered his voice again. “But if we move now, we’ll lose her forever.”
The engine of the van roared to life.
Dust rose into the air as it began to drive off.
Every instinct in me screamed to run after it.
To fight.
To do something.
But Simon held me back.
“Listen to me, Michael,” he said firmly. “This isn’t just about your mother anymore.”
My breathing became uneven.
“Then what is it about…?”
Simon looked straight into my eyes.
“Your family has been hiding something for years.”
A pause.
Then—
“And your mother… was about to expose it.”
The van disappeared down the road.
Taking her with it.
Taking the truth with it.
I clenched my fists, my whole body shaking.
“Then we go after them,” I said through gritted teeth.
Simon nodded slowly.
“Yes…”
“But once we start—”
He hesitated.
For the first time…
I saw fear in his eyes.
“…there’s no turning back.”
And deep down…
I knew—
Whatever killed my mother…
Wasn’t finished yet.