He struggled as he clawed his way through the loose earth. Breathing was almost impossible--infrequent gasps which sucked bits of dirt into his lungs. Still, he struggled knowing that time was an enemy. To rest, to give up, was to be hopelessly doomed. He felt the dampness of the mix of flowing blood of his head wound and soil slide over his face as he pushed on, venturing higher, higher... to the surface.

Premature burial was one thing, but for his partner in crime to hit him over the head with a shovel after stealing the body from the grave was another. And then, to cover him in the bottom of the pit to hide the crime and to, no doubt, take all the profit from the sale of the corpse for himself? This was less than acceptable, even by the graverobbers low standards.

The sudden storm sent a torrent of rain down the hill to the small cemetery. Soon, it became a matter of fighting one's way through slimy mud... to breathe... for but a breath of air. He continued on, sensing that he was making progress. And then, air! He pushed a hand upward, then the arm, then, with the last of his strength, brought his muddy, bloody head out of the muck for a breath of air, beautiful, beautiful air. He turned his head skyward and the pouring rain washed the mud from his face. In relief of his ordeal, he smiled.
   
WHACK!
 
"Hit him again, preacher!"
   
The parson raised his shovel and, with all his might, struck the emerging head once again.
 
"By Jehovah," said the parson, "I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes--and, here, in the very cemetary of my own parsonage."
   
"I told you this might happen," began the parson's lone companion. "This man was pure evil. He was a filthy money lender, a carouser, and a devil worshipper. If it wasn't for his money, he wouldn't have been allowed to be buried in this cemetery with decent god-fearing folk."
   
"Aye," replied the parson, "it was the elders that allowed this. And now, we have witnessed the work of Satan himself... the dead crawling from the grave. Let us push him back down within the soil and speak of this to no one, lest others join with the dark forces to ensure their escape from the grave."