Rule out black cherry (Prunus serotina), the fruit of which are in clusters.
Agreed on photo and info.
The photo linked below shows serration as being quite fine so they may just not be distinct in OP’s linked pic. Here on Long Island, Choke Cherry is very common, pretty much the same zone as NC so I would guess it could be very common there also. From what I’ve read, Black Cherry is common there too, here I’m not so sure.
Maybe?
Larch it’s not though, that’s an easy one 
I do need to read up some on Black Cherry and Hackberry to see if it’s more common around here than I knew. I’ll be doing some winter pruning soon, but I’ll likely need to wait until leaves come out to learn more.
It would be helpful if you could provide better photos and more info.
Do the fruits have a single stony seed like a cherry, or multiple seeds?
Are the edges of the leaves smooth, or do they have fine teeth?
It looks like the stems that bear the fruits have scars where other fruits were attached, although there is only one at the tip now. Are the fruits borne in groups on a single stem, or is there just one per stem?
If you crush the leaves or break the stems, do they smell of almonds?
You clearly paid way more attention in Forestry class than I did (and I think we skipped Tupelos here in Wisconsin), but there are a lot of Google images of Tupelo trees that disagree with this assertion.
However, the stem of the fruit on a tupelo seems to be smooth, and the fruits usually more elongated. The stems of the fruits in the OP are rough, as if they originally had more fruits along them. It doesn’t look like a tupelo to me.
K. I’ll consider myself spanked then. 
Crappy? Indeed! Next time I want something ided, I’m going to ask my cousin who proudly sports a set of DDs to model the specimen. Then I’ll double dog dare anyone to denigrate my photographic endeavors.
Until then, though. . . some pics taken with a real camera and lighting.
Thank you!
I don’t know but my neighbor had one growing up and as a child we all walked around with berry stained feet from running around without shoes.
Well done.
Thanks. I have no idea why I don’t just go find a tree key online in the first place when these questions come up instead of trying to Google things like “entire lanceolate”, “glossy”, “black fruit”…
I thought it was Prunus but the color in the first pic had me thinkinking deciduous. Up here the Cherry Laurels - Otto Luykens, Skips, Portuguese and a few new cultivars are all dark green and they are all shrubs, not trees. Carolina Cherry Laurel is new to me, none that I know of around here.