Chapter 18
“What’s going on in the parking lot?” I heard someone ask as they filed in the gym doors. “It’s like a SWAT team or something. Somebody done got busted.” A boy in a green Bartlett hoodie shook his head as he walked through and disappeared into the crowd.
A SWAT team showing up for a high school basketball game? Bartlett was about as dangerous as kittens in a basket of yarn. Maybe they were looking for Tyson’s killer. If so, they’d come to the right spot. I looked around, sweeping the lunchroom in front of the gym entrance, trying to get a glimpse of anyone. Drake had gone to the concession stand with Monty and was in a sea of people out of view. Callie and Lauryn had gone to the bathroom while Ernie held our seats for us. I was surprised he hadn’t wanted me to stay and fight off the Bartlett moms from taking our hard earned seats. I had decided against joining the line in the concessions and was just standing by as an extra set of hands in case they couldn’t carry everything.
Off in the distance two police officers stood in the main entryway gazing solemnly at a piece of paper in their hands and looking up as people walked by. I strained to hear what they were saying but their voices were washed away in the sound of the throng of people.
I looked back to the crowd, still no luck in finding anyone. There must have been a ton of people in line at the bathroom. I hoped we wouldn’t miss the tip-off. I leaned against the wall and sighed.
Glancing back towards the entrance, I noticed the police officers marching towards me, an agenda clearly written on their faces. Men on a mission. I’d have to tell Drake about it when they got back. I stepped to the side, away from the open gymnasium doors to clear out of their way and they abruptly changed direction, heading straight towards me. I gasped and took a few steps backwards. They glanced down at their piece of paper and then at me. They seemed sure of one thing—they had found who they were looking for.
“Hey, you, stop right there,” the older officer said. His stomach extended far over his belt, making me wonder if they ever had to chase any perps in Bartlett. I guessed not.
I paused for a minute, unsure of where to go. My eyes shot towards the entrance. It would be an easy escape, but did I really need to be on the run from the cops? It would be better for everyone if I didn’t cause a scene. I could convince them that I wasn’t who they were looking for and I was completely innocent. People snuck curious looks at the officers as they closed in on me.
I took a deep breath and stepped towards them.
“How can I help you, officers?” I asked sweetly, hoping that turning on the charm would help.
“Are you Victoria Hernandez?” the second, younger officer asked and glanced down at the piece of paper again.
“Yes sir, what can I do for you?” I smiled and tried to look them in the eye.
“Are you the owner of a black 2010 Ford Mustang, license plates K78 457?”
“I am. I’m sorry, did I park it in the wrong spot?” I batted my eyelashes.
They still did not meet my eyes.
“No, it’s stolen. Why don’t you come outside with us so we can discuss this matter further? You don’t want to cause a scene in front of all these nice people, do you?” The younger cop nodded, looking at the floor.
“Um, sure, of course.” And when I got outside, I could force them to look me in the eye, clean the car out of my stuff and make a run for it. There would be other cars. I tried to find Drake, my eyes frantically searching the lunchroom but I came up with nothing. The cops followed behind me and on either side, giving me a great opportunity to run forward but not back or to the sides. Well, I could have done it anyways, it’s not like they could have really stopped me, but I doubted maiming two cops would allow me to stay in this town with Drake.
Curious eyes darted towards the officers and me from every corner of lunchroom as people nudged their neighbors and attempted to figure out what was going on. All except my friends. They were nowhere to be found.
I trudged out the main entrance and out onto the main courtyard in front of the school. Black vans were lined up along the circular drive, forming a wall around where I stood. I could smell them before I saw them, their scent even more unpleasant in such a large group. I wrinkled my nose and stepped back, bumping into my police escort. They had come to a halt, and I glanced around, knowing if I could have, I might just have thrown up all over my shoes.
Emerging from behind the vans were a couple dozen vampires, sauntering into a smug line in front of me. They sported a wide variety of black leather jackets, some long, some short, some elegant, and some punk rock. Their skin shone in the light of the powerful parking lot lamps, enhanced by the half moon that hung in the cold, crisp air above us. And quite a few were twirling something in their hands—stakes.
My eyes darted nervously around me, looking for any way out. The line was tight and some of them had been waiting along the school’s outer wall. They approached us from behind, leaving the two officers and me in the center of one very deadly circle. I stood frozen to my spot. I had no chance against this many. And there were way too many people inside that could get hurt.
Near the center of the line in front of me was a bit of movement as it broke and two figures stepped through. The man was tall and blond, his hair almost white in the light. He wore a pair of black sunglasses that completely shielded his eyes from my view. The girl next to him wore long, pink braids. Bianca.
Anger surged through me, like fire scorching my veins. I wanted to lunge at her and shred her to little tiny pieces. I wanted her to feel the pain I felt when I thought I was going to lose Drake, lose everything I’d tried so hard to build here in Bartlett. My fangs shot out and I could feel my lip lift in a snarl.
“Officers Fash and Johnson, do come here,” the tall, blond vampire said, his voice silky smooth. They stepped forward, leaving me standing alone.
“We found her, sir,” said the older officer, looking the vampire directly in the eyes. Bianca stared at me, her eyes burning in triumph. I looked away, not wanting to give in to the temptation to tear them out in bloody little hunks.
“So you did. Right. Well, off you go then, we’ll take care of the little car thief from here. I’ll be sure to inform your superiors of a job well-done.” The vampire smirked and waved them away. They wandered vacantly towards the wall of vampires and were let through, disappearing behind the line of vans.
The vampire approached slowly as the circle tightened. Bianca pulled a small wooden stake out of her pocket as they moved closer, the tip sharpened to a wicked point.
“You know, Victoria, you’ve really been giving my friends such a hard time,” he said, searching me up and down from behind his shades. I shivered despite the fact that I couldn’t see his eyes. I felt them slide over me, which was almost worse.
I willed myself to speak, to say something clever, but with all of those eyes on me my tongue was frozen. No clever comebacks, nothing, nada.
“From your lack of movement, I take it you’re willing to come quietly this time?” He took another step closer and I remained silent. “I promise that we’ll go easy on you, even though you’ve killed some of my best friends. I can’t say I really appreciated that, by the way. You can apologize later.”
He came to a stop about two feet in front of me and removed his glasses with his leather-gloved hands. His eyes were a brilliant blue, so captivating I couldn’t look away. But they weren’t like Drake’s blue, so deep and refreshing that you just wanted to lose yourself in them. This was a deadly blue, like water that could pull you in and if you didn’t freeze, you would surely drown. They were death.
“So it’s true then? I succeeded this time. You can walk in the sun?” He held out his gloved hand, I wasn’t sure if he expected me to shake it or kiss it, but finally my tongue and my body sprang to life.
“Yeah Steve—that’s your name, isn’t it? I can walk in the sun. Lay by
the pool and get a tan if I want to. Why, do you miss it?” I snarled, heaving the words at him. I stepped back from his outstretched hand.
He pulled his hand back, like he was fearful of touching something filthy.
“I would expect you to be a little more kind regarding this matter, Victoria. I’ve gifted you with eternal life and cured you of our curse of the sun. You are a very lucky girl.”
“Lucky? Lucky? You call this LUCKY?” I screamed, my voice echoing off of the brick school wall that loomed two stories over our heads. “You killed me, ripped me away from my family, and now it’s all I can do to keep from killing everyone around me. And I’m supposed to feel lucky?”
“I have to say, this little mess is of your own invention. If you’d just come with Mike from day one, you wouldn’t be so concerned with these friends, with this fake life you’ve built for yourself. You’re a superior creature now, Victoria. Superior, I would venture to guess, even to most of us.” He waved his hand at the vampires around us. “Well, maybe not superior to me, that’s hardly possible.” He chuckled to himself.
“And really, you’re supposed to kill them and suck them dry of every drop of blood they have in their weak little bodies. We don’t play with our food, Victoria. It’s unpleasant.”
I narrowed my eyes and licked my lips, letting my fangs show. My legs tensed up, my body seeking an escape even if my brain couldn’t figure one out.
“I’m quite bored with all these dramatics. I do believe it’s time to be going. We’ve got lots to talk about.” He waved to the other vampires and the circle tightened even more.
My legs jumped to action and I raced towards the nearest vampire. I might not be able to take them all on, but I could take one down, get out of the circle and just run and run until I got away. I lunged forward, catching a surprised girl by the throat. Before my arm could complete the action of removing her head, her mouth frozen in a silent scream, I screeched in pain and horror as dozens of stakes were plunged into my skin. They ripped and tore through my muscles and dug into my bones, which shattered under the pressure of a few. My body felt like it was being shredded into a million pieces and my screams suddenly stopped—everything stopped as my vision sped into darkness, the pain disappearing along with all of my other senses as I faded into oblivion.