Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 49

She let out a trembling breath. "We're going back to sh.o.r.e. I'm getting a restraining order and having Eddie thrown in jail. He tried to kill me!"

As we headed back to the dock, I tried to figure out what I'd just seen. How the heck did Jesse get on the boat that quickly? He was right beside me one second, then on the boat in the next, like when he disappeared out of my back yard that day I first met him. How could somebody disappear like that? And what's with him throwing Eddie around like a ragdoll? He was in good shape, of course, but I didn't understand how he could be so strong. Talk about the power of adrenaline.

Chapter 18.

Julie and I went hiking in the woods on one of the local trails along Bear Lake, hoping to burn off some major calories. My shorts were getting a little snug, and I wasn't too fond of that.

"Let's grab some tacos for lunch," Julie said. "I'm starving."

"Jules!" I said. "What's the point of hiking if we're gonna eat junk food? I say we have a grilled chicken salad, with lots of veggies and light dressing."

"Ew. I hate rabbit food."

I laughed and shook my head. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"Still thinking about the big kiss yesterday?"

I smiled. "Yeah."

"Well, you'd better lip-lock the guy with some tongue action next time. If you don't snag him, I'm next in line."

"Hey!" I playfully slugged her.

"I want you to hook me up with Jesse's friend, the blond who drove us home."

"Wow. You must really have a thing for blonds."

"Not really. It just so happens that the guy is gorgeous. h.e.l.lo! Didn't you notice his gorgeous eyes?"

"Yeah. They're the same color as Jesse's. I wonder if they're related, cousins or something."

She laughed. "Heh. If we end up with them, we might be in-laws."

As we turned the bend in the path, I saw two legs sticking out from the bushes. Julie screamed, and I ran to check for a pulse and discovered that the man had short, dark hair. When I rolled him over to feel for a pulse, I saw distinct bite marks on his neck, as if a wild animal had attacked him. His green eyes were glazed over, and I could tell by his pale face that he was dead. "Oh my gos.h.!.+"

"Who is it?" Julie desperately asked.

"It's Fred, that cute guy who did yard work for my dad."

My shaking fingers reached into my pocket, and I pulled out my cell phone to call 911. I tried to remain calm as I explained the situation, but I'd never been more freaked out in my life and couldn't speak very coherently. I couldn't stop gasping for air as I fell to my knees, sobbing.

The police showed up almost immediately, and a female officer pulled me aside to ask me some questions.

"What happened to him?" I asked, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Who would do this?"

"Animal attack," she said.

"No!" I yelled. "Not Fred."

"I'm so sorry," the policewoman said.

"I-I know who...er, what killed him." Slowly, I opened my eyes. Memories of the wolves stalking me came flooding back. "I was in the woods a while back with my friends, and there was a pack of wolves stalking us, and-"

The officer touched my back, trying to console me. "It wasn't wolves," she said. "They don't bother humans."

I let out a trembling breath. "No, you don't understand. These wolves weren't...they didn't act like normal wolves."

"This was a bear attack or maybe mountain lion," she surmised, sounding confident.

"Taylor!" When I turned around, my mother was standing right there. She embraced me in a tight hug, and worry flooded her features. "I rushed right up here when Julie called me. Sergeant Davidson told me the entire story."

I was suddenly so nauseated that I feared I might throw up right there in front of everyone. "Oh, Mom, it's so awful."

"I'm so sorry about Fred, honey. The officer said I can take you home now."

My hands still trembled. "But my car's here."

"Don't worry. Your dad and I will come up and get it later. Let's get you home."

At home, I sat on the couch next to my dad. "None of my friends have ever died before. I just feel so helpless, so bad."

My dad wrapped his arm around me. "I know, sweetheart. It was a horrible accident."

"I was walking on that trail. What if it had decided to attack Julie or me?"

"I know. From now on, until they capture or shoot whatever animal is responsible for these attacks, I want you to stay off those trails."

"Dad, how can this be happening?" I yelled.

"There was an attack yesterday too," my mom said. "A tourist. It's been all over the news. It might be beautiful here," she said, "but I'm scared. It's dangerous out there."

"It'll be okay," Dad said. "When they catch the animal, everything will get back to normal."

I looked up at my dad. "I think it's more than one animal, Dad. I think it's wolves."

"Honey, remember what I told you about wolves."

"Yes, you said they rarely attack, but these do." I stopped and thought for a moment about what Fred had told me. "And Dad..."

"Yes?"

"Fred said..." I stopped to sob as I thought back on our conversation. "He told me he had evidence of, uh...vampires around here," I said softly. "Do you think they found him?"

"Honey, that's silly. Trust me, it wasn't vampires."

"I'm sure you're right. I mean, when he told me, I laughed."

"Poor Fred was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," my Dad said. "He was such a good kid. I can't believe this happened to him."

His voice wavered as he spoke, and I could tell my dad was completely shook up.

"Taylor," my mom called from the other room, "Julie is on the phone."

"Can you ask her if she can call my cell? I'm gonna go up to my room and lie down."

"Okay."

I hurried upstairs and picked up my ringing cell. "h.e.l.lo?" I said.

"Taylor, I'm freakin'!"

"Do you think it was the curse or the animals?" I asked.

"I don't know anymore. Could there really be a curse?"

"I don't know either, Julie, but Fred is dead. Maybe there's more to all of this than what we want to believe."

"Do you think we're next?"

"Maybe, but what can we do about it?"

"We can start by digging up information, talking to people who have lived here for a long time. Maybe someone will know an urban legend that will help us figure out how to lift the curse."

"But it could just be the wildlife. There have been other attacks."

"Yeah. My dad just told me about that woman the other day."

"Do you think it's the wolves?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that we're lucky your blue-eyed Superman spotted that cabin in the woods."

"What if it was Jonathon? What if he's some kind of crazed serial killer?"

"But why would he kill his victims like an animal? I don't think it's him."

"You're right," she said. "I bet that pack of wolves demolished him."

"People can't keep dying," I said. "I love this place, but I'm terrified of all the bears, mountain lions, bobcats, and G.o.d knows what else. At least in New York City, I could walk outside freely."

"Right. As long as there were no muggers around and you didn't wear the wrong gang colors."

"I guess I've still got some things to get used to around here."

"So what's going on with you and Jesse?"

"We have a date this Friday. I'm dying to see him, but I'm really shaken up."

"Just invite him over and watch a movie."

"Yeah. Well, I'm gonna go now. I want to take a nap, try to calm down."

"Me too."

"All right. Talk to you later, Jules."

"Bye."

I closed my phone and laid on my bed, then lay back and stared at my ceiling as I tried to straighten out my twisted thoughts. That cabin had been our sanctuary, and I was now sure that if Jesse hadn't spotted it, we would have been victims as well.

I went to my laptop and looked up everything I could about vampires. One article even said that sprinkling salt in windowsills and doorways would help to ward them off. What if Fred really was killed by vampires? Will they come for me next? The thought had my heart racing and my hands shaking. The whole thing sounded absurd and nutty, and I hoped I was just taking things way out of context. But would it hurt to throw down a little salt? As lame and stupid as it sounded, a few minutes later, I found myself grabbing the shaker from the kitchen. When my parents weren't looking, I inconspicuously sprinkled the white stuff around, hoping to create some supernatural barrier.

After tying garlic up around my room and around the house, I took a deep breath. I wondered again if I'd lost my mind. I overheard my name being used in conversation, and when I opened the door, I could hear my parents talking about me.

"She's put salt and garlic everywhere," my mom said.

"She's just grieving over Fred, coping with it in her own way. Just let it be."

"There's no such thing as vampires!" my mom hissed.

"If it helps her feel safe, who cares? It's psychological. So our house smells like dinner for a while."

"Fine. I'll let it go for now, but if this nonsense goes on, I'm going to have to take her to talk to someone."

I shut the door. "Even my parents think I've lost it," I whispered to myself as I fingered the silver cross on my neck. "Maybe I have." With that melancholy thought on my mind, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

Chapter 19.

Fred had died a violent death, and I couldn't stop thinking about him. Tears ran down my face, and I was constantly tormented by the vision of his dead body, and the words he'd spoken haunted me. I couldn't eat or sleep. I was a mess.

I also couldn't stop thinking about Jesse. I had to wonder if his family had anything to do with poor Fred's demise. As much as I knew about Jesse, and as long as I'd hung around him, he was still a mystery, and I was struggling to put the pieces together. Vampires, wolves, serial killers, and curses? I wondered if I should keep it all to myself. I knew I couldn't confide in my parents, and Julie was the closest friend I had in Big Bear Lake, other than Jesse himself. Taking a big, deep breath, I gathered the courage to spill out what I was thinking. I only hoped she wouldn't laugh at me and try to have me committed.