Journal of the Undead (Book 1): Littleville Uprising (7 page)

“How come you didn’t offer to pay me?” Tyler objected.

Evan was quick to insist he wasn’t getting paid, but the sting of rejection was still too fresh for the others. They were anxious for Evan to crash and burn as well—the sooner the better.

“I’ll bet you fifty bucks she shoots you down,” one of them challenged.

“I want in on that,” another added.

Four of Matt’s teammates had bet that by the end of the day Evan would be out $200 and dateless. Evan pondered the odds and decided to give it a try. Unlike the others, Evan wasn’t going to ask her to the dance. If she did say yes and assuming everyone made good on the bet, he would have more than enough money for his plan. She was obviously determined to take the class so he decided he would join her and register for the seminar as well. He’d even have enough to take Emma to a nice restaurant for dinner and still have gas money to spare.

“It’s now or never,” Evan sighed as he headed to Emma’s locker.

He hadn’t counted on having to ask in front of an audience, but with money on the line the others weren’t letting Evan out of their sight. If Emma said no, they wanted to be there to gloat, and if she said yes, it had to be without cheating. He wasn’t allowed to tell her about their bet and he couldn’t bribe her with half of the money, either.

Evan shook his head in disbelief.
No wonder she said no to these idiots
. He had no intention of disclosing anything about their locker room bet … ever.

As they approached Emma’s locker, Evan had to tell the others to scatter. With so many people hovering around, he feared Emma might get suspicious. Crossing his fingers, Matt wished Evan luck.

“So, I heard about the class you’re taking next Saturday. It sounds like just the thing I need for my college applications.” Evan tried starting off with small talk but Emma eyed him suspiciously. Fibbing just a bit, he told her he had also signed up. Continuing his lie, he suggested that since they were both going anyway that they should go together.

“Afterward, we could go out and get some dinner or maybe catch a movie.”

Emma was looking at him like he’d just sprouted a third eye.

“So what do you say? Do you want to go out with me?”Evan held his breath and waited for her reply.

Still shocked, she nodded her head and said, “Okay.”

“Great, it’s a date! I’ll call you later and we can work out the details.”

Evan’s huge smile was genuinely for her, not because he’d won the bet. As soon as he heard Emma’s answer, Matt bolted down the hall to invite Whitney to the dance. The other guys groaned; fifty bucks apiece down the drain.

Later that evening, Evan completed his registration for the seminar and found a restaurant near the university. Matt had made arrangements with the garage and they guaranteed to have the car ready in plenty of time. The only thing left was for Evan to call Emma and iron out the details. He had been trying unsuccessfully to downplay his feelings that were growing stronger by the day. Dialing the number to the Wexley home, he was praying that Emma would answer the phone. It seemed ludicrous to him that Emma didn’t have a cell phone.
I think she’s the only person in America without a cell phone. Heck, even homeless people have cell phones!
he thought as the line connected.

Emma hid in her room, trying to finish her homework. She pretended her heart wasn’t about to leap out of her chest every time the phone rang. Her secret fear was that it had all been a joke and she was waiting around for nothing.

When Matt brought the cordless phone to Emma’s room, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. With a wink, Matt tossed her the phone. Despite Emma’s signals to leave, he hovered by the door listening until she tossed a shoe at him and he ducked from the room. Once she had privacy, she listened as Evan gave her the itinerary. She even managed a bit of small talk without sounding too eager.

Emma was thankful for the weekend. She had been too excited to sleep and it was almost noon by the time she rolled out of bed. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail then washed her face and brushed her teeth in record time. The shower would wait; she was starving. Still half asleep, she trudged to the kitchen to look for breakfast.

Typically on a Saturday Emma was alone until mid-afternoon. Matt had football games, their dad was usually working, and Jillian had found a variety of ways to spend her husband’s hard-earned money. Emma was rummaging through the refrigerator when a strange noise startled her. She jumped and slammed her head on the top shelf. Muttering a string of profanities, she whipped around to see what had caused the noise. Evan was choking back a laugh as he looked at his watch.

“Good
morning
?”

Emma was mortified. Generally, she didn’t care much about clothing but her tight tank top barely covered her midriff, her shorts sat low on her hips, and both revealed more than she was comfortable showing. She instantly regretted postponing her shower. Evan eyed her appreciatively yet discreetly.

Emma gasped, “Um, I didn’t know anyone was here.”

Stammering speech and a disoriented expression gave Evan the impressing that she had hit her head harder than it looked. Fearing a concussion, he gingerly stroked the top of her head.

“Are you okay?”

Rolling her eyes, Emma snorted derisively, proving she was perfectly fine. Their awkward moment of silence was interrupted by the sound of girlish giggling. Emma’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. When she heard Whitney’s voice, and that of another girl, her suspicion flared into fury.

“Ugh! I can’t believe Matt invited them to our house. He should’ve given me a heads-up so I could have left or something.”

Peeking into the living room, Emma saw Whitney snuggled up next to Matt on the couch.

“Gross, I’m gonna have to steam-clean the furniture when they leave.”

Evan laughed at her biting sarcasm.

“Yeah, I was starting to feel like a fifth wheel. I probably wouldn’t have come over if I’d known it was going to turn into a couple’s thing.”

When Matt realized Emma was awake, he came to tell her that they had company. She glowered at him, furious that he’d ruined her quiet afternoon.

“Why aren’t you at the game?”

“It was cancelled. Coach was pretty pissed. The other team just never showed. No call … nothing. It’s a two-hour ride by bus so we thought maybe they got stuck in traffic or something. We waited around for, like, ever. Coach Rollins even tried calling their coach but no one answered,” Matt explained.

“That’s really weird.”

“The good news is their forfeit takes them out of the running for district champions; looks like we’ve got the state title in the bag, now. Um, Em, don’t you think you should put some clothes on?”

As happy as he was that she and Evan were hitting it off, Matt didn’t approve of his sister showing that much skin. She rolled her eyes as she ascended the stairs. As Evan watched her leave, he was glad that Emma wore less revealing clothes to school. He found it odd that she didn’t seem to recognize her own beauty but he was glad she didn’t flaunt it either.

Upstairs, Emma had the music blasting while she showered. Downstairs, Evan was the fifth wheel again. Much to his dismay, the other girls had no reservations about public displays of affection.

“How can she listen to that noise?” Whitney grumbled. “It’s giving me a headache.”

Emma’s play list wasn’t exactly mood music so the other couple was quick to agree. Matt sent Evan on a mission to convince Emma to lower the volume. Evan was only too happy to agree so he could get away from Whitney and her lackeys.

He hesitantly climbed the stairs as he called Emma’s name. Between the loud music thumping through her speakers and shower water blasting, she couldn’t hear Evan at all. He knocked on her bedroom door, waited, and then knocked louder. Certain she wasn’t in the room, he cracked the door just enough to peek inside. With the coast was clear, Evan snuck in to turn down the volume. His inquisitive nature got the better of him and he couldn’t resist looking through Emma’s music library in iTunes. As he scrolled through her titles, Emma entered the room.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?” Since she was wearing nothing but a towel, Emma was more uncomfortable than angry.

Startled, Evan tried to explain but instead sputtered sentence fragments and incoherent thoughts.
My God
, Evan thought,
she’s gorgeous
. The soft, soap-like scent he’d come to associate with Emma filled the air, making Evan feel dizzy. Her still-damp hair clung to her body, accentuating the slope of her breasts rather than hiding them. Evan tried to keep his eyes from wandering but it was impossible.

“GET. OUT!” Emma jerked her head toward the door as she shouted. Despite her gruff tone, it was embarrassment, not anger that burned on her cheeks. Evan dashed out the door, his face nearly as red as Emma’s. He waited in the hallway just outside her bedroom door. He knew that once he gathered his thoughts and she was dressed, he would need to explain why he had been in her bedroom. He didn’t want to leave her with the impression he’d tried to sneak a peek.

Emma tugged her clothes on and waited for the flames in her cheeks to die down. When she turned down the music, she heard a faint tapping at the door. She nearly ripped the door off the hinges as she opened it.

“You’re still
here
?”

Now that she was dressed, it was easier to be angry. Evan calmly explained that Matt had sent him upstairs to turn the music down.

“I guess Linkin Park isn’t exactly make-out music.”

Emma’s nose wrinkled in disgust and Evan flashed an apologetic smile.

“Anyway, I’m
really
sorry. I wouldn’t have … I mean, I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you.”

“What were you doing on my computer?”

“I was checking out your music library. You have the most … eclectic collection I’ve ever seen.”

“You’ve got nerve. First you ogle me then you insult my music!” she shot at him.

“That wasn’t an insult! And hey, I wasn’t ogling you.”

Emma raised her eyebrows in question then her eyes narrowed in disbelief.

“Okay, I was ogling a little but you can hardly blame me. Anyway, you have a seriously incredible music library.”

Evan’s disappearance lasted well after the music faded so Matt decided to investigate. The idea of him and Emma alone in her bedroom was unsettling. Even though Matt was only six minutes older than his twin, he fell into the protective older brother role with ease. He was relieved to see the door open and the two of them were standing over the computer, talking.
It would be totally different if it was me and Whitney in my bedroom
, he laughed to himself

“What’s going on in here?” Matt bellowed, trying to sound fatherly.

Evan jumped but Emma flashed her patented ‘I’m not amused’ face. Since Matt didn’t get the laughs he was hoping for, he settled for inviting them to join the gang downstairs.

Matt proved to be a good host; including everyone in the conversation, but Whitney wanted Matt’s undivided attention. Using the only distraction she had, she easily diverted Matt’s focus and the conversation ended. Surrounded by couples making out, Evan tapped his foot nervously. Disgusted, Emma stormed out of the room, followed by Evan.

“I’m glad I haven’t eaten, Whitney makes me want to vomit!”

“Let’s order delivery and eat outside. I wouldn’t mind getting away from Whitney and her annoying friend too. While you were in the shower they were totally disgusting!”

Hours later, as he headed home, Evan felt more confident about his upcoming date with Emma.

***

Rookie officer Travis Kepler’s alarm was blaring, but he was too exhausted to get up and turn it off. It was mandatory to call the station to take the day off from work but he couldn’t manage to keep his eyes open let alone make a phone call. His sheets were soaked with sweat and the bowl of congealed soup on his nightstand that he had long forgotten about was starting to grow mold. Kepler silently prayed for his head to stop pounding. His throat felt raw and dry but the joint and muscle pain racking his body made him want to cry. Each inhaled breath had decreased in strength, as if his lungs had hardened and lost their ability to expand and contract. Thick mucus mixed with blood had clogged in his throat that no amount of coughing could clear. Oxygen-depleted and aching, he was left powerless.

Without warning, Travis felt his body erupt into spasms. Fiery red flashes burst in his vision s his body contorted in agony from the searing feverish inferno that racked his core without relief. His last thought before he fell into unconsciousness was that his alarm was
still
blaring …

Hours later, a calm cooling sensation flooded his senses, as if he were lying on a warm, sandy beach and a gentle wave had washed over his body. When he finally opened his eyes, there was no concept of time or space. There was no light or dark; everything had become monochromatic shades of gray. He no longer felt pain or any idea of right or wrong; there was only a fierce hunger. A delectable scent filled his nostrils, fuelling an all-consuming urge to hunt it down. His body rose from the bed, renewed and driven with one purpose—to fill his stomach.