Temptation (25 page)

Kylie studied the menu, then shrugged. “I guess I'm not really hungry.” She laughed. “I never eat. I never seem to have the time.”

“We don't have to eat if you don't want to,” Billy told her.

They left the restaurant.

“Come on,” Kylie urged, grabbing his hand. “Let's check out the beach.”

Billy wasn't sure he wanted to return to the beach so soon.
He thought of Mae-Linn. He pictured her body again, half covered with sand. It was hard to shake such an ugly memory.

But Kylie
was
really hot.

He decided to follow her. As they crossed Main Street, he searched for April and Rick Tyler, or Irene and Nate. No sign of them.

Kylie chose a spot where they had to climb down to the beach through the dune grass. It clung to Billy's ankles as if the blades were covered with sticky glue.

The moon shone brightly in the star-filled sky, bathing the beach in silvery light. Billy stopped to scrape some beach tar from his sandals.

Kylie seemed distracted, distant. Billy thought she had a strange expression on her face. Needy? Longing?

“Let's sit down,” she suggested.

“I want to keep walking,” Billy told her.

Kylie's eyes flashed angrily. Then she smiled. Slipped her hand into Billy's.

What's her deal? Billy wondered.

They walked along the beach holding hands. Kylie gazed at him. “You're sort of . . . well, hard to get to know,” she told him. “You never talk about yourself.”

“I don't like to talk about myself,” he replied.

“Well, we don't have to talk,” Kylie murmured, moving closer to him. She tilted her face to his. Billy stared into her eyes. Felt himself falling . . . falling into Kylie's eyes.

Drifting.

Everything looks blurry, he thought. Can't see anything.

Only Kylie. He heard her whispering his name, pulling him down to the sand.

A loud flapping sound shook Billy from his daze. Something fluttered past his nose, so close he could feel the breeze from its wings.

Startled, Billy looked up. Something black flashed past his head. A dark shadow in the moonlight.

Something slammed against his shoulder.

He ducked out of the way as tiny claws grazed his cheek.

Bats?

Yes, two of them.

They swooped down again, one clawing at his shoulder, the other going for his face. He ducked out of the way.

Desperately searching the beach, he tried to find some cover. A dock to hide beneath. An abandoned beach umbrella.

Something. Anything. But there was nowhere to hide.

He glanced up, searching for the bats. They flew over him.

Circling.

Hissing.

Then they swooped to attack.

Billy hit the sand. He scrambled to his knees and tried to roll away.

The bats uttered shrill shrieks as they attacked.

As Billy tried to roll away, he saw Kylie leap to her feet. She swung her hands wildly, thrashing the air.

She hit one bat. The sound of her hand hitting its plump body made a loud
thock.

The bats stopped their ugly screeching.

The other one hovered over Kylie. She swung again, narrowly missing it.

She let out a loud victory cry as the bats rose up, then swooped away.

Billy sat up in the sand. “Wow,” he murmured. “Wow. You were great!”

“I'm not afraid of bats,” Kylie boasted.

“I'm not either—unless they attack me,” Billy said. He felt
embarrassed that Kylie had to fight while he rolled helplessly in the sand.

“There are so many bats on this beach,” he said. “They all live on that island out there.”

“Know what I'd like to do?” Kylie asked excitedly. “Row out to the island and explore! Want to?”

Billy stared at her in surprise. “You mean right now? Wouldn't it be better to go in the daytime?”

“No,” Kylie replied, tugging on his arm. “Come on. Let's do it now. It will be cool.”

“Well . . .” Billy hesitated. He didn't really want to go. But he didn't want to look any more like a total wimp.

“We need a boat,” Kylie said.

“The guy I work for has some rowboats,” Billy told her. “He said I can borrow them whenever I want. I guess we could get one and go out there now.”

“Where are the rowboats?”

“Down by the wharf. Come on. I'll show you.”

They started jogging down the beach.

“Hey, there's Irene and Nate!” Kylie exclaimed.

Billy spotted them walking close together. I guess they
did
want to be alone, he thought.

“I've got to tell her where we're going,” Kylie said. “She'll be so jealous!”

“I'll get a boat while you talk to her,” Billy offered. “I'll pick you up at that long dock—the one everybody dives from.”

“See you there,” Kylie agreed. “I can't wait.”

•   •   •   •   •

Billy let the rowboat glide slowly up to the long dock. No sign of Kylie.

Where is she? he wondered. Maybe she changed her mind.

He tied the boat to a cleat and jumped onto the dock, scanning the beach. Still no Kylie. He didn't see Nate or Irene, either.

Billy climbed back into the little boat. Waited.

“Hey!” Kylie's sandals thumped on the wooden planks as she hurried down the dock. “Ready?”

“What took you so long?” he demanded.

Kylie shrugged. “Sorry,” she said absently. “You ready to explore the island?”

Billy felt the boat rocking beneath him, making small waves against the dock. “Let's go,” he told her. Slipping the oars into the oarlocks, he propelled the boat away from the dock and aimed it at the island.

The vampire island.

Nighttime, he thought. They will be awake.

But they won't be home, Billy told himself. Night is when they have to feed, and there's no food on the island. They go to Sandy Hollow for food. For
human
food.

“The island isn't very far,” Kylie commented. “It shouldn't take long.”

Billy rowed, the oarlocks creaking and groaning.

Kylie sat in the stern, grinning excitedly at him, her eyes flashing. “I love to do things like this,” she told him. “Weird, crazy things. Just because I feel like it.”

Billy saw bats flying over the water. Bats swooped low over the boat. They rose to become black shadows in the star-filled sky. They circled and swooped in again, passing only a few feet over Billy's head.

“It's almost like they're warning us off,” Billy declared.

“Yeah. Right.” Kylie rolled her eyes. “Don't worry,” she said. “The bats won't hurt you. Bats are good. Didn't you learn that in school?”

Billy glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of the island. A long, low shape against the dark sky. Waiting.

Waiting for me, Billy thought.

The island stood black against the blue-black water.

Not a single light anywhere.

Am I totally crazy? Billy wondered as he gazed at the vampire island.

Am I going to regret this?

“There!” Kylie exclaimed, pointing to an old dock, bobbing in the water. “We can tie the boat to that dock.”

As Billy guided the boat toward it, he studied the island. Darkness hid everything beyond the end of the dock. Tall trees towered over the shoreline, blocking out the moon, making the night even darker.

“This place is too weird,” Billy muttered.

Bats flapped overhead. The sky was full of them. They fluttered from tree to tree. From the dock into the darkness. Billy heard a low growl carried on the wind. Were there dogs on the island, too? If so, they had to be wild. Another howl made him shiver.

“Isn't this exciting?” Kylie asked breathlessly.

Only if you have a death wish, Billy thought.

He eased the rowboat up to the dock. Kylie tied it to a ladder.

“Come on,” she urged. “This is so cool. Let's see what's here.” She started up the ladder.

“Watch out,” Billy cautioned. “Half the rungs are missing.”

Kylie made it easily to the top. “Come on up,” she urged him. “It held me okay.”

The rung Billy grabbed was covered with some sort of slimy, dark goo. He reached down to rinse his hand in the water.

Something instantly splashed to the surface. Startled, he yanked his hand out of the murky water.

“It was just a fish!” Kylie exclaimed, laughing.

Billy took a deep breath, then climbed the ladder.

“Let's go!” Kylie urged.

They moved slowly onto the island, stepping cautiously in the darkness.

A shrill cry made Billy jump.

“What was that?” he gasped.

“Probably a bird or something,” Kylie replied. “I bet there are all kinds of things living here.” She glanced over her shoulder at Billy. “They're probably all harmless,” she added.

Nothing here is harmless, Billy thought. Some of the creatures on this island are very dangerous.

They killed Joelle.

Vines and bushes clogged the path leading inland from the dock. The plants felt slimy and cold as he pushed through.

Billy searched for the burned-out houses. But he didn't see any houses at all. Maybe that was only a story.

Maybe everything he's heard about the island was a lie. Stories told again and again. Stories that grew wilder each time they were repeated, until there was no truth left in them.

No way, Billy thought. He knew one story about this island was true. A horror story. About vampires.

“I see something up ahead,” Kylie whispered. She crashed through the bushes and disappeared from sight.

Billy followed her. Kylie led the way up to a tall, dark ruin. The remains of a burned house.

Most of it had collapsed, but jagged boards remained standing. Dark and charred.

“We should have brought flashlights,” Billy commented.

“It's more fun this way,” Kylie insisted. Her eyes met his. “Are you scared?” she teased.

Before Billy could answer, he heard a low moan.

From the trees around the house.

He turned back to the woods. But saw only shadows.

Ignore it, he told himself. It's just an animal.

Kylie had already started down an overgrown path. Billy went after her. The path led to another burned-out house. This one was still a shell, gutted by fire.

Billy examined the door. Only a small piece of it remained. A charred chunk of wood attached by a single hinge. Blackness oozed from the doorway.

Kylie stuck her head inside. “Look,” she breathed.

Billy peered into the house—and gasped.

Bats.

Everywhere.

Hanging from the ceiling.

The doorways.

A few clung to the overhead light fixtures.

Two of them detached themselves from the ceiling—and launched themselves at Billy and Kylie. Billy raised his hand to protect his face. But the bats flapped past him and vanished.

He clung to the door frame, his heart racing.

This is the vampire island, he thought. Every one of these bats could be a vampire. Any one of them could attack us. Kill us.

His gaze fell on a charred piece of wood. It looked like it had once been a table leg.

Billy reached down and grabbed it. The wood felt heavy in his hand.

“Let's get out of here,” Kylie suggested. She pushed past him and continued down the path. Billy followed.

A long, loud howl made Billy stop. He searched the trees frantically.

Kylie had disappeared.

Another howl. Closer this time.

“Kylie!” Billy yelled. Where was she? Why didn't she answer? “Kylie, get back here!”

Silence.

Billy held his breath as he peered into the trees. No sign of Kylie.

No animal. Nothing there.

Then—branches snapped. Dry leaves crackled.

Footsteps.

An animal charging through the trees.

Billy spun to face the sound.

Too late. A snarling black creature sprang at him. Knocked him to the ground.

Its yellow eyes glowed as it sank razor-sharp fangs into Billy's neck.

Billy rolled to the side as the creature fell on him. Its teeth grazed his neck, catching in his hair. He felt its hot, sour breath on his face.

Billy gagged. He couldn't breathe.

Yellow eyes stared down at him. He shoved the creature away with both hands.

What
is
it? he wondered. Is it a wolf?

The creature attacked again.

Billy held the charred table leg in front of his face. The creature's fangs sank into the wood.

With a yelp it fell back, shaking the stick from its mouth.

Billy scrambled to his feet. Yes—it's a wolf! he realized.

He dove for the wooden table leg. Grabbed it off the ground. And spun around, holding it in front of him like a sword.

The wolf leapt again.

And Billy drove the wooden table leg deep into its chest.

The yellow eyes narrowed in pain. But the creature didn't cry out, didn't utter a sound.

Billy stared at the deep hole in the wolf's chest. No blood. It didn't bleed.

Not a regular wolf, Billy saw to his horror.
Not a regular wolf.

Now the yellow eyes glowed with fury. The wolf twisted away, opening its jaws wide, yanking the end of the stick from Billy's hand.

Was it about to attack again?

No.

Its eyes rolled up and it crumpled onto its back on the ground. All four legs thrashed the air for a moment. Then the creature let out a long sigh—and lay still.

Billy stood over it, struggling to catch his breath. He had just killed a vampire, he realized. A vampire he had disturbed. One that decided to attack him in wolf form.