Vampire (18 page)

“Liz, please don't talk. I'll come another time, when you're better—”

“
No!
” The fingers clamped down with unexpected strength, and Darcy winced, surprised. “He … said—”

“Who said? Go slow, I'm right here.”

“Said … warning … before … grabbed me … before … hit me … before …”

Darcy felt shivers go up her spine. “Before he … hurt you?
Who
, Liz, who did this?””

The head moved from side to side. “Couldn't see … couldn't recognize.”

“Not his face? His voice?”

“No. He … hit me … choked me. I was …” The voice cracked. “I'm sorry, Darcy—”

To Darcy's amazement, tears filled Liz's eyes and ran down her too-white cheeks.

“Oh, Liz, don't … don't cry—”

“I did … the rat. I've been … hateful … mean. I just didn't want to … lose him.”

Darcy stared, the confession numbing her. “Brandon,” she murmured.

“I … need him, Darcy. No friends. Nobody. He's all … all I have.…”

“Oh, God, Liz.” Darcy lifted the girl's hand gently, rested it against her own cheek. “Oh, Liz, it's all right.…”

“I was … jealous. Tonight … wanted … scare you.”

Darcy thought the words over carefully. “You were going to do something tonight to scare me. After you left the note.”

A blank look of confusion. “No … note.…”

“You didn't leave the note?” But Darcy could tell by her face that Liz didn't know what she was talking about.

“He came out of nowhere … the dark … grabbed me … told me—”

“What? Told you what?”

“You can't tell.” Liz's voice thickened, and her eyes looked wild. “If I say … you can't tell. He said … if I told the police … or anyone … he'd kill me. He said … he'd know … if I did—”

Ice went through Darcy's veins. She was so cold and Liz was so cold, and in that instant she couldn't tell which hand was really her own.

“Please …
please
… promise.…”

“Yes”—Darcy nodded mechanically—“I promise. I won't say a word, not to anyone.” She saw Liz shiver and thought how small and harmless she looked now in the hospital bed.

“He … bent back my head … put something … against my throat …” Liz took a raspy breath. “Dizzy … couldn't breathe … blacking out—but I … felt it … cutting me … and him … holding me … so tight … so … so
angry.…
”

Darcy closed her eyes, trying to block out the images, but she still saw Liz's face, Liz's mouth open in a silent scream—

“He was … so careful—and it hurt—and he said … he said—”

Darcy's eyes opened. She stared down at Liz, reliving the terror.

“Tell me what he said,” she whispered.

“He said … ‘tonight I choose Darcy.'”

20

A
re you all right?” Darcy saw a nurse peering anxiously into her face. They were back out in the hall, but she didn't remember getting there.

“I'm all right,” she murmured.

“Do you need to sit down?” the nurse persisted and began steering her toward the people at the door. They were all there in their usual group, waiting for her—Kyle and Brandon—
Liz's Brandon
—Elliott … dear Uncle Jake …

“I don't need to sit down. I'm really fine.”

“Tomorrow she probably won't even remember your being there, so don't be surprised. She was pretty heavily sedated.”

You're wrong. This nightmare will be part of Liz for the rest of her life
.

“There you are.” Jake stepped forward to meet her. He slipped an arm around her shoulders. “We wondered where you were.”

“Did you see Liz?” Kyle sounded hopeful. “It looked like you came out of that room—did they let you see her?”

They were all staring at her now. Jake's arm tightened.

“Did she talk to you?” he asked casually.

“Of course Liz couldn't talk to her.” Brandon gave Jake an impatient look. “They put her out—she couldn't talk even if she wanted to.”

Jake was watching her closely. After a long moment he shrugged. “I just wondered, is all. Come on. Let's go home.”

She felt stiff and unnatural as he pushed her out to the car. Her knees didn't want to bend. Everyone was staring at her so strangely.

“Where we eating?” Brandon spoke up as they prepared to split up in the parking lot.

“I think we better skip it,” Jake said, and Darcy again felt his hold tighten around her.

“Come on—all this excitement, I need to eat.” Brandon tried to joke, but nobody laughed.

“We're forgetting what a shock Darcy had,” Jake reminded them. “She's the one who found Liz, after all. I think I'd better just get her home.”

Darcy glanced wildly at Kyle and Brandon. Elliott stood a little apart, working his hands down into his pockets, saying nothing.

“Well, sure.” Kyle shrugged, looking embarrassed. “I mean … I'm really sorry … we just weren't thinking—”

“She still needs to eat,” Brandon argued. “Let us take her, and we'll bring her right home.”

“I'd just feel better if she was home with me.” Jake pulled her suffocatingly close. “After what happened tonight.” He looked away. “I'd just feel better.”

“Are the cops through at your place?” Brandon asked, but it was Elliott who nodded.

“They looked everything over. But it didn't happen there. It happened outside.”

“Well, I know that's what Liz told them, but they should still search your whole place, shouldn't they?” Brandon said. “She probably wasn't thinking too straight—”

“Give me a break, Brandon, they searched, okay? What do you think—the killer's going to hang around and try for two in the same night?”

“Whoa—” Brandon held up his hands and stepped back. “I'm just hungry, man, not interested in a fight.”

“Yeah, well, you're not interested in your girlfriend, either. She nearly got killed tonight, and all you can think about is food.” He yanked open the car door and practically pushed Darcy inside. As she huddled on the passenger side, she saw Brandon clench his fists and step forward.

“How do you know what I'm thinking?” His voice raised. “How do you know what I feel? Huh?”

She saw Kyle run up and grab his arm even as Brandon shook him off. “Come on, Brandon,” Kyle pleaded, “come on—forget it.”

“Have you ever felt anything for
anybody?
” Brandon yelled.

Jake got in and slammed the door. Darcy turned and tried to peer out the window as the car spun away, tried to make them see her and understand, even though she couldn't shout back into the street—
Please don't leave me alone with him, please realize what's happening—

“Sit down, Darcy,” Jake snapped. “Put your seatbelt on.”

It was just another trap, and as she hooked the harness around herself, Darcy felt like a cornered animal. She started chewing on her fingernail, afraid that if she didn't, she might start screaming. Beside her Jake was like a spring ready to explode.

Tonight I choose Darcy
.

She closed her eyes, feeling the car flying down the street, taking corners too fast, squealing through intersections, bouncing over curbs.
Tonight I choose Darcy … Darcy
.… The car skidded sideways, throwing her into the door. She tasted blood and saw that she'd bitten down on her finger.
He knows me … he knows my name … and I can't tell anyone or Liz will die
.…

And then another thought struck her, and she stiffened slowly, a knot twisting her stomach.

Could it be possible—fantastically possible—that Liz was still trying to scare her? That even now Liz could still be jealous and possessive enough to want to get back at her? And that maybe Liz's attack had been only random and coincidental, and she'd given Darcy the twisted message only to terrify her? Could Liz really be that vindictive?

“Stop the car,” Darcy mumbled.

“What?”

“Stop the car. I'm going to be sick.”

Jake slammed on the brake and reached across her, shoving open the door. As Darcy stumbled out she managed to make it to the curb and gag a few times before she realized there was nothing in her stomach to come up. And then, without planning to—she began to run. She didn't hear Jake shouting or the horn honking—she didn't hear anything until he tackled her, and they went sprawling down onto the sidewalk, and Jake clamped his hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her screams.

“What's the matter with you? Are you crazy?”

He sounded so angry now, and Darcy felt him shaking her, saw him glancing nervously around the deserted street.

“You picked one hell of a place to go nuts on me, you know that? This is probably the worst part of town! And shut up, will you? Get back in the car—”

“No! I want to stay here!”

“Oh, fine. That's just great!” Jake threw up his hands and looked totally disgusted. “It's a perfect night for staying out, with some maniac running loose. Or wait—I have a better idea. Let's just invite him to join us—that'll save him the trouble of finding you.”

“Finding me?” Darcy stared at him. “You said save him the trouble of finding me—”

“Well, why would I say finding
us?
” Jake broke in. “The guy isn't interested in men, or haven't you noticed?”

“I don't want to go—” Darcy broke off before she could add “home with you.”

“Well, you have to go,” Jake grumbled, hauling her to her feet. “I'm responsible for you, so I'm taking you home. What's the big deal anyway?”

“The big deal? Liz is practically dead, that's a pretty big—”

“Look—what happend tonight was bad, okay? But it could have happened to any girl out there alone after dark. Liz just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I don't believe that! I don't believe it was an accident!”

Jake's eyes narrowed. “Why not, Darcy?” he asked quietly. “Why wouldn't it be?”

She felt panic rising inside of her and tried to change the subject. “How did he get her inside? There were people around all day.”

“The cops think maybe through a basement window—there's one at the side of the building, and you can't see it from the street. There's a storeroom down there I never use anymore. He busted the lock and came upstairs. Nobody would have noticed anything 'cause that new section where he put her is closed off.”

“Then … why did he use the Dungeon?”

“How the hell should I know! Do I look like a criminologist?” He began to pace angrily back and forth. “The cops think he might have wanted to do something like this for a while. The Dungeon's well-known around here; they think it probably appealed to his sense of the macabre. Once Liz was unconscious, he dumped her in the grave and was probably going to finish her off when he got interrupted—”

“How?”

“By customers—by you—by Elliott—by anything!” Jake grabbed her arm. “Come on, get back in the car.”

“I don't want to go back there.”

“Look, any vampire with half a brain—and I might remind you that they're very cunning—wouldn't lurk around where we all expect him to lurk.” Jake gave a long-suffering sigh. “Now. Come on. Get in the car.”

“What if I don't?”

“What if I carry you?”

His tone convinced her he meant it. Miserably Darcy followed him back to the car and climbed in. When they finally reached home, she stood uncertainly in the middle of the living room while Jake carried sheets and pillows back and forth between his room and the attic.

“There.” He stood facing her, hands on hips, his expression grim. “You'll feel safer down here, and I've got everything switched. Is there anything else I can do to make you more comfortable?”

His tone was so thick with sarcasm that Darcy grimaced.

“I'm fine. Thanks.”

“So delighted to hear it.” After a long searching look he turned on his heel and went upstairs, and Darcy went into the bedroom and shut the door.

She couldn't sleep. Over and over Liz's terrified face drifted into her mind … the thin band of blood around her throat … her frightened warning.
I've got to tell someone.… I can't just pretend nothing's happened and wait to be killed. But what if it's only a trick … another lie? Do I spend the rest of my summer being terrified of my own shadow
…?

She slipped out of bed and pressed her ear to the door … opened it a crack … stepped out into the living room. From the attic she could hear the soft drone of Jake snoring. She curled up on the couch, put the phone in her lap, and dialed Brandon's number. By the last ring she remembered he was probably still out eating, but he answered just as she was hanging up.

“Brandon? Oh, I'm so glad you're home.” She was trying to whisper, holding her hand over the mouthpiece, glancing nervously toward the attic stairs.

“Darcy.” He sounded relieved. “Oh … hi … I thought maybe it was the hospital.”

“You did?” His reaction surprised her a little. “Why? Is Liz worse? Are you expecting a call?”

“No … I just …” He tried to laugh at himself. “Well, what I mean is, you never know. She could get worse. Or … the killer could try again.”

No, Brandon, you're wrong, it's not Liz he'll be after this time, it's me, only I can't tell you, because the whole thing might really be true
.…

“Darcy?”

“I'm sorry, what?” She snapped back with an effort, Liz's face whirling through her brain.

“I said are you okay? What's up?”

“Liz really loves you,” she said so unexpectedly that she stared at the phone in surprise.