by Darren Shan
I tucked Debbie in under the fresh covers. There was a tiny scar near her left ankle, where Mr. Crepsley had drawn blood earlier. He'd needed the blood to smear on the goat, in order to mislead Murlough's sense of smell.
I looked up at the vampire. "You did well tonight," I said quietly. "Thanks."
He smiled. "I did what had to be done. It was your plan. I should be the one offering the thanks, were it not for the fact that you got in the way when I first had him in my sights. In my eyes, that makes us even, so neither need thank the other."
"What will happen when the vampaneze find out we killed him?" I asked. "Will they come after us?"
Mr. Crepsley sighed. "With luck, they will not find the body. If they do, I hope they will be unable to trace him to us."
"But if they do?" I pressed him for an answer.
"Then they will hunt us to the ends of the Earth," he said. "And they will kill us. We would not stand a chance. They would come in their dozens and the Generals would not assist us."
"Oh," I said. "I wish I hadn't asked."
"Would you rather I'd lied?"
I shook my head. "No. No more lies." I smiled. "But I think it'll be for the best if we don't tell Evra. What he doesn't know can't worry him. Besides, he's mad enough at me as it is. He thought I was really going to trade Debbie's life for his. He's furious."
"He will calm down when the facts are explained," Mr. Crepsley said confidently. "Now — shall we go and get him?"
I hesitated and looked down at Debbie. "Can I have a couple of minutes to myself?" I asked.
"Of course," Mr. Crepsley said. "But do not delay: dawn approaches and I do not wish to spend tomorrow trapped in those godforsaken tunnels. I will be downstairs." He departed.
I checked my watch. Nearly four in the morning. That meant this was the twenty-fifth of December. Christmas Day.
I worked quickly. I placed the bare Christmas tree to one side of Debbie's bed, opened the box of decorations, and covered the tree with glittering balls, tiny figures, streams of tinsel, and twinkling lights. When I finished, I turned Debbie so that she was facing toward the tree. It would be the first thing she'd see when she opened her eyes in the morning.
I felt bad about leaving without saying good-bye. This way, I hoped to make it up to her. When she woke and saw the tree, she'd know I hadn't slipped away thoughtlessly. She'd know I'd been thinking of her, and hopefully wouldn't hold my sudden disappearance against me.
I stood over her a few seconds, studying her face. This would almost certainly be the last time I'd ever see her. She looked so sweet, lying there asleep. I was tempted to find a camera and take a photo, but I didn't need to — this was one picture I'd always be able to remember in perfect detail. It would join those of my parents, my sister, Sam — cherished faces that would never fade in the mental galleries of my memory.
Leaning forward, I kissed her forehead and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Merry Christmas, Debbie," I said quietly, then turned and left — and went to rescue Evra.
TO BE CONTINUED…
* * *
The horror continues —
For the next part in the chilling saga of Darren Shan, read on —
VAMPIRE MOUNTAIN
The bear meant to kill me — there was no doubt about that — and it would have, if it hadn't been for the wolf pup, who leaped courageously from the tree. It landed on top of the bear's head, momentarily blinding it.
The bear roared and swiped at it with a huge paw. The pup bit one of its ears, and the bear roared again, this time with pain. Then, shaking its head viciously from side to side, it sent the pup flying into a nearby bush.
The bear resumed its attack on me once it had gotten rid of the wolf pup, but in the time the pup had gained, I'd ducked around the tree and started running for the cave as fast as I could. The bear lurched after me, realized I was too fast for it, roared angrily, then turned on the young wolf once more.
I stopped when I heard the pup's frightened yapping. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the pup had made it back up the tree, the bark of which the bear was now ripping to pieces with its claws in an attempt to reach him. Although the pup was in no immediate danger, I knew that sooner or later he'd slip or the bear would shake him down, and that would be the end of him.
I paused no more than a second, deciding whether to run ahead to the safety of the cave or go back and risk my life trying to save the pup. Then I turned, picked up a rock and the thickest stick I could find, and sped back.
The bear let go of the tree when it saw me coming, dropped to its hind legs, and prepared to meet my challenge. It was a burly beast, maybe six feet high, with black fur, a white quarter-moon mark spread across its chest, and a whitish face. Foam flecked its jaws, and its eyes were wild, like they were touched by insanity. Maybe it had rabies!
I stopped several feet in front of the bear and whacked the ground with my stick. The bear snarled and advanced. I glanced up at the pup, hoping he'd have enough sense to slink down the tree and sprint to the cave, but he stayed where he was.
The bear swiped at me, but I ducked easily out of the way of its massive paw. Rearing up on its hind legs, it fell upon me, hoping to crush me with the weight of its huge body. I avoided the beast again, but it was a closer call this time. I knew that if this went on much longer, it would make contact in the end — fatal contact.
I was thrusting the end of the stick at the bear's face, aiming at its eyes, when the two she-wolves rushed onto the scene and threw themselves at the beast. They must have heard the pup's cry and come to investigate.
The bear howled as one of the wolves bit deep into its shoulder, while the other attached herself to its rear legs, tearing at them with her teeth and claws. The bear shook off one wolf and bent to deal with the other, and at that moment I darted in with my stick and jabbed at its left ear.
I must have hurt the beast, because it lost interest in the wolves and hurled itself at me once again. I ducked out of the way of its body, but one of its massive forelegs connected with the side of my head and I fell to the ground, dazed.
The bear rolled to its feet and headed toward me, scattering the wolves with quick swipes. I scrambled backward, but not fast enough. Suddenly, the bear was above me, its crescent-shaped mark looking bizarrely similar to the moon shining overhead.
It reared up on its hind legs again, roaring triumphantly. It had me exactly where it wanted. I slammed the stick against its stomach, then hurled the rock at it, but the bear took no notice of such small blows. Seething, it started to fall…
… Which was when the two Little People barreled into its back and knocked it off balance. They must have followed the wolves, and their timing couldn't have been better as far as I was concerned.
The bear must have thought the entire world was conspiring against it. Every time it had me in its sights, something new got in the way. Roaring as loud as it could at the Little People, it charged at them wildly. The one with the limp stepped out of its way, but the other got trapped beneath it.
The Little Person raised his short arms and jammed them against the bear's torso, trying to shove it to one side. He was strong, and for a second I thought he would succeed. But not even a vampire would have stood a chance against such a massive enemy, and the bear came crashing down on top of the Little Person, driving him to the ground.
There was a horrible crunching sound, and as the bear got to its feet, I saw the Little Person lying in pieces, all bloody and broken, with bones jutting out of his body — he looked like a squashed porcupine. The huge animal lifted its head and roared ferociously at the sky, then fixed its hungry eyes on me. Dropping on all fours, the bear advanced…
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