William had not come.
The weather was very cold, so I figured I had better start walking. Charisse's house was in the opposite direction from mine, but it was only about a fifteen minute walk from the school. I started off slowly, looking back over my shoulder every few moments to see if William had suddenly shown up in the schoolyard. He did not appear.
I forced myself to walk more quickly—I was anxious to see Charisse to make sure that she was okay. I told myself that it really wasn't so terrible that William hadn't shown up—he'd probably had something important to do. There were, after all, two vampires in town.
But, at the same time, William always did what he said he would do—and he'd never failed to meet me before. I tried again to convince myself that his absence didn't mean anything, but my uneasiness kept growing.
I had a feeling something wasn't right.
I pushed myself to move faster, and eventually I broke into a run. By the time I reached Charisse's house, I was actually pretty warm, and the exertion had made me feel a little less anxious. I saw with relief that Charisse's car was parked in the street just in front of the house. So Charisse was home. Maybe she'd been sick and just hadn't felt well enough to answer the phone.
I walked up to the house and pulled the screen door open. I was just raising my hand to knock on the wooden door behind it when I realized that the door was already open. I pushed on it gingerly, and it swung open a few more inches.
"Charisse?" I said. "Mrs. Graebel?"
There was no answer, and I nudged the door open a little more and peered inside. The small foyer was empty. I could see into the living room and dining room—both were dark and unoccupied. The house had a profoundly still feeling, as if no one were home. I glanced back at Charisse's car. Surely she was home if her car was. Of course, I couldn't see into the garage, so maybe Charisse had been driven somewhere by her mother. I figured I should lock the door properly and then pull it shut.
I stepped inside and turned the lock on the doorknob.
"Katie," came a soft whisper.
I looked up. The sound seemed to have come from a darkened hall off the foyer.
I'd just decided that I'd imagined the sound when the whisper came again.
"Katie."
This time I was sure—the sound had definitely come from the darkened hall.
"Charisse?" I said.
"Katie, help me," said the whisper.
I hurried forward and switched on the light in the hall. The hall was empty, and several dark doorways opened off of it on either side.
"Katie," said the whisper again.
I walked down the hallway, glancing into each one of the doorways. "Charisse, where are you?"
I reached the end of the hallway, and I was faced with a set of stairs and another dark doorway. I knew the stairs led up to the bedrooms. The dark doorway led down to the basement.
"Katie, down here." The voice was a little louder.
I was struck by a horrible thought. What if Charisse had fallen down the basement stairs and hurt herself? What if she'd been lying there all day while we were all at school wondering about her?
The basement door was standing open, and I reached for the light switch on the wall. The light overhead blazed to life, illuminating bare white walls and a set of wooden stairs.
"Charisse, are you down there?" I asked. "Are you okay?"
"Katie, help me," said a soft voice.
I hurried down the stairs.
"Charisse, where are you?" I said. "Help me to find you."
I heard a soft rustle and glanced around sharply. There was a curtain near the stairs that partitioned off a small room where I knew Mrs. Graebel had a large freezer and several shelves full of cans and other nonperishable goods.
The rustling came again. The sound seemed to be coming from behind the curtain.
I pushed the curtain aside, and I reached up for a slim chain that hung down from a naked light bulb that was mounted on the ceiling. The light clicked on, and I could see a large pair of shoes sticking out past the edge of the freezer.
The shoes were clearly too big to be Charisse's, and I hurried forward. Branden was lying on the floor next to the freezer, his eyes closed, and his arms arranged in an X across his chest. Charisse was lying next to him, arranged in the same position. Charisse's mother was lying next to Charisse.
Quickly I dropped to the floor to examine them. Their hearts were beating steadily, and they were all breathing comfortably. I gave each one of them a shake and called out their names, but none of them stirred. They were clearly deeply unconscious, and I had a feeling that they had been that way for quite some time. Who then had called my name? Who had made the rustling sound?
I stood up. I took a few steps backward, and as I did so, I stumbled against a solid body.
I turned. Joshua Martin was standing behind me.
"Joshua, you're here just in time." I realized I was shaking. "Something's happened to Charisse, Branden, and Mrs. Graebel. We've got to help them.
"They're okay," Joshua replied calmly.
I stepped aside. "Have you seen them? Maybe you didn't notice that everybody's unconscious."
"They're all right," Joshua said. His composure was unnerving and somehow out of place.
I started to feel strangely light-headed.
"Do you know what happened to them?" I asked.
"They're sleeping. Like I said, they're all right."
"How did they all fall asleep? All at the same time? All in the basement?"
Joshua gave me his boyish smile. "I did this. I have certain—talents."
I stepped backwards—away from him. My hand brushed against the metal shelving that held all of the canned goods.
Joshua was between me and the curtain that led to the stairs.
"You said you'd never hurt Charisse or her mother," I said. "I heard you say that only yesterday."
"They're okay. I'm not after them. I'm after you."
"Me?"
Joshua flashed his boyish smile again. "Yes, you. There's a price on your head. And I intend to collect."
I was startled. Innokenti had said there was a price on my head—but there was no way Joshua Martin could know about that.
"I'm just a high school student," I said. "No one would be interested in me."
Joshua tilted his head on one side and gave me a look as if I were missing something obvious. "No one human."
I felt a stab of fear run through me. "You're a vampire?"
Once more, Joshua smiled.
"Are you with Anton and Innokenti?" It was hard for me to force the words out.
"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting them, but it doesn't surprise me that there are others. The reward for catching you is a very attractive one."
"What is it? Who's after me? Why would someone offer a reward for me?"
"You're starting to sound hysterical now," Joshua said. "There's no need for you to be afraid."
He held out his hand. "Just come with me."
I tried frantically to think of something to say that would get rid of him, but my mind refused to work. My body was as frozen as my mind. I wanted to run for the curtain, but I couldn't make myself move.
"I see you eyeing the doorway there." Joshua's tone was pleasant. "You know you won't make it, right? It's much easier if you just come with me."
Don't listen to him, cried a voice in my head. Block him out. Do something.
Anything.
"Now, I see you're still hesitating to come with me. Let me explain the situation. I've planned this all out—and you'll understand that it's in your best interests just to come with me. Do you watch any sports?"
"What do mean?" I asked. Don't listen to him, cried the voice in my head. Don't answer him.
"Basketball? Football? Hockey?"
"Sometimes, I guess."
"Well, then, you know." Joshua sounded pleased, approving. "There are two ways you can play just about any sport. You can be a power player or a f
inesse player. Do you understand the distinction?"
"Yes," I said, though I was unwilling to answer the question. I just couldn't stop myself somehow.
"I knew you'd know," Joshua said. "Me, I'm a finesse guy. I use skill rather than force. That's why I came to your friend's house to find you. You see, if I'd been seen hanging around your house, and you went missing, I'd be a suspect. But if I spend time at your friend's house, and you go missing now, no one will even think to look at me. Who's going to make the connection? I'm willing to bet that no one even knows you're over here. Am I right?"
"That's not true," I blurted out. "My grandmother knows I stopped by. If I don't come home soon, she'll be right over here."
The corners of Joshua's eyes crinkled. "You're lying. That's why I'm so good at the finesse game. I'm really good at reading faces. You're trapped, and you can't get away from me. That's why it's best if you just come with me."
I felt panic well up within me, and I forced myself to move. I reached behind me and grabbed a can. I threw it.
The can hit Joshua squarely in the face. I threw another and another.
Anger flashed in Joshua's eyes. "Katie, I'm really going to have to ask you to stop that."
I threw more cans, and then I heaved a bottle of some kind of oil at him. He reached out to catch the bottle, and he grabbed it out of the air with such force that it burst, dowsing him in oil.
He lunged for me then, and in a panic, I grabbed onto the shelves. I tugged on them as hard as I could, and the shelving tipped forward. As Joshua reached me, I pulled the whole structure down toward us. I managed to scramble out of the way, but Joshua was caught by the full weight of the shelves.
I ran for the stairs.
I had just reached the top when something like an iron band wrapped around my ankle and pulled my feet out from under me. I fell to the floor heavily, and I cried out in pain.
"Hello? Who's there?" A voice floated down the hall to me. "Is that you, Charisse?"
"In here!" I screamed. "In the basement! Help me!"
Footsteps hurried down the hall, and I soon saw a familiar face.
"Simon!" I cried. "Simon!"
Simon rushed forward and grabbed at my hands. As he did so, a large, dark shape vaulted over my head and hit Simon in the chest.
Joshua and Simon rolled down the hall.
I scrambled to my feet and ran after them, my mind racing. Holy water, garlic, sunlight—all no use. That left wood or fire. And fire was best.
The two of them stopped rolling, and Simon stared, dazed, into his attacker's face. "It's Joshua, right? What are you doing?"
In lieu of an answer, Joshua stood, picked Simon up, and threw him against the far wall in the living room. Then he turned toward me. I ran toward a small table and picked up the lamp that rested on it. I threw the lamp at him, but the electrical cord pulled taut and the lamp smashed harmlessly on the floor. I threw the table at him next, and Joshua hit it, splintering it into pieces.
"Leave her alone!" Simon shouted.
He jumped up and caught Joshua by the shoulders and spun him around. Simon punched Joshua solidly in the stomach, and then in the face. Joshua simply smiled, baring his sharp teeth.
Simon took a step back in shock.
"Fire or wood!" I cried. "We've got to use fire or wood to stop him. But fire is best!"
Before Simon could react, Joshua lifted him up and threw him against the wall again.
I picked up a vase and smashed it against Joshua's head. Then I hit him with a big pillar candle.
"I found a lighter," Simon cried.
Joshua ignored him and kept coming for me. I pulled a picture off the wall and broke it over his head. The glass splintered and left jagged cuts all over his face. The frame itself rattled around his neck.
Joshua grabbed me by the throat, and I clawed desperately at his hands.
"I did try to do this nicely," he said.
Joshua's thumb pressed firmly against a spot on my throat. My vision began to swim, and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. Suddenly there was a flash of metal, and a heavy kitchen knife slashed across Joshua's wrist. With a cry of rage, he let me go.
As I fell to the floor, I thought I saw fire leaping up in front of me. A moment later, Simon wrapped a burning coat around Joshua and heaved him into an even brighter blaze.
Simon hauled me to my feet. "Come on, Katie, we've got to get out of here."
As Simon dragged me toward the door, Joshua pushed ahead of us and ran outside, his entire body engulfed in flames.
We followed him outside.
Joshua's blazing figure soon vanished, but his screams continued to echo in my ears even after he had disappeared from my sight.
Chapter 7.
"Are you okay?"
Simon had asked me that question about ten times so far. We were sitting in plastic chairs in the emergency room, waiting to be seen. We had already talked to the police, and the fire department had put out the fire at the house. Charisse, Branden, and Mrs. Graebel had been removed from the house, and they were currently resting in rooms in another part of the hospital.
I smiled at Simon, who was without his coat, and tried to sound reassuring. "I'm fine, really."
"You're sure?"
"Yes," I said. "Are you okay? You had a really rough time back there, and your hands don't look so good."
Simon glanced down at his hands. "The burns are pretty superficial. I'll be fine."
He reached out then and touched my neck gingerly. "Those bruises look bad."
"My neck's a little sore," I said. "But I'm still breathing. Thanks to you."
Simon frowned. "You know, oddly enough, I don't think Joshua was trying to kill you—at least not right away. I think he was just trying to put you out. If you press on that group of blood vessels there, you can induce unconsciousness. I think that's what he was trying to do."
I shivered. "He may not have been trying to kill me, but I can't imagine that what he had planned would have been any good for my health. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up when you did. I'm really lucky you were there."
"Yeah, well, I was there because of you. I knew Branden had gone over to Charisse's house, and when you asked if he was planning to call, and I had to admit that he wasn't, I figured that I'd better go over and check things out myself. And I'm really glad I did."
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to take any of the credit for that," I said. "This all belongs to you. No one would ever have seen me again if you hadn't shown up. You saved my life. You're a hero. You'll have to accept that."
Simon smiled and looked down at his hands again. As he did so, his smile faded. "Do you think Joshua is okay? I had to stop him, but I didn't want to hurt him seriously. Burns can be dangerous, even fatal, and if he knows the police are after him, he may not—"
I interrupted him. "Joshua will be fine. Trust me. His wounds will heal quickly. He's not a normal person."
Simon looked at me sharply. "He wasn't normal, was he? I hit him, and he just stared at me. And his strength. He threw me around like a rag doll. It was like nothing could stop him. That's why I did what I did after you said to use fire. I found a lighter and lighter fluid in the kitchen, and I just reacted."
He paused.
"How did you know fire would work on him?"
I took a deep breath. I wanted to tell Simon the truth, but I doubted he would believe it. I stared at the floor and tried to think of what to say.
"Katie?" Simon prompted.
"Did you happen to notice his teeth?" I asked.
"Yeah. They were super sharp."
I gave Simon a significant stare.
"And you said to use wood or fire against him," Simon said slowly. "Wood as in a wooden stake."
Simon ran a hand over his hair. "You think Joshua's a vampire."
I made no reply, and Simon sighed heavily.
"You know, Katie, your imagination has really begun to run riot ove
r the last few months."
I was glad now that I hadn't said anything outright. Even allowing Simon to work things out for himself hadn't convinced him. He couldn't even trust the evidence of his own senses.
But Simon wasn't finished. "Katie, there are people—weird people—but regular human beings nonetheless, who get their teeth filed down to give them a vampiric appearance. Sometimes there are perfectly normal explanations for things that seem out of the ordinary."
"Then what about his strength? How do you explain that away?" I asked. I couldn't help pointing that out, though I doubted it would do any good. "You said yourself that he was unstoppable. And you were right—no normal measure would have stopped him. And how did he put three people into a trance? You saw them when they were carried out—that wasn't normal."
"Katie, it's possible to drug people. Don't make this out to be more than it is."
"But you did notice he wasn't normal—you just said that."
Simon shrugged. "Maybe that was drugs, too. I've heard people can do crazy things when they're whacked out. I've heard sometimes bullets won't stop them."
He gave me a serious look. "Please don't mention vampires to the doctor. I don't want you to get committed."
I sat back in my chair. Every time Simon seemed about ready to listen, he pulled back. I supposed I couldn't really blame him. I had been forced by circumstances to accept a lot of unusual things. Simon simply hadn't seen all that I had seen.
Not long after, Simon and I were both called to be examined, and we were swept into separate curtained-off compartments.
I had some cuts and bruises, but basically I was fine. I could hear Simon's doctor talking to him and asking him questions. Simon had some burns that needed to be treated, and the doctor warned him to be alert for signs of concussion, but I was relieved to hear the doctor say that once he had spoken to Simon's parents that Simon would be free to go.
Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series) Page 10
