Ashley stood in the driveway and suddenly smacked a mosquito on the back of her neck, looking at its crushed body on her palm and becoming grossed out. "Ew!" she cried. "Oh, why did we have to come here tonight?" she whined. "Tyler, I'll hate you forever!"
Tyler just grinned.
Jess smiled. "Ash, never change."
"What?" Ashley said, confused.
When Jess was locked in place, they closed the doors, and the last view she had was of those she cared about the most, waving and barking goodbye.
In that moment, despite it all, she was happy. And even more, she was happy to get some sleep.
A New Leaf
"Cannonball!"
Jess and Ashley stood in the pool, bracing for impact, cringing and squeezing their eyes shut.
Tyler took a run up to the edge of the pool, but then he slowed to a stop, holding his leg over the edge jokingly.
The girls cautiously opened their eyes.
"Ah, I'm just kidding," he said. "I'd never splash you girls."
Ashley scoffed. "Yeah right!" She skimmed some water off the surface with her hand and splashed him.
"Hey!" he cried, bending his knee so his foot could skim through the water and counterattack.
They traded a few blows, then they quickly settled down, and Tyler calmly slipped into the water with them.
Buddy ran around the backyard, cheerfully chasing a butterfly and barking at it.
The summer was drawing to a close, and Jess was reminded of this same scenario just a few months before when the three of them had talked about where they were going to college and how scary her thoughts of them splitting up or drifting apart were. Now she didn't seem to have that worry anymore, her insecurities fading away with Bloodmoon House in the back window of the ambulance.
She had some surgery on her leg to remove the bullet that her uncle had shot her with, and everything proceeded smoothly and she was well on the mend. When it was all through, they told her all that would be left was a tiny scar that she wouldn't even notice.
Her parents hadn't really been mad at her for doing something as stupid as going up and staying the night in that house; mostly, they were just worried about her well-being at the time, and they were more grateful than anything that she was safe. Jess was thankful for it, and now she understood the wisdom of why her parents wanted to cut ties with her uncle. Frolicking around in the pool now, it all seemed like a hazy dream... one that she wasn't keen to revisit ever again.
"So I talked to the college and they managed to switch my major," Ashley said.
Jess looked at her in surprise. "What now?"
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not going anywhere. If anything, my building's gonna be a lot closer to yours. And that's the other thing..."
"What?" Jess said cautiously, a mischievous smile coming over her face in response to the one on Ashley's.
"I talked to my parents, and they managed to get me into the same rez as you."
"Really?" Jess asked, ecstatic.
"Different floors still, but close enough."
"What are you taking?" Jess asked.
"I've decided chemistry's not for me. I never wanted to take it in the first place; that was just something my parents forced me into so I could get a good job. But after all we've been through, it's put some things into perspective, and I realized I want to pursue my passion."
"Hooker?" Tyler said.
Ashley's countenance twisted and she flicked water in his face. She turned her attention back to Jess as he squinted and tried to wipe the moisture out of his eyes. "I'm gonna take a business major," Ashley said. "I wanna take my love of cooking and turn it into a career. But I talked to my parents about it and they urged me to look at it from a more business-oriented perspective. So instead of just being a cook, I want to be an entrepreneur. Still not sure exactly what I'll do. Maybe I'll open a franchise of restaurants, or make my own food products for grocery stores. But I have to say, I'm more excited about this than I've ever been before."
"That's great, Ash," Jess said.
"And with you taking psych, we'll be able to see each other every day and hang out all the time!" Ashley said warmly. She glanced at Tyler. "What about you, Bozo? You're really not coming with us anymore?"
"Nah," he said. "I was talking to my mom about it, and we just couldn't swing the price. So rather than going into a bunch of debt, I'm just going to do a welder apprenticeship here in the state. My cousin hooked me up with a job at his company. I'd rather take a regular job than do a bunch of schoolwork, anyway."
"So you're not going to be up there, bugging us every day?" Ashley asked.
"Oh, of course I will," he said, putting his arm around Jess's shoulders. He kissed her on the cheek, and she turned and planted one on his lips.
"Oh, get a room you two," Ashley complained.
"We got one," Tyler replied. "Three floors up from you. Come visit us anytime."
Ashley's face turned sour at the suggestion, but Tyler was happy with the outcome. Normally he wouldn't in a million years have wanted to leave Jess's side—and Ashley's for that matter, despite how much she annoyed him sometimes; he had always been afraid of abandonment after his father left him and his mother, but after everything they'd been through in Bloodmoon House, he felt like he learned and grew a lot, and he didn't need to have everyone around him at every moment of the day anymore. He knew that his long-distance relationship with Jess was going to be a little tough at times, but he was ready for it, and so was she.
"And of course I'm taking this guy," Jess said as Buddy trotted up to the edge of the pool, holding a blue rubber ball in his mouth. "He's my number one man." She smiled and patted his body.
"Hey!" Tyler said indignantly.
Jess looked at him. "Sorry babe, you'll always be number two with him."
"Figures," he said, taking the ball out of Buddy's mouth and tossing it across the yard.
Buddy turned and ran for it, snatching up the ball in his mouth and rolling over on the grass, his legs swimming in the air as he happily chewed on his toy.
The three of them splashed around in the water, enjoying the rest of their summer while it lasted. They spoke more about their plans and each wistfully thought of their future. And for the first time, all of them were perfectly content and excited for what was to come.
And they all knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they now shared a bond that would never be broken.
THE END
Thank you for reading! Want to know how Roy survived the first blood moon incident? Click here to download Before the Blood Moon, a FREE story, to find out!
Afterword
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About the Author
Jeff DeGordick is a horror and post-apocalyptic novelist currently living in southern Ontario, Canada. Writing stories was his first passion as a child, but he's also had forays into testing and designing video games for a living, and a very brief career as a cook.
He began writing in 1994 at age seven, embarking on a long journey of spinning strange and scary tales, penning many short stories and partial novels as a hobby.
He is also the author of the Zombie Apocalypse Series and he's currently writing many more creepy tales!
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The Haunting of Bloodmoon House Page 25
