Shiver (Night Roamers)

by Middleton, Kristen

  I nodded. “Sounds good, Sonny.”

  He looked at me. “You know, I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around the marina lately.”

  I shrugged. “I know. Now that school’s started and I’ve been working here at the diner, I haven’t had time to do much of anything else.”

  “Well, pity. I think Duncan was beginning to really like you.”

  I stared out the window, noticing in dismay that Duncan was standing in the parking lot talking to Celeste. She was sitting in her truck, wearing thick, dark sunglasses and a pouty expression. She must have sensed I was watching, because she turned towards me and smiled.

  It gave me the chills.

  “Nikki?”

  I looked at Sonny. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

  He chuckled. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

  “Nikki, one of your orders is up,” said Rosie, passing by the table. “Hey, Sonny.”

  “Hi, Rosie.”

  I left Sonny’s table and finished up my shift, thinking about Duncan and Celeste.

  What in the hell did she really want with him?

  Whatever it was, it made me nervous. I decided it was about time to hash everything out with Duncan, whether he liked it or not.

  Chapter Two

  “Where’s mom?” I asked, walking through the door. It was after ten o’clock and my arches were killing me. I took off my shoes and began rubbing the soles of my feet.

  Nathan was sitting on the couch eating a large bowl of cookie dough ice cream. “I think she’s at Caleb’s again,” he said between bites. “How’s the car running?”

  I shrugged. “It’s running, okay. It kind of hesitated when I started it tonight, though.”

  “Hmm… I’ll take a look at it tomorrow. It might just need an oil change.”

  My mom had graciously loaned me the money for a used Camaro she’d spotted in town last month, when I’d turned eighteen. It had needed some work but thankfully, Nathan knew enough about engines to make it drivable. With the rust and scratches, it wasn’t the most attractive vehicle, but it got me where I needed to go.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “You going out tonight?” he asked, standing up.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m too tired.”

  Plus, it wasn’t like I’d had made a lot of friends in school as of yet. There were a couple of girls I sat with at lunch, but after what happened last summer and the things going on with my mom, I still had a hard time getting close to anyone.

  “Okay, well I’m going out with Duncan and Celeste later. If you need anything, you have my cell phone.”

  My jaw dropped. “You’re actually hanging out with Celeste, too?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, she’s a nice girl. Plus, she has some really hot girlfriends.”

  I looked at him incredulously. “She’s a freakin’ vampire, Nathan! I can’t believe you don’t remember anything that happened last summer with Ethan. Celeste was involved with all of that, you know.”

  His face darkened. “Ethan was just a loser who wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You know, you’re starting to really scare me with all of this vampire talk, Nikki. Jesus, don’t you know how ridiculous you sound?”

  “Listen to me, Nathan! Celeste is dangerous and so are her friends. I wish you’d believe me.”

  He snorted. “The only thing dangerous about Celeste is her choice in clothes, which,” he said with a devilish grin, “is dangerously sexy.”

  “You’re so naïve,” I mumbled.

  He laughed. “For the love of God, Nikki! Celeste is Caleb’s daughter. You know, the sheriff; mom’s boyfriend? Jesus, we’re practically family now.”

  I scowled. “Don’t even go there. We are not family and never will be. Caleb and Celeste are both vampires, and the sooner you realize that, the safer we’ll all be.”

  He waved his hand in exasperation and started walking up the steps towards his bedroom. “I don’t have time for this. You obviously need help.”

  That hurt. My twin brother didn’t believe me, probably thought I was a total nutcase, and there was nothing I could do to persuade him otherwise. Feeling overwhelmingly defeated, I decided to take a shower and go to bed. I was tired, crabby, and totally on my own for the night. After grabbing an apple from the kitchen, I went upstairs to my bedroom and turned on the television. The news was on and the story being covered left me totally breathless.

  “Two teenaged girls’ bodies were discovered in the woods early this morning near Bearpaw Cove, a private beach located in southern Shore Lake,” said the young woman, standing outside of the Sheriff’s Department. “The girls, Ashley Caruthers and Jenny Friedley, both longtime friends and seniors at Shore Lake High School, were last seen by their parents shortly before nine o’clock Friday night. Although officials are not commenting on the condition of the bodies, foul play is suspected. Unfortunately, no other information is being released at this time. Back to you, Jim.”

  I stared at the screen in horror. Ashley and Jenny were two of the most popular girls in school. They also had a reputation for partying with college students and sneaking into trashy bars. Even with that, however, there was no doubt in my mind of what kind of evil befell them.

  Vampires.

  Nathan stuck his head into my room as I turned off the television. “Later, Twerp.”

  I looked at him, unable to form any words.

  His lips thinned. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  I cleared my throat. “Ashley Caruthers and Jenny Friedley were both found murdered,” I said, my voice hollow.

  He eyes widened. “You’re shitting me?”

  I shook my head and sat down on the bed. “Their bodies were found near Bearpaw Cove. They think it’s foul play.”

  “I wonder if Caleb will give us any more details,” he said, running a hand through his brown hair. “That’s just crazy. They seemed like nice girls, although I heard they liked to party pretty hard; must have caught up with them.”

  Nice wasn’t the word I’d used to describe Jenny. Ashley was friendly, enough, but Jenny was a total snob. Or, rather, she used to be.

  Nathan’s phone began to ring and he answered it. From the goofy grin on his face, I could tell it was a girl. He stepped out of my room to talk in private then returned after a few minutes.

  “Listen, I’ve gotta fly; you going to be okay?”

  I nodded.

  The truth was that I was more worried about him than anything. Hanging out with a vampire whose intentions were probably not in his best interests didn’t sit well with me. The only thing keeping me from going totally insane was Caleb’s promise to keep Nathan and my mom safe. I hoped that included being unharmed by Celeste.

  He walked over and planted a kiss on the top of my head. “Don’t let this thing drive you crazy,” he said. “Obviously, those two got themselves in over their heads with someone or something. Who knows, maybe they were into drugs?”

  My eyes narrowed. “Or maybe…”

  “Don’t even say it,” he interrupted.

  I folded my hands under my chest. “Why won’t you ever believe me?”

  He threw up his hands in exasperation. “Because there are no such things as monsters, werewolves, or vampires. You have to wake up. Whoever got to these girls is just some sick fuck that needs to be locked up. Hopefully, Caleb can stop whoever’s doing this shit before anything else happens.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Caleb, right.”

  “Caleb’s a good guy and you just keep ripping him to shreds. Look, I’m finished with this conversation. Keep the doors locked and call me if you need me.”

  “Fine,” I mumbled, looking away.

  Nathan stared at me like he wanted to shake some sense into me. In the end, he just left me alone to sulk.

  Chapter Three

  After I took a shower, I went downstairs to the den for something to read. With an entire library of books nestled in the pine cabinets, I had more than enough choices to help get my mind off
of my own horrific realities. As I went down the various rows, I came across a nonfiction book about vampires.

  “See, Nathan,” I muttered. “There is a book written about vampires. It’s even a nonfictional book.”

  I brought the book upstairs into my bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. As I began reading about Dracula or Vlad Tepes, a.k.a. “Vlad the Impaler”, my lids grew heavy and soon, I drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  “Nikki,” said Jenny. “Hurry up.”

  “I’m trying,” I said, following her into the dark club. I was wearing spiked heels and wobbled like a young doe. “Where’s Ashley?”

  Her eyes sparkled as she looked back at me. “She’s waiting for us.”

  “Where is everyone?” I called.

  “Hurry up, slow poke, they are waiting for us.”

  Everyone was waiting for us?

  I thought that was strange, but then so was the fact that I was wearing stilettos.

  “This way,” urged Jenny, still far ahead of me.

  We walked downstairs to a long hallway. At the end of it was a large door. Jenny pushed it open and I followed her inside.

  “What is this place?” I whispered.

  A group of people were gathered around something in the center of the room.

  “Let’s go,” said Jenny, pushing through the crowd while I hesitated. Something was wrong; I felt it in my gut.

  “Come on, Nikki!” called Jenny, disappearing.

  I swallowed my fear and pushed through the crowd. When I made it to the center, the blood rushed to my ears.

  “Hi,” said the girl lying naked on the bed. Her throat was cut and blood trickled down her neck.

  “Ashley?” I whispered in horror.

  She lifted her head, exposing more of her wound. “What do you think?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  She smiled dreamily. “Do you think he’ll like it?”

  I shook my head, confused. “Who?”

  “Him,” she said, looking behind me.

  I turned around and gasped in surprise as my eyes locked with the vampire’s. “Ethan?”

  ***

  A warm breath whispered into my ear, “Nikki…”

  I gasped and sat up, pulling my blankets around my shoulders. When I realized I’d been dreaming, I let out a shaky sigh and looked at my alarm clock.

  It was after two a.m.

  I stretched my legs and yawned, then got up to use the bathroom. When I was finished, I flicked off my lights and got back into bed, prepared to sleep until late in the morning. Just as I was drifting off, I heard a soft thump. When I opened my eyes, a shadow moved across my balcony.

  Oh, my God!

  I leaped out of bed and raced out of my bedroom, hysterical with terror. As I rushed downstairs to grab a knife or something to defend myself, the front door opened and Nathan walked in with Celeste.

  “Nathan!” I choked. “Thank God you’re home!’

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, moving towards me, his eyes full of concern.

  “Someone was on my balcony!” I said, pointing upstairs.

  Before I could stop him, Nathan bounded up the stairs to investigate.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing,” said Celeste, a small smile on her face.

  I glared at her. “It’s probably one of your bloodsucking friends. Why don’t you go and help him!”

  She looked at me with amusement. “My…my…my… I see someone’s a little paranoid.”

  I glared at her. “Paranoid? Everyone in town should be paranoid. Those girls murdered Friday night should have been paranoid.”

  She ran a hand through her long red hair and sighed. “I assure you, Nikki, I had nothing to do with that.”

  I snorted. “Oh, well, if you say so.”

  We stared at each other for a few seconds and then she frowned. “What is your problem anyway?”

  “You are my problem, you and your entire band of bloodthirsty monsters.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re so melodramatic.”

  “Nikki, there isn’t anyone up there,” interrupted Nathan, as he walked back down the steps. “It was probably a bat or even an owl. We live near the woods, remember?”

  I knew it was pointless arguing with him, so I went into the kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife.

  “What in the hell are you going to do with that?” he asked as I hurried back into the great room.

  “Protect myself, what else?”

  He shook his head and turned to Celeste. “See what I mean?”

  “Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?” I snapped.

  She licked her lips. “Oh, he was just telling me that …”

  “That you’re delusional,” smirked Nathan.

  I scowled at him. “That’s not funny.”

  “Jesus, I was just kidding. You’re no fun at all these days,” he sighed. “Listen, I’m going to throw in a pizza, would either of you like some?”

  Both of us declined.

  “Okay, suit yourselves. I’ll be right back, Celeste. Make yourself at home,” he said, heading towards the kitchen.

  I turned to her. “What’s wrong, don’t enjoy your food cooked?”

  She smiled. “Of course I do. I’m just not in the mood for… pizza.”

  The way she looked at me gave me the chills. I sat down in the club chair across the room and studied her, trying to decide what she wanted with my brother. With her long, red hair, perfect complexion, and soft curves, I could certainly understand why he was attracted to her, but what was she doing with him? What did she really want?

  “So,” I said, changing the subject. “If you weren’t responsible for those girls the other night, who do you think was?”

  She sighed and sat down in the leather sectional. “Truthfully, I don’t really know.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “What, there’s a rogue vampire in your midst?”

  She shrugged and then studied her nails, which were long and painted blood-red.

  Go figure.

  “Great, a crazy rogue vampire,” I huffed.

  She rolled her eyes. “Vampire, such a droll term for us; we prefer to be called ‘Roamers’ or even ‘Travelers.’”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Travelers? Does that mean you’ll be leaving soon?”

  “Mm… yeah, probably. We don’t like to stay in one place for too long.”

  Thank God.

  “Why are you leaving this time, to avoid suspicion?”

  She smiled wickedly. “Let’s just say my brethren get bored with their menus very easily.”

  I shuddered. “That sounds so cold and heartless. We aren’t animals.”

  “Sorry, it’s just the way it is. The guys like a little variety and when things get stagnant, they just want to pick up and leave. I’m just along for the ride. I couldn’t care less if we stayed or left. Food doesn’t taste any different here than it does in another state.”

  “You’re nothing but coldblooded murderers,” I said, gripping the arms of the chair. I couldn’t believe how impassive she was when talking about murder.

  “Call us what you want. Just like you, we eat to live. It’s not our fault that humans possess the nutrients we need to survive. Like I told you once before, survival of the fittest.”

  “But it’s insane! How about getting blood from a blood bank or something? Or farming your own animals?”

  She grinned. “Why do all the work in farming when our preferred animals can raise and feed themselves?”

  I stood up and raised my knife, pointing it towards her. “Okay, what the hell do you really want with my brother?”

  Celeste smiled at the way my hand shook, wielding the weapon. “I like him. He’s cute, funny, and has a wonderful…scent.”

  I was now in such a rage that I could barely speak. “Get the hell out of my house,” I demanded.

  “Oh, hell, I’m just giving you shit,” she giggled, clapping her hands. “Holy, shit, you should
see your face!”

  I stared at her incredulously. “Oh, you seriously think this is funny?”

  “A little,” she answered, brushing away a piece of lint from her short, black skirt. “Listen, your family has nothing to fear from me or my father. The other boys, well, I can’t really speak for them. But I like Nathan and my father obviously adores your mother, so just chill out, Nikki.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t trust you, Caleb, or any of your so-called ‘Roamers.’ Obviously, one of them is responsible for killing those girls.”

  “No, I don’t think so. In fact, I have my own suspicions.”

  “What would that be?”

  She leaned forward and murmured. “It’s possible that Ethan is back.”

  That threw me off guard. I stared at her in shock.

  “Did you hear me?” she asked.

  “You think it was Ethan?” I whispered, touching my throat.

  Celeste smiled. “Ah…so that excites you.”

  I scowled. “I’m not excited about Ethan in the least. He almost killed me before he left.”

  She waved her hand. “Oh, if Ethan wanted to kill you, he would have.”

  The possibility that Ethan had returned to Shore Lake stirred up emotions I didn’t want to visit – ever again. I swallowed. “So, um why do you think Ethan might be involved?”

  She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Revenge, of course. I mean, Caleb shot him. He’s probably pissed as all hell and trying to create problems for my father now.”

  “But to kill those girls just to get back at your dad? Ethan told me he wasn’t a murderer.”

  She looked at me incredulously. “And you trust him? I thought you didn’t trust any Roamers?”

  I ignored her question. “You know him better than I do. Would he lie to me?” I asked warily.

  She raised an eyebrow. “You’re really asking me?”

  I sighed. “I don’t really know who or what to believe anymore.”

  She stood up and walked over to the fireplace mantle. She picked up a photo of my brother and me. “If I were you,” she said, putting the photo back and turning to me. “I wouldn’t trust anyone, either; especially Ethan.”