Chapter 34: 34

“I’m sorry,” I told Lee. 

Her frustration was immeasurable. “You promised. Right after school you’d come over and we’d power through the rest of our preparations.”

“I know, I know.” I did feel bad about ditching her, no matter how brief it was. “I’ll be quick, I’ve just got a few things I’ve got to do.

The bus swayed. We felt much more cramped as Sierra, Elias and Christian were all crammed into the surrounding seats with us so our normal space felt much tighter.

Lee scowled. “As long as its not too long,” she agreed. She wasn’t happy about it.

I looked at Sierra, “You can get to my photos through the cloud.”

She nodded, though she had an anxious expression on her face.

When the bus finally stopped at the end of the street, we all piled out and started the short trek back to Lee’s house, where I parted ways with the group. I felt their eyes on me the entire way home. Despite the temptation, I couldn’t justcut through the woods to the asylum, I had to go home first. I took the opportunity to use the bathroom and grab Scar’s hoodie before sneaking out the back of the house. Mike was still at the deli, working the day away. I looked down where Lee’s house was half the cul-de-sac down but none of her windows were visible from this angle, which meant I wasn’t visible to them either.

I snuck to the wood’s edge. Looked again, saw only a thin sliver of a basement window and proceeded up to the asylum. It was chilly and goosebumps rose on my arms and legs despite being covered. I was eager to get inside the shelter of the asylum.

When I got up to its clearing I looked around the grounds first. The yellow tape and police officers were long gone but the detritus remained, glass glittering and a concerning amount of food litter from when the cops were patrolling day and night.

I swallowed. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone here. I wasn’t even sure anyone officially ‘owned’ this building at this point. 

“Scarlet?” I asked into the breeze.

Silence followed. 

A sour taste started to well up in my throat and I tried to control the trembling in my hands.

I crept to the main entrance I’d used the previous times. The door was pushed open a ways. I slid in, feeling like I shouldn’t touch anything. I was technically trespassing, and I didn’t want to be caught so soon after avoiding the previous trespassing charge.

The wind whistled through the halls. I looked down both ways, aware there could potentially be another security guard patrolling.

I heard and saw nothing.

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“Scarlet?” I asked again, feeling a little more courageous. There was a weird mix of good and bad memories here. I took the same route toward the maintenance room I’d memorized so long ago. How many times had I walked through here just as terrified? And how many times had I done it eager to see Scarlet.

I flushed despite my anxiety. I hoped she wasn’t too aware of just how much of a crush I had on her. Then again, hadn’t she been reciprocating my feelings?

I clapped my hands together, snapping myself back into the here and now. There was enough going on, I couldn’t justify letting myself get sucked into some catastrophizing.

I slung Scarlet’s hoodie over my shoulder so I could grip the banister tightly as I charged down the stairs to the basement.

I stopped at the end of the hallway.

It had always been dark and empty looking, but I didn’t need to call her name to know she wasn’t here. There was no reason for her not to come to me at this point.

My breath quickened.

“Scarlet?” I called, knowing only silence would answer. Finally, I gave up on the basement. Perhaps she was hanging out somewhere else in the building. I didn’t know. Surely, she was fine. What human could hurt a vampire after all? Not one that hadn’t specialized in it and Scarlet hadn’t mentioned there was anybody here. She’d said if they drew too much attention to themselves, the hunters came. But this place was a small town. If there were strangers layered in garlic perfume and carrying wooden stakes, I would’ve heard by now… maybe.

I rubbed my eyes, feeling the tears prickling under them and set back out to find her.

I walked the length of the basement, even opening the door to the maintenance room and glancing in. It didn’t smell like dead bodies, surprisingly. Instead there was a stench of cleaner. The police must’ve gotten somebody to clean up after the corpse.

I backed away.

My spine prickled a split second before I backed into something– or rather someone.

I gasped and tried to whip around but an arm braced across my chest and suddenly my legs were off the ground.

I flailed, even managed a short scream when a sickly sweet rag clamped down over my mouth. My eyes and nose burned with a secondary aroma of garlic. 

Fuck.

I struggled for a long time as the arms held me securely and my vision faded. My body went heavy until I couldn’t move anymore. My heart rate slowed but pounded and the dizziness made me nauseous but I passed out before the vomit could come.

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