How’s class going?”
Mr. Preppy rolled his eyes, fingers still buried in Bentley’s fur. “Crazy. And the headaches aren’t helping.”
*Bingo.*
This was her third college campus, and she finally got a nibble. Careful to stay casual, she forced herself not to fiddle with Bentley’s collar. “You probably need more sleep.”
He shook his head. “That’s just it. I’ve been sleeping constantly. I think I’m just burnt out.”
*No, you’re being poisoned.*
Chelsea flipped the wheel of the lighter. A single yellow flame burned in the growing twilight. It flickered in the ever-present wind but didn’t die.
The only signs of civilization were the blue ones on the side of the highway. They told of food and shelter, but Chelsea wanted neither.
Her breath arrived in a great shuddering gasp that she let out in something that streaked between sob and shriek. Frantic calls came from the house as she crushed the paper in her hands.
“So, we keep our eyes open, and watch each other’s back.” Chelsea leaned over to taste Amber’s neck. “And your front… the profile is nice, too.”
A smile eventually broke the plane of Amber’s fear. It rose with the color in her skin. “You might be worse than Jackson.”
The usual stench of Boney’s haunt seemed heavier tonight. The sweat of hunters, the reek of cigarettes, and stale beer, it clung to the skin on normal nights. Tonight, Chelsea imagined it soaking into her hair.
Amber stalked across the floor. Her bad mood had been continuous the last few days. Chelsea thought it was due to the dragging oni hunt.
She hoped she was right.
Welcome back! Chapter Three: Chelsea and Bentley starts today!
Bald, pale, red-eyed, and razor
teethed, the vampire blurred out of focus as it ran across the dimly lit
parking lot.
Chelsea pushed the gas pedal of her car all the way to the floor, aiming for where the reaver would be. She hit the vampire in the back, sending it flying into the brick wall of the condemned apartment building.
The door popped open and two long, dark, furry creatures scurried across the floor in opposite directions.
Chelsea groaned. “Not again.” The nearly forgotten stitches in her arm began to itch as she searched the floor for the dronkes. “You really need a better cage.”
Chelsea and Amber finally have that talk.
