Living Dead Girl (Vampire Hunter Book 1) (4 page)

And then it was morning. I assumed it was morning, because I was up. No memory of the time between when I first got that funny-head feeling and now. I was no longer in the chair (my last memory) but instead sitting curled up in the corner of the room. Lucas was standing in the opposite corner, looking at me.

“Time to go,” he said.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I have what I need. Now I’m taking you home.”

“No,” I said irritably. “I didn’t ask what
was
going to happen. I asked what happened!”

“Don’t make me take you to Henry’s house the same way I brought you here.”

I followed Lucas silently outside. He didn’t try to blind fold me or conceal anything about the location. Looking over my shoulder, I took note of where I had just spent the night. From the outside, it looked like a small house; it even had what appeared to be windows with curtains. No one passing by would ever guess that inside was simply one dank, square room.

He pointed to a beat up Sedan. “I won’t make you get in the trunk, but I can’t let anyone see you with me either. There’s a blanket in the back seat. Lie down and I’ll drape that over you.”

I did what he asked without protest.

We didn’t speak on the way to Henry’s house. Lucas stopped the car 2 blocks away. “This is as far as I take you.”

“But what if someone I know sees me!” I argued.

“Here, take this.” Lucas handed me a black pullover hoodie. I wriggled into it, still lying down across the back seats.

“I look ridiculous!” I exclaimed. The arms hung almost a foot past the tips of my fingers and the bottom of the hoodie was well past my knees.

“Just walk quickly. Sprint if you can,” Lucas growled. And without so much as a goodbye, he sped off.

I walked slowly back towards Henry’s house, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Lucas had made a point to say more than once that he’d kidnapped me in order to watch me.
But what is he watching for? Why are all the men in my life so secretive?
First Henry, and now Lucas.

They were the only two people that I’d had contact with since I was resurrected, and I had a sinking suspicion that both knew more than they’d let on. Henry still refused to tell me how I died, despite my not-so-subtle hints over the past few days. He continued to change the subject, and more recently, physically get up and leave the room when I started asked questions.

And Lucas was a completely different mystery. He obviously thought I came back to earth for some sinister purpose, and the worst part is he could be right! I had been trying not to think about the stories that Henry had told me.
Man comes back from the dead and brutally murders his entire family. Woman crawls out of her grave. Everything is peachy for a couple of weeks, until she goes berserk and murders everyone in the village.

There was no way I was going to tell Henry about my weird blackouts. He assumed I was sleeping and that was fine with me.

I was almost to Henry’s house when I realized I didn’t have a key.
Crap!
             
             

I knew it was a bad idea, but my house was just another few blocks past Henry’s. Mom
used to keep a key hidden in one of the potted plants outside. Surely it wouldn’t hurt just to check out my old room, see what they had done with the place since I died?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I started jogging towards home. Mom and Dad would be at work and Kayla at school. And I was under strict orders not to leave Henry’s house during the day, so this would be my only opportunity.

I could see my house in the distance. A wave of nostalgia washed over me. I slowed to a walk and pulled the hood onto my head, just in case there was anyone around. It would be disastrous if someone recognized me.

It was a modest house; nothing like Henry’s, but plenty of room for four people. There were so many good memories in that house. Mom and Dad worked a lot, but they made up for it on the weekends. Up until a few years before I died, we had a weekly Saturday night family night.
I can’t believe I used to complain about spending Saturday nights with my family instead of my friends,
I thought sadly.

I stopped at the entrance, peering up at my room.
Old room
, rather.
I probably shouldn’t just stand here. What if the neighbors see me?
Mrs. Brewer next door was a real busy body.
Who’d have ever thought that old bat would outlive me?

Two potted plants were on each side of the doorframe. The ceramic pot had a curved lip with a small ridge on the underside. I ran my fingers along the bottom of the lip. Success! My hand connected with the key.
Good old predictable Mom.
I smiled.

With the key securely in my grip, I walked quickly to the entrance on the side of the house.
Phew, no cars in the driveway.

My hands were shaking like crazy. It took three tries to unlock the door, which swung open silently. I walked into the kitchen, feeling like I was in some weird dream. Everything looked exactly as I remembered it. I was surprised to see piles of dishes in the sink.
Mom would never let us get away with leaving a mess like that.

Even though it was technically still my home, I felt like I was intruding. I decided to go see my room and then get out of there.

I headed for the stairs. My bedroom was the first room on the right. The door was shut. I used to have posters and stickers covering the outside, but now it was bare.
I guess it was too hard for them to have a constant reminder.I wonder if they’ve left if the same inside?

You were always hearing how parents who lost children would keep the room intact, like some weird shrine. Supposedly that was unhealthy.
Mom always wanted a room to do her painting
, I mused. Maybe she decided to make over my room for herself.

My hand had just connected with the doorknob when I heard it: someone was talking. I wasn’t alone in the house.

I stood, paralyzed by fear and panic.
Think!
I strained to hear the voice. It was Kayla. Her bedroom was farther down the hall on the opposite side.
What is she doing home from school?

I could see her door was partially open.
Leave!
my mind was screaming. But I couldn’t help myself. I pressed my body flat along the wall and scooted towards her room, trying to be completely silent. When I reached the doorframe, the distinctive smell of tobacco filled my nostrils.
What the hell?

Slowly, I leaned away from the wall, trying to position myself to see through the gap in the open door. There was Kayla, standing at the window with her back to me. She was on her iPhone, talking animatedly, and in her right hand was a lit cigarette.
Oh my God! When did she start smoking? Mom and Dad are going to flip.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure all parents strive to stress the importance of not smoking. But my mom was absolutely insane about it. When she was in her early 20s, she had lost her own mother to lung cancer. She went ballistic if we were even so much as exposed to second-hand smoke.

But that wasn’t the only thing about Kayla that floored me. I hadn’t gotten a good look at her when I saw my family at the cemetery. Now, I could clearly see that she had dyed her beautiful chestnut brown hair black with purple streaks.

And her clothes! She had
on a plaid miniskirt that barely covered her butt. If my dad had seen it, he’d have banned Kayla from leaving the house. Her skimpy outfit coupled with her growth spurt made her look closer to
my
age than thirteen. I couldn’t believe it.

I jerked back as Kayla turned from the window. “Yeah, they a
re so clueless,” she said. “We should ditch class and meet up with Barry and Greg tomorrow, too.” She laughed. “They didn’t have any idea about our real ages.”

I was dumbfounded.
What has happened to my little sister?

Suddenly, I felt like I had to get out of that house or I was going to march right in there and confront Kayla, demanding to know why she was ruining her life.
             

Being careful not to make any noise, I went back down
stairs and out the front door as quickly as possible, barely remembering to replace the key in the potted plant. I ran all the way back to Henry’s house without looking behind me even once.

I was sitting in the garage when Henry got home. “Where have you been?” he demanded. “I’ve been going crazy since I got home yesterday and you weren’t here. What the hell happened?”

“I’ll tell you but I have to warn you it’s pretty crazy,” I said wryly.

“I
t can’t be any crazier than anything else that’s happened this past week,” he retorted.

We went into the house an
d I filled Henry in on yesterday’s events, carefully omitting any reference to Lucas’ buff physique. I didn’t want Henry to know I was more than a little attracted to my kidnapper, and if I described Lucas in too much detail he would surely pick up on it.

“So after you woke up, he just brought you back?” Henry looked incredulous.

“Yep,” I replied. I had fibbed and said I was so exhausted that I ended up sleeping a little for part of the night. I had to figure out what was going on with these blackouts before I told Henry about them.
Besides
, I rationalized
, he really doesn’t need one more thing to worry about.

“Were you afraid
you were never going to see me again?” I asked Henry, deciding to change the subject from my weird overnight adventure.

“I was scared
that whatever brought you back decided that it was a mistake,” Henry admitted. “I’ve been doing a ton of research.”

I looked at him warily. “I really can’t hear more accounts of how I’ll probably go ape-shit and tear everyone around me to shreds.”

“No, no, it’s nothing like that,” Henry assured me. “I was terrified that you had been sent back to the grave. I actually briefly contemplated digging it up to check, but I really didn’t want to go down that route.” He shuddered.

“What I found out,” Henry continued, “is that a lot of people believe this type of resurrection is for a reason.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know we were both freaked out by the stories, thinking the worst. But there are theories that dead people are brought back for something epic. They’re even worshipped.”

“So I could become a cult leader?”

Henry grinned. “I wasn’t going to say that. Like a sign that something is about to happen, like a war or end of days, and that you’re going to be an integral part of it.”

“I guess that’s better than going on a killing spree,” I said slowly. “You’re saying whoever – or whatever – brought me back needs me for something?”

Henry nodded.

“Interesting.” So if something epic were about to happen, which side would I be fighting for?

Since all I did was hang around Henry’s house, I hadn’t minded wearing his clothes day in and day out. But when Lucas invited me to dinner, I knew baggy shorts and a wife beater weren’t going to cut it.

The invitation had taken me completely by surprise. Even though I knew next to nothing about Lucas, I hadn’t been able to get him out of my mind. I would imagine running my hands through his hair, tracing his sharp jawline with my fingers, how his soft lips would feel against mine.

But I hadn’t heard anything from Lucas since the weird kidnapping three days ago. I hadn’t even felt like I was being watched. I assumed he had found out what he needed to know about me, and I would never see him again. I’d been trying to forget about Lucas and convince myself that never seeing him again was a good thing. So I was shocked when he suddenly appeared in Henry’s living room one morning after Henry had left for school.

He was wearing the same long black coat. “We can’t speak here. I’m taking you to dinner tonight. Somewhere that it’s safe to talk.”

Okay, so that wasn’t the most
romantic
way I had been asked out, but I’d take it. And besides, it wasn’t exactly like Lucas gave me a choice anyway.  

When Henry got home from school, I had begged him to take me to the store for clothes for my date with Lucas. Henry had not been very obliging.

“Even when you were alive, you always did this, Aurora,” he had said patronizingly. “What is it about
the bad boy
? Why haven’t you ever been happy with a nice guy? And what guarantee do you have that he isn’t going to try to harm you?”

“You can’t kill someone who is already dead,” I had said flippantly. And then added, “I’m doing this for both of us. I’m not attracted to him. This is the only lead we have right now.”

Even to myself, it had sounded unconvincing. “Lucas wants to see me; if I go to dinner with him and find out what he knows, then we’re one step closer to ending this nightmare.”

I had ultimately won the argument, and Henry had (grudgingly) driven me into the next town to look at clothes.

For the dinner with Lucas tonight, I had chosen to wear my new boot cut dark jeans and a simple gray t-shirt. It was nice to finally have something to wear that actually fit me. I had my hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. I liked the overall effect: stylish without looking like I had tried too hard.
Or looking like a whore
, I thought, picturing Kayla. I shuddered and tried to put that image out of my mind.

I was excited about tonight, and although I did really hope to get some answers, I was equally eager to get to know Lucas a little bit better.

Lucas was picking me up where he had dropped me off after our first encounter. I had to use the rope ladder to leave – another reason I couldn’t have dressed up if I had wanted to – since Henry’s parents were home.

This is definitely the most unusual first date I’ve ever gone on
, I mused as descended the ladder. I slipped out the gate (since I now had the code) and walked the couple of blocks to where Lucas was meeting me. Much as I had protested, Henry had insisted that I take one of his baseball caps to wear while I was walking around the neighborhood.

“You can’t risk someone recognizing you,” he had said, and I knew he was right.

This had better not mess up my hair
. I had spent awhile perfecting the messy (but not
too
messy) casual ponytail look.
Being a girl is tougher than it looks.

When I reached the corner, there were no cars in sight. I bit my nails nervously.
Where is he?

Just then, the black sedan pulled up next to me. Lucas hopped out of the car. He was wearing the same long hooded trench coat he had been wearing before.
I can’t believe I’m going out on a date with the same guy who I thought was going to kill me three days ago
.

“Hey.” Lucas opened the back seat door for me. “It’s dark out, but we still need to be cautious. Lie down in the back seat, like last time.”

I did as I was told. For the first few minutes of the ride, we sat in awkward silence. “Where are we going?” I finally asked.

“You like pizza?”

“Um, yeah, sure.”
I used to, at least
. I hadn’t decided how I was going to handle the whole not eating thing at dinner. I guess I was a little bit surprised that he didn’t already know about that aspect of my ‘condition.’ It would have been the perfect time to tell him, but just as I was opening my mouth he started speaking again.

“Great. There’s this new pizza place in Collierville. Supposed to be really delicious.” Collierville was a town about half an hour away.

“Uh, cool.”
Here goes nothing.

Lucas turned on the radio. “I think you can sit up now,” he said. “We’re far enough from town to where no one should see you.”

I did as he suggested. “Oh, you have tinted windows!” I exclaimed. “No one can see in anyway.”

“I don’t like to take any chances.”

We pulled into the restaurant. It didn’t look very crowded. It was a brick restaurant with a large neon sign out front that said
Luchessi’s
. Lucas hopped out and opened my door for me.
What a gentleman.
I tried to conceal the big dopey grin on my face.

It smells delicious. Maybe I can eat, even though I don’t need to?
I wondered as we walked into the restaurant. The familiar scent of tomato and herbs was tantalizing.

“How about a corner booth?” Lucas asked, pointing to the far side of the restaurant.

“Perfect.” It was dimly lit and secluded. Even though we were in Collierville, it wasn’t completely safe to assume that nobody from my high school would come here.

“What looks good to you?” Lucas asked, skimming the menu.

“Uh, I don’t care.” Play
it cool, Aurora. Just try to eat a slice or two. Surely it won’t re-kill you
. Why hadn’t I tested this before, in the safety of Henry’s house!
Stupid, stupid, stupid,
I chastised myself. 

“How about thin crust pepperoni?” I suggested.
If worse comes to worse, I can chew and just spit it out in my napkin.

We ordered the food. Now it was time to get to know the mysterious Lucas.

But Lucas didn’t give me a chance to start barraging him with questions about himself. “I guess you are wondering why I brought you here?” he asked me.

To declare your undying love for me?
Aloud I said, “I assumed it was to clue me in on why you broke into Henry’s house and took me to some secluded building in the woods.”

Lucas’ piercing stare made me look away.
He is so intense!
He brushed his hair off his forehead and sighed. It was the first time I had seen him look perplexed. During our initial encounter, he had always been strong, in control of everything, and appeared to have all of the answers (even if he wasn’t sharing them with me).

“I am probably going to get in trouble for telling you this,” he said. “I could even get killed.”

“Go on.” I was hanging on his every word.

“I work for an agency that…handles things. The orders come down from the top, and I follow them. And I’m damn good at my job. I’ve been doing it for a while now. Longer than you could imagine.”

I was confused. “What do you mean by ‘handles things’?” I asked.

His voice dropped to a whisper. “Paranormal things. I help keep th
e world a safe place, and the majority of people live their humdrum lives none the wiser to my existence.”

“All of those creatures you’ve heard about: werewolves, vampires, shape shifters. They exist,” he continued. “And that’s just the beginning of what’s out there. The creatures that mean no harm are allowed to live amongst the regular people, as long as they never reveal their true identity. Unfortunately, that’s a small minority of them. Most of these beings have dark, powerful urges that they just can’t overcome. So they give in to the addiction, and innocent people pay the price.”

I was overwhelmed by what Lucas was telling me. “Wait. That doesn’t make sense. These hideous creatures, the ones from horror stories, are
real
?”
He’s crazy. That’s the only explanation for this. I’m at dinner with a mad man.

Lucas laughed. “I know how incredible it sounds the first time you hear it. It’s one of the reasons it’s not public knowledge. It would upset the equilibrium, cause mass panic and chaos. I thought
you
of all people would be easy to convince. What do you think you are, after all?”

“I have no idea. That’s what Henry and I are trying to figure out.”

“Right,” he said. “Which brings me back to your connection to all of this. My job is eliminating the non-human creatures that are threatening mankind.”

“Do you mean like a hunter?”

“Yes. I am a hunter. And I was hired to kill you.”