But the sight of them seemed to hold him in place. He couldn’t take his eyes off them. Kylie with her beautiful red hair. Irene’s golden curls glowing even in the dim light.
Billy stared at them, stared without moving, without breathing—as if the two vampires were able to cloud his mind even in their sleep.
Snap out of it! he warned himself.
Billy blinked, shook his head.
Hurry!
Frantically, Billy slipped off the backpack and tossed it to the floor. He ripped at the cloth, unable to get it open.
I’ve got to calm down, he thought. Calm down.
The zipper tore. The bag fell open, spilling wooden stakes onto the floor. Billy snatched one up and grabbed the hammer.
Gasping for breath, he held the pointed tip of the oak stake over Kylie’s heart. Extra-hard wood. Sharpened to a point as deadly as the tips of Kylie’s fangs.
Billy’s hands shook so hard he wasn’t sure he could swing the hammer. Or hit the stake with it.
Can I do this? he wondered. Can I really do this?
He raised the hammer.
CHAPTER 35 BREAKFAST
Billy raised the hammer. It felt so heavy in his trembling hand. As if it weighed a hundred pounds.
He lowered it.
I can’t do this, he thought. I can’t pound a pointed stake into a person’s chest.
He peered down at Kylie.
She’s not a person, Billy told himself. She used to be a person. But now she’s a deadly vampire. She could be a thousand years old!
And how many innocent people has she murdered in all her years?
He took a deep breath. Once again, he leaned over Kylie and placed the tip of the stake in the center of her chest.
He positioned the hammer over the stake. He raised the hammer. Held it shakily over the stake.
Counted silently to three.
And Kylie opened her eyes.
“Oh!” Billy uttered a shocked cry and staggered back. The hammer and stake fell from his hands and clattered loudly on the floor.
Kylie sat up, instantly alert. Her eyes narrowed on Billy.
An angry hiss escaped her throat. “Billy . . .” she whispered. “Billy . . .”
The whisper appeared to wake Irene. She sat up alertly, wide awake in an instant, and gazed at Billy.
Billy took another step back. He opened his mouth to speak. But realized he had nothing to say.
“Billy . . .” Kylie whispered, a smile spreading across her face. “Billy . . .”
“Billy . . .” Irene echoed in a harsh whisper. “Billy . . .”
The two vampires floated up from their coffins.
“Billy . . . Billy . . .”
He tried to run—but stumbled over the hammer and went tumbling into the wall.
“Billy . . . Billy . . .”
They floated over him, both chanting his name.
“Billy . . .” Kylie whispered in his ear.
She ran her tongue over her lips. “Billy . . . so glad you decided to drop in for breakfast.”
CHAPTER 36 KYLIE’S TURN
Irene held one arm. Kylie gripped the other.
Billy struggled frantically to free himself.
“Billy . . . give up, Billy,” Irene whispered. “You can’t get away from us. We are stronger than you can possibly imagine.”
Billy ignored her. He fought desperately, twisting, turning. But their fingers dug into his flesh, their powerful grip unbreakable.
He took a deep breath, pulled back his arms—and shoved Kylie with all his strength.
She stumbled, letting go.
He swung his whole body, slamming Irene with his shoulder.
Her grip loosened. Only a tiny bit. But enough.
Billy whirled to his left.
He was free!
“You’re strong for a mortal,” Irene growled. “But not strong enough.” She lunged for him.
Billy turned, started to run—and tripped over the backpack.
He fell hard, landing on his elbows and knees.
Wooden stakes clattered across the floor in all directions.
The vampires floated over him, hissing and drooling.
Their eyes glowed with rage, with hunger.
Irene sprang at him.
Billy rolled to the left. His fingers wrapped around one of the stakes. He snatched it up.
Irene flew down on him, her fangs aimed at his throat.
And Billy shoved the stake up toward her chest.
He closed his eyes.
Irene’s weight crashed down on him.
I missed, he realized. I missed her heart.
I’m dead.
Silence for a moment.
And then Irene let out a piercing howl. As Billy opened his eyes, she flew to her feet. Then she staggered backward, the wooden stake jutting from her chest.
No blood, Billy saw. Not a drop.
Irene screamed. She tossed back her head in a long howl of pain.
And as she howled, she began to age.
Her hair turned white.
Her face wrinkled and sagged.
As Billy stared in amazement, Irene’s hair fell out, until nothing remained but a few white wisps, wriggling like snakes on her pink scalp.
Irene collapsed to the floor.
Her legs shriveled to stumps. Her face caved in. The skin flaked off, revealing gray bone.
Her screams continued from her open-jawed skull.
And then the skull crumbled into dust.
And the room was silent.
Billy stared at the puddle of dust on the floor.
Kylie’s shriek of rage made him spin around.
She grabbed Billy under the shoulders and lifted him off his feet.
“My turn,” she whispered. “My turn.”
CHAPTER 37 KYLIE HAS EYES FOR BILLY
Kylie’s nails dug into Billy’s skin. He felt the hot tips of her fangs on his neck.
“Billy!” Diana’s voice. From outside. “Billy, the sun is setting! We have to go!”
Still holding Billy, Kylie spun around in a circle, her long red hair flying behind her. “Who is that?” she demanded.
Diana burst into the room. “Billy!” she screamed.
Kylie whirled to face Diana. “April—what are you doing here?”
“Let him down!” Diana cried.
“But, April—” Kylie protested. “You’re one of us. Why are you helping Billy?”
“I’m not April—and I’m not one of you,” Diana told her.
Kylie’s eyes flashed. “You will be,” she snapped. “As soon as I finish with him.” Her fangs slid down all the way as she lowered her face to Billy’s throat.
Billy’s hand shot out. With all his strength he held Kylie away. Her fangs hovered inches from his throat.
Kylie’s face twisted with rage. She snapped her jaws like an animal, trying to sink her fangs into the soft flesh of Billy’s neck.
With a terrified gasp, Billy raised his right hand—and jabbed two fingers into Kylie’s eyes.
“Yeowwwwwww!” She opened her mouth in a howl of pain.
Her hands flew up to her eyes. Billy plunged to the floor.
Howling, Kylie covered her eyes with both hands.
Billy turned and saw Diana at the window. “Now, die!” Diana shrieked at Kylie. “Die! Die!”
With a cry of rage, Diana ripped a board off the window.
A bright square of afternoon sunlight slanted into the room.
The orange light washed over Kylie.
She never uncovered her eyes.
As her skin began to shrivel and peel off, she held her eyes tightly, bending in pain, howling, howling.
Until her head rolled off her body. Her body tumbled to the floor, across the square of orange light, melting, flaking, shriveling.
To dust.
Billy swallowed hard, staring in disbelief as Kylie’s body fell apart. Only the eyeballs remained, staring up accusingly at him.
&nbs
p; Staring. Staring. Until they too melted and became wet, green puddles on the floor.
“It’s over,” Billy said with a sigh, moving quickly across the room to Diana. “It’s over.” He hugged her, hugged her tightly.
They stood there, still shivering, still trembling, hugging until the sun disappeared behind the trees.
CHAPTER 38 THE PARTY IS OVER
“Come on,” Diana urged, dragging Billy into the Pizza Cove.
It was nearly ten o’clock, and the place was still packed. Kids were talking and laughing and gobbling down pizza. Billy spotted an empty booth in the corner, and they slid into it.
Billy felt upset because Jay was still so weak. Jay’s parents had taken him home so the family doctor could examine him.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen to him,” Billy told Diana. “Kylie never finished turning him into a vampire. But he’s so weak. And he never seems to get any better.”
“Jay will get well,” Diana assured him, as she studied the menu. “Now that he’s away from here.”
“I hope you’re right,” Billy told her.
“Cheer up,” Diana said brightly. “We did it. We destroyed the vampires. We won!”
“We only destroyed two of them,” Billy replied glumly.
“I can’t believe you’re acting like this,” Diana scolded.
He managed a laugh. “You’re right. I should be happy. What kind of pizza do you want?”
“Pepperoni with lots of green peppers.”
They ordered it.
Billy watched the waiters scurry back and forth, taking orders and delivering steaming pizzas.
The tangy aroma of baking pizzas from the big ovens in back filled the restaurant.
Finally the waiter delivered their order. “Enjoy,” he told them, as he set down the steaming pie and two plates.
“Give me your plate,” Diana told him. “You get the honor of having the first slice.”
Billy didn’t want any pizza, but he handed her his plate.
“Uh-oh,” Diana complained. “They didn’t cut it all the way through.” She fumbled with a slice of pizza, twisting it this way and that, but it refused to come loose.
“Let me,” Billy offered. He picked up a knife from the table.
He pulled the pizza over to his side of the table. Inserted the blade into the pie, and pulled the knife toward him.
“Oww.” The blade slid off the pan—and sliced into Billy’s finger.
A bad cut. A deep one. Billy tried to hide it.
Too late. Diana had seen it.
She stared at him, her mouth open, eyes wide. “Billy—no blood,” she cried. “Such a deep cut, and there was no blood.”
“I’m sorry you saw that,” Billy told her.
Diana leapt up with a startled cry.
But Billy grabbed her wrist. He pulled her back down into her seat.
“Let me explain,” he pleaded, not letting go of Diana. “I lied about working on a charter boat. During the day, I’m asleep in my coffin. Direct sunlight will kill me. I can go out in daylight only if it’s dark and cloudy—like when we went to the island and killed Kylie and Irene.”
Diana stared at him in silent horror.
“I missed a whole year of school,” Billy explained. “My friends all thought I was in the hospital. But I had to sleep in my coffin every day.”
“A vampire,” Diana whispered. “You’re a vampire.”
“It happened here in Sandy Hollow last summer,” Billy explained. His voice cracked with emotion. “Last summer. That’s when they turned me into a vampire.”
“If you’re a vampire,” Diana demanded, “why did you help me kill two others?”
“To pay back the vampires. To pay them back for turning me into one of them. I hate them for making me crave the nectar. I killed Mae-Linn. For the nectar. I needed it so badly. I couldn’t help myself. And I killed that guy Rick, too. I was so hungry!”
Diana shook her head. “It can’t be,” she whispered. “It can’t be!”
“Now you know everything, Diana,” Billy whispered. “Now I have no secrets. And I’m so hungry. So terribly hungry.”
Diana cried out.
Too late.
Billy pulled her close. He sank his fangs deep into her throat.
Screams of terror filled the restaurant.
Billy barely heard them.
He was so hungry.
So terribly hungry.
THE VAMPIRE CLUB
Starting at a new school can be a real pain in the neck.
I never wanted to leave Shadyside. I mean, who wants to move your senior year in high school?
I had to leave all my good buddies behind. Including my pal Josh Miller, who owes me thirty dollars I know I’ll never see again.
Josh promised to mail it to me next month. Do I believe that? I don’t think so. He couldn’t even keep a straight face when he said it.
And do you think it was easy to say good-bye to Kelly? Kelly and I had been going out since tenth grade. She is so great. I thought about her the whole long drive to Forest Grove. I kept picturing her smile and the dreamy look she’d get in her eyes when I kissed her.
Oh, man. I want to go back to Shadyside High. I don’t want to be the new kid in school at sixteen!
Want to hear about a great first day? I went to all the wrong classes. I couldn’t find the lunchroom or the bathroom. And of course I couldn’t get the combination on my locker to work.
How did I feel? Three guesses. I felt like a jerk, a total geek—like a five-year-old just starting kindergarten.
Forest Grove High is an old brick building, three stories tall. It has ivy growing down one wall. Thick ivy that looks like a heavy curtain. It even covers some of the classroom windows.
The high school stands on the edge of a forest. Through the classroom windows, I gazed out at tangled trees and thick shrubs. It reminded me of the Fear Street Woods back home.
The kids seemed nice enough. I met a few guys in gym I thought I might like hanging out with. And my Spanish teacher was kind of funny and nice.
Of course there was a problem with my schedule. My schedule card said I had two lunch periods in a row. A little computer mistake. It took half an hour to straighten that out in the office. By that time, I’d missed most of my Creative Writing class.
By the end of the first day, I was toast. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I wanted to go home and rest my brain. Maybe work on the tree house I’m building for my little sister.
Working with wood always relaxes me. Actually, I’m a pretty decent carpenter. Last summer, I had a job as an assistant at my uncle’s construction company. I actually got to build part of a house. I was really into it.
So when the three o’clock bell rang, I was thinking about my workshop down in the basement of our new house. Thinking about the lumber I needed to start the tree-house platform.
But, whoa. To my surprise, no one left school. The other kids all picked up their stuff and hurried to other classrooms and places in the building.
I stood in the middle of the hall, feeling really confused. Finally, I stopped a girl I recognized from my Spanish class and asked her what was going on.
“You’re the new guy,” she said.
“I guess that’s pretty obvious,” I replied. “My name is Pete Barton.”
“I’m Nan Garner,” she said. She had long, straight black hair and green eyes. Just like Kelly back home. She wore a dark blue sweater, pulled down over black leggings.
She was really hot-looking. I mean, my tongue was practically hanging out! On a scale of one to ten, she was definitely a hundred and fifty!
“Are you a senior, Pete?” she asked in her velvety, soft voice.
I nodded. “Do you believe starting a new school in senior year? It’s really bad news.”
She agreed. “It must be hard not to be graduating with all your friends. Where are you from?”
“Shadyside,” I told her. But she wasn’t real
ly listening. The hall was emptying out. She seemed eager to get someplace. “Where is everyone going?” I asked.
Her green eyes opened wide in surprise. “Didn’t they tell you? Everyone has to be in a club. You know. For extracurricular credit. The clubs all meet at three.”
“Everyone is in a club?” I’d never heard of that.
Nan nodded. “What are you into?” she asked. “I’ll help you find a club to join.”
“Well . . .” I had to think about it. “Is there a woodshop club? Or a carpentry club?” I asked. “I like working with my hands. I’m building a tree house for my sister behind our new house.”
“I think there’s a woodshop club,” she replied. A teasing smile spread over her face. She put her hand on my shoulder. Her touch made my skin tingle.
“But wouldn’t you like to try something a little more interesting?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.
Whoa!
Sign me up for anything you’ve got! I thought. I mean, who could say no to those sparkling green eyes and that soft, purring voice? Not me, man.
She took my hand and started to lead me down the hall. “Follow me,” she said. “I’m taking you to the club I’m in.”
“What’s it called?” I asked.
Her eyes flashed. “The Vampire Club.”
• • • • •
Nan led the way out the back door of the school. I followed her into the forest along a narrow dirt path that led through the tangled trees.
She had a bouncy walk, and I loved the way her black hair swung behind her with each step.
She is definitely okay, I thought. I wondered what she thought of me.
Pushing a clump of tall reeds aside, I could see a small, grassy clearing up ahead. And I heard voices, talking softly.
I felt a sudden chill. Maybe it was just the cool forest air. Maybe it was something more.
I stopped and tugged Nan’s hand. “You don’t really believe in vampires, do you?” I asked.
Before she could answer, a guy burst out of the clearing. He was big and blond and athletic-looking, with a neck like a tree trunk. He wore a blue and gray Forest Grove sweatshirt over baggy khakis.
“Nan, you’re late,” he scolded. He glanced at me and frowned.