Page 17 of Grotesque
As I turned and slammed my bedroom door in his face, I finally caught a glimpse of what stalked me.
His skin was pale, almost luminescent. Any chance I had of committing his other features to memory faded as I caught sight of his eyes. They werered.Glowing, fucking,red.His lips were peeled back in a sneer, exposing… were thosefangs?
The vampire was real. Rosaline’s monster was real, and it was in the house!
A chuckle came from the other side of the door as I struggled to slide the dresser in front of it. It felt like my heart was going to erupt from my chest. Fuck, I couldn’t breathe!
“I won’t come in. Not tonight,” he purred. “This is just a taste. So you know how easy it is for me to get to you.”
“What do you want?” My throat felt raw.
“Isn’t it obvious?” There was a loud thump of something hitting the floor.
I flinched, looking frantically around the room. What else could I put in front of the door? What was I going to do now that he had successfully trapped me in here with no phone?
“It’s alright,” he said softly, gently even, as if he were trying to sooth me. “Get your rest. I’ll be back another night to play.”
I listened as his footsteps retreated down the stairs. Finally, the sound of the front door opening and then closing echoed through the house. I crept to the windows overlooking the front yard.
A dark silhouette stood in the fog; his face tilted up to my room. Even from this distance I could see the red glow of his eyes. He lifted his hand in a silent, mocking goodbye, and then he was gone.
It took until dawn for me to work up the courage to unlock my bedroom door. Peeking into the hallway, I was surprised to see my phone lying on the carpet. The thump I’d heard last night, it must have been him dropping it there. Another reminder of just how powerless I was against him. I grabbed it and made straight for my car, hightailing it down the driveway. I slammed my thumb against Quint’s name.
“Hey!” His voice was bright over the line despite the early hour.
“Quint.” I took a deep breath. Tears burned the back of my eyes. I slowed to a stop at the end of the drive as I started to cry.
“What? What is it? Sorcha are you ok?”
“I don’t know. I think the vampire is real, or maybe it’s just some freak. Someone broke into the house last night.” I wasblubbering my words, gasping in between as I tried to calm myself down.
“Did you call the cops?”
“Do you really think the cops are going to believe Maxine’s granddaughter?”
There was a faint pause before he let out a long breath. He didn’t need to say anything to confirm my suspicions. I would be lumped in with the rest of the women that had gone mad at Glamis Manor.
“Listen, give me about ten minutes and I can head your way. Is that ok?”
I nodded.
“Sorcha?”
“Yeah,” I choked. “Yes, please.”
“Alright, just stay put. Don’t go back inside until I get there. And hey, I don’t think you’re crazy. Ok?”
“Ok,” I said quietly. The line went dead, the silence cutting through the shock that had kept me numb all night, and I burst into tears.
An hour had passed when Quint finally pulled up, finding me in exactly the same place as I’d made the call. My car doors were locked as I stared rigidly at the forest. My only comfort was that it was daylight. If itwasa vampire that had visited me last night, at least I’d be safe from him during the day.
Or I hoped so, at least.
Quint followed my car slowly back up the drive. By the time he stepped out onto the gravel alongside me, I had pulled myself together enough to recount the events of the previous night without crying. As we approached the looming front door, I couldn't help but think that Glamis seemed somehow even more foreboding now that I knew inside was no safer than outside.
We stepped into the manor's shadow, a sick feeling sharp as lightning struck me, and I faltered. Struck us both, by the wayQuint stopped as well. I considered Macky's second rule –do notinvite guests into the manor –but if those rules were meant to protect me, they hadn’t done jack shit last night. Silently, I steeled myself, and motioned for Quint to follow me inside. We stood in the foyer as if we were waiting for something to happen.
Quint broke the spell first. “Let’s start upstairs and work our way down,” he practically shouted. I almost laughed – he might have been playing the tough guy, but I could see the sweat beading on his brow, and knew I wasn't the only one thoroughly spooked by the feeling that seemed to stalk us as we made our way to the top floor.
