Page 16 of The Last Vampire
Adrenaline must be powering me, because I’m flying. I don’t slow down or look back as I race up the passage toward the wardrobe. Its doors have been left open, and I leap into the dusty room and keep running until I reach the sitting area. The velvet rope has been knocked over, probably by my friends, and I crash into a large body.
I suck in air to scream, and a hand covers my mouth again.
I kick and shove and bite down on someone’s finger—
“Ow!” a guy cries out. “Lorena, it’sus.”
It takes me a moment to recognize Trevor. Three other shadows rush up behind him. “There you are!” whispers Salma. “We nearly made it all the way to the tower when we realized youweren’t— Areyou okay?”
It’s too dark to see much, but I’m sure my eyes must look wild. My heart is hammering in my ears, too hard for me to speak.
“I—I—”
I suck in a breath to try forming the words, but in the silence, I hear it.
Footsteps.
Trevor yanks me down to the floor, and the five of us take cover behind the nearest couch, right as we hear a voice say, “There!I thought I saw something move.”
“I did not see anything,” says the director’s deep voice. A beam of light shines across where we had just been standing, and I don’t even dare to exhale.
The light keeps moving, dropping lower until it illuminates the very top of Trevor’s curls.Shit.Minaro must’ve spotted us—
“I do not see anyone,” says the director, to my relief.
“There were voices,” the teacher insists.
“Maybe they heard us coming and went ahead to the dining hall.”
None of us move until their footsteps fade, and then Trevor darts out and replaces the velvet rope. Good thing that flashlight didn’t land there, or Minaro would have seen that it was knocked over.
I zip up my hoodie to hide my wound as we hurry down the hall. Salma, Tiffany, and I split from the guys without a word, then we cut toward our tower.
I desperately need to change my pad, but I’m terrified the demon will come after me. I still haven’t decided what to do when we reach the bathrooms, and to my relief, both Tiffany and Salma rush inside like they can’t hold their bladders, either.
The lights flicker on, activated by our movement, and they rush into stalls. “Holy shit,” says Salma after closing her door. “That was terrifying.”
“I know, right?” says Tiffany, speaking over her stream of pee.
I’m about to enter the next stall when I catch a glimpse of my face in the mirror. I barely recognize the girl in the glass.
My eyes are so round with fear they’re nearly popping from my skull. My curls are frizzy and puffy, as if I’ve just been electrocuted. And there’s blood smeared across my neck.
I grab a paper towel, wet it, and wipe my skin until all that’s left are two small puncture marks. They look like bugbites. And yet, when the demon bit me, I felt like my entire throat was being shredded.
I hear a flush, and I dart into a stall, not ready to be seen in this light.
“Lore, you okay?” asks Salma.
“Y-yeah,” I say. “Just have to change my pad.”
“Do you need me to bring you one? I’m going to run up to get my toothbrush and makeup remover.”
“Same,” says Tiffany.
“I have one in my pocket.”
“What took you so long to follow us?” asks Salma, and I see her combat boots in the gap under my stall door.
