Page 173 of The Last Vampire
Even if it weren’t for Trevor’s note, I doubt I would get any sleep tonight. I keep thinking of William, and whether he’s facing off with the others yet. Worst part is I may never know what happens.
I may never see him again.
At midnight, I shake off my sheets and quietly climb down from the top bunk. I open the door carefully and find Trevor waiting for me on the landing.
He has his school bag with him, but I doubt he’s lugging around books. I follow him downstairs without a word, and we stick to the walls until we arrive at an unfamiliar room. When he opens the door, I see computers, a heavy-duty printer, and newspapers piled up everywhere.
“The newsroom?” I whisper.
Trevor doesn’t answer. He walks over to twin stacks of papers that are not newsprint. The paper is thicker, and it looks like it’s been artificially yellowed to look old. I examine a copy:
THE HUNTERDECEMBER 19, 1775
IN DEFEAT, VAMPIRES DEPART
This is the most triumphant day in world history. Humanity has won the war against the vampires, securing a safe future for our descendants and ensuring that bloodsuckers will never prey on us again.
It was not just our bodies the vampires attacked but our minds. They used their powers of hypnosis to get whatever they wanted. They have been feeding on us since time immemorial, until humanity fought back with an equally ancient weapon—fire.
We must never forget the danger they represent, and we must forever be on guard for their return.
A brief history of the major milestones in the Human-Vampire War:
• Massacre of the 1300s: Most of the human population was wiped out in a vampire feeding frenzy that set off the war.
• The Treaty of Mutual Survival of 1449: This truce was an attempt to keep the peace and end the war.
• The Immortal Registry of 1670: Humans tried to create a registry of vampires, which set off a new round of fighting.
• The Great Fires of the 1700s: Humans went to war with the vampires again, ultimately defeating them with fire.
• The Spell of 1775: Earth was officially declared vampire-free.
I set the paper down. Tiffany and Zach must have used their imaginations to fill in whatever they didn’t know, but these are still pretty good guesses.
“Grab that stack, and I’ll take this one,” Trevor instructs.
“Where are we going?” I ask, but he’s already marching to the door, and he holds it open for me.
The stack is tall and heavy, which makes it a bit unwieldy, and I can’t move too quickly. When we’re passing a common room, Trevor stops abruptly and ducks behind a couch, so I do the same.
I hear the footsteps approaching, and neither of us moves until Mr. Torres has passed.
Trevor leads us in a direction I haven’t explored yet, and we arrive at one of the red ropes with a warning sign. He slides it over so we can get through.
This wing has no furniture, and the walls, floors, and ceilings are in disrepair. Trevor uses his phone flashlight to illuminate our way, and soon we arrive at an enormous chimney fireplace, much larger than all the others I’ve seen so far. It’s sooty and dusted with ashes.
Trevor sets his stack of papers on the floor.
“What is this place?” I ask, setting mine next to his.
“I’ve been exploring all night for a good spot to do this, and this is the best I could find,” he says. He sets his phone down against the nearest wall so the flashlight illuminates us and the fireplace.
“To dowhat?” I ask.
In lieu of answering, he unzips his bag and pulls out a rifle with some kind of attachment that makes it look like a toy water gun. Only it’s real.
“What the fuck is that?” I ask.
