"Okay, Sade. You've had 13 minutes—"
"An evil number, if I ever heard one. Let's stay another minute."
They were deep in the crypts, had walked nonstop — ears pricked, eyes peeled. They'd not found anything out of place, much to Lisa's prediction and to Sadie's chagrin.
"Sadie." Lisa's voice hardened. It startled Sadie. It was the type of tone her mother would use on her. They weren't little kids any more, and her heart ached to see her childhood now in the rearview mirror.
"All right, all right, let's go. Here." She handed Lisa the stake. "For safekeeping. Next time, you get to pick what we do."
Lisa smiled. "Thanks, Sade."
"But no chick-flicks!"
"No, but no eighties horror movies that—" Lisa's eyes darted to the point over Sadie's shoulder. She frowned.
Sadie snatched the stake from Lisa's hands and twisted around. "En garde!" But there was no denizen of the night there.
Only the faded stone of an ancient crypt.
With the door open ajar.
A foul breath gasped through the crack.
"Aha! The beast has not hidden his abode well," Sadie said, voice a whisper. She gripped the stake tighter, knuckles white, teeth visible in her moonlit grin.
"Shh! Sadie, this is serious!" Lisa put a hand on her shoulder before she could take a step. "There could be graverobbers or anyone down there!"
"I take my hunting very seriously, thank you, dear guardian." Sadie pulled away and strode towards the black door. "And if they disturb the slumber of the beast, it could spell doom for us all!"
An archway curled around the edges of the door, with slots for lanterns above and either side. The lanterns were present, but their innards were devoid of flame. Sadie paused at the foot of the steps, which ascended to the door. She read the name carved into the stone above the archway. "Loretta Zaleska," she said in awe, "and here we were thinking that the vamp was a man." Sadie tutted and shook her head. She looked at Lisa. "Not very progressive of us, was it?"
"We're not actually going down there. Are we? 'Cos that's trespassing. We could get arrested."
"We'd be doing the local law enforcement fools a favour — ridding them of one more vermin!"
"I don't think that's how they'd see it, Sade. And I don't want to get a criminal record before I'm halfway through my teens. My mum'll make me wish I got stabbed by junkies if that happens."
"Just a quick peek, Lis." Sadie offered her the puppy-dog eyes. "Please."
"No. I'm not going down there."
Sadie smiled at her. A smile that Lisa knew all too well. "I'll be down just for a sec, Lis. You stay here."
"No, Sadie, wait—"
But Sadie had already leapt up the steps and was at the door.
Lisa loosed a noise of exasperation and then followed her friend. "I swear, you're going to get me killed." The wet leaves squelched and squidged beneath her converse.
"You don't have to join me, y'know." Sadie had one hand on the door, the other held the stake in a Ramboesque pose. "I can defend Bridgemoss by my lonesome."
"Because somebody's gotta make sure you don't get yourself killed."
Sadie nodded. "Very wise. Who defends the defender?" She pushed the door open. It squalled on its hinges, loud and rusty.
Lisa grunted. She was about to say that the only thing Sadie'd defended anyone from was a night of peaceful sleep. But then a noise from the depths froze the words in her throat.
The scrape of stone.
Followed by a thud.
A sandpaper groan.
There was actually somebody down there.
