Sarah Benadine is Dead

Chapter VIII, Part II

Allison Groves's twelfth birthday fell on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. By then, all the gossip about the Kraus farm had made the rounds, wheedling its way even into Briargate's four walls. Shannon Malone herself had unsurprisingly heard about the whole thing from Toni Guaraldi on Sunday night when she'd returned home. The air of caution that had circled the town since Sarah Benadine's death had evolved; the terror was sharp and pointed, menacing in its ferocity. A curfew had been put in place to try to keep the kids off the streets, but no one was sure what that would accomplish. Samuel Kraus's cows and chickens had not been out on the streets. Nor had Sarah Benadine. There was no way to be sure that the town children were even the ones that were in danger.

This town-wide paranoia had not passed over the Malones; they all felt it, perhaps even tiny Connor. Both parents kept as close an eye as possible on their children, monitoring everywhere they went. No one was out after dark. With one notable exception.

Shannon had been planning to have dinner at Briargate on Allison's birthday for weeks. Allison had tried to dissuade her a half a dozen times, but Shannon would not be deterred. She'd almost lost the cause when her parents heard about the Kraus farm; she'd spent most of Monday night begging her parents to allow her to stay late at Briargate the following night. They only relented when she'd promised three different times that she would not leave the school and she'd show up immediately after dinner when one of them would be there to pick her up.

Shannon spent the hours between classes and dinner in the library with Allison and Caleb. Allison had lugged Ockham's Guide out of her dormitory—she'd insisted she didn't believe in vampires, but she'd kept the book close to her at all times. The three of them ventured even farther into the stacks than Charlie Mouser usually did, counting on not being disturbed. Allison had been more agitated than usual, but Shannon supposed it stood to reason following what happened at the Kraus farm.

"What do you think?" Allison asked, all of them somehow conscious of avoiding looking at the book.

"You have to admit, Allison," Caleb said, "vampires would make a lot of sense."

Allison scowled, crossing her arms. "You think so?"

Caleb gave a long-suffering sigh and shook his head. He tapped the cover of the book with a forefinger. Shannon sat somberly, eyes flitting across the bookshelves in a curious, frenzied way. Allison looked at her expectantly.

"What about you?" she asked impatiently. "I suppose you think the same thing?"

Shannon chewed the inside of her cheek and looked at the air around Allison's head. She shrugged. Allison made a low growling noise in her throat.

"Think about it, Allison," Caleb said calmly. "A vampire needs to feed. All those farm animals would be perfect."

Allison leaned in low over the table and said, punctuating each word with sharp precision, "I don't believe in vampires."

"Then how come you spend all your time reading that book?" Caleb fired back immediately. Shannon straightened in her chair, eyebrows raised. She hadn't known Allison had been reading the book. Allison looked mutinous—but, behind that, something else. She looked caught. She didn't say anything.

"You think it's possible too, don't you?" Caleb said, leaning in to match her. His voice was gentle, coaxing. "So why are you denying it?"

Allison shook her head and looked away. Caleb nodded as if he'd been expecting it. He leaned back in his chair again.

"What do you think, Shannon?" Caleb asked. Shannon looked at him for little more than a second, then back to the shelves.