The Night the Vampires Came

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It was a funny feeling knowing that you were about to die. It was almost a calming thought, the finality of it all. All my life, I've prepared myself to die when these miracle cells in my heart gave out. Now that I knew that everyone in the world, all seven billion of us, was going to die within a span of a couple of days — for once, my heart seemed to be wholly unexcited. It hadn't been beating strangely at all since the last Blight Storm. For once, the lack of palpitations was worrying me.

Then again, with how fast the Blight Storm was eating up most of the world, maybe I wouldn't have to worry for long.

After we finally arrived in South Beach, the tension in the car was palpable. We were all wondering the same thing as we drove through the deserted city. The only lights were the high-beam LED lights that the national guard had placed all over to secure the evacuation route.

The roads heading into the city were empty. We were the only fools driving into the coastal area and not away from it.

"I didn't come back here for Andrew," Holly finally blurted out. "I came because the last thing my father said to me was that he was driving to Miami. He was bringing my mother and Jimmy. He wanted to meet me here. That was 36 hours ago. I wanted to make sure they weren't here. They would never leave without me."

Holly made her hand into a fist and pressed it against her lips as though she couldn't believe she had finally let that little fact slip. When we didn't reply, she rubbed her teary eyes and spoke again.

"I'm so sorry. I should have let you two evacuate."

"It makes no difference now," Jack mumbled, his words barely audible. "We might as well look for your family. We need to get gas, anyway. The tank is only a quarter full."

It was around 10 p.m. that we pulled into Andrew's driveway. As we came to the small row of pitch-black houses, I marveled at how quiet the neighborhood was. Was this what the world will be like in a couple of days when all of humanity was gone?

The first thing I checked for was a garage. Thankfully Andrew, bless his heart, had one. We couldn't risk having our car stolen while we slept. Also, if the Blight Rain came again, the car needed to be protected from the Black Waters.

I wasn't sure how we were going to get inside. The house was entirely dark, and the windows were boarded up. The entire block was deadly silent, so there were no neighbors to help us. I didn't blame them all for evacuating. Who knew what monsters the ocean could spat out next?

While Jack and I stared in dismay at the ghostly street, Holly jumped out of the car. She ran up to the house and found a spare key that was hidden under a rock in the modest daffodil garden. Within seconds, she opened the front door, went inside, and the garage door rose. The light from the garage was a welcoming sight in the darkness. Jack pulled the car into the garage, and all three of us made the garage door securely lowered behind us.

After we headed to the door into the house, Holly opened her palm for Jack to hand her the car keys.

"Do I have to? I gave Ailith my pill. Doesn't that mean the car is mine now?"

"No, that's not how it works, asshole," Holly said. "You don't get to keep the car."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!" Holly yelled and made her hand into a fist again, this time waving it dangerously close to Jack's chin. "Who do you think would win in a fistfight, nerd? I was on the volleyball team. My baseline heart rate is like 50. What's yours, Mr. AP Physics?"

"Okay, okay," Jack said with a roll of his eyes. He threw the keys in her general direction. It was obvious he wasn't serious about hanging onto them. Holly, on the other hand, simply needed to be in control. I noticed while we drove that Jack was content to tailgate other cars, hesitating to pass even in the most favorable of circumstances. Holly needed to be at the front of the pack, always. She didn't respect the speed limit. She was antsy at the thought of a car being in front of her.