THE VAMPIRE UNDERGROUND

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

The neighborhood of Diablo Shadows lies at the northeast end of Grisly, Nevada, close to the 395 freeway. As Brin drove through the neighborhood, toward her home on Diablo Drive, she noticed how deathly and decaying the surroundings appeared. January was a dismal time in Nevada, particularly when snow didn’t cover all the dead trees and shrubs, when snow didn’t paint a picture of a magical winter wonderland.

She pulled up to her driveway and grabbed her phone from her purse. It had been vibrating for nearly thirty seconds.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Ash said. “What happened?”

“What happened where?”

“With that Anaya girl? Did she eat your face for an afternoon snack?”

Brin stepped out of the car and headed toward her house, which looked old and depressing among the other more modern two-story homes that lined the street.

“No, doofus,” Brin said. “We talked it out. I gave in. I’m gonna let her direct the movie.”

“What? Why?”

“She gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“Yeah? A horse head in your bed?”

“Very funny, Mr. Corleone.”

Brin went to unlock the front door, but it was already open. Making matters more unusual, her mom was never home at this hour. She shut the door, shrugged off the oddity, and moseyed on up toward her bedroom.

“So guess what?” Ash said.

“What?”

“The group designated me the star of our horror movie musical.”

Brin shut her door and lay down on her bed. The giggles started as she entered the room, and they intensified by the time her head struck her soft green pillow.

“You’re joking,” she said.

She didn’t hear a response. She glanced down at her phone to see if the call had been dropped.

“Ash? Are you there?” She still couldn’t control her laughing. “I’m sorry, did I offend you? Don’t cry. You’ll make a great singer. You’re gonna make John Travolta proud.”

Still no answer.

“Ash? Did I lose you? I’m sorry I laughed. Call me back.”

She threw the phone down at her feet and turned over on her stomach, her face now buried in her pillow. She knew she had tons of homework to do, and that procrastination would only fuel her irritability later on in the night. She had two worksheets in algebra, three worksheets in French, and a new book to read in English—Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

Gee, something else that’s got the horror theme going for it, she thought. I guess every creative project this semester will have the horror bent.

She sat up and blinked. Her eyes were dry. She started to rub them, when a scratching noise made her bring her hands down to her side. She turned to her left, toward the closet door. The scratching continued.

“Cleo? Did you get in the closet?” she whispered, chuckling to herself as she stood back up and walked over to her closet. She opened the door and looked into the black abyss.

“Brinnnn…” The whisper came from the back of the closet. “Oh Brinnnn…”

“What the—”