CHAPTER 33 WHO IS IN THE COFFINS?

Billy gasped.

And stared at the face that peered back at him from the shadows.

No time to grab the backpack. No time to pull one of the wooden stakes from the pack.

Billy staggered back—then realized he was staring at a painting.

A large painting, tilted on the charred wall. A woman, openmouthed, screaming. Her hair flying around her head.

Billy swallowed hard. I just let a painting terrify me, he realized. What am I going to do when I come face to face with a vampire?

He studied the painting for a moment. She looks the way I feel, he thought.

He turned away from it, his heart still pounding. Most of the interior walls had been reduced to ashes, so he could see the entire structure from where he stood. Nothing there. Nothing but ashes.

He turned and made his way quickly from the house.

The island was less creepy in the daylight.

But only a little.

Fear made his heart pound and his legs feel weak. But he forced himself to keep moving.

He made his way from house to house. Many had been completely gutted by fire. He searched them quickly, knowing he wouldn’t find anything.

He carefully examined any houses that were still intact, peeking into cupboards, peering into closets. No signs of Kylie or Irene.

Where could they be?

He stopped in a small clearing and glanced at his watch. Three forty-five. Billy shook it. It had read three forty-five the last time he looked.

The second hand wasn’t moving. The watch had stopped.

How long have I been here? he wondered. How soon does the sun go down?

The rain had stopped, but dark clouds still filled the sky, making it hard to guess the time. Billy figured it must be almost evening. If they didn’t find Kylie and Irene soon, they would have to get off the island.

He wondered where Diana was. He had not seen her since they split up.

Billy turned slowly in the clearing, trying to decide on his next move. A distant animal cry, shrill and frightening, floated to him from the woods. The first animal he’d heard since coming ashore.

Does that mean it’s almost night? he wondered. Do the animals come out only after dark?

He checked his watch again, just to make sure. Three forty-five.

Should I yell for Diana? he wondered. They still had to make their way back through the trees to the boat.

The boat! Billy thought. Where is it? Which direction is it in?

Suddenly feeling panicked, he let his eyes search the trees. He stood in a small, grass-covered clearing. On one side the grass lay flattened.

Some kind of path?

Yes. Someone had worn a trail there. Recently.

I don’t know how long we have before the vampires rise, Billy thought. Should I follow the path, or try to find Diana?

Would the path lead him to the vampires?

Maybe . . .

He followed the path through the woods, knocking branches out of the way. Thick vines grew along the sides. They clung to his skin and clothing as he made his way through.

He stopped in front of a tall tangle of vines and bare tree branches. Thick as a wall.

A wall?

Had someone built this here?

Billy peered through the vines. Yes. He could see something on the other side. He reached into the wall, pushing branches aside.

“Oww!” He cried out as thorns sank into his palm. Billy snatched his hand back and stared at it in horror. Two small dark holes. Deep punctures. Like a vampire bite.

How am I going to get in there? he wondered.

The wall of vines curved around some kind of structure. Protecting it.

This has to be their house, Billy thought. I have to get through.

He pulled a wooden stake from his backpack. Thrust it through the thorns. Working it around, he made a hole large enough to see through.

Yes! A house.

A charred house behind the wall of vines.

It was burned, but not badly. The walls and roof appeared to be solid. Working furiously, Billy enlarged the hole until it was big enough for him to crawl through, then put away the stake.

Thorns snagged his backpack and clothes, leaving long scratches on his skin. He ignored them. He didn’t take his eyes off the burned-out house.

Billy glanced up at the sky. The rain had stopped. The clouds moved quickly, as if a strong wind were blowing them.

How soon till sunset? he wondered. How much time do I have?

He ran to the door of the house. He grabbed the knob. It turned easily. The door swung open about an inch, then stopped. Something on the inside was holding it closed.

Billy pushed. The door opened a little farther. He shoved it with all his strength. Whatever blocked the door scraped across the floor.

The door stood open about a foot. Billy squeezed through the opening.

Total darkness, except for the light from the open door.

Billy waited for his eyes to adjust. The first thing he was able to see was a dresser that had been shoved against the door.

Slowly the room came into focus. Billy stood in what had been the kitchen. It smelled stale, like an old campfire.

His eyes darted around the room. He couldn’t see much. The room seemed to be completely bare.

Billy stepped through the doorway into the next room. It was even darker here, damp and musty. Deep shadows crept from the corners, pools of blackness that seemed to absorb the dim light spilling in from the kitchen.

He examined the walls. Someone had nailed boards over the windows.

From the inside.

Billy peered around the room, trying to see into the shadows.

“Whoa,” he whispered. In the corner. What was that?

The shadows were so deep that Billy could barely make out the three shapes. He moved quickly across the room—and saw three long, rectangular boxes.

Coffins.

Billy’s breath caught in his throat. A wave of terror swept over him, holding him in place, holding his eyes on the coffins.

Yes. Yes. I have found what I am looking for, he told himself. I have found the resting place of the vampires.

But when does the sun go down? Do I have enough time to destroy them before they awaken?

Billy stared at the coffins, his pulse racing.

I cannot stand here gaping. I have to look inside, he told himself.

He took a deep breath. Reached out with trembling hands. And lifted the lid on the coffin closest to him.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 639