Mortal Danger

BEHOLD A PALE HORSE

Monday morning, I got up at five thirty and went for a run. The sky was still dark, but I stayed off the side streets; there were other fitness buffs out, and they nodded at me as we passed, though most of them had pedometers and special music players strapped to their arms, along with more expensive shoes and spandex pants. I ran in Converse, sweats, and a hoodie, feet pounding out my confusion and dismay against the sidewalk.

I wanted to trust Kian, but my nature wouldn’t let me take him on faith. Maybe I could take a field trip to Cross Point, Pennsylvania, and look for proof. If I saw his “before” picture, I could at least believe he was who he claimed. Sure, he could produce ID, but given the resources at his disposal, that wouldn’t prove anything conclusively. But I couldn’t keep up the back-and-forth dance, where I drew closer and then I pulled away. It wasn’t fair to either of us, and if he was being straight with me, if, then he deserved better.

Everyone needs one true thing. I want him to be mine.

As I ran, I heard the scrape of footsteps behind me, not running shoes, more like hobnail boots, heavy and uneven. When I turned, I saw nothing but the smoky shadows cast in the final hour before sunrise, only thin fingers of light clutching at the horizon. The street was empty, but still the footsteps drew closer, and as I spun, I caught the flicker of movement in my peripheral vision. My flight reaction kicked in, so I raced toward the apartment, listening to my heart thump out a warning.

Danger. Danger.

With pure relief, I tore around the corner onto my street and within screaming range of fifty families in the identical brownstones. If something happened, if I called out, someone would hear me. Still, I didn’t slow down, sprinting the last fifty feet to my front stoop. I was bathed in cold sweat when I bounded up the steps and into the foyer. The door shut behind me, meager protection from the forces arrayed against me. I skimmed the dark street one last time and just as I was about to write off the incident as my imagination, a stooped figure shuffled into view beneath a streetlight. He looked like an elderly man, dressed in garb more suited to the World War I era, right down to the hobnailed boots I’d heard. His mouth was sunken from loss of teeth and he had whiskers growing all over his face, not a beard, more like a human cactus. Over his left shoulder, he carried an empty burlap sack.

He stood across from my house, staring back at me with eyes like drowning, big and wet, and somehow hungry. Two children stepped out of the shadows behind him, flanking the old man, close enough to touch, but separate. They, too, were dressed in old-fashioned clothing; the boy in knee pants and socks pulled up high, the girl in a pinafore with a dirty ribbon in her hair. And their eyes were black as pitch. The little girl-thing stepped forward.

I whirled to retreat to my apartment and nearly slammed into Mr. Lewis. He peered at me with a somber expression. “Is it you they’ve come for?”

For a few seconds, I couldn’t speak. “Who?”

“The old ones.”

“Probably.” I couldn’t remember ever talking to Mr. Lewis before, but it seemed like he could see the creepy things. I wasn’t sure what that said about him. Surreptitiously, I glanced at his wrists, but they were unmarked.

“Do you hear the ringing?”

I gaped at him. The perspicacity of his question shocked all of mine right out of my head. “What, how did you know?”

“Means you’ve come into close contact with a powerful old one. My mum crossed paths with them, told me a story or two before she passed.”

Come to think of it, the tinnitus started after I met Wedderburn. Did that mean I had some kind of detection system for immortals now? That might be useful.

Mr. Lewis went on, “Be careful, missy. I’ll hang a horseshoe above the front door, but you should say your good-byes. It won’t stay them long.” With that dire pronouncement, he went into his apartment.

My legs were shaky as I ran up the flight of stairs, partly from the run and partly from the weirdness stalking me. Inside the apartment, I took a quick shower and got ready for school. My homework was done, but I had no extra credit so far this year. I imagined my teachers checking my assignments and saying, It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.

At school, people were gleeful, whispering wild rumors about Brittany. “I heard it was mono.”

“No way, it’s worse. She has VD or something, only she was giving somebody gross a BJ and the infection spread all over her face.”

Damn. I tried to ignore them and I avoided the Teflon crew while moving from class to class across campus. It seemed like Mr. “Call me Colin” Love was always watching me, lurking in doorways and corridors with an inscrutable expression, and when I made eye contact, he offered a charming smile.

I’m not buying it. You’re one of them. But he hadn’t set off my tinnitus. So maybe I’m just paranoid.

The one notable thing that happened—I had a meeting with my guidance counselor to talk about college; she also gave me some material about the SAT. At this point, I could register late and take it for the first time in early October. If that didn’t go well, there were other test dates spaced throughout the year.

“Thanks,” I told her. “We’ll talk after I get my scores back.”

“You should also consider some extracurricular activities, Edie. Your grades are Ivy League, but the rest of your school life is rather…” She trailed off, trying to find a nice way to say I hadn’t done anything but skulk and study.

“I’ll work on it,” I said, though I had no idea how.

In relief I darted out of her office and went to lunch. The others were already at the table, but nobody stopped me when I joined them. Part of me wanted to go sit with some random people and forget about the Teflon crew, but I didn’t want Allison to think she’d won. Today, she was practically sitting in Cameron’s lap, petting his head to “comfort” him through his sadness about Brittany.

“Did anyone go see her this weekend?” I asked, when the conversation hit a lull.

Silence. Nobody met my eyes and they shook their heads, mumbling excuses. I ate my lunch and pretended to listen to Russ while the others changed the subject.

The Teflon crew wasn’t the same as last year; Brittany in the hospital had created a power vacuum and Allison was scrambling to fill her shoes. With their attention focused inward, they spent less time harassing random outcasts.

“I’m going to see her tonight,” I said, just before the bell. “Anyone want to come?”

Another long pause. Then Jen spoke. “I’ll go. Is it … I mean, how—”

“Bad. But she stays inside her bed curtains most of the time.”

“Okay. Should I bring something?”

I thought for a minute. “We can stop and get some magazines on the way up, something with quizzes, celebrity gossip, and bad advice.”

Jen gave a relieved smile. “That sounds good. I’m really bad at cheering people up, but I can read.”

“Doubtful,” Allison sniped.

The other girl leveled a cold look on her. “Who’s flunking basic English here?”

“There’s only one way to settle this,” Russ said. “Vat of pudding, after school.”

“I’m out.” I pushed to my feet.

“Me too.” Jen surprised me by following.

Allison glowered at us while Davina looked intimidated. Last week, Allison and Brittany kept her busy running errands, but with Brittany gone, she was sitting with the Teflon crew, though she didn’t seem sure of her place in the social hierarchy. She glanced at Allison, then the guys, while she chewed her lip.

“Can I go, too?” she asked.

“Sure.” It wasn’t like I owned the hospital or set visiting rules. “Let’s meet up at the front doors after school?”

“Sounds good,” Jen said and Davina nodded.

Allison lifted one shoulder in a bored shrug. “Give Brit my best.” Her expression said, I’ll always rule this school, even if you suck up to my former bestie, who used to share the crown with me.

The day just got weirder from there—with Davina on one side and Jen on the other as I went to class, students scrambled out of our way, like we were new queen bees or something. Davina smirked at me, but it was a conspiratorial look, not a snotty one.

A freshman girl said to her, timidly, “I love your hair.”

“Thanks.” She tossed the long curls, smiling with genuine pleasure.

Davina had brown skin, pretty features, and great hair. If looks alone were enough to secure entry to the inner circle, she’d have been sworn in years ago. In her shoes, I’d given up on cheerleading and made friends who weren’t such superficial tools. Her motives in courting their approval stumped me.

As I got my books, I fought the urge to bang my head against my locker, but somehow I made it through the day without hitting anyone or getting screamed at by my teachers. When I left Blackbriar, I found Davina and Jen already waiting. I didn’t break stride, just beckoned as I went by. Kian would be surprised to find out he’d be driving the three of us to the hospital, but I hoped he’d roll with it.

“You brought presents,” Kian said as we walked up.

That was a pretty charming thing to say. Funny, he claimed he had no experience whatsoever, but he could come up with lines like that on the fly? This is why I don’t trust you. Jen and Davina both beamed, and I stifled a sigh at introducing everyone. Then I smiled at him, trying to decide if he was upset over how things ended on Saturday night. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, which told me the answer was yes.

“I hope you like them,” I answered.

“I take it I’m chauffeuring today?”

“If you don’t mind. We’re visiting Brittany.”

“Not a problem.” He opened the door and gestured for the other two to get in back.

In the car, I let Davina and Jen carry the conversation, asking Kian questions about his job and what he was studying at university. Can’t stop gossiping, huh, Allison? That was the only way they could’ve known he was in college. He responded politely, with just enough warmth to come across as friendly.

“I’ll drop you off out front and then park.” He hesitated. “Since I don’t know her, it would probably be better for me to wait in the lobby.”

Jen nodded. “I guarantee Brit wouldn’t thank us for bringing a hot guy to see her when she’s … not at her best.”

“Definitely,” Davina agreed.

Wanting to make up for the other night, I leaned over, but Kian gave me his cheek. Got it. No lip kisses until we talk. A heavy feeling settled in my stomach as I slid out of the car and pulled the seat forward so the other two could do the same.

“Where did you meet him?” Davina watched him drive off with an expression that suggested Kian was money covered in chocolate.

Grinning, I told the truth. “On a bridge.”

Jen sighed and headed for the front doors. “Fine, don’t tell us.”

This time, I bought magazines in the gift shop instead of a stuffed toy. And like Friday, when I got to Brittany’s room, she had no visitors. The shades were drawn along with the bed curtains, and the smell … was indescribable. Davina actually took a step back, her nose wrinkling in horror, but Jen clamped a hand on her shoulder and shoved her forward. Her determination to be a good friend boosted her up to decent human being in my mind.

“Who is it?” Brittany sounded hoarse, as if she had been crying.

“Me, Jen, and Davina. We thought we’d read Cosmo and have some girl talk.” These were the last words I could’ve ever imagined saying. Until today, I’d never picked up a single woman’s magazine.

“That’s nice of you. Is … my mom around?”

Damn.

“I didn’t see her,” Jen said softly.

“You guys don’t have to stay,” Brittany mumbled, sounding reluctant.

“It’s okay,” Jen said.

“Let’s settle in.” Davina was calmer, breathing through her mouth.

I could only think, if it’s bad for us, imagine how Brittany feels.

For an hour or so, we took quizzes like “How to Tell if He’s the One” and Jen read aloud an article called “Rocking His World in 5 Easy Steps.” It was so bad, it was funny, and to my surprise, I wasn’t the only one laughing. Before, I’d always imagined that beautiful girls pored over this stuff seriously, as if it were some kind of bible, but that didn’t seem to be the case with these three. Even Brittany was giggling in tiny choking gusts. She might be having trouble breathing, but I was afraid to upset her by peeking around the curtain.

Brittany whispered, “Thanks for coming, you guys. It means a lot to me.”

Davina was making a joke when Brittany wheezed and then there was a wet sound, a splatter, and I leapt to my feet. No time to think about whether she’d want me to—I yanked open the curtain and even in the gloom, I saw so much blood, blood everywhere, staining her gown, her sheets, pouring from her mouth in a river of red. Jen came to my shoulder and screamed while Davina fumbled for the call button.

I wheeled and ran to the door, banged it open and yelled, “Nurse! Doctor! Somebody, we need help in here. Oh my God, hurry!”

The machines attached to Brittany were going crazy, and pretty soon, there was a team with a crash cart shoving us out the door. Jen was shaking and Davina was so pale she looked green under the fluorescents. My skin felt like it was too small; I couldn’t sit still, so I paced while they worked.

Eventually, a nurse shooed us down to a waiting area. “You can’t loiter here, you’ll bother the other patients.”

“I had no idea she was so sick,” Davina kept saying.

Jen was silent, a look of horror locked in her eyes. What was left of Brittany’s face … dear God. I’d seen pictures on the Internet that horrible, but … no more, I can’t. With shaking fingers, I texted Kian some directions, along with, Come up. Please. I need you.

Five minutes later, he found me. He dropped into the chair next to me and wrapped his arm about my shoulders in a move so natural, I could believe we’d dated all summer. I could get lost in his lies every bit as easily as his eyes. And that scared the shit out of me.

“What happened?”

“Brit’s really bad. She started hemorrhaging right in front of us,” Jen answered.

Without thinking, I reached for Jen. She held on like she was full of helium and in danger of floating away into an empty sky. On her other side, Davina looked like she needed comfort, too, so Jen put her hand out. We sat like that, not talking, just holding hands, while hospital staff came and went. Nobody would tell us anything.

Around half past five, Mrs. King stumbled into the lounge. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut, and I could tell she hadn’t been sleeping. I had seen her from a distance at school functions, but the coiffed society matron bore little resemblance to the distraught, disheveled mess who collapsed in the chair next to Davina. Mrs. King scrubbed trembling fingers through her tangled hair and repressed a sob.

“I went home to shower,” she whispered. “And to try calling her dad again. He’s in Singapore this week.”

Davina reached out and took the older woman’s hand, looking like she had no idea what to say. None of us did. Finally Kian murmured, “Are they treating her?”

Mrs. King nodded. “They wouldn’t let me stay. The nurse called and I got back as a fast as I could. It was rush hour.”

She started crying then and Davina patted her on the back. The only sound in the waiting area came from Mrs. King’s soft, choking sobs and my own breathing. Kian didn’t do this. He’d have to be an utter monster to sit here with Brittany’s mom if he had anything to do with her condition. Still, a knot formed in my stomach until I wanted to scream.

Belatedly, I texted my parents. It was a school night, yeah, but if they thought schoolwork was more important than somebody’s life, then their priorities were seriously screwed up. At six thirty, I went down to get coffee and sandwiches, mostly because it was something to do. Passing out food and drinks and pretending to eat carried us past seven. I wasn’t sure when she started, but Mrs. King prayed, though I wouldn’t have taken her for a religious woman. Prior encounters had made me think she was cold and controlling, but maybe she was one of those mothers who pushed because their standards were set high, not from lack of love.

Around eight, I was sitting on the floor, propped up against Kian’s knees when the doctor—at least I think he was a doctor—came into the lounge, along with the nurse who had gossiped with me the first time I visited. They both wore such grave expressions that I was worried. Tension tightened my shoulders until my skin felt wrapped in razor wire.

Then the doctor said, “Mrs. King, let’s talk privately.”

Jen squeezed my hand hard as Brittany’s mom left. She followed the trio with her gaze, then took a deep, shivery breath. “What should we do?”

I had no idea.

Davina said, “Let’s wait until she comes back. Maybe Brittany’s stable now or they need her to sign a form for more tests or something.”

Twenty minutes later, Mrs. King stepped into the waiting room, looking absolutely ravaged. “Thank you three so much for coming and for … being with Brit. If you hadn’t been here…” Her voice broke, so she tried again. “It’s … over. You can go home now.”

“She’s … gone?” Jen choked out.

Numb, I eased to my feet. Kian herded us to the car and offered to drive the other two girls home, even though they lived in different parts of the city. It was late enough that traffic wasn’t horrendous. I got out when we dropped Jen off and hugged her. She held on for a long time. When we got to Davina’s house, I did the same. Her mom was standing in the doorway in a golden wash of light, and Davina ran to her outstretched arms like I could never do. My mom wouldn’t think to open them.

“Is this because of me?” I asked as he put the car in drive.

Kian should’ve answered right away with a firm denial. He didn’t. “I don’t know.”

“Did I do this somehow?” A shriek bubbled in the back of my throat as I saw that crimson splatter over and over, out from the raw hole that was Brit’s mouth, cheeks eaten away, so much pain, so much. Her eyes were wild with it and swimming in fear.

“Of course not. You’d never hurt anyone, Edie.”

You wanted them all to suffer, a little voice whispered in my ear. So it begins.

Whipping my head around wildly, I caught a glimpse of red eyes in the side mirror. On a smothered cry, I checked the backseat but there was nobody. Just a reflection of some taillights. Monsters don’t live in reflections.

Or maybe they do.

It was too much. I fought the tears for a full minute according to the clock on the dash, but in the end, I lost. Kian eyed me but he didn’t pull over until we got close to the brownstone. Then he parked up the street from my apartment and reached for me.

“I don’t know what the hell’s going on, but I’ll look into it. I’ll keep you safe.”

His hands roved my back, gentle and soothing, and I cried for the life Brittany had lost, the one he’d signed away, and the future that might not even be mine anymore. My eyes felt sore and swollen when I finally calmed down. I couldn’t remember losing it like that in front of anyone, ever, and that made it impossible to look at him.

“This sucks,” I muttered.

“Remember what I said? I meant it. I’ll never let you down when you need me.”

“Why? I was kind of an asshole to you the other night.”

“We’ll talk about that later. Right now, I’m walking you upstairs. Under the circumstances, I’m sure I can convince your parents to let me stay a while.”

“But it’s a school night.”

“Trust me,” he said.

If only I could.

I should’ve told him that night about the bag man and the spooky children. But I didn’t; I forgot about them in the deluge of other problems.

That was a mistake.