“Good news.” Bobby reached into her dresser drawer and pulled out a cell phone. “I think I’ve got her phone.”
“Holy shit.” I ran over and grabbed it from him. I clicked and touched it all over, but nothing happened. The screen stayed black. “What’s wrong with it? It won’t turn on.”
“Well, it’s been sitting in the drawer for at least two weeks, so the battery is probably dead,” Bobby pointed out.
I looked around her room and spotted the charger next to the desk. I plugged in the phone and sat down in the chair. By the time I got the damn thing on, my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. Bobby stood behind me, looking at it over my shoulder.
She had a few missed calls stored up, most of them from people she used to party with, but three were from an unknown caller. She didn’t have voicemails, so that didn’t help, and I moved on to her text messages. Before the sixteenth of January, she’d received a couple messages, all from people I knew, but she hadn’t sent any out.
“Why wasn’t she replying to their texts?” Bobby asked, reading over my shoulder.
“She was in rehab until the sixteenth. She didn’t have her phone with her,” I said. “When she replied, that’s when she got out.”
The text messages from people she knew were all about going out or partying, and Jane hadn’t responded to any of them. The only messages she responded to were from an unknown caller, and those messages made my blood run cold.
Are you out yet? The unknown number had texted.
Who is this? Jane texted back.
You know who this is. I want you to meet me.
Where? Jane replied.
Outside of the gas station on 8th street.
I’ll be there soon. Jane texted.
I’ll be waiting.
And that was it. There were no more text messages in her phone.
“That’s it?” Bobby asked.
“That’s it.” I stood up, and he reached for the phone, so I handed it to him. “That gas station is only a few blocks from here. She must’ve been at home.”
“So she knew who it was?” Bobby played around on her phone, searching for more hidden messages or some clue that we didn’t see.
“Yeah.” I walked over to Jane’s window, realizing she’d willingly left to meet her killer, and she’d probably died a few blocks from her home. “Call it.”
“What?”
“Call the number,” I turned back to Bobby. “Call and see who answers.”
“What if I don’t know who answers?” he asked.
“Then ask who it is. Just call the number and try to sound tough.”
“Okay?” He took a deep breath and hit the call button the phone. I watched him, barely able to breathe myself, and waited while he held the phone to his ear. His face fell and he shook his head. “We’re sorry. The number you have reached is no longer in service.”
“Dammit,” I groaned and looked back at the window. “She knew who it was. She left with them. And she got killed right down this street! And I have no idea-”
Then I saw something on the street corner, below her bedroom window. Something moved in the shadows, and I realized that the streetlight was out. All the other lights on the street were lit up fine, but the one outside of Jane’s room was out. It didn’t mean anything really. Vampires made sure the streetlight was always out outside of V, but a light going out didn’t mean anything in and of itself.
But I had this feeling. I couldn’t explain it exactly, but it was something inside my veins. Something almost tingly but painful too. As soon as I’d caught sight of something moving outside, I’d felt it.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Bobby asked.
“Somebody’s down there.”
“Where?” He came up next to me to look outside, and I saw it again. It had moved to the side, so it was almost out of my line of vision, but I knew it was out there.
“Meet me downstairs,” I told Bobby as I opened the bedroom window. I pulled out the screen, bending it in half to get it out quickly.
“What? What are you doing?”
“It’ll take me too long to go through the apartment. Just meet me downstairs.” I climbed through the window, crouching down on the ledge.
“What’ll I tell her parents when you’re not with me?”
“I don’t know. Think of something,” I said, and I leapt off her window.
I would’ve been fine landing on the ground, but I jumped out towards the street lamp. I wanted some element of surprise, even if it was a small one. My hands wrapped around the lamppost, and I looked down at the ground. The figure was looking up at me.
But as soon as our eyes met, I knew who it was, and he knew me. Jonathan began to run, and I pressed my feet to the pole so I could jump off. I landed right behind him. Pain reverberated through my legs, but I was running the instant my feet hit the ground.
I only gave chase for a second because then I was on him. I grabbed his shoulder and threw him into the wall. His skull cracked back against it. He tried to push at me, but I was stronger than him. I’d barely stood a chance against him the last time we tangled, but now I had the strength and I knew how to use it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled. Pressing my arm to his chest, I held him against the wall. Jonathan could keep fighting, but he knew he couldn’t win.
“I could ask you the same thing.” He glared down at me, his eyes as cold and emotionless as ever.
“Jane was my best friend! And you killed her!” I shouted, and I kneed him in the groin. He grimaced, but only for a second.
“I didn’t kill her! She belonged to me, and I want to find out who did kill her!” Jonathan shouted back, and his breath smelled of rotting meat. He’d eaten recently, but smelling it on him was disgusting. Everything about him made me feel gross, and the blood in my veins burned.
“Liar!” I kneed him again, harder this time, and his face twisted for a moment.
“I’m not lying! Why would I kill Jane? She tasted delicious.” Jonathan smiled at me, and it took all my restraint to rip out his throat.
“You hated her. You used her, and you treated her like meat. Why would you be loitering outside her apartment unless you killed her?”
“For the same reason you are,” he said. “Somebody stole her from me, and I want to find out who it is. Nobody takes anything from me. You know that.”
“Holy shit.” I ran over and grabbed it from him. I clicked and touched it all over, but nothing happened. The screen stayed black. “What’s wrong with it? It won’t turn on.”
“Well, it’s been sitting in the drawer for at least two weeks, so the battery is probably dead,” Bobby pointed out.
I looked around her room and spotted the charger next to the desk. I plugged in the phone and sat down in the chair. By the time I got the damn thing on, my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. Bobby stood behind me, looking at it over my shoulder.
She had a few missed calls stored up, most of them from people she used to party with, but three were from an unknown caller. She didn’t have voicemails, so that didn’t help, and I moved on to her text messages. Before the sixteenth of January, she’d received a couple messages, all from people I knew, but she hadn’t sent any out.
“Why wasn’t she replying to their texts?” Bobby asked, reading over my shoulder.
“She was in rehab until the sixteenth. She didn’t have her phone with her,” I said. “When she replied, that’s when she got out.”
The text messages from people she knew were all about going out or partying, and Jane hadn’t responded to any of them. The only messages she responded to were from an unknown caller, and those messages made my blood run cold.
Are you out yet? The unknown number had texted.
Who is this? Jane texted back.
You know who this is. I want you to meet me.
Where? Jane replied.
Outside of the gas station on 8th street.
I’ll be there soon. Jane texted.
I’ll be waiting.
And that was it. There were no more text messages in her phone.
“That’s it?” Bobby asked.
“That’s it.” I stood up, and he reached for the phone, so I handed it to him. “That gas station is only a few blocks from here. She must’ve been at home.”
“So she knew who it was?” Bobby played around on her phone, searching for more hidden messages or some clue that we didn’t see.
“Yeah.” I walked over to Jane’s window, realizing she’d willingly left to meet her killer, and she’d probably died a few blocks from her home. “Call it.”
“What?”
“Call the number,” I turned back to Bobby. “Call and see who answers.”
“What if I don’t know who answers?” he asked.
“Then ask who it is. Just call the number and try to sound tough.”
“Okay?” He took a deep breath and hit the call button the phone. I watched him, barely able to breathe myself, and waited while he held the phone to his ear. His face fell and he shook his head. “We’re sorry. The number you have reached is no longer in service.”
“Dammit,” I groaned and looked back at the window. “She knew who it was. She left with them. And she got killed right down this street! And I have no idea-”
Then I saw something on the street corner, below her bedroom window. Something moved in the shadows, and I realized that the streetlight was out. All the other lights on the street were lit up fine, but the one outside of Jane’s room was out. It didn’t mean anything really. Vampires made sure the streetlight was always out outside of V, but a light going out didn’t mean anything in and of itself.
But I had this feeling. I couldn’t explain it exactly, but it was something inside my veins. Something almost tingly but painful too. As soon as I’d caught sight of something moving outside, I’d felt it.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Bobby asked.
“Somebody’s down there.”
“Where?” He came up next to me to look outside, and I saw it again. It had moved to the side, so it was almost out of my line of vision, but I knew it was out there.
“Meet me downstairs,” I told Bobby as I opened the bedroom window. I pulled out the screen, bending it in half to get it out quickly.
“What? What are you doing?”
“It’ll take me too long to go through the apartment. Just meet me downstairs.” I climbed through the window, crouching down on the ledge.
“What’ll I tell her parents when you’re not with me?”
“I don’t know. Think of something,” I said, and I leapt off her window.
I would’ve been fine landing on the ground, but I jumped out towards the street lamp. I wanted some element of surprise, even if it was a small one. My hands wrapped around the lamppost, and I looked down at the ground. The figure was looking up at me.
But as soon as our eyes met, I knew who it was, and he knew me. Jonathan began to run, and I pressed my feet to the pole so I could jump off. I landed right behind him. Pain reverberated through my legs, but I was running the instant my feet hit the ground.
I only gave chase for a second because then I was on him. I grabbed his shoulder and threw him into the wall. His skull cracked back against it. He tried to push at me, but I was stronger than him. I’d barely stood a chance against him the last time we tangled, but now I had the strength and I knew how to use it.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled. Pressing my arm to his chest, I held him against the wall. Jonathan could keep fighting, but he knew he couldn’t win.
“I could ask you the same thing.” He glared down at me, his eyes as cold and emotionless as ever.
“Jane was my best friend! And you killed her!” I shouted, and I kneed him in the groin. He grimaced, but only for a second.
“I didn’t kill her! She belonged to me, and I want to find out who did kill her!” Jonathan shouted back, and his breath smelled of rotting meat. He’d eaten recently, but smelling it on him was disgusting. Everything about him made me feel gross, and the blood in my veins burned.
“Liar!” I kneed him again, harder this time, and his face twisted for a moment.
“I’m not lying! Why would I kill Jane? She tasted delicious.” Jonathan smiled at me, and it took all my restraint to rip out his throat.
“You hated her. You used her, and you treated her like meat. Why would you be loitering outside her apartment unless you killed her?”
“For the same reason you are,” he said. “Somebody stole her from me, and I want to find out who it is. Nobody takes anything from me. You know that.”
