Hollowed (4 page)

I have to get out of the house and
do
something
before I drive myself insane replaying the other night in my head
, even if it
'
s only to crawl to the nearest store and buy myself a
soda
. First things first, though
,
I
grab the cordless phone from the kitchen and
dial the p
olice station to make a report, Cole’s instructions be damned.
I can't stomach the thought of Sherry
'
s body stuck there until someone happens to spot her
from the bridge. Her brother, Paul, drives over that bridge every day to and from work. What if
he
were to find her?

The automated system brings me to a voicemail box. Leaving a message about this feels impersonal. Insulting, almost. But it's better than nothing.

"My name is Briar Greyson." Pause. "My roommate, Sherry Evans, and I were jumped on our way home from work, on the bridge a block from the
Natoma
light rail station." I stop again to steady my voice, gather my thoughts.

"I was knocked out. When I woke up, I couldn't find Sherry. She's still missing. Can someone call me back..." I leave
the
number and address and hang up. Sit. Stare at the phone for awhile. Waiting for it to ring.
It never does.

A shower makes me feel more human again. The scrubbing
is especially
nice, surrounding myself in lavender-scented soap and shampoo to wash away the dirt and blood. I can't decide whether hot or cold water feels better
, too caught
between sweating and shivering.
My f
ever still hasn
'
t fallen below 105. Which means
the
thermometer
'
s still busted, right?
Couldn
'
t possibly be that high. Admitting that it is would be too close to admitting Oliver might
'
ve been telling the truth.

Vampire
. Yeah, right.

It isn't until I make it to the corner store and pay for my soda that I remember I have to work tomorrow night. So does Sherry. I'll have to walk over that bridge.

Alone.

Whatever
—
whoever
—
attacked us might be waiting. If not for me, then for another pair of helpless passerby stupid enough to wander by after dark. Just like me and Sherry. Not looking forward to it.

Back home, the front door is unlocked and Oliver is waiting in the living room. The look he gives me is nothing shy of unimpressed.

"You're supposed to be resting."

"Dude. Seriously? Out of my house." I hold open the door. He leans over me, presses a hand flat against the wood and shoves it closed effortlessly. His stare is intense enough I want to shrivel into a little ball and cry. Jerk.

"Maybe you don't believe us yet, but you will. And when you do, you're not going to want to go through it a
lone." He studies
my face. "There's no one better to help you through this than Cole."

I try feigning boredom.
"Is that right. Why?"

"Because he's old." Oliver straightens and meanders across the living room. It's easier to deal with him when he isn't in
my face. His presence is heavy
.
S
omething physical assaulting all my senses. I'll blame it on the sickness. "He
'
s been through a lot, seen a lot. And because whe
n I turned, he took care of me.
"

I glance at him sideways. He's really thought this whole vampire thing out, hasn't he? "If he's so great, then why are you here instead of him?"

Oliver rolls his broad shoulders into a shrug. "He's working."

"What kind of work do vampires secure these days? Blood banks? Are the benefits any good? No eating on the job, I guess."

He glares. "Don't patronize me."

I rub my eyes. My hea
d is killing me. "Yeah, look,
I'm
really
tired. You're freaking me out,
and
I'm waiting for a phone call. I'd like it if you left and didn't come back."

"You didn't call the cops, did you?"

"So what if I did?"

"Because they won't find any traces of the murderers. And because you'll claim you were attacked
,
"
h
e looks me up and down
,
"
a
nd there's not a mark on you."

Of course I've thought about that, but... "What choice do I have, huh? Not report it? That looks even worse on me.
I have to tell someone. Sherry’s family needs to know what happened
!
"

"You'll have to leave town eventually, and then it won't matter."

"
Excuse me? I d
o not."

"Do too."

"Why the hell would I leave my home?
"

"You can't stay here," he snaps. "People will notice you're different. It's one thing to start a new life somewhere else, but
those
who know
best
you will be the first to sense something is off. They will be wary of you, they will
fear
you. Accompanied with what happened to your friend, your life is never going to be the same. Believe me when I say that."

"Believe you?" My mouth twitches into a wry smile. "Believe I'm turning into a vampire? There's no such thing."

Oliver seems to realize he's fighting a losing battle. He breathes in, exhales through his mouth, spends some time glaring at me before his shoulders slump. "You're obnoxiously stubborn."

"You're stupid." It's the best insult I can come up with. For shame, self.

He opens his mouth to argue, but stops to look at the door. He knows someone is there before they knock. What creeps me out is that, somehow, I know it too.
It's the sort of feeling you get when someone is watching you. Except this is more than a creepy, paranoid prickle in the bad of your mind, but a very definite and tangible sensation.

I almost ask what I should do, but I don
'
t want to give him the satisfaction. I
'
m a big girl.
L
ike a big girl, I can answer my own
damn
door whenever I please.

Except Oliver grabs my arm, draws me aside and tucks me behind the door, out of view of whoever is on the other side. He opens it, effectively squishing me against the wall.
I'm fairly
sure
he
'
s doing
it
on purpose. When I squeak a protest, he opens the door wider. If I really were turning into a vampire, my first order of business would be to bite
him.

"
Hello, officer,
"
Oliver says.

The police! Did they get my message already? It was only a few hours ago. Or did they find Sherry? My stomach is instantly in knots.

A female voice says,
"
I
'
m looking for Briar Greyson or Sherry Evans. Are they home?
"

Oliver surprises me by sounding genuinely worried.
"
No, t
hey aren't here. I'm looking for them, actually.
"

A pause. She
'
s sizing Oliver up, I think, trying to determine what she can and should tell him.
"
Sherry's brother reported her missing
. W
e found evidence they may have been attacked down by the river.
"

The way she says it sends a shiver down my spine.
Evidence
. What about Sherry
'
s body? That
'
s a little more than evidence. Then again, maybe they don
'
t want anyone finding out they have a body yet.

Oliver sounds upset.
"
The two of them always walk home from work together. Do you think Briar—
"

"
We don
'
t know. What did you say your name was...?
"

"
Richard Strauss. I
'
m Briar
'
s boyfriend.
"

Oh,
ew
.

"
Richard.
"
She must be writing this down.
"
And the last time you saw her was...?
"

"
It
'
s been a few weeks. I go to school out of state. Michigan. I just flew in this morning.
"

Wow, he
'
s good at sounding sincere.
He's playing
the perfect boyfriend who dropped everything to check in on his missing girlfriend.

"
I spoke to her Tuesday afternoon, though, right before her shift.
"
Oliver steps back from the door.
"
If you have more questions, would you like to come in?
"

What the hell is he doing?! I press myself flat back against the wall,
eyes squeezing
shut. She
'
s going to come inside. He
'
s going to shut the door and my cover will be blown.

"
Uh... No, that
'
s all right.
"

Wait, what?

"
But you
'
ll be here if we have further questions?
"

From this angle
I can see Oliver forcing a smile
.
"
Yes, ma
'
am. I
'
m staying until she
'
s found.
"

He offers his number
—
a fake one, I
'
m sure
—
and she leaves. That was
way
too easy. When he shuts the door
,
his smile fades into its usual broody counterpart. I don
'
t bite him, but I do sock him in the arm. It hurts me more than it seems to hurt him.

"
Why did you do that?!
"

He frowns.
"
What would you have told her?
"

I open my mouth, close it again.
"
I can
'
t just
avoid
them.
"

"
You can, and you should until you leave here. I told you, people will be wary. That woman wouldn
'
t have believed a word you said.
"

"
Then why did she believe you?
"

"
She didn
'
t.
"
He smiles, but there
'
s no warmth to it.
"
She was afraid of me. Why do you think she didn
'
t come in?
"

Oh. No response for that. He
'
s right. She was in a hurry to get out of here. The idea that anyone would ever be afraid
of
me
is so ridiculous, though; I can
'
t wrap my head around it.
"
This is so stupid.
"

"
I agree.
"

"
People are afraid of you because you have a stupid face.
"

"
People are afraid of me
—
and you
,
and Cole
—
because of what we are. You are a predator now." His eyebrows lift. "
Don't suppose you have seen
your cat lately?
"

I haven
'
t.
"
What does that have to do with anything?
"

"
Just curious.
"

This guy? Really
getting on my nerves.
"
What do you want from me?
"

"
I don
'
t want anything from you.
"
He scowls.
"
Rogue vampires are what attacked you. We are here to hunt them, not to babysit a new vampire.
"