Chapter 55

CHAPTER 55

" T hat was really beautiful," I said to Darius. "I mean, I think Ozzie asked for it as a joke, but it was perfect."

"You're beautiful," Darius said.

We were driving down the dirt road from Pike's place back to town in Darius's Jeep. Given that I was still dressed like a zombie, he was really stretching the "beautiful" bit. I was covered in white makeup and soot, and there were bullet holes in my dress courtesy of Reggie (who I think had used actual bullets from an actual gun on a target that he stretched our clothes over), and I was gross, but Darius thought I was beautiful anyway.

Keeper.

"Do you think anybody will notice that we slipped away?" I asked.

"I think they'd notice if we didn't," Darius said, calm as ever. "Marley said he'd get Mei home. Later."

I nodded. "They seem really happy?—"

I stopped because there was a man in the road, waving us down where the road narrowed to the wood bridge that was only one car wide.

Norman.

" Don't stop ," I told Darius, but he slowed down anyway.

"Is that Norman Oswald?" he asked.

I grabbed his arm. " Don't stop . I'm telling you, don't stop. "

Norman was standing in the middle of the road on the other side of the bridge and there was no way Darius could get around him, no way off the road before the bridge, trees on both sides.

"He wasn't invited to his brother's funeral?" Darius asked calmly as he drove us slowly onto the bridge.

" This is a trap ." I was almost screaming now, but he wasn't listening to me . "He shot a Russian last night. Back up . This is really bad. You have to listen to me! "

"He what?" Darius said, focused on traversing the narrow bridge.

Darius stopped at the end of the bridge where Norman stood, not moving, his arms folded across his chest like he was waiting for something. His old van was parked behind him in the darkness, blocking the road.

He looked over at me. "Do you want to talk to him?"

I grabbed him and shook him and really did scream this time. " Get us out of here ."

"He's blocking the road," Darius said, calm as ever, using one of his "you're overreacting" voices.

I was in full panic. " Run over him, ram the van ."

Darius shook his head. "Calm down, Pops. Let me see what he wants. He could have broken down on the way to the funeral."

" No ," I said, remembering what Mom had said. Mom is never wrong. " No, get us out of here NOW ."

He turned the engine off and got out. I heard a noise and leaned forward and saw there was another truck in the dark, behind Norman's, a big black SUV, one I'd seen before when Junior had first come into the store.

" Darius! " I screamed as he walked forward.

Darius turned toward me halfway between the Jeep and Norman, looking annoyed. "What?"

" Get back —" I began but then his body jerked and convulsed, and I screamed as he crumpled to the ground .

I reached for my door, but it opened and a pale vampire woman jerked me out of the Jeep by the neck of my dress and jabbed a needle into my thigh through my skirt. I punched her right in the nose the way Ozzie had taught me and heard the satisfying crunch of her nose breaking, and then my vision narrowed and?—