I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard sniffling. It was sniffle, sniffle, cry, sniffle, sniffle, cry. Someone was in that church with me, and they sounded very close. I listened for a moment, trying to detect where it was coming from. Against my better judgment, I called out, “Hello?”
The cries immediately halted.
That quick inhale of breath to end the crying was a loud enough noise for me to get an idea of where its source was. It was at the main area of the church where the worshipers would kneel to pray, I was certain of it. I took cautious steps toward the noise, drawing closer in toward a large biblical statue, and when I turned to my right, I saw a figure. It was a blond-haired woman, knelt on the floor, her face and arms pressed into the church seats as she quietly wept.
Suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach. Something wasn’t right. Something didn’t feel normal. Whatever I had stumbled upon felt like I had found a mythical creature like the Loch Ness monster or bigfoot. I had the overwhelming feeling that I did not belong here. All that curiosity I had five minutes ago? GONE. EVAPORATED. FINITO. I needed to leave, pronto.
But before I had a chance to book it out of there, the woman slowly lifted her face from her hands and looked at me.
Oh, God…oh, God!
It was Melanie. It was really her.
Her face was as white as a sheet of paper, her under eyes purple and blue, her hair stringy and unwashed, and as she rose to her feet, she began to mouth something. Only I didn’t register what it was, because as her mouth opened, a pair of white fangs protruded from between her lips.
I screamed.
Chapter Three
PRISCILLA
BANG. BANG. BANG.
What the fuck.
My front door sounded like someone was shoving a log against it, hitting it so hard I thought it was gonna be blown off the hinges. If I had lived in a worse neighborhood I'd think it was a crackhead or a rapist, but if they were really a criminal they'd probably be in the house already, and not knocking like some manic dumbass.
I rolled out of bed and headed to the front door, lowkey wishing I was wearing something hot just in case it was a mysterious stranger with a flat tire who needed my assistance and perhaps sexual favors.
I pulled open the door. Shit. It was just Max.
"You didn't hear me knock five hundred fucking times?" he yodeled in my face.
Knowing it was him and not a mysterious stranger made my exhaustion creep back in, and I yawned while leaning against the door frame. "Yes, Max, I most absolutely fucking did. Did your brain at any point figure that if someone doesn't come to the door when you're pounding on it harder than your meat, that maybe that person is ignoring you on purpose?"
"I don't have time for your brand of wit. Where's Cora?"
I made a face and threw my hands up. "How the hell should I know? Isn't she your girlfriend?"
"You haven't heard from her?" His voice suddenly went soft. It was weird.
"Last I saw her, she was at her place with you."
"Shit." The color drained from his face, and it was the first time I saw him look scared. Even with the fuckery of Rookridge, I never saw him look like this.
"You gonna tell me what's going on, or what?" I asked.
"She's not at her apartment, and she's not picking up her phone. It's like she fucking disappeared."
I chuckled. "What'd you do?"
"Huh?" His face squished so tight I could tell he was irritated, not confused, by my question. Not sure why I found him hotter making this face, but whatever.
I folded my arms and gave a shrug. "Usually when a woman goes M.I.A, it's because the boyfriend did something to piss her off. You know, take off for a few days to make him sweat it out, teach him a lesson."
"This might come as a shock to you, Priscilla, but not all of us infuriate people by our mere existence."
I cocked an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"
He threw his head back and twisted his jaw. "I don't even know why I'm here. You're about as useful as a broken condom."
"Good one. Your dad use that line on your mom?"
"No, but he used it on yours."
"If you think that's gonna bother me, know that my mom is a dirty bitch," I said with a pointed finger.
If I thought Max looked hot before by how irritated he was, he was practically oozing sex right now. "I'm really fucking glad we're trading mom jokes while Cora is missing. You're a real stand-up kind of best friend."
I scoffed. "I'm not Cora's best friend."
"Yeah, all right," he said and began walking away.
Wait, was he for real? I made fun of her all the time. She was like this annoying little troll with her corny jokes and her blind optimism like the world wasn't shit. We were nothing alike. How the hell could I be her best friend? I mean, I liked her and we got along...you know what, nevermind.
"Wait," I called out to Max. The second I saw him stop midstep, I slammed my eyes shut, cringing at myself for ever calling out to a man like that. A man I wasn't even trying to sleep with. He turned back and looked at me, and I said, "Do you really think she's missing?"
"This isn't like her. She doesn't do this, especially with everything we've been through. She was acting weird all night, and now this...something's not right."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing." He didn't trust me to help, or didn't trust
