The Traveling Vampire Show

On the front stoop, I reached for the doorbell but Rusty grabbed my wrist. “Don’t,” he whispered. “What if somebody’s in there?”

“Like who?”

“You know. Like them.”

“You mean Julian?” I asked.

“Yeah. Or some of his gang.”

“Who’s Julian?” Bitsy asked.

Slim went, “Shhhh.”

When I lowered my arm, Rusty released my wrist. I stepped up to the screen door, put my nose against it, then cupped my hands on both sides of my eyes to block out the faint glow of light from the street.

I could just barely see in.

The main door was wide open. Beyond it, I saw only blackness and shades of gray.

“LEE!” I shouted, startling everyone.

Rusty gasped. Bitsy sucked in a quick breath, making a high-pitched “Uh!” Slim grabbed my arm but didn’t make any noise.

Only silence came from inside the house.

Though I hated to raise my voice again, I yelled, “LEE! YOU HOME? IT’S DWIGHT!”

After my shout, a long silence.

Rusty broke it, whispering, “Maybe she went over to a neighbor’s.”

“Maybe.”

“Who’s Julian?” Bitsy asked again.

“From the Vampire Show,” Slim said.

Bitsy did that “Uh!” again.

“Tell her everything, why don’t you!” Rusty burst out in an angry whisper.

“I’m going in,” I said.

Slim, still gripping my arm, gave it a squeeze. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” Then she let go, whirled around and ran back to her Pontiac. Bending over behind it, she opened its trunk.

“What’s she doing?” Bitsy asked.

Slim reached into the trunk, then took a step away from it and swung her quiver of arrows behind her back.

Rusty groaned.

“What?” Bitsy demanded.

“Nothing.”

Slim bent over the trunk again. This time, she came up with her bow in one hand. I couldn’t exactly see what she had in her other hand, but knew it must be the two knives.

She came running toward us, leaped up the stairs and lurched to a halt. “Here, you guys.” She held out the knives. Rusty took the sheath knife and I took the pocket knife.

“What’s going on?” Bitsy asked.

“Why don’t you go and wait in the car?” Rusty said.

“Fat chance.”

“Go on. It might be dangerous.”

“So?” Turning to me, she said, “I don’t have to wait in the car, do I?”

“Might be a good idea,” I said.

Slim gave a quick shake of her head. “We don’t really want her in the car by herself.”

“No,” said Bitsy. “We don’t.”

“If you stay,” Rusty told her, “you’ve got to do everything we tell you to.”

“I’m not taking orders from you.”

“Just stick with us,” Slim told her, then whipped an arrow out of her quiver, fit it onto her bowstring and drew the string back a few inches.

“Who’s in there?” Bitsy asked.

“We don’t know,” I said. “Maybe nobody.”

Rusty put his face close to Bitsy’s. “Maybe a vampire!” She straightened her back. “No such thing.”