The Traveling Vampire Show

times.

I knew Slim’s house was empty, but the fear wouldn’t go away.

It didn’t help matters, watching her open the screen door and front door without unlocking either of them.

Anybody might be in her house.

When I started to follow Slim through the doors, Rusty grabbed my arm. I frowned back at him.

“Maybe we should wait out here,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Her mother’s not home.”

In the foyer, Slim turned around. “You’re coming over tonight, aren’t you? So what’s the difference?”

“I thought tonight we’d sneak in the back way,” Rusty explained. “We don’t want your neighbors seeing us, do we?”

She made a face to show us what she thought of nosy neighbors. “If they don’t like it, they can lump it.”

“You’re only gonna be a minute, right?” Rusty asked. “Why don’t we just wait out here for you?”

“Don’t you want to come in and wash up?” she asked him.

“Nah, I’m fine.”

“You’re a bloody mess,” she said.

“That’s okay.”

“I think we should go in with her,” I said, still worried for no good reason that she might have intruders.

Slim nodded. “Yeah, come on.”

Leering at her, Rusty said, “If we come in, can we go upstairs?” Before she could answer, he added, “We’ve never seen your bedroom.”

Her eyebrows lifted.

Rusty nudged me. “You’d like to see her bedroom, wouldn’t you?”

Scowling, I shook my head.

“How about it?” he asked Slim. “Do we get to see your bedroom?”

“In your dreams.” She whirled around and hurried toward the stairway. As she trotted up, she looked over her shoulder. “In or out, I don’t care. But stay downstairs.”

When she was gone, Rusty grinned at me.

“You jerk,” I whispered. “What’re you trying to pull?”

“Just playing it safe, you know? We don’t wanta be around when she finds the surprise in her mom’s room, do we?”

“I guess not.”

“Outa sight, outa mind.”

“Sure.”

“No matter what, we act dumb.”

“Right.”

I hated the whole idea of being dishonest with Slim, but we’d already deceived her. If we tried to tell the truth now, we’d look like jerks.

Expecting Slim to shout at any moment, I gazed at the top of the stairs. So did Rusty. We stood side by side, watching and listening. Quiet sounds came from the second floor: footsteps, the creaking of a board, soft skids and bumps that might’ve been drawers opening and shutting.

Rusty leaned toward me. “She hasn’t noticed it yet.”

“Guess not.”

“Maybe she won’t.”

Nodding, I whispered, “The smell might’ve dissipated.”

He turned his head and frowned at me.

“Spread out and faded away,” I explained.

“I know that. I’m not stupid.”

“Hey, guys,” Slim called. “You want to come up here a minute?” She sounded a little worried.

We glanced at each other. Rusty looked like a school kid ordered to the principal’s office.

“Oh, man,” he murmured.

I ran to the stairs and raced up them two at a time, Rusty pounding along behind me. At the top of the stairs, I knew I would see Slim down the hallway, standing in front of her mother’s bedroom.

She wasn’t there.