It had been a few weeks since the Pantsuit debacle, and Megan had texted with Stacey here and there, but she still held a little bit of a grudge over the way the events had gone down that night. It wasn’t like she was never going to speak to her again or anything like that, but there was also a part of Megan that felt a little strange about certain elements in her life. Not embarrassed but guarded. She decided she was being silly. She and Stacey had been through plenty of ups and downs in their decade-long friendship. Stacey wasn’t going to judge her over something as trivial as a pseudo-relationship with the undead. No, it was time to get over it, and if they were willing, to enlist Stacey and Kristen in the midnight charade. She could end up being stuck in the car for hours, and it would be a lot more enjoyable with someone to talk to. Thankfully, Stacey acted like no time had passed and everything was fine. Her ability to sweep things under the rug was one of the qualities that Megan loved about her.
“So, what do you think?” Megan asked, shimmying her ankle boots on over her thick socks.
“We’re in,” Kristen yelled from the background. Stacey had put her on speakerphone while Megan explained what had happened.
“I don’t know, Meg. Wouldn’t it just make more sense for her to, I don’t know, go into hiding or something until they figure out who really did it?” Stacey was silent for a moment. “And have you considered the other possibility?”
“She didn’t do it.”
“I’m totally not saying she did. It just seems a little coincidental, don’t you think? All of a sudden there’s a vampire killer on the loose, just after the gas station nightmare where you meet a vampire?” Stacey said.
Megan could almost hear her chewing on her thumb. “It does. Which is why she wants to check it out. If it was a setup, then she can go into hiding or whatever until they close the case. If it really is another vampire, then apparently we have a big problem on our hands.” Megan leaned back on her elbows and closed her eyes.
“We?”
“Angeline. So yes, we.”
It was a revelation of sorts. As terrifying as the prospects of some unfriendly vampire in the town were, Megan realized that she wouldn’t let Angeline handle it alone. It was fairly evident that Angeline didn’t need her help, or particularly want it. She didn’t want Megan to get hurt, or any more involved than she already was, which endeared her to Megan even more. The whole thing was ludicrous, really. She was probably unnecessary, extraneous, unwarranted, and most likely more of a hindrance than a help. But that didn’t change the fact that Megan wanted to be there for her. Even if they couldn’t be more than what they were, Megan didn’t want Angeline out of her life. Somehow, she had to make sure Angeline didn’t need to leave town.
“Don’t worry, Meg, we’ll be there! We’re totally going to help,” Kristen yelled again. “Stace, stop being such a chicken. It’ll be fun, and we owe it to Megan after the Tricia fiasco.”
“Ugh,” Stacey said. “Fine. But we’re totally going to get arrested.”
“You’re not,” Megan said. “We don’t even have to get out of the car. She doesn’t know we’re coming. Exactly.”
“What do you mean?” Stacey asked.
Megan could hear the suspicion in her voice. “She’s said that she’s fine on her own. And I’m sure she is. But I don’t think it would hurt to have someone nearby who’d be on her side if everything went to hell. Seriously, as long as everything goes according to plan, she’ll never even know we’re there.”
Stacey reluctantly agreed, but Kristin was all in, as usual. Megan texted Angeline one last time to confirm that she wanted to go it alone. Her phone rang immediately after she hit send.
“I’ll be fine,” Angeline said, drawing out the word.
“I know you’ll be fine,” Megan said. If her cell had a phone cord, she’d be twirling her fingers around it like she did in high school. “But I just wanted to make triple sure that you don’t think you need someone there. Just in case.”
“You do remember that I have certain skills that aid in that kind of thing, right? One of the few perks of being a creature of the night is my ability to hear and sense things. If someone is coming, I’ll know about it long before anyone else will.”
Megan sighed. “You’re right. Please be careful.” Guilt was beginning to creep in. She should probably just stay home and wait for Angeline to call her when it was all over.
“I will. This isn’t that big a deal, I promise. I’ll be in and out faster than the police could possibly respond to any alert they receive.”
“Okay. Call me when it’s over and let me know what you find out.”
Angeline really would be fine without Megan there to muck up the works. But again, she was just going to sit idly by and make sure that everything went smoothly. Nothing wrong with that. She knew about Angeline’s heightened senses, but she was still getting used to the whole vampire thing. It didn’t just happen overnight. She ended the call and sat on the couch to wait while Merlin stretched out across her lap.
* * *
Stacey and Kristen sat inside Stacey’s Civic, the engine running to keep the heater going. Megan sat in the back, shivering in her sweater. Her only winter coat was a bright blue puffer jacket, and she didn’t think that would be stealthy enough.
They were parked beneath an oak tree near the back of the building. Stacey and Kristen were chatting about a movie they were planning to see, while Megan fiddled with a zipper, her stomach the tiniest bit queasy.
Not much later, Megan saw a flash of black and brown come around the corner toward the side door. Megan could tell by the flutter of butterflies as well as the wavy brown hair flowing down Angeline’s back that it was her. It was also late and only a crazy person would be creeping around a morgue. A crazy person or a vampire. She wondered if Angeline felt any of those tummy things at the prospect of seeing her. Other than her cryptic explanation of the two of them being incompatible, she hadn’t said much of anything. But Megan was willing to bet that she hadn’t imagined the way Angeline looked at her, or the way she’d reached out and touched her even though it was totally unnecessary.
“There she is!” Megan slapped Kristen on the shoulder and pointed.
“Where?” Kristen asked, whipping her head back and forth.
“Right there!” Megan said, pointing again. “Wait. I just saw her there a second ago. Do you think she got spooked by something?”
“Probably by us. What did you think was going to happen?” Stacey asked, craning her neck to see behind her.
A loud knock on the car window solicited screams from all three of them. Megan jumped off the seat and nearly hit her head on the roof. She rolled down the window slowly, just enough to feel a blast of cold air hit her in the face.
“Really?” Angeline asked. She didn’t sound pleased.
“I know, I know. Don’t be mad. Please. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“And you decided to bring a small caravan of people to make yourself as conspicuous as humanly possible?”
“We’re parked under a tree! At night! At a morgue! No one is around to be conspicuous to.” Megan swallowed. She knew she should have just stayed home.
Angeline ran a hand through her hair. “I appreciate your concern, I do. But like I said, it’s dangerous and you shouldn’t be here. Please go home.”
“Can’t you just do what you need to do? You said you’d be quick. I’d feel a lot better if I could just see you walk away in one piece. Is that so much to ask?” Megan asked.
“We can go,” Stacey said, and then clamped her mouth shut at Megan’s boring gaze.
“Push over,” Angeline said, opening the back seat door. “Scoot over.”
Megan moved, unsure of Angeline’s angle. How mad was she?
Angeline sat in the seat next to her and pulled on her sweatshirt strings. She seemed to have had the same idea as Megan, in her black jeans, black hoodie, and black sneakers. Megan gave her the once-over and raised her eyebrows.
>
“What? I’m fast, I’m not stupid,” Angeline said.
Kristen whipped her head around and strained as far as her seat belt would let her. “Hi! We’ve heard so much about you. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Good to meet you too,” Angeline said, glancing over at Megan.
Kristen was nothing if not obvious. “I don’t mean to be a fangirl or anything, but I have so many questions for you. You are just as beautiful as Megan said you were. Is part of that the supernatural thing, or did you look like that as a human too?”
Megan cringed.
Angeline continued to smile. “Thank you,” she said, casting another look at Megan. “This is how I looked back then, too. Probably a little softer.”
“Just so you know, we would never tell anyone who you are, or what you are, or anything like that. You can totally trust us,” Kristen said.
“I appreciate that. I’d hate to turn Fog Hollow into a blood-bath.”
Awkward silence ensued. Megan gave Angeline a look and chuckled uncomfortably.
“Just kidding,” Angeline said. “Too soon?”
Megan nodded. “Too soon.” She turned toward Kristen. “She doesn’t really do that kind of thing.”
“No, of course not. Bad joke, sorry. Sometimes I forget that I’m basically a horror movie character and not just an introvert with a blood disorder,” Angeline said. “I haven’t been open around humans like this in, well…actually, never.”
“Don’t apologize,” Stacey said. “This is new for us, obviously. If we thought you were dangerous, we wouldn’t be here. I’ve been friends with Megan a long time. She’s a good judge of character.”
“If I asked you to turn me, would you?” Kristen asked, touching up her lipstick in the visor mirror.
“Kristen!” Stacey and Megan yelled her name in unison.
“What?”
Angeline laughed. She seemed to be lightening up. “No, I would not. Turning humans into vampires is not my thing. And it’s a hell of a commitment.”
“Have you ever turned someone?” Megan asked. It seemed so intrusive, but she couldn’t help herself. Having Stacey and Kristen there to ask questions made it easier.
Angeline turned to her window. “Just once.”
“Really? Just one time in a hundred years? Good for you. I’d be turning everyone. Family, friends, etc. No way would I face an eternity alone,” Kristen said.
“Not quite a hundred, but I get your point. There are some advantages, but it’s much more of a burden than a blessing. The hiding, the hunger, the fear, the loneliness…I’d never condemn someone I loved to this life.”
Kristen prattled on for the next few minutes, but Megan caught Angeline’s eye and gave her an appreciative smile. She was thankful for Angeline’s graciousness toward her friends, even though she’d just completely disregarded Angeline’s wishes. Kristen wasn’t one to pull punches. When Angeline put her hand on the door handle to get out, Megan stopped her.
“Just let me go with you. I’m here, you’re here, there’s no one else here. I won’t say anything, I won’t interfere. I just want to be there for you. With you.” Megan looked quickly toward Angeline and then at the floor. There was only one car in the parking lot, a white van with no windows. The squat brick building had the Massachusetts seal on the front door and an American flag mounted to the left of it. Megan felt her heartbeat quicken.
“You sure you want to do this? I’m completely against it, but if you really feel like this is something you need to do, I won’t stop you,” Angeline asked, leaning into her. Her warm breath tickled Megan’s ear. “You don’t have to. And I’d rather you wait here.”
Megan just nodded and opened her car door softly.
“Okay. We’re going to stay here, with the lights out, obviously,” Stacey said, pointing to the large hanging branch above them. “This provides decent cover. We’ll text you immediately if we see anything. Megan, you have your phone?”
Megan patted her back pocket. “Yup. Set to vibrate.”
“Good. Angeline, do you need us to do anything else?”
Angeline shook her head. “Thank you both. This is risky. If you two want to leave, I totally understand. Megan will just have to go with you.”
“What are friends for?” Kristen asked, patting Angeline on the shoulder as she slid out of the back seat.
Angeline looked almost wistful as she got out of the car. They walked quickly toward the side entrance. Angeline shook her head. “I’m really upset with you, you know. You shouldn’t be here.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, honestly. I was just worried.”
Angeline looked toward her and nodded slightly. Megan gave her a small shrug of repentance.
There was a heavy metal door with a brass keyhole. It had a plastic sign nailed to it that read: NOT AN ENTRANCE. Angeline pulled a lock pick set out of her back pocket.
“You can’t just, you know, kick the door in with your super strength?” Megan asked, bouncing up and down nervously.
“I probably could, but don’t you think that would raise a lot more questions in the morning?”
“Good point.”
Megan watched as she slid the long metal pick into the deadbolt and turned it over and over until they heard a distinctive click.
“I’m impressed,” Megan said. “Where did you learn how to do that?”
Angeline smiled. “I had a locksmith friend back in the sixties. Which seems to be about the time period this lock was made,” she said, nodding to the door. It opened easily, and Megan braced herself for the sound of an alarm. Angeline sighed when there was none.
“Wow, they’re really lax with the security in this place. If you go into a big city, the morgue is like Fort Knox,” Angeline said, closing the door behind them.
Megan just stood there, rooted in her spot on the linoleum floor. The smell of bleach and disinfectant assaulted her. There was a metal gurney stationed in the middle of the room, a lumpy white body bag with a black zipper lying on top of it. There was a line of stainless steel drawers lining the back wall, and Megan had seen enough crime shows to know exactly what they were. She shivered.
“You okay?” Angeline asked.
“I’ve gone from never seeing a dead body in my life to two of them in a very short time span,” Megan whispered. “Well, I’ve seen bodies at wakes, of course, but I don’t think that counts.”
“Very different,” Angeline said, rubbing the back of her neck. “You really don’t have to do this. I know you just want to show support, and you’re so amazingly sweet for doing that, but honestly, you should go wait in the car with your friends.”
“No,” Megan said, taking a deep breath. “I’m fine.”
Angeline reached over and squeezed her hand. They stood like that for a second, hands grasped tightly. Megan squeezed back before letting her go.
“It’s not this one,” Angeline said, referring to the body on the table. “By now they’d have it in the freezer to prevent decomposition.”
She walked over to the wall with the three drawers and glanced back at Megan before opening the first drawer. Megan nodded from a few yards away.
Empty.
“They don’t have any hallways in this place? Just walk right in and, boom, dead bodies everywhere,” Megan asked, looking around the room. The soft fluorescent lights cast a shadow over the numerous sinks and cabinets.
“We came in the morgue entrance. I’m sure the front door has a nice lobby and a reception desk and no dead bodies.”
Angeline pulled the second drawer open and breathed out. Megan took a few steps forward but stopped when she caught a bluish-tinged leg out of the corner of her eye. She looked on in horror and Angeline dipped her head close to the body’s face.
“What are you doing?” Megan whisper-shouted.
When Angeline came up, her eyes were wide and alight, and razor-sharp fangs replaced her bicuspids. She was both terrifying and beautiful. Megan g
asped and stepped back toward the door. Any lingering doubts she might have had about Angeline’s story were erased.
Angeline quickly turned away from Megan and slammed the drawer shut. “I’m sorry.” When she turned back to her, her teeth had retracted, and her eyes had their normal honey shine instead of the preternatural glow. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.
“No, I…” Megan trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence. She was afraid, but the fear was dissipating now that Angeline looked normal. “It’s not your fault. I know what you are.”
“Knowing what to expect and actually seeing it are two very different things. The wounds and the smell on this body just made me…well, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that there’s a vampire in town that isn’t me.” Angeline shut the drawer tightly, the metal on metal reverberating through the silent room.
Megan didn’t really understand the significance. Angeline was in town, and she was a vampire. So, really, what was one more? Angeline had gone all this time undetected, so it seemed plausible that another one could have done that too. Angeline came over, and Megan involuntarily flinched.
Angeline stopped in her tracks. “You’re afraid of me now?” She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Megan swallowed. She wasn’t. Was she? “No, I’m not. I’m sorry. Just a little freaked out. I think it’s this place more than anything.”
A loud clang in another part of the office startled them both. Megan stood stock-still, as did Angeline. The phone in her back pocket vibrated loudly.
“Shit,” she mouthed, slipping the phone out silently and holding it so Angeline could see the message.
A light just went on in one of the upstairs rooms! You have to get out NOW!
Megan shook her head as she returned her phone to her pocket. So much for an advance warning system. Angeline tiptoed toward the door as footsteps made their way down a set of stairs. Megan was torn between wanting to scream, throw up, or pass out. She’d never been arrested in her life, and now she was going to go to jail for tampering with a dead body. Or something like that.
In the Shadow of Darkness Page 13