by Lee, S. G.
“Do you want to come in for a little bit?”
“Sure, as long as your dad won’t mind.”
Emma shook her head, stifling a giggle. She’s never met anyone so concerned about respecting other people’s parents. Once he’d seen that Emma was home, Dr. Wexley shuffled off to bed.
“Unbelievable! He never stays up to make sure Matt comes home on time.”
Before she could resume her rant, Evan’s lips pressed against hers. Tenderly, he caressed her cheek and looked deep into her eyes. His voice was thick with emotion.
“Emma, I love you.”
Emma was stunned. She suspected that the fluttering in her stomach and the rapid pitter-patter of her heart every time Evan was near meant she was in love, but she’d never expected him to feel the same way.
“I-I love you, too.”
Evan held her close, as if he would never let go, and time seemed to stand still in his warm embrace. Enthralled, Emma wished the night would never end.
Fifteen minutes before curfew, Evan’s cell phone rang. The caller-ID read ‘Matt Wexley.’ Evan answered it, and his expression said it all … something was wrong.
“Let me talk to him, Evan!” Emma demanded.
With slurred speech, Matt insisted there was a problem with the car and he needed a ride home. Emma hoped he had better sense than attempting to drive in his condition.
With a quick glance at his watch, Evan suggested that he leave immediately.
“I’m coming with you. Someone’s gotta drive our car home and it sure as hell isn’t gonna be Matt!” Emma silently crept outside with Evan. “I don’t want him to get in trouble, but I swear if I get caught I will throw him under the bus in a heartbeat.”
Evan chuckled as he high-tailed it to the other side of town.
***
Broken bottles and crushed plastic cups littered Brittany’s front yard while classmates retched into the bushes. Emma noticed her car, wedged in a row of hedges.
“I think I found the problem. It’s hard to drive when your car is wrapped around a tree.”
Evan tried not to laugh. “C’mon, let’s find Matt first. Then we’ll worry about your car.”
He glanced nervously at his watch as he escorted Emma inside, where the mid-century modern décor was hidden under mountains of pizza boxes, trash, and comatose bodies. Tyler was passed out in a chair still clutching a half-empty bottle while Brittany scurried around trying unsuccessfully to make people leave. At Christy’s suggestion, Evan and Emma checked upstairs, splitting up to cover more ground.
“Found him!” Emma called out and was instantly shushed by drunken classmates trying to sleep it off.
Matt and Whitney had passed out in one of the bedrooms, barely dressed with their legs still intertwined. Disgusted, Emma threw Matt’s clothes at his head and gruffly told him to get up. With Evan’s help, Matt dressed and staggered downstairs.
Once her twin was belted into the front seat, Emma drove their car straight home with Evan following closely behind. With Evan’s help, Emma managed to haul her brother out of the car. She nearly dropped Matt when she noticed a dent in the front fender, but Evan kept him from landing face first on the asphalt.
“Did you see what he did to my car? First thing tomorrow he’s getting an earful. This is unacceptable!”
Once the twins were safely inside, Evan sped home. Still fuming, Emma helped Matt upstairs to his bedroom and yanked off his shoes. Pulling the covers up around her brother, she noticed a book on his nightstand. Journal of the Undead: A Survivor’s Guide, by Dr. G.E. Mitchell.
“Oh my God! Matt, you’re an idiot.”
Her remark was met with a soft snore; Matt was dead-asleep.
As Emma slept, Evan’s words echoed in her head. She finally knew what it felt like to be in love, and the joy carried over to the next morning. After breakfast, she tried to call Evan. Reluctantly, Kate informed her that Evan wouldn’t be able to come to the phone; he was grounded for breaking curfew. Storming down the hall, Emma dragged Matt out of bed.
“Get up!” Emma shouted. “Evan’s grounded and it’s all your fault. We’re going over there to set the record straight.”
***
She urged her car faster as she sped toward Evan’s house. Matt rolled the window down and let the cool air wash over his face, praying his stomach would stop churning. For a moment, they sat in the driveway, Emma steeling her nerves and Matt waiting for the spinning to stop. Dragging her twin by the arm, Emma took a deep breath and knocked on the front door. Kate stared blankly at the twins, baffled by their appearance.
“Emma, I thought I made it clear … Evan is grounded.”
“May we please speak with the major?”
“I don’t think that’s a great idea, but …”
Shrugging, Kate went to see if Frank could spare a few minutes for their guests. As she led them to the major’s office, Emma felt her resolve waning. She feared her mind would go blank.
Major Stone listened as Emma pleaded her case. He decided it was to everyone’s benefit that Emma wanted to be a doctor. The streets would never be safe if she planned to become a criminal defense lawyer; her vehement plea to exonerate Evan had proven that much. Frank particularly enjoyed the part where she claimed it would have been ‘dishonorable’ for Evan to leave her there surrounded by ‘sloppy drunks with questionable character.’ By the time Emma was finished, she’d made Evan out to be a saint.
“Was there something you wanted to add, Matthew?” Major Stone probed.
Matt’s face took on a greenish tint as he shook his head no. He was afraid if he opened his mouth he’d vomit all over the major’s desk.
“Emma, you presented a thorough case and I’d a like a few minutes to deliberate your petition. Would you please wait outside? I’d like a word with your brother, in private.”
Emma threw Matt a sympathetic look as she took her leave. Exiting the office, she nearly ran right into Evan.
“Emma? What are you doing here?”
“We came to talk to your dad and explain what happened. It was Matt’s fault you were late. You shouldn’t be grounded because he’s an idiot!”
Emma had expected Evan to be pleased, but it was quite the opposite.
“Oh God! You have to leave. Look, I know you think you’re helping but you’re not. Just get Matt and get outta here.”
“He’s talking with your dad right now. Don’t worry, I told him everything; how you stayed to protect me from the drunks, how you carried Matt down the stairs, how you helped me pull my car out of the trees … everything.”
“Emma, it wasn’t a tree,” Evan’s voice poorly masked his irritation. “I can’t believe you did this. Just … go home.”
Emma looked dejected as he escorted her outside. She was left standing in the driveway wondering what went wrong as Evan trudged back to the garage. Just then, Matt and Frank came through the door.
“Evan!” Frank motioned for him to come over.
Evan groaned, assuming he was in serious trouble. He couldn’t imagine what Emma was thinking when she’d hatched her little plan.
“One week. You did break curfew but it seems there were extenuating circumstances. This will not happen again. I don’t care if you’re dragging nuns from a burning building; I will not be lenient next time. Is that clear?” Frank’s commanding tone left no room for questions, “And as for you, young lady, don’t think you can waltz over here anytime you want and get Evan out of trouble. If you try this again, his punishment will be doubled. Now, go on home.”
Kate stood in the doorway, grinning. Emma seemed to have both men in the Stone family wrapped around her finger. Evan’s jaw dropped. His dad had never rescinded a disciplinary action before. He’d thought he’d be grounded until graduation because of Emma’s interference.
“Emma, you are amazing! I can’t thank you enough.”
Emma’s hypnotic smile drew him in and his lips gently pressed against hers.
“Evan,” Kate c
alled. “Don’t press your luck. You have a garage to clean so you’d better get back to work.”
As Evan hurried back to the garage, Kate walked Emma and Matt to their car.
“A week is pretty harsh, isn’t it?”
Kate smiled at Emma’s remark. “Originally, it was six. One week for every minute he was late.”
***
On the ride home, Emma and Matt realized how easy they had it. Compared to the major, their dad was a marshmallow. As soon as they pulled into the driveway Matt bolted from the car and into the house. Pale as a ghost, he splashed cold water on his face trying to quell the storm in his stomach. Emma gave him two large bottles of Gatorade, a couple of aspirin, and sent him straight to bed. Watching the clock, Emma wished, not just the day, but the entire week would hurry up and end.
Beginning of October
Ten days after Officer Scott Raines was named interim chief, a grand total of three officers were still healthy enough to come to work. Their boss occasionally called in but he was deteriorating rapidly. The station had been so chaotic that Raines hadn’t had the chance to check on his partner. They last spoke on the rookie’s first day of sick leave.
Raines’ wife, Carla, had been kind enough to take a container of her famous chicken soup and a bulk-sized package of Nyquil over to Kepler’s apartment, but that was over a week ago. She’d said the kid looked pretty bad off but he’d insisted it would pass in a few days.
Guilt nagged at Interim Chief Raines; it had been far too long since he’d seen his partner. He was supposed to be looking out for the rookie. Finding a few spare minutes, he decided to drive to Kepler’s apartment. Raines had barely made it out of the parking lot before a call came in.
“What now?” he sighed.
Since there was no one else available, Raines confirmed he was on the way. With lights flashing and the siren blaring, he raced to the latest calamity.
A typically quiet residential area was bustling with activity. The flu had spread so rapidly that the Board of Education decided to close school until the threat had passed. As Raines entered the development, a group of school children romping in a nearby yard shrieked. At first glance, it appeared the kids were playing and enjoying their impromptu vacation. As he pulled the cruiser closer, he spotted the blood and reevaluated the situation. The flashing lights frightened some of the children so they ran.
“Freeze!”
Unlike hardened criminals, most of the children actually obeyed. The only exception was a pair of youngsters who had an older boy pinned down. Raines stepped in to pull the bloodied kids apart and, by lifting them by the scruffs of their necks, he was able to catch a glimpse of the boy underneath.
As a seasoned professional, he had been confident he had seen it all, but the fury unleashed by such small children surprised him. The preteen sobbing on the ground looked like he had been skinned alive.
The two kids in his arms thrashed and squirmed, still trying to reach their victim. News reports about bath salt abusers had flooded the airwaves and Raines had personally apprehended a few, but young children weren’t typically drug addicts. It was beyond his scope of reasoning that they were literally eating someone alive.
“Okay, I want you kids to get your parents and bring them here, right now!” His official police business voice sent the children scurrying. After placing the two attackers in the backseat of his cruiser, Officer Raines called for ambulances which—considering the circumstances—arrived quickly.
The EMTs loaded the victim and his parents into one ambulance. The bloody attackers were restrained and strapped to litters before being loaded into another ambulance. As expected, many of the parents insisted on having their lawyers present before their children were questioned. He mandated a time for the youths, guardians, and lawyers to come to the station to give statements. Once all had been dealt with, Raines left the scene hoping he’d actually get to check on his partner this time.
***
Managing to arrive at his partner’s home with no new calls to respond to, he knocked on Kepler’s door and waited for a response. When none came, he knocked again, louder. Raines pressed his ear against the door and listened closely. Thinking he heard a crash inside the apartment, he forced his way inside. The air inside Kepler’s dank apartment was stagnant and a putrid stench assaulted his senses.
“Hey, Kepler! You okay, kid?”
Blinking, he tried to adapt his eyes to the darkness caused by the light-blocking shades throughout the apartment. A wheezing groan accompanied by the sound of shuffling feet came from the bedroom and Raines assumed the rookie was coming out to greet him. In the dark, he could barely see the outline of his partner staggering toward him. Kepler tripped over the cord to his laptop, scattering dirty dishes and used tissues as he landed face down on the coffee table. Officer Raines clicked on the lamp then reached out to help his friend. What reached back was definitely not his partner.
The gray-green pallor of Kepler’s cold skin shrouded heavy-lidded, vacant eyes completely devoid of humanity. For the first time in his professional career, Officer Scott Raines was truly terrified. The monster that had once been his partner had a vice-like grip on his arm. In seconds, it had buried its teeth deep into Scott’s cheek and shredded the flesh from his skull. Shrieks of agony and pleas for mercy fell on compassionless ears. The cries continued until the victim’s tongue was torn from his mouth.
The only sounds remaining were slurping, chewing, and crunching.
***
As usual, Evan greeted Matt and Emma in the school’s parking lot on Monday morning. Walking hand-in-hand, Lincoln High’s newest couple was again met with whispers and stares. Emma rolled her eyes, wondering when they would finally get used to seeing her and Evan together. Oddly, it seemed like everywhere they went people were pointing and snickering. All through lunch Emma had the distinct impression that she and Evan were being scrutinized.
Before heading to class, she and Evan chatted with Matt in the lobby outside the cafeteria when Whitney and her usual entourage sauntered over to join them. Emma did little to mask her displeasure and Whitney viewed it as a green light to launch her attack.
In his intoxicated state, Matt had let it slip that he was the reason Emma and Evan were together. The partygoers heard the entire story; specifically how, in exchange for dating his sister, Matt had paid to get Evan’s car fixed. The entire locker room conversation, including the bets, had been relayed too. Still seething over Emma’s “insipid eyes” crack, Whitney was dying for a chance to get even and Matt had given her the ammunition for her chance. She and her pals made sure everyone knew that Matt had paid Evan to ask Emma out. Everyone except Emma, and that was about to change. Whitney’s sickeningly-sweet smile was plastered on her face but her eyes shone bright with malice.
“Well, I for one think you’re really brave, Emma. I mean, walking around as if it doesn’t bother you. I’d die of embarrassment but I guess we’re very different.” Whitney’s syrupy voice oozed fake kindness.
“As if what doesn’t bother me?”
“Wait, you don’t know? You mean no one’s told you?” Jessica piped in on cue.
“Told me what?” Emma asked as her eyes narrowed on the group.
“That the only reason Evan is with you is because Matt is paying him.” Whitney and Jessica bore triumphant smirks.
Emma was about to dismiss the entire thing as ridiculous until she noticed the combination of guilt and horror written all over Matt and Evan’s faces. Emma’s stomach churned and she gasped for air. Like sharks sensing blood in the water, the feeding frenzy began.
“I’m so sorry you had to hear it this way,” Whitney cooed, “but it’s true. Matt told us the whole story Saturday night.”
“Yeah, your brother thinks you’re such a loser that you’d never find a date on your own so he had all of his friends ask you out. When you shot them down, he had to pay Evan—a lot—to agree to ask you out.”
Jessica’s embellishments hit Emma
like a ton of bricks and her eyes welled with tears. Still angry with Evan for stealing Emma, Tyler decided to share more.
“It’s true, Emma. Evan bet a bunch of us that he could get you to go out with him. He made two hundred dollars because you said yes. But just so you know, I asked you out because I like you, Em. Not for money.” Tyler was hoping his honesty would earn him points later.
“So Evan, would they have paid you more if she put out?” Whitney taunted.
Evan and Matt were dumbfounded. Matt didn’t remember telling anyone about his arrangement with Evan but, then again, he didn’t remember much from Saturday night.
The bell rang and teachers shooed their students off to class. Emma was still frozen, desperately wishing the floor would open up and swallow her. Evan reached over and touched her arm, but she jerked it away as if he were on fire.
“Emma, please, it’s not what you think.”
“Alright, everyone get to class!” the closest teacher commanded.
As the group started to disperse, Emma’s legs finally obeyed. She teetered down the hall and Evan started after her.
“Mr. Stone, your class is this way. Move it!” Mr. Turner called after him.
Evan had no choice but to turn around and head to his class. He was in enough trouble at home and Mr. Turner would call his parents.
Resisting the urge to run, Emma walked briskly in the opposite direction. She did not, however, turn into her classroom. Instead, she continued walking down the hall, out the door, and through the parking lot. With tears streaming down her face, she took off running from the school’s property. She didn’t stop until she reached her front door. Once she reached the safety of her own bedroom, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor sobbing.
***
The instant the bell rang, Evan dashed out of his classroom to search for Emma. Having the same idea, Matt raced through the crowded halls hoping to spot her. Christy volunteered to check the girls’ bathrooms but Emma wasn’t there either. Risking dire consequences, Matt skipped football practice to search for Emma. He knew his coach would be furious and later he’d pay dearly, but for now he had to find his sister. Evan was torn; if he didn’t go straight home after school his parents would kill him, but Emma’s pain was breaking his heart.