Dark Horizons (The Red Sector Chronicles) (18 page)

I glanced at Leo in the rearview mirror. H
is face was all business. “The i
nterstate’s not far. We can hop on I
-376
and gun it away from here. There shouldn’t be anyone out, considering it’s past curfew.”

“And where are we going?” I said, leaning forward.
I glanced at the time on the dash. The little ne
on green lights said it was 3
:36
a.m
. “We… can’t be outside in the sunlight,” I added, wincing on the inside. It made me feel even less human
having
to admit that.

Leo never reacted. “Don’t worry,” he said, as if this
were
perfectly normal. He caught my eyes in the mirror, grinning.

“I know where we can go.”

Everyt
hing was pitch-
black.

A spotlight shone on a blood-
red coffin, which appeared
to be floating in the air a few feet in front of me. Fog rolled along the bottomless floor, giving the light a smoky appearance. Humps and dark
shapes lay scattered all around
. As I walked toward the casket, I saw the lifeless faces of my friends and family; my mom, Orion, Angel, Paris, Rook, and –

My heart stopped. “Aden,” I breathed.

I wanted to rush to him, but I couldn’t. It was as if my body wouldn’t let me do anything else except walk toward that coffin. With my legs feeling very heavy, I robotically trudged toward the
casket
. The lid cracked open as I approached, slowly rising with an eerie creak.

I peered inside, my eyes narrowing against the glare of the light.

I blinked.

It was my dad.

My blood turned to ice. “Daddy?” I said in a small voice.

His face was peaceful, save for the two tips
of fangs
pr
otruding beneath his upper lip, making it look like he was sneering.
I leaned forward, and his eyes snapped open.

I jumped back with a yelp
.

His eyes were
red as blood
, the same vibrant shade as the coffin.

I shook my head, backing away, eyes locked on the coffin. “No. No, this isn’t real.”

The figure sat up, on
ly it wasn’t my father anymore – i
t was me.

“Oh, but it is real,”
the copy
said, fixing her red gaze on mine as she curled into a crouching position. Her long black nails scraped the side of the coffin as she grabbed the edge, preparing to pounce.

Her head jerked, contorting her neck at an odd angle.
I almost vomited as h
er skin began to sag, turning an ugly purple color until she was nothing more than a skeleton
with fangs and glowing red eyes – a
Rogue.

“No!” I shouted, right as the Rogue launched itself from the coffin, its jaws aimed for my throat.

***

The car jostled over a
pothole
, jolting me awake. My heart was pounding, and my breath came in a trembling gasp.

Dezyre eyed me strangely. “Bad dream?”

Surprisingly, I didn’t detect any animosity in her tone. “Something like that,” I said quietly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“We’re here,” Leo said from the front.

I glanced at the clock. It was
almost 5:30 a.m
.

Rubbing my eyes, which felt like a cat had gotten a hold of them, I squinted out the windows, seeing only trees
because it was still dark
. “Where are we?”

“Near Indian Lake,” Leo said.

Indian Lake? It took a few seconds because my brain was still foggy with sleep, but finally it hit me where we were. Leo’s uncle owned some
lakefront
property over this way, tucked off in the woods by a few Pennsylvania state parks that were still within the safety of the White Sector, though practically nobody dared live out
here
anymore
because it was right next to the wall.

Leo turned off the main road and the ride instantly got bumpier, like we were riding along either dirt or gravel. The driveway wound through the trees, and a clearing at last came into view, along with a two-story log cabin situated right next to Indian Lake. The moon was waning, but it didn’t do anything to help the blood-red color of the water. A dock lay in the murky water, and we passed by a lonely looking swing on our way to the cabin. At last, the car rambled to a complete stop and Leo killed the engine.

Nobody said anything as we got out.
I winced when I stood up. My leg had fallen asleep, and my whole body felt stiff and achy. I was so ready to crash, but I also couldn’t shake the itch to want to look for Orion because I knew Aden’s life was slipping further away by the minute.

Dezyre looked around, wrinkling her nose as if she
were
allergic to nature. “Where are we?”

Leo was already walking toward the cabin.
“At my u
ncle’s old cabin. He
used to come here all the time
to fish and relax, but he hasn’t been out here in a while since he got sick.”

My head snapped up. That was news to me.

Not wanting to sound like a nosy, inconsiderate jerk, I decided to ask him about it later.

We silently followed Leo up the wooden steps and gathered on the porch while
he
unlocked the door. It was perfectly still outside, with the only sound being the lapping of the lake water. It was eerie. When we played he
re as kids, the place had felt alive.
You could hear owls, birds, and occasionally
a
coyote
.

Shivering, I hugged myself and followed everyone inside.

It was surprisingly warm, like someone had been
t
here recently. With Leo’s uncle gone most of the time on government business trips, the only person who visited this place had to be Leo. I glanced at him, and he seemed to relax as he walked inside the living room.

The interior of
the cabin was posh in a rustic
kind of way. It had vaulted ceilings with dark wooden beams
,
and a big stone fireplace along one wood-paneled wall in the living room. The floors were also all
wood, giving the space a warm, homey
look. The kitchen was all marble countertops and stainless steel appliances
, and expensiv
e decorative rugs partially hid
the massive floor space. Leathe
r furniture
sat off
to the side in the living room;
the couch and recliner were
one of the reasons I teased Leo about this place being a gigantic man cave.
A
cherry wood dining table sat to our left, nestled in a dining room lined with glass panels so you could look at the lake while eating. I had to admit, e
ven post vampire-Apocalypse, this
place was relaxing. There was something about being in the middle of nature that put
people
at ease.

Everyone looked exhausted. Arika leaned against the couch, gazing at it longingly like she wanted to lie down. Dezyre yawned loudly, daintily covering her mouth as she did, and Rook was blinking a few times like he was trying to stay awake. It was
getting close to our bedtime,
which was usually around dawn.

“There are
some spare bedrooms down the hall,” Leo said, pointing. Even the bags under his eyes looked heavier somehow. “And the bathroom’s right across the way.  Help yourselves.”

“Got anything to eat?” Dezyre
asked
, arching a perfectly shaped brow.

Arika and Leo both tensed, glancing warily at each other.

Dezyre rolled her eyes. “I mean, like real food? Berries or nuts or whatever you people eat out here in the wilderness?”

The mention of food made my stomach growl. Vampires got hungry like regular people. We just had t
o have blood every now an
d then;
otherwise
, we would get really
sick.

Leo seemed to relax somewhat, but Arika still looked like she’d rather run us through with her s
ai
than show us where the kitchen was.

Leo scratched his head, looking sheepish. “I don’t know. There might be some cereal or something in the cupboards. If you find anything, help yourself.”

Dezyre flounced off without a word of thanks, and Rook gave Leo a grateful smile. “Thanks for saving us back there, man.”

“Um, yeah.” Leo nodded awkwardly. “No problem.”

We stood there for a long, silent moment before Rook said, “I think I’ll take you up on that guest bedroom offer.”

With one last small smile, he walked away, leaving me alone with Arika and Leo. They were quietly talking to each other, their voices barely audible.

“I don’t trust her,” Ari
ka was saying.

I tensed, my face flaming.

“I’m kind of tired too,” I said suddenly. I actually meant it, though I’m not sure “tired” quite described how I felt; “exhausted” probably would have come closer. Being tortured, shot at, and chased by ravenous vampires, hungry paparazzi, and vengeful vampire hunters would do that to a girl.

G
iving them a tight smile, I bee
lined down the hall and found an empty room. It was the
one I’d always stayed in when I ha
d spent
the weekend here. It was small
but cozy, with the same wood-paneled walls and floor. A plush pink rug lay
on the floor beside
the bed, which was covered with a quilt made up of rose-patterned tiles. The pillows were also pink, and though the décor was a little too girly for my taste, it felt familiar and comforting.

I eased the door closed and heaved a heavy sigh. Not bothering to take off my shoes, I collapsed onto the bed, face
first, my eyes closed before I
hit the pillow.

Red light streamed in from the double windows parallel to the bed, making the crystals in the antique bedside lamp sparkle.

Try as I might, I couldn’t fall asleep. I rolled into different positions, but no matter which one I tried, I couldn’t seem to relax or s
till my mind long enough to doze off
. Too many thoughts were rolling through my head; hoping Paris was okay, wanting to make things right between Leo and me, and worrying about Aden. I also worried
about getting
Dezyre and Rook killed by dragging them into this mess.

Worst of all were the screams of the pedestrians the Guard had gunned down. Their terrified cries rang in my head, swirling and amassing until I couldn’t hear myself think anymore.

Unable to sleep, I sat up with a growl and went out into the hall. The house was quiet. I could hear Rook’s soft snoring as I passed by another room, but I didn’t know where the others were.

Craving some sense of freedom, I unlocked the front door and
went outside, closing it gently behind me.

The red moon was starting to fall behind the tree line, and I knew in another hour or two it would be daylight. Oh, well. That was still enough time to think.

I walked down the steps
and crossed the tall grass of the yard over to the swing.
Plopping
down onto the wooden seat,
I pulled my legs up
and stared out over the water. The eerie silence didn’t even bother me anymore. It was the most peace I had known in a while.

I took a deep breath of crisp air, letting it out slowly as soft footsteps approached.

I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. His scent carried toward me, all sw
eat and the smell of the woods.

My heart started pounding harder.
Relax, Sloane. It’s just Leo.

But that’s the whole point!
my subconscious screamed back, bombarding me with the memory of me biting him.

I inwardly groaned and tried my best to look cool as he sat down on the swing beside me with a sigh.

We sat
there, staring out at the lake while
our breaths fogged in the air. I was keenly aware of his proximity, of the smell of his blood…

I squeezed my eyes shut.
Don’t even think about biting him.

“We haven’t done this since we were kids,” he said finally.

My eyes snapped open and I glanced at him. He had a wistful look on his face, the light of the blood-red water reflecting in his eyes and making them look red. It kind of suited him, in a way. Leo would be one hot vampire.

I blushed, looking back at the lake. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s been years.”