Chapter 75
I picked up my laptop, thinking I needed to charge it, when one of those stupid pop-up news videos came on. “It’s now confirmed that twenty-five bodies have been found in the Caribbean, all victims of the same brutal throat slashing…” the newscaster was saying. Ordinarily, I would’ve closed the tab or shut my computer, but this time, I didn’t. I held it closer and actually clicked to enlarge the video so I could see it better. Elliott had warned me to pay attention to the news, so I figured I’d better do just that.
The newscaster continued. “Video footage of two of the newest victims shows them enjoying a night out at a local club just hours before their bodies were found in a rainforest area near the beach, approximately a mile from the location of the club seen here.” She stopped talking for a moment as the camera zoomed in on the footage of a man and a woman who looked to be in their early twenties drinking at a club. They weren’t in the frame long before they moved off to the left, all smiles, the woman’s long, dark hair bouncing behind her as she danced away, a cup in her hand. The man, who was tall and thin, was also doing a silly dance move, and I assumed he’d also had a bit to drink from the way he was moving. The newscaster started talking again, saying there were still no leads, when something in the background caught my attention.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but there was a movement in the back of the video that had me rewinding and holding the laptop right up to my face. The video was grainy anyway, and all I could really tell was that there were other people walking in the background near some circular tables. I couldn’t see any of them well, but something had sent an alarm off in my brain, a pinging sensation of familiarity. I watched the video again and again, trying to figure it out, but I had no idea what I was looking at. Still, something was there….
“Authorities are looking for other surveillance cameras that may have picked up anything. If you may have seen these two newest victims at La Playa Beach Club that night, please contact the Cabo San Lucas police department at ….” She rattled off a numero de telefono I didn’t pay any attention to because I most definitely had not been in the club that night. But whatever it was about those people in the background continued to niggle around in the back of my mind.
Deciding there was nothing else I could do tonight, I closed my laptop and plugged it into the charger. I made sure my phone was also charged, my alarm was set, and then flipped off the light switch.
The streetlight outside cast eerie shadows around my room, but I closed my eyes and tried to ignore everything. The window where I’d watched my sister’s bizarre new life unfold around me. The roof where I’d heard distinct footsteps. The shadows that seemed to have long, spindly fingers, like witches or vampires. The dream where strangers twisted into somewhat familiar faces and friends became enemies. The video where something was familiar and strangely out of place. My eyes grew heavy, and I prayed for sweet dreams.
I knew I was dreaming as soon as I realized where I was. Not only am I not old enough to get into a club if I wanted to, I was pretty sure the last place on Earth I’d want to be at that moment was La Playa Beach Club in Cabo San Lucas. I knew from past news reports it wasn’t just the long-haired woman and the awkwardly dancing man who had been murdered here recently. It seemed to be vampire central, so as I walked around, content in my untouchable state, I began to wonder why LIGHTS hadn’t infiltrated this place, like they had with whatever was going on in France a few weeks ago. This was not the first time I’d pondered this information.
I saw the couple from the video. They were dancing amongst a couple dozen other people about their age. They were smiling, drinks in hand, and I recognized the scene from the video I’d watched just before going to bed.
Turning my head, I caught the same familiar movement I’d seen in the clip, but it was dark on that side of the club, and I still couldn’t see who it was that was stalking this couple.
I realized that, if I was ever going to figure it out, I’d need to be a bit stealthier, so I decided to lose myself in the crowd. Keeping an eye on the couple, I slipped between some dancers and tried to blend in.
Only a few minutes had passed in my dream when I saw someone approaching from the shadowy portion of the club. He had his back to me, and I didn’t recognize him at all. A few seconds later, two more figures stepped through, but my view was blocked. I couldn’t even tell if they were men or women. I grew frustrated and stepped between a few of the other clubbers, hoping to improve my angle.
The couple I had been watching began to walk toward the exit at the far end of the club. The three figures, who I still couldn’t see, followed along behind them, guiding them, as if they were all going off together. The smiles on the couples’ faces told me there was no coercion. They seemed to like these new friends. I followed; after all, this was a dream, so I wasn’t in any actual danger.
Somehow, we ended up on the beach, the club nowhere in sight. The moon hung low in the sky, reflecting off the lapping water, and I heard laughing coming from between the palm trees in front of me. I hurried, trying to get there in time to save the couple. I had no idea what I would do against three vampires, but I hoped instinct would kick in, and reminded myself I was dreaming.
I stepped into a clearing and saw the backs of the three sinister figures. Between their heads, the faces of the couple somehow shone in the moonlight that shouldn’t have been able to penetrate the canopy. They were no longer laughing as looks of horror overcame their faces. While I was certain I’d never seen two of the figures before, which I could now determine were a man and woman, the other was definitely familiar to me. The shadows seemed to encircle him, as if I wasn’t supposed to know his identity. I took a step forward, coming out of the darkness myself. “Hey!” I shouted, hoping he’d turn around so I could catch a glimpse of his face. I had to know who it was. He began to turn around, and I braced myself for a jarring revelation….
I blinked several times, wondering if the music I heard was coming from the club. I realized it was my alarm and smacked at my phone several times before I managed to hit the “stop” button. “Dang it,” I muttered under my breath. But part of me was relieved. Whoever that was in my dream, something told me this familiar person really was related to the killings in Cabo, and I knew I wasn’t prepared to have that information, not right now anyway.
Doing my best to push the dream aside, I climbed from bed and turned my thoughts to the first day back from Christmas break. For now, I needed to concentrate on reality, not my dreams, not vampires, not whatever the heck was going on with my sister and her friends. I had my own problems to worry about, and while I trusted Elliott to do what he said he would, I was concerned about both of my best friends. Hopefully, when I got to school, I’d see that everything was back to normal.
