Silent Dusk [Sequel to New Horizon]

CHAPTER (1)

The car window was coated with hundredths of droplets that had fallen from the rain that just seemed to never stop falling. She'd been waiting in the back seat of Eve's mighty hearse for over twenty minutes and she was told that she was not allowed to unlock the doors for anybody.  

Claire didn't seem how she could stuff that up, but there was always a possibility that something bad would happen.  

She let her head fall against the window, and the glass felt cold against her throbbing head. She'd spent a few weeks in hospital and had to get a few stitches in her left cheek after a shard of glass had cut deep into her skin.  

There was a part of Claire that was thankful to Naomi for snapping Dylan's neck, because if he were still alive, Shane would most definitely kick his arse until he'd died from the pain.  

Claire watched as two drops of rain raced through the maze of water on the window, and she silently and half-heartedly barracked for the smaller drop to reach the bottom of the window first. The small drop got caught in a large puddle though, and the large drop crossed the invisible finish line.  

"Claire!" Shane yelled as he dropped to his knees next to her. The street was empty and dark, and Dylan's body was nowhere to be seen; along with Naomi herself.  

"Jesus Christ," Michael had cursed and he turned to Eve. "Call 911. Tell them there's been an assault."  

The whoops and howls of the sirens had arrived only minutes after they found out Claire Danvers had been attacked down the street from Common Grounds, suffering from minor brain trauma. 

Even after a whole month, people were still delivering baked pie and casserole to the Glass House doorstep.  

"I'm not dead," Claire had exclaimed when their neighbour had showed up with her third dish of leftovers. "You can keep your food. Send it to Africa or something."  

Claire understood that it was an act of courtesy and sympathy; she just didn't want it. Claire wasn't the one Naomi was after; at the moment at least.  

"Dinner's ready?" Eve smiled weakly as she poked her head into Claire's bedroom door. "Shane made chilli?"  

"I'm dead," Claire grumbled and draped her arm over her eyes. "I thought there was a sign on my door that said morgue?"  

"Uh, well, there was," Eve said. "But I decided that it would look better on my door. You don't mind, do you?"  

"No," She groaned.  

"How's your head?"  

"Sore."  

"How sore? And how about more than one word this time?"  

"Very sore," Claire peeked a look at Eve through her arm. "That was two words."  

"Smartarse," Eve rolled her eyes as she walked into the room, closing the door softly behind her. "Ready to tell me who attacked you?"  

"Mmhm," Claire mumbled and felt her eyes grow heavy.  

"Claire? Claire!"  

"Claire!" She jolted awake when she realized she wasn't dreaming anymore and stared out the window. A hand rubbed away the rain and she could see Eve peering in, holding a black trench coat over her head. Her black mascara was smudged, her eyeliner ran down her cheeks and almost all of her rice-powder makeup had been washed off. Claire rolled down the window.  

"Password?" She teased and glanced behind Eve to make sure there wasn't anything lurking behind her.  

"You're a bitch and this is Morganville?" Eve poked her tounge out and flipped her off to add the extra touch. "Open up."