Prom, exams, turning your longtime crush into a zombie... life's tough when you're a teenage necromancer.
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Willow has had a crush on Jensen Peters FOREVER. And with prom days away Jensen seems to be finally feeling the same... then a terrible acc...
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Jensen is growling from inside the garage, hurling his body violently against the door. It quakes, over and over again, but holds steady. I'm sitting on the cold hallway floor, my head between my knees. Henry is eerily calm like he deals with flesh-eating monsters daily. Me - I'm one more drop of blood away from spilling my lunch.
I've said nothing to Henry. I don't understand any more than him what's happening. And Mum's strange warning about Dad isn't an explanation either. When he fired question after question my way, something inside me just fell still. My legs gave way and I crumpled to the ground. He hasn't asked me anything else in a while.
For the past half an hour, Henry has been busy reinforcing the door. Piling wooden chairs on top of coffee tables and shoving a large metal cabinet horizontal to the door, filling the gap between the door and the opposite wall. Even if by some miracle Jensen breaks the lock, unless he can squeeze through a one-inch gap, he's going nowhere. Henry is breathing hard, sweat shimmering on his forehead as he positions the cabinet in place. I lift my head to watch him. There's something soothing about how calm he is. Henry is the last person I thought would make me feel better in a situation like this but I'm glad he's here.
"OK, well, I think that should hold. I'm not exactly sure what it's holding in but..." He looks down at me, staring in anticipation for the answers I know he wants. Answers I can't give. Finally, he runs his hand across his face and sighs. "Jensen's family are away for a few days. We'll need to work out what to do about... whatever that is, before they get home."
He looks down at himself, grunting as he tries to wipe the stains from his clothes.
"We can't go outside like this. We look like we've been in a massacre. I'll see if I can grab us something to wear."
He exhales, waiting for a response that doesn't come. Finally, his shoulders slump and he walks down the hallway, back into the main house. My head is throbbing. The panic that had been coursing through my veins was slowing and it was leaving a dull pain in its wake. Blood and meat juice are sticking uncomfortably to my skin, making me want to tear off my flesh. I don't think I'll ever feel clean. I hear creaking as Henry walks up the stairs. From inside the garage, Jensen growls loudly, slamming into the door again. I gasp, shutting my eyes tight as if I can hide away in the darkness.
I can't stand the noise anymore. I stand up too quickly. The blood rushes to my head, and the world seems to tilt below me. Ignoring the lump in my throat and the tears prickling at the corner of my eyes, I follow the comforting creaks of the house towards Henry.
The house is a maze of ice-white walls and plush furnishings. And none of them look like they came from Ikea. I find Henry standing beside a hallway cupboard, dropping towels into the heap in his arms. He eyes me hesitantly when he sees me there.
"Here. I got some clothes from Tanya's wardrobe. I think they'll fit..." He pulls out a sweatshirt and leggings from the pile in his arms. He avoids my eyes when he passes them to me, but I can't avoid the flush in his cheeks.
