Morganville (Justin Bieber)

Chapter 77

It was a quiet walk to the university campus. We didn't see anybody. The few cars that passed didn't stop, and although we heard sirens converging on the party, none of the police cars cruised our way.

The night was just cool enough to be pleasant, and the air felt dry and crisp. No clouds. It would have been pretty and romantic, except for the general crappiness of the evening. Eve had stopped crying, but that was almost worse; she'd been so happy before, and now she'd sunk into a gloom so deep she really did seem like a true Goth.

My feet hurt. I was glad when we turned the corner and caught sight of the big, well-lit campus behind the wrought-iron fencing. We'd have to go to one of the four entrances to get through. I'd never really thought about it before, but the place looked unnatural, like a wildlife park.

Or a zoo.

Justin was getting tired, and put the girl down on the first bench we came to once we were inside the fence, while Eve flagged down a passing campus cop car. The Q&A went pretty well, but then, the campus cops weren't especially sharp. It took about half an hour, and then the girl was whisked off to the clinic for detox and checkups, and the three of us looked at each other in the glow of the cop car's headlights as it backed up and pulled away.

"Right," Justin said. "Probably ought to get moving."

Eve got out her phone.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Calling a cab."

He snorted. "In Morganville? At night? Right. Eddie doesn't even like picking people up during the daytime. No way is he risking his ass out here for us at night. He probably took his phone off the hook, anyway. He hates frat parties."

"What about Detective Hess?" I offered. "I'm sure he'd give us a ride."

"Light it up."

I tried. The number rang, but nobody picked up. Same thing with Travis Lowe. I looked at Justin with a sinking feeling, and shrugged helplessly. Eve stood up, shivered, and crossed her bare arms for warmth. Justin took his black jacket off and draped it around her shoulders.

"Guess we're on foot," he said, and took my hand, then Eve's. "Don't slow down, and don't stop for anything. If I tell you guys run, you run. Got it?"

He didn't give us a chance to argue. We walked down the path to the exit from the university grounds. Outside, the street lights were few and far between, and I could just feel eyes on me in the shadows. Whether that was real or not, I didn't know, but it made me shake all over with fear. Come on, Ana, get it together. There are three of us, and Justin can kick enough ass for all of us.

We crossed the street and headed over a couple of blocks, then down. It was the straightest shot to the house, and the best lit, but it also was going to take us right by Common Grounds. Somehow, I felt even more uncomfortable at the idea that Oliver was going to see us trailing by, in all our not-too-smart glory. We'd had a rough enough night without that.

Although, it was a cheering thought that Monica almost certainly was having a worse one, trying to explain to the cops about why there were more drugs in her house than the Rite-Aid Pharmacy, not to mention the underage drunken orgies and the dead girl in the bedroom.

By contrast, walking home at dark in Vampire U.S.A. seemed a little bit mild.

At least until Eve whispered, "Somebody's following."

I almost faltered, but kept walking when Justin's hand tightened around mine. "Who?" he asked. Eve didn't turn her head.

"Don't know, I just caught a glimpse. Somebody in dark clothes."