The Lost Girls (Chris Cerulli Vampire Story)

Chapter 28

"We blew it! We lost it!" Alana shouted as they stumbled into the car.

"Shut up!" Ellen replied.

"We unraveled in the face of the enemy!"

"It's not our fault! They got one over us by opening their eyes and talking!" 

"Hurry up and get in the car!" I commanded.

"We told you before, we don't ride with vampires." Alana states. 

"Fine, stay here." Haylee shot back.

Ellen gazed around at the forest surrounding us and turns back to her sister saying, "We do now."

When we made back to the house we all rushed inside, to get out of the sunlight. Everyone, besides Chris and Laney, looked revolting from all the blood coating our forms, but we didn't pay much attention to it as we rushed for the stairs. 

"Ashlyn!" My grandmother calls from behind us. We all freeze on the steps and turn to face her, waiting for what she had to say. "Do you know the rule about filing up the car when you take it without asking?"

"No grandma Cheryl."

"Well, now you do." She states in a matter of fact tone and walks off towards the kitchen.

We all let out sighs of relief and made our way up the second floor. I placed Laney down on my bed before I turned to face everyone else. 

"We definitely blew plan A." Haylee says, breaking the silence.

"Time to activate plan B." Alana announces.

"What's plan B?"

"We don't have one yet and we only have two and a half hours to come up with one!" Ellen barks looking frantic.

"Why? What happens in two hours?"

"The sun will go down and they'll be looking for us!"

"We need to make sure our dad knows." Haylee says turning her attention back to me.

Even though I know it was most likely going to be pointless, I knew that needed all the help we can get. 

I sat down in the corner, resting my back against the wall before saying, "Alright, but you might want to tell him something other than the truth, otherwise he'll think you're just messing with him." 

She nodded in agreement, "We'll be back as soon as we can."

I began to doze off the moment the girls left the room. Right then I cared more about sleeping than I did getting clean, but that was when Chris chose to pipe up.

"Ash?" He called softly.

I cracked one eye open to peer at him from where he was laying on my bed. "Yeah?"

"If this doesn't work out, I just wanted to tell you thank you for all the trouble you've gotten yourself into over me." 

I let out a small yawn, "It's no big deal, I would do it all again in a heartbeat." 

Chris reached his hand down to grab mine murmuring, "That's more than most people can say. Anyone else wouldn't put up with half of what you have. They wouldn't risk all that you are about to."

I gave a dry laugh, "You act like I'm doing something noble. I'm just trying to get us out of this in one piece."

His voice barely came out in a whisper, "But you might die."

I bite my lip before confessing, "I've already come to terms with that."

"I haven't. I don't want to lose anyone else because of Danielle."

"I think we've run out of options to avoid that risk, but if I don't make it, please don't let it be for nothing. I need you to stick around, not just for your family, but mine too. I don't know how my dad and Haylee might take losing me too."

His grip on my hand tightened slightly, "I promise I will, but I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."

I rolled my eyes as a sleepy smile pulled at my mouth and mumbled, "You're so over dramatic."

He scoffed, "And you're way too relaxed about this."

"Or maybe I'm just tired?"

Chris didn't have anything to say back to that as he sat there stroking his thumb over the back of my hand. No matter how hard I fought it, exhaustion won me over in the end and I fell asleep under Chris's gentle touch.

Some time later, I wake back up with a start from Haylee shouting my name. I spring to my feet and burst from the bedroom, expecting to find something terrible waiting for me. Instead, I found Haylee and her friends coming up the steps, clutching a bag of crushed garlic and squirt guns. 

My eyebrows scrunched together, "What are you all up to?"

"Strengthening our defenses, your dad didn't buy the story we gave him." Alana explains.

"Haylee broke down and told him the truth, which only made it worse." Ellen added on.

"Hey! I panicked!" Haylee shot back as the three of them as they made their way to the bathroom.  

"Which means we're on our own." I say more to myself than them.

"That's just the way we like it." Ellen states. 

Haylee turned on the faucet and plugged the drain in the bathtub while Ellen and Alana unscrewed the caps on their canteens. As soon as the tub was halfway full, they poured their canteen water in as well.

"What's that for?"

"It's holy water." Haylee tells me as she reaches into the garlic bag and starts tossing the cloves in.

"Where did you even get it?"

"Church." They all answer in unison. 

I shook my head in disbelief as they filled their squirt guns with the mixture in the bath.

"It was from a baby's baptism, so it seemed like they had plenty to spare." Alana remarks as they start shutting and locking the windows.

"What the hell guys? This whole town is going to think we're a bunch of lunatics if we live through this!" I cry out while I pushed furniture against the windows as well, hoping it would serve to help block out anyone from getting inside.

"We intend to get out this, it's my and Alana's job. Also we told your grandma that her friends wanted her at bingo night, so she'll be safe and out of the way." Ellen informs me.

"Well, at least there's that." I mutter, deciding to ignore what she said about this being their job. 

"Let's go! Come on! The sun is starting to set!" Alana shouts as she hurries to start a fire in the fireplace. 

I made my way back upstairs, finding Chris gazing out the window. "They'll be coming for Laney and me, won't they?"

"They'll be coming for all of us."