The Dead Game (11 page)

All of a sudden, black furry bats flew at them from all corners of the cave, flying low, aiming directly at their heads. Shana and Linda cried out in fear as they desperately tried to protect their long hair from the low flying rodents.

Wolf’s unhappy guests raced away from the bats and back through the greenhouse. Shana couldn’t believe her eyes: the tall trees were coming to life and reaching for them with their long branches. Their shuddering trunks were digging up their roots to join in the chase. A number of the trees were standing closer to the path! They had moved forward on their own! The whole greenhouse was shaking. The earth rumbled as the trees lifted up their heavy roots. Grabbing Linda’s hand, they quickly ran out of the greenhouse; she didn’t want to get trapped by the trees’ long limbs.

In the art gallery, they sped past the somber faces and watching eyes. The once-serious faces in the portraits were now laughing at them. She felt like she was running through a fun house full of distorted images. As they ran out the front door, she heard Wolf bellowing in laughter behind them.

“I had thought that you were friends with these people! How could you have let this happen?” screamed Linda as they ran to the car. Now she really distrusted Todd’s motives.

“We were never friends, but just business acquaintances,” replied Todd. “I didn’t know that he was in any way associated with the company that owns End House.”

“We must be honest with each other from now on if we’re going to find out what is really going on in town,” Linda admonished Todd as they sped away from the house. She had always suspected that he hid secrets from her, but had never known the full extent of those secrets until now.

“I have always been honest with you,” insisted Todd. He was beginning to look annoyed and even angry, so she dropped the whole subject. She couldn’t believe that she could have been so completely fooled by him.

Chapter 17

D
ropping them off at Linda’s apartment, Todd sternly warned Linda and Shana to remain inside for the remainder of the day. Not answering him, they quickly fled from his car. 
Great
, he thought, now he had them afraid of him.

With them safe at home, he was free to investigate on his own. First, he wanted to question Ryan, Gregg, and Judy about their abrupt disappearance from Friday night’s party, which sadly brought their loyalty into question.

He drove down Main Street, making a sharp left turn by the town hall, taking the narrow, paved road to the Oasis Hotel. The road was lined with overhanging palm trees, creating a leafy archway and an illusion of an oasis. But unfortunately, he knew better.

He drove up the hotel’s circular driveway, past the colorful garden of flowers, spelling out the words “Oasis Hotel.” The pretty pink hotel came into view with its rust-colored Spanish roof and tall floor-to-ceiling sparkling clear windows. Leaving his car with the valet, he entered the hotel through the lavish entrance, with its high rounded open archways, breezy ceiling fans, and lush palm trees.

The hotel was bustling with activity: people were checking in and out; guests were strolling through the lobby with drinks in their hands, decorated with little umbrellas; and vacationers were relaxing on the hotel’s couches as the sun streamed in through the open doorways.

Walking through the main lobby, he spotted Judy at the front desk, busy helping a guest. He positioned himself off to the side, leaning against a palm tree, so that he wouldn’t frighten her.

He decided to begin with the weakest link. Judy has always had a very vivacious personality: brimming with enthusiasm and charm, with a quick smile on her pretty face, and a bright sparkle in her large brown eyes. But she wasn’t confident of herself like Gregg and Ryan. They were much harder to read. Looking almost alike, they both were tall and muscular with thick dark-brown hair, except for their eyes: Gregg had green eyes, while Ryan had dark-blue eyes.

When Judy was finished with the guest, she looked hesitantly over at Todd. Unfortunately, he detected fear in her eyes. He didn’t want to alienate her or her friends. Approaching her in the friendliest manner he could muster up, he greeted her, “Hi Judy, what happened to you at the house? I was afraid that something had happened to you or your group.”

“We were terribly concerned for the second group,” explained Judy, “so we went downstairs to check on them.” She was staring at the ground, stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes. This was not a good sign, thought Todd unhappily. And they had disappeared without informing him first, but he was their group leader and therefore, had to be informed of everything.

“What happened?”

“We were too late: Tom and Edward had already disappeared. However, we did manage to help David find the lever by the door that enabled them to escape the wild animals. And Gregg pushed David down the stairs to free him from the hold of the flying creatures.”

“What were these creatures?”

“We couldn’t figure out what or who they were,” answered Judy. She was standing behind the front desk, nervously shuffling her feet back and forth.

“How did Louise escape from the hanging?” Todd asked softly, not wanting to agitate her any further.

“We chased away the circling figures and then Ryan resuscitated Louise, who was still unconscious. Once she was breathing on her own, we left her on the beach.”

“Were the figures in the gazebo human?”

Judy shook her head back and forth. “We couldn’t tell: they wore hoods draped over their faces. But they did seem human. They could be anyone from town, or even someone from inside our own group.”

“Why didn’t you come to me for help?” his voice slowly rose, upset that they’d left on their own and hadn’t even found out anything useful.

Judy, who was looking very sincere, quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. We didn’t know if you had turned. We didn’t know who to trust anymore.”

“I understand. But from now on, we’ll work together as a team. Please inform Ryan and Gregg that I’ll return tomorrow to plan a new course of action,” ordered Todd in a firm voice. Too bad they always needed to be told what to do. He had hoped by now that they would be better able to make decisions on their own.

“Yes, boss. We knew that we couldn’t handle this on our own.”

“You did very well. You saved David and Louise. I’m very proud of you.” He abruptly turned away and walked out of the hotel, without looking back.

Judy stood there smiling to herself.

Linda and Shana hadn’t remained in their apartments, like Todd had requested, but were driving to the small, peaceful fishing village.

As Shana drove along the cobbled road, Linda thought about how much she loved visiting the pretty village. It was nestled in lush green shrubbery, alongside a busy dock with fishing boats going in and out for the day’s catch. The houses were beautiful with large gardens and backyards, complete with patios and swimming pools. Each house was painted a different color of the rainbow.

The village was only a half a mile from the Oasis Hotel, but the two places seemed miles apart in lifestyles, mused Linda. The hotel catered to the rich of Oasis and to very wealthy tourists, whereas the village seemed more down to earth: kids playing in the street and laundry hanging in the backyards.

The village offered many unique stores for tourists. The town square had gift shops, boutiques, and a large assortment of antique stores. The remaining stores—such as the diner, grocery store, hardware store, and gas station—were predominantly frequented by the villagers.

In the center of the square was a park with tall trees, a huge grass lawn, white painted benches, and a colorful playground. Kids could be seen playing in the playground, while people were out walking their dogs or just standing around socializing under the shady trees.

They parked their car in front of the diner, which appeared to be very busy, with a constant stream of customers entering and exiting through its front door. This was as good a place as any other, decided Linda, for them to begin their investigation.

Walking from their car, they were immediately enveloped in the sweet smell of flowers from the colorful rose bushes lining the busy sidewalks. Large trees provided shade for the pretty white benches along the stone pathways. It was a sunny day, so many people were strolling by the shops—many with ice cream cones carefully cradled in their hands.

Since it was already noon, the diner was full of customers: mothers with babies, men taking lunch breaks, and teenagers hanging out in groups. Most of the orange and green vinyl padded booths were already taken. Bright sunshine sparkled through the clear windows, directing its dazzling glare on the animated faces of the diner’s patrons. To Linda, the diner appeared to be a very cheerful place. But then she noticed that all the diners were quietly staring at them.

It had been very noisy when they’d first entered, but it had turned much quieter once they’d settled into a booth. Linda thought again of the dividing line in town between the older and newer residents. This time there seemed to be an imaginary line dividing this village and their town.

A waitress with a name tag that read “Rose” came over to serve them. She looked friendly, with her bright-red hair and snapping gum. She took their order and then asked if she could assist them with anything else.

Linda decided to come straight out with what they wanted to know. She began by carefully explaining their situation. “Two of our friends disappeared from a party given at End House this past Friday night. We suspect that the people who reside on the hill are the ones responsible. Do you know anything about them that can help us?”

Rose called over two men. “Hey! Rob and Joe! We need help here!”

Linda and Shana, becoming frightened, began to stand up. Then they noticed that the two old men, who were coming over to them, had big smiles on their wrinkled faces. They joined them at their booth.

Rose explained to the men, “These women were at that party and they think that the hill people had something to do with the disappearances.”

The one called Joe, who had a full head of white hair and a long white beard, nodded his head in agreement. “We have always suspected that those people were evil. Tourists disappear every year and nothing is ever done about it. The sheriff seems to be in cahoots with them. Parties are given on the hill on the same two nights each year. On these nights, shadows can be seen creeping around the deserted streets of town.”

Rob, who wore very thick glasses and had curly grey hair, added, “The parties look like secret meetings of some society. Everything is always done after dark.”

Rose finally spoke up. “We never see these people until the sun goes down. They don’t bother talking to us. I’ve been living here thirty years and I’ve never spoken to any one of them.”

“Our town doesn’t go out after dark; we steer clear of the hill people. There have been many legends, but we don’t know if any are true,” confided Joe.

Shana curiously asked, “What are some of the legends?”

“One legend describes the hill people as vampires in hiding. They meet with the rest of the vampires in the world twice a year. These meetings are planning sessions on how to keep their species alive,” Joe informed them.

“Another legend has the hill people as good vampires that are trying to rid the world of The Dead, a sect of evil vampires who enjoy killing people—just for fun. The Dead have greater powers than regular vampires and are led by a supernaturally strong and malicious head vampire. The good vampires meet twice a year to plan the defense of their slowly diminishing group,” Rob explained.

“How can you remain living here if you believe the worst of the people in town?” asked a puzzled Linda. She didn’t believe in vampires, but if these people thought so poorly of the townspeople, then why didn’t they just leave?

Rose answered for them, “We don’t know if the legends are true. We’ve been living here unhurt all these years. Maybe the tourists disappearing are just coincidences. We can’t pack up our whole village and leave. We need the income from the ocean: the fishing has been very profitable.”

“Maybe they want you to remain living here for some sinister purpose,” remarked Shana. 
Oh great
, thought Linda, 
now Shana is going to frighten them
.

“If you find out anything, please let us know,” beseeched Rose, with concern beginning to dawn in her eyes.

“Don’t worry. We’ll let you know of any new developments. We’ll figure this out and find our friends,” said Linda, trying to downplay Shana’s dire warning.

The village looked lovely and peaceful on the surface, but Linda was afraid that there was much more brewing beneath the surface. As she ate her lunch, she tried to be as cheerful as possible so that Shana wouldn’t notice her rapidly rising fears and suspicions.

Chapter 18

E
arly next morning, Linda heard loud shouts coming from outside her apartment that sounded like they were originating from the beach near End House. 
I hope Todd is still home
, she thought anxiously.

She couldn’t find Todd anywhere so she dressed quickly, with her cats peeking out at her from under the bed, and raced out to the beach. There was a loud commotion of people standing at the edge of the beach—right below End House. She was shocked to see that David was the one doing all the shouting and shrieking. He was standing beside a blanket with his hands waving wildly in the air, his voice becoming higher and higher pitched.

As she moved closer, she noticed a red shoe sticking out from under a blanket that was draped over a form lying flat on the beach. David ran over sobbing, “I found the body when I was taking a walk on the beach by myself. All I was able to see was a red shoe. When I got closer, I realized that the shoe was on a dead body of a young girl. She was totally white—like all her blood had been drained from her body. Are there such things as vampires? I don’t know what to believe anymore. How many bad things could possibly happen in one town?”

Linda scanned the tight cluster of bystanders and spotted Todd conversing quietly with the sheriff and his deputy off to the side. She quickly grabbed David by the arm—which quieted him down somewhat—and guided him over to where they were standing. When Todd noticed how upset David was, he explained to him, “If you hadn’t found her, someone else would have.”

Sheriff Sam informed them, “She looks like the young photographer who’d been nosing around town this last month. She’d been asking a lot of questions about a girl who’d disappeared last year from the Oasis Hotel.”

“Maybe she’d discovered some information that had gotten her killed,” surmised Linda unhappily. She was dreadfully concerned about the number of deaths piling up in town.

“We’ll never find out, since that girl has never been found. And the newspaper that this photographer was supposed to have been working for doesn’t even exist,” further explained Sam.

“Let me look into this. She could have been posing as a photographer, but been hired by someone else to dig deeper for answers,” suggested Todd.

Todd abruptly turned to Linda. “Please take David home with you and remain in your house until I can join you. I don’t want you wandering around town without me. From now on, I’ll accompany you to and from work. Since we don’t know who we are up against, we must be extra careful.”

“I’m fine on my own. What about all the blood that had been drained from her body? Who could have done that? Have people been posing as vampires?”

“I’ll get to the bottom of this with the sheriff. Just be careful. Promise me that you’ll listen to me or else I’ll come home with you right now and never again leave your side.”

“All right, I’ll listen to you this time,” promised Linda.

“I think you should always listen to me…you’ll be much safer and happier that way,” teased Todd. He playfully ruffled her hair and reminded her again to take David straight home.

After Linda and David were gone, Todd quietly asked Sam, “Is everything under control? Can we keep this contained, with everything else that has happened? People are getting too suspicious. This last killing has raised questions about vampires.”

“I’ll keep it contained…I have no other choice. Maybe someone from our group has turned. This has to involve more than one person. This time bite marks have been left behind on a body fully drained of blood. The culprits are either getting more careless, or else they are leaving behind clues because they want to be found out. It’s getting harder and harder to cover up the bodies.”

“I’d like to find the guilty party before Diane’s next meeting. We must deal with this situation quickly and quietly,” advised Todd.

He decided that this was a good time to update Sam of recent events in town. He pulled Sam away from the other police officers who were busy examining the crime scene. Sighing, he began, “One morning this week, Linda was attacked in the ocean. I wasn’t able to identify the swimmer, since he was wearing a wet suit with a mask. He looked tall and muscular. Unfortunately, this description fits most of the men from town, except for Carl, who is much too skinny. In addition, her store had been almost destroyed by an earthquake-like force, but there had been no earthquake or tremor of any kind in town that day.”

“This situation is definitely growing worse by the day. Shana also had a life-threatening incident. In the middle of the night I found her balanced on the ledge of the church’s tower…looking like she was about to jump off. Only after I shouted her name a few times did she finally notice me and move away from the edge. Afterward, she claimed that she’d been hypnotized. I don’t understand how she could’ve been hypnotized if I’d been with her the whole evening…just outside her bedroom door where she’d been sleeping….”

“I agree. It had to be someone with great powers, who was able to hypnotize someone against their will, and from a good distance. If he’s from the splinter group, then this will continue to grow worse—unless we stop them for good.”

Todd continued, “Events in town have taken a shocking turn: becoming more unexplainable and hinting more of the supernatural. David and Mike complained about bat-like creatures attacking them on the cliff below End House, and then at Wolf’s house, we were attacked by a cave full of bats. Did you know that Wolf sits on the board of the company that owns End House? Wolf is definitely someone we should be investigating further.”

“Oh great! This situation keeps getting sicker and sicker. Do what you have to; but don’t get too close to Linda—it could get too dangerous for her.”

“What about you and Shana? Practice what you preach.”

“Touché.”