“Brilliantly?”
“That’s the right word, yes? The one we use when we are completely in awe of someone?”
“Yes,” he said. “That’s the all-encompassing compliment.”
I retrieved a water from the fridge and brought it over to him. He scooted toward the back of the couch and pulled on my hand so I’d sit on the small bit of space at the edge. I complied.
“I did it for you,” he said.
I stretched out alongside him, laying my head on his chest. “I know, and I love you for it. I just hope you don’t hate me after you have to actually compose and post that statement on all your social media.”
I could hear his soft laugh through his chest. “I could never hate you. And if all it takes is a couple of showdowns with some enemies for you to love me, just make me a list and I’m on it.”
I propped my chin on his chest and looked at him. “I think you’re set for a while.”
“So are you.”
I smiled, happiness coursing through my chest. “You know, I always thought this is what being famous would feel like. This happy, content, amazing feeling.”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe it’s even better,” I said.
“Let’s not get crazy.” He twisted one of my curls around his finger.
“You’re right. Let’s wait until I’m actually famous and then I’ll decide.”
His eyes traveled over my face. “You are beautiful.”
“So are you.”
“What now?” he asked.
“Now I work hard and set a trap.”
“You don’t think it’s Amanda anymore, do you?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Neither do I.”
“Okay, I need to go turn this face into a zombie’s.”
“You make a pretty good zombie.”
I bared my teeth and lunged for his neck.
Dancing Graves
EXT. FOREST—NIGHT
SCARLETT hunts her former friends and family one by one. BENJAMIN, who she thought she had killed in the lab several nights ago, knows she’s out of control and he must take her down. He stalks her, weapon at the ready, hoping he can do what he knows he needs to do. He comes upon her after her latest kill.
BENJAMIN
Scarlett, what have you become?
SCARLETT
Exactly what I was meant to.
There is a fight between them, Benjamin is weakened from his recent injury, but eventually he overtakes her. He watches her die, mixed emotions taking over.
EXT. CEMETERY—MORNING
Scarlett is lowered into the ground, and Benjamin—the only surviving mourner—watches, then drops a bloodred rose on top of her casket before she is covered with dirt.
EXT. CEMETERY—NIGHT
Camera, pointed at Scarlett’s headstone, slowly zooms out. The loose dirt over her grave begins to shift. A hand emerges from the soil. The formula she took minutes after being bitten has made her nearly invincible.
Thirty-Five
The campgrounds were dark. We had filmed today’s scenes in the early evening and night. Scarlett’s hunting scenes. Hazy lights had been set up, so I didn’t realize how dark it was until I was several hundred feet beyond the lights. My phone sat on the table in my trailer, bait for a troublemaker, but not helpful for me in this moment. I slowed my walk, trying to stay on the foot-worn path. The voices behind me faded with the lights, and soon I found myself in the middle of a group of trees unable to see more than three feet in front of me.
Crickets chirped, and a flapping noise sounded from above. I put my hands out in front of me so I wouldn’t hit anything and kept walking. If I just walked straight, I’d eventually emerge from the trees . . . if I remembered right.
It sounded like another set of footsteps joined mine, so I stopped to listen. The other noise stopped as well. Maybe it had just been an echo. Or someone farther down the path. I proceeded, only to hear it again.
“Hello?” I called. “Grant? Is that you?”
Nothing.
I picked up my pace, and after ten steps my hands met a tree, forcing me to stop. I turned a full circle and pressed my back up against the trunk. I’d somehow gotten off the path. Time to swallow my pride.
“Hello!” I yelled. “I’m stuck out here and need a flashlight!” I waited, but nobody answered. I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled the same thing again. This time in my silence I heard the footsteps, as clear as day. And they were close. Obviously the person had heard me yelling, and if they were purposely not answering, then their intentions weren’t good. I felt around on the ground for something. Anything. My hand met a decent-size rock. I picked it up.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Justice,” a voice whispered back.
I screamed and chucked the rock I held toward the sound of the voice. A light appeared down the path to my right, and the rustle of someone running away rang out to my left.
“Lacey?” That was Grant holding the light.
“Over here,” I said, and then the light was shining on my face, in my eyes.
He let out a small grunt, then laughed a little. “You shouldn’t hide in the dark with zombie makeup on. You look extra creepy right now.”
“Someone was just out here, telling me they wanted justice.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t see them.”
“Are you okay?”
“No!”
He walked to my side and held out his elbow. “Can I walk you to your trailer?”
“Yes. And pick up a rock or branch. Your fake sword won’t do anything for us.”
“It’s actually pretty sharp.”
“Rock!” I demanded.
He laughed and aimed his light at the ground, where he found a large rock. “Is that good enough?”
“Yes. I’ll hold the light.”
“Wow, you’re spooked.”
“Of course I’m spooked. There is someone out here.”
“Who do you think it was?” he asked, picking up the rock.
“I have no idea. It was too dark to see anything.”
“Was it a guy or a girl?”
“A guy . . . I think. They were whispering, it was hard to tell.” We took several more steps. “I might be able to find out though. I was recording my trailer today. I’m going to go watch the footage now.”
“You were recording your trailer?”
“With my laptop, to see if I could catch someone messing with my things.”
“I’m totally there for that. Let’s grab Amanda.”
“This is so boring,” Amanda said as she, Grant, and I sat huddled around my computer, watching a recording that so far consisted of my cell phone sitting on the table undisturbed. I’d sped up the video but it had been recording all day, so it was taking forever. I didn’t want to risk missing something by skipping forward.
“Look!” Grant said, tapping the screen. A figure had come into the shot.
I tapped on the play button so it went back to normal speed, then skipped it back thirty seconds. We all watched as Faith came into my trailer carrying some green pages. She dropped them on my table, then left.
“So it’s not Faith,” Grant said.
“That doesn’t prove it’s not her,” Amanda said. “That just shows she comes into your trailer when you’re not there.”
“Like everyone else,” I said.
“I don’t come in when you’re not here,” Grant said.
“I do,” Amanda said. “To hide in your shower.”
“You’re still evil,” I said, and sped up the video again.
We all proceeded to stare at it. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but there was a knock on the door. I jumped, and Grant laughed.
“Come in,” I called.
Donavan poked his head inside.
I smiled. “I didn’t think you were coming back today.”
“I got done at work early.” He looked between the three of us. “What are you doing?”
“We’re watching the video of my trailer.”
“Any activity?”
“None.”
Grant didn’t give up his seat next to me, so Donavan slid into a chair at the table. We stayed this way until the recording ended.
“Huh,” I said. “Guess I’ll have to set it up again tomorrow.”
“I will not be watching that again tomorrow,” Grant said.
I stood and set my laptop on the table. Donavan grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.
“You know what we need to do?” I announced. “We need to set a trap.”
“What do you mean?” Amanda asked.
“Someone intercepted me in the woods earlier, tried to scare me.”
“They did?” Donavan asked. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But maybe they’ll try again tomorrow night.”
“Why would they try again?” Grant asked.
“Because they succeeded. I was terrified, and they knew it. If I give them the opportunity to do the same thing tomorrow, I have a feeling they would. I’ll make a big deal about forgetting my light. I’ll ask you to walk me, Grant, and you’ll say no.”
“That would make me seem like a jerk,” he said.