Not just a shape. For a moment, Matt's mind refused to process what he was seeing. The red and gold of a footbal jersey. Wet, thick liquid spreading across it. A familiar face.
Then everything snapped into focus. He dropped to his knees. "Christopher, oh no, Christopher." There was blood everywhere. Matt frantical y felt at Christopher's chest, trying to figure out where he could put pressure to try to stop the bleeding. Everywhere, everywhere, it's coming from everywhere. Christopher's whole body was shaking, and Matt pressed his hands against the soaking footbal jersey to try to hold him stil .
Fresh blood ran in thick crimson streams against the brighter red of the jersey's material.
"Christopher, man, hold on, it's going to be okay. You'l be okay," Matt said, and pul ed out his phone to dial 911.
His own hands were covered with blood now, and the phone was a slimy mess as he held it to his ear.
"Please," he said, his voice shaking, "I'm at Dalcrest Col ege, near the business building. My roommate, someone attacked my roommate. He's bleeding a lot. He's not conscious." The 911 operator started to ask him some questions and Matt tried to focus.
Suddenly Christopher opened his eyes, taking a deep gulp of air.
"Christopher," Matt said, dropping his phone. "Chris, they're sending an ambulance, hold on." The shaking got worse, Christopher's arms and legs vibrating in a rapid rhythm. His eyes settled on Matt's face, and his mouth opened.
"Chris," Matt said, trying to hold him down, trying to be gentle, "who did this? Who attacked you?" Christopher gasped again, a hoarse gulping sound.
Then the shaking stopped, and he was very stil . His eyelids slid down over his eyes.
"Chris, please hold on," Matt begged. "They're coming.
They'l help you." He grabbed at Christopher, shook him a little, but Christopher wasn't moving, wasn't breathing.
Sirens sounded in the distance, but Matt knew the ambulance was already too late.
Chapter Thirteen
Bonnie clutched the banana-nut muffin to her chest as if it was some kind of sacred offering. She just could not bring herself to knock on Matt's door. Instead, she turned big pleading brown eyes on Meredith and Elena.
"Oh, Bonnie," Meredith muttered, reaching past her, shifting the pile of bagels and the carton of orange juice she was carrying, and rapping loudly on the door.
"I don't know what to say," Bonnie whispered back, agonized.
Then the door opened, and Matt appeared, red-eyed and pale. He seemed somehow smal er and more hunched into himself than Bonnie had ever seen him. Overwhelmed with pity, she forgot al about being nervous and launched herself into his arms, dropping the muffin in the process.
"I'm so sorry," she choked out, tears running down her face. Matt held on to her tightly, bending over and burying his head in her shoulder. "It's okay," she said final y, desperately, patting the back of his head. "I mean, no, it's not ... of course it's not ... but we love you, we're here."
"I couldn't help him," Matt said dul y, his face stil pressed against Bonnie's neck. "I tried my best, but he died anyway."
Elena and Meredith joined them, wrapping their arms around Matt from either side.
"We know," Elena said, rubbing his back. "You did everything you could for him."
Matt pul ed out of their arms eventual y and gestured around the room. "Al this stuff is his," he said. "His parents don't feel like they're ready to clear out his things yet, they told the police. It's kil ing me to see it al stil here when he's not. I thought about packing it up for his parents, but there's a possibility that the police might want to look through his stuff."
Bonnie shuddered at the thought of what Christopher's parents must be going through.
"Have something to eat," Meredith said. "I bet you haven't eaten for ages. Maybe it'l help you feel better." Al three girls fussed around, fixing the breakfast they'd brought for Matt, then convincing him to taste something, anything. He drank some juice and picked at a bagel, his head lowered. "I was at the police station al night," he said.
"I had to keep going over and over what happened."
"What did happen?" Bonnie asked tentatively.
Matt sighed. "I real y wish I knew. I just saw somebody dressed in black running away from Christopher. I wanted to chase him, but Chris needed my help. And then he died. I tried, but I couldn't do anything." His forehead creased into a frown. "The real y weird thing, though," he said slowly, "is that, even though I saw a person running away, the police think Christopher was attacked by some kind of animal. He was ... pretty ripped up."
Elena and Meredith exchanged an alert glance. "A vampire?" said Meredith. "Or a werewolf, maybe?"
"I was wondering about that," Matt admitted. "It makes sense." Without seeming to notice, he finished his bagel, and Elena took advantage of his distraction to slip some fruit onto his plate.
Bonnie wrapped her arms around herself. "Why?" she asked. "Why is it that, wherever we go, weird, scary things happen around us? I thought that once we left Fel 's Church things would be different."
No one argued with her. For a little while, they al sat quietly, and Bonnie felt as if they were huddling together, trying to protect themselves from something cold and horrible.
Final y, Meredith reached out and took an orange slice off Matt's plate. "The first thing we need to do, then, is to investigate and try to figure out if these attacks and disappearances are supernatural." She chewed thoughtful y. "As much as I hate to say it, we should probably get Damon on this. He's good at this kind of thing. And Stefan should know what's going on, too." She looked at Elena, her voice gentle. "I'l talk to them, okay, Elena?" Elena shrugged. Bonnie could tel she was trying to keep her expression blank, but her lips were trembling. "Of course," she said after a minute. "I'm sure they're both checking things out anyway. You know how paranoid they are."