Then I see them.
There’s also a mound of bodies beside the river. Bodies lying in the broad daylight, drained of their blood. It’s twice as large as the one from last time. Twice as many people have lost their lives to enable the vampires’ greed.
We’re not the only people staring around in shock. I don’t know how word spread so quickly, but there’s already a crowd of people forming, making their way through the living statues. Every so often there’s a little cry as someone seems to spot someone they know, trapped.
We make our way through the statues, looking at each one in turn. Most of them have their eyes open, their faces distorted into expressions of shock and terror.
It’s horrifying.
“Do you think they drained their blood before they froze them like this?”
Then I hear Hanna’s voice from behind me.
“Ember. He’s here.”
Even though I was half expecting this, time freezes as Hanna announces his name. She gazes over at me with horror-filled eyes as I twist around and see the shock of red hair.
“He’s trapped in there. Silver, what do we do?”
26
Fabian
Istumble out of my bedroom, feeling like maybe the stress has finally gotten to me and I’ve gone deaf.
It’s quiet.
Too quiet.
I might have barely been here over the past few months, but every time I am in the apartment, it’s been a hotbed of noise. It’s like Silver’s family has taken over the entire floor and I never know where they’re going to turn up next.
In the living room, I find Seb alone. He’s sitting in front of the TV wielding a glue-gun and what looks like a t-shirt and a bunch of fake jewels.
“What have you got there, bud?” I ask. Back to my awkward father-brother routine. I don’t want to stifle his creativity, but I’ve seen the shit he’s crafted before and I wouldn’t say he’s a natural at it.
“Decorating a t-shirt for Silver,” he replies. “Goodsleep?”
Something in his tone is almost accusatory. It has me pausing warily, glancing around at the empty room.
“Where is everyone?”
“You might want to check your phone,” he says without looking at me.
“Or you could just tell me what’s going on?” I might have just woken up, but I feel exhausted. I can’t remember the last time I felt normal. For months, the curse took so much out of me and took over my life, and then it’s like as soon as I was well enough to return to normal life, everything started happening at warp-speed.
