Page 178 of Envious Of Fire
Suddenly the vampire’s face is gone from every window. Kyle turns, looking for him again, unsettled. Raya is at the side door staring out, eyes wide and full of tension as the sandstorm screams past the glass.
Boom—another crash on top of the bus.
Everyone looks up.
“Down!” hollers out 4’s boyfriend as he covers her with his arms, shaking, his fear-ridden eyes twisted up to the ceiling.
The blade of a long sword pierces the roof.
And the boyfriend’s head.
4’s screams are lost to the raging storm as she collapses to the floor of the bus, cowering.
When the sword is pulled out of the roof, up the boyfriend goes with it, his head attached for half a second, until the sword is freed and his limp body drops down.
His head, split open by the blade.
Blood pouring over the seat.
Kyle slaps a hand to his mouth, paralyzed, stopping himself from retching at the sight.
Mayhem breaks out as the humans, now screaming and in a full panic, flatten to the ground or scramble to get away, a woman wailing hysterically, the elderly man shouting his prayers. Raya is backing away in horror, her poise gone, choking on her breaths.
4’s screams persist as the sword strikes down elsewhere, now covered in her boyfriend’s blood and brain matter, closer to the back of the bus, then gone again. Strikes again, too close to Raya’s head, causing her to quickly duck and take position on the floor. The sword pulls out again and strikes in a new place, over and over it goes. Wind squeals wildly through the holes left by the blade. Each time, La-La’s hysterical peals of laughter puncture before the sword does.
Panic and dread consume Kyle’s system, compounded by the flood of terror radiating out of every human in the bus that his Reach unhelpfully absorbs. It takes an insurmountable deal of willpower to fight through it and make his limbs move, as he pushes himself down the aisle, following La-La’s movements, desperate to think of some way to thwart the vampire.
Kyle turns to the front of the bus. Nico remains crouched over Kaleb protectively, staring back, teeth bared. It is amazing to Kyle, how Nico’s fragile, human eyes are so full of courage in this moment, ready to fight La-La head-on if he has to, not a bone in his body quivering.
It’s more than just a show.
The young man is fearless.
Before another thought enters Kyle’s mind, the back half of the roof rips open like the lid of a can.
The only screams that are heard now are those of the storm itself, sand slicing into the bus, cutting and biting and stinging with its furious power.
Above, the shape of La-La eclipses the gaping hole in the sky filled with violent wind, grinning madly. When he jumps down, he lands so close, Kyle falls back. La-La’s raspberry eyes are wet with laughter. Lips parted, his grin never abating in the slightest, his teeth shiny, his bloodied sword scraping the floor.
Kyle kicks away, pushing down the aisle. He glances to his side, spots 4 hiding under the body of her dead boyfriend. By his limp hand on the floor, a scalpel.
Kyle snatches it at once, out of breath, then scrambles to his feet as nimbly as he can, brandishing it.
La-La’s beady, raspberry eyes drop to Kyle’s weapon. “My blade is longer than yours.”
“Tell me what you want,” pleads Kyle.
La-La seems to catch the giggles as he slowly advances, throat dancing with his excited titters as Kyle backs away.
“Drake is your nephew, isn’t he?” Kyle will say anything to reach the vampire, to connect to him somehow. “He called you Uncle La-La. I’m Drake’s friend. That makes me a friend of the family. Why would you hurt a friend of the family?”
La-La raises his sword up like a lightning rod, still giggling. With it held in the air, the blade sings as sand whips past it.
“Talk to me,” pleads Kyle, though it comes out more like a demand. The more he backs away, the closer he brings La-La to the front where his injured brother is. There is only so much aisle left. “Everyone wants something. What do you want?”
La-La’s mane of white hair flies wildly in the wind. “Is one of these people … someone you love …?”
Kyle’s heart grows cold at the words.
