Page 11 of Grotesque

I t took until dawn for me to work up the courage to unlock my bedroom door.

Peeking into the hallway, I was surprised to see my phone lying on the carpet.

The thump I’d heard last night, it must have been him dropping it there.

Another reminder of just how powerless I was against him.

I grabbed it and made straight for my car, hightailing it down the driveway.

I slammed my thumb against Quint’s name.

“Hey!” His voice was bright over the line despite the early hour.

“Quint.” I took a deep breath. Tears burned the back of my eyes. I slowed to a stop at the end of the drive as I started to cry.

“What? What is it? Sorcha are you ok?”

“I don’t know. I think the vampire is real, or maybe it’s just some freak. Someone broke into the house last night.” I was blubbering my words, gasping in between as I tried to calm myself down.

“Did you call the cops?”

“Do you really think the cops are going to believe Maxine’s granddaughter?”

There was a faint pause before he let out a long breath. He didn’t need to say anything to confirm my suspicions. I would be lumped in with the rest of the women that had gone mad at Glamis Manor.

“Listen, give me about ten minutes and I can head your way. Is that ok?”

I nodded.

“Sorcha?”

“Yeah,” I choked. “Yes, please.”

“Alright, just stay put. Don’t go back inside until I get there. And hey, I don’t think you’re crazy. Ok?”

“Ok,” I said quietly. The line went dead, the silence cutting through the shock that had kept me numb all night, and I burst into tears.

An hour had passed when Quint finally pulled up, finding me in exactly the same place as I’d made the call.

My car doors were locked as I stared rigidly at the forest. My only comfort was that it was daylight.

If it was a vampire that had visited me last night, at least I’d be safe from him during the day.

Or I hoped so, at least.

Quint followed my car slowly back up the drive.

By the time he stepped out onto the gravel alongside me, I had pulled myself together enough to recount the events of the previous night without crying.

As we approached the looming front door, I couldn't help but think that Glamis seemed somehow even more foreboding now that I knew inside was no safer than outside.

We stepped into the manor's shadow, a sick feeling sharp as lightning struck me, and I faltered.

Struck us both, by the way Quint stopped as well.

I considered Macky's second rule – do notinvite guests into the manor – but if those rules were meant to protect me, they hadn’t done jack shit last night.

Silently, I steeled myself, and motioned for Quint to follow me inside.

We stood in the foyer as if we were waiting for something to happen.

Quint broke the spell first. “Let’s start upstairs and work our way down,” he practically shouted.

I almost laughed – he might have been playing the tough guy, but I could see the sweat beading on his brow, and knew I wasn't the only one thoroughly spooked by the feeling that seemed to stalk us as we made our way to the top floor.

Searching the house was even more agonizing than I expected. Every little sound made me jump. At one point, Quint brushed against my back when he was leaning over to inspect one of the closets. I squeaked, making him jump too.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Quint said, then winced. “I’m sorry. That doesn’t really help.”

“Do you feel it, though? Like you’re being watched?” I led the way downstairs, pausing briefly to look at the giant mirror where I’d first found the moths.

“Yeah. I haven’t seen any cameras either.”

“No, I looked when I first moved in. There aren’t any.”

I was looking right at Quint, at the smooth, ornate wallpaper behind him, but once again the feeling rose that just outside my vision the house was not as it seemed. “Quint,” I started hesitantly. “Does the house look different to you when you’re not looking directly at it?”

“Huh?”

“Like when you look at it, do the parts you’re not looking at seem different?

” How else did I explain the way there seemed to constantly be a mirage shimmering in the corner of my vision, like heat rising from a sunbaked road.

That the manor seemed pristine up close but seemed to wilt or discolor as the eye travelled away.

Quint’s arm brushed against mine as a visible shudder ran through him. “Now that you mention it...”

I pursed my lips together and nodded. “Just making sure.”

We didn’t say anything after that. I felt a little better having Quint with me, and by the time we had scoured Glamis from top to bottom some of the tension had released from my shoulders. There were no signs of anyone else having been in the house.

We ended our search in the kitchen, leaning against the center island.

He looked over his shoulder at the French doors.

“Chances are the guy found out you’re living here alone and is playing some kind of prank.

I’d call the cops, so they have the report on record.

I know a couple of the guys at the station.

I just wouldn’t mention anything about vampires. ”

I chewed on my thumbnail. He was right, it was the only reasonable explanation. Vampires weren’t real. Ghost weren’t real. None of that superstitious crap was real.

“It’s better to be safe,” he encouraged.

“Maybe it was a one-time thing.” That didn’t sound convincing even to my own ears. The stranger had said he would return. Fuck it. I dialed the non-emergency line before I could doubt myself.

The officer that showed up was in fact someone Quint knew, Officer Tyler Davies.

They’d gone to high school together and slapped each other’s backs in greeting.

I watched as Quint dipped his head, whispering something I couldn’t hear as they walked up the front steps.

I stayed on the porch, my eyes straying to the tree line where I imagined the stranger had darted off to last night.

I never did see any headlights, and I’d watched out the window for a long time before sleep overtook me.

“Ms. Grendel.”

I blinked, turning back to the men.

“There’s not much I can do. By all accounts there was no forced entry, and you’re unharmed.”

Fuck no– he wasn’t going down this road. I didn’t deign to listen to the rest of his patronizing speech before I barreled over him.

“A strange man came into my home, threatened me, promised he’d be back, and you’re telling me there’s 'nothing you can do about it’?"

“Ma’am–”

“Tyler, you know how things go around here. Can you leave a car overnight or something?”

Officer Davies rested his hand over the top of his holster. “Our team’s short at the moment, there’s no one available.” Turning to me he said, “The best I can do is have someone patrol the area later this evening.”

“And the evenings after that?” I wasn’t scared anymore, I was furious.

“Not unless something else happens,” he started.

“Unless something worse happens, you mean.” Unless I wound up harmed or dead.

By which point it would be too late. I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought of his team , then snapped it shut.

Cops didn’t respond well to anger, and I could already tell from the look in his eyes he didn’t believe a single word I’d said.

It didn’t matter that I had left out how fast the man had been and that his eyes had glowed red.

I might as well have told him it was the vampire of Glamis Manor that paid a visit.

Quint was urging him to reconsider. “Will you at least file the report?”

Officer Davies sighed. “Yeah. I can file it, but like I said, my hands are tied. I’m sorry, but it’s likely just a dumb prank. There’s a lot of rumors that circle this place and it was probably some kid.”

“Do you know any kids that are six foot five?” I arched a brow. As expected, neither one of them had anything to say to that.

The manor sank back into silence once the officer left.

I looked out at the yard to the spot I had last seen the stranger.

I knew he was out there somewhere, waiting.

Would he come back tonight? Or would he make me wait?

Slinking back from the shadows just when I’d had the audacity to relax my guard?

“You okay?” Quint asked.

I rubbed my arm to hide the way his voice had made me flinch. “I’m fine,” I lied. The whole interaction had gone as well as I had expected it to.

Quint leaned against the wall separating the living room from the kitchen.

There was a tight smile on his face that made me realize that perhaps he didn’t believe me.

He hadn’t tried very hard to back up my story to his buddy .

But he was here, so that meant he didn’t think I was totally insane.

He’d told me his story of the horned man after all. My stranger didn’t have horns.

“I can stay, at least for tonight to give you some extra peace of mind. That couch looks comfy.” He nodded to the couch in front of me. A smile played at the corner of his mouth.

Part of me wanted to refuse. On the other hand, it would be nice to share the big empty space with someone else. For a night.

I nodded, before a smile of my own pulled free. “You know how to fight a vampire?”

He snorted out his nose. “No, but I do know how to make a mean pasta sauce. I’ll load it up with extra garlic to be safe.” He winked before turning to the kitchen to scour the pantry.

In the back of my mind, I wondered whether I was putting myself or Quint in danger by breaking one of Macky’s rules. But what danger could a guest bring compared to an intruder?

Quint had downplayed just how good his cooking was. The entire house smelled like an Italian restaurant, making my mouth water. The food itself, garlic and all, had been to die for. There had been enough for lunch and dinner and I’d happily stuffed my stomach full both times.

After dinner we sat curled on the couch, the TV murmuring something about an unsolved murder.

My mind had been hyper focused on the stranger as the sun began to set, but now that I was warm, full, and cozy beneath a blanket next to Quint, he was all I could focus on.

His heat was an antidote to the chilling dread that still clung to me.

A shadow of rougher stubble grew across his cheeks and chin, giving him a more roguish look.

There was a white scar tucked in the corner of his mouth.

Was that new? Or maybe it had already been there.

Maybe the cut of his jaw had always been that sharp, and I was only just now paying attention to how handsome he was.

I bit the inside of my lip when his fingers brushed against mine under the blanket. Quint hadn't taken his eyes off the TV but I could feel his attention zero in as the electric shock sparked between us. The spark ignited when he slid his hand over my knee, his thumb working in slow circles.

I should have pushed his hand away. Instead, an invisible force turned my face to his. His hand slid higher as I tipped my face up–

BANG!

We jerked apart. I worked to untangle my legs as I lurched up from the couch, spinning to the window. Quint was already moving, jerking the front door open and sprinting down the porch.

“Quint,” I hissed. What if he’s out there and we’re running into a trap? The thought chilled me as I ran after him.

Quint was standing with his back to me, staring at something on the decking. Peering around him I saw what he did, a crow, wings spread limply on the wooden boards, its neck twisted at an awkward angle. My fingers flew to my lips as I looked down at it.

“Fuck,” Quint breathed.

“What is it doing out at night?” I dragged my eyes up to his face and turned.

The quiet pressed down on me as I looked across the lawn. Fog spilled from the forest, making its languid advance toward the house. I was an idiot. There was a stalker or crazed monster on the loose and I’d allowed my guard to drop, literally the next night, and nearly kissed Quint.

Heat bloomed up the side of my neck as I dropped my fingers to it. “Let’s get back inside.”

Quint made a slow turn of the porch, looking into the darkness as I had. “Yeah,” he agreed. I let him lead me with a touch to the small of my back.

“Lock the door,” I said as soon as we were back in the foyer.

I took long strides to the kitchen and tested the handles, locking, unlocking, and relocking the French doors.

If there had been a key out front that the stranger had, I doubted that he would have been kind enough to put it back, but the ritual made me feel a tiny bit better regardless.

Quint was returning from the back of the house when I rounded the corner. “Everything’s locked up.”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “There are plenty of bedrooms if you’d like to sleep somewhere more comfortable.”

He shook his head. “I’d rather be down here so I can hear if anyone tries to get in.”

“Alright,” I breathed. I rubbed what was going to turn into a permanent crease in my forehead if I didn’t stop pinching my brow. “I think I’m going to go ahead and try to sleep. My nerves are shot.”

“I’ll come get you if anything happens.”

I was already at the foot of the staircase. “Thank you.”

“Sure thing, Sorcha.” He gave me a mock salute. “Welcome to Bristol.”

I about choked on my laugh, but with each step, some of the tension eased from my neck.

It was fine, I was fine.

Here’s hoping there were no more guests planning to stop by tonight.