The wind rustled through the apple trees, the crackle of the leaves familiar and soothing. I glanced up in time to see Asher shimmy down the tree trunk with a rosy apple clenched between his teeth and another dangling from his free hand. Yanking the one out of his mouth, he handed it to me with a mischievous grin.
“Seriously?” I arched a brow.
He laughed and handed me the other one as he took a big bite. Pulling his sneakers off and rolling up his jeans, he lowered himself onto the grass and dipped his feet into the pond that backed our farm.
I sat beside him, watching a family of ducks swim by. They quacked noisily as they passed us, apparently disturbed by the thrashing of Asher’s feet. We’d spent most of the summer like this—lazy days of milling around the farm, picking apples and swimming.
“Wanna go to the movies tonight?” Ash asked as he plucked a few blades of grass.
“Yeah, sure. I heard they’re finally playing the new Star Wars flick at the Cineplex. Do you want to bring Riley and Libby too? I can ask Mom to borrow her van.”
“Nah. My mom’s at the fair right now with the two little devils trying to tucker them out. Hopefully by the time they get home they’ll go right to bed. Besides I don’t think my nine and six-year-old sisters would like Star Wars much.”
“Good point.” Being an only child I didn’t know much about little kids. With the big age difference between Asher and his younger sisters, I didn’t spend that much time with them. Besides the occasional babysitting.
Asher preferred spending time at our house. He said he needed a break from his boisterous little sisters, but a part of me wondered if it was just to get away from his dad. They didn’t have the best relationship.
“I can’t believe school starts next week already. The summer really flew by.” Something unreadable flickered across his face, but then it was gone.
I couldn’t believe it either. What had I done all summer? Nothing. “So are you serious about South Carolina for college?” I asked between bites.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. Crowder really likes it at Clemson.”
Asher was starting his senior year in the fall, whereas I was only a junior. I hadn’t even thought about college really. I was supposed to start researching that this summer.
My gaze ran over my best friend. The idea of Ash being so far away made my throat tighten.
He must have noticed my expression fall because he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his chest, ruffling my hair. “Don’t worry, Liv, I haven’t decided anything yet. I know you’d pretty much die without me.”
I wriggled free of his embrace and threw a quick punch to his stomach. He pretended to keel over and tossed me a smile, his emerald green eyes dancing in the sunlight. His tan skin glistened, days of working on his family farm giving it a rich golden color. Light blonde stubble covered his sculpted jaw and chin.
When had Asher gotten so cute? It was like in one day he’d gone from lanky awkward teenager to full-grown, hot guy.
“Do I have something on my face?” he asked, cocking his head.
My cheeks flamed, and I lowered my gaze to quit ogling my best friend. “Yeah, probably some dirt from the tree,” I answered lamely.
He scrubbed at his cheek and leaned in closer. “Did I get it?”
“Yup.”
It was stupid to even think of Asher that way. We’d known each other forever, and I knew he considered me more like a kid sister than anything else. I’d never wanted anything more either. But the idea of losing him—of him moving hundreds of miles away was doing weird things to my insides. Maybe it was because he was not only my best friend but also my only friend. I’d never been very good at opening up to people.
“Liv are you okay? Liv?” Asher’s features disappeared in a dappled blur of golden sunlight.
“Liv, honey, wake up.”
My eyes snapped open as the harsh scent of disinfectant swirled in the air. The bright neon lights overhead blinded me, and I blinked to refocus on the man hovering over my bed. Not Asher. I scanned the unfamiliar room until my hazy thoughts finally realigned.
“Dad. What happened?” I pushed myself up to a sitting position.
“You passed out while the nurse was stitching up your thumb.”
My thumb. I lifted my hand up to examine the heavily bandaged finger. I couldn’t feel a thing. Shaking my head, I met my dad’s weary gaze. “I had the weirdest dream, Dad. New York City had been attacked by vampires. It was crazy.” I laughed out loud at how ridiculous I sounded.
My dad’s expression fell, his hazel eyes darkening. “Oh, Liv… it wasn’t a dream. You don’t remember what happened?” He stood up as worry creased the spot between his brows. “Maybe I should call the nurse.”
“No.” I grabbed his arm and winced. Wrong hand, damn it. Taking a deep breath, I tried to organize my scrambled thoughts. The vampires were real. I’d cut myself while helping to cook dinner. The scene of Asher and me by the pond wasn’t a dream at all; it was a memory. Just a few days ago my best friend told me he was considering moving away for college—just a few days ago when the world was still normal.
Now what would happen?
“Liv, I’d still like the doctor to see you before we go. You scared the beejezus out of me when you passed out.”
I reached out for his hand with my good one this time and gave it a squeeze. “I’m fine, Dad. It was just all the blood from earlier and then the needle…” I grimaced. “It was probably for the best that I was out of it for the stitches.”
“I suppose so. I’ll go let the nurse know you’re awake and see if you’re ready to be discharged.”
I nodded, eager to get out of this hospital and back home. What had I missed since I’d been out? Had the military stopped the vampires?
My phone pinged and I searched my pockets, but came up empty. Eyeing my cell on the bedside table, I scanned the screen. My heart rate accelerated at the name—Asher. Swallowing down the unexpected and unwanted surge of emotion, I tapped the message bubble.
- Do the stitches look gnarly?
A smile tugged at my lips at the winking emoji. Chill, Liv. It’s Asher. What the heck was in the painkiller that nurse gave me? Though I clearly remembered Asher and me hanging out at the pond a few days ago and the entire conversation I’d just relived in my subconscious, I did not recall the warm and fuzzy feelings that went along with it.
Must’ve been the drugs.
I typed out a reply, which was not easy with my big, bandaged thumb.
- Haven’t seen them yet. I kinda passed out while they were stitching me up.
- You okay?
- Yeah fine. You know me and needles.
He responded with a puking face emoji making me chuckle out loud. Approaching footsteps drew my attention, and I shot off a quick goodbye message before pocketing my phone.
Dad led the doctor into the room, worry still crinkling his eyes.
“How are you doing, Liv?” asked the attractive dark-haired physician. He seemed young to be a doctor already.
“Good, thanks.”
“You ready to go home?”
“Yup.”
After checking my chart, he handed me two prescriptions. “Take these twice a day—one is for pain, and the other is an antibiotic. You’re lucky it was a clean cut, and we were able to reattach the severed skin.”
“Thank you.” I glanced up at the black television screen just over his shoulder. I was dying to turn it on and see what was happening.
“Thanks for everything, Dr. Braden.” Dad shook his hand and the physician gave him a professional smile before leaving. Then he helped me up and ushered me out of the room.
I shot a quick glance into the waiting room as we walked by, but too many heads blocked the television for me to see anything. Deep night had settled over the parking lot while I’d been at the hospital. How long had I been out for?
As soon as we reached the car, I turned to my dad. “So what happened while I was out?”
He clenched his jaw, the tendons grinding in his cheek. “More of the same. No one really knows what’s going on.” He paused, his gaze intent on the dark road. “Reports have stopped coming in all together from inside Manhattan.”
I gulped. What did that mean? The vampires couldn’t have possibly killed everyone… Could they?