3 Vampireville by Ellen Schreiber Read Free Book Online Page A

covering a window, and a Stone Age freight elevator. I removed the cardboard from the window to shed streetlight into the oversized lift. The heavy metal elevator door hung partially open. I couldn't see clearly into it, so I snuck underneath the rusty door. When I stepped into the elevator, I heard a horrible screeching sound. I quickly turned around as the door slammed shut. I stood in total darkness. I couldn't even-see my own hands. "Alexander! Let me out!" I called. I banged my hands against the door. "Alexander! I'm in the elevator!" I felt along the side panel, vehemently trying to find a button to push. The surface was smooth. I fingered the adjacent wall and discovered what I thought might be a lever. I tried to pull it, but it didn't budge. Normally I was comforted by darkness and found solace in tightly enclosed places. But now I was trapped. My mind began to think of the poor souls who found their fate sealed in an elevator at the Sinclair mill. I imagined bloody fingernails stuck to the inside door from decades of entombed young vandals. I felt like I was going to be trapped forever. I heard the cables rattling. Then heavy footsteps walked on the boards above me. "Alexander! Get me out! Now!" I wondered if the cables were still intact; if not, the elevator could plummet to the bowels of the basement at any moment. I even thought I heard the screams of the ghosts�until I realized the screams were coming from me. Suddenly the door pulled open, and I could barely see the oversized black pants and combat boots standing before me. My eyes squinted, trying to adjust to the moonlight that shined through the uncovered hallway window. I was standing in the middle of an oval-shaped ring of dirt, the front part messy, as if something heavy had dragged over it. Alexander pulled me out before the door closed again. I squeezed him with the little breath I still had in me. "You saved my life." "Hardly. But I think you found something." We stood at a distance and examined the elevator's contents. Gravestone etchings covered the walls. In the corner sat an antique candelabra and a pewter goblet. "Jagger had the same etchings at his Coffin Club apartment!" I said excitedly. "It's just missing the coffin." "He must have left in a hurry." "Why would he leave? Jagger could remain undiscovered for several eternities in this place. And this elevator could easily fit two coffins." "He must have felt threatened." "By the ghost story?" "This old elevator isn't moving anywhere," Alexander reassured. "Then what could possibly threaten Jagger?" I wondered. While Alexander examined the elevator, I tried to catch my breath and combed the hallway for any more clues. Next to the boxes I noticed something silver catching the moonlight. "What would this be doing here?" I asked, holding a garage door opener in my hand. Alexander came over to me and examined my discovery. At that moment, standing in the window right behind him, was a ghostly, attractive teen with white hair, the ends dyed bloodred. His eyes, one blue and one green, stared through me. "Jagger!" I whispered. "I know," Alexander answered, repeatedly clicking the opener in frustration. "He was here." "No. He's here now! He's right outside!" I said, pointing to the window again. Jagger flashed a wicked grin, his fangs gleaming. Alexander quickly turned around, but Jagger had vanished. "He was standing right there!" I cried, pointing to the window. Alexander took off and I followed him back through the factory, past the ghostly Halloween props and out the front door. When we reached the gravel drive, Alexander suddenly stopped next to the Mercedes. He pressed the keys to the car in my hand and handed me the flashlight. "Drive to the Mansion. I'll meet you there in half an hour," he said. "But�" "Please," he said, opening the door for me. "Okay," I agreed, and reluctantly got inside. Alexander closed the door. When I glanced back to say goodbye, he had vanished. I locked the door and