Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror Read Online Free Page A

elite. The kind always hoping to get in. To get closer to those of us who glowed with the esteem and admiration we received from others. Knowing me would be a notch in her belt. She might be willing to do just about anything for the privilege of saying that we were . . . friends. That she had been with me, on Halloween night.
    Perfect.
    She was just perfect.
    I’d been watching her, you see. I’d been contemplating this night. Then, tonight, I’d been watching again. Making sure she’d come alone, and was trying to fit in. Tonight, here, I’d been watching again with patience, knowing that I was stalking her, but keeping in mind as well that I needed to find the perfect date , to make sure that it was her.
    The perfect date.
    Someone who drew little notice.
    Someone not easily missed.
    And that was her. Usually .
    This Halloween, though, it seemed she was playing against type.
    And it worked for her. No more dowdy little school-girl, bordering on the nerdy. I was pleasantly surprised by her wickedly erotic appeal. The good girl, all dressed up as if she were bad.
    Like I said, I’d seen her around before, I stalked her. She always had an armload of books. She usually wore glasses, and they were often slipping down her nose. She was the studious type. A mouse. She kind of hunched forward when she walked, hugging those books of hers. She was a good girl who had left home and gone on to college to do the folks proud. I always thought she must have come off a farm. You’d think nerd , and you’d be right. But I have to admit, though I hadn’t given it much thought before, there had always been something appealing about her. Something delicious in the scent of her. And tonight . . . well, she had almost pitch-black hair to begin with. Long and straight. And she had the kind of hazel eyes that— with the contact lenses she was wearing—really took on an honest-to-God, snakelike, vampire appearance. Very cool. She was wearing a dress that might have done Morticia or Vampira proud; it hugged her body, her every curve. It was as if she were breaking out of some kind of shell, and a better man than I might have been hard-pressed to resist. Who had ever imagined the figure beneath those books, beneath the gawky stance? And yet she was still . . . well, the same girl. The same girl who needed me.
    And, as I already admitted, I had been watching. Eyeing her. Not quite imagining this, but planning out my moves, you might say.
    â€œHey,” I said.
    â€œHey,” she replied, just a little startled that I had talked to her.
    â€œGreat costume,” I said.
    â€œYou too.”
    â€œIt’s just a football thing,” I said.
    Her lips curled in a smile. “One would think you might have dressed up like a wolf,” she said.
    Ouch. So she did have a sense of humor.
    â€œWho’d have thought you ’d be the sexy undead?” I whispered, my tone very flattering.
    â€œOh, well. Life can be pretense and dress-up,” she said. She sounded breathless. In fact, it was great. She almost looked as if she were going to swoon.
    â€œNeed some air?” I asked her.
    She looked at me, surprised once again. I think she might have blushed—hard to tell in that makeup she was wearing. Fake lashes? Or were those her own, touched with mascara?
    This was like a fascinating miracle. She was actually stunning tonight. Seductive and clever. Witty. And the way she looked in the tight getup, I hadn’t been lying. She was sexy. Sensuous. Hot.
    She looked downward for a moment and I knew she was thinking quickly. Maybe her heart was even fluttering. After all, I was one of the most popular kids in school. Okay, I admit—I come from a lot of money. I drive a cool car. But the rest, I’d done on my own. I have a certain amount of charm and pure animal appeal. She was thinking, Wow, me! Vince Romero has singled me out of the crowd!
    Okay, I think I’ve admitted, I might