Free To Walk the Night by E. S. Moore Page A

Uprising. When the vampires and werewolves looked to increase their ranks, college kids were obvious targets. Too many people were crammed in too tight of spaces with far too many bars and parties keeping the young populace in a drowned state of befuddlement. Mistakes were made, regrets were high. The depression levels had to have been through the roof.
    So when a vampire House needed to recruit, finding just the right kid whose life was in the dumps was easy enough. The same went for the wolves, though their numbers were mostly regulated by the vampire Houses. It was obvious why most vamps and wolves I had come across were in their early twenties when they were changed.
    Now, the college—like nearly every other college across the country—was operating at only quarter capacity, if that. I had never been around when they had functioned at full capacity but I’d heard the stories. It was hard for me to imagine so many young people crammed into such a small space.
    Looking around, I wondered how things could have fallen so far. You would have thought people would have banded together in places like this, formed a strong front against the monsters who threatened them. Then again, weren’t teens always looking for a way to rebel? What better way to give the middle finger to society than to be turned into one of the monsters?
    At least colleges were still running. That was something, I supposed. They could have just given up educating the youth or gone to full-fledged homeschooling. The far side of the campus was still packed, though in far smaller numbers than it used to be. Classes were still being held, parties still rocked the night, though they weren’t as rambunctious as they had once been.
    I scanned the empty buildings, looking for some sign that any of them were in use. Windows were busted in most, the brick walls chipped and pitted. Graffiti covered almost everything. I could see a few crescent moons hidden in the mess. Someone from the Luna Cult had definitely been here.
    Litter blew along the yellowed grass. Scattered papers and other unmentionables were caught in the tree branches. Someone’s clothes were lying next to a building. They looked to have been torn off; though from where I sat, I couldn’t detect any blood.
    But despite the desolate look to the place, it didn’t feel empty. A flicker of a shadow here, the sound of something scraping along a brick there, told me I wasn’t alone. An owl hooted in one of the trees and then took off after some unseen prey. An animal screamed, its howl echoing down the long, empty alleyways.
    A creeping feeling worked its way up my spine. I looked around but couldn’t see anything.
    I was being watched. There was no doubt about it. Somewhere, in one of the deep, dark shadows, someone or something was keeping a close eye on my movements.
    I continued down the road, keeping my pace slow and easy. If I was going to do this, trap or not, then sitting around taking in the atmosphere wasn’t going to get it done. Potholes made the going even slower than I would have liked, but at least they allowed me to keep a close eye on every shadow. If I went too fast, I could miss something vital.
    I rounded a corner and the road became almost impossible to travel. The branches of a tree that had fallen ages ago were scattered across the road. A car lay overturned where the tree didn’t cover, making the road impassible.
    I was within easy walking distance of the Luna Cult Den, if that was where the address the Cultist had given me truly led. I hated leaving the Honda behind, especially in the middle of this hellhole. Who knew what kind of creature would mess with it in my absence.
    But I had little choice. It was either find a place to park or turn around and go home. I wasn’t going to be able to ride any farther.
    I walked the bike backward until I found an alley that looked desolate enough to hide the motorcycle. I pulled into the alley formed by two buildings that were damn