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overpowering hunger that twisted inside his gut like worms in a corpse. And then he calmed, his body still, the heat in his body fading to a winter’s chill.
    He ventured into the night. The clang of church bells vibrated through his brain. Dong-dong-dong. Hands clasped against over his ears, he staggered onward. Passing clouds obscured the light of the moon, but he saw the world as if a blazing sun shined upon it. His hunger intensified, ripping and tearing at his insides. He spotted a man asleep on the riverbank. An old drunkard whose alcohol-laced breath charged the cool night air. Murder was wrong; he knew this, but having spilt blood before, it came more easily for him. He fell upon the man, fangs ripping apart his neck before he could scream. Warm blood flooded his palate and his pain subsided. He was alive, and yet, a part of him had died. The part created by God—his humanity.
    “What are you thinking?” Stephanie asked.
    “I am thinking I have become the beast of a thousand nightmares. I live if you die, that is my curse.” He worked an arm under her body and lifted her head onto his lap. “I can never love, not as a man is meant to love, but realize this, in the still chambers of my heart, I have love for you. The way a father feels love for his daughter, yes, this is what I feel for you. I have caused such heartache. Your parents will never stop grieving your loss.” He brought her against his chest and leaned down to rest his cheek against the top of her head.
    “I don’t want to stay here by myself.”
    He took in the radiance of her spirit and sighed. “I will keep my vow and tell the police how to find you. But first, I must return you to the earth and this takes time. When all that remains are bones to mark your passing, I will lead them to you.”
    He wrested her body from the bag and gently laid it inside the hole. He whispered a prayer as if God might actually take an interest in what he had to say. Leaning into the shallow hole, he softly kissed her on the forehead. “Good-bye, dear Stephanie. Rest in peace, child. I beg you.”
    She floated past him and eased into the grave. “Do not forget me.”
    “I could not forget you even if I wanted to.”
    Her eyes closed as she disappeared inside her body. To the west, lightning flashed over the distant mountains. He grabbed the shovel and, with trembling hands, went to work.
     
     

 
Chapter 7
     
    Evening arrived with the rumble of thunder. Fat, gray clouds blew over the mountains and broke open. Rain and hail hammered the roof of the house. Mr. Howard checked the clock on the wall.
    Damn it.
    He would need to leave within fifteen minutes in order to make it to class on time.
    The hail stopped before he climbed into his Mercedes, but rain continued to fall in wind-driven sheets. The pattering rain and squeaking windshield wipers performed a seasonal melody. There was one blessing in the rain—no crazy bicyclists to dodge. They invaded the town like parasites, weaving in and out of traffic and popping up in blind spots. A year before, he hit a bicyclist named Harvey Langford. Poor Harvey, he would have ridden away with a few bruises if he hadn’t threatened to file a lawsuit. Good thing the accident took place with no one around to witness it.
    Mr. Howard often recalled Harvey as he drove past his unmarked grave in the foothills. “How is that lawsuit coming, Harvey?” he would shout out the window and smile. But in the end, Harvey had the last laugh. His spirit appeared inside Mr. Howard’s house, tearing through the rooms on his phantom bicycle. “I’m still going to sue your ass,” he’d shout. Someday, he would need to find a way to return Harvey’s bones to his family out in California.
    The rain ended by the time he arrived on campus. He parked and set off toward Van Adams Hall. Lamplight reflected in puddles on the sidewalks. Raindrops glistened on blades of grass. Brian Spriggs ran past, carrying the sweet fragrance of cannabis.