By Midnight by Mia James Page B

was out here in the first place. She’d been trying to convince herself she was just taking an early evening stroll, getting some air and checking out the neighbourhood, but the truth was she wanted to see Alix Graves’ house and find out a bit more for Fee. It wasn’t that she wanted to see where he was killed - unless the windows were splashed with blood, she wasn’t going to see much anyway - it was more the fascination of seeing what a real rock star’s house looked like. How big was it? Were there gargoyles on the roof? Stained-glass windows? God, I’ve been watching way too many horror movies , she thought with a wry smile. Dartmouth Park was supposedly full of big, spooky old houses like that, although for all she knew Alix had lived in a super-modern angular glass and steel bachelor pad. Either way, she wanted to take some photos to send to Fiona; might help her get some closure and ...
     
    What the hell was that?
     
    April stopped and held her breath - she was sure she had heard a cry. It was almost fully dark now and the air felt still and cold and, other than the distant sound of the main road at the bottom of the hill, all was quiet. The ancient brick walls surrounding the cemetery loomed on either side of her. She listened, her head cocked, her ears almost twitching.
     
    There it is again. What is it? A baby? A cat?
     
    She walked back up the lane to the black wrought-iron gates she had just passed - the entrance to the cemetery. April had noticed it earlier in the day because there was a curious little gatehouse just inside, but it was different now: now the gate was open. Was it open a minute ago? she wondered, frowning. But surely I’d have noticed? Or was it the creak of the gate I heard ? Certainly from the leaves piled up at the bottom, it looked as if it had been a long time since it was last ajar this way. Edging closer, April strained to see through the uprights of the gate, but the low light was casting crazy shadows and she couldn’t see anything.
     
    Suddenly a sharp cry went up, making April skitter back a few steps. This time the sound was unmistakable: a creature - a person? - in pain. Then she heard a quieter sound, like sobbing. It was close, too, just inside the gates.
     
    ‘Hello?’ she said, trying to force her voice to sound strong. ‘Is anyone there?’
     
    Now there was another cry, softer this time, weaker.
     
    ‘Do you need help?’ she asked. Despite her fears, despite her parents’ dire warnings, April couldn’t run away. What if someone was really hurt? What if they needed an ambulance?
     
    She walked forwards again, close enough to touch the gates, and reached out and pushed the one hanging ajar further open. It creaked inwards and, in the shifting shadows, April could see something lying in the centre of the overgrown path ahead. A small body. As her eyes adjusted she could see it was moving, its side heaving up and down.
     
    ‘Are you okay?’ she said softly, taking a step inside the gates. As her body brushed against the metal the gate it creaked loudly and the shape jumped, trying to struggle to its feet. Now April could see what it was. A fox. It was trying to get up, but it couldn’t.
     
    She crouched down a few metres away from the animal, but immediately leapt back to her feet. Her hands had touched something warm and wet on the grass. She held her fingers up and in the milky moonlight she could see a glistening black liquid on her fingers. Is that blood? she thought, her heart leaping. She looked back at the fox. It was lying still as a statue, but she could still hear a whimpering coming from its throat.
     
    In the dim light she felt uneasy being so close to this wild animal, but the fox sounded so distressed she couldn’t just ignore it.
     
    ‘Who did this to you, little guy?’ she whispered. ‘What’s out there?’
     
    She peered into the darkness. Just trees and gravestones, nothing except ... And then something caught her eye. A shadow