“They’re a lot less evil than the hypocrites who’ve made it illegal for him to be turned. But, I’m glad they’re doing this for him, at least,” Dawn said. “It’s still sad but better than nothing.”
“I saw him on Last Week Tonight, and he seemed pretty jazzed about it.”
“Yay.” Dawn made a big deal gesture. “The little boy gets a cool quick death instead of a sterile lingering one.”
“What happened to ‘It’s better than nothing?’”
“It’s barely better. This shouldn’t be the best we get.” Dawn said. “It certainly shouldn’t be the best he gets.”
“It shouldn’t be, but for this kid, yeah, it’s the best he gets,” Gavin said. “But we’re here, raising awareness, so maybe the next kid gets better. Maybe the next one doesn’t have to die at all. Okay?”
Dawn nodded. “Looks like they’re done filming the loonies.”
“Okay,” Gavin said. “It’s our turn. Everybody! Raise those signs, and on three, two, one!” Signs popped up, and the protestors turned to meet the cameras. Their passionate cries filled the night air. “Let Landon live! Let Landon live! Let Landon live!”
“Are they going to eat the boy?” Vlad asked.
Delia smiled. “It is not required.”
“No. Absolutely not,” Chaz said. “Landon is on some potent medications that it would not be advisable for the contestants to ingest, even secondhand.”
“Ask Brett,” Delia said.
“Yeah, the medications can make you feel yucky,” Landon agreed. Melissa stroked his hair. “But I’m excited to be here. I always watch the show. It’s so cool.”
“That means a lot,” Chaz said. “Do you understand what is about to happen, Landon?”
“Yes, we’re going to play a game where I pretend to be a vampire, and they come to get me, and when they do, I’ll be in heaven. But I won’t have to die like a sick kid in the hospital; I’ll get to die like an awesome vampire.”
“One might argue an ‘awesome’ vampire would not allow himself to be killed by an overeager pack of humans,” Edmund said.
“You being that one?” Delia said.
“Indeed.”
“So glad to see you back,” said Nodin.
The audience continued to applaud for heaven, and more tissues were destroyed.
“I agree with Ed,” Vlad said. “Such nonsense.”
“Hush,” Delia said.
“Humans enjoy their fantasies,” Edmund said.
“They die so quickly,” Nodin said. “Adhering to a belief is all most of them have time to accomplish.”
“We want the audience to be able to enjoy the challenge,” Chaz said. “So tell them how you’re feeling.”
Landon poked himself in the leg and giggled some more. “I feel good, but my body can’t feel anything.”
“Who says pharmaceuticals are not the answer?” Chaz said. “Contestants, before we get started, come meet Landon.”
Six faces in a row went from grim to grimmer. The contestants made their way to Landon’s bed, their reluctance apparent with every move.
“It’s okay,” Landon said when the contestants had arrayed themselves around him. “I thought about it a lot. It’s what I want to do.”
Stewart took one of Landon’s hands in both of his. “I’m glad to meet you.” They have got to be fucking kidding with this. Are we seriously supposed to do something to this helpless kid? Stewart thought of how his kids would react to seeing him kill a little boy with cancer on a vampire show in his quest to become immortal, and more importantly, impress them. That’s when he made up his mind.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Landon said. “I’ve been watching. Your kids must be excited.”
“Yes,” Stewart said, “I’m sure they are.” He stepped back.
“Hey, man,” Donovan said. Donovan was not thinking of his children. He was wondering if this challenge was actually what they were making it look like. The whole thing could be a setup designed to find out who was willing to go to extreme lengths. Even for vampires, it seemed unbelievable that killing some kid would be part of a game. Either way, Donovan was more than ready to demonstrate his willing and able state.
“Hi, honey,” Portia said, wondering if she’d ever be able to perform without some child managing to wreck it in some way. Jesus, look at the eyes on that kid. He was cute. No one could deny the appeal of those big smiley eyes. He also hadn’t wiped his nose on anything he shouldn’t, thrown a temper tantrum, or gotten scared of something totally innocuous and burst into tears. He didn’t even seem scared about the challenge. Because Portia was terrified about the challenge, she was pissed at him all the same.
“Did you really get to be Peter Pan?” Landon wanted to know.
“Yeah,” Portia said. She wanted to say Do you seriously expect us to put you out of your misery? Instead, she stepped back.
“Sorry about your, you know, condition, little guy,” Brett said. “Cancer sucks.” Landon nodded. He was aware. Brett blinked frantically. Poor little bastard. Brett would change the kid if it were up to him. If it were up to him, everybody who wanted to would be made a vampire. They could all just live forever and have lots of sex, not the kids, of course because that would be sick and Brett was horny, sure, but not in a sick way. It might suck for the vampire kids living forever and never getting laid because their outsides wouldn’t match their insides, but it would be better than dying of cancer, better than dying period. Brett sniffed deeply and blinked a few more times as he stepped back.
“Hey,” Lola said, without approaching. Why the fuck would they bring a cancer kid here? Lola hadn’t signed up to deal with anyone’s feelings. Stop looking at me, you little shit. Lola tried to keep the scowl she was feeling away from her face. She didn’t need the whole world to turn against her because she gave the cancer kid a dirty look. Lola hoped the world would be forgiving of whoever ripped his little heart out because that person was going to be her. And not just because she needed to win. The little shit kept trying to catch her eye, and his smile was oddly sympathetic. There was no group more condescending than the terminally ill.
“Is there a challenge today?” Vlad said.
“Patience,” Chaz said.
Emily stepped up and stuck out a hand for Landon to shake. “Hi.”
“Hi,” Landon said. “Do you like kids?”
“As much as I like adults,” Emily said. Although this kid seemed particularly likable, and their challenge was to end him. This is going to be the line I can’t cross. But she wouldn’t have to. Plenty of the others were essentially without scruples. Emily hoped it would be done quickly. “I like your dog.”
“I like him too,” Landon said. “I don’t have a real dog. My parents couldn’t take care of a dog and me. Do you have a dog?”
“I did,” Emily said. “She’s gone now. She was the best dog ever. You would have liked her.”
“Sorry,” Landon said. “Do you believe in heaven?”
“I don’t,” Emily said, “but most people do.”
“I do. What was her name?”
“Sophie.”
“If I see Sophie, I’ll tell her you said hi.”
“Scratch her back and kiss her nose too,” Emily managed. “She especially loved nose kisses. Good luck, Landon.”
“Are you okay?” Landon said.
Emily nodded and stepped back.
“Landon wants to say a few words before we begin,” Chaz said. “Go ahead, Landon.”
“I just want to tell my mom ‘I love you’ because she couldn’t come here tonight. And she’s the best mom.”
Hence her presence, Cyri thought.
“I know you want me to stay longer, but I’m ready now. I think it’s cool to do it in an exciting way so everyone will remember. Plus, I want everyone to know it should be up to us, the sick people. And I want to thank Brittany Maynard. Even though she needed to die even before I was born, I know she helped kids and other people like me by lett
ing people know that sometimes this is best for us. And I want to thank the contestants and tell them it’s okay, really. And to make it awesome. I hope I get a lot of views.”
“You can rest assured you will,” Chaz said. “Rylie and Kylie are going to take Landon’s dad and Melissa backstage, and we’ll get started.”
Rylie and Kylie swept up to usher Landon’s entourage away. Landon’s father hugged him tight and covered his face with kisses. He was shaking with sobs. All the humans onstage averted their eyes; the audience devoured the drama.
“I’m good, Dad,” Landon said. “It’s okay.”
“I’m just going to miss you,” his dad said.
“But I’ll see you in heaven, and I won’t be sick.”
“That’s right, baby.”
“You have to go now,” Landon said.
“I know.” Melissa had already disappeared backstage, and finally, Landon’s father let the vampire girls lead him away. He turned to blow one last kiss in Landon’s direction, but his boy was focused on the contestants.
“I have something for you guys,” Landon said.
Donovan and Portia immediately took a step back.
“What? Do you think he’s going to explode?” Emily said. “Whatcha got?” She asked Landon.
“Behind you,” Landon said. “Look.”
Everyone turned. The accessories for the challenge had been laid out behind a mid-stage curtain. As the curtain parted, Rylie and Kylie extended their arms and ta-da’d. The band was playing something Cyri found familiar but couldn’t place.
“You have choices,” Chaz said. “On the table, we have an ax, a flamethrower, a stake, a syringe of Euthanol, and on the other side of the stage is a full bathtub, bubbles not included. If you were counting, that’s five. Five ways to help Landon leave this mortal coil. Four of those things are weapons traditionally used against us, and the fifth, the Euthanol, is an injection that will painlessly send Landon on his final journey. Once it’s injected into his heart that is.”
Landon grinned.
Journey to where? Cyri thought. Six feet under wasn’t quite the center of the Earth.
“Mortal coil! Mortal coil! Mortal coil!”
“Inform them that anyone who is not able to identify the origin of the phrase needs to stop chanting immediately,” Edmund said to Chaz.
In spite of Chaz’s warning, seventeen people continued to chant but gave up quickly when Edmund flashed his fangs.
“No one is eating the boy?” Vlad asked.
“We covered that,” Chaz said. “Lots of unhealthy chemicals in that adorable package.”
“I would not be hurt,” Vlad declared.
“True,” Delia said, “but you may not eat the boy.”
“I am stifled by these myriad of rules,” Vlad said.
“That is the purpose of rules,” Nodin told him.
“Contestants, go to your marks,” Chaz said. The remaining six lined up. “When I start the challenge, you may choose any weapon on the stage. Of course, bare hands are an option as well. The winner of this challenge is the one who releases Landon from his suffering.”
“Anyone who brandishes one of these weapons at a vampire will be immediately killed and disqualified,” Edmund said.
“Can I say it?” Landon asked. “Can I say start?” Chaz nodded.
“Ready, set, go!” Landon said. The audience roared. The judges snapped to attention. The contestants didn’t move. The rowdy cheers started to turn hostile. Landon sat on his bed and waited.
Chaz whispered in Landon’s ear. “I mean start,” Landon clarified.
“Kill the boy! Kill the boy! Kill the boy!”
Emily clenched her fists. This is what he wants; it’s probably what I’d want in his position. But not the flamethrower. Jesus. Talk about overkill. Who’s up for the smell of barbecued cancer kid? Not this girl. The ax would be quickest. Cleanest, if one didn’t consider the aftermath. One quick whack and the head and body get to go their separate ways. Long goodbyes never made things easier.
Fucking pussies, Lola thought. Why is everybody just standing here? There was no point in crying for some kid who was going to be dead in a week. They were doing him a favor. Lola was going to do him a fucking favor. The flamethrower would be the most badass. The kid wanted to go viral, anyway. Lola managed one step.
Portia was learning things about herself. The most noteworthy discovery was that spending fifteen years hating kids didn’t guarantee you’d be raring to chop and char one when opportunity reared its ugly head. There was just no way she could pick up that ax or light him on fire, for fuck’s sake. It would be so much easier just to shoot the little jerk. What the fuck had they done with the guns from the second challenge? It would have to be the syringe of Euthanol. Quick, easy, and officially proclaimed painless. Except for the stab through the heart. Still, a needle should hurt less than the stake.
Think about the pussy, Donovan told himself. He just needed to kill the kid, and everybody would be getting what they wanted. The tub was fucking stupid. Like they wanted to drag the kid out of his hospital bed and carry him over to drown. The stake would be nice. Stick to the theme. Donovan was a big, strong guy. A stake in his hand would go right through that little chest. No contest. Just have to get there.
Drowning would make it more special, Brett thought. Everyone knew about stakes and fire and beheading, but drowning wasn’t as well-known a method of vamp killing. And it should be special for the kid. He’d done a lot to get here just like Brett had. They were kindred spirits. He could tell this story to Rolling Stone. How he knew what the kid wanted, how he looked into his eyes as he put the kid in the water. How he saved Landon from misery and made his wish come true.
It’s okay, Landon told himself. If they chicken out, Vlad will eat me for sure. But Lola took a second step then a third. Donovan was startled out of his stasis and ran for the weapons. Emily and Brett started to move with Brett heading straight for Landon. He wants to put me in the tub, Landon realized. Melissa had told him they almost hadn’t included the tub, too messy and difficult. Landon didn’t see how it was so hard. The nurses and his parents were always picking him up; he didn’t weigh much.
Stewart watched everybody move forward without him. The weapons would be gone, and he’d be stuck strangling the kid or maybe smothering him with one of his flat hospital pillows. Except, that was never going to happen. Here was the end of his line. Portia was the only one left, the only one still standing and as he watched she took a tentative step forward. But for Stewart, there was no point in pretending. He wasn’t going to be the one to let Landon go. Murder or mercy, he didn’t have it in him. He hoped his kids wouldn’t be too disappointed.
As Brett reached Landon, Stewart sank to his knees.
Twenty yards away, Lola saw Brett pluck the boy out of bed and head for the tub. Lola hefted the flamethrower, but the fucking thing was heavy. She turned to swap it for the ax and found it clutched in Donovan’s meaty fists.
Emily reached for the stake, the last decent weapon. She had nothing against the Euthanol; she would have preferred to send Landon gently into the night, but she had some unsourced idea that the injection might take minutes to perform its task. Time was of the essence.
While Emily was lost in her mental debate, Lola hefted the flamethrower up and threw it. It struck Emily on the arm, a glancing blow, but it was enough to slow her down. Lola snatched the stake and took off to intercept Landon.
Emily made a grab for the flamethrower, but it rolled past her and off the edge of the stage. Brett was closing in on the tub with the kid in his arms, and Donovan and Lola were streaking to intercept them. It looked like it was all going to be over before Emily made it near any of them.
Donovan made the interception. He raised the ax over Landon, who was still in Brett’s arms. One plunge and it would have been done, but Donovan hesitated. Lola saw only that Donovan was poised to kill the boy, so she adjusted her trajectory and launched herself into Donovan�
�s side. Donovan dropped to his knees but kept hold of the ax while Brett, in a visceral attempt to get away from the huge fucking blade, dropped the kid.
Landon hit the stage and sprawled on his back. He got his elbows under him and managed to rise to half sitting which was good enough to see the action.
Emily broke into a run. Her eyes were on Lola, who was making her way over to the kid. Emily snatched the ax from Donovan almost without slowing and resumed her sprint expecting time to turn from almost there to too late with each pound of her heart.
And then it was too late. Everyone watched as Lola raised the stake over her head. Emily would not get to Landon before Lola could bring the stake down. The audience held their collective breath as Landon met Lola’s eyes and nodded. Lola raised her chin. Emily circled around, one slow step at a time, until she was beside Landon’s head, opposite Lola. One good thrust of the stake and Lola would break right through Landon’s fragile chest.
Landon remained focused on Lola, who was poised to make his wish come true. Lola had her head tipped back, and her eyes rolled up like she was communing with the stake, and her arms were starting to shake. Emily snapped out of her stake fascination when the syringe hit the floor in front of her. She raised her head to find Portia standing beside Lola. Movement beyond them caught her attention. It was Brett, creeping up as though he were springing an ambush in a dark house, rather than with a spotlight in his face and millions of eyes following him. Donovan had made it to his knees. He was clutching his ribs where Lola had careened into them and struggling to look as though he couldn’t rise.
Brett reached up and twisted the stake out of Lola’s hands, simultaneously shoving her away from Landon. He dropped into a straddle over the boy and, with minimal hesitation, plunged the stake down.
Landon’s eyes went wide. His hand moved to touch the stake in his shoulder.
“Just like a vampire,” Landon said. “Except you missed my heart.”
“This is a farce,” Edmund said.
“Oh my god,” Brett said. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Do something!”
“He’s right,” Donovan said. “You have to get him in the heart.”
Creature of the Night Page 17