Elegant Death

by M. L. Bullock

  And somehow I fell asleep. When I woke up the bag was still in the corner of the cage. Hours had gone by. How many I couldn't say. I sat on the floor of my golden cage with my knees pulled up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them. I desperately wanted to go pee and find something to drink. My tongue felt large in my mouth and my lips were dry, but I truly had much bigger problems than that.

  Don’t even think about it, Lisa.

  I was so desperate. I felt so desperate.

  Math was never my favorite subject. How much math would I have to take for nursing?

  I needed help but who was going to help me? There was no one. No one but me. And I was so tired. For the first time in my life, I had to truly rely on myself. Not my father, or Levi, or anyone who thought I was cute or pretty or helpless. I wasn't one of those girls that really thought about these kinds of things too much, but now I wished I had.

  I heard girls giggling down the hallway. Run, girl! Run far away! Didn’t anyone pay attention to these girls? But then again, it wasn’t long ago that I’d also been a fan. Oh, I’d had such a secret crush on Rex. Something about the song Elegant Black spoke to my soul.

  Once upon a time.

  One of the stagehands looked remarkably like the Creep. Could it have been his younger brother? His hands were busy finding their way around the body of a young woman. The excited young woman was all over him and her back was turned to me. Jessica? Jessica from school? She wasn’t even a senior! What was she doing here?

  Oh no! It was the Creep!

  Some of the vampires, like the Creep, wanted you to know what they were. They were proud of being evil and different. But then others were more subtle. They liked fitting into the mortal world, laughing and walking amongst us. I could hardly believe how blind I had been all this time. How absolutely blind I had been to evil!

  Math, do the math, Lisa. I could hardly focus. I was hungry and thirsty. Imagine this whole devilish world existed alongside mine all this time. While I was at cheer camp or sprinkling glitter over glue-covered stars, other girls my age were being killed by vampires.

  The young woman was all over the Creep. I could warn her, maybe I should. But what good would it do? Hey, Jessica! He’s a vampire! Get your tongue out of his mouth! I could say something like that to her but why draw attention to myself?

  As the pair moaned and groaned over one another, I watched in horror as Jessica’s body went limp in the Creep’s arms. If anyone were to walk past they would think that she was drunk, maybe high. Certainly inebriated. Without hesitation, he bit her and his eyes were clamped on me. Oh, how terrible! He was killing her right before my eyes! “Jessica?” I whispered as her long golden blonde hair slid over to reveal her slender neck. The Creep was orchestrating her movements, making it easier to dine on his prize. He glared at me, yet I was helpless to do anything except watch.

  And then suddenly, he was gone. With Jessica. He’d moved so quickly that his absence barely registered in my brain.

  That’s when I saw the shiny piece of metal next to the cage. It was odd-looking. Silver in color. A key? The key had a boxy, rectangular shape. I’d seen it before, it wasn’t the same key that Rex wore on his belt; that key was for show. On stage, the cage door was left open, in order to make my removal easier for the King of Rock and Roll. Why was this here?

  Math shouldn’t have letters in it. X times Y plus the fraction? Or was it Y plus the fraction?

  I tapped my fingers on the board beneath me as if I were truly trying to figure out this math puzzle. Best to keep part of my brain busy. They could see me. Hear me. They knew my thoughts at times. Not all the time. No, not all the time.

  I wasn’t great at Algebra, so I decided to go with something I knew--the Gettysburg Address. I had to recite a lengthy section of Lincoln’s speech in the sixth grade. This I could do with my eyes closed.

  Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

  Oh no! I can hear someone coming! Footsteps in the hall! Heavy boots. I positioned myself to put my back against the bars and my hands close to the silver key. Someone must have intentionally left this behind but who?

  Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.

  I heard a hissing sound. Oh, whoever this was approaching would be here any moment. It was now or never! I didn’t even look as I blindly reached behind my back praying to God I got it the first time.

  It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

  My fingers grabbed the cold, silver key and I slid it into my back pocket just as the door opened fully, swinging wide now. The hall was empty except for Rex Teaser. His dark eyes glittered wildly and I felt like a creature caught in the headlights of an oncoming train.

  A train with no brakes, no whistle, and no living passengers. He moved purposefully towards me. He squatted before the cage and tilted his head as he studied me. With the light behind him and his strange eyes, he looked like a true creature of the night. Only, he was heartbreakingly beautiful with his mane of luxurious dark hair and half-open shirt.

  It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

  And then my mind went blank. That was it. That was all of the Gettysburg Address I knew. I couldn’t start over, because I suddenly forgot the beginning. My mouth moved, but nothing came out. If I was about to die there wasn’t much point in talking, was there? Rex leaned closer and reached his hand out to me. What was this? Was he offering me something? Could I leave?

  The wicked flicker in his eyes clued me in on the truth. There would never be any going back for me. Never.

  “Never,” he purred in agreement. “No going back.”

  That’s when the unbidden tear slid down my cheek.

  Chapter Six--Lisa

  “You are beautiful, my pet. My Golden Doll. So very lovely. I can see why he would want to keep you all to himself. From that first moment to this one, I have thought only of you.”

  What is he trying to do?

  “Levi Wallace loves you, but can a boy truly know how to love a woman?” Rex purred as he took a seat beside the cage. He stretched out like a long, lean cat. His eyes were fixed on me and I felt my stomach doing somersaults. I couldn’t focus on math, or history, or anything good and simple. Instead, my mind was flooded with images of lovemaking, specifically with Rex. In my mind, he was touching my face and rubbing my cheek. His hands were on me and my head was thrown back in ecstasy. I was kissing him, with all my might...

  “No!” I said aloud. I thought of Levi, his warm brown eyes fixed on me, his golden hair curling up around his perfect face. Walking in the sunshine together. Body surfing at the beach on summer break. Dancing at prom. I’d worn an off the shoulder coral dress…

  “You deliberately provoke me. I am your king. Why would you be so foolish? I can offer you the world.”

  “You are young, Rex and I’m not as foolish as you, I think. I
haven’t sold my soul,” I said as I held back the remainder of my tears. Vampires weren’t moved by tears in my experience. But Rex was a fairly new vampire, from what I gathered. Perhaps somewhere inside him, there was still a bit of who he used to be. A bit of human. It was a risky gamble. As if he heard me, he pulled his hand back and clutched the bars, his face poked between two as he continued to study me.

  “Haven’t you? What would you do for love, then?”

  “For love? Love would never ask me to do anything. Love doesn’t cost you a thing.”

  To that, Rex titled back his head and laughed. The Keeper appeared now, her white and blue eyes riveted on him. He didn’t even look in her direction. He waved his hand over his head and she vanished, not merely into the wall, but she was gone. Completely gone.

  We were very alone here.

  “Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping me here? Levi isn’t coming. You don’t need him, you don’t need me. Let us go, we won’t say anything. I swear it.”

  He pulled up his knee and cradled it with his long hands. He moved gracefully, like a dancer and I couldn’t help but be attracted to him, despite my disgust. I’d been waiting for this moment all my life, waiting to meet him and now we were together. More images of sexual scenes filled my mind and I realized that this was his doing. We were two naked bodies writhing together amidst clouds of smoky incense.

  “Stop that,” I said softly.

  “Stop what?” He bit his lip and showed bright white teeth. “You are beautiful. There are so many beautiful girls here tonight, but I only have thoughts of you. Why is that? Why do I want you, Lisa Dance? Tell me?”

  “Why have you done this? You were the best, the absolute best, Rex. You didn’t have to do this.” I flicked away another unwanted tear. “Why?”

  “Alice made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I will be young and beautiful forever. I will always be the King of Rock and Roll. Always.”

  I shook my head at his statement, “But you already were.”

  “I am thinking of the future, Lisa. I want to live forever. My music matters. It will always matter.”

  “But the price? Doesn’t that matter to you? It cost you everything to be something you already were, Rex Teaser. You would always be those things to the people who followed you.” Strangely enough, I saw a shift in his expression. Was it regret? Was it reality? Good, let it be. “Let me go, Rex. Let me go and I won’t tell a soul, I promise. You know I am telling you the truth. I can’t lie to you. You can read my mind. I am not stupid, Rex. I am telling you the truth. I will go far away and never come back. You won’t have to worry.”

  “You’ll never know what’s it is like. Nobody knows me. You think you do. You only know what you see. I thought you might be different.” I had no idea what he was talking about, but I felt that he was trying to connect with me in some kind of way. Or perhaps he was toying with me. That was a possibility. I was no one important, except for my relationship with Levi.

  “I see you,” I whispered to him daringly. “I see you right now. It’s not too late, Rex. You can be who you truly are without doing anything terrible. Without hurting your fans. They trust you but you let these things in. You have some responsibility here.”

  “Be mine, Lisa. Truly mine. You would make me happy, I think.” What was he proposing? That I become a vampire? That I become his girlfriend? What the hell was this? I really wasn’t anyone special. Just a girl whose boyfriend made a deal with Rex Teaser, a deal that apparently included his soul.

  And maybe mine.

  “I can’t do that, Rex. Hearts can’t be given away like cards on Valentine’s Day. I can’t just give you my heart.”

  He pulled back and smiled sweetly, “No, but I can rip your heart right out of your chest. Quite easily too. I can do that, Lisa. But I won’t. Alright then, we will do this the hard way, if that’s how you prefer it. But there will be no one to protect you, you know. No one at all. And I know you have a secret--one that you would like very much to keep. They don’t know, but I know.”

  I felt the blood drain from my face and instinctually my hand went to my belly. I was too early in my pregnancy to show, only two months but I was certain about it. Very certain. I meant to tell Levi after the concert, but now he may never know.

  I can rip your heart out...

  His threat was one that I would remember. Forever.

  “And you think that if you have my ‘secret’ you’ll have what you want? Even if Levi doesn’t come for me?” It wasn’t a question. His satisfied expression verified my suspicions. His sexy full lips promised me nothing but pain. Either way, I go.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked feeling my soul collapse beneath the weight of my responsibility. Not to myself, but to my baby. I had to stay alive if no reason but for him. Tears slid down my face as Rex opened the door of the cage.

  “You will be mine. All mine. In every way possible.” It hadn’t been the answer I expected, but I believed every word of it and knew that he wouldn’t accept anything less than complete obedience.

  He rose to his feet and extended his hand to me as the door opened. It hadn’t even been locked. How sad is that? How very sad. I hesitated, but what choice did I have? None. Not really. My soul had been laid bare before Rex, he knew the truth. What should have been a joyful experience, bringing a new life into the world, became too terrible an act to contemplate. Tears fell freely now, but I did not cry aloud or beg Rex to let me go. I wouldn’t do that again. There was no letting go. This couldn’t be the end. I had too much to live for. Too much to look forward to.

  I had to believe that.

  Until I stole back my freedom, I would do what I had to do to stay alive.

  Whatever that meant. I stepped out of the cage and into the hallway with Rex. To my surprise, the concert corridor was lined with those familiar faces, rock stars and their lackeys, all of them. I recognized many of them from my favorite magazines, Tiger Teen. There were no smiles, but soft applause and a whole host of emotions. I could feel their thoughts. All of them at once. It was an overwhelming experience and it threatened to take me down.

  Hate. Jealousy. Lust. Death. Hunger. Oh, lots of hatred. Much more of that.

  As we walked the length of the corridor Rex’s entourage moved to the side with a tilt of their heads. He wasn’t hiding me but smiled down at me as if he truly loved and admired me. A rueful, lopsided smile stretched across his handsome face.

  At the end of the corridor, he turned to glance at the crowd behind him. We were heading outside. The skies were clear and I could see the stars twinkling above us as if this was all normal. All of it. The tour bus was waiting for us, doors open, windows blocked out. It was black, all black.

  Elegant Black...

  Rex purred in my mind.

  I felt a strange warmth creep up my arm, despite the fact that Rex’s cold skin was brushing against mine.

  Was I going to die? Was that my fate?

  No. You’re alive. One more day.

  I nodded in surprise and pretended that I wasn’t shedding tears.

  I stepped on the bus and the doors closed behind me.

  Chapter Seven--Levi

  Dawn was approaching and I was ready to put the night behind us. Surely they couldn’t abide the sunlight. Please, let that be true! I didn’t know the first thing about vampires before this horrible encounter. I knew too much now. What I needed to know was how to destroy them. How to defeat Rex Teaser and save Lisa from a fate worse than hell.

  The creatures outside the cave had given up with their impersonations and rock-throwing, but I wasn't foolish enough to believe that they were gone completely. Who knew that vampires didn't care for salt? I sure didn't, but I was glad for Virgil's knowledge. Without him, we wouldn't have made it past the grow room doors.

  Poor Jimmy. He was an ass, like most of my friends but he didn’t deserve that death.

  Naomi was sleeping on her side while Jackson snored a few feet away from her. As always he sl
ept flat on his back. Virgil wasn't making a sound, but I was pretty confident that he was asleep. He hadn't moved in quite a while. I was the only one unable to catch some winks. I would pay for it tomorrow-- if I lived that long. I heard the sound of light steps at the cave entrance. This wasn't the sounds of those hulking winged creatures. These were huge and there was no way they would be able to enter the cave without making a lot of noise. But this was the sound of a person, a human.

  Or one that looked like a human. She didn't come inside far, but I could see her figure as I moved closer to the cave entrance. It was black outside, but not as black as it was inside this smelly hole. What now? Was I dreaming? No. I hadn't fallen asleep. This was actually happening.

  By her long hair, I quickly knew who came to visit me. Queen Alice! The vampire I met briefly at the Crush nightclub. The one responsible for the death of Charles Coleman and maybe even Debbie! How many others? Yes, when I made the horrific deal with Rex to be his Sustainer she had been present. In fact, it was her kiss that took the memory away from me. Until I was to recall it later in horrible fashion.

  Alice paused with her hands in front of her, fingers clasped together peacefully as if she were a Catholic school girl about to recite her first prayer. She wore her hair parted in the middle, her lovely face turned up to me. If I met her on the street I would put her at about eighteen. Maybe nineteen, but she was actually ancient. Ancient and evil. Oh, but those eyes. They sparkled with devilish delight.

  No way could she be human.

  "We meet again," she smiled as I scanned the outer fringes of her silhouette; I saw tiny puffs of smoke around her. Virgil was right. Vampires were very uncomfortable around salt. That settled it. I was never leaving this cave again.

  “Where is Lisa? What do you want from us?" My eyes searched the periphery, but there was nothing to use as a weapon. What did one use as a defense against a vampire? Traditionally, or at least according to the movies, my options were stakes, crosses, and holy water. I had none of those available.