Shan, Darren - Cirque Du Freak 02 - The Vampire's Assistant

"You're not feeling too good, are you?" Evra asked.

I smiled weakly. "I've been better."

"Still not drinking human blood?" I shook my head. He sat beside me. "You've never told meexactly why you won't drink it," he said. "It can't be so different from animal blood, can it?"

"I don't know," I said. "And I don't want to find out." I paused. "I'm afraid that if I drink human blood, I'll beevil . Mr. Crepsley says vampires aren't evil, but I think they are. I think anyone who looks at humans as if they're animalsmust be evil."

"But if it keeps you alive …" Evra said.

"That's how it would start," I said. "I'd tell myself I was doing it to keep going. I'd swear never to drink more than I needed. But what if I couldn't stop myself? I'll need more as I grow older. What if I couldn't control my thirst? What if I killed someone?"

"I don't think you could," Evra said. "You'renot evil, Darren. I don't think a good person can do evil things. As long as you treat human blood like medicine, you'll be all right."

"Maybe," I said, although I didn't believe it. "Anyway, I'm okay for now. I don't have to make a final decision for a couple more days."

"Would you really let yourself die rather than drink?" Evra asked.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"I'd miss you if you died," Evra said sadly.

"Well," I said uncomfortably, "maybe it won't come to that. Maybe there's some other way I can survive, a way that Mr. Crepsley doesn't want to tell me about until he has no other choice."

Evra grunted. He knew as well as I did that there was no other way.

"I'm going to check on my snake," he said. "Do you want to come and sit with us for a while?"

"No," I said. "I'd better get some sleep. We have to get up early, and I'm really tired."

We said good night. I didn't head straight for Mr. Crepsley's van but wandered through the campsite, thinking about my conversation with Evra, wondering what it would feel like to die. I'd "died" once before, and been buried, but that wasn't the same thing. If I died for real, I'd be dead for good. Life would be over, my body would decay, and then …

I glanced up at the stars. Wasthat where I'd be heading? To the other side of the universe? Vampire Paradise?

It was a weird time. When I was living at home I'd hardly ever thought about death; it was something that only happened to old people. Now here I was, almost face to face with it.

If only somebody else could decide for me. I should be worrying about school and making the soccer team, not about whether I should drink human blood or let myself die. It wasn't fair. I was too young. I shouldn't have to —

I saw a shadow passing the front of a nearby tent but didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until I heard a sharp snapping sound that I wondered who it might be. Nobody should have been out there. Everyone involved with the show was in the big tent. Was it somebody from the audience?

I decided to investigate.

I headed in the direction that the shadow had taken. It was a dark night, and after a few turns I couldn't figure out which way the person had gone. I was on the verge of abandoning the search when I heard another sharp snapping sound, closer this time.

I looked around and knew immediately where the sounds must have come from:the wolf-man's cage !

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I ran as fast as I could to check it out.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The grass was damp, so it bent beneath my feet and made no sound. When I reached the last van before the wolf-man's cage, I stopped and listened.

There was a soft jangling sound, as though heavy chains were being lightly shaken.

I stepped out from under cover.

There were dim lights on either side of the wolf-man's cage, so I was able to see everything in perfect detail. He'd been wheeled back here after his act, like he was every night. There was a slab of meat in his cage, which normally he'd be feasting on. But not tonight. Tonight he was focused on something different.

There was a big man in front of the wolf-man's cage. He had a huge pair of pliers with him and had cut some of the chains that were holding the door shut.

The man was trying to unwrap the chains but wasn't doing very well. He swore softly to himself and lifted the pliers to cut through another link.

"What are you doing?" I shouted.

The man jumped with shock, dropped the pliers, and spun around.

It was, as I had guessed, R.V.

He looked guilty and scared at first, but when he saw I was alone he grew in confidence.

"Stay back!" he warned.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Freeing this poor, abused creature," he said. "I wouldn't keep the wildest of animals in a cage like this. It's inhumane. I'm letting him go. I called the police — they'll be out here in the morning — but I decided to do a little work of my own beforehand."

"You can't do that!" I shrieked. "Are you crazy? That guy's savage. He'd kill everything within a five-mile radius if you let him out!"