out a slow crawl of smoke. “That’s where you and I differ,” he said. He took stock of the chamberful of vampires, as the music continued to play and the dancers ringed around the girl in the chair. There were too many to shoot; even as fast as he was, he couldn’t kill them all. He thought: If you’re gonna jump into that fryin’ pan…
“My town,” said Melchoir. “Our world. You can still be part of it, Lawson. There’s no need for your dubious quest.”
“There’s a need.”
Melchoir gave a slight and menacing smile that quickly faded. “You can’t go back. You can only go forward, as what you are. Don’t you understand that yet?”
“I understand I’m not like you yet. Before I get there, I’ll—”
“Shoot yourself with one of those bullets?” Melchoir came another two paces nearer. Lawson noted that two vampires—an older, rugged-looking man and a young dark-haired woman—were edging closer on the left, and on the right were two young males, also getting closer. All of them wore filthy clothes stained with the gore of many victims. “Shouldn’t you do that now, then, and save yourself some time?”
“I’ll wait,” said Lawson. Beside him, Ann still held the six-shooter aimed at Melchoir, though she was also aware of the four creatures converging on them.
“My father used to say that to me.” Melchoir’s face had become tight, his cheekbones standing out in relief in the pallid, yellowish flesh. “In that great big white house on the river. He used to say…‘Christian, you should shoot yourself now and save yourself some time’. Wasn’t that so very kind of him? Well…I showed him what I was made of. I stood up to him. Many times I did. And when he said I was a failure and I would always be a failure, I said I would show him I could not only beat him to the ground in the business…but I would do it from a town I had built from impossible earth. Nocturne, my night song. My great creation.” The tight face tried to smile, but it was only a strained half-smile and it was terribly ugly. “You have come home, Lawson. We want to embrace you.”
“I’m sure you do,” said Lawson, who watched the four vampires coming ever nearer. Lawson decided to wait no longer. He shot one of the two young males in the head, and as the music halted again and the throng watched in horrified fascination the creature burned away in his nasty clothes and fell to ashes. On the left, the older male vampire propelled itself forward with incredible speed. Ann fired a shot at the thing but put a hole only in the far wall because the monster had become nearly invisible. As it fell upon Ann and its fangs slid out toward her throat, Lawson shot it just above the left eye and it gave a high-pitched shriek and staggered back, its face already darkening and beginning to ripple and implode.
“Everyone stay calm,” said Christian Melchoir, as ashes flew about the chamber and more dirty and blood-stained clothes littered the floor.
Lawson threw one of his saddlebags at Melchoir’s feet. “Your payment in gold is there. Count it if you please, it’s in a leather pouch. We’re taking Eva Kingsley, and we’re leaving.”
“Are you, now?”
Lawson clenched the cigar between his teeth, the Colt with the bone handle gripped in his right hand. “We are. Move aside.”
Melchoir lifted his hands, and moved aside.
“Walk with me,” Lawson quietly told Ann. “Don’t stumble. Don’t fall.” It was the advice he would have given anyone who found themselves in a snakepit. He moved forward and she went with him as close as a second skin.
“You are wrong to be hunting LaRouge,” Melchoir said as they passed him. “She doesn’t like it. None of us like the fact that you are murdering your own kind. She demands that you cease your pointless wanderings and fully join us, or you will have to be destroyed.”
Lawson said nothing. He and Ann were nearing the circle.
“Let them pass,” said Melchoir,
“My town,” said Melchoir. “Our world. You can still be part of it, Lawson. There’s no need for your dubious quest.”
“There’s a need.”
Melchoir gave a slight and menacing smile that quickly faded. “You can’t go back. You can only go forward, as what you are. Don’t you understand that yet?”
“I understand I’m not like you yet. Before I get there, I’ll—”
“Shoot yourself with one of those bullets?” Melchoir came another two paces nearer. Lawson noted that two vampires—an older, rugged-looking man and a young dark-haired woman—were edging closer on the left, and on the right were two young males, also getting closer. All of them wore filthy clothes stained with the gore of many victims. “Shouldn’t you do that now, then, and save yourself some time?”
“I’ll wait,” said Lawson. Beside him, Ann still held the six-shooter aimed at Melchoir, though she was also aware of the four creatures converging on them.
“My father used to say that to me.” Melchoir’s face had become tight, his cheekbones standing out in relief in the pallid, yellowish flesh. “In that great big white house on the river. He used to say…‘Christian, you should shoot yourself now and save yourself some time’. Wasn’t that so very kind of him? Well…I showed him what I was made of. I stood up to him. Many times I did. And when he said I was a failure and I would always be a failure, I said I would show him I could not only beat him to the ground in the business…but I would do it from a town I had built from impossible earth. Nocturne, my night song. My great creation.” The tight face tried to smile, but it was only a strained half-smile and it was terribly ugly. “You have come home, Lawson. We want to embrace you.”
“I’m sure you do,” said Lawson, who watched the four vampires coming ever nearer. Lawson decided to wait no longer. He shot one of the two young males in the head, and as the music halted again and the throng watched in horrified fascination the creature burned away in his nasty clothes and fell to ashes. On the left, the older male vampire propelled itself forward with incredible speed. Ann fired a shot at the thing but put a hole only in the far wall because the monster had become nearly invisible. As it fell upon Ann and its fangs slid out toward her throat, Lawson shot it just above the left eye and it gave a high-pitched shriek and staggered back, its face already darkening and beginning to ripple and implode.
“Everyone stay calm,” said Christian Melchoir, as ashes flew about the chamber and more dirty and blood-stained clothes littered the floor.
Lawson threw one of his saddlebags at Melchoir’s feet. “Your payment in gold is there. Count it if you please, it’s in a leather pouch. We’re taking Eva Kingsley, and we’re leaving.”
“Are you, now?”
Lawson clenched the cigar between his teeth, the Colt with the bone handle gripped in his right hand. “We are. Move aside.”
Melchoir lifted his hands, and moved aside.
“Walk with me,” Lawson quietly told Ann. “Don’t stumble. Don’t fall.” It was the advice he would have given anyone who found themselves in a snakepit. He moved forward and she went with him as close as a second skin.
“You are wrong to be hunting LaRouge,” Melchoir said as they passed him. “She doesn’t like it. None of us like the fact that you are murdering your own kind. She demands that you cease your pointless wanderings and fully join us, or you will have to be destroyed.”
Lawson said nothing. He and Ann were nearing the circle.
“Let them pass,” said Melchoir,
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