The Dancer by April Michelle Richards

He wove his way through the dark, crowded streets, as intangible as a nightmare, made of shadows and night winds. His mirrored helmet reflected the images of the desperate who flocked to these streets to sell their youth and their souls. He searched the streets, the illegal brothels and strip joints for the one thing that could satisfy his unending thirst.

Tasty and Topless was like any other illegal club, nondescript and in disrepair. The inside, smoky. A large wooden stage dominated the north end of the club, young hard bodies gleaming on it. He sat near the stage, running a critical eye over the night's fare. The dancers gyrated as they stripped, enticing patrons to stuff money into their skimpy costumes.

The bronzed boy on the stage went by the name "King Montezuma." With his long, black hair, perfect body, and with his white linen loin cloth and imitation gold jewelry, he looked nothing like the famous Aztec ruler.

The man took out a thousand dollar bill and waved it in front of the boy's face. Then, he stuffed into "King Montezuma's" loin cloth. The dancer looked at him.

After work. In the alley. The man planted the thought into the young boy's mind.

"King Montezuma" strutted away, looking a little confused. He finished his set and left. The man ignored the next dancer, his mind filled with images of his upcoming feast.

After work that night, in the dressing room, "King Montezuma" showed his impressive tip to his friend and fellow dancer, "Long Dong Silver."

"Whoa, man, who gave that to you?" "Long Dong Silver"'s eyes widened.

"I dunno who he is. He's not one of the regulars, but he wants to meet me in the alley after work... Damn!" "King Montezuma" pulled a wedding ring out of his loin cloth. "Not another one!"

"How many does that make?" "Long Dong Silver" laughed.

"Enough to start my own damn jewelry store." "King Montezuma" dropped the ring into a coffee can that sat on the shelf inside his locker. It made a loud clink as it hit other pieces of jewelry. Then, he rummaged through his duffel bag. "Dammit! I can't find them!" He growled. "Hey, bro, c'n I borrow some of yours? I'll pay you back tomorrow." He appealed to his friend.

"OK, but you owe me." "Long Dong Silver" handed "King Montezuma" a box of glow-in-the-dark-condoms.

"Thanks." The young dancer stuffed them in his duffel bag. "See ya tomorrow." He swung the bag over his shoulder.

"King Montezuma" waited calmly in the alley behind the club. The man blended into the shadows, savoring the prospect of feeding off this young stud.

"I must be out of my mind!" the dancer exclaimed to himself. "Standing here alone like this. Hell, no one is worth waiting for, even if he's a great tipper."

Come to me, the man commanded. His powerful mind quickly over took the young dancer's weaker one.

The young stud obeyed him. He stepped into the shadows and into the man's arms. Lovingly, the man pushed the boy's long hair aside, baring his smooth neck. No nicks or cuts from a razor marred it. The man moistened the flesh with his cool tongue. The boy moaned and shivered.

You're quite beautiful, my boy, the man purred.

"Thank you," "King Montezuma" murmured.

I want you to serve me, to please me. Will you do that?

"Yes." The dancer fell to his knees. He started to undo the man's pants.

Not here. Come with me. The man hauled the dancer onto his motorcycle. "King Montezuma" laid his head on the man's shoulder as they drove through the city. He pulled up in front of a fancy hotel. Then, the man lead "King Montezuma" up to his suite.

The suite was furinshed with the very best antiques. They passed a gilded mirror on a wooden stand that attracted "King Montezuma"'s attention. He paused and looked in it. Seeing only himself relected in the mirror jerked the young dancer out of his trance. The man turned when he noticed that the dancer had stopped.

Is something wrong, my love? the man asked.

"No, um, this is wood, isn't it?" The boy ran his hands over the frame of the mirror. It appeared to be wood with gold leaf. "French Gothic, right?"

Yes. Now, follow me. The man lead the dancer into the bedroom. A large oak wardrobe was opened to reveal a collection of costumes from all periods in history. Take your pick, my lovely.

"King Montezuma" ruffled through the closet. He found male and female costumes, including a pre-Civil War hoop skirt, a Confederate solider's uniform and traditional Roman armor. Nothing appealed to the dancer until he found a fighter pilot outfit. "King Montezuma" eagarly stripped off his clothes and dressed in the pilot's uniform. He sneaked a peak at the clock on the night stand. 3:49 and the sun rises at 7 o'clock. I have to keep him busy for four hours. Piece of cake, I hope, the dancer thought to himself.

The dancer left the bedroom and found the man in a marble jacuzzi. He indicated the large stereo with a nod of his head. "King Montezuma" dug through a pile of CD's, looking for a title appropriate to his costume. "Ah-ha!" "King Montezuma" exclaimed when he found a copy of the Top Gun soundtrack. He popped it in the CD player and searched for his favorite song.

"Highway to the Danger Zone! Gonna take you right into the Danger Zone!"

"King Montezuma" stepped in front of the man, dressed in the pilot's flight suit. First off was his parachute. Then, his helmet was tossed off. His gloves joined the growing piles of clothes. Carefully, he kicked off his boots. The man's arousal grew as he waited for the young dancer to bare his skin to him. Slowly, the dancer pulled the zipper down, the song pounding in his head, along with the thought: Gotta keep him distracted until dawn. The dancer let the one shoulder drop down, showing off his bronzed skin. He shrugged off that sleeve, then let the other side of the flight suit fall.

Take it all off, my beloved, the man urged.

"King Montezuma" let the suit fall around his legs, revealing a white G-string. The dancer kicked the suit off and onto the pile. He gyrated his hips in time to the music, dancing close to the edge of the jacuzzi. The man was hypnotized by the boy's thrusting body. It had been a long time since he had last seen such a lovely boy. His fangs slid out of their hiding place in his gums. He had savored the young man enough. Now, it was time to eat. Join me, my lovely.

The young dancer glared at the man, no the vampire. He backed away slowly, acting like he was now dancing to the slower song that was playing. The vampire's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He climbed out of the water, naked. I said: come to me.

"Go to hell!" the dancer yelled and ran to the front hall. He grabbed the leg of the mirror's stand and jerked it off. It was old and splintered easily. The mirror crashed to the ground, covering the dancer in a fine layer of glass. "King Montezuma" pointed the splintered end at the vampire. "Get away."

Now, my lovely, don't do that. I can give pleasure that you've never dreamed of.

"Bite me!" the dancer snarled, then paused. "Then, again, I take that back." The vampire grinned and approached the boy. "Shit," the dancer swore. He tightened his grip on the improvised stake.

The dancer and the vampire faced off; one inhumanly beautiful, one exotically human. The dancer backed the vampire towards the jacuzzi. With a leap, the vampire cleared the jacuzzi, giving himself some distance from the deadly stake. Through the window behind him, "King Montezuma" could see the first pinkish light of dawn. He backed up a few steps, then, took a running leap over the jacuzzi. This action took the vampire by surprise. The dancer's antique stake plunged into what the vampire called his heart. The force of the blow sent the two crashing into the window. It shattered upon impact.

"King Montezuma" let go of the vampire and grabbed onto the edge of the broken window. "Got'em." He panted. However, in his death throes, the vampire grabbed a hold of the dancer's leg, pulling the boy down with him. The vampire leered at the boy as they both hurdled to the ground.

The vampire was now a dead weight, and much heavier than the young, lean dancer. He slammed into the ground first, driving the stake into the sidewalk.

"King Montezuma" felt as sense of peace as he crashed into the ground. I won, he thought. He didn't kill me or steal my blood, so I won. I know that I'm dying now, but at least I will die in peace and with out his curse. I've won.

"Long Dong Silver" had been walking towards his early morning class when he passed the vampire's hotel and found the broken bodies. With a wail, he cradled his friend's body and whispered the words his friend would never hear: "I love you, buddy."