The Traveling Vampire Show(9)

 

After that, no more boxing matches at Janks Field.

 

No more “special events” at all, duds or otherwise.

 

The stadium became known as Fargus’s Folly.

 

Fargus vanished.

 

Though the “night games” were over, the huge, bright stadium lights continued to remain on from sunset till dawn to deter lovers, orgies and sacrifices.

 

And the grandstands and arena remained in place.

 

The Traveling Vampire Show would be the first official event to take place in Janks Field in almost two years—since the night of the parking disaster.

 

I suddenly wondered if it was official. Had somebody taken over Fargus’s old job and actually booked such a bizarre event?

 

Didn’t seem likely.

 

As far as I knew, the county had abandoned Janks Field. Except for paying the electric bills, they wanted nothing at all to do with the scene of all that mayhem.

 

I doubted that they would even allow a show to take place there-much less one featuring a “vampire.”

 

Unless maybe some palms got greased.

 

That’s how carnies got their permits, I’d heard. Just bribed the right people and nobody gave them trouble. A show like this would probably operate the same way.

 

Or maybe they hadn’t bothered.

 

Maybe they’d just shown up.

 

I must’ve let out a moan or something.

 

“What is it?” Slim asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

 

“What’s a show like this doing at Janks Field?” I asked.

 

Looking puzzled, Rusty said, “Why do you care?”

 

“I just think it’s weird.”

 

“It’s a great place for a vampire show,” Slim said.

 

“That’s for sure,” said Rusty.

 

“But how did they even know about it?”

 

Grinning, Rusty said, “Hey, maybe Valeria’s been here before. Know what I mean?” He chuckled. “Maybe she’s done some prime sucking in these parts. Might even be the one who put some of those old stiffs in Janks Field.”

 

“And she likes to come back for old time’s sake,” Slim added.

 

“But don’t you think it’s odd?” I persisted. “Nobody just stumbles onto a place like Janks Field.”

 

“Well, if you trip in a snake hole ...”

 

Rusty laughed.

 

“I mean it,” I said.

 

“Seriously?” Slim asked. “Somebody came out in advance to set things up. Don’t you think so? And he probably asked around in town and found out about the place. That’s all. No big mystery.”

 

“I still think it’s weird,” I said.

 

“Weird is what you want,” said Slim, “when you run a Traveling Vampire Show.”

 

“I guess so.”

 

“The only thing that really counts,” Rusty said, “is that they’re here.”

 

But they weren’t.

 

Or didn’t seem to be.

 

We followed Slim out of the forest. The dirt road vanished and we found ourselves standing at the edge of Janks Field.

 

Way off to the right across the dry, gray plain stood the snack stand and bleachers. Overlooking them, gray against the gray sky, were the panels of stadium lights.

 

We saw no cars, no trucks, no vans.

 

We saw no people.

 

We saw no vampires.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Five

 

 

We started walking across the field.

 

“Guess we beat ’em here,” Slim said, her voice hushed.

 

“Looks that way,” said Rusty. He also spoke softly, the way you might talk late at night sneaking through a graveyard. He looked at his wristwatch. “It’s only ten-thirty.”

 

“Still,” I said, “you’d think they’d be here by now. Don’t they have to set up for the show?”

 

“Who knows?” Rusty said.

 

“How do we know someone isn’t here?” Slim asked, a look on her face as if she might be kidding around.

 

“I don’t see anyone,” Rusty said.

 

“Let’s just be ready to beat it,” I said.

 

They glanced at me so I would know they got both meanings. Usually, such a remark would inspire some wisecracks. Not this time, though.

 

“If anything happens,” Slim said, “we stay together.”

 

Rusty and I nodded.

 

We walked slowly, expecting trouble. You always expected trouble at Janks Field, but you never knew what it might be or where it might come from.

 

The place was creepy enough just because it looked so desolate and because a lot of very bad stuff had happened there. Bad things still happened. Every time I went to Janks Field with Rusty and Slim, we ran into trouble. We’d been scared witless, had accidents, gotten ourselves banged up, bit, stung and chased by various forms of wildlife (human and otherwise).