Chapter thirty-three

Mr. Tall and a bunch of others from the Cirque Du Freak - including four Little People - arrived a little later. I was sitting by Sam's side, too tired to howl anymore, staring blankly into space, feeling his blood settle in my stomach.
"What's the story?" Mr. Tall asked Mr. Crepsley. "How did the wolf-man get free?"
"I do not know, Hibernius," Mr. Crepsley replied. "I have not asked and do not intend to, not for a night or two at least. Darren is in no shape for an interrogation."
"Is the wolf-man dead?" Mr. Tall asked.
"No," Mr. Crepsley said. "I merely knocked him out."
"Thank heaven for small mercies." Mr. Tall sighed. He clicked his fingers and the Little People chained up the unconscious wolf-man. A van from the show pulled up and they bundled him into the back.
I thought about demanding the wolf-man's death, but what good would it have been? He wasn't evil, just naturally mad. Killing him would have been pointless and cruel.
When they'd finished with the wolf-man, the Little People's attention turned to Sam's shredded remains.
"Hold on," I said, as they bent to pick him up and cart him away. "What are they going to do with Sam?"
Mr. Tall coughed uncomfortably. "I, ah, imagine they intend to dispose of him," he said.
It took me a moment to realize what that meant. "They're going to eat him?" I shrieked.
"We can't just leave him here," Mr. Tall reasoned, "and we don't have time to bury him. This is the easiest -"
"No," I said firmly.
"Darren," Mr. Crepsley said, "we should not interfere with -"
"No!" I shouted, striding over to shove the Little People backward. "If they want to eat Sam, they'll have to eat me first!"
The Little People stared at me wordlessly, with hungry green eyes.
"I think they'd be quite happy to accommodate you," Mr. Tall said drily.
"I mean it," I growled. "I won't let them eat Sam. He deserves a proper burial."
"So that worms can devour him?" Mr. Tall asked, then sighed when I glared at him, and shook his head irritably.
"Let the boy have his way, Hibernius," Mr. Crepsley said quietly. "You may return to the Cirque with the others. I will stay and help dig the grave."
"Very well." Mr. Tall shrugged. He whistled and pointed a finger at the Little People. They hesitated, then backed away and crowded around the owner of the Cirque Du Freak, leaving me alone with the dead Sam Grest.
Mr. Tall and his assistants left. Mr. Crepsley sat down beside me.
"How are you?" he asked.
I shook my head. There was no simple answer to that.
"Do you feel stronger?"
"Yes," I said softly. Even though it hadn't been long since I'd drank Sam's blood, already I noticed a difference. My eyesight had improved and so had my hearing, and my battered body didn't hurt nearly as much as it should.
"You will not have to drink again for a long time," he said.
"I don't care. I didn't do it for me. I did it for Sam."
"Are you angry with me?" he asked.
"No," I said slowly.
"Darren," he said, "I hope -"
"I don't want to talk about it!" I snapped. "I'm cold, sore, miserable, and lonely. I want to think about Sam, not waste words on you."
"As you wish," he said, and began digging in the soil with his fingers. I dug beside him in silence for a few minutes, then paused and looked over.
"I'm a real vampire's assistant now, aren't I?" I asked.
He nodded sadly. "Yes. You are."
"Does that make you glad?"
"No," he said. "It makes me feel ashamed."
As I stared at him, confused, a figure appeared above us. It was the Little Person with the limp. "If you think you're taking Sam…" I warned him, raising a dirt-encrusted hand. Before I got any further, he jumped into the shallow hole, stuck his wide, gray-skinned fingers into the soil, and clawed up large clumps.
"He's helping us?" I asked, puzzled.
"It seems like it," Mr. Crepsley said, and laid a hand on my back. "Rest," he advised. "We can dig faster by ourselves. I will call you when it is time to bury your friend."

I nodded, crawled out, and lay down on the bank beside the quickly forming grave. After a while I shuffled out of the way and sat, waiting, in the shadows of the old railroad station. Just me and my thoughts. And Sam's dark, red blood on my lips and between my teeth.