OF THE NIGHT ∘ Seth Gecko

05 | Surprise, Surprise

CHAPTER FOUR
SURPRISE, SURPRISE

THE WOMAN ON the stage is beautiful. Her perfect figure is covered by minimal clothes like the other dancers here are wearing, a heavy necklace is lying around her neck, along with a live snake that doesn't bother her one bit. The other dancers leave the stage as she starts dancing, calmly letting the snake move over her entire body. Since most of the people in the audience are men, she easily gets their attention, but even I find myself staring at her. The stage and the audience belong to her — Santanico Pandemonium. 

Focus, I scold myself after a few seconds and return my gaze to the man next to me. "I can come with you."

"You're crawling back to me because your little boyfriend let you down," John finally says and it takes me a moment to realize he's talking about Seth. "I'm staying for the show, just like he is."

Sighing, I look away from him as Santanico disappears from the stage. It's like she vanished. Everyone starts looking around, curious about where she went. Then, I notice someone standing next to Richie and it's no other than Santanico. She glances at him before disappearing again and reappearing on stage, her snake gone. The crown that she wore for one moment gets thrown away and she approaches the poll in the center of the stage and starts dancing around it.

"Please, I'll pay you," I lie to John. It could have been a good offer if I had any money on me.

When he looks at me, I think I managed to crack him, until he says, "Do both of us a favor and stop wasting time, sweetheart. You've shown your real skin, now get lost."

My stomach drops as frustration washes over me. John looks at the stage again, our conversation obviously over and leaving me with nothing. The only reason why I stay in my place is that I don't know what to do next. I look at the Fullers and the Geckos, who are all transfixed with Santanico, as she makes her way on the tables and over to them.

For the next minute, I watch with a frown as Santanico lets Richie drink from her foot and then gets down on four to lick him. It's a strange scene to watch and for some reason, her presence gives me a growing uncomfortable feeling. Something about her seems mysterious and dangerous, which is probably why I prefer to be away from her.

Finally, I get away from John and intend to walk out alone. I'm tired; tired of arguing, of following people in hopes they would give a damn about me, tired of my attempts to get out of here. So, I'm not waiting anymore.

A few steps separate me from the stairs that lead out when I see a man standing there and looking around. He looks furious. When he finds what he's looking for, he quickly walks to it. A second later, I see him stab Richie's hand with a knife. Then, he points a gun at him.

"This is for Earl," he says while Richie groans in pain and my feet take me a few steps back.

Seth quickly stands up and points his gun at the man. "He dies, you die."

They stand like that for several seconds with a nervous Richie between them. Suddenly, Santanico runs towards them. She doesn't look like herself anymore, more like some kind of demon or creature. I tell myself that it's just a game of light or my imagination before she tackles the man and throws him across the room. When she turns around, I see the same thing — an inhuman face with sharp, long teeth.

Someone starts shooting at Satanico, yet not a single bullet hits her. She walks over and jumps on the shooter, then she bites into his neck. She easily takes down anyone who approaches her, cutting through some of them and tearing the others' limbs apart.

Chaos quickly erupts as people stand up, scared. I'm about to rush to the exit and run away when I see that it's being blocked by someone. When he turns around, I see he is the same as Santanico.