by Laura F. Schomberg
Richie Ryan walked down the street, enjoying the unexpected sunshine. He was looking for a certain gym wholesale place. So far he hadn't been able to find the store, even though he drove his bike up and down the street twice. Finally, he had decided he'd have better luck on foot. So far he hadn't.
As he turned to head across the street for one last check, he felt the presence of another Immortal. Slowly turning in a circle, he scanned the faces around him. Simultaneously, Richie and the stranger spotted each other.
Richie stood his ground as the short, blond Immortal approached. The man moved quickly toward Richie, a look of desperation covering his face.
"Man, am I glad to see you," he said when he reached Richie, look nervously at the pedestrians passing by on the sidewalk.
"Why? I don't know you. Are you new?"
The man uttered a short, barking laugh. "Heavens no. I've been at this for years."
"Then why are you glad to see me?"
The man glanced quickly from side to side before grabbing Richie's arm and dragging him into a nearby alley. Richie automatically reached for his rapier, carefully concealed within his jacket, when the man released his arm.
"I'm Richie Ryan," he stated, brandishing the rapier in front of the man's face. "And you better have a good explanation."
The man took two quick steps back, raising his hands in surrender as he said, "Whoa! I don't want to fight you. Not at all. As a matter of fact, I have an offer for you. One you can't resist."
Richie didn't trust this Immortal for one second. He kept his rapier aimed at the man. "What could you offer me that I couldn't resist?"
"A free Quickening."
The rapier dropped just a little as Richie appraised the man in front of him. Richie was certain he was crazy. He certainly looked crazy. He also looked like he hadn't slept in a long time.
"Who would willingly give up their head?" he finally asked.
"Me. Not only willingly but gladly."
"What! Why on earth would you do that?" Richie asked, the hand holding the rapier falling to his side.
"To get rid of this damn song!" the man said, pulling on his hear with both hands.
"What?"
The man started turning around in a slow, small circle, alternately pulling his hear and beating his head. Richie watched him for a long time, the belief that this Immortal was insane now firmly planted in his brain. Finally the man stopped walking and beating himself and turned back to face Richie.
"I have had the same damn tune rolling around in my head for the past 15 years. I can't get rid of it. I've tried everything! Everything!! I've killed myself more ways then you can imagine hoping that it will kick the blasted tune out of my head. Nothing works!! Nothing!" The man took a deep breath before adding, "I'm willing to give you my head just to get rid of this damn song."
The man stopped talking and stared at Richie intently. Richie shook his head and slowly stepped back.
"No way man. I don't have any fight with you. I don't know what or who you might be but I don't kill anyone without a good reason."
The man's shoulders slumped as Richie began backing out of the alley. When Richie turned around to leave the alley the man drew his sword out from behind him and charged.
Richie turned quickly and deflected the man's sword with his rapier. The man took another swing at Richie. Richie easily deflected the blow before bringing his rapier around and slicing deeply into the man's arm. The Immortal howled in pain, stepping back away from Richie, further into the dark alley.
Richie took a quick step forward and slid his rapier into the other man's chest. The man fell to his knees, a look of relief spreading across his face, as Richie pulled the rapier out of his chest. Richie watched him, making no move to take his head.
"What are you waiting for? Take it!"
"I don't want your head," Richie stated.
"By all right's it yours," the man gasped out, one hand clutched against his chest the other supporting his body off the ground.
"Well, I haven't taken too many heads myself. And so far I haven't gotten anything from the ones I did get but I just don't want to take the chance.
Not with you anyway. I know I wouldn't last a week with some annoying tune from 15 years ago running through my head."
Richie turned and walked out of the alley, leaving the blond Immortal to his temporary death. The man, whose name was Kevin Collins, collapsed onto the ground. As he died, he heard laughter, the same laughter he had heard every time he tried to blast the incessant tune out of his head. It was the laughter of the Immortal who's head he had taken 15 years ago, the one who had begged Kevin to take his head and end his years of torment. Torment that was caused by just a couple of lines of a children's song.
"The wheel's on the bus go round and round, round and round.
The wheel's on the bus go round and round, all through the town."
The End
Tell me what you think of the story. Laura
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