Learning to Dance

“Come on, I said take some!”
One of the mosquitoes attacked, the squelching sound as
it stabbed him drowned out by Up’s bellow. Then he
laughed.
“Is that all you got? I said do it!”
Up, stop, please -
Another stabbing sound, another cry of pain, but he was
still egging them on. Taz struggled to push herself up. The
feeling was returning to her limbs.
“Come on big fella, it’s all you can eat!”
She managed to get to her knees as the third mosquito
struck.
“You – damn – bugs -”
“No!” she cried, her arm outstretched helplessly as he
fell, the mosquitoes still stuck to him, still drinking, still
killing him.
“Up -”
He wasn’t moving.
“Damn you!” she cried. Her voice broke. “Damn you,
you damn fool! Damn you and your big damn heart!”
The corridor was quiet for all but the greedy gulping of
the monsters.
She couldn’t watch, she couldn’t see him die again. Die
for her again. Why? Why after all this time – after
everything I did to you -
Then Up coughed.
“You want blood?”
Taz raised her head.
“Then take it.”
Up got to his feet, slowly, incredibly, and pulled one of
the mosquitoes’ proboscis out from where it was lodged in
his abdomen. He plunged it straight into his human heart
instead.
“TAKE – IT – ALL!”