Page 71 of Demon Hunger
“Here, you have to wear this.” Jenna handed him an obnoxious orange shirt that matched ours.
When he got back ten minutes later, Kody looked like he’d stuck his head under the sink faucet and little else. He had dusted his pants and shoes off, but that was the extent of it.
Outside, the same limousine that had driven us from the airport waited for us. Kody frowned at it, looking confused. He glanced from that inexpensive hotel to the luxurious car.
“So your company has enough money to rent a limousine, but not enough for two nights at this hotel?”
I shrugged. “They like to spend their money where it shows the most. Hence these ugly, bright T-shirts, which will be the first thing anyone will notice when we get there and get out of the limousine.”
“Makes sense,” Kody said, his attitude growing more resigned by the minute. He seemed like someone used to disappointment.
I felt terrible for putting him through this, but I could only hope that when he came out on the other side, he would be happier. I was happier, and so was Solar.
No matter how grueling the process, it would be worth it in the end.
25
Kodywasonhisphone during the entire ride to the conference center where theAll About Hot Dogswas being held. He frantically documented everything through videos and photographs, posting on all his media platforms. He barely paid any attention to us except to ask us to pose for pictures and smile during his quick TikTok video. It became very apparent how addicted he was to the attention of total strangers.
After posting, I watched closely as he repeatedly checked back and forth between the different apps to check what impact his posts were having. He seemed particularly frustrated by his views on TikTok, complaining that he was shadowbanned and declaring that any idiot without talent and work ethics got more views than people with genuine abilities.
Under different circumstances, I might have argued how being able to stuff hot dogs down his face at the speed of light was not a worthy talent, but I wasn’t here to tear him down. I was here to help him realize that hehadworth regardless of what total strangers thought of him. He was a nice guy, with a lot to give, if he only focused on the right things.
The limousine parked in front of the convention center, which, to my surprise, was packed. Maybe I was quick to dismiss the ability to wolf down insane amounts of food without stopping to breathe, but clearly, others completely disagreed with me.
People ran around like ants, bouncing up the steps toward the main doors. Many wore costumes, ranging from superheroes to French fries. Others were content with only a hat, banner, or T-shirt to commemorate the event, but everyone seemed exceedingly excited to be there.
“Here.” I reached around Kody’s neck to hang his access pass. “This will get you backstage.” Jenna and I had similar badges that would allow us to move freely to get wherever we might be needed.
We accompanied Kody all the way to the room where the contestants were preparing for the competition, which was about to begin.
Leaving him there, I quickly texted Sage and Benjamin, who had already arrived with the others and was waiting for us by one of the food vendors. We found them reclined against a wall, accompanied by Khargon. She was fiddling with her fidget spinner, dressed in her tight Catwoman outfit. I could only imagine the layer of sweat coating her body under all that leather.Ew!
I glanced around, searching for Drevan, and he quickly materialized at my side, placing a hand on the small of my back.
“I’m right here,” he whispered in my ear. “Haven’t left your side at all.”
A chill went up my spine, and a warm feeling spread in my chest. I wanted to reach up and kiss him right then and there, but I resisted the temptation, offering him only a smile instead.
“How is Kody?” Sage asked.
Jenna shrugged. “He seemed a bit stressed out, but I’m sure he’s fine.”
“And you’re sure that no interference is the best policy?” Sage was the only one who disagreed with our chosen strategy. He thought we should sabotage him, give him a stomach bug or something that would make him fail the competition miserably. Sage said all his fans would probably make fun of him and post ridiculing comments on his social media platforms that would quickly make him realize how shitty people really were.
The rest of us thought differently, though. Kody already received comments of that sort, and they hadn’t dissuaded him in the least. From what we’d gathered from his social media accounts, he seemed convinced that if he reached the top, everyone would adore him, and that the only reason he got negative comments was because he hadn’t proven himself as the best. Once he was on top, everything would be all right and he would be happy.
When the competition was announced over the speaker, we approached the stage. Everything was set up in pretty much the same way as the last competition, except things appeared more organized and with better equipment, such as electronic counters that would clearly display the number of hot dogs each competitor had consumed.
As the buzzer went off, we stood close to the stage, the crowd surrounding us. My eyes roved around, trying to spot trouble. The others did the same. After a few minutes, Kody was staying easily among the top ten competitors, and we knew from watching him before that he was simply pacing himself.
It was clear from the crowd’s chants, however, that he was nowhere near one of the favorites to win the event.
The top pick seemed to be a huge man in his mid-forties, who was as wide and thick as a lumberjack. He even wore a red flannel shirt and had a long beard currently covered in a mass of crumbs and hot dog bits.
“It’s disgusting,” Jenna said, holding her stomach. “A beard? Really?”
“He has to feed the mice that live in there,” Sage joked.
