Marlo

Marlo hadn’t fed in weeks – not really. Being trapped in this observatory, this zoo as he’d come to think of it, he’d been given rodents and other such drivel to keep him alive, but that was all such blood was capable of doing. It didn’t fill; neither did it satisfy the urge to hunt his prey. These meals were designed to keep him alive, but to sap his strength at the same time, a strength that his captors were right to fear. Many of his kind, they called them vampires, but in truth, their name had been forgotten centuries ago, were pent up here for the masses to gawk at, prizes among other artifacts.

         This barbarity began ten years ago when the first of their lairs had been discovered in a basement of an old mill in the country-side of New York. It had snowballed from there. Each coven had been forced to give up the location of another through brutality unimaginable no doubt, and eventually most, if not all were located and looted when the occupants were at their weakest: in broad daylight.

         Marlo closed his eyes and leaned back against the metal cot he’d been provided, and waited for the last visitors of the night. The crowd had tapered off; the last few were even now exiting his residence. Marlo wasn’t sure what they were looking for when they came in day after day, what they were waiting for him to do, but they never failed to show. Like gawkers in the elephant house at the zoo, they would come from miles around to look at the vampire.

         Then Ralph would come. He would bring in a small cage containing a rat, or if admin was feeling particularly gracious today, a chimp. He would slide it through the slot in the door and Marlo would eat. He would eat to stay alive, but that was all. For seven years he had done so, and no matter how he tried, his body would not let him starve himself to death.

         Marlo looked up suddenly at the presence before the glass window to his cell. It was not Ralph. The figure was little more than shadow and had come in just as quietly as one. He moved slowly away from the window, vanishing in front of the door, out of Marlo’s sight. The feed door creaked open and a cage large enough to hold a chimp was slid through, its contents hidden by a sheet. Marlo was again ashamed of the joy he felt at their offering of a chimp. This joy only punctuated the fact that Marlo had given up hope years ago. The shadowy figure walked back to the window and placed his hand on the glass. There was sorrow in his form if not his face, for his face was obscured by shadow. He lingered a moment and then turned quickly, leaving Marlow to his meal.

         A note was pinned to the sheet, it read: “Tonight”, nothing more. Marlo quickly removed the sheet and jumped back in surprise and fear. Lying naked in the bottom of the cage was what appeared to be an eight or nine year old girl. She was sleeping the sleep of the drugged, and Marlo suddenly found himself outraged at his fear, a fear that these barbarians had instilled in him – the fear of change.

         He slid the latch to the cage door and drew his prize out wrapping her in his warm embrace. For centuries he had taken care to show love and tenderness to his prey, they whom kept him alive and it had been centuries since he’d taken the life essence from his meal - he, as all others of his kind, fed to live, not to kill. However, from this dear young one, death was required.

         Marlo held her for passing minutes feeling her tiny form breathe, feeling the life passing through her veins. He thanked her silently, and then sank his teeth into her flesh. She did not jump, there was no fear, and she only fidgeted slightly in dreamy sleep, until Marlo had taken all she had to offer. Tonight, he would be free.