“I agree. Good news, I can feel my vampire powers returning. I wonder what is up there that is negating them?” Desiree asked.
“We have more important things to worry about right now, Desiree!”
“Yes, you do,” Maryl said as she appeared with a small army of O negative vampires.
“How did you find us?” Clayton asked.
“For some reason, the area directly above us inhibits most of our powers. I am at a loss as to why. For that reason, I started posting guards there. A little while ago, they reported to me they saw two beings enter where the two humans were killed on my land.” Maryl looked at Desiree. “I surmised it was you who had found the entrance. Only one of our blood types may trigger the opening.” Maryl looked at Clayton with scorn matched only with a hint of humor. “And you, Clayton? I see you couldn’t wait until morning for our agreed-upon meeting. Tell me, do you still have the serum?”
“I do.”
“Where is it?”
“In the pickup truck just over the ridge a couple of miles west of here.”
Maryl glanced at someone in front of the line. “You, Samuel, go to the truck, grab the serum, and then destroy all of it.”
“At once!” Samuel sped away.
“Wait! Why are you destroying the enzyme?” Clayton asked in shock.
Maryl snickered. “Oh, really, Clayton! Don’t you think I wouldn’t make more?”
Clayton was speechless. All that work for nothing! “But… but why did you tell me you wanted it back?”
“To lure you into my trap,” Maryl said with excitement.
Clayton was stunned.
“The lack of a comeback tells me you were expecting another outcome?” Maryl said as she walked closer to Clayton. “Clayton, you disappoint me. With all of your A and B power you had at your disposal, you didn’t harness the one thing that mattered.” She pointed to her head. “You didn’t further educate your mind! You didn’t tap into your potential!”
“And that’s what you did with all of your fancy watches? And the different color powders you have reworked over the centuries?”
“Yes and no.”
“Explain!” Clayton shouted.
“You’re in no position to make demands to me!” Maryl slapped Clayton across his face. “You sicken me!”
Clayton rubbed his cheek as several guards went to him and Desiree and surrounded them.
“Come with me; I have a few things to show you,” Maryl said eagerly.
They were pushed forward as Maryl looked back at them. “I take it you are aware of what’s in the aquarium?”
“Yes. Tell me, Maryl, what hellish plan are you preparing now?” Clayton said in a demanding tone.
Maryl looked at Desiree. “Surely, you know, don’t you?”
Desiree looked at her in disgust. “I’m pretty sure.”
“Well, I don’t! Spit it out, Maryl!” Clayton commanded.
Maryl clapped her hands in delight and turned to the small group. “He doesn’t understand!”
Their laughter echoed throughout the large chamber.
“Tell you what, Clayton. I will describe your worst-case scenario. Follow me.”
The guards shoved Desiree and Clayton forward as Maryl spoke. “As you already know, the aquarium encompasses most of the layout down here. With our hyper-hearing, you were able to tell what I am keeping housed inside the glass.”
“Yes, we know. There are a lot of mosquitos and animals. The animals are caged too so that the mosquitos can suck their blood,” Desiree said in terror.
“Yes, millions upon millions of them. And the great thing about these mosquitos? They trudged through all the different powders too!”
The horror came to light. Clayton struggled to break free but was beaten back.
Maryl looked at him without concern. “Let’s talk about some interesting facts about mosquitos, shall we?”
Desiree tried to break free, but she was hit in the back of her head and fell down. Clayton rushed to her and helped her stand up.
“Look at the two lovebirds. And to think I trusted you, Desiree.” She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Where were we? Oh yes! Mosquitos!”
Maryl walked to the glass and looked inside. “Did you know only the female mosquitos bite you? (9) They need blood for protein for nourishment, just like us.”
“Fascinating,” Clayton said with sarcasm.
Maryl tapped the glass before turning around and resuming. “Mosquitos are vectors, or carriers, of diseases. They are responsible for killing nearly a million humans a year.”
“Yes, they are deadly to humans, what of it? They have been around millions of years. They’re not going away anytime soon, Maryl,” Clayton said as he gazed at the thick glass.
Maryl grinned. “I know, but why not use what nature provided?” She paused to collect her thoughts. “Another fact is they’re attracted to sweat and Co2, but because of our thicker skin, we don’t sweat; the moisture gets reabsorbed. But our carbon dioxide? It seems they’re not attracted to vampires.”
“Any more riveting facts?” Clayton inquired.
“Yes! Mosquitos can drink three times their weight in blood, a feat that impressed even me. Unfortunately, they don’t live long—only about three months. I simply do not want to devote the time to try to enhance their lifespan through genetic manipulation.”
“That surprises me since the time it took you to develop your different powders and watches,” Clayton remarked.
“Yes, I do have the time, but I am also trying to find a way for my O type families to age slower than your types.”
“You seemed to have stopped your aging process,” Desiree noted.
“Yes, to a point. I will show you what I mean later. But I digress! Any questions before I resume?”
“Yes. What is your aim in arming the mosquitos with your agent of death? The total annihilation of our species?” Clayton asked.
Maryl gave a warm, disarming smile. “Ah, there lies my dilemma!”
“How so?” asked Desiree.
“Because, as my research grew, I learned mosquitos are mostly attracted to O type blood, and then they like A types next. (10)” Maryl shrugged. “I can’t have the mosquitos affecting humans with my blood type! Heavens, no! That would defeat the whole purpose.”
Clayton realized Maryl’s predicament. “Then your experiment failed because the mosquitos are primarily attracted to your O
