“Oh, no?” Maryl’s eyes blazed. “What would you have me do when seven of the eight types of vampires can thrive, consuming blood outside of their own? I relied on my intellect to even the playing field!”
“I know your ultimate goal is still to make humanity all O negative blood types, so you’ll never run out of nourishment!” Clayton said coldly.
“Yes, hence the serum. That should’ve been obvious from the beginning, Clayton.”
“But Maryl, there are over seven billion humans. At the rate of their reproducing ability, you would never have to worry about a lack of nourishing yourself and the others. There must be something deeper going on here.”
Maryl’s eyes glazed over. “There is, but that’s none of your business.”
“Why isn’t it my business? Seven billion people is a lot of food.”
“I have my reasons, Clayton. Leave it at that!”
He looked at Maryl Rosser. He knew he didn’t want to push her. “Fine.”
“There is something I want to share with you both before you die. You see, I have this duality about me…”
“Being around her, I can attest to that,” Desiree stated.
Maryl ignored her outburst. “My duality is, in part, due to my vampirism. But my well-kept secret is… before my grandmother was bitten by the Stranger a couple of thousand years ago, my family were potent witches.”
Clayton was stunned. “That is not possible! Witches were exterminated a thousand years ago. No lineage continued.”
“It’s the truth, Clayton. Witch blood and vampire blood course through me. I am a hybrid.”
Clayton shook his head in disbelief. “My father led the witch hunt, which eliminated all of them. He told me he had removed all of the witches a few months before the Great Yeomen Purge of 1751.”
Maryl chuckled. “You think the Purge was because of land? No, it was because I had King George the second under my spell to remove your farms, although it always amused me you thought the Purge was about taking your properties.” She scoffed. “I didn’t care one way or another.”
“Then why kill most of my family?”
“Because your family killed mine! The Yeomen Purge was a disguise in retaliation from your blood types murdering my family of witches! I am the only living witch left, and thanks to the addition of being a vampire, I not only live longer and am stronger, but I still can practice witchcraft,” Maryl yelled. “And because of my vampire blood, my children never received the witch gene. It’s only me that’s left!” she said with profound sadness.
“And the technology to make the watches that can discern your blood type?”
“That was good old fashion science,” Maryl said dismissively.
Clayton glared at Maryl. “And now would be the time to kill Desiree and me because we know your secret?”
“Also, yes.”
The Stranger smirked as she sat down and leaned her head against the glass wall.
Maryl walked within several yards of the cage. “And you find all of this funny? Do you want to get tortured in front of my subjects?”
“No, I sneered because all of you are missing the point here.”
“What’s the point?” Maryl asked.
“You see, but you are blind.”
“I hate riddles. Maybe I should kill her now?” Maryl suggested as she looked at Clayton and Desiree.
“No, wait!” Clayton begged. “There are so many questions!”
Desiree walked to the cage. “What is your name, Stranger?”
“I am Esme.”
“No last name or your role?”
Esme looked down at the cage floor. “My role? My role was once clear as day. Nowadays, being withered with age and decay makes my role obsolete.”
“Was this hundredth year to be your last visit?” Clayton asked with sorrow.
“Yes, because of my advanced age,” Esme said with her eyes closed.
Clayton looked at her in amazement. “Esme, you don’t look over forty, forty-five years old tops. How are you withered with age and decay?”
“My appearance belies my age. I am two thousand years old and quite old for my race. I am dying, and with my death will come great suffering.”
“Suffering? Of what kind?” Desiree asked in fear.
“Do not worry, my child; you will find out soon enough,” Esme said nonchalantly.
“I am worried,” Desiree said as she looked up at everyone.
“You’re worried about an old woman who claims that pain and agony will happen when she dies? Really, Desiree! She should be the one that’s worried about what I’m going to do to her!” Maryl remarked as she looked at Esme in contempt.
Clayton ignored the verbal exchange. “What is your heritage? Where do you hail from?” Clayton remarked with interest.
Maryl came upon Clayton. “I don’t care about who she is and where she came from. It’s time for you and Desiree to die.” Maryl turned to Desiree. “And you will not survive this time!”
Clayton was riveted with the woman and her plight. “Maryl, if you take us now, you’ll have the fight of your life on your hands. However, if you allow us to hear Esme’s story, I will go willingly to my death. I so swear it.”
Desiree smirked. “Clayton, look around you. I have more vampires, I have the guns with the boned bullets, and the powder within reach of me. And I recently learned that you are now aware of my financial secret by extracting money from all of your blood types so I can continue my science projects.” She looked at Clayton with contempt. “You’re in no position to make demands.”
“Then, I implore you, Maryl. I beg you to let me listen to Esme’s story. Please”
Maryl threw her arms up in the air. “Why are you so captivated? It will be just a story. You won’t know if it’s a lie or the truth.”
“I sense her story will be lost if it is not told to our ears. Esme has been around a thousand more years than we have. Think of the stories she could tell us.”
“Or stories she could weave like a spider’s web,” Maryl said in disgust.
“Why is her presence such an annoyance to you, Maryl?” Desiree asked.
“I have held Esme captive a hundred years, and in all those years, I
