Chapter 7 – Hungry Dark Thing
Cold. Mira opened her eyes. She was lying on her back, on something cold. A glance at her shoulders made her realize why she felt cold – she was now wearing a white silk dress. Much thinner than her party dress. Why? Where am I? A dungeon, apparently. Her wrists and ankles were chained tightly, keeping her in a spread-eagle position. She tried to summon the strength to move her left wrist, but succeeded only in moving it an inch. The chains clanked softly. The shackles seemed to get heavier with each passing second.
That's silly. It's just your imagination. She took a few deep breaths. She was surrounded by four low metal walls to which the chains were hooked, but a tall figure could be seen over them.
The figure came closer. As he neared, Mira wished she had kept her eyes closed. The figure was vaguely humanoid – key word vaguely. The…thing wore a long black cloak. Strange symbols were stitched all over the cloak in white thread. The monster had blazing yellow eyes. No pupils, no whites – just golden circles. The skin was dark gray and scaly. Two fangs protruded from the closed mouth – an overbite that could make even the most experienced orthodontist shudder in disgust. The hands looked human, except each finger had a curved and sharp-looking talon where a fingernail should have been.
"Perfect," said the monster, in a deep voice.
Mira felt the temperature of the room drop at least ten degrees. Her throat felt iced over, as if someone had poured liquid nitrogen down it. No words came out.
"Speechless?" He asked. "I can't find a more befitting sacrifice."
"What?" She finally managed to speak. Tears sprung to her eyes.
The monster simply shook his head and turned to a small table on which there was a large bowl. He took a bottle from a nearby shelf and poured the contents into the bowl. "I've already sampled you. O-negative. My favorite. Though I don't get it very often."
"O-negative…" The horrible thought finally registered. "My…blood? Are you some sort of vampire?"
He burst out laughing. "Vampire? Vampire…ha ha! Do I look like Dracula? You're funny. I wanted to keep you alive as long as possible. So I could withdraw a pint a day. But the boss said no. So I'll have to finish off all six quarts tonight. And I'll savor every drop."
By now, tears were running down Mira's face. "Please…"
"You dare to plead me for your life?" Moloch placed his hand on Mira's cheek, letting the tears run onto his fingers. "I am a god! A god!" He withdrew the hand, and licked it, tasting the tears. "I've already read my texts, prepared the food, and set my table. I used to play music during the ritual, but I've found it's more enjoyable to hear the dying screams." His hand reached to her chest. "Any last words, my lovely?"
