Darkness.
Shallow light provided by the mercury vapor lights, spaced few and far between. A little girl standing
there. Alone, frightened.
"Come here, little one. I won't hurt you. You must be very scared.
Come here, and I will help you."
She cries. She calls for her mother. She wails with such pity
and pathos that the grimy and sad looking walls want to reach out and hold her, comfort her until she
feels peace.
He advances. Puts out his hand. She takes it. Tentatively. With no small amount
of fear. He gently takes her hand. Leads her off the tracks and into a dimly lit passageway.
"Where
are your parents? How did you get to be here, all alone and with no-one to watch over you? You could
have come to great harm!"
She just sobs quietly. He sighs, and leads her to a small enclosure
off the passageway, where a room is set up. A bed, a table, a few boxes, dead rats in the corner.
"What's your name?" "Gina" "How did you get here, into this place?" "I, I wandered down a stairway, into
this darkness, through a door that someone left open. I wandered away from Mommy. She's goin ta KILL
me!" Sobs.
Thunder. No, not thunder. A great rumbling, the walls shake. A great train crashes
by, on the tracks not so far away. Noise recedes. Silence. Strange irony that when a small girl wanders
in to the dark world of the subway, only a vampire finds her. Fitting.
"I will help you find
your parents. Don't worry. Are you hungry? My name is Richard. I will get you some food." Disappears.
Reappears. Chocolate bar.
"Thank you!" She eats. He stares. He would like to eat. He came to
the drab and forgotten world of the subway so that he couldn't eat. Must not feed on her. Won't. Can't.
"Do you live here?" "Yes." "Why do you live in the subway?" Innocent question.
"Why do
I live in the subway? I will give you the simple answer. No-one likes me. I am forever shunned. I cannot
live in the bright world, as you can. I rise by myself, take my meals -rats- by myself. And lie down
to sleep by myself. I am a not approved -vampire- member of your species."
"I like you, Richard!
You are good to me. You gave me nice words when I was scared, and chocolate when I was hungry. You are
a good person."
Sighs. "Lets go up, into the land of the living. We must find your parents, they
are worried sick for you"
She cries with joy. Throws her arms around her protector. Neck throbbing
with young life close to mouth. The Thirst. Unbearable. With utmost skill and caution grazes her neck
with the tip of his fangs and drinks blood. She feels nothing, but the good warm and drowsy feeling of
having your blood drunk by a loving vampire. Her neck so smooth and fragile. Her body so soft and delectable
in his strong arms. Her little sigh of pleasure. She arches her back as the young, sweet life force passes
from one to another. She gives, he takes. Her eyes begin to close slowly. Her feeble, lithe body crumples.
An act of love. An act of death. A single, trifling blood tear rolls down his face, and falls
onto hers. Life, Love, Death.