The Vampires of Mars

PART 1

The now candle-lit figure of himself almost resembling a man makes its way down through the doorway, then using his key he pulls down and locks the door behind him and walks down a dozen or so creaky wooden steps to a dark cellar. As he reaches the bottom, more very old dust covered candles awaited and received his flame lighting up part of the dank place. The new flames spit and crackle from the dampness and the coating of dust that had built up over time. On the far side in near darkness was an old cobweb covered table with prominent decorative holders with half melted candles. He walks over with the artifact and stands it pride of place in the centre of the table of which although looking old and very dusty, underneath was a beautiful chestnut carved display table.

he lights the remaining candles illuminating it and destroying random wisps of clinging web in the process. Dim flickering light dances all over the walls and ceiling creating a show of moving shadows. A moving silhouette of the jewelled statue moved over the vampires face. He knew he was going to die soon, he could feel his time coming to an end as he was getting gradually weaker.

A vision of his past battles and conquests throughout the ages flash in his mind as if it were happening now, he shakes his head to one side and re-enacts biting into a girls neck with a piercing crunch, his demonic eyes turned up as his unnaturally long teeth sink in, spilling deep red trails of blood down to her breasts. He sucks harder and harder relieving the young woman of her life, moving down to her breast he bites again and again until he reaches the firm flesh above her nipple and bites hard and deep until the last bit of life leaves her limp pale body. Satisfied he drops the lifeless corpse to the pavement and lifts his head revealing his pale sunken face, the woman's deep red blood still pouring from his fanged mouth and down his chin and neck.

With a shiver down his spine his eyes open glazed and aroused by hunger as he is reminded of his need for feeding and its pleasures. Having little strength left the thought of never feeding again suddenly gives him a sense of purpose.

A wooden crate lay open on the cellar floor with straw inside ready to pack away the Red-Stoned artifact. He picks it up and whispers to it for a moment before kissing a large blood ruby set into its design. He places it into the box of hay making sure to cover it and make it safe, he then nails the lid down tight. "When you return I will be gone, may time protect you and keep you from harm" he says pressing his head to the splintery wooden case, he then slides it through a pre-dug hole in the wall and then lays the stones back into place hiding the box until it is needed once more.

Once again the Vampire takes a candle in hand then blows the rest out, leaving behind the harsh smell of burned cloth and plumes of grey rising smoke. Using the candlelight to guide himself back up the steps he makes his way to the door and opens it once more with the large blackened key and returns the candle to the side where it belongs. He closes the door and locks it. On the cobbled floor of the Kitchen, slightly raised was a single lose stone, so using it as a convenient hiding place he takes the cellar key and hides it underneath. "All that I need to do now is wait" he thinks to himself, happy in the knowledge that he had protected his precious stone statue.

Outside the mansion was a large garden barely well kept with surrounding trees. Beyond the trees was the Main Street. It had proved easy over the years to snag a meal around there at night, a lone passer by or even a lady of the evening were his favourites, easy prey! The problem wasn't feeding it was turning them to do his bidding, for some reason he could never do it, so he was always alone.

No longer living and hunting in secret, generations of his kind are vanquished by a secret order in just a mere few months.

There was no plan left for him other than to survive. But his time was up, he knew it and so did the people hunting him so he went out into the darkness of the London streets to meet his fate.