The Nosferatu Scroll

35

Sometime that morning – Marietta had no idea exactly when – the upper door to the cellar rumbled open and the light snapped on.

A few moments later, the guard appeared in the room, carrying a tray of food exactly as he’d done on previous occasions, and a plastic bag that contained her clothes. He walked across to Marietta, tossed the bag on to the mattress, placed the tray on the floor in front of her, and turned to leave.

‘Please,’ Marietta pleaded with him. ‘Please leave the lights on. And what happened to Benedetta? Where is she? And who was that man – the one with those horrible teeth?’

‘So many questions,’ the guard said mockingly. ‘But you needn’t worry about Benedetta. We got what we wanted from her.’

‘So where is she now? Did you let her go?’

‘In a manner of speaking, I suppose we did. We sent her to San Michele,’ he added.

For a moment, Marietta didn’t understand the expression. Then it dawned on her that he meant the ‘Island of the Dead’, and the confirmation of what she’d feared hit her hard.

‘You killed her,’ she said flatly. ‘That foul ritual last night. You raped her and bled her to death. You bastards.’

‘You catch on quick,’ the guard said. ‘But at least she died for a good reason. There was a point to her death, just as there’ll be a point to yours.’

‘What point could there possibly be in snatching girls like me off the streets of Venice and then killing us?’

The guard looked at her carefully for a few moments. ‘You’re not just any girl,’ he said. ‘You and Benedetta were both special. That’s why you were chosen. We’ve traced your bloodline.’

‘My bloodline?’

‘You and Benedetta are descended from someone who is vitally important to our society.’

‘And you’re going to kill me because of one of my ancestors? That makes no sense at all.’

‘It does to us,’ the guard said simply. ‘You’ll have company soon.’

‘Who?’ Marietta asked, though she dreaded hearing the answer.

‘Another girl. We’ve got her in the house at the moment, but she’ll be brought down here soon enough. But she won’t be able to talk to you. No girly chatter with that one.’

‘Why?’ Marietta demanded. ‘What have you done to her?’

The guard smiled slightly. ‘Nothing at all,’ he said. ‘It’s just that she doesn’t speak a word of Italian. But don’t worry. You won’t be on your own for too long. Soon you’ll be reunited with your friend.’

For a moment Marietta sat in silence, eyes downcast, guessing what he meant but hardly daring to ask the question that would confirm her fears. Then she looked at him directly.

‘What do you mean?’ she asked.

‘You’ll be back with Benedetta,’ the guard replied. ‘It’s your turn on the table tonight.’