The Nosferatu Scroll

42

When the guard arrived with her midday meal, Marietta stared at him listlessly. She absolutely believed what he’d said to her that morning, and she’d resigned herself to the fact that she was going to die, painfully and unpleasantly, in that damp cellar within a matter of hours. There was no point in even attempting to establish a rapport with the man, of asking for mercy or anything else. His callous attitude towards her, and towards Benedetta, had become obvious. As far as the guard and the other men were concerned, Marietta and all of the other nameless victims of the bizarre cult were simply animals who would be slaughtered when their time came.

The guard followed his usual routine and placed the tray on the floor close to the wooden bed, then picked up the other tray he’d brought down that morning. Despite the terror that bubbled inside her, Marietta had eventually eaten all the food he’d supplied, just as she expected she would finally eat whatever meal she had now been provided with.

‘This is your last meal,’ the guard said, glancing at her, ‘so you might as well make the most of it. I’ll bring warm water and a towel for you to wash yourself later this afternoon, ready for the ceremony tonight.’

‘And if I refuse? If I simply tell you and your revolting friends to go to hell, what then?’

The guard shrugged. ‘That’s your choice,’ he said, ‘but if you don’t do what we want, you’ll taste the taser again. And if you still don’t cooperate, I’ll ask a couple of the men to come down here and have a bit of fun with you before the ceremony. They’ll enjoy it, but I don’t suppose you will. It’s up to you, really.’

Marietta held herself together until the man had walked out of the cellar, then she dissolved into tears.