Valeria walked to Clarissa who was still staring unceasingly at Marcus.
Clarissa: You lied.
Marcus: You fell for it.
Clarissa: What? Who wouldn't fall for a thousand gold bars.
Marcus: And what dummy would keep a thousand gold bars in a filthy uncompleted abandoned building, with no security in it?
Clarissa: I don't know, you made it sound completely possible. I got trapped in that building, it turns out a powerful old witch was entomb there. It was very scary being alone in there.
Marcus: Well you managed to escape, so?
Clarissa: Cause she made me a deal.
Valeria: She made you a deal? What deal?
Clarissa: If I don't find her killer, she would kill me in my dream instead.
Valeria: What?
Clarissa: How am I supposed to find her killer? Did I even know when she died or what cause her death.
Valeria: You mean she didn't give you details or tell you anything on how to find her killer?
Clarissa Yes...
Marcus: Cause she want you to solve the puzzle.
Clarissa: Puzzle?
Valeria: What puzzle?
Marcus: How am I supposed to know, you should find out yourself.
Clarissa: You were the one who put me in this situation in the first place.
Marcus: Nah... You're mistaking young lady, I only told you about it, you walked in yourself, no one pushed you in there.
Clarissa: Gosh... I can't believe you right now.
Valeria: How are you even sure her threats are real? I mean she is dead, you might just be imaging things.
Clarissa: When a witch dies, she only loose her body not her powers.
Valeria: Ohh...
Clarissa: Oh.. God, come on. I need to find a way out of this mess.
Valeria: Marcus, do you sent her there on purpose? No lies.
Marcus: I only sent her to greet an old friend, that's all.
Clarissa: What? You knew about the old witch? So you really sent me there on purpose?
Marcus: Yeah, she was a very lovely old time friend of mine. How many years was it again.. (He placed his thumbs on his jawline like as if he was remembering something.) Oh, I remember, it was seventy years ago.
Clarissa: Well your old time witch friend asked me to find her killer, do you have any idea who her killer might be?
Marcus: Yes of course, why won't I know her killer, she died right before my eyes.
Clarissa: What?
Valeria: Are you saying you were there when she died? (Valeria asked bemused. Clarissa was confused.)
Marcus: Exactly. Seventy years ago. (He said with a smirk.)
PREVIOUSLY
SEVENTY YEARS AGO.
A magnanimous hall, filled with so many business tycoons in classic dresses. Some where either tattling, laughing, toasting and slipping their drinks or just nodding to the classic music coming from the D j. Marcus majestically entered into the hall in a black suit and his perfect facial expression. The crowd muttered and ogled at his presence. A sexy lady in a mantrap red gown walked up to Marcus gayly.
Marcus: Felicia?
Felicia: Lord Marcus. Who would have thought of seeing you here uninvited?
Marcus: Oh.. dear Felicia. You should know me by now, I don't show up in a place I have no business in. (Felicia giggled.)
Felicia: Are you saying you have business here? When did you turned into a businessman?
Marcus: I am no business man Felicia, I'm just who I am. Marcus the... (He said in description of something but came to a abrupt stop.) You know what? Just forget it.
Felicia: Well then at least you should have come with a woman, cause I see no woman behind you. (The D j changed the song to a very slow ballet music.)
Marcus: Do you mind giving me a dance then?
Felicia: Of course, no one says no to lord Marcus after all.. (He held out his hand and she accepted it.) To the dance floor. (They started their moves immediately they got to the dance floor.)
Marcus: A friend of mine once said to me, everyone has a secret inner dance in them. What's your secret inner dance?
Felicia: Since you asked me, slow music is so dull, it make you slow and baggy, it's only for people at ease and I am not one of those people.
Marcus: If you say so. D j, give us a melodious fast song. (The D j instantly changed the music into a night club song. The crowd were amused. Felicia smirked her face.)
Felicia: Now this is music. Let me show you some moves you have never seen before. (She took few steps away from Marcus.)
D J: One! Two! Three! go! (Felicia started swaying her body in different dance moves rhyming to the music. The crowd were impressed as they applaud her efforts with her body movements. Marcus grinned.)
Marcus: I love your moves. Now watch this. D j, give me a very faster song. (The D j made the music faster. Marcus started moving his legs in an unimaginable dance display. Movement that no one has ever seen before. The crowd cheered up amusingly as Marcus ended his dance with an astonishing strut.)
Felicia: Amazing. (Marcus smiled as Felicia clapped her hands.) Everyone called you Lord Marcus, the first and inviolable vampire to ever walk the earth, the most craziest bloodsucker ever known. Who would have thought you had such skills in you expect from sucking blood and cutting off heads.
Marcus: The ones who are very close to me, I guess.
Felicia: (She giggled.) Everyone is afraid of you, even your mongrel brothers. No one is that close to you, Marcus. They are all just around you like mosquitos thirsty to suck blood, they don't care for you, they don't love you, they only follow your commands because they are afraid of you.
Marcus: Conrad. (He covered the distance between them and held a strand of her hair caressingly. She quaffed uncomfortably.) Conrad was a man who managed to get a little bit close to me because of his bravery. Everyone was so curious as to how he managed to do that so they took him.
Felicity: They took him? (She asked as if she surprised.) No one would dare touch a royal servant of lord Marcus except they want death to await them.
Marcus: Which I will give to them if I find out they are right here, right in front of me.
Felicia: What made you think they would be here?
Marcus: A lot of things Felicia, don't you think? This is the perfect place to act classic and innocent.
Felicia: I don't get what you are trying to imply here, so you know, just to be clear, no prey of yours is hidden in this building.
Marcus: You know one thing I love about you witch people? You always like to feel superior, that's is why the death rate of witches are much more than that of the wolf people and other petty creatures.
Felicia: Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it, there is a whole lot of innocent people in here.
Marcus: Do I look like I care of anyone status, innocent or not innocent, I kill anyone to get what I want. Let me ask you the first and the last time. Where are you hiding Conrad?
Felicia: We can talk outside, it's so noisy in here.
Marcus: You think I don't know your plans, tell me, how stupid do you think of me?
Felicia: What do you mean?
Marcus: Those dance moves you did back there, they weren't just dance moves, you were conjuring a spell. You think I don't know ten of your witch bitches are waiting outside to do some crazy spells on me.
Felicia: (Felicia sighed.) Well the statement is true then, you provoke Lord Marcus, you see hell.
Marcus: You think I get provoked that easily? Trust me, my provocation is the least thing you want to see right now. Surrender Conrad to me, you and your friends get to leave with your heads in it right position.
Felicia: And if I don't?
Marcus: I don't like telling people the terrible things I can do to them when they provoke me, it only lessen the fun for me.
Felicia: SISTERS!!!! (She yelled. The ten witches outside barged into the building, while another ten witches pretending to be business tycoons surrounded Marcus. They all began to enchant in unison.) With twenty powerful witches casting the same spell I can slow the mind of any herculean creature, including you lord Marcus.
Marcus: (He scoffed.) I'd love to see you try. (Marcus made an attempt to move but was suddenly under some kind of shrieking unbearable pain in his head. The humans froze unconsciously.)
Felicia: Ha..ha...ha.... (She laughed wickedly.)
Marcus: What are you doing to my head? (He placed his hands on his head as if calming the pain.)
Felicia: I told you I was going to slow your mind, I'm sorry i didn't mention the pain it was going to cost.
Marcus: Stop wantever you're doing right now or am going to knap your heads off.
Felicia: This is just the beginning, lord Marcus. (The shrieking pain increased in Marcus head as the witches continued to enchant in unison.)
Marcus: Ha... (He voiced out in agony pressing his hands against his head.)
Felicia: Yes.. it's working.
Marcus: Do you really think you can bring me down like this? Trust me a lot of witch have tried and they have all failed.
Felicia: I'm going to rewrite that history today.
Marcus: Don't blame me for what's about to happen, you brought this upon yourself.
Felicia: What do you mean? (A sudden upsurge flow of energy stormed the hall, the shrieking pain in his head vaporised into the thin air. The wind began to howls heavily, flinging things out of the hall fiercely. The witches were taking aback by what was happening, they stopped the spell they were casting.)
Witch 1: Felicia, you said if we do this spell in unison, it was going to slow his mind till he becomes weak. I don't see him becoming weak.
Felicia: It's was working just now, I have no idea why it stopped all of a sudden. (They moved back thriftily.)
Witch 2: Can someone explain to me what the hell is happening here?
Marcus: What else do you think? The craziest blood sucker has been tempted to suck out your blood. (His eyes were benighted, his fangs and claws grew longer and sharpen.) Like I said, don't blame me for what is about to happen. (He reached for a witch and sucked her blood fiendishly until she was out of life. The remaining witch stood where they were frightened, they couldn't do anything to stop Marcus from killing them, and they couldn't run either.)
Felicia: Enough! (She yelled sorely. Marcus stopped in his tracks to his next victim.) Fine, fine, fine.... I will show you were we hid Conrad, only if you spare the rest of us. Give me your word Marcus.
Marcus: I don't make promises to people who already betrayed me.
Felicia: Then you will never get to see Conrad, ever.
Marcus: Fine by me, I'll just have to kill every witch I come across both young and old. (He speedily knap off the head of a witch closed to Felicia.)
Felicia: Enough!! Enough!!! Please!!! Fine I will take you to him. (Marcus eyes were suddenly back to normal, so as the atmosphere, his fangs and claws tardily went back inside. The people became conscious.They screamed in anxiety seeing what had happened in the hall, the splats of blood over the place, heads toasted here and there eerily.)
Marcus: Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way and I'll follow.
PRESENT DAY
VALERIA'S HOUSE
Marcus: After she took me to where they had hidden Conrad, I killed Felicia and her remaining witch.
Valeria: What?
Clarissa: Was that even necessary? I mean she surrendered Conrad to you, you could have spared her, but you choose to kill her instead.
Marcus: No one lay a finger on a mongrel vampire and go freely.
Clarissa: So now that you're her killer, what am I supposed to do?
Marcus: Take me to her of course, I'll gladly go with you. (He said with a devilish smirk. Valeria and Clarissa have no clue what was happening.)
🌹🌹🌹
Light fades.