The OutcastsPolly opened her eyes slowly, her mind disoriented, her body numb and her head throbbed ever so gently. She could feel the warmth of sunshine on her face, the soft blankets around her and wondered where she was. The moment the memories of that terrific night came flooding in, she wished it all was just a dream.
How long ago, it had been, she had no idea. It all seemed so unreal, just like the vast, empty city all around her.
Polly had been born and bred in the remote Appaloosa Plains. Her family had lived in genteel poverty, but on
feast days her grandmother would recall how the proud Maloneys once ruled over Bridgeport.
As a young adult, Polly had returned to the city of her ancestors. The Maloney Towers still stood strong in its midst, but its glory was eclipsed by the fashionable skyscrapers towering over it.
It was not long before the harsh realities of city life slapped her in the face. She somehow managed to get a
basement apartment that her great-grandfather had probably intended for the housekeeping staff. Jobs
were even more scarce and Polly had to be satisfied with a meager income of a cash register 'specialist' at
the local grocery store.
Polly did not 'get' the city life. The people of this city, they were so superficial. She always smiled to the people she met on the street, but just one look at her shoddy dress and they'd walk past as if she was invisible.
It was almost impossible to believe that her ancestors had once reigned over this huge city.
She had been extremely lonely at first. But soon, she managed to make a small circle of friends. There was Delicia, the local maid; Buster, a shoddy wanna-be musician, Matty, one of those artsy types.
And of course, there was Harry. They had met at one of Matty's art shows and a slow but steady friendship had culminated in him asking her out. Polly was very happy with the man in her life. Harry was a member of the local city council and his co-workers and superiors were full of praise for his dedication and hardwork.
Despite the blooming romance, Polly's daily routine was fixed. She'd wake up around nine in the morning, having stayed up throughout the night with the thriller, work at the grocery store and then window shop for some time and return to her basement apartment to curl up with a book. On weekends she'd go with Harry to see Buster or Matty at one of their 'arty' shows, or budget shop with Delicia, hoping for a thrifty deal.
That day was no different from others and Polly huddled up in bed with a good book, losing herself in the romance of 'Walls between Us'. It was a call from Delicia that woke her up.
"Polly I barely hear from you. You didn't answer any of my calls. Are you still in Bridgeport?"
Polly had only been able to pay the phone bills with her latest earnings. She braved the annoyance in Delicia's voice.
"Hey Delicia, wanna hang out? Lets go visit the summer festival. Its just a bit late though."
"Oh dang the summer festival, girl. Lets go visit some hip bar."
"Err...Harry's out of town."
"No errs and no Harry's. Its a strict girls night out. Time that I got a man in my life too."
Polly was highly apprehensive of the blaring clubs dotted all over Bridgeport. But she didn't want to lose Delicia,
and who knew, it just might be fun.
Delicia's choice was Eugi's. It was not too run-down, she said, to make them feel like tramps, nor too posh to have bouncers throw them out at first sight.
Polly gritted her teeth as she surveyed the drabness of her best coat against Delicia's city slick wear.
Barely had they set foot outside Eugi's, a handsome muscular guy approached them.
"Hey there, I've seen you somewhere." He greeted Delicia cheerfully.
"Uh huh... I happen to be the local maid." she said.
"I happen to be the local policeman." he replied cheerfully, twirling his cap around.
They seemed to click off instantly and Polly felt a wave of loneliness sweeping over her as she merged with the background.
It was dark and chilly and she wished Harry was there.
"Hi there," the soft voice nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"Has William here turned his charm on your friend and forgotten all about you?"
Polly whirled around. The man was lean and well-build. An allure of mysterious charm enveloped him and Polly wondered what he was doing at Eugi's.
"I am Vladmir. Vladmir Schlick." he said. His smile was entrancing.
"Polly Maloney." she said awkwardly.
"What, a Maloney?" He looked surprised.
"Err... yes my great grandfather made Maloney Towers." Polly said awkwardly. "But I had no idea anybody knew about them."
"Charles Maloney?"
Polly blinked, feeling a bit disoriented.
"Its on the towerplate of Maloney Towers." Vladmir laughed. "Hey Will, lets go in for a drink!"
Polly followed behind the group, wondering why she had never noticed a towerplate at Maloney Towers.
Delicia got giddier as the night passed.
"I think he's the one." she giggled in Polly's ear.
Polly, however, just wanted to go home. She liked William but there was something slightly eerie about Vladmir. He did not press her after he got to know that she was in a relationship, but he was constantly persuading her to have an extra drink and seemed to be an expert on her family history.
"Why Lotta was Charles girlfriend." He exclaimed when Polly said that her second name was Lotta. "Charles was quite the man for pretty women. He gave his poor wife quite a miserable time."
That was something Polly had never known! Was this man an expert on Bridgeport history or had he been stalking her?
The night seemed to drag on and Polly gave up trying to persuade Delicia to leave. Delicia simply wouldn't listen, she was so entranced with William. Polly tried to keep herself amused by sipping at the drink and trying to get Vladmir to talk about himself.
Finally, it was closing time.
"Time's up people." Margherita shouted over the din.
"Wanna come over?" William cooed to Delicia.
"Of course," Delicia giggled.
"We'll give your friend a lift." Vladmir said.
"No I can walk over." Polly replied quickly.
"Don't be silly," Vladmir laughed and placed a hand on her arm. "Lets get going."
Polly shook her head firmly.
Then everything started going terribly wrong. Vladmir nodded his head reluctantly and suddenly Polly felt nauseous as he looked directly at her.
Before she knew what was happening she found herself in the car, squashed in between Delicia and Vladmir.
"We are taking the wrong road." she exclaimed, but nobody seemed to hear her. Fatigued, she felt herself drifting off to sleep.
She woke up with a jolt to find that Vladmir was roughly helping her out.
Excperts from her favourite thrillers flashed across her mind. Where were they? Had these men kidnapped her? Were they serial killers?
Her mind fuzzy, Polly tried to disentangle herself from Vladmir's grip, only to find herself turning numb again as he turned to glare at her.
Delicia, on the other hand, was cheerfully chatting away with William, oblivious of her friend's discomfort.
They were outside a huge, decrepit house. Bright lights were shining out of all the windows, flooding the driveway.
Vladmir led her through the huge double doors.
Polly blinked in surprise, amazed at the sight before her.
They were in a huge room, lit by chandeliers full of candles. At the center was a ancient red recliner flanked by
stone seats. But most astonishing was the white stone altar in front of it, lit all over by candles. A beautiful women was sitting on the sofa, silently watching them walk in. Another woman in black pored over a crystal ball in the centre.
Vladmir led her to a stone bench and Polly felt her feet buckling as she sat down. Vladmir slipped his arm around her shoulder. William was holding hands with Delicia on the opposite seat, beaming happily.
"Good work, William." The woman in black said. "I'm glad you have decided to join us Vladmir." she added with a cursory glance at their side. "Shall we start the ceremony, my Queen?"
Leaning numbly against Vladmir, Polly saw the other woman nod. She watched, as in a dream, William leading Delicia before the lady in red. Delicia bowed down kneeling.
"Who are you, mere mortal?" The woman in red asked.
"Delicia Hoover, my lady."
"Delicia, do you wish to join Clan Slayer?"
"Of course, my Lady."
"Fangmann, draw her blood."
Polly stared numbly as William bent over and nipped Delicia on the neck. Delicia shuddered a bit but kept smiling.
"I hearby accept you to Clan Slayer, rulers of Bridgeport." The woman said ever so softly. "Fangmann, you may turn your target."
Suddenly from far away, Polly could hear her grandmother's voice. "Far yonder in Bridgeport there are creatures of the night who live by your blood and rule your minds."
Perhaps it was the memory of the voice, but Polly suddenly felt a burst of energy and pulled away from Vladmir.
"Now for the other girl's turn." She could hear the queen say.
Vladmir grabbed Polly by the wrist and dragged her over to the altar.
Far away, she could hear her grandmother telling her story.
"And a few sims were as brave enough to beg as to be turned, but there were very few so. And as it was against the ancient rules to be turned by force, the vampires dwindled and died."
"Ah a Maloney girl, how could I forget that hair! What irony!" she could hear the woman's voice. "Girl, so you wish to join Clan Slayer?"
"No," Polly screamed at the top of her lungs, gathering up all her energy.
The queen gasped and the other woman dropped the lamp she was holding.
"Vladmir!" William yelled. "Do you mean you hypnotized her to bring her here?"
"Of course not." Vladmir said sheepishly.
"Yes!" Polly screamed.
The women glanced in shock at each other.
"We can't turn her." The queen said. "Its against ancient protocol."
"But we can't let her leave." The other woman said.
"I'll take her to the turning room." Vladmir said. "She'll agree in due time."
That was all Polly remembered as she felt Vladmir's eyes boring into hers.
Polly looked around. She was all alone in a little room. She was on some weird looking bed and there were flowers and candles all around her.
It was unreal. It was like attending her own funeral.
She pinched herself. Unfortunately, it was no dream after all.
At the very moment the door open. Polly shielded herself but was pleasantly pleased to see it was Delicia.
Her pleasure ebbed off as she saw that Delicia was eerily pale.
"Polly, I'm so glad you've woken up." Delicia said.
"How are you Delicia?" Polly asked, trying to sound as if nothing was amiss.
"Not feeling too good. The queen said it was natural and that my transformation would be complete in another day."
"Transformation?" Polly turned white.
"Yes Polly, I am so excited. Please do consent soon. The queen is eagerly waiting for you to join us."
Polly stared at Delicia in horror, wondering what her chances were of escaping this this trap between what was neither life nor death.
Hi my dear readers,
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was pretty scary for me to write lol! And taking the screenshots was even harder, though I think I'm slightly improving.
So I have a question for you all: what Bridgeport celebrity would you like to see as a central character in the story? The only criteria is that they shouldn't be mentioned so far-even by name-in the story.
I love reading your comments, so please do comment with your constructive criticism as it keeps me going. Also do chime in your votes for Vira and Jess!
Love,
Velocity
