The Caged Bird

01. The Next Life

It was the morning that her next life would begin. She woke up early, her anxiety causing a nightmare that jolted her awake while the mist was still settled on the fields. The sun was rising over the distant trees and the birds were singing. The village was still and picturesque, settled in a small valley blanketed in wildflowers. Sheep roamed the hills with their shepherds and other livestock slept peacefully in their paddocks. A rooster called in the distance, and the fields were covered in sparkling dew. But she felt hollow. She had been destined for this day since infancy. She had been purchased by her future master after the death of her parents and was left in the care of the village orphanage where she was raised. She had been given a new name by her master but she had never met him. The annual birthday gifts she received from his estate did little to ease her anxiety. The clothing and occasional toy may have been comforting had they not come from the man that now owned her and her future.

She slept in a small, plain room with no luxuries but her life had always been decent. Though she spent most of her time working in the orphanage, she was allowed some small pleasures. She was permitted to go into the village to meet with friends and neighbors, pick wildflowers in the nearby meadows, and practice embroidery. It was mundane and sometimes monotonous but at least she had some small amount of freedom.

Her life was typical, similar to that of most of the humans left. It had been nearly two centuries since a pandemic had swept the globe, decimating a huge percentage of the human population. Many large modern cities had been transformed into decaying ghost towns as plants and animals quickly consumed and took control of the empty businesses and homes. Most humans now lived in small rural villages like hers, almost completely unaware of the past. Their lives had become simplified by the disaster, and it had given rise to a new dominant species who now ruled the entire planet.

Vampires.

Once so greatly outnumbered by their prey, they now fought for them. Many of their kind had starved in the years following the pandemic and now human blood was in high demand. They had quickly built their own utopia, many lifted to roles of great importance. In this part of the world a hierarchy had been established. Lords ruled over their own small kingdoms or territories and they formed a council which oversaw entire countries or even continents. These lords had many subordinates with varying titles, but held ultimate power over their domains. For most, their primary responsibility was to protect their human subjects from rogue vampires desperately stalking the countryside for food and from their own political rivals. Over time most of these disagreements had ceased, but some lords still sought more land and more humans to control and would cause wars and assassinations that often disturbed the sanctity of the council. Now united, the council ruthlessly destroyed these usurpers whenever possible, but some rats remained to eat through the tenuous bonds of loyalty between the kingdoms.

Most vampires had taken to owning humans. Though they were functionally slaves, the vampires typically called them pets. Some were pampered, given gifts and luxury to repay them for their loyalty. But others were treated cruelly, abused, and even accidentally killed by their animalistic masters. Killing humans was seen as unforgivable by the council, who maintained that rebuilding the human population should be their priority. Some lesser nobles had even been banished or executed for wasting human lives. But the cruelty continued in many places, hidden carefully by the unscrupulous lords.

It was for this reason that Lark found herself so anxious at the prospect of her future. Nearly all of the humans in this territory remained free, but she did not have that choice. Orphans were often the most attractive option to become pets. They had no families, nothing to tie them to the human world, and few prospects. They could be easily purchased as infants or children, ensuring that upon reaching adulthood it would be too late for them to object. Her status was well-known in the community, as she was not available for marriage and needed to be protected to ensure that the lord's investment was respected. She was treated differently from her peers and often excluded as everyone knew she would be taken away on her twentieth birthday. Many avoided interacting with her, lest she complain to the lord and he sought retribution. She was often lonely, but had formed many friendships within the orphanage. Her heart ached as she realized she may never see any of them again.

She stood at the window, glancing back at the infant slumbering peacefully in his cradle beside her bed. She had been his surrogate mother for several weeks, since the day of his arrival. It was him that she would miss the most. Under her wooden bed was a bag, packed with clothing and other supplies. She had been formulating her plan to escape for months as her birthday approached. Now that the day had arrived, she felt the first tug of hesitation. She was reluctant to give up the last of her freedom, and terrified that her master would be a monster, but travelling on her own would be extremely dangerous. Even during the day, rogue vampires shrouded themselves and stalked the shadowy parts of the surrounding landscape, searching for human victims. She would not be safe on her own. But she would be free.

She kissed the infant softly on his forehead, careful not to disturb his sleep, and pulled her bag free from its hiding place. Stepping into her worn leather boots, she slung the bag over her shoulders and wrapped herself in a coarse wool cloak. Then she slipped out of the open window and onto the wet grass. With one last longing glance into the room where she had slept for almost twenty years, she darted into the darkness of the forest and left her old life behind.