Night. Part 1

She looked at the brick wall. The same smooth, silent, mute, not giving out their secrets… As if nothing had happened yesterday. There’re so much people don’t know. Although every day can pass by the scene of another crime and not even know it… There was a bitter sense of injustice. She wanted to shout: “Here! Here! It was here that he grabbed me!”. But she was silent. All this seemed ridiculous, implausible and even stupid.

Approaching the door of her apartment, Francesca turned and looked at Tammy. In the eyes clearly read: “Thank you for escorting, then I can handle it myself.” Friend, understanding everything without a word, nodded.

“If anything, call me anytime.”

“Good.”

But Tammy was in no hurry to leave and was still looking at her anxiously.

“Everything is good. True.”

She clearly didn’t believe. But didn’t insist.

“Okay. Get better.”

And Tammy turned and walked down the steps.

Taking a deep breath, Francesca entered the apartment and closed the door behind her. The ringing sound of her friend’s heels reflected from the walls of the entrance, moving farther away. Francesca sat down on the floor in the hallway. She didn’t want to think about anything. Not only that she has heavy heart, soon ached and the body. Her stomach ached again, and, with a tormented expression on her face, the girl went to the toilet.

The rest of the day went terribly. Mostly she did only two things: lay in bed or in a fit of nausea ran to toilet. It tired her not only physically, but also mentally. In the late afternoon, Francesca was lying down flat in bed under the blanket, waiting for the next burst of pain. It was gradually getting dark outside the window, and there was less and less light in the room. It pacified.

She extended the trembling hand to a water carafe on a bedside table. Francesca was already drinking straight from it, ignoring a lone glass. For some reason, she couldn’t connect the two obvious things: the more she drinks, then more often she vomits. But she was thirsty. Unbearable thirsty. And the head had completely refused to work. The whole body was weak. And besides, she couldn’t fall asleep, no matter how much she wanted to.

After another visit to the toilet (she was throwing up just clear liquid), water disgusted. And folding her arms across her chest, Francesca emaciated looked out the window.

Night was slowly falling on the city. Like a predatory beast, it sneaked through streets, shrouding houses in black veil. Sounds faded, lights turned on. In the east the sky has already disappeared into darkness.

About an hour later, as expected, a noisy company of young people passed under the windows. Among them, of course, was a couple who lived in a nearby house – Bunny and Kevin. They often gathered friends and got drunk, after which they were necessarily dragged to some club. It so happened that friends brought them back in an almost insane condition and unloaded directly under the entrance door. It seems that Bunny worked in the supermarket, and her friend was either a porter or someone else. He changed jobs like socks, and because of this they made such scandals that screams rang along the whole street. Every passerby heard them. However, afterwards they still put up and also usually not without emotions… And now they are going to the nightclub again.

Francesca didn’t like night clubs. A bunch of unhappy, lonely people who flood their lives with liters of alcohol and dumbed down minds by drugs… she thought indignantly. After such a terrible day, all thoughts took quite a negative color.

She turned to the side, closed her eyes and diligently tried to sleep. It didn’t work out… And closer to three o’clock, when the torturous insomnia was completely fed up, Francesca despaired and decided to resort to sleeping pills. Pulling the dusty jar out of the drawer, she put two pills in her mouth and washed down with water. She fluffed pillow, warmly covered himself with the blanket, lay down, unmoving, and closing eyes, waited for a salutary sleep…

It seemed that already not enough strength, and the air becomes treacherously less. Lungs burned and convulsive breathing broke from the lips. Her legs carried her along unknown dark alleys. There was no sound behind her, no hint of pursuit, but she knew he was there, that he was catching up with her, that he was watching her. Francesca felt his presence with all the cells in her body. It seemed to her that the faster she runs, the inevitably closer he to her. Frightening, unwelcome meeting followed her like her own shadow.

Moving was almost impossible, the body wouldn’t obey. But ahead loomed the faint outline of a door. Is it really her salvation?! She ran up, grabbed the handle and, turning, without looking, jumped inside. Relief… And then the inevitable meeting with bright blue eyes…

It was the dining room. Very dark. Only the place where a long rectangular table stood was illuminated. Behind it would fit a man fifteen, but it was empty. Only a vase with large white flowers, a decanter filled with wine, and two crystal glasses were on the wooden table-top. At the table, in the far edge, sat on a high chair… A Stranger.

The face wasn’t visible, the darkness enveloped all its features, hiding them under itself, as if under a veil. All except bright eyes. Only eyes; but Francesca recognized him. A shiver ran through her skin. She staggered to the door, fingers gripping the air in search of a handle, but it already there wasn’t.

The Stranger stood up and walked slowly to a carafe with a slow, smooth gait. With long fingers, he wrapped around its neck. Francesca flinched, swallowing nervously. He filled both glasses to half-full, took them in his hands and walked slowly towards the girl. Fear gripped her. She leaned against the wall in the hope that it will allow to fall through it. But for a moment – and he was already standing right in front of her. And just as intently, as at that time, looked at her face.

And suddenly Francesca seemed to be under the influence of his captivating eyes. When he handed her the glass, she obediently raised her hand, accepting it. The Stranger stepped forward and was so close, that if even a little bit more, and he would have fully pressed against her trembling body. He gently lowered his head to her shoulder, hiding his face in smooth, dark-golden hair. His warm breath caressed neck exactly where two small wounds were gaping.

Heady sensation suddenly flooded Francesca. Fear remained, but it ceased to have its former significance. Heart pounding with mad power, and breathing increased. Head was spinning, knees went weak. At that moment, The Stranger let go of his glass. Sliding, it rapidly was falling to the floor.

Instantly covered with cracks, the glass shattered into fragments, giving freedom to its contents. Red liquid splashed onto Francesca’s legs. And only then did she begin to realize that this wasn’t wine at all.

Not allowing the girl to think about anything else, his strong arms wrapped around her waist and pressed to the slender male body. Lips clung to the drumming of the artery, and sharp fangs pierced two scarlet dots that didn’t have time to drag on. From the neck under the skin spreading the sweet, but poisonous pain. Francesca looked up, but her eyes closed involuntarily before losing consciousness. One hand clenched the glass, the other tightly squeezed the shirt on his back.

Fingers weakened, and the second glass, slipping from her palm, landed with a clink at feet…

Francesca abruptly jumped up in the bed in shock. As immediately, her skin and eyes suddenly pierced with burning pain. Falling back onto the pillow, she quickly covered herself with the blanket over her head. All this happened in just a second.

Immediately in the morning nothing could be grasped. Before eyes still stood the gloomy dining room and what she took to be wine spilling on the glossy black parquet. She did not even notice that there was a large red spot on the pillow. Blood dripped from her neck, soaking the fabric and her hair. On right cheek stood out scarlet stains. Francesca realized this only when she smelled a distinct metallic smell.

She’d never given much thought to a smell of blood before. But now this distinct feeling is downright cut into the brain.

The girl carefully checked her neck with her hand – the wounds opened. Francesca began to stop the flow with her fingers, but the pungent smell hit her nose, strangely, insidiously affecting her appetite.

In fear, she again threw back the blanket and jumped up. And again, a burning itch ran through the skin. She fell to the floor behind the bed, where there was less light. Pulling the blanket off and wrapping it around her, Francesca hurried to the bathroom.

She even forgot to turn on the light – everything is so perfectly visible… in the dark. Opening the first-aid kit, she hurriedly began to look for cotton and plaster. Blood was running down shoulder in a warm trickle and had already stained half of shirt. Hands in search of fumbled very quickly and deftly. Finally, having found what she was looking for, the girl opened the tap, soaked the cotton wool and wiped the wounds, immediately gluing them up with a piece of plaster.

And then her as if pierced by lightning. The hand with the bloodstained cotton trembled, willfully reaching for the nose. Francesca took a deep breath, lowering her heavy eyelids. A strange sensation stirred her entire being. The miraculous life smell, like warm molasses, spread in the lungs. A taste of salt and metal with a soft chill penetrated deep into the gums. It seemed to Francesca that she was surrounded by an alluring red haze, which asks her to be let inside. Oh, that sweet smell of human life…

Blood flowed out quite a lot. Fainting was inevitable. She understood this, but stood motionless. Thoughts flew at the speed of gunfire. But there seemed to be an invisible wall in her head that didn’t allow all the facts to be tied together. Francesca so stubbornly didn’t want to believe in what she could become… That she might have become… a creature… that had an uncontrollable thirst… for human… blood…

“No. It can’t be. This is unreal… I’m sleeping,” – she whispered, convincing herself.

The skin was burning, the bones was aching, and the ground beneath feet was starting to shake. The air, soaked with blood, filled her lungs and slowly dissolved into them.

“No. I’m sleeping… Just sleeping… It’s just a dream…”

Francesca staggered, fell to her knees, and collapsed onto the shiny ceramic tile floor.

II. Instincts

At noon, the sun stood at the zenith. It scorched a ground and a grass with a bright light. An air was heated to the limit, it became hot, stuffy, unbearable in the city. People were fussing, hurrying, running. In short, life was in full swing like an anthill.

But the bedroom of the girl named Francesca was silent and empty. Only in white rays of light danced small weightless specks of dust. In principle, it was supposed to be like that at this time of day – because she was usually in school. But today was different.

The exhausted girl slept in her own, shrouded in darkness, bathroom. The white sheet and pillows on the bed were dappled with red stains and patches of intricate patterns. There was a bitter taste of shock and despair. Minutes swiftly passed; one took turn to another.

The bell rang. The phone rang once, then a second, a third time…

“Hello!” responded the answering machine. “You called Francesca Dewan! Leave your message after the signal.”

A beep sounded, followed by an alarmed voice:

“Hey, Franky! How are you? You weren’t at school. Today I came for you, but your teacher said that you haven’t been there all day. Did something happen? You okay? Whatever happens, call me. I’m worried about you… Uh… Don’t be a stranger, okay? All right. Bye. Be sure to call! Bye.”

Tammy hung up the phone.

And time went by. The sun had already begun to set off. But nothing changed in the room. Only the light falling on the walls and the floor moved smoothly. Closer to five o’clock, the phone again reminded about its existence, but wasn’t heard. Another beep:

“It’s me again. Will you come to work? If not, then I will say that you are sick, okay? I’ll cover you, don’t worry. Just call me! I hope this has nothing to do with what you wanted to tell me. If you need my help, just tell me. There was no one to look after you, except for me,” there was a short and kind of gloomy chuckle. “Anyway, I’m really worried about you. You let me know about yourself as soon as you can. I’ll wait. Bye.”

A red-hot orange ball was disappearing over the horizon. It was less visible because of the tall buildings. The sky shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow – from bright pink to dark blue. At the very edge of the earth, slowly disappearing golden arrows stretched into different ends. Strips of planes divided the endless expanses of the sky into parts, resembling cracks in the glass. A cool breeze blew from the north, cooling the air heated in a day.

But Francesca didn’t see or feel any of this. Now she felt only a distinct smell of blood. Even in sleep.

She felt tingle under the ribs. From suddenly surging feelings, the girl immediately woke up. Before her eyes stood the darkness, diluted with a slight gloss of ceramic tiles. Covering her face with her hands, Francesca rolled onto her back. Near the sink and shower – it means that she is in the bathroom, lying on the blanket, under which was hiding when she ran here. She didn’t want to get up. The body didn’t obey. The head was buzzing.

The sun, at parting, flashed a fiery scarlet edge of a shining disk and disappeared beyond the horizon. The sky immediately became cold shades of twilight.

Francesca turned back and went down on all fours. Crawling to the doorway, she tried not to breathe, so as not to feel the frantic heady aroma. Looking out and glancing at the window, she realized that the day had already gone to give light to other lands. All the better.

As an outbreak, immediately appeared an idea to hide away smells that irritated the brain. She stuffed the blanket into the washing machine, then walked into the room and, quickly going to the bed, took off the pillowcases and pulled off the sheet. She went back to the bathroom, quickly pushed everything into the machine and slammed the door. It became easier quite a bit. In the air, the persistent smell was still soaring.

Francesca grabbed a bottle of cheap perfume from the glass shelf near the sink and began to spray around its contents. Instantly, the sweet candy-floral aroma dissipated within of the apartment. It permeated the walls and floor, and seemingly hid the irritant in a fragrant fog. But only the blood still invariably was felt by surprisingly sensitive nose. From that the stomach went in knots.

Then she unscrewed the lid of the bottle and in a rush spilled liquid throughout the apartment. The progress has been. But it was too poisonously obvious. Now she decided that it was better to open the window and let the air out, as the smells increased ten times, if not more, and unbearably burned nostrils. Francesca opened the window wide and let in a wave of fresh air into the room. Well? Will this war with smells end or not? She sat down tiredly on the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, pressing them to her chest.

It’s disgusting. And it’s a shame. Francesca was scared, angry, and confused. Everything that happened to her was more like madness. It couldn’t be real.

She looked at her hands, fingers, nails. Straightened and studied the legs, knees, feet. Everything seems to be the same. Only the skin became smoother and lighter. Flawless. Well, in general, there is no change. Warm, so not dead. But the body felt terribly oppressive fatigue, as if she hadn’t slept or eaten for a week.

Probably worth a look in the mirror…

Francesca stood up and walked slowly to the mirror on the wall beside her bed. She walked timidly over to the glittering glass in the wooden frame and looked into her eyes. Her shadow-shaded reflection, in turn, looked at Francesca.

The usual gray iris, with a blue rim around the edges, was now dark purple. Deciding that this is an optical illusion, she pressed her hands to her face, rubbed it and, removing them, looked at herself again. It’s purple. Almost black. The girl frowned, but she didn’t have enough strength to think rationally, so she just continued to examine herself. Nose, forehead, hair, neck – all the same as before. But after all the main, of course, were far not these features.

She put her index fingers under her upper lip and, looking intently at her mouth, as if afraid to miss something, lifted her up. White, smooth, beautiful teeth. And just standing out, like a prima ballerina on stage, two long…

“Ah…” she gasped out of her chest.

…razor-sharp…

“Ahh…” she monotonously stretched.

…animal fangs glittered in the gloom.

“Ahhhh…” groaning, the girl was sliding to the floor.

It was as if she saw a monster. All veins have pinned down by ice chains of fear.

“No. No! NO!” she repeated. “I don’t want! This can’t be happening! No!”

And the forces, as before, quickly left. And soon Francesca collapsed limply on the cold floor, but slowly and quietly continued to repeat:

“No… no… no…”

After a while she began to shiver. A small shudder ran through the skin, the girl began to shake from within. She felt something very much like hunger. Or rather, thirst, only multiplied a hundred times. Deep down, Francesca knew – it wasn’t hard to guess – what she needed, what her body required, but the last thing she wanted. It’s unfair. It’s cruel.

Francesca fought hard, but in vain. And gradually the mind began to leave the girl. And its place was taken by instincts. They didn’t argue with her. They’ve established that between her life and someone else’s, they choose her.

She looked like a somnambulist: the body was moving, but there was no consciousness. It slept, fell into a slumber. But there was no emptiness inside either, not at all.

Rising from the floor, she walked slowly to the closet. Hands reached for the brightest and most attractive clothes – what else is necessary for search of a victim? A translucent blue blouse with a plunging neckline, black leather shorts in sequins and rhinestones – all these clothes gave her Tammy, deciding to play a joke on her once. They laughed for a long time, because even without words it was clear that Francesca wouldn’t wear such thing. Black patent leather shoes with metal rivets showed off on the bottom shelf. Part of the same story. Now, a friend’s gift will serve well.

A creature that was born inside wasn’t waste time on preening. And so, dressed, the girl immediately went to the door.

Somewhere in a depth of this body remained Francesca’s pathetic crumbs of mind. She wanted to stop herself, but she didn’t even have the strength to desire anything. The animal that had found its way into a world was suppressing her more and more, growing and taking its place. It absorbed her body until finally Francesca fell into a deep sleep. And the monster nothing more interfered.

Once on the street, she stood in the shadow near the entrance. Wait, now it only remained to wait.

Soon, the sound of footsteps and loud laughter swept the street. Yes, it is the red-haired Bunny, the bully Kevin and their friends – her companions and best friends for tonight. Where at night is the biggest gathering of young people full of life energy? Naturally, in clubs. Francesca didn’t know a single club, and the neighbors, who loved to have fun, of course, went to one of these places. Her luck. After waiting for them to pass, Francesca stealthily followed them.

With bottles of alcohol at the ready and loud shouts, the company waddled along the dark street. Their black figures were almost invisible, but Francesca was guided by the smell.

Of course, it was possible to catch one of them right now, but she clearly understood that then she would fall under suspicion. The creature inside her body behaved extremely intelligently. If she tries to take away any of their company and kill, then there is a chance that Kevin or Bunny will recognize her later, when the police find out about the loss. Besides, they live next door to her. No, it’s risky. Why should she attract too much attention to herself? So, it would be better to find a stranger, and in a place where almost no one remembers anyone because of the amount of alcohol consumed. And if they remember, their testimony is unlikely to be taken seriously. So, it’s better to use this couple and their friends as guides to the night world.

Francesca followed them very slowly. Her body was weakened by hunger. But companions were in no hurry. All night ahead, where to rush?

The club, to which they reached, was a kind of provincial-looking, but without payment and security at the entrance. A concrete wall with peeling paint and a massive iron door, from which came the bass of music banging on the ears. Above the door hung a glowing sign with the name of the club “Fallen Angel”. It’s very poetic. Only a few light bulbs burned out. Near the entrance, people in bright clothes crowded and cars parked. Bunny’s company rushed there. Francesca trailed behind them.

When the door opened and she stepped inside, her ears were pierced by unnaturally loud music. The girl involuntarily frowned from discontent. She was only a couple of times in discos and it seemed like it was quieter there. But suddenly the sounds began to range from unbearably loud to barely audible. Are they so bad with the equipment? Or is it DJ’s fault? But no one around this weren’t noticing. It seems that all the changes happening in her ears.

All had fun, were ecstasy. The youth partied. Most likely, most of them are under the influence of drugs. Francesca was even able to put a finger on who exactly. She defined it not by dilated pupils or something like that. No. The light around was very little, in such circumstances, people’s eyes are difficult to see. She just felt them somehow. She didn’t know how. And yet she knew for sure that more than half of them were high. Which means, a blood is dirty.

There was no point in looking around. And in the eyes everything floated with the general movement. She was terribly hungry. It is time to decide on a suitable victim. Francesca moved forward, guided by the smell of purer blood. The girl on the left is drunk, the guy on the right is a regular drug addict, and the couple at the bar stand are HIV-infected.

The music in the ears has changed to a quieter tone, and the situation in front of her has cleared noticeably. She felt “pure” people, which means that there is hope. The best goal would be, of course, the guy. And attract easier and lead. This will be a clear win. So, she defined the task. “Where are you?” – sounded in her head. Francesca knew, she had to be drawn to the victim like a magnet.

“Think… think…”

She increasingly immersed herself in a homogeneous mass of people in order to understand who is who. Understand who suits her. As time went on. It wasn’t enough. And it worked against her.

“Breathe in, breathe out… Heart… Heartbeat… Pulse…” she whispered to herself. “Not this one, not this one… No, no, no…” she moved slowly deeper into the dancing crowd. “Not this… No, not this. No…”

Francesca turned her head to the right and suddenly caught the right smell. Eyes wide open:

“This one!”

She moved through the crowd to the chosen victim, not even seeing his face. The source of the smell was getting closer and closer. And so, near the back door, she noticed a tall young guy. Yes, he is the one she was looking for.

Without a doubt, Francesca, staggering, was walking toward him. Coming close, she stopped and looked straight at him. Her body was curved like a spine of a snake. In anticipation, she brought her hand to her mouth and bit the nail of her index finger. The guy looked at her and reacted quite predictably what was into the hands for her.

“Hi, baby! Do you want to dance?” he smiled broadly, clearly feeling the influx of excitation.

The guy was disgustingly cute, but quite healthy looking. He, rather, belonged to the category, so to speak, ladies ' man. This is a very good find for the first time. Francesca did not answer, but studied him carefully, most of all paying attention to the pulse drumming under the skin.