CURSE OF THE BLOOD MOON

Scarlet walked up the stairs, it was as if she was walking in someone else’s body. She didn’t know where she was going exactly but was following a familiar smell. She turned the doorknob and walked into the little room. It was a bedsitter just like her own, but this wasn’t her home.

The scent was getting stronger and made her mouth water. She walked towards the bed and stopped at the foot of the bed. She watched as the blue flower-patterned cover slightly rose and fell. She could feel the warmth from the bed, and most of all hear the slow rhythmic sound. It was like slow drumming and the rushing of a river.

It was like she was floating towards the sound. She sat and pulled the cover down from the warm body. She leaned in towards it and took a sniff. It was like a drug but this high was different, she wanted more. She traced her nose along the lady’s neck, she didn’t know what she was doing but she couldn’t help it. Her tongue replaced her nose, and then her teeth replaced her tongue. She couldn’t help but sink her teeth into the weak flesh.

The lady woke up and began struggling against her. Scarlet raised her head to look at her face. She pinned her body down with hers and viciously bit into her neck again.

When she stopped moving under her and she had bled her dry, she got up from the bed and covered her. She left her as she had found her.

Scarlet walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

***

Scarlet woke up in a panic, it was dark and she was alone in the room. She shot up to her feet and flicked the light switch on. Her clothes were drenched with sweat. She pulled them off her body and stepped into the shower. The bathroom door was ajar and Scarlet’s eyes couldn’t help but return to it every so often. She pictured Stephan sitting on her bed back home, staring at her with adoration in his eyes as she took her shower. She always thought that her bath times were the best part of his day. She missed him. She missed being with him, having his arms around her and his lips on hers.

Scarlet could help but imagine his hands caressing her belly just as she did. That vision was replaced with something else, the anger in his eyes when he saw her with Archie at the coffee shop.

She grabbed her plus-size bath towel and wrapped it around her swelling body. Scarlet had to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future. Her life was about to change, soon. She could feel it. At the rate she was growing she knew the baby was due soon.

She emptied her purse on the bed and grabbed her phone once it fell out. She had to talk to Kayla about what happened at the hospital earlier on.

“Hey sweet pea, I have been trying to call you for the past two days. What happened to you?” Kayla had picked up the phone on the first ring.

“What do you mean two days?” Scarlet hadn’t heard her phone ring that day or the previous one.

“I tried calling you on Friday then on Saturday. I figured work must have been keeping you busy.”

Scarlet chuckled once, she thought she had figured Kayla was trying to play with her head. “Ha Ha! Nice try K today is Friday.”

The line went silent for a while, and Scarlet got the feeling that she was not joking.

“Scar, I’m worried about you. Tonight, this day is Sunday and tomorrow is Monday.”

She looked at her phone for the date and time, it was nine o’clock Sunday night. Scarlet’s chest tightened, she began panicking. Where had she lost the last two days? All she could remember was falling asleep when Archie was in her apartment.

“Scar? Do you want me to come and stay with you for a while? I can be there by tomorrow.”

The concern in Kayla’s voice was evident, but Scarlet didn’t think her visit would be a good idea at the moment.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. I will call you tomorrow.”

“Sure, love you Scar.”

“Love you too.”

Scarlet hang up the phone without telling her what had happened at the hospital. She didn’t want to worry her any more than she should.

For the first time that night, Scarlet thought about her dream. It was so vivid yet impossible. For a day and two nights, she had been asleep trapped in her dream. She thought about going to the old lady’s home but ruled against it immediately. What was she going to say? Hey, old lady I just came to check that I didn’t kill you last night.

She giggled at how absurd and neurotic she sounded. It was late and she didn’t want to be a bother to a neighbor she didn’t even know what her name was. Scarlet looked into the fridge, she had not eaten for a while but was surprisingly not hungry. She settled on eating a cup of yogurt for the baby’s sake. She stayed up all night watching rerun soaps on television, she wasn’t the least bit tired. Her body felt relaxed and rejuvenated.

The next day would be Monday and she had to go to work. She hoped that she wouldn’t have a repeat of what happened on Friday.

***

Scarlet reported working earlier than usual. She waited at Shee’s office to apologize for the disappearance the past two days. Then she would go down to the emergency room to thank Archie for his help.

“Hallo Scarlet, how are you feeling today?” Shee walked in with a smile on his face. He didn’t seem annoyed at her for missing work. This gave her the hope that they could try and work out an arrangement for her to work the hours she missed.

“I’m better thanks for asking. I just wanted to apologize for missing work I was pretty out of it.” that was technically the truth, she hadn’t been conscious the past few days. Making it extremely difficult to get to work.

“Don’t worry about it, we could all see how unwell you were. Besides you do have fifteen sick days a year, so you are sorted.”

“Thank you.” Relief washed over her, she hadn’t been aware of the sick days. She was sure how she would use the thirteen she had left.

“Go down to the emergency room, ask Archie to show you to the little girl they brought yesterday. She was in a wreck last night, just examine her then tell me what you think.” He sat behind his desk flipping through patient files.

“Sure.”

Scarlet took the elevator down, she could help but feel nervous. The last time she had been down there things had gotten strange and she hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat.

He stepped out of the elevator and the first thing that hit her was the scent of fresh blood. Unlike the first time, it didn’t send her into s frenzy but warmed her.

Assuming it was safe she took a deep breath, absorbing the scent and closing her eyes to feel the calming effect it had on her. She knew her actions seemed crazy but she couldn’t help it.