Dracula: New blood

Chapter six. Hunger and cravings.

My feeble body shivers within his grasp.

"Her body's stiffening up again," he observes with concern, and Kim swiftly returns with medication in hand.

Yes, I require sedation to prevent causing him any harm. My bloody hunger is just violence born from God knows what disease I'm still suffering from. I'll get better because I'm already better and I'm home...For a fleeting moment, the image of the Transylvanian castle flashes in my mind, and memories of Bran flood back... home...Home?!

"Likely another seizure," Kim concurs.

Though I can't see her, I recognize her familiar scent. She administers the valium into my IV line, and within seconds, a soothing calmness washes over me, accompanied by a faint smile. That taste of his blood on my lips... a divine reason to live on. Divine?! A furrow forms between my brows. I haven't contemplated God since the time in the caves...

My body weakens, my mind proclaims, gradually surrendering to slumber. Valium is the finest concoction science has to offer me. There's no apprehension in this sensation of sleep, as I'm aware that I'll awaken once more in the morning.

It must be morning again... The rhythmic beeping, the gentle hum of the air conditioning, his voice... It must be a new day... another day of pain. And hunger! They say the healing process demands more nourishment, but something must be amiss with my newfound appetite... So ravenous!

Why is he here in the morning? Or is it even morning? Could I have slept just a few minutes? No, it must have been longer. Yet, I'm still plagued by this insatiable hunger. His scent, so fresh and alluring. I don't think it's me thinking that. Sure! Just hide against the poor fiction of a sick brain. Let's focus on his words instead. Could they hold any significance? Well, when was the last time a meaningful conversation transpired at a sick person's bedside? Unless, of course, it pertains to suffering and mortality!

"...an illusion, much like God, a construct of our minds seeking perfection and protection..."

Meaningful, huh? His voice meanders through the words, like someone educating a child. Without a doubt, it's the man's voice, the same one who arrived with Kim yesterday. He's a dreadful reader; his monotone would bore me to death!

My hunger persists, but if I can manage a bit more sleep, I might find some relief. I drift in and out of slumber, his voice gradually fading into the background. I wake up once more, and the room is illuminated, enveloped in silence. Well, almost silent. The room basks in tranquility, save for the familiar hum of the air conditioning and the gentle beeping of my medical monitors, like a comforting purr.

I reluctantly open my eyes, attempting to reconnect with a semblance of normality. How much time has slipped by since my arrival here? My body feels stiff from prolonged inactivity. The room's brightness seems to assault my eyes, so I permit only a sliver of light to filter through my eyelashes. It doesn't look the nurse is in the room. Geez! Lots changed! Darker curtains in the windows, all my furniture gone and replaced with medical devices and equipment. Even my walls have been stripped bare of my paintings. The only thing left is a vague odor of my old room. Oh, all replaced. And not myself either, right? Replaced...Am I replaced?

The trach annoys me, but I muster the strength to ignore the persistent tickle in my throat. My toes and fingers respond to my mental commands, albeit with some delay and stiffness. I make an effort and my hands are slowly lifting up to find my face. The sensation is peculiar, like touching it through a layer of chalk. Shifting my head slightly, a waft of my hair brushes against my face, invoking nostalgia. It's the scent of an old shampoo.

A sudden noise beyond the door startles me, prompting a swift return to my previous position, as if feigning deep slumber. The door swings open, and I detect Kim's familiar scent, but the footsteps aren't hers.