Vampire Residence

XXXII

As the weeks continued to pass, a small change was evident in Daci's behavior. It was subtle, so subtle that it was almost completely unnoticeable to most in the house. But to Eleanor and Garrett, there was a clear change.

She was far more irritable and far less patient with people. She seemed to be on edge, constantly, and at times was even more violent than usual.

It was around a month into the change in behavior that Garrett and Eleanor found themselves in the kitchen having an unusually hushed conversation.

Garrett, now looking mildly concerned, spoke in a low tone. "So am I just overreacting, or is she getting more...aggressive?"

Eleanor, who appeared to be just as concerned as Garrett, responded with a slightly nervous tone. "She said something a while back about... well, you know."

Garrett spoke quietly, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "Right, I remember. She said that she... had thoughts, sometimes."

"I try to reassure her, to try and calm her down, but she just gets more frustrated."

Garrett, now sharing in the concern, spoke in a somewhat worried tone. "It's never been a problem before, at least not as long as I've been here- but now I'm starting to get worried she might seriously hurt one of us."

Eleanor, with a mild sense of anxiety, spoke again. "When I try to ask her about what's going on she just gets annoyed and tells me the same things over and over. She's just as aggressive after she's fed. This isn't a dietary problem, something's wrong."

Garrett spoke in a low tone as he glanced around the room, making sure that no one was eavesdropping.

"Right... whatever's going on, it's not related to her diet. We just..." he paused, unsure of what to say next. "...need to figure out what the hell is wrong before she kills us all."

Eleanor, now with an uncomfortable look on her face, spoke in a hesitant tone.

"I'm scared, you know. I feel like if she doesn't find something to let her anger out on soon she's going to end up killing someone. And- I've been trying so hard not to, to trust that she'll be able to keep everything under control, but I'm frightened that it might be me. And I'm terrified that..." She trailed off, and paused for a second, unsure if she should speak her last thought aloud- though she would never get the chance to.

"I am going to kill that man."

Garrett, startled both by the sudden voice behind him and by the statement Daci had just announced, turned around instantly.

"Excuse me?!"

"Not you... too small."

Garrett, now slightly offended, spoke with a mixture of bewilderment and annoyance.

"First of all, rude. Second of all, who are you going to kill?"

"Avery."

"Who?"

Daci, now visibly fuming, spoke again, this time in a low tone. "The man in the storage closet."

Now both slightly surprised and confused at the sudden outburst, Garrett looked at her, completely lost.

"Sorry, what?"

"The man in the storage closet," Daci repeated, now with an extremely cold tone. "He won't stop mumbling. 'What time is it?' this. 'Is anyone there?' that. I can hear him day and night."

Eleanor, having been stunned into somewhat shocked silence up to this point, spoke now with a hint of worry in her voice. "Avery... who is...?"

As she trailed off, it suddenly clicked in Eleanor's mind. Her eyes widened in shock, and a small gasp escaped her mouth as realization dawned on her.