All of her life, Maria Alvarez has been sure of three things.
1.) The Lord God will protect and guide her thought all of the trials of life.
2.) Vampires are soulless husks of their former selves, little more than animated bodies feedi...
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They turned their paperwork in and fifteen minutes later, Maria was called back to the exam room.
The nurse was an older woman with a polite smile wearing blue scrubs. She looked over Maria's vaccine paperwork before pricking her finger and leaving for a few minutes. When she came back, she gave Maria another polite smile.
"You've got a high level of infection markers in your bloodstream." She said.
"Oh-–" Maria said, and shifted uncomfortably. What does that mean? Do they know I've been bitten? Will they report me to the police?
"It's not uncommon when your sexual partner is infected." The woman further explained, calming Maria down a bit. "The infection can be spread through sexual intercourse as well, not just biting, though it is less common."
"But I'm okay, right?" Maria said.
"Of course." The nurse said. "Your vaccines are good for twelve months, so while the virus may be in your bloodstream, you won't be affected by any symptoms."
Maria nodded.
The woman walked over to a drawer by the sink, and pulled out a bottle of pills that she handed to Maria.
"If you're ever late to get your shots updated, take one of these every day for a month." She said.
"Uh, Okay—"
"And if you ever experience any symptoms, like dizziness, a headache, extreme thirst, or excessive salivation, seek emergency help immediately."
"If I have symptoms, isn't it already too late to stop it?" Maria asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Not exactly." The nurse shook her head. "With proper treatment, we can now stop the symptoms from progressing, though you will become contagious and have to exercise permanent caution around others, especially those who are unvaccinated or have a weakened immune system."
"Oh, okay." Maria said. "I didn't even know that."
"Yes." The nurse said. "The reason many infections progress these days is simply because of shame. People are too scared to go to the hospital out of fear they might get thrown in jail, so they stay home and attempt to ride out the symptoms and, well—"
The nurse cut herself off with a grimace, but Maria finished it in her head.
They either turn or die.
"I understand." Maria nodded.
"Good." The nurse said. "It's important to remember not to be embarrassed. The hospital staff is there to help you, and you won't be reported to the police. More than half of every untreated infection ends in death. It's simply not worth it."
Maria swallowed in fear. More than half? She didn't know it was that high. That meant for every person in the coven, those who had survived, that there was at least an equal number who never made it.
