Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 18: They Follow

The night was mostly peaceful after the unexpected visit. In the end, only Megan, the twins' mother, was infected. The father, Thomas, didn't want to witness the slow and painful process his family would go through, so he returned home until they woke up. He looked scared, and I couldn't blame him.

The family's pet, on the other hand, was transferred to the laboratory for further investigation on carrier animals. Dr. Blake guaranteed the cat would be safe, and that they would return it to the family should they be willing to take it back once they got enough data.

Concerning the mysterious intruders Anna claimed to have heard, the rangers were unable to find any trace of their presence. Reaching the conclusion that it was a false alarm, they announced that it was safe to return to our normal activities the next day. Anna wasn't satisfied, but she couldn't ask them to keep working overtime based on a hunch.

Our group decreased in number as the night progressed. I envied them a little. Unlike me, they were able to sleep with ease. I wasn't tired. It even felt as if the darkness of the night gave me new energy to continue. I entered my room, not bothering to turn the switch on. The lack of light was not a problem. I could see clearly with the small amount that peeked through the curtains.

The first thing I did there was wish my family a goodnight. It wasn't a good idea to break that promise again, even if we talked earlier today. Mary had also replied to my message. Needless to say, she was eager to meet the new faces, particularly Rex, who had been our partner for a long time in Danath Online.

Once I was done with my social media, I decided it was time to sleep. I thought about reading some stories before going to bed, but I chose not to do it in fear of getting hooked on them. Instead, I merely tucked myself in my bed and hoped the lack of activity did the trick.

I spent hours absentmindedly staring at the covered window. It wasn't until around two or three in the morning when I finally drifted into sleep. This, in turn, led me into waking up even later than before, and I ended up rushing to the cafeteria again. Anna, Lily, and Dr. Blake were already gone by the time I reached the table.

"Good evening," mocked Rex as I slowed down to a more sedate pace towards them.

"Sorry, were you waiting for me?" My legs were not impressed with the exercise. Demons were clearly not fit for long distance running. It felt like the only reason I was not breathing heavily was my increased lung capacity.

"We are done eating if that's what you're worried about, little one," Allison replied. "You should hurry and get your food, though."

I nodded and went to grab a tray at a more sedate pace. The food warmers were almost completely empty, so I had to make do with scraps of whatever I could find. My plate looked weird, but beggars can't be choosers. It was that or nothing at all. It wasn't like the food was bad, anyway.

Allison patiently waited for me to take my seat before she spoke to me again. "Is something bothering you, Nora?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"You're showing up to breakfast later each time. Have you been sleeping properly?"

"Oh, that." I shook my head. "I'm not sure. I just don't feel tired until it gets really late." It was true that I had a few concerns regarding our safety, but I didn't think they had anything to do with my problem.

Alex gave an amused hum as he drank from an odd-looking thermos. The redness of his lips when he removed the object from his face made its contents very clear to me. Oddly enough, the scene didn't make me wince like it clearly did to the others.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," he finally said after licking the improvised lipstick clean. "I had the same problem before our escape. Your circadian rhythm is changing, that's all. It can be fixed over time if you put some effort into it, but if you're like me, it will feel wrong to do so."