June 14th, 3:00 A.M.
Vivienne looks into the house through the wide-open door. She calls for Mrs. Carmichael, but no response is heard. Her stomach drops as she takes a step into the house, and silence falls upon her.
"Mrs. Carmichael, are you home?"
No response.
Unease and nervousness begins to creep up on her. Something just did not sit right with Vivienne.
She takes a look around, but there seem to be no signs of a break-in.
"Hello? Anyone here?" she asks out loud as she walks toward her room.
She opens the door and walks into her room. She feels a slight bit of relief as everything seems to be in its place. She takes a look around, the comfort of her own home easing her nerves a bit, but she just knew something was not right.
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Vivienne steps over toward Mrs. Carmichael's room, the door open and a hinge crooked, metal bent as if it has been forced open. Her stomach tightens. As she crosses the entrance, chills run down her back. The room is a mess—the bed flipped, objects scattered across the floor. The signs of struggle were apparent as pillows were ripped and some objects were broken.
She gasps as she looks toward a wall.
A dark splash. Red and unmistakable.
Blood.
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Disoriented, time begins to feel lost. Her heart beats rapidly, echoing in her ears. Vivienne doesn't scream, nor does she cry. She just stands there in complete shock.
Her hands begin to shake, her throat dry, and questions begin to puzzle in her head.
She starts to feel nauseous, legs trembling, unable to grasp the situation.
"Sh-sh-sh—she's gone…?" she says with a shaky voice.
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June 14th, 4:00 A.M.
Vivienne is still in shock, not understanding the situation. Scenarios keep playing in her head of what could have happened, but none of them bring her back. She knows not what to do, so she lets instinct guide her. Without a thought, she begins to walk out of the house. She is heading somewhere, but she doesn't know where. Each of her steps is slow, not making a sound. The image of the white-haired woman lingers in her mind—but for what reason?
In the distance, sirens can be heard. Reee-urr... reee-urr…
She recognizes them—police sirens.
As she keeps walking, they come closer, almost as if heading toward her. She stops. The sirens are right behind her, as loud as they can be.
kkssshhhk
"Halt. We are searching for an anomaly fitting your description. Put your hands up where I can see them and do not resist."
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Vivienne begins to panic, knowing if they find out what she is—and what she's done—she will surely be sentenced to death.
"I… I can't. I need to get somewhere, officer…" she responds.
The cop steps out, each of his steps heavy as his boots hit the ground.
"This will be a quick investigation, so long as you are not who we are looking for that is."
Vivienne turns around, tries to compose herself, and speaks up.
"May I ask who you're looking for, officer?"
The cop begins to speak, tilting his head up to look at her.
"We're looking for what seems to be a sort of beast—"
He cuts off as he reaches for his holster.
Time seems to slow down for Vivienne.
She sees him reaching for his holster.
Without hesitation, she lunges at him. The cop manages to fire a shot, but it barely grazes the side of her ribs. She bites down into his neck. Blood gushes into her mouth.
"HHRRRAAGHHH!" the cop exclaims as his life fades.
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"Holy shit, I just fucking killed him!" she yells in a panic.
The taste coats her mouth—a taste which was strangely not unpleasant, but the thought of it alone disgusts her.
"I think—glkkk… I'm going to—urghhh… throw up."
She gets down on her knees, feeling nauseous as she covers her mouth. Gagging, she tries to look away from the body—but in the attempt, she vomits onto the floor where the cop's body lies.
She wipes her mouth, which is covered in puke and blood, and begins to look up. A few feet away stands the silhouette of a man. The expression of fear is clear on his face, a phone held against his ear.
She begins to panic as the man is clearly looking toward her and the cop's corpse. Not wanting to be caught, she instinctively turns into a shadow once more, which only frightens the man further.
The man, clearly in shock, drops his phone, turns, and sprints away.
"AH—ahh—shit!" echoes as he runs off.
Vivienne takes advantage of the situation and slips away into the alleyway, not wanting to be found.
"That was way too close… I'll have to leave this place for a while," she says as she begins to take her physical form again.
She knows she won't be able to return to the city for a while—possibly never again—but one goal stays in her mind: to find Mrs. Carmichael, or what happened to her.