Chapter 3

The breaking news was read that morning immediately Lucita switched on the Television. She sat on the couch sipping from her coffee cup.

"A dead body was found in the woods last night by two woodcutters. It has been reported that the FBI agents sent to secure the scene have been killed by the victim's murderer save Harrison Eliot. The Violent Crimes Team Leader in the FBI" the announcer read

"These killings are really getting scarier by the day" Lucita commented

"The FBI agent described the suspects to be men wearing masks. He also stated that the woods have become off limits to joggers and wood cutters and a curfew has been raised"

"Everyone is expected to be in their houses before 7pm tonight"

Dahlia stood behind Lucita listening to the announcer. She knew she never went near the woods the previous day.

Yes, maybe she had a drink from one or two people but she never killed anyone not to talk of FBI agents. It all sounded like bullshit to her.

Immediately after Dahlia's class she went to the rest room and fed on some girls then compelled them to forget.

She decided to go see Richard to get some information because she still didn't know what she was yet. The Vampire story didn't go well with her. She thought it was simply something wrong with her digestive system.

On the way to the hospital she felt someone following her but every time she turned around she saw no one.

Dahlia decided to be the smart one. After all if she was a Vampire as her research said she's supposed to have super speed. She ran with crazy speed and hid behind a kiosk. She popped out her head from her hiding place and saw a man dressed in black looking around like he was searching for someone.

Dahlia knew at once that he had been following her and that also meant that he knew what she was.

She felt anger towards him for no reason. She felt he could have been the one turned her into what she was now. She ran towards him with great speed, rushed at him and took him to the back of the kiosk were she was hiding. Amazed at her own strength she held him by the throat and pinned him to the wall.

"Who are you?" She interrogated baring her fangs

He was wearing a hoodie so she couldn't see his face but she knew at once she had to kill him.

She brought him down and made to grab his neck but he pushed her away with so much force that sent her flying backwards. When she recovered from the shock he was gone.

"Are you saying Dahlia has been acting strange since she left the hospital?" Richard asked Lucita

She had gone to the hospital to tell Richard about Dahlia's attitude towards her and everyone else.

"Yeah" Lucita said

"How exactly is she acting?" Richard asked

"Well, she no more eats food, sometimes her eye colour tends to change when she's annoyed plus each time I come home I see traces of blood in the house and sometimes on her body"

"I'm really thinking about finding a new apartment" she

"Traces of blood?"

"No way, does it mean she's hurting herself?" he asked

"I don't think so 'cause there's never any injury on Dahlia's body" she said

"This is strange" Richard said

"Can you help her out? Maybe you can talk to her and she will listen" she said

"I'll try. I've got surgery now so I gotta go" he said standing up

"Okay, see you around" Lucita said waving at him

Richard walked briskly with his hands in his pockets towards the hospital.

He stopped abruptly when he saw Dahlia climbing the stairs two at once going into the hospital.

She was looking prettier than when the last time he saw her.

He sighed and went after her.

Dahlia had been searching for him to no avail. She decided to give up and leave. Just then she bumped into someone.

"Hey Dahlia, watch it" a familiar voice said

"Richard!" Dahlia exclaimed

"Why do you seem surprised to see me?" he asked

"I've been looking for you and some Nurses said you weren't in so I was surprised seeing you here" she answered

"Well, I went to see your friend" he said

"Lucita?" She asked. He nodded

"What for?" She asked

"Um, just to say hi" he lied

"Oh! I see. I've gotta go now" she said

"But I thought you wanted to see me" he said

"I've seen you now and you have surgery" Dahlia said and walked away

Dahlia was mad. Lucita had gone to see Richard and he wouldn't tell her the reason. She bet it was about her. And Lucita never told her she was going to see him. She was stepping on her last nerves.

"What the fuck did you go to see Richard for?" Dahlia asked barging into the house.

"How did you know about that?" Lucita asked open-eyed

"How did you know about that?" Dahlia mimicked

"Spare me the shit and answer the darn question!" She said

"Fine, I saw him 'cause I wanted to say something to him" Lucita said

"Say what nonsense to him? Tell me" Dahlia demanded

"Why do I have to tell you what I discussed with him, huh? Why are you so interested in our business?" Lucita asked

"Our business?"

"That's funny 'cause last I checked you've got nothing to do him"

"Or maybe you're just trying to get him into your lists of boyfriends. Figures, he has the job, the looks and probably the right family so you won't hesitate to jump on him, right?" Dahlia asked

"Exactly. So try and stop me!" Lucita screamed and left the house

Dahlia screamed angrily and kicked the table in the living room.

She knew Lucita and Richard had made her subject of their discussion and that annoyed her the most. She was going to him for medical advice on what was happening to her but now she couldn't tell him anything anymore as it seemed he and Lucita were in the same boat. With anger, she continued doing damage on the house. Lucita stood outside the window recording everything she was doing.

Dahlia dropped the table to the ground with a thud. It shattered into many pieces. She was thirsty. Being angry wasn't helping her. She raced out of the house with her super speed startling Lucita.

"What did I just see? I must be seeing things" Lucita thought

She played the video she had recorded and saw how Dahlia left the house in the blink of an eye.

"I better go show this to Richard"

Dahlia ran into a convenience store startling the attendant. The bell at the door never rang so she wondered how she got in.

"What can I do for you Miss?" She asked walking up to her

Dahlia looked at the lady and smiled devilishly as she could hear her heart pumping blood.

Her eyes slowly became blood red. Her mouth could no longer keep shut with her fangs stabbing her inner lip. The attendant wondering what was going on began to back away in fear.

"Miss, you need to leave. Now" she said

Dahlia bared her fangs, grabbed the attendant and began to feed on her hungrily.

The attendant couldn't talk. She felt weak. Dahlia couldn't stop. She was angry. She was hungry.

Not being able to control her blood lust, she ended up killing the attendant.

She let go of her limp body and looked around. No one saw. The CCTV cameras wasn't directed towards them. She turned around and in a flash left the store.

She had just killed someone. Now she was a murderer. She began to debate whether or not she was responsible for the killings in the woods. She was beginning to doubt even herself. She knew it all started after what happened at the club. The only person who saw her apart from Lucita was Richard. She needed information from him. She decided to open up to Richard about everything that had been going on with her.

On getting to the hospital she saw Nurse Abigail who recognized her right away.

"Oh my, Miss Dahlia you're looking pretty" Abigail commented

"Thanks. Is Doctor Richard in?" she asked

"Didn't you see him earlier? He is. You can go in" Abigail said

"Thank you" Dahlia said patting her hand

Nurse Abigail flinched at her touch.

"Why are her hands so cold?" she thought as she walked off

Dahlia walked down to Richard's office putting on a smile on her face. Soon it disappeared when she made to knock on the door. She heard two voices coming from the room.

One of them obviously belonged to Lucita.

"I saw her behave like a crazy person today" she heard Lucita say

"How exactly?" Richard asked

Lucita handed him her phone.

"The contents might shock you" she said

Richard played the video and watched as Dahlia went on rampaging.

"What! What's gotten into her?" he asked

"I don't know but I just came to show you this so you'd forget about ever meeting up with her"

"I care about you and I need you to know that" she said

Dahlia stood outside the door with her fists clenched. Lucita sure was making her move on Richard and she didn't mind that but making her seem like a bad person was getting her angry.

Lucita kept ruining her chance to tell Richard about what was going on with her

"What do you mean by that?" Richard asked

"Well I don't want you to get hurt thinking that you can talk to her"

"I'm gonna be leaving that house and renting my own apartment soon"

"You can come over if you want" Lucita said

"What?" Richard said

"You are deviating from the course here Lucita. Your friend could seriously need help but you don't seem to care about that"

"What she needs right now is love and support from you and anyone around her" he said

"No Richard. I think you are the one deviating from the course here"

"Yeah, I'm a bitch. That's what you're trying say, right?" She asked

"No, that's not it" he said

"I want you and I don't want you getting involved with Dahlia because it seems to me that she was completely lost it"

"I know how Doctors are. You all think you can help patients who seem weird but you can't help all so I'm telling you before hand not to bother yourself in trying to reach out to her and I'm also telling you how I feel about you" she said

"What's wrong with you?" Richard asked

Dahlia didn't want to hear more. She turned around and walked away

"I would like you to leave now" Richard said to Lucita

"You must be really busy. I'll see you" she said and walked out

Richard began to have second thoughts on who really needed help. He was worried about Dahlia. There was something definitely wrong with her.

She sat in the bar drowning herself in alcohol. It was funny how she didn't throw it. Dahlia made to place the cup on her lips again for the hundredth time when her phone rang.

"Who the hell is it?" she thought

She checked the caller's ID and saw it was Richard calling.

"How the hell did I even get his number and how did he get my number?" she thought

Remembering what he had discussed with Lucita she ignored the call. He kept calling her. She finally gave in.

"What?"

"Where are you right now?" Richard asked

"Lucita is not here" she said

"I want to talk to you, Dahlia and not Lucita" he responded

"Why? What do you want to talk about? I have no business with you so keep your shit to yourself!" She yelled

"Dahlia please I want to talk to you right now and I feel if I don't do this I'd not get the chance to do it again" he insisted

"Why? You want means on how to get Lucita?"

"Fine, I'll tell you. She likes partying, being a bitch, backstabbing her friend of almost 15 years and above all she's a liar" Dahlia said

"I wasn't gonna talk or ask anything concerning Lucita. It's you I want us to talk about" he said

"So you actually believe what she said right?"

"Well it's true. I'm a crazy girl and what are you gonna do about it?"

"Tell the Cops you saw blood on my hands? Fuck you Richard!" She screamed

Richard could sense she was getting angry. He had to be the reasonable one.

"Please, Dahlia that's not what I want to talk about" he lied

"Where are you? I'll come and see you" he said

"Forget it, before you get here I'll already be out of here" she said

"Please Dahlia, it won't take more than 20 minutes" he pleaded

She ended the call.

"Scum bag" she muttered as she held the glass cup in her hand and crushed it with her fists.

Blood gushed out of the cut and the bartender gapsed.

Minutes later Richard ran into the bar and saw her. He walked up to her anxiously.

"Dahlia" he said softly

She looked at him

"Oh my God!"