《A Corpse’s Guide to Life》
Chapter 1.
Sofia Ort¨ªz¡¯s stomach fluttered with nerves. This was not really how she wanted to spend her 21st birthday.
¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Jackie groaned, tugging her along. Sofia nearly tripped in her heels. She had tried to draw the line back at their apartment, then in the cab, then when they stopped to pick up Jackie¡¯s friends. As they approached the club Sofia didn''t have much hope that more protesting would get her anywhere.
Toronto was massive, a sprawling expanse of people and places, especially compared to the small town Sofia was from. Getting a scholarship to U of T was a dream come true but she had never expected¡ all this. In fact she had avoided getting a dorm in favour of finding an apartment to share for that very reason, to avoid this.
Jackie had seemed eccentric, with her colourful outfits, tattoos and haunting blue eyes Sofia hadn''t known what to make of her. Months later as the first semester came to a close she had finally concluded that Jackie was a monster. More than willing to dress her up in a far too short dress and drag her into the freezing March night to torture her for her birthday. She was only slightly exaggerating.
As they stepped into line, accompanied by a few girls that Sofia couldn''t even remember the name of, Jackie gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Or maybe she was just holding on so Sofia couldn''t make a run for it, either seemed equally plausible.
¡°Just try to chill out, have a drink, dance a little,¡± Jackie coaxed. She was far taller than Sofia, with fair skin and very long blond hair. The opposite of Sophia¡¯s short black hair and darker complexion.
¡®But-¡±
¡°Ahh, you owe me for the all-you-can-eat sushi I took you out for,¡± Jackie cut her off.
¡°You said it was your treat,¡± Sofia grumbled, rubbing at her arms to try and warm herself up.
¡°Sofi, I¡¯m trying to get you to have fun,¡± Jackie replied dramatically as she gently shook her by the shoulders.
¡°Fineeee,¡± Sofia sighed. A single night out wouldn''t kill her, she could manage.
¡°I love this song,¡± one of the other three girls with them cheered excitedly. What was her name? Daisy, Donna? Diana? Sofia hadn''t been paying much attention. All she knew was Jackie had a few classes with them.
Sofia couldn''t keep up with all the science mumbo jumbo, philosophy suited her far better than chemistry. The amount of studying Jackie did made her feel far better about her decision. While she was a good student¡ she wasn''t great, the scholarship had been somewhat of a surprise.
¡°Relax, get out of that head of yours,¡± Jackie ordered as she tugged her towards the entrance.
Sofia smiled at her but held her tongue. She liked Jackie, it was hard not to. Jackie was carefree and cool, a little older, charming and funny. She didn''t like Jackie¡¯s propensity for dragging her out of her comfort zone quite as much.
The best way to describe the club was loud. Trailing behind the others she was already starting to feel somewhat suffocated by this place. The flashing lights, the heat, the noise, it was all uncomfortable.
She ordered a ginger ale, having no intention of adding alcohol to this mix of awfulness. The bartender gave her a polite smile as he slid it over to her.
Sofia pressed the glass to her forehead, enjoying the cool sensation of the ice before taking a sip. Bodies moved in time with the music, she could make out Maybe-Diana and the other two chatting with some guys, Jackie made eye contact with her and waved her over. Sofia raised her glass in acknowledgement but shook her head.
Just because Jackie dragged her here didn¡¯t mean she had to have fun. She was far too stubborn.
¡°Not your scene?¡±
Sofia jumped at the voice, the woman beside her having somehow appeared without her notice. She wore a suit, her shirt dipping low into a V to reveal much of her chest. Her nails were manicured red and her hair perfectly styled. Most strange however was the sunglasses, though considering the situation Sofia could definitely use her own pair.
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Normally this would be a situation to excuse herself from. Despite the woman¡¯s attractiveness, meeting women at clubs wasn¡¯t really her thing. Still¡ there was something odd about the woman, Sofia couldn¡¯t help her curiosity.
¡°No, not yours either I presume,¡± Sofia replied.
¡°No, but I go where the wind takes me,¡± she shrugged.
¡°Were you swept away or did you adjust the sails?¡± Sofia asked, feeling somewhat proud of her clever retort.
The woman smiled faintly. ¡°Bit of both I suppose, I am where I am.¡±
Sofia took another sip of her drink and turned to face the woman. The woman simply observed her from behind the sunglasses. Or Sofia at least assumed she did, she couldn¡¯t see her eyes.
She wasn¡¯t remotely a flirt but generally that¡¯s how these things went, wasn¡¯t it? A mysterious attractive woman decides to start a conversation, scampering off would be rude.
¡°I believe your friends are trying to get your attention,¡± the woman offered.
Sofia glanced back at Jackie who was watching her curiously.
¡°I¡¯m not much of a dancer,¡± she replied with a shrug.
¡°What is your scene then?¡± The woman asked.
¡°Anywhere not so horribly loud,¡± Sofia chuckled.
¡°Amen to that, I hate clubs,¡± the woman sighed.
¡°Why are you here then?¡± Sofia asked curiously. She still couldn¡¯t get a read on the woman. It was as unnerving as it was thrilling.
¡°A good drink, they can be scarce these days,¡± the woman replied. Sofia couldn¡¯t place her hint of an accent. She also wasn¡¯t drinking anything.
Sofia sipped in her ginger ale. This woman was strange. Not creepy but odd. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it but there was something she was missing.
¡°I¡¯m Eloise,¡± the woman offered, holding out her hand.
¡°Sofia,¡± Sofia replied, still with the straw in her mouth as she shook her hand. Or Eloise did the shaking, Sofia was so confused by what she was feeling that she simply froze for a moment.
Her skin was cold, dry and leathery in a way she had never felt before. A shiver of alarm went down her spine. A sense of wrongness she couldn¡¯t even consciously place. Some lizard part of her brain was sounding an alarm she didn¡¯t understand how to hear.
A hand pressed against Sofia¡¯s shoulder making her jolt. Jackie had returned, eyeing the woman suspiciously. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Jackie, Sophie¡¯s roommate. And you are?¡± She asked, her tone not entirely friendly.
Eloise stared for a moment, Sofia figured she had been caught off guard. ¡°Eloise,¡± Eloise replied after a moment.
¡°Address?¡± Jackie demanded.
Eloise¡¯s mouth quirked into a smile and she answered before Sofia could interject. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what this interrogation was about.
When Jackie was satisfied all her questions had been answered she drunkenly pressed a kiss to Sofia¡¯s forehead. ¡°Have fun,¡± she whispered before returning to the others.
¡°She seems nice,¡± Eloise offered.
Sofia smiled. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s¡ nice.¡± Her overwhelmed mind was trying to remember where they had been. Jackie always seemed to draw all of her attention when she came and went.
Eloise gave her a smile, though a close-lipped one. Sofia suddenly had the realization that the woman even spoke without showing her teeth, maybe it was a strange thing to notice but she had noticed it nonetheless.
¡°Are you a student?¡± Eloise asked.
Sofia nodded, ¡°doing my undergrad in philosophy.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s your favourite?¡± Eloise inquired, leaning back to cross her legs.
¡°Philosopher?¡± Sofia asked, Eloise nodded. ¡°Hmm¡ I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s something somewhat romantic about the nihilists, but the stoics probably give better advice. You?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not much for the ramblings of men with too much wine and time on their hands,¡± Eloise shrugged.
¡°There must be something that¡¯s stuck out to you,¡± Sofia pressed.
Eloise pursed her lips and glanced away for a moment. ¡°To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.¡±
¡°Oscar Wilde?¡± Sofia guessed. It definitely sounded familiar.
¡°You know your literature.¡±
¡°More likely I saw it posted somewhere,¡± she chuckled.
¡°Some things cannot be helped I suppose,¡± Eloise offered with a wistful sigh. ¡°Are you aware of your arrhythmia?
¡°What?¡± Sofia frowned.
¡°Your pulse, it is irregular,¡± Eloise clarified as if that somehow made it any clearer.
Confused, Sophia raised her hand to her throat. Her pulse didn¡¯t feel any different than normal. Maybe a little fast. How would Eloise even know such a thing?
¡°I know lots of things,¡± Eloise smiled.
The fact Eloise has answered a question posed only in her mind was somehow overshadowed by her smile. Sharp-toothed and fanged, they hardly fit a human face. Her teeth were that of a predator, a wolf or a tiger, anything but human.
Sofia glanced around the club as if an explanation would somehow come to her. She did not like this at all. Where was Jackie? This was ever so wrong. She needed to leave.
¡°I¡¯d be careful raising your pulse like that, you''re only damaging your heart further,¡± Eloise offered, running her tongue over her teeth. She made no move to do anything otherwise.
Sofia wasn¡¯t quite sure what to believe. The music blared, lights flashed, her heart thudded. She felt dizzy. She couldn¡¯t make out Jackie in the crowd and she hardly dared glance away from Eloise.
¡°What do you want?¡± She croaked, unsure of what else to do but speak to¡ this thing in front of her.
¡°That¡¯s not usually the first question people ask me,¡± Eloise chuckled.
Sofia clenched her jaw. She didn¡¯t like how calm the other woman was. Her sense of unease was building to all-out fear. This was bad, this wasn¡¯t how anything should be.
¡°My daughter died,¡± Eloise finally offered. ¡°I want another and I have no desire to make one of my usual meals. Your life is already going to be cut tragically short, it¡¯s almost ethical this way.¡±
Confusion somehow drowned out much of Sofia¡¯s fear. The nonchalance with this woman spoke of things utterly alien made her head spin. Despite all that something was unnervingly clear, whoever she was sitting across from, whatever she was sitting across from, she wasn¡¯t human.
How exactly that was possible she didn¡¯t have time to unpack. Making a run for it seemed like a pretty good idea right about now. Though if Eloise could read her thoughts she probably should stop thinking. Clear her mind and just act.
¡°Sorry darling,¡± Eloise offered almost apologetically. ¡°You never really had much of a chance. In a few decades, come and track me down if you can find it in your heart to forgive me.¡±
Sofia didn¡¯t have the chance to reply before the woman reached for her sunglasses. Sofia didn¡¯t remember anything after that.
Sofia was something again, if just barely. Her neck pulsed with sharp wet pain. Metallic sticky warmth coated her throat. The taste of sweet iron and salt. Her body was being lowered, pressed against a cold surface.
She didn¡¯t have the strength to open her eyes even as she sensed movement. Her hair was gently brushed from her face.
¡°Try to die quickly, it¡¯s more unpleasant if you drag it out,¡± a voice offered comfortingly. Sofia tried to reply but only managed a wheeze as she began to float back into her own body.
¡°Remember to live, darling, don¡¯t settle for simply existing.¡±
With that Sofia was left alone. Unconsciousness pulled her back even as she tried to force herself awake. It was a losing battle, a sleep she couldn¡¯t resist for long.
At some point, someone screamed. At another something slapped at her face, voices yelling. She couldn¡¯t feel anything. Her body was both hot and cold, lead and feather-light. It was so easy to drift towards the light, except there was nothing but darkness.
Chapter 2.
Sofia was almost certain she was dead. Except the very fact she could think at all made her far less certain. The painfully bright light shining right in her face hardly seemed like the light of the afterlife she was supposed to be drifting towards by now. She winced feeling something covering part of her face.
She was jerked back into her body like the pull of a bungee cord by movement in her chest. She couldn¡¯t begin to place the feeling beyond how invasive it felt.
Sofia forced her eyes open despite the horrible light. Everything was metal, the floors, the ceilings, the large tray she lay on. It smelled sterile and horrible, like a hospital of decay and death.
She brushed the thing off her face, the large flap of skin falling away. Something clattered to the floor as someone screamed. She tried to take a breath but couldn¡¯t as she stared down in horror. She had no lungs to breathe with. Her chest cavity had been hollowed out, her skin, muscle and tissues now dangled loosely having been cut away. She had been dissected yet she was alive.
Her body did not hurt, no adrenaline pumped through her veins, she was cold and lifeless yet present. She sat up, her intestine sloughing out of her open abdomen.
Movement caught her attention. A figure in medical garbs, entirely anonymous under the gloves and mask. They looked like a butcher, their apron stained with her blood. She could see their eyes though, eyes that stared at her in horror.
She had no lungs with which to breathe, and no larynx with which to speak. She had been hollowed out. Her body was numb and cold¡ and ever so hungry.
Somehow as the person stared at her their expression melted from horror to peace. Their eyes turned glossy and relaxed. They simply zoned out, their terror fading.
Sofia had no idea what was going on. How had she even gotten here? How was she alive? She knew the answer to the second one already. She wasn¡¯t. Regardless of its possibility, she wasn¡¯t alive.
The figure just stood there staring right back at her even as she slid her legs off the table. She couldn¡¯t inhale, but she could still taste the air, taste their blood and sweat. Hear their pulse.
Hunger clawed at her stomach, presumably, she still had it. She pushed herself to her feet, still unable to look away from the figure that just stood there. She ran her tongue along her teeth in confusion. They were loose. An incisor came loose, falling from her lips, sliding over the flap of flesh before tinking onto the smooth shiny floor.
With a shaking hand, she brought her hand to her mouth. More teeth fell away, slipping free from her gums. She couldn¡¯t properly spit them out, she couldn¡¯t exhale. She was dead yet she was still here.
The coroner¡¯s heart thudded. She couldn¡¯t hear anything else, the sound was all-consuming, alluring, like the call of a siren. They were food, a meal wrapped in plastic. Her hunger urged her to dig in.
Yet she wasn¡¯t standing across from warm cookies fresh from the oven. She was facing off with a person. A middle-aged man.
Eloise had taken her and changed her into something else. Something that hungered for flesh and blood. Something that was cold and dead.
Why wasn''t he running? He just stood there with a dumb glassy-eyed expression. So easy it would be to have a bite.
She didn¡¯t want to dig into his flesh though. What she wanted was to be whole, to go home, to get the hell out of this nightmare. Still¡ she wasn¡¯t sure she had ever been so hungry.
She stumbled forward on unsteady legs. Where were her clothes? Where was her purse, her pulse? How did she even go about dealing with¡ this? Where were her¡ organs? How did she get them back?
Her skin was the same shade it had always been but it felt entirely different. Dry and leathery, and underneath ever so pale. Just like Eloise.
She was dripping. Thick slimy purplish goo oozing down her dangling intestines. Blood, she realized. It was her blood. Purplish and viscous. Just like the blood Eloise had made her drink.
Sofia was terrified but there was nothing she could do. She couldn¡¯t scream, she couldn¡¯t cry, she couldn¡¯t plead. She had been killed and torn into pieces. She needed to be whole, she needed to be away from it all. She needed to fill the empty ache inside her before she collapsed and really died this time.
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She stumbled to the coroner. He was so alive and warm. She took his gloved hand, he didn¡¯t even react as she pulled it off revealing his arm.
Just a little, she told herself. Just a little blood. She could leave him otherwise intact. She was starving and weak, too much food would make her sick anyway. Or it would if she had still been human.
Her gums were bloody and hollow. She had no teeth to bite with, no claws to cut with. She grabbed a scalpel from a tray. Just a little blood.
She cut into his arm, red immediately blooming from the cut. He didn¡¯t react. She brought her face down to his arm and ran her tongue along the cut.
It tasted¡ like blood. Metallic and heavy, rich and salty. It should have been disgusting, nothing about the flavour had changed. But it was¡ perfect. Vitality itself, ambrosia. How easy it would be to lose oneself in this ecstasy.
The coroner jerked from her weakened grasp and fell backward.
¡°What the fuck! What the fuck!¡± He yelled as he scrambled away.
Their gazes met and he relaxed again. The stress and fear bled out of him as his arm dripped with red.
¡°Come,¡± she whispered, the word paper thin and fragile. Her body was unable to handle anymore.
He obeyed. Never glancing away, never breaking eye contact as he stood and stepped towards her. She grabbed his arm and brought it to her mouth. Running her tongue over the cut. It had already clotted. In frustration she pressed her thumb into the incision, brute forcing her way into his flesh. The blood pooled in the crevice she had carved out.
With a sigh of relief, she began to feed. Lapping at his wrist like a thirsty dog, his blood mixing with her own, breathing a spark of life back into her corpse. When his wrist managed to clot again she released him.
She was still hungry, maybe she would never be truly satisfied but she was strong enough to finally stand on sturdy legs and take a deep breath.
The smells hit her like a truck, simply too much information for her mind to sort through. A wall of messages she could only begin to decrypt. So much sterility, death and decay. People, not just this mortician, but others too, sweat and blood and tears. It was far too much, she shuddered it all away.
Sofia stared at the man still oblivious to the world. Instinct had called him to her, forcing him to obey. Certainly not human instinct but something new, something she could use.
¡°Where is my phone?¡± Sofia rasped, without teeth the words sounded wrong. Her cold flesh was still in the process of knitting itself back together. Apparently she could regrow organs. She pushed that thought to the side for now.
The coroner turned and pointed to a clear bag on the counter. Unlike before he didn¡¯t snap out of it from their gaze breaking. She could feel his mind struggling to break free, the effect fading, she pulled him back to look at her before the band snapped.
Sofia was in no position to figure any of this out right now. She needed to get somewhere safe.
The problem was the coroner. She couldn¡¯t kill him. But he had seen her, witnessed all this. He knew too much. If she took all her stuff and left maybe he would just convince himself it had all been a dream.
But it wasn¡¯t like she could knock him out in the meantime, if you hit someone hard enough for that, odds were that they might not ever get up. But if she had some kind of mind control¡
¡°Go to sleep,¡± she instructed as clearly as she could, her throat struggling to clearly vocalize.
His eyes fluttered and he dropped like a rock. Sofia scrambled to catch him before he hit the ground. She gently lay him down. He had reacted far more literally than she had expected.
How did she turn whatever this was off though? She couldn¡¯t have everyone she ever looked at going all zombie.
¡°Sunglasses,¡± she grimaced to herself. Eloise had worn sunglasses, at least up until she didn¡¯t remember anything else. Maybe the coroner wouldn¡¯t remember much of this when he woke up? She had no way to know.
She hurried to her phone. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t dead and she unlocked it. Then she paused, she had no idea where exactly she was. Thank the universe for Google Maps.
She opened up Jackie¡¯s contact but paused. What exactly was she even supposed to say?
It was currently just after 7 PM. That couldn¡¯t be right. Unless¡ fuck, it had been a whole day.
Clothes, she needed clothes.
Her clothes from that night at the club were in a bag with a big biohazard sign. She didn¡¯t bother opening it, they were soaked with blood.
Anxiously she looked around for something to wear. There were a few lab coats hanging up, one would have to do.
She ran her tongue around her smooth mouth for what had to be the millionth time. It was different now. There was pressure in her gums, new teeth pushing into place. She knew what they would eventually be.
She slipped into the large lab coat which easily covered her whole body. Despite it changing nearly nothing it still felt far safer. The thin fabric offered her comfort.
Unsure of what other options she had she face-timed Jackie, absently tracing the smooth skin of her chest under the lab coat while it rang. There was no sign she had ever been so carved up.
It continued to ring, again and again Jackie did not answer.
Sofia swallowed her growing irritation. Jackie had to think she was dead, she probably wouldn''t risk answering a ghost either.
¡°Answer asshole, I am stuck naked at the morgue.¡±
The phone stopped ringing, her message was left on read. She called again. After several more rings, Jackie finally answered. Her camera was covered by her thumb.
Sofia held her phone up to get a good view of her. Except her camera showed nothing. Just the wall behind her. She refreshed the camera, but still nothing. It was as if she wasn¡¯t even there. Not her, no lab coat, nothing. Totally invisible.
¡°Fucking hell,¡± she growled to herself and hung up. She knew for a fact her voice wouldn¡¯t be recognizable. There was no way Jackie would believe her.
¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll take the bus or something. I know this seems entirely impossible but I promise it¡¯s actually me and I¡¯m not dead¡±
Sofia hoped her words would be reassuring. She was already trying to figure out how to walk home from here. There was no way she could call a ride when all she was dressed in was a lab coat. Though walking nearly naked and shoeless through Toronto sounded like a nightmare.
She needed clothes, she needed sunglasses. She really needed to eat something. She had restrained herself but all she had done was toss a glass of water on a bonfire.
Rubbing a hand over her face to try and centre herself she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. At least the coroner seemed to be sleeping peacefully, it was the least she could do.
¡®Come and find me in a few decades if you find it in your heart to forgive me.¡¯ That¡¯s what Eloise had told her. She had a feeling those decades would not even graze her. She didn¡¯t need to check her pulse, her body was silent, eerily so. She had lied to Jackie, she was certainly dead. Dead but not gone.
Chapter 3.
Getting out of the morgue itself proved to be a greater challenge than she had expected¡ªat least until she remembered that she could just make the security guard open the doors for her. Sure, it would be another witness, but considering she apparently didn¡¯t appear on cameras, she was far less concerned.
The city in the early evening was still far more awake than she would have liked. Her lab coat, dishevelled appearance and lack of shoes drew far more stares than she was comfortable with.
Walking did a good job of clearing her mind even if physically she felt nothing. No soreness, no sweating, no desire for oxygen. It was¡ empty. Excluding the hunger that coiled in her belly that was impossible to ignore.
She kept her head down, not wanting to draw more attention than she already was. Her phone''s battery was running uncomfortably low and it was by no means a short walk.
Still, it was hard not to enjoy the evening. She was¡ still here despite everything. She had never put too much value on her own life but tonight she was glad her encounter with Eloise had not been her end. How she felt about¡ her new condition she wasn¡¯t so sure yet.
Stepping out of the morgue had been confusing. The sheer brightness of the city was unsettling. Streetlights illuminated the dusk, but it wasn¡¯t until she looked up at the sky that it really sunk in.
The light pollution drowned out the stars but the night sky was still far brighter. Her eyes were now built for the dark. Her senses as a whole were far sharper. She didn¡¯t risk breathing, the smells had been overwhelming in the sterile morgue. She tried to focus on only the sound around her, to ignore everything else but it was not easy. Every conversation, every car that passed, every heart that beat all drew her attention.
One thing was for certain, she was never stepping foot in a club ever again. The stimuli had been bad enough before all this. Now the weight of it all might drown her, how Eloise had managed she had no idea.
She walked quickly. Every clothing shop she passed felt like a taunt. She was consistently aware of her nudity under the coat and it would be fairly obvious to anyone who paid too much attention.
Her longing glance into store windows made her aware of another thing. It had taken embarrassingly long, not until someone had passed by her. It wasn¡¯t just cameras, she didn¡¯t have a reflection.
That epiphany strangely made things clearer. She was a walking corpse that drank blood and had no reflection. A vampire. She was a fucking vampire.
Sofia had been doing her best to just not think too hard about everything but since the thought had popped into her head it was impossible not to notice how well the term fit.
Her teeth were starting to push through, at the moment it was only her canines. Now full-on fangs rather than pointier teeth. At least that¡¯s what it felt like.
Vampire was maybe too broad of a term but she was certainly vampiric. Somehow everything seemed far less plausible now that she was applying the term vampire to herself.
In fact, as she crossed the street and turned the corner she seriously considered if this was some kind of coma dream or if she had just lost it. Unfortunately, there was literally no way to know anything at all was real so it was probably best just to accept what seemed to be her new reality.
Sofia checked her map again. She was nowhere near her apartment. If she didn¡¯t look so bizarre then she could just hop on a bus but the last thing she wanted to do was cause more trouble.
She glanced at the large retail store across the street. They would have clothes. She might have been a mess but she did have her wallet. She could buy clothes, right?
A laugh escaped her. She didn¡¯t even need to buy them. She was invisible to cameras and could mind control people. She could just walk in and take whatever she wanted.
How strange to have found so much freedom in death. Fuck, she was probably legally dead wasn¡¯t she? Her parents. Oh fuck, her parents.
Oh, maybe it was ok. It had been two days, they hadn¡¯t even gotten to her¡ autopsy until tonight. Except¡ Jackie, Jackie would have been able to identify her, hell Jackie could have broken the news herself. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Sofia gave up on finding clothes and picked up her pace.
¡°Do my parents think I¡¯m dead? Please tell me you didn¡¯t tell them.¡±
Just like the other messages, there was no reply.
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Unwilling to deal with any more bullshit tonight she broke into a run. There was no joy in a lovely evening anymore. Her life had potentially crumbled in the last three days.
What did the freedom to steal clothes matter if her family thought she was dead? It was easy to get sucked up in the power but there was nothing nice about what Eloise had done. She had been murdered, regardless of what she was now, everyone around her was living in that reality.
Forget being undead, she had no idea how to feel about that, but Eloise had harmed her friends and family. That wasn¡¯t something that could be let go. Eloise owed her big time, she would not forget it.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, not bothering to check for cars, what did it matter if she got hit anyway? She could- she had healed from worse.
By the time her phone finally died, she already recognized the neighbourhood. She felt like a madwoman, running at a speed that had never been possible. Dodging obstacles and skidding around corners.
She didn¡¯t dare look down at the condition of her bare feet. She felt no pain, it did not matter. She might have enjoyed this on any other occasion, the freedom, the speed, the power but not tonight.
As she reached the apartment she finally managed to relax a little. It was an utterly odd feeling to just be fine. No cramp in her side, no gasping for air. She had sprinted through the city without even taking a breath.
She knocked, waited a moment, and then realized she did in fact have her key. She unlocked the door and hurried inside only to run face-first into Jackie.
Jackie yelled and punched her in the face, Sofia felt her jaw break loose under her flesh with unexpected brittleness. It only reminded her further of her hunger, especially now face to face with a wide-eyed Jackie. She really needed to eat something. She might have been strong but she was still so-so fragile.
¡°Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, Sofia,¡± Jackie gasped, her brain seeming to short-circuit before her expression slipped into that placidly hollow relaxed expression Sofia was becoming all the more familiar with.
Her eyes, she needed to hide her eyes. What did they even look like? What about them could do this to people? She wasn¡¯t entirely sure she wanted to know what people saw.
It was one thing to affect a stranger, it was another to have a friend under her spell. The sense of wrongness was pervasive. It was a violation of someone she cared about.
Sofia pushed by her roommate. The band of control lingered more and more with every mind she grasped even without eye contact. This time she snapped it.
¡°Sofia?¡± Jackie called, but Sofia was already disappearing into her room.
Thankfully Sofia had a few pairs of sunglasses. She grabbed the most reflective ones and slipped them on. She had to look utterly ridiculous. But all she could do was imagine, her bedroom mirror was empty.
¡°Sofi,¡± Jackie sighed from the doorway, her eyes teary. ¡°You¡¯re¡ actually alive,¡± she croaked before pulling Sofia into a hug.
Sofia hugged her right back. She might have been unable to muster a physical reaction but some of the tension she had been holding finally released.
¡°You were dead, h-how?¡± Jackie shuddered against her. She was so warm against Sofia¡¯s body. It was impossible to ignore her scent. Heated and wet. How easy it would be to take a bite.
Sofia swallows her reply. Her teeth had grown in enough that she was confident she could form proper words, even if it meant her mouth closed in a way that felt wrong. The problem was she didn¡¯t really know what to say.
¡°You¡¯re freezing,¡± Jackie added, pulling back slightly. Concern was clear on her face, Sofia¡¯s outfit couldn¡¯t have helped things.
¡°I lied,¡± Sofia offered hesitantly. ¡°I am dead.¡±
Jackie squinted at her for a moment. ¡°Are we talking ghost shenanigans or like more of a zombie-type deal?¡±
¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Sofia sighed.
¡°Bitch we found you in the bathroom with your neck torn out. The paramedics whisked you away but¡ it was¡ bad, really bad.¡±
¡°My parents?¡± Sofia asked, changing the subject.
¡°They don¡¯t know anything. I couldn¡¯t remember their number and I didn¡¯t even know how to begin,¡± Jackie laughed weakly. ¡°I-I figured the cops would handle it.¡±
¡°Thank the stars for your bad memory,¡± Sofia sighed with relief. Just like that everything seemed to balance out a little more. She didn''t feel like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff quite as much.
¡°You¡¯re actually here, fuck Sofi. You¡¯re actually here,¡± Jackie laughed. ¡°Now I don¡¯t need to cover all of the rent.¡±
¡°Oh fuck you,¡± Sofia chuckled. She almost felt normal. Almost.
¡°What¡¯s with the lab coat and glasses?¡± Jackie asked.
¡°I uh¡¡± Sofia didn¡¯t even know how to explain everything that had happened. She sat on the edge of her bed and ran her hands over her face. ¡°I woke up mid-autopsy.¡±
¡°Like¡ naked on the table?¡± Jackie asked, leaning against the wall with a frown of confusion.
¡°Like cut¡ open,¡± Sofia explained, trying to awkwardly mime the nightmare. ¡°He was scooping my organs out.¡±
Jackie just stared at her, clearly unsure about what exactly the fuck was going on.
Sofia didn¡¯t have the time for this. ¡°I¡¯ll prove it,¡± she sighed with determination, standing and grabbing a pair of scissors from her desk.
¡°What-¡°
Jackie didn¡¯t get the chance to finish the question before she held out her hand on the desk and brought the scissors down with as much force as she could muster.
The scissors hardly passed through with the ease of a sharp sharp blade but the sheer force of her attempt lodged them deep in her flesh. She released the scissors, and they stayed embedded, standing on their own.
Jackie¡¯s complexion somewhat matched hers at this moment. She looked like she was going to throw up.
Sofia supposed impaling one''s hand was an inane thing to do. But that was somewhat the point, she needed Jackie to start believing her. It wasn¡¯t as if it even hurt, it was strange and a little uncomfortable but her flesh did not care, so she couldn¡¯t bring herself to either.
She pulled the scissors out, having to wiggle them free from bone. Slowly her hand began to heal. Not in the way the living did. There was no scab, no scar. It was like the injury undid itself. Her hand returned to how it had been before. Bone smoothing out, flesh stretching to latch onto flesh. It was mesmerizing to watch.
Sofia held out her hand. ¡°Tadaa!¡±
Jackie¡¯s eyes rolled back in her head and she dropped like a rock. Sofia lunged to grab her before her head smashed into the ground. People really needed to stop doing that.
Jackie blinked rapidly and pressed a hand to her face as Sofia cradled her head.
¡°You fainted,¡± Sofia laughed weakly.
Jackie shook her head and tried to sit up. Sofia kept a hand on her for support. She had never seen Jackie faint before, actually, she had never seen anyone faint before.
¡°Maybe lie down for a bit?¡± She suggested she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the protocol for fainting was.
¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jackie croaked as she unsteadily stood. She didn¡¯t seem fine. Thankfully Jackie chose to sit on Sophie¡¯s bed without further encouragement.
¡°To answer your question from before, it¡¯s more of a vampire situation,¡± Sofia smiled as comfortingly as she could manage.
¡°Your teeth,¡± Jackie muttered.
¡°Oh¡ yeah,¡± Sofia replied, moving her tongue in her mouth. ¡°They¡¯re regrowing.¡±
¡°What the actual fuck is going on?¡± Jackie groaned.
Chapter 4.
¡°I fucking knew it, I knew she was trouble,¡± Jackie growled.
¡°You told me to have fun,¡± Sofia huffed.
¡°I thought she was break-your-heart trouble not¡ maul you to death,¡± Jackie offered somewhat sheepishly.
Sofia shook her head and lay back on her pillows.
¡°So¡ vampire rules?¡± Jackie asked.
¡°What?¡±
¡°No reflection, check. I cannot get over how strange this is,¡± Jackie muttered, holding up the hand mirror.
Sofia bit back her reply. Jackie barely knew the half of it.
¡°What else? Garlic?¡± Jackie asked.
Sofia rolled her eyes. Though¡ ¡°maybe, I have a really strong sense of smell, like really strong.¡±
¡°What¡¯s that like?¡± Jackie asked.
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sofia groaned. Jackie had moved from disbelief to cursory and she wasn¡¯t sure if it was any better.
¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Jackie giggled. She was practically giddy about all of this. The last thing Sofia felt was giddy. How could she be so excited about all this?
Sofia was definitely hangry and Jackie was not helping things. She needed to eat though she had no idea where to even begin.
Eating human food was probably not an option but she needed to try to rule it out. Eating Jackie was not an option either. They probably had some kind of meat in the fridge, maybe that would do?
¡°What about the whole invitation thing?¡± Jackie yawned.
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sofia snapped.
Jackie seemed somewhat taken aback.
¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just tired,¡± Sofia sighed, leaving out how hungry she was. She doubted that realization would be as fun as the rest of it. Shit became real when your roommate suddenly had a taste for human flesh.
Sofia tried to push the thought from her mind. Thinking about food just made her hunger more apparent.
She had also dodged any questions about the sunglasses. She had no idea how to begin explaining the effect of her eyes and the last thing she wanted was for Jackie to volunteer as a guinea pig.
She wanted normal, none of this was normal. Everything going back to normal was what had brought her home with so much urgency but it was just a fantasy. She was still just as dead.
¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jackie sighed, ¡°this had to be overwhelming.¡±
Sofia nodded.
¡°I figure you''re not going to class tomorrow?¡± Jackie asked as she stood and stretched.
Sofia blinked before shaking her head. She hadn¡¯t even considered school. The weekend was over now. Life was just carrying on.
Jackie pulled the blinds tightly closed. ¡°Maybe¡ don¡¯t risk the sun tomorrow. That¡¯s Vampire 101.¡±
Sofia gave her a tight smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±
¡°Yeah, goodnight,¡± Jackie said. She paused, quickly pulled Sofia into another hug and then left Sofia alone.
Sofia could still hear her. The soft pattering of her steps. The pulsing of her heart. Every sigh and breath. The house was quiet, every sound was a shout.
Sofia could certainly smell her. That was far worse. Jackie didn¡¯t smell any different. It was almost worse that way. All the wires in her brain had been rearranged.
She had eagerly drunk the coroner''s blood. It should have been revolting, it tasted like blood, but that somehow was a good thing now. Her entire sense of taste had changed but the flavours hadn¡¯t. She had been¡ changed, made into something new. Something that only had some of the old Sofia.
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It was too late in the evening now to call her parents. But she sent them a message wishing them well and telling them she loved them.
She lay there twiddling her thumbs for a few more minutes until she couldn¡¯t take the boredom and the hunger. The last thing her body felt like it needed was sleep. She didn¡¯t feel energized but she didn¡¯t remotely feel tired either. As always her flesh felt next to nothing.
Sofia tiptoed her way to the kitchen, not wanting to alert Jackie to her presence as she opened the fridge. She grabbed the prone juice and poured a small glass.
Tentatively she took a small sip and smacked her lips. It wasn¡¯t¡ the worst. Far too sour and disgustingly sweet. The thought of drinking more made her feel a little queasy. She poured it down the sink. Her taste had certainly been rewired.
Next, she reached for a pack of bacon. Cooking it would theoretically make it taste better but she was famished and she didn¡¯t want to risk Jackie waking up. She took a small sniff, it smelled like bacon.
Willing herself to just get this over with she bit off a small piece. She chewed and swallowed. It tasted¡ meh. There was a plasticky undertone she wasn¡¯t a fan of. But the meat itself was fine. Palatable even. Good would be stretching it.
But it was food, food she could eat. She bit off a larger piece.
She had to have looked insane. Crouched in the kitchen in sunglasses eating a pack of bacon raw. She chuckled at the image as she ate another piece.
What did she even look like anymore? She would never see her face again. Never see what Eloise had done to her.
As much as she wanted a rational explanation, an explanation of vampirism based in science that just wasn¡¯t possible. She wasn¡¯t possible. Ergo humanity was oblivious to a lot. She didn¡¯t want to consider that if vampires could be real¡ what else?
A whole new category of things she knew she didn¡¯t know had opened up and it scared her.
She swallowed the last strip of bacon. It really held nothing compared to human blood. But she wasn''t starving anymore. It was a wonder she had made it as far as she had without eating more than a small amount of blood.
Any mammal would immediately be nursing. But she had been born dead. Left to figure everything out on her own.
The bacon barely managed to calm her hunger, she was far from satisfied. She felt a little better. It only made her wonder how fantastic she would feel if she drained an entire person of blood and ate all the flesh from their bones. How strong would that make her?
It was a dangerous idea to allow, especially with Jackie in the other room. So very warm and alive.
But it wasn¡¯t as if she couldn¡¯t control herself. There was no feeding frenzy, no blackout. If she decided to eat someone it would be her own choice. She would have no excuse. Still, she preferred having control, better than being at the mercy of some kind of bloodlust.
She tossed the packaging in the garbage and washed her hands. Sofia went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hopefully rid the taste of raw bacon from her mouth. It may have tasted fine but logically she didn¡¯t like it.
When she returned to her room she ensured the curtains were tightly closed, and kicked off the stupid lab coat and sunglasses before climbing into bed.
It was nearly morning. Sofia had long given up on actually sleeping. She could lie there with her eyes closed all she wanted to, but rest seemed beyond her. There was no pull of unconsciousness, no sinking into the bed. Just waiting, alert and awake.
With far too much time and nothing to do anxiety began to creep in. The sun was beginning to rise. Faint light now illuminated her room through her blinds. If there was one thing everyone knew about vampires was that the sunlight was antithetical to them.
She pulled the blankets tighter around her. Maybe she could avoid sunbathing but there were very few places on earth that no light reached. Was she the burst-into-flames kind of vampire or the turn-to-ash kind? Somehow she needed to find out but the thought terrified her.
The room was already uncomfortably bright and it wasn¡¯t even dawn. She was not particularly hopeful. She had ordered blackout curtains during the night but they would not be there before the sun rose.
How stupid it would be to burn to death in her own bed after everything. But in the small apartment, there wasn¡¯t really anywhere to hide.
She settled for rolling herself under her bed. It felt safer than the alternative. She really needed to vacuum under her bed. Thankfully she didn¡¯t need to breathe and was safe from all the dust.
The curtains did a poor job of blocking out the light. Then again she was far more sensitive to it. What was dim light would be a spotlight to her. Hidden away under the bed she felt fine even as dawn turned to morning.
However, her eyes were unable to adjust. Even dim daylight and hidden under her bed left her struggling to see anything clearly. She could squint and blink all she liked but it was like a flashlight being shown directly in her eyes. Her room was nothing more than a blinding blur before she knew it.
She was blind. Her eyes were far too sensitive to be of any use during the day. She really wished she had not left the sunglasses on the other side of the room. Eloise clearly knew what she was doing.
Trapped under the bed and unable to see, she had never quite felt so helpless. It was like looking at the sun. The price of near-perfect night vision.
¡°Tell Jackie I need help,¡± she told her phone, for once actually using the voice assistant.
Sofia didn¡¯t like relying on people but what choice did she really have right now? Wait until the sun went down? That wasn¡¯t an option, she couldn¡¯t hide under the bed all day. She had a friend, a roommate, someone that partially knew about what the fuck was going on. She wasn¡¯t too proud to admit she needed help.
¡°Tell Jackie the curtains don¡¯t block enough light.¡±
The city had long since woken up, drowning out her ability to hear her roommate but it didn¡¯t take a genius to guess Jackie was still asleep.
¡°Call Jackie.¡±
She might actually strangle her roommate. Once again when she actually needed help she wasn¡¯t there. Maybe that wasn¡¯t entirely fair but for fucks sake.
For all Jackie¡¯s kindness, she wasn¡¯t the kind of person that Sofia would choose in an emergency. She was flaky and unreliable and didn''t take much of anything that seriously. But she was the closest thing Sofia had to a friend and she really needed one right now.
¡°Jackie!¡± She yelled as loudly as she could. The name came out more of a snarl, far louder than she had expected.
She heard the footsteps even before her door opened. ¡°Sofia?¡± Jackie asked, panic lacing her groggy voice.
¡°It¡¯s too bright,¡± Sofia whimpered.
¡°Fuck¡ uh, hold on,¡± Jackie muttered and pattered away.
Sofia tried to calm herself. It was foolish to start expecting things from Jackie. Getting her expectations up would be a stupid thing to do. This couldn¡¯t be easy on Jackie either, her roommate has thought her dead. Still, she didn¡¯t manage to fully smother her annoyance.
Jackie returned a minute later and after some fiddling the room fell dark. With. Sigh of relief Sofia slid from under the bed, still very much naked except for the blankets wrapped around her. It was a habit she had no intention of continuing.
Jackie had tucked a blanket in the curtain rod and did her best to tie it.
¡°Thanks,¡± Sofia sighed, grabbing her sunglasses and slipping them on. The darkness was a relief.
¡°Uh, no problem,¡± Jammie offered. ¡°Are you ok?¡±
¡°I can see again,¡± Sofia replied curtly walking over to the window. ¡°I need to see if I¡¯ll burst into flames though.¡±
Jackie rocked on her heels and watched with bated breath.
Preparing herself to do something very stupid she slipped her hand under the curtain, exposing it to the sunlight.
¡°Anything?¡± Jackie asked after about a minute.
Sofia frowned. ¡°Maybe a bit tingly?¡± She pulled her hand out and immediately winced. Her hand was blistered and blackened. Cooked by the sun. She hadn¡¯t burst into flame but she had gotten one hell of a sunburn.
¡°Oh my god,¡± Jackie winced, covering her nose.
Sofia was all too aware of the smell of her chard flesh. ¡°Okay then, bright direct sunlight even for a short amount of time is a no-no,¡± Sofia huffed as she flexed her hand.
¡°Does that not hurt?¡± Jackie asked with horror.
¡°Nothing hurts anymore,¡± Sofia sighed as she watched her hand begin to revert to its once pristine state. She healed far faster than before, the bacon had done her some good. ¡°Do you have any sunscreen? I need to do some more testing.¡±
Chapter 5.
If Sofia lathered herself in sunscreen, covered most of her skin and avoided direct sunlight she was almost ok. Still, her ability to heal could not keep up with the damage sunlight did. Maybe if she was well fed¡
Still, it wasn¡¯t quite as drastic as it had seemed, the bigger problem was honestly her vision. With the sunglasses, she could see general shapes but it was still a struggle. She spent the day searching the internet for fancier sunglasses.
They cost a pretty penny but were designed for those sensitive to light. They were curved to cover more area and blocked UV light, something Sofia had a feeling would be very needed. They were also a lot darker than normal sunglasses and reflective enough Sofia hoped they would keep her eyes hidden.
It felt strange to be buying things tailored to the blind but with any large amount of light she was. Or at least vision impaired. Of all things to be dealing with after death blindness was not something she could have ever expected.
She was going to have to explain something to her parents eventually. But one thing at a time.
Sofia was pretty sure she had never been more in love with same-day delivery. The issue was actually getting the packages from the front step.
Jackie was at class which she had reluctantly gone to at Sofia¡¯s insistence. Sofia needed to get used to the new normal, she couldn¡¯t have Jackie waiting on her hand and foot even if she actually would.
She sent her teachers emails about being absent due to partial blindness and being in the hospital. It wasn¡¯t entirely false, it might have been far-fetched but it was a lie she could back up.
Getting a doctor''s note just meant walking up to a doctor and removing her glasses. This whole predicament would certainly make the rest of the semester much more challenging. There were only a few weeks left.
She heard back from her parents who once again invited her back home for the summer. An offer she actually might take now. She had come to Toronto for adventure, she had certainly had enough of that. Going to her small town home sounded¡ nice. Somewhat peaceful. It would give her time to¡ process.
With her life somewhat sorted she returned to the problem of the packages on the porch. She didn¡¯t know exactly where they were, but the delivery man had come. Jackie had drawn all the curtains before she had left and with her shoddy sunglasses, she could fumble her way to the front door.
Opening it would probably cook her slightly but she could manage¡ right? Or she could wait a few hours for Jackie to be home. She was comfortable in her room.
Except¡ now what? Everything had been so hectic and all of a sudden it was calm. It felt weird. Well, not all was calm. She was kinda peckish. A pack of bacon had not held her hunger at bay long. Not like a proper meal would.
Sofia groaned and pressed her head into her pillows. She still had so many questions, there was probably so much more she didn¡¯t even know she needed to ask.
She needed something to eat. Actually what she really needed was to track down Eloise. She had answers no one else could give her. And while Sofia was not happy with the woman, her murderer, a revenge quest would be futile. At the very least Eloise owed her answers.
How the hell was she supposed to track her down?
Eloise had given Jackie an address. Sofia plugged it into her computer. She very much doubted Eloise was living in the Toronto necropolis.
If there was one thing Sofia did have it was time and determination. She started her research. Looking up the club, what she could remember of Eloise. Anything she could think of.
Police investigate the mysterious death of a young Latina woman. Sofia Ort¨ªz, 21, was found dead in the bathroom of the White Elephant club.
¡°Fuck,¡± Sofia cursed, reading over the article. ¡°Fuuuuccckkkkk!¡±
The article had been posted yesterday. This was bad. Especially considering she was doing her best to not be dead. To not freak out everyone in her life.
But her name wasn¡¯t the most unique. She could get ahead of this before it had a chance to bite her in the ass.
Still, she didn¡¯t know many people in Toronto. But if the police had identified her, odds were they were in the process of tracking down her parents.
Sofia called her mom. She might not appear on camera but there was no reason she couldn¡¯t talk to her.
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¡°Sof¨ªa, shouldn¡¯t you be in class?¡± Maria answered.
¡°Good morning to you too, Mam¨¢,¡± Sofia replied, unable to stop the smile spreading across her face.
¡°It¡¯s mid-afternoon, what are you talking about,¡± Maria laughed. ¡°It¡¯s good to hear your voice, mi amor.¡±
¡°How is everyone?¡± Sofia asked.
¡°Good, your father has taken some more shifts at the landfill. Hector¡¯s grades are getting better. Oh, Miguel got a new job, the farm is putting him to work though,¡± Maria chuckled. ¡°How are you doing?¡±
¡°Good,¡± Sofia managed to reply, even if she wasn¡¯t entirely certain of it. She hadn¡¯t felt homesick in a long time. Miguel had gone to a local college to work and Hector was still in high school. She was the only one of them that had left home.
Gem Creek had been suffocating. There was barely anyone her age, far too many dirty looks from white folk that weren¡¯t a fan of Mexicans and a critical lack of queer people. Toronto didn¡¯t have such flaws, mostly.
But after realizing just how fragile her life was, she missed home.
¡°I think I¡¯ll come home for the summer,¡± Sofia added, realizing she had been quiet for an awkward amount of time.
¡°?Qu¨¦ pas¨®?¡± Maria asked, she always knew when something was wrong whether Sofia wanted her to or not.
¡°Nothing, Mam¨¢, I¡¯m just homesick,¡± Sofia offered as reassuringly as she could.
Maria made a noise that made it clear she didn¡¯t really believe her but she let it drop.
¡°Oh,¡± Sofia sighed, remembering why she had called in the first place. ¡°A girl died a few days ago, she had my name so¡ if you see an article or something¡ it¡¯s not me, I¡¯m fine. Or if the police show up or something. I just don¡¯t want you to worry.¡±
¡°What happened?¡± The frown was evident in Maria¡¯s voice.
¡°I don¡¯t know, my roommate was worried when she saw it so I thought I would mention it just in case.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll say a prayer for their family then,¡± Maria offered sympathetically. ¡°How is Jackie doing?¡±
¡°Still trying to get me to let loose,¡± Sofia laughed nervously.
¡°You behaving yourself, mi hija?¡± Maria teased sternly.
¡°Yes, Mam¨¢.¡±
¡°Quallate, Hector! I¡¯m talking to your sister!¡± Maria yelled before putting the phone back to her ear. ¡°Your brother is blasting music, I swear that boy.¡±
¡°I should be getting back to class, Mam¨¢,¡± Sofia offered with amusement, she wasn''t sure her heart could take much more of this.
¡°Oh, okay. Take care of yourself. Te amo much¨ªsimo,¡± Maria replied, the disappointment was clear.
¡°I love you too, Mam¨¢. Say hi to everyone for me. I¡¯ll talk to you soon.¡±
As Sofia put down the phone she felt like she should be crying. Unfortunately, her body didn¡¯t seem to be able to do that anymore, despite how hollow she felt. Everything was fine, everything was good, yet it still hurt so much.
Sofia was growing increasingly restless as the day continued on. Being cooped up inside her room was not fun when she couldn¡¯t leave. She had gotten nowhere on tracking down Eloise. With only a first name she hadn''t had high hopes. Especially since there wouldn''t be any photos.
¡°Sofia? Did you order stuff?¡± Jackie called after the front door opened.
Sofia shut her laptop excitedly. Once it got dark she would put up the blackout curtains, then she would be able to actually move around the apartment. She was more looking forward to the glasses. Even being able to see a little clearly during the day would be a massive relief.
¡°Yup!¡± she called in response.
Jackie stopped at the other side of Sofia¡¯s bedroom door. ¡°Do you want me to slip them in?¡±
¡°Please,¡± Sofia replied and braced herself. Her bedroom door opened, and she turned her face away from the light as Jackie slid two packages in and closed the door again. ¡°Thanks!¡±
¡°No problem,¡± Jackie replied, she sounded tired. But Jackie went into her room before Sofia could check-in.
Sofia tore open the boxes and pulled out the sunglasses triumphantly. They were clunkier than expected but she figured that was a good thing. She slipped them on, the room almost actually seemed dark. Considering her night vision and the dark room that was saying something.
She pulled her large hoodie on and pulled up the hood and a pair of winter gloves she had found. Then she slipped into a too-small pair of rain boots. She looked very stupid but she was now ready to brave the afternoon light.
With a deep breath, more a gesture of habit than anything else, she opened her door and stepped into the apartment. She squinted her eyes open. She could see¡ somewhat. It was by no means perfect, she imagined it was like her father without his glasses. Still, it was leagues better than before. She could actually function this way, more or less.
She had upgraded to really bad eyesight rather than being blind, at least in their window-scarce apartment in the early evening.
Sofia was going to have to just accept that daylight wasn''t going to be a very productive time for her.
She was about to go knock on Jackie¡¯s door to show off her cleverness when she paused. She could hear¡ sniffling. Was Jackie crying? That wasn¡¯t good.
¡°Jackie?¡± She called and knocked on her roommate''s door.
¡°One sec,¡± Jackie replied, ¡°Ok, come in.¡±
Sofia opened the door, Jackie saw her and burst out laughing. ¡°Oh my god. You look like the killer from My Bloody Valentine.¡±
Jackie didn''t seem to have been crying. But Sofia was also pretty sure she hadn''t mistaken what she had heard. ¡°You ok?¡± she asked.
¡°Yeah fine, why?¡± Jackie frowned.
Sofia shrugged. ¡°I don''t know, but if you need to¡ talk about stuff. You¡¯ve been nothing but helpful to me, I¡¯m happy to listen.¡±
¡°Thanks,¡± Jackie smiled.
Sofia could sense something was off. ¡°You wanna do something tonight?¡± Sofia asked instead, she was bored out of her mind from being cooped up. Jackie might actually meet her goal of getting Sofia to let loose, just maybe not¡ how it was expected.
¡°I¡¯m kinda exhausted from class. Sorry,¡± Jackie offered.
¡°You sure? I was thinking we could go over to the national park or something and just walk around,¡± Sofia suggested.
That was apparently not what Jackie had expected her to suggest. ¡°Uh, actually sure. Um¡ you¡¯re kinda cooking,¡± she winced, pointing to her own cheek.
¡°Shit,¡± Sophie cursed, stepped back into the hall, clutching her face,
¡°I''ll let you know once it''s getting dark,¡± Jackie chuckled.
Sofia retreated to her room in frustration. Her hunger was only making her more agitated. Some fresh air would do her good. So would something to eat.
How exactly she was supposed to get blood she had no idea. Raid a blood bank? Eat a squirrel? How the hell did Eloise do it?
Considering that night Sofia was pretty sure she actually knew. But it was one thing to have a little nibble, another to leave corpses in a public bathroom. Would that be her one day? Totally apathetic towards human life? She really hoped not.
But God she was hungry.
She didn''t blink at eating beef, lamb, pork, or fish. It was all just food to her. But people were on the menu now too, apparently a delicacy. The superfood of the undead. Was it even possible to retain her humanity? Or would time strip her of everything until all she was just hunger? An existence like that sounded like a curse.
¡°To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all,¡± she repeated to herself. Except she had no idea how to live anymore. Everything had changed. All thanks to fucking Eloise.