Face to Face with a Monster

Dahlia walked into her small apartment and dropped her keys onto the polished wood table; her three inch heels making a loud 'tick,tick' as she walked across the tile floor. She fed, so she should feel better, right? The ticking stopped as she made her way into the bedroom. After placing her shoes into the closet she was back to her normal five foot eight. It always felt like everything was different when she was on a hunt. She softly padded into the bathroom to start a bath. Dahlia glanced in the mirror after adjusting the tap. It wasn't fair. She didn't look like a monster. There were no telltale signs to warn her victims. The only things looking back at her were fair skin and almond shaped blue-gray eyes that were even more striking with the dark smokey eyeshadow and long, dark lashes. She idly brushed her long, straight, almost black hair until it fell in straight silky strands to her waist. Dahlia bit her full bottom lip as she looked in the mirror and saw not her eyes, but the brown empty eyes of her victim.

She was a monster, there was no denying it. For what seemed like the hundredth time Dahlia sat on the edge of the tub and sobbed. How had her life come to this? She still didn't truly understand how a simple party could have gone so terribly wrong! It was a night like many others, a new face, a new party...just another night in the escort business. Dahlia couldn't even remember the client's name, not that it mattered, she was just the arm candy. A shiny bauble to draw attention to her client. The club, Frenzy, was pretty new and definitely high end. She and her client had danced and drank...all the normal club activities. They had popped a couple of pills offered by one of the staff, but the effects were disappointing. Dahlia woke up the next morning starving. She made coffee and fruit but she wasn't satisfied. Even eggs and bacon didn't do the trick. Something was definitely wrong.

For two days she had been unable to stop the hunger. She was miserable. Her next client had taken her out to a fancy business dinner, but even an expensive steak was no relief. The client's dinner went well and the deal was sealed. During the limo ride the client was a little drunk, extremely pleased with himself, and getting a little feely. It wasn't the first time a client went beyond their contract, but it was up Dahlia to decide to allow it. There was a panic button in the limo and the driver was also security. She decided maybe a little romp would take her mind off the hunger. Dahlia helped her client free himself from his pants as she sat with her legs on either side of his lap, pushing her skirt up high on her thighs. He took no time to enter her. As she rolled her hips she ran her hands through the back of his hair. Suddenly she felt a jolt and an onslaught of jumbled images and feelings. She wanted to jump back, but she couldn't seem to move! It was terrifying, but it also felt GOOD! After a few long moments and an amazing orgasm, Dahlia was satisfied and released her client. That's when she saw that vacant stare. Dahlia tried to snap him out of it and then she screamed. She hit the panic button.

Roger , her driver/security, drove them to the hospital. After her client was admitted, Dahlia learned from one of the nurses that there were several more similar cases. Maybe it was a virus or something? But what was that blur of images? And why had the hunger finally stopped? The nurse wanted to give Dahlia a quick check, just in case she had been exposed to whatever this was. Dahlia was guided to a curtained off bed. When the nurse took her temperature she looked puzzled and brought Dahlia a warm blanket. When the nurse used a stethoscope to listen to her heart, the nurse went pale. In her hurry to leave the room the nurse left her stethoscope behind. Dahlia had seen people use stethoscopes so she picked it up, put in the earpieces, and placed the other end over her heart. Silence. Dahlia had one thought... oh shit! So she ran. She ran back to the limo and had Roger drive her home while she had a panic attack in the back seat. She was dead?? What. The. Actual. FUCK!!!

As Dahlia undressed and slid into the warm fragrant bath, she couldn't help but recall those next few days. After hitting up every Walgreens, CVS, and Target that had a blood pressure kiosk she was really beginning to think she was dead. Just to be sure she bought a stethoscope and watched a YouTube video to make sure she was using it correctly. Silence. Well fuck. Next question...if she was dead, how was she walking and talking?

Nothing as big as several people becoming vegetables stays under the radar for long. Within a few days it was all over the local news. It was decided this 'disease' was actually trauma. Apparently MRIs showed brains that looked like Swiss cheese. Soon after came reports of 'undead' causing the injuries. There was a news story about a guy who made his fiancée a vegetable. The poor guy had no pulse, low temperature, and no idea how or why it happened. Sounds vaguely familiar. According to the report his fiancée had migraines and he was giving her a facial massage. He said it felt like his life was flashing in front of his eyes...only it was his fiancée's life. He told reporters about being hungry for days and no amount of food would stop it. After the 'incident' with his fiancée the hunger was gone. He was admitted to the hospital for 'observation' but no one had heard from the poor guy since. However, curiously after that they started having breakthroughs about the 'undead'. Some douchbag journalist started calling the them Takers, and it just kind of stuck. Idiot. Why couldn't it be a cool nickname? Dahlia was jarred from her thoughts when she realized the bath water had gone cold.