Releasing a sigh, for the first time allowing me to mourn my friend's death, I looked back at the ground, once again observing our murder evidence. Would the local police know that a body was lost? By the footprints scattered all over the place, I could say no, they hadn’t even approached the place where the pale man had returned, much less there were signs of criminal evidence near the leaves that indicated the trace of Caroline's body where the pale man had dragged her. However, although they hadn’t come near at all, their dog had, and I would bet everything that the dog hadn’t noticed the tiny blobs of blood that decorated the greenish bed, following my creators footsteps; he should have taken Caroline from the head so she wouldn’t stain the floor completely; because the animal must also have recognized the scent of a potential predator, something terrifying, something that surely should have bristled his skin and would have made him grunt with fear, moreover, if I concentrated, I could still smell a trace of fragrance, already characteristic of terror, but with a more canine touch. Mental note: we can’t get too close to the animals, because they will fear us. Mental note number two: the others mammals don’t smell completely bad, maybe they are edible.

Then, knowing that at the police station they would only have my things and not Caroline's, I started to sniff, leaving my nose to guide me back to my destination, but it wasn’t necessary, because at the same time I closed my eyes to concentrate, the unequivocal sound of police sirens got me out of my light trance. I immediately looked at the horizon, from where the sound came. One, two, three patrols, with the sirens sounding at different tempos, something that only I could affirm, as well as I could assure that these sirens were directed to the hospital, which rested far behind me. I smiled, more luck I couldn’t have. It wasn’t to make the security of that place feel less, but the town didn’t seem to be a city, and if it was a small town, it didn’t have a lot of police. Then, there would be no more than the receptionist at the station, which would allow me to enter and steal what was left of my belongings...

- Fuck! - I exclaimed then, bringing my hands to my face, livid with terror. At last my naiveté had cost me dearly, and I hadn’t even been a vampire for three hours. Great. - No! Shit, shit, shit!

Yes, in my confusion, I had left the bag with my knife and the rest, in the blood room, perhaps tucked with the other bags, under the laundry. I sighed with regret. I couldn’t go back to the hospital, not at that moment, so what should I do? Entangling my free hand in my hair, I leaned on a log, trying to choose what was the safest thing to do. I could go back to the hospital, risking to get some shots while wandering the halls, but not only was the fact that they were looking for me, inside and outside the building, but, by that time, they would have noticed the big hole on the A- shelf, and they would have already noticed the poor girl I had killed. No, it didn’t seem the best. And go to the police station to collect my ID and the rest? That did seem more logical to me, after all, maybe the agents who will check the crime scene (or my feast), found my bag, and probably will take it to the station, bringing my things to me. Yes, definitely, that seemed the most appropriate thing to do.

I heard the sirens again, now distant and muffled, it was almost dawn, but it was still dark, so they would arrive at the hospital in fifteen minutes or less, I hoped they would check the blood bank first, and come back quickly with my bag, because if they delay an hour or more... I would be forced to sleep in the ventilation of the police station, because I was feeling increasingly tired. And with that thought in mind, I finally threw myself forward, demanding even more from running, ignoring the mosquito that couldn’t dodge me and ended up inside my eye.

...

Arriving wasn’t difficult, in a few minutes I was walking normally, just crunching the grass under my feet, still in the shelter of the dark forest, being able to see the police station in front of me, very close, and also surrounded by solid metal, this time of a greater density, being iron tubes stuck in the asphalt, painted in bright yellow. Unlike the hospital, the police station was severely protected, and there wasn’t only one building, but three, although the main one seemed to be the middle one, the largest one. I had to retract my previous words, apparently, the town needed a lot of police, and I couldn’t help but wonder if we could be the cause. Probably not, I told myself later, when I squatted to analyze the terrain better, looking for an entrance, probably the town itself presented many problems for tourism, which wasn’t exactly very cultured, reaching the place for the festival, being the most visitors young adults who didn’t exceed their thirties. That relieve me, it meant that they weren’t very aware of us, and maybe the doctor who had seen me in the hospital thought I was a tourist full of cocaine. The dress I wore helped with that profile, the aroma of drug had accompanied me all the way to my destination. As an emerging departure, it was perfect.

Analyzing the situation, I came to the conclusion that I could infiltrate through the ventilation duct, which I could see protruding from the roof of the main building, and to get there I needed to pass through the two-meter fence that prevented me from continuing. I looked at the tree that stood erect next to me. The pine was very tall and its branches surpassed the metal fence, I could climb perfectly there and not have to jump, calling more attention, which was prudent, as I was sure this would have more security cameras. All right. Calculating the distance, and hugging my plastic caterpillar, I jumped into the tree, holding fast from the first branch within my reach, very gently, not wanting to break it under my force. I held on with my feet and started to climb a little higher, looking for a good place to jam my food, while I dealt with the main problem. It wasn’t easy, the slightly cold weather helped, but the ice was about to melt completely, causing the blood to begin to coagulate. I should hurry.

Releasing a yelp of irritation, I arranged my bag as best I could in the hollow that formed from the union of the branch with the trunk, while in the distance I could heard a thunder. Damn my luck, it would surely rain. Denying, I adjusted my mouth-cover better and crouched, like a cat lurking, on the correct branch, starting to crawl on it, three meters above the ground. Centimeter by centimeter, I stuck my nails into the bark, approaching the fence, and finally passing it. At the end, where the tree struggled to maintain my weight, I stood up, balancing with my open arms. Without the hassle of the cocoon, I felt more powerful, freer. I let myself fall then, landing as soft as I could, resting my palms on the asphalt. I stood there for a minute, crouching, examining the surroundings. Nothing, no soul, no car, but yes, a security camera was watching me, and I could feel the presence of a couple of humans inside the building.

Of another jump, I hold to the roof of the building as fast as I could, to avoid that the camera captured my presence, and with a smile of satisfaction to have achieved it (I was hoping), I kicked the wall and turning I landed up completely, again keeping me off to listen. Up, and already covering the moon that a while ago I marveled, the clouds threatened with storm, threat that intensified when they were suddenly lit with a blue glow, and seconds later the thunderous sound of lightning stunned me a moment, overflowing my hearing. With a gasp of surprise, I hurried forward to the ventilation shaft, with its classic submarine visor shape. I took the grate that covered it and, to my surprise and relief, that seemed to have never received maintenance, so when I pulled it, the cover came with my hand, barely making a sound. I left it on the floor, wherever it fell, and I set my hands on the top of the entrance, for a little impulse to put my legs in. So, as easy as it had been, I let myself fall down the pipeline, which barely produced a rattle on my way. The first step, infiltrating the building without being noticed, was completed, now it was necessary to find the file room (again), take my things, return to the pipelines, wait for my error to return to me (my knife and other stuff), and get out of there, all without being noticed. I wouldn’t give me false hopes, it would be complicated, and maybe it would be an impossible mission. Again, I thought about leaving everything as it was, but I had come too far to retract. Above me, outside, another thunder echoed and I began to hear thousands of drops falling, while the smell of moisture began to flood my nose.