The next few days were thankfully not plagued with dreams of me getting run over by a train. In fact, I had a dreamless peaceful slumber under anesthesia. The doctors and nurses were carefully monitoring all my vitals. Kay had now taken his place beside me after I tore the hospital walls with my sudden screams. He didn’t ask me about them for now and I was internally thankful for it. I wasn’t ready to talk about the strange dream.

I now lay awake in my hospital room, staring at the ceiling. Kay was reading the newspaper beside me, burying his head in the recent news. “Can you give me a glass of water?” I asked him, my voice hoarse.

Kay set down the newspaper to the table in front of him and handed me the glass of water after pouring it from the pitcher. I gulped down the entire glass of water within a few seconds. My voice was hoarse and cakey. All because of those medicines, I rolled my eyes.

“How are you feeling?” He asked me, taking the glass from me, concerned.

My eyes partially closed and opened, a sigh escaping. I shrugged weakly. “Tired, sleepy and sweaty.”

“Do you want me to call the doctor?” His finger skimmed over the button on the table for emergencies.

“No.” My eyelids were drooping and I fell into a peaceful slumber, letting the darkness overtake me.

Somewhere around midnight I woke up with rashes on my chest, hands and legs. I gasped loudly, making Kay look down from the book he was reading. There was puss seeping out of the rashes and to my horror I noticed that they were accompanied by scabs. Parts of my hospital gown were specked with red blotches and I found Kay snarl next to me.

I whipped my head to see a different entity seated next to me. His eyes were red like rubies and his teeth were bared at me- pointed, sharp like a tiger’s canines. My body was shaking, the room was spinning. I screamed.

Nurses stormed inside the room, watching me stare at the place where Kay sat, deserted. Not a few seconds ago, the man who made sweet love to me pledged not to hurt me and now he had turned into something I was terrified of.

The nurses began assessing my body for the allergy. I stared in shock at the empty seat, still reeling from the shock. My medication was changed and this time, I wasn’t sedated.

Kay hadn’t returned at all. I was left alone in the hospital room with doctors and nurses talking in hushes whispers, wondering what on earth was wrong with me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone in black was running in the corridor.

Clara.

After the doctors and nurses cleared the room, Clara entered. Her face was flushed and her eyes were replaced with sheer sadness. “Ruella, I’m sorry,” She began, taking a seat.

“Where is Kay?” Was all I said.

Clara opened her mouth to say something, but stopped.

“I hope you aren’t keeping something from me, Clara. I know your family aren’t human.” My voice was clipped. “I don’t like being left in the dark. Kay promised me that he wouldn’t hurt me and now....” I was shaking.

“Aww, my sweet girl-” Tears welled in her eyes. I pushed her away, not wanting her hug.

I was crying now.

“If you want to know so be it.” She said, wiping away her tears. “Kay has severe blood lust. If he smells large amounts of blood anywhere near him, he goes on a killing spree.”

“So, why hadn’t he killed me?” I shuddered at the thought of death. “Where is he now?”

“He tried to stop the monster inside him from hurting you. Once he couldn’t, he ran away. He called me as soon as he left the hospital.”

“He abandoned me. Forever.” I whispered.

“No, he hasn’t, my dear.” She said, her hand caressing my cheek. “Kay loves you. He couldn’t bear hurting you.”

Kay loves me?

“But he’s a vampire...” I stated.

“He is.” She said, looking sadly at her fingers knotted in her lap. Something was holding back Clara’s thoughts.

“I’m going to die, am I?” My body had gone weaker before the new set of medication was administered to me.

“Please don’t say that.” Clara begged. “It would be a huge loss for us. For Kay."

“Last time I checked, he was going to kill me.” I felt hopeless all of a sudden. My dream of being independent, getting my job was never going to be complete. This was it. This was my fate. “I know you are lying about me getting better. The doctor’s don’t think I will make it at all.”

“Ruella,” Clara began. “We will move heaven and earth for you to get alright.”

“Why do you care?” I asked tiredly. “I am nobody to you.”

“Kay cares. And if he cares, so do we.” She replied gripping my sweaty arm. “He is hopelessly in love with you.”

“He never told me that.”

“He was going to but then-” My body started convulsing and the ECG started beeping rapidly. My eyes went heavenward until I felt them roll on to themselves. My arms and legs started to twist and turn on to themselves.”

The nurses were soon next to me barking orders. The hospital room became hot like an oven and I screaming as if I was burning. Tears started flowing from my eyes and I started crying. “What the hell?” Said one the nurses, when she say that my hair was fallen in clumps at the side of the bed. “She wasn’t loosing hair before.”

Then my whole body went slack and I breathed my last.

***

Once the last bogey of the train passed over my head, I got up from lying flat on the tracks. I checked my body for any damages but found a few cuts and bruises on my lips, forehead and palms. The signals at the far end were back to their red colour. “I should’ve checked the signal light.” I face palmed myself and winced as the cuts on my hand touched my skin.

After walking felt like hours, I could finally see the next train station approaching. My heart leapt for joy as I slowly walked towards the end of the platform. I climbed on top of it and sat down on the bench heaving a sigh of relief. “Finally!” I examined my soles for the intensity of the bruising and found that they were covered in blood from walking for so long. Fighting down the bile that rose in my throat, I kept each of my foot down after inspecting them.

I looked around the station and found that there were only the cleaners and sweepers who cleaned the station before the first public train started commencing its journey at four am. I looked at the time on my wrist watch and saw that the glass dial was shattered to pieces. Bits of my blood and debris were caked on it. The arms of the clock were stopped around nine thirty pm.

The time of my death.

“Ruella.” A voice came beside me. I gasped and saw that Kay was seated beside me. He was quite apprehensive of me, looking concerned.

“Kay...”

“I know you have many questions about what am I doing in your dream. I wish I had told you of my other plan for you in case you died.” He said slowly. His eyes were sunken. His hair was rough and untidy.

“Kay.... What are you doing here?” I looked around frantically wondering how on earth did he waltz here. Is this some sick game I am being forced to play with? Is someone watching me? My emotions weren’t showing anger and hatred, but I was very calm and collected. As if I’ve had this conversation before. “You abandoned me in the hospital... and now you are here. Why?” If I had to be wary of Kay’s intentions, now was the time. I got up from the bench, taking steps away from me.

“Ruella, you need to listen to me. This is very important.”

“What happened at the hospital Kay? You were going to kill me were you?” My hands were at my side, my heartbeat steady as I watched him from a safe distance between us.

“Ruella...”

“You lied, Kay.” I began, my voice unwavering. “You lied about your intentions towards me. First you gaslighted me about what you were doing in the forest and now this. I think I’ve had enough of your games Kay. Now it’s time for me to devise my own.” A smirk found my lips.

“I know I should’ve asked for your forgiveness. I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t expect to see so much blood and the demon inside me took over all rational thoughts. That’s what happened, Ruella. Which is why I had to send my mother to explain so that you don’t get the wrong idea.” He was pleading, silent tears falling down his eyes.

“How are you in my dream, Kay?”

“I am here to ask for your consent, Ruella.” His mouth was set to a grim line.

I narrowed my eyes. My skin began to prickle. “Consent? For what?”

“To be made into a vampire.”