Something's changed.
1030 Words
A sharp, rhythmic beeping pulled Priya out of the darkness.
Her eyelids felt heavy. It was impossible to open her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to stand up because her muscles protested. She felt an immense pain on her right shoulder where she had been bitten.
She winced.
The smell of antiseptic hit her strongly.
She was in the hospital.
She blinked against the bright light above her. The ceiling slowly came into focus along with the IV drip beside her bed.
"Priya?"
Bryan shot up from the chair. The chair he had been sleeping on.
"Thank God you're alright. You had is worried."
Maya gave her the gentlest hug that Priya's blanket would allow her to give.
"You scared us half to death." Maya said.
Priya frowned.
"W...what happened?"
"You don't remember?"
Fragments flashed through her memory.
The dark street.
Those golden eyes.
The warmth of her blood.
Then finally,the pain.
Her hand instinctively went to her shoulder.
"The wolf..." She said.
Her friends exchanged glances with one another.
"The police said it was a wild animal."
Priya frowned at that.
"A wild animal...in Manhattan?" She said weakly.
None of her friends answered.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. It was the doctor.
"Good morning miss Sharma. I'm very glad you're awake." The doctor said cheerfully. She had a British accent. Healthy Priya would normally go crazy for this, but now,she couldn't care less.
"How bad is it?"
"Well, you're very fortunate. The bite missed anything life threatening and you just need antibiotics, stitches and lots and lots of rest."
"What attacked me?"
The doctor hesitated and sighed.
"We're not entirely sure."
Priya's eyes knitted together.
"But the bite mark is that of a large canine, however..."
"However?..."
"The spacing between the teeth is far too unusual."
"So you don't know?"
"We've contacted animal control as a precaution. Rest up Miss."
Priya wasn't satisfied with the answer as it only gave room for more questions.
After spending four days in the hospital,she was discharged. She came home to her silent apartment.
Her apartment had always been silent but she noticed it more after spending a while in a hospital which she considerd loud.
Her shoulder still hurt but surprisingly,not as much as she expected it to.
She dropped her overnight bag on the couch,took of the sling that was on her arm and walked to her room.
In her room,she stood in front of a mirror and carefully peeled off the bandage.
The wound was there. It was small.
Way too small for an attack that happened earlier that week.
"That's... impossible." she whispered.
The doctor already warned that it would take weeks to heal.
She hurriedly covered up the wound and went on as if nothing happened.
Days turned into weeks and Priya's life had gone back to being somewhat normal.
She was back to her job and busy schedule.
Late nights in the lab and all the fun stuff she would usually do.
"You owe me a meal when you get better." Richard said, walking into the lab while struggling to wear his coat.
"Sure,why not? Only if you're paying though."
"Do you not know what 'owe' means."
"Hey don't be mean to me. I'm the sick one."
Despite the light-hearted conversations, Priya had begun to change. she felt it.
One afternoon, during her lunch hours, Priya sat one one of the comfy chair in the lounge trying to rest. Her head had been hurting.
Her rest was interrupted by two girls several feet away.
"Did you hear? Solana sent Richard her nudes." one girl said.
"What?! Didn't she get hired like two days ago?"
Neither of them were speaking loudly enough for anyone else to hear, because nobody paid mind to them.
Yet for Priya,it felt as if they were seated right next to her.
She shook it off.
"The lounge is just unusually quiet today." She said under her breath.
Then came her sense of smell.
One evening,as she was on her way home,she noticed that she could smell literally everything.
Garbage.
Perfume.
Pizza.
And even random people's lunches.
Some smells made her mouth water. Others made her nauseous. This made life for her feel like hell.
On multiple occasions,she caught herself standing in front of her refrigerator looking at raw meat.
They smelled... good.
The thought disgusted her. She spent more time at the office in order to have less of such thoughts.
Another week passed. It was a gruesome one for Priya.
The wound had almost healed. Just a small scar remaind.
On a Friday morning, she went to the hospital for a follow-up appointment. The doctor looked at her shoulder in utter disbelief.
"I've...never seen tissues heal this quick in my life."
"So,I'm lucky?"
"Yes,you certainly are."
The doctor smiled politely, but confusion lingered in her eyes.
Priya got home very exhausted. Every joint in her body ached.
Her head pounded.
Her body was unusually warm.
Maybe she was falling sick.
It was probably a fever.
She swallowed some painkillers and wrapped herself in a blanket.
Outside, thunder rumbled across the city.
Her phone buzzed. It was a texting from Maya asking if she'd be down for a movie night the following day.
She smiled and replied.
"If I feel better by then."
She fell asleep quickly.
It was too quick considering the severity of the pain she was going through.
Hours later...
her eyes snapped open.
The digital clock on her nightstand beamed.
12:30am.
A strange pressure spread through her chest.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Her breath became shallow.
Then came the excruciating pain.
It stared deep inside her spine.
A sharp stab.
Then another.
She cried as the pain raced through a ribs like cracks on glass. It was unbearable.
Every muscle in her body was tightened.
Then she heard it...
A loud c***k.
Priya froze...
Her index finger had bent sideways.
Not enough to break,but enough to be wrong.
She looked at it in horror.
Another c***k echoed through her quiet room.
Then another.
Then another.
Her scream pierced the empty room as the moonlight spilled through the window.
The full moon had risen...
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