Vampires, Wolves and Humans. Oh my, The Tale of Tessa.

Chapter Twelve

I  followed behind her as we walked down the hallway. There was an uneasy feeling in the air, like the calm after a terrible storm. I tilted my head looking at Himagami. She was bouncing as she walked. She was looking a little peculiar as she carried the case. It looked a little larger than normal but that was due to her petite size. I could hear her humming as she turned the corner. I quickly followed turning the corner and my jaw dropped to the floor. I took a deep breath and I gagged.

The air was ripe with decay. I watched himagami slow then turned and looked over her shoulder at me, her lips spread wide, her fangs sparkling. She slowly nodded her head and her eyes glazed over, "awesome..."

She raised her chin, her nose in the air and took a deep breath, holding it for a while, her cheeks turning red then slowly released it. "Wow..."

She closed her eyes moving her head slowly in a circular motion. I on the other hand felt sick to my stomach and wanted to throw up. I could feel it in my belly as it rose into my throat. My hand over my mouth as I gagged. My stomach muscles tightening as my body retched.

Himagami looked over at me smiling, laughing and started to fake throwing up. She leaned over with her mouth open wide, her fangs stabbing at the air as her tongue stuck out of her mouth. She put her hand on her belly retching, laughing imitating gagging noises as she pointed at me and laughed. "Do it..."

Her eyes glazed over and she smiled wickedly, her fangs begging me to throw up. I remembered himagami had said Tessa had killed two guards in anger. I visualized two bodies lying on the ground eyes closed. But what I got was the remains of a vicious animal attack. The walls were splattered with blood, the floor soaked with it. Their bodies lay in bits and pieces having been torn from their torsos that lay like a single bit on the ground. A head, at least I think it was a head, face up, but it was caved in. Its remains barely recognizable if it wasn't for the bits of teeth and broken bone. I would've never thought it was a head. Arms and legs lay twisted, bent and broken.

The guards were cleaning the carnage, picking up the pieces and putting them into large black plastic trash bags. I shook my head, holding my breath, covering my mouth to regain my composure. I was looking at himagami sniffing, like an animal, the air around us. I watched the guards, who were expressionless even joking as they worked.

Himagami with a wicked smile on her face, reached up wiping the tears from her cheeks, jerked her head in the direction down the hall then nodded as she continued walking. I could hear the wet sticky sound of her footsteps. She walked carefree through the puddle of deep crimson that lay across the floor. I took a deep breath holding it as I leapt over the "work area"

The guard's heads turned as they sniff the air as I passed then returned to work. I creased my eyes, shaking my head, "what the..."

She chuckled, as she watched my very unathletic leap then sighed, "I will tell you in a minute..."

"Okay..." I shrugged my shoulders, quickly nodding, happy to be leaving the area.

"That was as far she went..." She paused, "we don't know why..."

The more I interacted with himagami, the more I began to recognize the change in her voice, the more time we talked. The serious tone before the elevator, the childlike enthusiasm in the elevator, to the I'm getting excited slightly higher pitch tone and right now she was introducing me to another. The closer we got to the room I watched her twisting and turning her shoulders steadily growling. I thought of the purring of a cat but this was deep and from the back of her throat. It was primal something you would hear in the dark. It felt very calming as she took long deep breaths.

"They have removed the door..."

She pointed to the large gash on the opposite wall. The hinges twisted and shredded like newspaper. She put the case down next to the wall moving into the room.