Nasferas: The Begotten

23

* * *

Drips of opaque dew fell from the corners of her eyes. The tiny droplets slid down her nose and over her pouting lips. Davidar caught a tear with his finger before it dropped off her chin. The family members who stayed in the Med Room hadn't witnessed what happened to Tranz. Ralia did make her way across the hall into the Settle Room and may, or may not, have seen some of his horrific end.

"Did he suffer?" she asked. Her eyes still had a ruby outline but were no longer hazel as the irises had turned to a light blue.

Davidar wasn't sure what to say. The entire gruesome incident spun through his mind. She couldn't be subjected to the terror, especially with the fear Tranz's eyes had held before they exploded from their sockets.

"No. He didn't suffer as we had."

Ralia's eyes narrowed. "You're not telling me the truth. Davidar, are we not past such pettiness?"

"I'm sorry." Sometimes the truth is too difficult to tell, he thought.

"And even more difficult to hear," she said. "But I still want you to be honest with me."

"Did you just read my mind?" Their new bodies seemed connected both physically and metaphysically. "He didn't suffer like the rest of us. It was quick, though, very painful."

"I know. Images of his demise swarm your mind." She reached out and touched his face. "Such pain and anguish. I know you loved him as much as me. He will be our greatest tragedy. And I hope ... the only one."

They embraced and sobbed.

"I'm not convinced the carnage will end with Tranz." Davidar wiped his own tears away. "We must figure this all out."

"This is strange." Her eyes turned light red, almost pink. She backed away from him and swept her hair over her breasts.

He looked away. "What's strange?"

"You can look at me. I'm ... well ... sort of decent."

Davidar sighed. "All of this is more than strange. It's horrifying." He couldn't take his eyes off her. She'd crossed her legs and gently placed her delicate hands on her knee.

Ralia's fingers trickled up and down her arms. "While I am disrobed, I don't recognize my own nudity. It almost feels like I'm no longer in my body. Does that make sense?"

"It makes total sense." He averted his eyes as they had settled on her poorly covered breasts. "It's as if we've transcended. Maybe we've all died and moved on to the next realm of existence?" His focus of attention went back to her eyes. Not only had his sense of touch changed, his olfactory senses had heightened. She smelled ... sweet.

"I know what you're thinking." She pulled his hand to her nose. "You smell like ..."

"A snack cake," they said at the same time.

He inched closer, wanting to taste her new lips. Did she taste as sweet as she smelled?

Not now, Ralia's voice pinged through his head.

She looked behind him. Davidar whipped around and found a figure standing over them. In front of them stood Fladir. He had pulled on his flight suit, leaving the top dangling. His muscles rippled and bulged much more than Davidar's. His hair had turned black but still had unpatterned white streaks running through. He walked past Davidar as if he weren't there and floated a blanket around his sister.

"You're the doctor," Fladir said. "You have to do an autopsy and figure out what happened to Tranz. Get dressed."

"Davidar, I have another assignment for you."