Chapter 36 - The Sharpest of Lives

I awaken suddenly from a nightmare. I'm lying in a bed. A very soft and cozy bed. After a while I finally decide to get up. I get dressed. Tea suddenly comes running in. She throws her arms around me. “You're awake!” she cries.
I look down at her and swallow. She buries her head in my T-Shirt. The wound in my chest pangs, but I ignore it. She carries on talking. I don't listen to a word. I'm too busy trying to control myself. I stare at her neck, then screw my eyes shut. My hands are twitching. My lips quiver. I can't contain my fangs. I take deep, shaky breaths through my teeth. My jaws hang open. I'm so hungry...


My eyes snap open. I push Tea away.
“What's wrong?” she asks. She turns to me. “Pharaoh?”
I sit on the edge of the bed with my head in my hands.
“Tea?” Yugi calls. “Ishizu wants to talk to you,”
Tea sighs and walks out of the room. My sensitive hearing picks up the quiet conversation.
“...Do you not know how dangerous it is to be in love with a vampire?”
“I...”
“He could kill you at any moment. His blood lust is too strong to control in his state,”
“No...”
“He's hungry, Tea. That's why he tried to attack you yesterday,”


Tea and I take a walk. She says nothing. I keep glancing at her. Does she know I overheard? I take her hand in mine. She looks at me. I give a small smile. We stop in front of a poster on the side of a building.
“Do you want to take a tour of the Old Streets?” she says at last.
“If that's what you want,” I nod.
We join the group of humans waiting at the gates. I pay for the tickets, although Tea wanted to. We take the tour.


The funny thing is, as soon as we step through the gates, we're the only ones there. Following the tour guide cautiously. The old woman has two dogs. A small one and a large one. The larger one isn't on a leash, but the smaller one is. They both look exactly the same; black, with mane-like fur around their heads and necks. They have bushy tails. They're always baring their teeth and growling. The larger dog catches my scent. It turns and barks furiously. The old woman just carries on with the tour.


I garb Tea's hand and run. The dog chases after us.
“What are you doing?” Tea yells.
“Those dogs...they know I'm a vampire!” I breathe.
We hurry round a corner. Trapped between the old woman and her two dogs! I grab Tea and pull her into the nearest shop. The dogs howl at us. The woman grins and walks over to the door.
“Don't you dare...!” I growl, clutching the handle.


She holds a key in her hands. She waves it to us then lowers her hand. I watch her through the letterbox. She's locking us in! The smaller dog snap at me. I fall back. She turns and walks away.
Tea falls silent. I take a few steps back and ram into the door. The door has been strengthened with steel frames. I ram into it until a cut on my forehead is caused and I bleed.


“Pharaoh!” Tea snaps. I throw myself into the door once more. The frame shakes and the windows rattle.
“Stop it! You're hurting yourself!” she pulls me away.
We turn around. There is no shop. There's a wide open space. A meadow in a forest. The door's gone.
“Wu-Where are we?” Tea stutters.


“A young couple have been found supposedly in comas in a shop in the Old Streets. They were said to have been taking a tour with the missing woman Gladys Illton. They're now recovering in hospital...”
“That's Tea and the Pharaoh!” Yugi gasps.
“Let's get to that hospital then!” Marik says.


“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!”
When Tea and I finally stop screaming at each other...
“You look....uh...different?” she mutters.
“So do you....” I reply.
Tea's covered in fur. She has paws, (like my werewolf hand!)retractable claws, the ears face and the tail of a cat. I'm also covered in fur. I have the ears face and tail of a wolf.


“Does this mean I'm going to cough up hairballs?” Tea growls.
I shrug.
“You're a Gothic wolf!” she yells. “I'm a stupid cat! We're stuck here like this forever!”
“Maybe not,” I disagree.


We follow a path through the woods and come across a battered old building. The windows are still intact, but the doors are hanging from their hinges and the walls are worn. I step inside. Tea follows, wearily. I pin my ears back and flick a switch on the wall. A light flickers on. I explore the room. There's a sofa, a coffee table and a bookcase. I check for traps. Nothing.


“HELP!”
“Tea!” My ears prick up and I bound into the kitchen.
She's shivering, trembling in the center of the room. There's a dead man lying on the floor. He's fresh. I kneel down and take the bite instinctively. Tea turns away. I'm lapping up the blood that pours from the wound I made.
“M-M-Maybe he was the last one who tried to spend the night here?” Tea squeaks.
The ground gives way. It splits into two halves. I reach for her. She reaches too.

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