The Outbreak

Orissa sat across from Alice and Odelle, absently flipping through the TV channels. Some she never would have been able to afford, and now she didn't have to pay a thing.

"I'd advise not going into that room Alice since we made a mess." Odelle swirled the shiny glass of wine and looked at the man thrown on a chair haphazardly with his arm broken.

"Why did you seem so disgusted when he tried to talk to you?" Orissa asked Odelle who made a disgusted look. The middle aged man couldn't be called handsome, but he also wasn't ugly either.

"You didn't seem happy when he praised you either Orissa." Odelle commented as she sipped her wine. Orissa scowled and spoke, intending to rip the bandage off early.

"I wasn't always a girl. It's just creepy to have a guy looking at me like that." Alice's eyes shot open while Odelle smiled faintly. She hadn't expected Orissa to just throw that information out there, but she didn't exactly disapprove of this.

"You seem surprised Alice~?" Odelle crossed her legs and smiled at Alice with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Orissa turned her head to the TV, giving Alice time to get over that piece of information.

"A guy? Wha- How?" Alice was a bit incoherent because no matter how she looked at Orissa, she could only see a raven haired beauty with no hints of masculinity or any indication she was formerly male.

"Three things can happen when you become infected with our virus. You either die, become a human infected with it, or become like us. Honestly, I think there's something strange actually..." Odelle looked at Orissa and frowned.

"We were recreated by the virus but how exactly does it know what is appealing to humans for what isn't? It can't be random based on how we all look compared to humans."

While Odelle pondered about the virus, Alice took a deep breath and looked at Orissa's side profile silently, her fists balling her hands into fists and thinking hard.

"You probably were a guy. I don't know, but I-i do know that it doesn't matter! You are you! Sure, I was drawn to you by your appearance, but something about you makes me want to protect you..." Alice trailed off when Orissa turned to her with an incredulous look.

"Protect m-me?! When you're just a frail human who could be killed in the blink of an eye?" Orissa curled her lips back in annoyance, her fangs glinting in the light as she glared at Alice fiercely.

Orissa wasn't sure why she was so angry, but she refused to be treated as something weak, not by prey! Odelle shifted in case she had to intercept Orissa, but Alice scooted over to her.

"See? Even now, you can barely keep yourself together. Since you can't help yourself, then just rely on me." Alice placed a hand on Orissa's pale face and brought her face closer, kissing her lips gently.

She could feel Orissa's sharp fangs, and in a desperate attempt to convey her feelings, she leaned forward and felt Orissa's fangs pierce her lip, drawing blood.

Orissa tasted Alice's blood, warm and sweet unlike anything she had had as a human. Her tongue flicked out, licking Alice's lip gently, her rage cooling gradually.

"You are crazy. How do you know I wouldn't tear your throat out in a frenzy?" Orissa retracted her tongue, looking at Alice deeply. Odelle let out a whistle and showed her fangs to Alice with a smirk.

"You smell tasty. How about you let us have a few drinks~?" Odelle laughed in mirth when Alice gave her a look that resembled that of a deer's caught in headlights.

"Who did you go meet with?" Orissa ignored Alice who although had some trust in Odelle didn't want to end up as a meal, so she snuggled into Orissa's side, enjoying the soft cool sensation of her skin.

"That friend who I said was good at finding things earlier. Oh, forgot to say but since you and I are basically remade by the virus, and he was just infected, we have some degree of control over them."

"How?" Orissa couldn't quite wrap her head around that. But if a virus could stop her heart, change her physical body, and allow her to do what she did, then what else couldn't it do?

"Kind of instinctual really? Being in proximity with them is good enough." Odelle didn't seem to want to elaborate so Orissa nodded and she continued.

"Since I wanted to find a place to lay low high up where the wolves can't reach us, I swung by and asked him for some recommendations. I'll text you his number in case you need him." She tapped her phone's screen and Orissa's screen lit up moments later.

"Nrggh..." A sound came from the previously silent man as he stirred, no doubt feeling the pain of his arm and stomach. Everyone turned to look at him as his eyes opened, full of pain and anger.

"He's up." Odelle spoke casually, ignoring the man's ferocious gaze that promised revenge and retribution for what was done to him. Orissa grew annoyed and moved, smaller hand closing around the man's neck.

Even without her hand being able to wrap around his throat, her immense strength made it possible to keep him restrained easily. After the man's struggles grew weaker did she release him.

"Better. Now. Do you mind if we speak? I do want you to be brought to justice, but I'll say that if you think we will only do that for you, you're wrong. Don't answer and you can experience something a lot worse."