The Outbreak

"At approximately four in the morning, two police officers were killed in the line of duty. We are currently investigating the incident and the culprits will be brought to justice!"

Milo stared over the woman's shoulder at the TV screen. The woman didn't react at all, as if their deaths had nothing to do with her, but Milo could recall with near perfect clarity their deaths.

But, Milo didn't feel much about it. They were trying to kill him, and they died. The end. Even their gruesome deaths didn't turn his stomach like it did previously.

"What are you going to call yourself? Milo was fine, but anyone who hears your name now is going to look at you funnily." Milo nodded his head in thought.

"Oh, that reminds me. My name is Odelle. I don't use my last name anymore so just ignore it." Odelle got her phone out and started looking for nearby clothing stores.

"I never really thought about picking a new name honestly. Any suggestions?" Odelle looked at Milo and smiled evilly, making the latter furrow their brows warily.

"Are you male or female? Physically you are female, but some humans tend to lean to the other, so which are you?" Odelle stared into Milo's crimson eyes seriously.

"Who am I? I was a man? I mean, I am female, and I don't really see the need to cling to who I once was. Then I'm female now?" Milo looked up at Odelle who was taller than her by a few inches.

"Then let's pick a name for you. Your eyes... Have you ever heard of Orissa? Rhodolite is a black and red gem, which reminds me of your eyes a bit." Odelle brought up a picture of Orissa Rhodolite and showed Milo the results.

"It's pretty, even if it does look a bit evil." Hearing Milo, Odelle giggled and then stared, prompting Milo to make a decision. Milo tapped her finger on the couch's armrest and then nodded hesitantly.

"It's fine for now. If I don't like it, I'm going to change it though." Hearing Milo... No, Orissa, Odelle smiled and got to her feet, walking into a room. Orissa heard something being lifted up and Odelle walked back out holding a pretty large mirror.

"You've never actually seen the new you right?" She tossed the two and a half foot mirror to Orissa who caught it easily, and with a hint of unease, she looked at herself.

A young woman with pale skin stared back, her crimson red irises looking like gorgeous gems. Her pupils were in a weird state between being elliptical and being usual for a human.

Her silky black hair fell to her lower back, and even though it appeared to be windblown and untamed, it didn't take away from her charms. Orissa wore an oversized shirt, and luckily her pants wasn't too loose so she could still keep them up.

Opening her moist pink lips, she could see two sharp canines glinting in the dim lighting. Her nails were black, not painted black with nail polish, but a natural black that couldn't be replicated with pointed tips.

She looked at her feet after removing her shoes and wondered why her toenails were also black, but they weren't pointed like her fingernails. She felt that it was a blessing or she wouldn't be able to wear shoes at all.

Her ears were pointed like af elf's from fantasy, and perhaps because she wasn't hunting, her sclera were gradually regaining their normal color. She frowned and her sclera quickly changed from black to white.

"Why are my ears like this?" Orissa looked at Odelle who lifted a lock of hair from her temple and showed her ears. Much like Orissa, her ears were pointy and larger than the regular human's.

"We hunt with our senses. Our ears are extremely sensitive to sound, so much so that noises at a high enough pitch can render us useless due to the overwhelming amount of stimuli we receive. If that happens, focus on leaving the area or you might end up being destroyed."

"Oh, if you want to get specific, like you, I also underwent a similar change. Regular humans infected with our strain will not have pointed ears. Only those who were completely altered by the virus will have them."

Orissa thought back to when blood seeped from her pores, crystallizing around her like a cocoon. Odelle slumped on the couch and closed her eyes.

"We don't need sleep, but we can do something similar. Hibernation. Be very careful when you do so, because external stimuli will not wake you up unless it is a threat to your life. If someone finds you and moves your body, you'll be helpless and unaware."

"During Hibernation, we cut off our senses so we are no better than a corpse at that point. You'd wake up either if you choose to, or if your body is unable to function with the blood you've drunk."

"Why is that a thing? That's horrifying." Orissa mumbled softly. Odelle opened an eye and looked out at the curtain covered window silently before speaking again.

"Humans try to either kill or capture us. I met someone who was experimented on while captured by humans. It wasn't pretty. Although we aren't incapacitated by pain like humans are, it still hurts."

"If you get locked away somewhere without blood, you'd end up losing rationality, similar to how it was during your first hunt. Then the virus will start to cause your body to dry out by absorbing the remaining blood. You'd end up as a dry husk of yourself, conscious, but unable to move, plagued by your thirst."

"Can you come back from that?" Orissa asked and Odelle nodded. Odelle shifted and made herself comfortable before replying, staring at the ceiling.

"If someone gives you blood, your body will recover. The virus will stop taking from your body and use what is 'fresh'. Based on some guesses, it would take at least five decades for your body to shut down completely. You'll be just in pain for every moment leading up to that and beyond."

"I'm actually convinced we're vampires now." Orissa leaned against the counter, not because her legs were tired, but because she was used to leaning against things from before.

"Maybe. We have a few hours until sunset. You can use my phone until then, I'm gonna try and take a nap." Odelle tossed her phone to Orissa and turned over and closed her eyes.

"But you can't sleep... You just told me that." Orissa stared at Odelle who shifted and grumbled something about she could still try anyway, making Orissa chuckle.