The Dark Messenger by Milo Spires

replied and they both smiled at
each other. Becky started to say ‘I love you’ but Jenny said the
same line at exactly the same time. They laughed, real laughs this
time, and hugged each other but softly because Jenny remembered
about Becky’s tubes this time.
     
    Becky’s face grew puzzled. ‘I don’t know
what’s happening to me, Jen. I’ve always been fit, I never
smoked--I don’t know what’s wrong with me, except I feel really
strange.’
     
    Jenny paused, not knowing what to say. She
was torn as to whether or not she should reveal what Becky had said
in the bathroom.
     
    ‘They took a blood sample, you know, and they
are going to do some tests.’
     
    Suddenly she grabbed her stomach with both
hands as pain surged up within her.

    ‘Becky? Are you okay?” Jenny cried.
     
    The pain passed as fast as it had come. Becky
nodded.
     
    Jenny decided she had no choice; Becky had to
know what had gone on while she was unconscious. She picked up
Becky’s hand and stroked it.
     
    ‘Becky, there’s something you should know.
While you were passed out, you were mumbling about someone called
Longinus, and you said something about vampires. I was really
scared--what was all that about?’ Jenny asked.
     
    Becky immediately froze. She let go of her
stomach as she heard the name Longinus, and Jenny was horrified by
her reaction and facial expressions too. Becky’s face distorted,
her eyes grew dark in color, and the veins on her temples began to
grow and pulsate.
     
    Jenny quickly apologized, hoping that somehow
it would fix her now very strange mate, but it didn’t.
     
    Becky immediately sat upright and shouted,
‘Longinus! Where is my Master?”
     
     
    ‘Er…’ Jenny said, panic rising and totally
lost for words.
     
    She grabbed Becky’s shoulders and shouted in
her face, ‘What do you mean, “where is my Master”? What the hell
are you talking about? Becky! You don’t have a master… as far as I
know. Do you?’
     
    A few minutes ago, the machine behind Becky
had been beeping slowly about once every second, but now it was
screaming its head off and the display was flashing violently.
     
    Four nurses came from nowhere and grabbed
Becky, forcing her back down flat onto the bed. Incredibly, as if
she was possessed, she threw two of them off though.
     
    ‘Out!’ one of the nurses screamed at Jenny
without looking at her. She was wrapped up entirely in the
emergency before her.
     
    Suddenly Jenny felt someone tapping her on
the shoulder, and she looked over to see that it was the same
Filipino nurse from before.
     
    ‘Com wiv mi’ she said, but Jenny ignored her.
She didn’t want to leave; everything had been okay till she had
just mentioned that name, ‘Longinus.’
     
    ‘Why did I have to say that
bloody name?’ she asked herself, cursing inwardly. She was sure
that that had just triggered off her wild fit. How strange, though, she
thought.
     
    The floral curtain round the bed was quickly
drawn by two more nurses who had just arrived on the scene.
     
    Inside she could hear the strangest of sounds
coming from her mate. Becky was making what sounded like wild
animal noises and swearing, using every word possible that she
knew. It was really quite embarrassing, Jenny thought, as other
patients and relatives started to look across at her
distastefully.
     
    ‘Use the drugs!’ she heard one of them
say.
     
    ‘I did! I used the whole syringe!’ came the
reply.
     
    ‘Restrain her hands then, and call that
emergency number from the red phone!’ one of them shouted.
     
    Jenny froze. What emergency number? What red phone? she thought to herself. They are not suggesting that she has signs of schizophrenia,
are they? They are a hospital;, why should they call an emergency
number? You’re the emergency people--deal with her you
idiots! she thought.
     
    The Filipino nurse then said, ‘Come yi now,
you stand ere no day all starring, you wiv me go, go av nicey cup
tea,