I run back to my apartment, as fast as I can, arriving in less than five minutes. No one should be able to run this fast, what was wrong with me?

I barge through the door, tossing my backpack on the ground as I run to my bathroom. I look in the mirror and stifle a scream. My lips are pale pink, my eyes seem set to far back into my face and are ringed with dark purple, and they’re glowing. The worst, by far, though…

I have inch and a half long fangs where my perfectly normal canines used to be. What is going on? I knew I needed blood before, but this had never happened. Severe pain in my stomach hits me like a tidal wave and I curl up on the floor, groaning. My hair falls over my face like a nearly-black veil.

My chest is on fire, and this time I do scream. The cross I’ve been wearing for weeks is white-hot and searing my skin. I rip it off and endure the pain. I writhe on the floor for an eternity, howling and crying in my own private hell.

Finally, mercifully, the pain takes over. I black out.