Eliza smiled.  The small voice in her ear was so nice to hear.  Christa was telling her that her aunt needed her to stay for at least another month.  The death of her Uncle had come as a shock and her aunt was not doing well.  There were legal complications and she just wasn't coping.  Eliza understood but she'd been so hoping that Christa would be back soon.  She'd holed up lately and just wasn't doing anything.  Of course, she not mentioned any of what had happened to Christa.  She had her own problems at the moment and she was not going to burden her friend with her problems, especially since there was nothing she could do.  She'd never do that.

She held on to the phone for a few moments after Christa had bid her goodbye and the line was dead.  She just didn't want to sever the link to her best, or was that only, friend.  She put the phone into the cradle and felt a tear run down her cheek.  She wiped at in angrily and went into the kitchen and poured a tall glass of brandy.  "Here's to another night Sunday night alone!" she toasted and emptied the glass in three huge gulps.  Returning to the living room, she stretched out on the couch and listened to some plaintiff music.  The minor key put her into a melancholy mood.  Petting a purring Toby, she drifted in and out of sleep, sipping on the vanishing bottle of brandy when she awakened.

Toby's hiss is what brought her to consciousness and she realized that she was being firmly held.  She was yanked up and saw that she was being held firmly by two men.  She was quite drunk and not focusing properly.  "Damn, I think the hunters have me."  She giggled a little.  "Thought I was miserable before, bet it's going to get a lot worse."  She just didn't feel like fighting.  She wanted to sleep and she really wanted the world to go away.  She realized she must be in danger but it just wasn't seeming to be real.  She wondered if this was another dream.

"She's drunk," one man commented to the other.  Eliza's knees buckled and they supported her weight.  

The second man laughed. "I think you're right.  And she's damn good looking too!"  They looked at each other and lifted her and put her on the couch.  

Eliza tried to focus.  She realized that something was wrong but she wasn't sure what.  These dreams seemed so real sometimes.  The hot mouth on her breast should have felt good but it was hurting her.  She groaned and opened her eyes.  The naked man on her was pounding into her body and the hot wash in her body and his panting moans made it very obvious  what was going on.  She felt disassociated, almost as if she was looking down at the scene from above.  The second man pushed her legs up and forced himself into her.  The tearing pain brought her to full consciousness and ripped an anguished scream from her.  She felt like he was splitting her in half.  She spasmodically tried to straighten her legs but the leverage was against her.  She couldn't move.

"What's wrong, sweetie?  You don't like it in the back door?  Here, I'll make it more fun for you."  He leaned back and rammed two fingers into her body.  She screamed again as pain shot through her and she felt the rage build that anyone would try, no not try, this was beyond trying, do this to her.  The man laughed and grabbed her bare breast and twisted hard.  She felt her fangs deploy and she raised her head and sank her fangs in his arm.  

He screamed and she felt the hot wash of blood over her breasts, and down her throat.  That was good.  That was very good.  She swallowed and bit deeper, feeling a hot gush of blood.  She realized that she'd probably severed an artery.   Oh, it was good.  The pain and the blood, the hot blood, were bringing her to full consciousness.  She dimly felt the futile pounding of his left hand on her body.  He gathered himself and hit her as hard as he could with his fist on the side of her head.  Eliza blacked out.

Consciousness returned and she saw the man standing, trying to stop the bleeding from his arm.  He nodded toward her.  "Kill that bitch," he told his friend who was staring at what was happening open mouthed.  "Kill her!" he screamed.  The second man looked confused, but drawing a knife, he move toward Eliza.  He lunged at her, attempting to spear her in the heart.  She twisted and blocked, deflecting the knife into her couch.  The blade had just barely brushed beneath her breasts and she could feel burn of the wound over the breast bone.  She had executed a forearm block with her right hand.  She grabbed his knife hand with her left hand, and with her right hand smashed the bottom of her clenched fist into his nose.  She felt the crunch of the cartilage and heard a deeper bone crack.  She grabbed his head with both hands and smashed her forehead into his face.  He dropped to the floor, totally limp and unmoving.  

She stood and faced the man who had hurt her so badly.  Her hair was matted with blood, her left breast was bruised from his abuse, her upper body was awash with the blood of her two attackers and her own blood from the wound under her breasts.  Blood smeared her legs from the damage the second man had done raping her.  She was still dizzy from the blow to the side of the head and the brandy she'd consumed, but with the blood she'd had, she was recovering quickly.  She turned and pulled the knife from her couch and faced him, knife in hand.  His eyes widened in fear.

"So," she hissed, "you want to stick it up my ass, do you?"  With blinding speed, she lunged forward, dropping to one knee and stabbed upward, driving the knife hilt deep into his anus.  He stiffened.  Momentarily it was as if he was frozen.  His mouth opened and made short panting sounds.  It was as if every move he made was causing him excruciating pain.  He reached between his legs to attempt to remove the weapon from his body, but Eliza stood and grasped his wrists with her blood and anger fueled strength.  He was no match for her strength.  She forced him to his knees.  He seemed to be trying to say something but coherent sounds were not coming out.  Eliza released his wrists and smiled at him.  She struck him in the forehead with the heel of her hand, knocking him onto his back.  

His legs were folded under his body so that he could not easily right himself.  Eliza kneed between his legs and put a firm hand on his chest.  He weakly flapped his arms and made whimpering sounds.  She fully extended her fangs and gazed into his eyes, paralyzing his body.  She smiled her most evil smile and let him watch as she lowered her head down, between his legs.  He could feel.  He could feel everything she did.  He felt it as she licked him.  He felt is as she took him into her mouths.  He felt it as the long fangs sank into his groin.  He felt it as his blood flowed and he could feel her licking it up.  As she drew back he could feel the fangs on either side of his scrotum.  He could not only feel, but he could actually hear the tearing sound as she bit and twisted her head to the side, tearing that which he'd considered his manhood from his body.  

She raised up, the bloody appendage  in her mouth, allowing him to see the dripping horror.  She spit it into his face and smile at him.  His body began jerking and thrashing.  His eyes rolled back and he went limp.  Eliza knew he was dead.

She stood and took a step towards her couch.  She was tired, so very tired.  She slumped and staggered.  She dropped to her knees and leaned forward cradling her head in her arms and sobbed.  Toby nuzzled her hear.  She put her arm around him and rolled to her side.  "Oh, sweet baby, you're the only one there when I need you," she whimpered.  He purred and she stroked him as consciousness faded.  

Toby head butting her finally forced her to wake up.  He stood on her breasts and meowed his, "Wake up and feed me," meow.  "Ok, ok," she said, swinging her feet to the floor in the dim light.  She squinted.  "Must be dusk."  She wrinkled her brow.  She felt something was wrong, different, or not right.  She just couldn't grasp what it was.  She wandered to the kitchen, naked, and opened a can of food for Toby.  Even more than usual, he attacked the bowl as if he was starving.  She stretched and peeked out the window.  Yes, the sun had set and the first stars were beginning to show.  She looked at Toby and smiled at him.  "You're my little furry alarm clock, aren't you, baby?"  He looked up at her quizzically and returned to the really serious business of eating.  

She poured a cold cup of coffee and put it in the microwave oven for 45 seconds to warm it.  She opened her door to get the paper and wondered if anyone could see.  Probably not.  A basement apartment is sort of private.  Taking the warm coffee and paper, she sat on the couch and opened the paper.  She took a sip of coffee, opened and spread the paper out where she could see the ads for leather wear and leaned back.  The scratching sensation on her bare back was irritating.  She turned to see what was causing and felt an almost electric thrill go through her body.  There was a tear or a hole in her couch about an inch and a half wide.  Looking at the hole, she could almost feel a burning sensation just beneath her breasts.  She gently touched it with her finger, wondering what was going on.  

She glanced at the paper and froze.  Slowly leaning forward she picked up the paper and looked at the date and day.  It said Wednesday.  She'd talked to Christa, yesterday, Sunday!  Today couldn't be Wednesday.  Toby came in, licking his whiskers, and sat next to her.  He head butted her and purred.  Curling into a cat knot, he almost instantly seemed to go to sleep.  
If it was really Wednesday, Toby hadn't eaten since Sunday.  No wonder he was acting like he was starving.  Eliza felt a sort of panic pass over her.  What was going on?  Was she losing her mind?  She wondered if vampires went crazy very often.  "I've been under a lot of stress, lately," she mused.  "Been a little deep into the bottle.  I need to start taking better care of myself."  She petted Toby and realized that he was the only reason she really had to exist.  Well, Christa, but Christa had a life and she wasn't around.  Eliza walked into the kitchen and found a half bottle of brandy.  Sitting naked in her living room on a ripped couch, Eliza drained the remainder and set it down.  "Guess I need some more," she thought, standing a little unsteadily.  "I'd better put some clothes on or I'll freeze something important off."  She giggled at that thought then, "I wonder if anyone would notice."

Suddenly there was a pounding on the door and the ring of the doorbell.  Staggering to the front door, Eliza tried to peer through the peephole to see who was there. Unable to see, she threw the door open and staggered back.

Adam walked into the apartment and immediately asked, “are you all right Eliza?  You look all right. Although it would be nice if you put some clothes on.”

“Whah you doin here Adam, yesh I’m ok,” she slurred.

Stumbling into her room she grabbed her robe and flung it on.  She made her way back to the livingroom just as Adam sat in the chair.

“Damn you’re drunk, Eliza and you called me,” Adam told her.

With a look of confusion, she repeated, “I called you? I dun remember.”  She looked at Adam as the look of confusion turned to fear. “I really don’t remember calling you Adam,” she said, sounding much more sober.

“Well you did, Eliza. You sounded so frantic that I came right over, as quickly as I could get here, Adam told her.”

Looking around, Adam couldn’t see anything to make Eliza sound as she had on the phone.  He looked at her with an inquiring look.  “Want to tell me what was so all fired urgent that I had to come flying over here?” he asked.

“I’ll say it one more time, Adam, I don’t remember calling you, I didn’t call you as far as I know, and there is nothing that I can tell wrong.  Although I don’t know how this hole got in my couch.  It wasn’t there when I sat here earlier,” she said as she put her finger through the hole.

Unconsciously, she rubbed the place below her breasts as the stinging started again.  

Looking at Adam seriously, she asked him what day it was.

Watching Eliza closely, Adam told her it was Wednesday evening.  Since he was watching her so closely, he saw her face turn paler than it normally was.  Something was wrong here, but he didn’t know what.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he knew he’d help her if he could.

All right Eliza, tell me what’s going on.

Shaking, Eliza said she would try but that she wasn’t sure herself what was real and what wasn’t anymore.  As she was talking, she again unconsciously rubbed at that area that stung slightly.

“Look Adam, I talked to Christa Sunday night, when she told me she wouldn’t be back for another month.  Her Aunt’s affairs are taking longer than she expected.  I was sulking and I admit it.  I drank some brandy, fell asleep on the couch,” she told him.

“Passed out is more like it,” he snapped.

“Look do you want me to go on or shall I just forget it?” she snapped back, fully sober now.

“I’m sorry Eliza, go on,” Adam replied

“I don’t know what’s happening.  I’m having these horrible nightmares.  They seem so real, I feel like I’m being watched all the time, but my danger senses aren’t warning me.  I don’t know if it’s part of the dreams, if it’s real or just what is going on,” she cried.

Looking at Adam, she told him she had awoken tonight and it was Wednesday.  She had fallen asleep Sunday morning.  “I’ve lost three nights.  Adam, I’ve lost three nights,” she cried, getting more and more upset.

“All right Eliza, tell me about this dream. Tell me what you remember of the dream, anyway,” he said.

Calming down slightly she started to tell him what she remembered.  “I fell asleep or passed out, if you prefer, after talking to Christa.  I was disappointed that she wasn’t returning the next day as she had originally planned.  I had taken some of the brandy and drifted off to sleep.  I remember awakening to the feeling of being pinned down.  Held tightly, I couldn’t move,” she told him. 

Getting more upset as she retold the dream, Eliza started shaking.

“Damn it Adam, they were raping me.  They hurt me.  I hurt back.  I killed them both, I think.  If the one lived, which I doubt, he surely would have been a eunuch.  I passed out here on the couch and that’s the last I remember until I woke up to Toby head butting me for food.  I really thought it was Monday night not Wednesday night.  I swear I don’t remember calling you, nor do I know how this place got clean.  In my dream it was covered in blood and so was I,” she finished.

“I remember the one tried to stab me and I deflected the knife into the couch,” she said, as she again placed her finger into the hole in the back of the couch.

“The knife passed close enough to nick me slightly, I think.”  Again she rubbed the place under her breasts.  Opening her robe, she looked and there was a thin pink line.

She looked up, her face whitening again.

Adam, who had said nothing throughout the telling, now asked if she had cleaned the mess up.  

“I don’t think so Adam, I just can’t remember and this has never happened to me before.  I have never lost days like this.  Strange things happened when I was making the transition from human to vampire, but I never lost whole days like this,” she said.  “It always seems that my dreams tell the story, but this time I just don’t know. I still feel like I’m being watched, although with no ill intent,” she mused.

“Eliza, for one thing you are drowning yourself in the brandy.  That’s strong, very potent stuff.  Cut back or lay off it altogether.  Lets take a look at the rest calmly, if possible.  There seems to be no sign of a struggle of any kind.  Other than the hole in the couch, of course.  Could you have done that somehow? He asked.”

“No Adam, if you look, it’s a slit, not a true hole.  I wasn’t practicing with the dagger if that’s what you were asking,” she told him.

Taking another look around, Adam asked where the small mat was that she had placed in front of the door.  Bending down, he picked up a small clump of fur.  Toby ran over Adams feet and tried to bat the fur clump from his hands.  

“What’s this Eliza,” he asked, holding up the small clump of fur?  “It’s not Toby’s fur, wrong color,” he said.

Taking it, Eliza looked at it and said, “I have no idea Adam, I’ve never had an animal of that color here.  As for the mat, it was here Sunday.”

Toby sat there watching his human and smiled his cat smile.  He knew what had happened.  He knew.