BLOOD LUST

The bell from the catholic church just by the corner of fourth street rang, signaling the beginning of the catholic mass. This was the only reason most people hated the neighborhood. The annoying sound of the bell. Somehow it got linked to every mishap that took place in the hood. For some, it was a nuisance and for others, it served as an alarm. Arousing them from their deep sleep, or mishap, while some, it brought them to terms with reality.The occupants of the single room, just adjacent to the church, belonged to the last group. Emily Sue with a sad and faraway look in her eyes sat quietly on a double sized bed, her hands supporting her head which was bent, on both sides.Her nose and eyes were red and puffy, you could see that she'd be crying. Litters of used tissue lay scattered on the floor of the tiny room she shared with her roommate.Not because she couldn't afford a better living space, but because she didn't think she would live long enough to enjoy such luxury, so, inst

The weekend came and went without a sign and soon it was Monday. It wasn't a form of complaint because Emily loved Monday's.Snippets of her conversation with Lauren yesterday filed through her mind and gave her a certain sense of hope as she parked her sixteen year old vehicle that had toiled the road with her and was looking worn out but prim due to inconsistent maintenance.The noise from her stilettos marked her entrance as she squared her shoulders and walked into her office. By now, everyone knew that Emily had cancer. Emily of the most high, as most people liked to call her.The smell of drugs and antiseptic filled her nose and she inhaled it.This was life. Wondering what her life would be like once she lost touch with this world, she turned on the doorknob to her office and stepped in. She sensed something vaguely odd about today.The room was still dark and smelt stuffy with a mix of medically treated tools that reeked antiseptic. Emily was used to the aura by now, because

"So Mrs. -" Emily looked from the woman who sat in front of her to the folder in her hands, "Mrs. Cadbury, I would love to schedule an appointment for you to have your braces done by next week."Mrs. Cadbury nodded in agreement, her eyes darting to and fro, watching every movement her dentist made. Especially the way her eyes never let the wall clock hanging directly above her head.It would be the first time that Emily would seem so distracted and a little bit absent minded. It was so unlike her. The Emily she'd come to adore was a chatty type and a life of the party person.Quite sincerely, she felt bad for Emily, or rather pity. Pity would be the word she'd like to use , but again, she knew how much people detested pity. How could a young and vibrant lady like Emily suddenly come down with cancer?Anyway, that was the problem with doctors. They had all the time in the world to take care of others but never cared that much about themselves. She shook her head.The lady was the last

Lauren had gone and changed the bed again without informing her. The bed, unlike the previous one, was soft and homely, almost felt like she was lying on bird feathers.Emily yawned and rolled over to the other end of the bed, basking in its softness. She wished she could lie there forever but she had work to do.Work.The sound of rushing showers within a close proximity caught her attention in the bathroom, making Emily sneak one eye open even though she didn't want to.When did they have an adjoining bathroom? Since when did they have a bathroom in the room?She could vaguely recall that to access the bathroom, you had to walk out through the door, and into the next room which was the bathroom she had Lauren shared.Had Lauren changed rooms too? Did she come home last night so tired that she couldn't remember a thing?She blinked her eyes wide open and sat up instantly.She was in an entirely different room from hers. The room screamed masculinity and maleness.The walls were pain

"Aiiiiii Shh." Roman grabbed his forehead in total amusement. "You need to stop making a caricature of yourself."Emily couldn't believe he had used the word 'caricature,' on her. Smiling sweetly, she gave him a piercing look."Tell me where my dam**n phone is or I'll show you what a real caricature of oneself looks like." She seethed."In Damians name, woman!! You curse too much!!" Roman was beyond frustrated now, "How can you even be called a lady?"Lark nodded in agreement. "Well, if you just tell me where my fuc**ken phone is, I wouldn't cuss at you." Truly, she only used curse words when she was in a fixed and tight position. Especially one like this where she stood alone against two strange men, who towered above her both in height and width.Even with the distance between them, Emily was sure that if the one in gray hair decided on it, he would have her crushed below him.How could he be built so sturdily?"You could ask nicely." The lanky one advised.Emily gave him her full