6
DAWN
Morning has waned into a the thick yellow haze of afternoon by the time I open my eyes again. At some point while I slept, I threw the pillow to the foot of the bed; my neck is stiff. My head throbs. My T-shirt sticks to my back, and my flesh is clammy with sweat.
Do I have a fever?
Vampires can’t get sick, but though I’ve tasted their blood, I am not a vampire. Though they’ve bitten me, I did not turn.
Though there’s something weird about me, I’m still human.
I am not immune to human disease, even if I can’t come up with a single possibly for where I might have contracted whatever’s wrong with me now. I haven’t been back to work; after the battle in Vermont last month, I called the hospital and used my sick days to stay here in this house — to stay with them. I still haven’t
