Stephanie

Stephanie Cage sat alone at a table for two.

Steady spring rain rolled off the tin roof of the veranda and onto the worn cobbled streets below.

She rubbed her eyes and looked about the small cafe. It was bustling as usual this morning - dozens of customers going about their daily busy lives, unwavered by the rain.

A couple baristas flowed like water over one another, serving one customer after the other in an elegant dance between the terracotta walls of the shop. They were good at their job, as expected with all the inevitable practice city life provides.

Several people sat scattered about the cafe, in small circular tables with tall turquoise chairs - a stark contrast with the clay-like walls, but one that worked well, nonetheless.

A couple sat at the table adjacent to Stephanie.

The man had one hand on his coffee and the other on the newspaper he was reading. His female companion savored a breakfast bagel. Stephanie was so hungry, and she stared at the woman, yearning for food.

The smell of the woman's bagel drifted over and caught Stephanie by surprise. It was revolting. Her stomach ached, and she retched. Luckily, no one seemed to pay her any attention. She sat up, rubbing her mouth.

She was hungry. So hungry.

When's the last time she'd eaten?

Last night?

No.

The day before?

She couldn't remember.

Wait, did she remember?

This place seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite put a reason on why.

She glanced at the woman with the bagel again, and at the man reading the paper. And for a split second she considered pouncing on them and ripping into their flesh.

How unusual.

Stephanie shook her head, dispelling the crazy thoughts. That wasn't like her. That wouldn't have been normal behavior for anyone really.

What was wrong with her?

A child walked by with his family, and he stared until his father corrected him for the social rudeness. It was then Stephanie realized she was tapping her foot and mumbling under her breath. She quickly stopped.

She was fine.

Just hungry, that's all.

And she still had no idea how she got here.

Did she even have money for food on her?

Hmm. No purse, apparently. She fumbled around her pockets for her phone or wallet or keys. Anything to help her remember.

Nothing.

How had she gotten here?

Rubbing her temples, she rested her head in her hands against the table.

What had happened last night?

A waitress nearby was making the rounds with a pot of coffee, offering the regulars refills and asking small mundane things about their lives. She made her way over to Stephanie's table and asked if she was alright or if she needed something to drink.

Stephanie raised her head.

The smell of coffee nearly made her gag, but she held it in.

Weird. She hadn't disliked it before.

The waitress asked again, a concerned look in her eyes.

"You okay, hun?"

Stephanie stared at the waitress' arm and felt the salivation in her mouth. The waitress - her veins subtly hidden under a fleshy cloak, teemed with warm viscous nectar. Nourishment. She could hear it - the resonate thumping of another's heart. It rang in her ears - a steady rhythmic yearning.

Her fingers tingled and her eyes narrowed at the woman. This caused the waitress to back off, understandably. Stephanie grew hot.

So hot.

Burning.

She needed to feed.

Her teeth chattered and she couldn't help it. She caught herself reaching out in earnest for the waitress - for her throat. And she quickly caught herself with her other arm and pinned it down.

What was happening to her?

The waitress now seemed cautious and afraid, rather than just concerned.


"I'll just leave ye be then," she said, heading back into the kitchen and glancing over her shoulder at Stephanie every other step.

And then, as if her world collapsed all at once, she felt it all. She heard the individual thrum of each heartbeat in the room - felt the flow of blood through their veins. She yearned for it. She could tell when each breathed in, smell each distinctive scent, and see the individual beads of sweat form on the heads of those now starting to stare at her.

Going into the bathroom, Stephanie wheezed over the sink, dousing her face with cold water.

What is happening?

"You're okay, Steph. You're okay," she said to herself. And she looked into the mirror, and jumped back instinctively as it cracked as soon as she did so. Shards of glass became unfettered makeshift knives and fell into the sink.

A different Stephanie in a broken reflection stared back at her - one that did not mimic the motions of the original but remained stoic and emotionless.
Stephanie leaned closer, curiously unaware of what was happening.

The other Stephanie smiled a sinister, broken, smile and pressed her finger to her lips with an inaudible "Shhh".

Panic. Terror. Fear.

Run.

These emotions and obvious solutions to her situation played out in her brain but died before she had time to process what was happening. She could not look away from the other Stephanie's eyes.

And oh, she tried.

She tried to turn away - to close her eyes. And yet silently screaming, tears filled her eyes and her hands trembled. She willed herself to look away - to move. And yet her body disobeyed. Her eyes remained fixated on the other Stephanie, with her sinister smile and hollow crimson eyes.

And she stared. Both of them were silent for an indeterminate moment.

She didn't know how long she'd been staring, and it was unclear exactly when it happened. But at some point during this interaction, everything became clear.

No more fear.

No more terror.

No need to run.

Only a hunger. Oh, such a hunger.


"Ma'am?" a woman said. She stood next to Stephanie in the bathroom, drying her hands off. "Are you okay?"

Stephanie looked up slowly. No broken mirror. No corrupted reflection. And when she looked at the woman, no hesitation.



*12 hours later*

Stephanie walked, satisfied after a lavish meal, through the lobby of a run-down motel on the edge of town. The man at the desk was nonchalant and handed her the key to her room, no questions asked. She took it, and yet her eyes remained fixed on him.

The old TV in the background was set to the local news channel. "-enforcement are looking for any information pertaining to the massacre that occurred here at Four Hills Cafe, in which 14 people were brutally rendered unrecognizable in what police are saying is 'the most egregious mass murder in the history of the city'."

The man glanced up at the TV, and then back to Stephanie, who brought a finger to her smile.
“Shhh.”