Talons (6 page)

“
I don’t know what to say,
Sybil,” Vivvie said and shook her head. “If Dina hid a cat in here,
I never knew it. I’m so sorry. Why don’t we try steam cleaning
it?”

Vivvie convinced Sybil to allow her to
pay Stanley Steamer to come in and clean her carpet, the hallway,
and the living room. Vivvie was furious to think Dina lied about
hiding a cat the whole time.

The red, running eyes of her new
roommate convinced her that must have been the case. Sybil stayed
with her boyfriend until the carpet was cleaned. Vivvie was mad she
had to shell out the money to have the carpet professionally
cleaned. She couldn’t afford to lose her new roommate. Gary did
away with the diner being opened twenty-four hours on the weekend.
It was putting a strain on Vivvie’s pocket book.

Sybil seemed content for a week after
the carpet was cleaned. Then the sneezing started up again. Vivvie
couldn’t find any source to trigger Sybil’s allergies. She was
bummed out when the girl and her boyfriend moved out her stuff.
Sybil was a class act and refused to take a refund of
money.

Vivvie was disgusted to see the scratch
on the back of her hand still itched and refused to heal. She felt
like she was having hot flashes too. The AC was adjusted as low as
it could go. Vivvie started having strange food cravings too. She
went from eating charred burgers at work to rare and skipped the
pickles overnight.

Vivvie realized something was up. She
got bored at work and started shooting the little disposable
containers of cream on the counter like Jell-O shots. Before she
knew it, she drank twenty of them. Dairy products seemed to beckon
to her now.

Her skin felt like it was on fire,
sensitive and tight all the time. She felt healthier than she ever
felt in her life though. The customers at the diner said she looked
gorgeous. She had to admit her skin and eyes took on a particular
glow. Her nails and hair grew alarmingly as well.

Vivvie was unnerved to recall
recovering a tray of food that almost fell at work. Her hands
snaked out quickly to rescue the dishes before they hit the floor.
She was always pretty clumsy. These new lightening reflexes took
her by surprise.

Vivvie was really freaking out when the
bleeding started. She was at work when it began. It was way too
early for her period. The bleeding was light but constant. By now,
she was thinking cancer, leukemia, and generally obsessing over her
health.

The dreams were the worst, waking her
in the night covered in sweat, her heart beating so loud she felt
like it would explode. Vivvie knew something was wrong with her.
Her body was definitely freaking out.

She was in a Sunoco paying for gas when
the homely clerk gave her the change back. The guy barely touched
her hand. The pleasurable stabs of some alien sensation made her
jump and drop the money. She ran out of the store, but it didn’t
end there. Anything that rubbed, touched, or brushed against her
seemed to produce this pleasurable sensation.

For someone who couldn’t stand to be
touched before, it was glaringly obvious something was wrong with
her now. Her face burned to know she experimented with trying to
seek some sort of release from this anguish. Masturbating before
was never an option. Now, she pounced on herself every chance she
got.

Vivvie was at work sitting in a booth
with Salem talking. Soon she became fascinated with a fly that was
buzzing around the window screen. Her attention span drifted
quickly lately.

“
Hey, where you at, Girl?
You didn’t hear a word I said,” Salem said and shook his head. “Are
you feeling ok, Viv?”

“
I’m fine,” Vivvie said
defensively, but the fly was still driving her crazy in the corner
of her eye. She lied through her teeth. “It’s been a tough couple
months, Salem. Everybody thinks Dina and Rachel are dead. I could
have been with them that night. It’s been rough on me. I think I’m
allowed to freak out for a while.”

“
The papers don’t say too
much no more,” Salem said sorrowfully. “Ain’t that somethin’? They
was here yesterday, and now they’re just old news? It’s like they
were never here at all.”

“
That’s how I feel.
Everybody just wrote them off,” Vivvie said with a catch in her
voice, her eyes filled with pain. “If Dina is still alive; she’s
going to be really pissed off to know I threw away her rap CD’s and
gave all her hoochie clothes to Goodwill.”

Salem chuckled and nodded. “You keep
that up, Viv. Don’t give up hope.”

Vivvie recalled that feral look in
Rick’s eyes that night. Some awareness made her refuse to go with
them. Now two young women were missing.

Vivvie wasn’t ok. Something was very
wrong with her. Her OCD somehow disappeared overnight. Now she
seemed to be a raging nymphomaniac who snuck into the employee
bathroom to rub her own junk every chance she got. It was
embarrassing.

Vivvie stayed in the shower until it
ran cold, touching her body, and having fits. She woke up with her
hand in her own panties more often than not. It all made her wonder
if she was having a nervous breakdown after Dina went
missing.

Vivvie also didn’t need to turn all the
lights on as she made her way down the stairs. She could see in the
dark as if it was as light as daytime. There was no explanation to
what was happening to her. She thought it was a brain
tumor.

~~~~

Vivvie was enjoying her day off. She
blew off cleaning house and lolled poolside half the day. She was
getting lazy, pleased by it for once. Five smoothies later and a
dip in the pool; she abandoned the fruit altogether for straight
cream and ice.

The obsessive compulsions were gone.
These strange, definitely sexual urges were not. Sometimes she felt
like screaming when they began, making her feel like she would
burst into flames if she didn’t get laid. It was pretty
inconvenient in WalMart buying dish soap.

Vivvie was about to change
out of her bathing suit when the doorbell rang. She looked through
the peephole. An official-looking guy in a suit was standing on the
porch.
Great, more cops,
she thought in dismay.

When she opened the door, the guy
appeared to be less official and very good looking upon closer
inspection. He looked to be in his early thirties with short, dark
brown wavy hair. He had a more than cute face with a nice bod to go
with it. Vivvie couldn’t help but check him out. But then, she was
hitting on the dweeb clerk at the Sunoco these days.

“
Miss Collins, my name is
David Martin. I’m here investigating your roommate’s
disappearance,” he offered as she wrapped the towel around herself,
taking his card.

Vivvie thought to get this over with
and enjoy the rest of her day off. She invited him in.

“
You a cop?” Vivvie asked as
she went and got a Coke. She offered him one and he declined.
Vivvie popped the top of her soda.

“
No, I’m from the private
sector, Miss Collins,” David Martin said, his golden eyes looking
around the place, noting everything.

Vivvie assumed the Weston’s were
content to believe Dina was dead. It was a surprise they would hire
a detective now. So much evidence suggested Dina and Rachel were
killed by their dates.

“
I told the police
everything, Mr. Martin,” she said as they sat down at the kitchen
table.

“
Stop, call me Dave, your
making me feel old,” he complained in a teasing voice, revealing a
great smile.

Vivvie looked at the detective, riveted
by his full, sensuous lips. “What do you want to know?”

Dave’s strange golden eyes
held hers in a disturbing manner, making her feel the incredible
hot surge coming on.
Not
now
! Vivvie smiled, inwardly screaming as
the maddening flutters in her stomach grew intense. She hoped he
didn’t stay long or he wouldn’t leave at all.

“
What can I tell you that I
haven’t already told them?” she smiled in what she hoped was her
best date smile. She really wanted to run her fingers through the
man’s gorgeous hair.

“
How much contact did you
have with these two men that night, Miss Collins?” he asked with a
frown, his golden eyes noting her dilated eyes and flushed features
with growing interest.

Vivvie was too busy watching his lips
move, transfixed by their shape, their soft appearance…

“
Miss Collins? Are you
listening to me?” Dave asked, having repeated the question
twice.

Vivvie was brought out of her
trance-like preoccupation with the man’s lips to come back to his
eyes. Oh God, they were nice eyes, rich and golden in color, with
long dark lashes. She swore she could hear them flutter against his
tanned cheeks…

“
Miss Collins!” he repeated
louder now, breaking through to her finally. “Did you hear
me?”

“
Yes, I heard you,” Vivvie
said finally, embarrassed to be so fixated by the man, well, any
man really, lately. Even Salem was starting to turn her on. Jim the
cook wasn’t looking bad either, now that she thought of it. It just
creeped her out! Talk about your late bloomers!

“
How much time did you spend
with these men?” Dave insisted, a look of concern in his
eyes.

“
I doubled with Dina. It was
just dinner,” Vivvie said, her voice going breathless as she saw
the opening at the neck of his shirt, seeing the dark, wispy hairs
sticking out. She imagined his chest would be covered with a mat of
it, wondered how it would feel…

“
Miss Collins, you have to
try to focus,” Dave said quietly, smiling deeper, his dimples
showing, leaning forward. “I need to know how much contact you had
with these men.”

“
I told you it was just
dinner,” Vivvie said and waved a hand in front of her heated face.
“I never met them before. I told the cops that.”

“
We both know you
lied.”

Vivvie froze. “I don’t know what you’re
talking about!”

“
Did you have sex with
either of these men?” he insisted, meeting her incredulous
expression calmly.

“
No, I didn’t have sex with
them! I just met them that night!” Vivvie said angrily, “What is
this all about, Dave?”

“
You need to listen to me,
Vivian. Unless you’re honest with me, I can’t help you,” Dave
said.

“
No, I didn’t have sex with
them! I didn’t even kiss them! Where is this going?”

“
How is it you’re marked?”
he continued, his golden eyes sliding over her flushed face with
interest. “I can smell you a mile away, as does every one of these
creatures.”

“
What do you mean?” Vivvie
snapped impatiently. “What are you talking about?”

“
You claim no physical
contact with these men?” he pressed, eyes disbelieving.

Vivvie looked down at the back of her
hand where the band aid was. The scratch wouldn’t heal and only got
worse. “One of them bit me as a joke. He was an
asshole.”

“
Let me see this
bite.”

Vivvie held out her hand. Dave grabbed
it. He flipped back the band aid, looking relieved to see the
scratch.

“
Happy? It’s totally gross.
It won’t heal,” she disclosed in disgust. “He probably had strep or
something icky like that.”

“
No, it’s not strep. You’ve
been infected,” Dave replied.

“
I go by Vivvie,” she
corrected him in irritation, flushing again, sensations clawing at
her insides once more. “What does this have to do with finding my
friends? What are you talking about? What have I been infected
by?”

“
Dina and Rachel are dead,”
Dave said grimly, his golden eyes meeting hers. “The problem here
is one of them marked you. That is why they come back.”

“
Are you done now, Dave?”
Vivvie asked coldly. “I think you should leave or I’ll call the
police.”

“
Have you noticed any
changes in yourself, Vivian,” Dave asked curiously.

“
Nothing major,” Vivvie
lied, her breathing growing more ragged as the heat spread through
her middle with an agonizing slowness. Something was definitely
wrong in the House of Viv. “Look, it’s just a scratch, no biggie. I
use way too much hand sanitizer.”

“
It will heal when the
change is complete.”

Vivvie ran out of patience five minutes
ago. She assumed the guy was a cop. It was obvious, he was some
nutjob.

“
You’re flushed, can’t catch
your breath, eyes are dilated,” he continued, looking her over
grimly. “Have you noticed any changes in your menstrual cycle? How
about personality, any changes there? Any strange sexual
urges?”

“
That’s none of your
business! I think you need to go!” she said harshly. “Just get
out!”

“
You have all the signs of
being in heat, Vivian,” he said quietly.

Vivvie stared at him in stunned horror
before her anger kicked in. “Ok, you’re out of here,
freako!”

Dave sat back, grinning. “It will pass
in a week or so. Why do you think they came back? They can smell
you as I can, Vivian. That’s why your new roommate moved out, isn’t
it? She’s allergic to you, not what’s outside.”