Rising Darkness

As Maria woke up the next morning, she felt a strange sense of emptiness inside her. The warmth of Nikolai's body was no longer beside her, and she was left alone in bed. She noticed a note on the bedside table, written in Nikolai's neat handwriting. It reminded her to take her pills, eat a lot of meat and fruits, and meet him at the club at 8 PM. Despite feeling exhausted and lethargic, Maria struggled to get out of bed. Her entire body ached, and the throbbing pain in her neck reminded her of the previous night's events.

Maria's emotions were mixed. Her guilt over cheating on Steve was still present, but not as strong as before. She felt as though she belonged to Nikolai now, and a sense of darkness had taken over her. Her love for Steve was still deep inside her, but it was becoming harder to distinguish from the lust and desire she felt for Nikolai.

Maria ignored Steve's calls and decided to clean the bloodstained bedsheets. She took a shower, trying to wash away the remnants of the previous night's passion. Despite not having much of an appetite, Maria **** herself to eat and took her pills. She put on makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes and headed out for a walk, lost in her thoughts.

As she strolled down the street, Maria's mind was consumed by the realization that vampires were real, and she had sex with one. She had allowed Nikolai to feed on her, and she had even enjoyed it. The things she experienced with him were otherworldly. The question arose in her mind: did she love him, or was it just carnal lust? Maria knew she felt a sense of belonging to Nikolai, but it wasn't the same as her love for Steve.

Maria walked back home, lost in thought. She took a seat on the couch and poured herself a drink. She lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag, and let out a sigh of relief.

Her mind wandered back to her encounter with Nikolai. The immense pleasure she experienced at his hands was something she had never felt before. The way he kissed her, the way he touched her, the way he drank her blood, it was all so intoxicating. She felt a growing attraction to the vampirism itself, and she found herself curious about the idea of drinking blood.

As she sipped her drink and smoked her cigarette, she contemplated the darkness that seemed to be growing inside of her. She wondered what it meant and where it was leading her. She felt as though she was on the brink of something, something that she couldn't quite grasp yet.

Despite the fear and uncertainty that she felt, she also felt a sense of excitement. The thrill of the unknown, the lure of the forbidden, it was all so tempting to her. She took another drag of her cigarette and finished her drink, feeling both exhilarated and frightened at the same time.

She set her glass down and flicked her cigarette into the ashtray. She stood up, feeling unsteady on her feet, and headed to the bedroom to rest before meeting Nikolai later that evening. She completely forgot the fact that Steve was coming home; her thoughts were again focused only around Nikolai as the day slowly came to an end.

It was then when she heard someone unlocking the door.

Steve had returned.