Lifting his head slowly from the soft white pillow, Miroku took a long breath as his eyes peeled open. Staring up from his position on the bed, his eyes turned to the open doors of the balcony as the sunlight shone through the glass into the room brightly. Rising slowly from the bed, he blinked wearily, his mind pounding as if someone had gone at it with a bat. As he slept through the night, his mind was barraged with images and voices he'd not seen or heard before in his life.

He dreamt of the woman in the courtyard, but the dreams were different from the vision he had in the club. In his dreams he seemed to look on her life as if he were staring through a window. He saw her childhood, her teenage years, her adulthood and even her death. Shaking his head, his body trembled all over as he climbed from the bed. Walking quickly to the bathroom, he took a quick shower and dressed, hurrying out of the door in less than half an hour.

Passing the old woman at the desk, he stopped as her voice called out to him.

"Are you alright"?! She said, her eyes wide with concern as Miroku turned slowly to face her.

Remembering the events dimly of the night before, he nodded slolwy. "Yeah, just had too much to drink at the bar". He said as she nodded sliding back into her chair.

As he turned away passing through the doors into the street, he shook his head. It wasn't the drinks that made him so ill, it was that woman. He couldn't explain it but after seeing her he began to feel weak. There was something strange about her, something unnatural. Running down the sidewalk, he hurried down the streets to the police station he'd passed on his way to the club the night before.

Striding up the steps under the high archway of the police station, he stepped back as a woman followed by an officer hurried to the door, the woman visably shaken.

"Yes yes, we will look into it". The officer said irrittably as the woman sobbed and clenched to his arm.

"But I swear I saw it! A man!"

"Yes ma'am, we will take care of it". The officer said prying his arm from her hands as she let out a whimper.

As the woman slumped slowly down the stairs, trembling and whimpering, Miroku turned away staring at the officer.

"What was that about"?

The officer shook his head as he looked up at Miroku, his dark eyes flashing. "Thinks she was attacked last night, says it was the one who killed the others, shes just a drunk".

Miroku nodded as he pulled the notepad from his coat pocket. "What do you think"? He said uncapping his pen as the officer raised his hand.

"Look, we're not talking to the press right now, so if you're after a story you won't get one here". He said turning sharply back through the doorway as Miroku frowned.

Turning away, he spotted the woman hurrying down the street, jogging down the steps, he fell quickly into step behind her. "Excuse me"! He called watching as she flinched turning slowly to face him. Extending his hand, Miroku smiled brightly as he stopped before her. "My name is Miroku, I overheard what you had said earlier and I was wondering if I could speak with you about it."

The woman eyed his hand cautiously before taking it slowly. "You don't think I am crazy?" She said, her lips trembling as Miroku shook his head.

"No, I think what you have to say is important, and if it has anything to do with the slayings then he should have heard you out." He said smiling charasmatically as she nodded.

"Come with me". She muttered, her demeanor easing as she started walking again.

The two walked in relative silence until they reached the park where they sat on a bench under the large cherry blossom trees. Turning slowly to face him, the woman's eyes widened as she spoke softly. "It happened last night, when i was walking home from the bar." She said as Miroku nodded scribling on the notepad quickly as she continued. "I had left my friends because I had enough to drink and wanted to go home, I was on my way when it happened." She said, a shiver passing over her as her eyes darted around quickly. "A man appeared, a strange one, with shoulder length hair and dark eyes. He stood in the shadows of the building, I thought I was imagining things". She said as her lips continued shaking. "He stared at me for a long time, and when I turned away, he appeared behind me! He said, 'It isn't safe to walk alone' and I told him to screw off, and that's when he choked me". She said motioning the red marks on her neck. "He threw me back against the building with such force I thought my back was gonna break. I screamed at him to let me go and he smiled." Her eyes turned away, her hands trembling fiercely as she turned back slowly. "His lips went back and I saw a pair of fangs"! she said eyes widening as Miroku's brow raised.

"Fangs"? He said dropping the pen as he stared over her skeptically.

"Yes fangs! Like a dog but longer"! The woman said, her head shaking. "I didn't believe it either, but they were there. And he bit me," She said pulling down her collar to reveal two puncture holes in her skin. "I thought I was gonna die, but a woman appeared!"

"A woman"?

"Yes, she had long hair and red eyes, and was dressed strangely, she screamed something at him in a foreign language. The two argued and he dropped me to the ground, then he and she disappeared."

Miroku shut his notebook slowly, his eyes on the ground. "You should really go to the hostpital, for your wounds".

"I am, I was at the police station all night."

Miroku nodded, his eyes meeting hers slowly as she rose to her feet.

"There's strange things here, in this town. I suggest you don't linger". She said softly as she turned away, walking quickly down the path through the park.

Miroku shook his head as he pocketed the notebook looking around the park. The woman clearly believed it must have been a vampire whom attacked her, it was difficult to believe she was telling the truth. Rising slowly from the bench, he walked back in the direction of the inn with his hands in his pockets as it began to drizzle lightly.

As he arrived back to the inn, he remained in his room ordering room service as he sat beside his laptop. He was attempting to stretch the woman's story into a article, but was unsucessful. Though he believed there were strange things happening here, like in the case of the woman from the club, he did not believe it was vampires or anything else of that kind. Shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair staring at the ceiling with his hands folded behind his head.

Shutting his eyes slowly, he jumped as the glass doors swung back, clanging loudly in their hinges. Snapping to his feet, he glared at the dark balcony, clenching a butter knife from the desk tightly in his hand. Creeping slowly to the door, he leaned back against the wall pulling back the curtain slightly as he stared down at the dark streets.

Far below on the road stood two women, one a young girl and the other was the woman from the bar. They were staring up at his balcony, and he felt as if their eyes were burning into him, they knew he was here. Winding the knife in his hand, he pressed his back to the wall as he breathed deeply. Glancing back through the curtain once more, he saw that they were gone. Breathing a quick sigh, he hurried to the doors slamming them shut as he clicked the lock. Still staring at the spot on the street where they stood, his mind began weaving thoughts as his heart thumped quickly.