Wild Creatures

Chapter 44

Wei Ying tugged on Lan Zhan's sleeve.

"Mn?"

"Her eyes have gone funny again, and you might want to be more specific," he said, wrapping his arms around Lan Zhan's waist. "Start talking could mean anything, I mean, she might start reciting Shakespeare." He let out a giggle.

Lan Zhan thought about it.

"Mn. Wei Ying is correct." Lan Zhan took one look at Mrs Lan's cloudy eyes, and uncompelled her.

"So we were worried about you. Where were you yesterday?" Wei Ying asked her gently.

"I was looking for my husband. Unfortunately, I lost his trail early yesterday morning. And then I was hungry -"

"Tell me you didn't attack an innocent civilian!" Lan Zhan demanded, leaning forward.

Her eyes glazed over again and she was about to answer when Lan Zhan once again freed her from the Compelling.

"If you could stop doing that..." Mrs Lan clutched her head.

"As one novice to another, please accept my apologies." Lan Zhan said, feeling frustrated because he wanted to demand answers, but he still wanted her to retain her freedom.

"Why don't you let me ask the questions, my love?" Wei Ying offered, biting his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

His boyfriend was simply too cute when being impatient.

"Mn. Wei Ying should go ahead." Lan Zhan says.

While Mrs Lan is in the apartment, he doesn't want to run the risk of taking his eyes off her for even a second. And now that she's mentioned being hungry, he's even less inclined.

Plus the thought of Mrs Lan doing something like what had happened to himself, attacking another human being, sparked a violent rage in Lan Zhan. This new situation, the change that had been foisted upon him, and he wouldn't wish it upon anyone else.

"So you were saying, you were hungry?" Wei Ying prompted her.

"Yes. I found a dumpster with blood bags. Some were fresh," she shrugged, as though it didn't matter.

Wei Ying tried not to make a face, but it sounded disgusting.

Lan Zhan recalled how he had sustained himself in his early days through the transition. Maybe Mrs Lan hadn't tried to use the blood from her own body. And if Lan Zhan concentrated, he could smell that underlying rotten smell emanating from her body, just as she had described.

It was very faint, but there nonetheless, and he didn't understand why it was happening to her and not himself. Was it really as simple as the strength of their individual sires?

"Where?" Lan Zhan made sure not to make it sound like a command.

"Mostly I was checking the hospital dumpsters and for the first few nights, it was great. But then they upped their security, and placed guards around the place where these dumpsters were kept. And then I found another place, but it's more secure. They only take their bins out when they're going to be emptied, and I just happened to be there yesterday. In fact, I wanted to ask you," she fished around in her bag. "Can I keep this in your refrigerator?"

"Hell no!" Wei Ying looked at the bag of blood and was thoroughly disgusted.

Lan Zhan tried not to change his features, but even he was put off.

Mrs Lan's face looked incredibly disappointed, but she tried to hide it.

"It's just, well, I have nowhere else to put it. But that's okay." She hardens her resolve and forces a smile onto her face. "It's alright -"