"H-hi babe!" Her voice trembled. "Y-you're early!"
"Early? What do you mean? It's almost 7 PM!" Rico raised his eyebrow as he put the groceries down on the table.
"Seven?!" She looked at her phone and noticed the time was still 4:25PM.
"Syke!" Rico chuckled as he clapped his hands.
"Oh…" Suddenly, tears rolled down her eyes.
"H-hey, are you okay, babe?" He stopped grinning and approached his dumbfounded girlfriend. "You're looking pale. Does anything hurt? W-why are you sobbing? Did I make the joke—"
Anna was cold and clammy. Her knees weakened and she couldn't speak. She knew Rico was just fooling around like what he usually does, but at that time the joke hit differently on her. She wasn't sure why it triggered her. Her vision began to spin and everything went dark.
"Anna! Anna!" Rico's voice echoed through the darkness.
"ANNA!" His voice warped into that of the beast. "FEED ME!"
Anna awakened and was gasping for air. She sat up from her bed drenched in sweat. Her eyes were wide open, and her mouth ajar. Rico took her hand and squeezed it firmly.
"I am here!" Rico tried calming her down. "I am here, Anna."
Anna looked at him terrified. The beast inside her growled in delight as she felt his hand. She yanked her hand away from his and pushed him away.
"Don't come near me!" The monster inside her roared.
"W-what's going on?!" Rico grabbed her hand.
"Don't!" She smacked her hand. "Don't come near me! I might…" She covered her mouth and ran towards the bathroom.
She immediately locked the door and sat on the floor crying. Rico knocked on the door, but when she didn't answer, he tried to open it forcefully.
"What's wrong?!" Rico shouted from the door. "Are you okay?! Anna, what's happening to you?!"
"Get away from me, please!" Anna said. "I am not well!"
"W-what…do you mean…by that?!"
"I am sick! Y-you can't be here! Get away from here! PLEASE!" Anna asked again as she tried to silence the rampaging beast inside her.
"Sick? What do you mean by sick?!" Rico nudged the door. "What sick?! Please, tell me what's going on!"
She was too afraid to tell Rico what was really going on. Anna wasn't sure if everything up to that point was real. She couldn't tell. Well, she could but everything was not making any sense to her. How much more would her boyfriend be able to understand it.
The door finally gave out. Rico came crashing in just in time for Anna lying on the floor breaking down.
"Oh, my God!" Rico knelt down and hugged her tight. She struggled in his arms, as the smell of his sweat calmed her down. His warm embrace felt like a blanket wrapping her into the safety of his arms.
Anna wept in his arms as Rico tried his best to hush her down. It went on for a couple of minutes, until she finally collected herself. She looked into Rico's eyes filled with pain and confusion. She kissed him on the lips and stood up and invited Rico into the living room for a painful discussion.
Her confused boyfriend followed her back to the bed where she sat on the edge of it. She took a deep breath and composed herself. The silence was too loud for both of them to hear. It was an uncomfortable sound numbing their ears from everything else, but she can't help it. She still doesn't have any idea on what to say to him.
Would telling him improve her situation? Would he believe it? How would the truth affect him? She wasn't sure. The fact is she wasn't too keen on her situation either. Up until this very moment, everything felt like a feverdream. With each episode becoming more ridiculous than the last. She wished she would wake up from it.
"Tell me, babe, what's going on?" Rico asked again.
Anna evaded his eyes. She was afraid and ashamed of what she was about to say. She has no words for it. Tears began running down her eyes once again. Her boyfriend asked again. She bit her lip and tried her best to spurt out the words.
"I… I-I am sick. I am sick in the head." She finally blurted.
"S-sick in the head? W-what do you mean?" Rico was shocked and confused.
Anna looked at him in the eyes, holding back the tears and explained to him what happened last after he left. Of course, she took out the part where she turned into something because even at that point, she wasn't sure whether that part was real or not.
Rico sat down on the floor shocked and still confused with what was going on. Anna understood how overwhelming it was for him to know what just happened. How would he react now knowing that her girlfriend might have a certain kind of psychosis?
She wouldn't blame him if he left. She understood fully well that it might be the case. But needless to say, it was painful. She could feel a tight squeeze in her heart. Her lips moved uncontrollably as her emotions welled up.
"I…I- I would understand if you would lea—" Her voice trembled.
Without saying a word, Rico hugged Anna as tight as he could. She tried fighting it, pushing him away from her, but he was adamant.
"I am not leaving you." He said. "I told you before, haven't I? I will love you no matter what?" He smiled.
Anna shook her head. "You don't understand. This isn't something—"
Before she could speak another word, Rico held her face and kissed her. She wanted to push him away, but her hands were caught by his. He tugged her closer to him embracing her, making her feel that everything was going to be alright.
Anna closed her eyes and gave in to him, praying that everything was nothing more than a nightmare. She hoped that it will be different the morning after…
Oh, how naïve she was thinking it so.