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The girl had come easily, like fruit plucked from a tree. As a predator he had struck true, and in moments like these, the vampire was not ashamed to admit that it was through a predator’s eyes that he was seeing. It was when he saw the most clearly. And after everything, the sheer simplicity of the moment took a weight from his mind.

He had her, and he was tired and starved. Her blood was singing.

The second waiting room had almost always gone ignored as long as Aidou had been around, and that night was no exception. It was just them and the unbroken darkness of the room. For now, at least; time was still precious, and though he had staggered the girl, she hadn’t entirely lost consciousnesses, not yet. Out of the way of the doors, he brought her tight against his body and lowered his lips to the pale skin peeking above her collar. A second later his fangs pierced her neck.

Losing blood would slow the return of her strength, but not stop it. That was why he couldn’t linger. As much as he trusted himself, for his own sake it also meant he couldn’t take too much from her.

When he finally did pull away, fangs slick with her blood, he released his hold long enough to lift her onto one of the tables. The bad thing about an isolated area away from the cellblocks was that if she did pass out, there was no guarantee someone would find her before other unkind company did. Getting her off the floor and out of reach of smaller monsters was the best he could do.

Before he left out the door, he brought a hand up to wipe at his mouth. There had been something strange about that blood.

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Unfortunately, the staircase door was more than eager to announce Tifa's presence onto the second floor.

So much for the element of surprise...

Hopefully nothing big was lumbering around close enough to have heard the loud creak and the click that followed, despite her painstaking efforts to close it as slowly as possible. Keeping her back to the door, she quickly shined her flashlight all around the hallway to make sure it was safe. The yellow light didn't pick up anything, not even another patient. That seemed very strange. This was the first time she was alone, and the quiet was the most uncomfortable. There was always someone walking around, making small talk with a partner, or simply flashing a light down one of the halls... Well, being squeamish over silence wasn't the solution to her worries.

No time like the present.

Her feet fell across the tile at an angle, which kept the sound of her sneakers to a minimum. It made it awkward to walk briskly, but there was nothing running after her, so there was no rush. Eventually her flashlight began to pick up the glint of doorknobs. The first door opened up to a large room with washing machines, so that was out. The next one held nothing of import for her, at least tonight, so she continued. The next three were tough suckers; they wouldn't budge even after a few kicks to the frame. "Hmmm..." This wasn't boding well.

Well, all she could do was just keep trying. Thankfully, the third on the left opened and looked very promising. It was already giving after one kick, however; it opened outward instead of inward. Kind of a problem when all you can do is kick.

What to do?

It didn't take long to figure out a solution. Taking out her materia, the brunette willed a burst of ice over the doorknob. It took a lot more mental willpower than she remembered, as she pinched her eyes shut in concentration. The windy aura eventually died down and what was left was a chunk of ice surrounding the lever. Tifa lifted her leg up and slammed it down across the doorknob, easily cracking lock and all off on the floor.

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The knob fell to the linoleum with a horrible clatter. Tifa's lips pulled down into a strained frown, as if she had just been caught red handed. The last time she had felt so startled was when her father found her in the secret place after giving a kid a nice shiner. Though, both Tifa and her dad knew that punk deserved it, so she didn't catch too much hell. But this was not just a scuffle in the village. This was a little more dangerous, and the brunette should have prepared for the noise by putting her sweatshirt under the door. It was rather amateurish.

"Oh well..." Nothing she could do about it now. The sooner she got through his hallway, the sooner she could avoid any creepy crawlies. Her prayers were answered when she opened the door and found a small closet filled with supplies. Juggling her knife and flashlight gently into one hand, the other began frantically combing through boxes and tools for what she needed. It began looking grim when she was finished with the left side of the closet and found nothing, until she smacked one small box to the floor and something shiny caught her eye.

"Hmmm..." Bending down, her flashlight caught the shine of black plastic across the floor. Just what she needed. Smiling with relief, Tifa rolled it back up and took a step outside the closet when something caught her ear. It could have been just another patient wandering, but it didn't sound so innocent.

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