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The Blood Test

"Best keep taking this medicine for a while," the doctor mused, "It won't do harm to your body. The liver… perhaps. For that I recommend that we test it regularly." He looked up, "Have we tested your liver before?"

"No," I replied curtly.

"Shall we do that right now?"

"Sure."

"Alright. Head down the corridor and through the last door. Someone will come for you soon. Take care!"

The room looked like a small laboratory. I sat down and before long a woman entered the room. She appeared to be in her forties, but had a surprisingly smooth face.

"So, you're here for a blood test," she said and studied the note that the doctor had written for her, "Right. Please fold up your sleeve."

I did so and when she had tied a strap around the upper arm, I balled my hand into a fist. Seconds later, as the blue artery in my elbow pit showed itself clearly, she said: "That'll do just fine. Now, please look away while I take the blood."

"Oh, that won't be necessary. I'm not skittish when it comes to seeing my own blood."

"Sure, but you've been eating garlic. It's a teensy little… distracting. So please, turn away for both our sakes."

"Oh, excuse me!" I blurted and averted my face.

"Alright, here comes!" she warned.

I tensed and felt the expected sting. Then the hairs of my arm prickled, almost as if…a soft breeze was stirring them. I couldn't look away any longer and slowly moved my head back. I regarded her as she spewed dark blood into a bottle that she was holding. She looked back at me and grinned, showing her long, Bordeaux-red fangs. I sat there, paralysed, despite wanting to run.

"Well now, I told you it'd be better for us if you hadn't looked."

"You're a… You're a…"

"Vampire, yes. For the doctors we're a gift from heaven after the announced health care cuts. We don't need money, as long as we get to drink the blood after the tests."

I stood up slowly, eyeing her warily.

"The results will be available next Monday. Oh, and it's best not to talk about our little… secret. You won't be believed, anyway. In fact, you'll hardly believe it yourself in a few hours," she said and burst out laughing.

At that point I ran straight out of the doctor's office.

That Monday, I went to pick up the results. Of course, I had long since decided that I must've had a bad hallucination of some kind. I really needed to relax more as the doctor said.

At the counter I asked for my results. To my surprise, the doctor came himself and said: "Ah, your liver is quite fine, yes. But we noticed something else in there. It could be harmless, but you never know. We'll have to test your blood again I'm afraid."

I turned around to find her standing in the door frame, grinning, with long, Bordeaux-red fangs.

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