The year is 2006.

I’m a medicine resident rotating through the ER. Together with a surgical resident and ER attending, I am responsible for working up patients and assigning admissions.

It’s the night shift.

I don’t know it yet, but my life is about to change, forever. 1/

The patient is a young man in his late twenties. The intake form says “severe fatigue.” Honestly, I could say the same for myself. Welcome to residency.

He sits on the edge of the stretcher in the exam room, and looks up as I enter.

I introduce myself.

He says nothing. 2/

He doesn’t look particularly fatigued. In fact he looks the opposite. Wide awake, sharply alert. His eyes are a hazel brown so golden they appear almost yellow. His frame is lean, wiry.

I start asking him questions, trying to figure out why he’s here.

He grunts yes/no. 3/

I’m about to tell him he can go home and follow up with his primary care doc when he speaks up gruffly.

“Check my bloodwork.”

I quirk a brow, “Excuse me? For what?”

“My blood counts. They’re not normal. I’m not well.”

“How do you know?”

“Just check them, doc.” 4/

Normally I don’t order testing unless it’s indicated. In this case he hasn’t given me anything to explain why he’s come to the ER *tonight*. His vitals are normal. His exam is normal. His only complaint is “I’m tired.”

I decide to go ahead and order the labs.

Let’s see. 5/

Before I leave the room he has a question.

“This is going to sound random, doc, but is there a patient who keeps coming in here with anemia?”

“Uhh... I can’t talk about other patients.”

“I know, I know. But there is someone, isn’t there? Keeps getting blood transfusions.” 6/

Something about this man is making me nervous. There’s a feral energy behind his gaze. An intensity of purpose.

I shake my head to his last question, and leave the room. Almost immediately I start feeling better, breathing deeply.

He was right, about the anemic patient. 7/

We do have a “frequent flier,” a patient who keeps coming in with severe anemia, getting transfused with blood, and then leaving against medical advice (AMA) before we can work him up.

How did my patient know about him?

Why does it matter?

I don’t have time for riddles. 8/

The labs take about half an hour to be drawn and for the results to come back.

They’re ... seriously abnormal.

I’m stunned.

His white blood cell count is almost 100,000, his hemoglobin is almost 30. His platelet count is over a million.

I go back to his exam room. 9/

His pale golden eyes snap to me as I enter, and ... I can almost swear they look more yellow than they did an hour ago.

His thin lips press together in a faint smile, “So, you see? I’m very sick.”

I frown, “What’s going on here?”

He falls silent for a long moment. 10/

“You know doc? I like you. So I’ll be honest. I’m not here to be admitted. I’m here because I’m hunting tonight. The anemic patient you keep transfusing, he’s a vampire. A lousy one, because he has a conscience so he lives off the charity of your blood bank.”

I laugh. 11/

He falls silent and watches me as I laugh, and the sinking realization hits me as my laughter trails off.

He’s serious.

As if reading my mind, he speaks up, “Yes. I’m serious. You ever figure out his anemia? You won’t. Just like you can’t figure out his hypothermia.” 12/

I start to sputter, “How did you-“

“It doesn’t matter how I know. I’m telling you now. He’s always ice cold because he’s dead. His blood count is low because he won’t kill. And I’m here to kill him. I need you to tell me when he gets here, because he’s coming tonight.” 13/

I’ve gotta tell security, this is madness.

Again, he seems to read my mind.

“No security, doc. You’ve seen my blood counts. I’m different. I’m not a regular patient. In fact, it’s a full moon tonight. So when this cloud cover ends, things might get a little... hairy.” 14/

I slowly back away, and as I do so, I start to notice little things.

His eyes are definitely more yellow.

In fact they’re an almost glowing yellow.

His teeth seem sharper, his features seem longer. He grins at me, and it’s terrifying how elongated it makes his mouth. 15/

I leave the room and head straight for the security guard by the entrance. I tell him I have a patient threatening violence.

He immediately radioes for a “Code 45” which summons security from throughout the hospital.

We head back to my patient’s room.

It’s empty. 16/

This might have been where the story ended.

But it didn’t.

I’ve often thought about that night. I even looked over security camera footage and saw the patient, so I know it wasn’t a dream.

The anemic patient never showed up.

In fact we never saw him again. 17/

There was a report in the newspaper several days later about an unsolved death. The victim had been “torn apart as if by a large creature.”

It was thought that several dogs might have done it.

Or one werewolf, I suppose.

I know how this sounds. Believe me. I know. 18/

I need you to believe me, dear reader, because I don’t have much time left.

You see, I’m the loose end.

I know who he is.

So it was only a matter of time before he came for me.

The years have passed, but I knew he wouldn’t forget. 19/

And so tonight it’s a full moon.

Fitting, I suppose, that it’s Halloween. What better time to be a werewolf and go unnoticed?

Even now, I hear a howl in the distance.

I hope I’ve been a ray of light for you all. You’ve been my friends, and I’m grateful.

Howling again. 20/

I called the police, but they said they’re really busy and my call didn’t seem urgent.

I have a handgun, and I bought silver bullets.

Is it an old wives’ tale? Do they work?

I guess I’ll find out.

I can hear something scratching at the front door.

I’m... not afraid now. 21/

I feel the raw strength start to flow through me.

I can hear the heartbeat of the werewolf at my door, pumping delicious blood through those arteries.

My fangs are sharp. Hunger.

Tonight, I am not the prey.

You see, there’s one last thing I’ve kept hidden, dear reader... 22/

There never was any patient with unexplained anemia.

No, the werewolf was looking for me.

My kind have outlived his kind for centuries.

I will outlive him.

He’s broken through the door now, his eyes like twin suns burning in the dark.

Bring forth the battle!

I am ready