When Anna woke up the next morning, she checked the paper as usual. But when she saw the article about what she’d done in the park, the warm, satisfied feeling she still had from getting fresh blood turned into an icy knot in the pit of her stomach:
Boy Found in Park:
Early this morning 23-year-old Richard Shubert was found lying on a bench in Rutherford Park, just after sunrise. When found, Shubert was partially conscious and had what appeared to be two bruises on his neck. Shubert claims to have met someone in the park, but is unable to provide any description of this person. If you have any information regarding this, or any other possible attacks, call the police at…
Anna sat staring at the article; she couldn’t believe it. She didn’t remember last night being different from any other. True, she had been more desperate than she’d been in a long time. But could she really have been that desperate? Maybe it was just that she was too comfortable – she’d gotten too careless. Either way, she’d have to watch herself even more closely now; she had much more to lose than ever before.