Mako was on her way home from the hospital after one of her routine checkup blood draws. They would notify her in the morning of the lab results by email if everything was normal, by phone if something was amiss. She was in her usual state of woozieness, sipping orange juice and munching on Pockie while listening to whatever j-pop song was left up last on her play list. She like this song, it was probably one of her favorite from a certain boy group. She had watched the video too many times to count, and her favorite part was coming up. She glanced around, the roadway was clear- no prying eyes to behold her foolishness. With the music turned loud and her juice capped, she weakly went through some of the dance moves, cookie sticks still protruding from her mouth. She stubbed her toe and stumbled forward a bit, but managed not to fall over. 

"Safe!" she said to herself, and she let out a little sigh. She looked around herself once again and continued on her path home. She learned her lesson, no more dancing in the street.

As she walked home her path leads her past her favorite Manga store, she stops inside and the clerks know her by name due to her membership card and frequency of visiting. The shout out to her to go get the newest issue of something she is reading, or suggest a new tittle that they think she would like. She just nods her head politely and goes where they tell her to go with a shy "Hai, hai," trying to avoid making unnecessary eye contact with anyone. Settling on two tittle she brings her selection to the counter, makes her purchase, and heads on her way. The convenience store for dinner, of course, and then she is home. She warms her omelet rice and eats her desert pudding while paging through one of her new acquisitions. A romance with a touch of horror suspense. [i]Young Uraki moves to a new city getting her first job, she has a chance encounter at love, but is the dashing Shinjiro really who he says he is? Or is he perhaps the gruesome serial killer that has the entire prefecture on edge?![/i]

Mako let out a little chuckle at how preposterous it was. What had caused the clerks to suggest this title to her? It didn't matter. She would read it, and continue to pick up its publications whether she liked it or not. 

[i]BEEP BEEP BEEP[/i]

Mako put down the spoon and went to the microwave as she removed the gently steaming rice bowl she thought she heard the rustle of feathers. This was new, was it a symptom? She hesitated for a moment to see if it continued, it didn't. She turned with the bowl in hand, intending to go to the window to see if a large bird had landed there for some reason. She never made it that far. As she turned she found herself face to face with what looked like something out of a horror manga or movie, like a harpy of old its semi-feathered form stood beautifully perched on her dinning room table. Somehow, despite the lack of a mouth it spoke to her and she dropped her rice bowl.

"There is something about you. About your blood."

[i]Is this, is this really how it ends? Did my mother go insane before she passed, too?[/i]

"You may go insane yet, but what you see before you is every bit as real as the blood in your body. But there is some missing... why is that?"

"You.. You can read my mind?"

It cocked its head sideways, not fully understanding the question. "Of course," was all it said in response.

"I uh... I might be sick so I have to go in for testing regularly."

"So they take your precious blood? Silly human child your fluids are vital. We will have no more wasted."

"W-We? What?"

"You will learn in time."

The harpy launched off of the table and embraced Mako as if it were tackling her, but instead of being hit by the weight and force of the action she felt sickly warm, and sticky as the harpy's form broke down into what Mako had to assume was blood and it started to work its way into her body through every conceivable means. She stood there, gasping, staring at the ceiling as her entire existence was violated. She stood there spasming as the last of the blood seeped in through her eyes. Finally able to take a gasping breath she collapsed onto the floor amongst her spilled bowl of rice.