I'd never felt apprehensive about nightfall before, but there really was a first time for everything. Even though I was bored out of my mind, I didn't dare leave in case my headache was a sign of an impending loss of control. The others were keeping an eye on me, which was also somewhat annoying since I didn't like being watched constantly.

My instincts still felt unsettled, almost certainly because of the drug in my system. They let me know when the edge of the sun touched the horizon and began to set. To my surprise, they began to stir and rouse, which was earlier than usual, although they weren't truly strengthening yet.

My vision went hazy again, and I shook my head at the unpleasant feeling. It didn't help, but it let Daniel know when my sight went out so he could jot down the time. I glanced to the side, although Nicky hadn't noticed anything amiss.

She was still allowed down here, and that was only because she'd promised to behave for the privilege. She had commandeered several pens and one of Nina's empty notepads, in which she was doodling abstract shapes and swirls.

I felt the exact moment the sun completely left the horizon. I was normally aware of it, but it was far more pronounced this time. As night fell, my instincts continued to strengthen. I rolled my shoulders and resisted the urge to pace.

I was unusually restless, and far too aware that my instincts shouldn't be quite this strong yet. It could be due to my swirling emotions, and some of it likely was, but I somehow doubted I could attribute all of it to that.

"Are you having any problems with your control? Or is the bloodlust any worse than usual?" Daniel asked quietly.

I carefully examined my inner emotions. "No, my control is normal. I'm feeling more restless, but that's about it."

My control was at its usual level. The smell of the two humans burned my throat and their sweet blood was still a powerful temptation, but I overruled it like I normally did. Overruling it had gotten easier the longer I was around humans, much like a recovering alcoholic being able to resist taking a glass of wine at a wine tasting event.

Despite being in a basement room with no windows, I knew the last traces of light were leaving the sky above. My instincts were still rising, sharpening my reflexes as the day turned into my element. I was more aware of Daniel sitting on the other side of the room; he was the only one here who was stronger than me, and that was something my instincts kept tabs on.

I grew more frustrated as my restlessness built. I wanted to be outside under the open night sky and run through the forest like a silent shadow. Instead, I was stuck in a stuffy, smelly basement room under the supervision of two humans and a Terror.

Exhaling gustily, I crossed my legs, trying to bring up the patient side of my instincts to hide my restive fidgeting. My instincts saw no need for the patience of an ambush, and my attempt was in vain. I just wanted to get up and move about after sitting for so long.

"How are you feeling?" Nina asked as she came into the room for another short break.

"Very restless. My instincts seem stronger than usual, and they don't appreciate being in a lit-up basement when night has fallen."

"Please let us know if anything changes."

~

       The next hour passed almost painfully as the restlessness grew more and more pronounced. And because of that, my patience was also waning at a rapid pace.

"I've been in this chair all day. I can't sit here any longer." Yet, I remained where I was.

Nicky had fallen asleep in a chair in the corner. Nina looked up from a machine halfway across the room. Exhaustion was present on her face, but she was still awake and trying to find answers.

"Is that wise with how your vision is fading in and out? What are the odds of you losing control?"

"If I trip over something because I can't stop fast enough, then I trip over something," I said with a shrug. "I doubt I'll end up attacking anyone. If I have any control problems, it'll be out of sheer frustration because I want to be outside."

Nina looked over at Daniel. "Can you go out with her?"

Daniel nodded, agreeing far more easily than I had anticipated. "Get some sleep," he advised her. "I have my radio, and I'll contact you if something happens." He stood up and pulled his flashlight out of his pocket.

"Please keep track of her symptoms. They're still occurring more frequently, so this drug isn't halfway done yet."

I stood up, more than ready to get out of this room and not even really caring that Daniel was tagging along. After grabbing the notebook and a pen, Daniel followed me as I took off up the stairs.

The guard at the north gate was surprised to see Daniel with me, but he dropped the radio down. I followed my usual path toward the forest as Daniel walked beside me, leaving plenty of space between us.

He had his flashlight on, although he avoided pointing it right at me. The sight of the moon relaxed me marginally and filled a void in my mind that I hadn't realized was there. It didn't make my restlessness abate any, and it was hard to remain at a fast walk.

The second we entered the trees, I sped up to a quick run. Daniel easily matched my pace, keeping half an eye on me and half on his surroundings. The dark had him uneasy, although he didn't seem as nervous as I'd expected. Perhaps he was relying on me to spot any trouble. Or, perhaps, when you're the fastest and strongest thing around, not much worried you.

This speed was unwise since my vision was guaranteed to play tricks on me before long, but I really wanted to burn off some energy. My only saving grace was that the quad trail was flat. I took careful note of the ground ahead of me so I would be aware of any potential tripping hazards if my sight disappeared.

My pace stumbled as a muscle tremor hit me. I managed to keep from falling, but I knew I couldn't go any faster or a fall would be guaranteed. Daniel glanced at his watch and noted down the time. He didn't comment on my speed or the likelihood of me ending up face-first in the dirt, opting to merely be an observer.

It wasn't long before my breathing became heavy. As a Nightstalker, I had never been meant for long, fast-paced runs. To my disgust, Daniel was barely even breathing hard. My instincts really wanted to be stealthy and travel through the trees, but I remained on the quad trail for my own safety.

The moment my vision hazed over, I slowed down and shook my head. Between my sunglasses and the dark night, my vision went completely black.

I hated it.

Daniel's pen scratched on the paper as the seconds ticked by – each one painfully long. Finally, my sight cleared.

"Six seconds," I muttered, resuming my fast pace now that I could see again.

Daniel somehow managed to write while holding his flashlight and match my pace without apparent difficulty. I glanced around as I kept an eye on my surroundings. Small details seemed to stand out more and scents were a bit sharper after all day in the lab.

Needing to catch my breath, I slowed to a fast walk. It was also a wise precaution since this section of the quad trail had numerous roots sticking up like they were just waiting for my vision to disappear.

"This is strange. Usually once I take the edge off my energy, the restlessness fades. It isn't as bad now, but it's still quite present."

Daniel jotted that down as well. "It's probably the drug. You never had problems sitting most of the night when we were traveling to Ironwind, at least not that I noticed. Is anything else standing out?"

"Considering I've never been this restless before, I'm sure it's the drug. Other than the side effects you're aware of, nothing else seems unusual. I wouldn't mind hunting before we head back though."

He glanced around us and sniffed the air. "We can stop to hunt whenever you want. There are plenty of critters around here."

"Here will work."

"Meet back in fifteen minutes?" Daniel asked.

I bared my teeth in a mock grin. "It won't take me that long. If it makes things easier for you, there's a rabbit under that bush." I pointed to a small shrub where I could clearly see the furry critter.

As Daniel turned his light to examine the shrub, I headed in a different direction. No wonder he preferred to hunt during the day. Even with his speed, a rabbit could dart through tight places and escape down a burrow before he caught it. The flashlight gave him an edge, but it also let the animals see him coming.

I slipped behind a tree and began to run in a silent stalk through the forest. As if a switch had been flipped, my restlessness and instincts stopped bothering me. The restlessness was still dimly present, but it was nowhere near the relentless driving force it had been up until now. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought, noticing it seemed tied to my actions.

Turning, I went onto a deer trail and traded my silent stalk for an equally silent upright walk. The restlessness came back full force with my instincts behind it. I went between the trees again, and as soon as I was acting like Nightstalkers normally did, my instincts stopped fighting with me, and the restlessness abated.

Just to test out the various scenarios, I paused behind a shrub along a deer trail in an ambush position. The deep patience came easily, with only a hint of restlessness  undermining it. It was like my instincts were strengthening, trying to force me to do what they wanted.

Shaking my head, I decided to focus on the reason I came this way. A quick sniff told me about the variety of life around me; it was a good thing I liked rabbit, because the critters were just as common here as they were in the forest I usually hunted. Unfortunately for the rabbits, they were just the right size for a meal, and their rapid breeding meant I could hunt them freely.

My hunts were normally easy, and with my instincts unusually elevated, it was even easier than normal to track down my quarry. The snap of the rabbit's neck was the only sound that disturbed the crickets' serenading lullaby.

The urge to eat the raw meat was also slightly stronger, much to my dismay, although my control was more than sufficient to restrict myself to the blood. As the blood flowed over my tongue, I noticed it tasted sweeter than normal. I wasn't sure if it was this particular rabbit's dietary habits or due to the drug going after the virus in my blood.

Leaving the rabbit for whatever lucky predator came across it first, I headed back to where I had left Daniel. I let my footsteps fall louder, which bothered my instincts. I ignored their protests; I had overruled them for months, so it was almost second nature now.

A quick sniff told me that Daniel had caught a rabbit and was in the clearing ahead. As I got closer, I could see him leaning against a tree with his flashlight lighting up a circle around his feet. His head was turned in my direction, although I didn't think I was close enough for him to see me in the ambient light.

I walked toward him and paused as my vision went black.

"Trinity?"

My vision cleared, allowing me to see that Daniel now had the light pointed at my feet so he could watch me.

"My sight just went black," I grumbled. "Seven or eight seconds."

I rubbed my temples, which still didn't do anything to ease my headache. Daniel wrote down the time and duration before tucking the notepad and pen into a pocket. I continued along the quad trail at a slow jog. The restlessness was back, accompanied by my instincts, which were telling me that I wasn't behaving how a Nightstalker should.

At the very least, I could try to wear myself out and see if that would help.

~

       We passed through the gates as the eastern sky grew brighter. My instincts began to fade reluctantly, as if protesting against the coming sunrise. Daniel walked beside me as we went back to the lab.

I didn't bother thinking about going to my room. My symptoms still weren't settling down, so there was a chance my control could disappear as suddenly as my vision and with just as little warning.

My muscles were sore, courtesy of the drug and my constant movement last night. I sat in a chair and took a drink from my water bottle. Daniel went to the counter and started transferring his notes onto the graph Nina had been working on.

I felt the instant the sun finally peeked above the horizon. My instincts were quieter than normal, as if they had worn themselves out after fighting me throughout the night. The restlessness had faded with the approaching dawn and finally disappeared.

Now that my mind was no longer waging a war with me, I was tired. I closed my eyes and tried to grab a few seconds of sleep. There wouldn't be many opportunities once Nina woke up, and if tonight was as bad as what I just went through, sleep was going to be impossible as long as the sun was below the horizon.

I dozed off with far less difficulty than I expected. It had been almost two days since I last slept, and I had run myself into exhaustion last night, so that helped.

The muscle tremors woke me, and I heard Daniel's pen scratch across the paper as he noted down the times. His chair creaked as he leaned back and silently kept me company. I dozed off again in the silence of the room.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs woke me, although I remained motionless for a while before turning my head to the door. For some reason, I still preferred it if Daniel was unaware of exactly how good my hearing was.

Nina entered the room, looking far too awake at this time for a human who had stayed up until almost midnight.

"Good morning. How are you feeling?"

How can someone be this cheerful in the morning? It should be outlawed until at least six o'clock. Instead of giving voice to those thoughts, I said, "About the same as yesterday."

She wandered over to see the new numbers Daniel had recorded for her. "Well, it looks like both the vision problems and the muscle tremors are happening a bit less frequently. The bad news is the blackouts are lasting longer and the muscle tremors are more intense. Hmmm... I don't see any notes for the vision during the last two hours." She glanced at me.

I shrugged. "I took a nap. I somehow doubt much has changed, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

"Hopefully the sleep helped. Let me grab another blood sample."

I watched as she took my vitals again, then collected one vial of blood. Nina left the room to analyze the blood sample with the microscopes and sequencing equipment. I growled lightly as my vision once more became blurry.

I exhaled gustily as my sight returned. "Eight seconds."

It was solid proof that sleep had not miraculously cured me.