I had never felt apprehensive about nightfall before, but there really is a first time for everything. I was tired of sitting and bored. The others were keeping an eye on me, which was also somewhat annoying since I didn't like being stared at.

My instincts still felt unsettled, but I knew it was from the drug in my system. I could tell when the sun began to set. Daniel's body language told that his own instincts were waning with the sun that they belonged to. My own Nightstalker instincts were starting to strengthen already.

I shook my head as my vision went hazy. It didn't help, but just sitting and doing nothing was worse than trying. Nicky had remained, although she had promised to behave.

I knew the exact moment when the sun completely left the horizon. I was normally aware of it, but I was much more aware of it this time. My instincts continued to strengthen as night fell. I rolled my shoulders as I resisted the urge to pace.

I was unusually restless, my instincts should not be quite this strong considering that the sky outside would not have been completely dark yet. It could be due to my own emotions, and some of it likely was, but I somehow doubted that I could attribute all of it to that.

Daniel spoke quietly, "Are you having any more problems than normal with your control?"

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

My control was at its usual level. The smell of the two humans burned my throat and made me desire to taste their sweet blood. I overruled it as 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.

I may have been in a basement room with no windows, but I knew that 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 as he sat in the corner, since he was the only one here stronger than me and that was something my instincts kept tabs on.

I was getting 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.

I exhaled gustily as I crossed my legs, trying to bring up the endless patience part of my instincts to hide my restive fidgeting. My instincts saw no need for the patience that was normally part of an ambush and my attempt was in vain.

Nina was writing in her notebook, "How are you feeling?"

I glanced over at her, "Very restless. The headache hasn't abated any. My instincts seem stronger than usual; they don't appreciate being in a lit up basement when night has fallen."

She nodded, "Let us know if anything changes."

The next hour was almost painful as the restlessness grew more pronounced. I shook my head as my patience was waning, "I can't just sit here anymore."

I remained where I was though. Nicky had fallen asleep in a chair in the corner. Nina looked tired, but was still awake. She raised her eyebrow, "Is that wise with the way your vision is fading in and out? What are the odds of you losing control?"

I shrugged, "If I trip over something because I am too slow to stop, then I trip over something. I doubt I will attack anyone. If I have any control problems, it will be out of frustration because I want to be outside."

Nina looked over at Daniel, "Can you go out with her? Keep track of her symptoms."

Daniel nodded and stood up as he dug his flashlight out, "Get some sleep. I will keep my radio on me and will contact you if something happens."

I stood up, more than ready to get out of this room. I wanted to go outside so badly that I didn't even care that Daniel was tagging along. Daniel followed me as I took off up the stairs. The guard at the north gate was surprised to see Daniel with me, but dropped the radio down for me to catch.

Daniel was walking beside me, although he left plenty of space between us. He had his light on, although he avoided pointing it right at me. In this mood, I really didn't care. 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 though and it was hard to remain at a fast walk.

The second we were in the trees I picked up my pace to a quick run. Daniel easily matched my pace as he kept half an eye on me and half on his surroundings. The dark had him uneasy. This speed was unwise since my vision was guaranteed to play tricks on me before too long. My only saving grace was that we were on a very flat and smooth quad trail. I took careful note of the trail ahead of me so I would be aware of any potential tripping hazards.

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

It didn't take long for my breathing to become heavy. I had never been meant for long runs. Daniel was barely even breathing hard. I kept to the quad trails and roads although my instincts really wanted to be more stealthy and travel through the trees.

I slowed and shook my head as my vision hazed over once more. I heard Daniel's pen writing on the paper. It took six seconds for my vision to return. I wasn't used to being blind, and those seconds felt like a terribly long time.

As soon as I could see, I resumed my fast pace. 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.

I slowed to a fast walk to catch my breath as we went across a big field. "I don't understand. Usually once I take the edge off my energy, the restlessness fades. It isn't as bad now, but it is still quite present."

Daniel was silent as he noted that down. He shrugged, "It is probably the drug. Those nights on the road, you never had any problem sitting most of the night. Is anything else standing out?"

"Considering I have never been this restless before, I am pretty sure it is the drug. Other than the side effects that you are aware of, nothing else seems unusual. I wouldn't mind hunting before we head back though."

He nodded, "We can stop in that forest to hunt."

We approached a forest. I knew from past patrols that it was about twice as big as the rabbit forest that I knew so well. Daniel sniffed as he glanced around, "Meet back here in half an hour?"

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

I turned and headed off in a different direction as Daniel turned his light to carefully examine the shrub. No wonder he preferred to hunt during the day. Even with his speed, a rabbit could be a problem for him to catch in the dark if it ran through tight places and went down a burrow before he caught it. The flashlight gave him an edge, but also let the animals see him coming.

I shifted behind a tree and began to run in a silent stalk through the forest. I blinked as my restlessness and instincts stopped bothering me. The restlessness was still there a bit, but it was nowhere near the relentless driving force that it had been.

I went onto a deer trail and traded my silent stalk for a silent upright walk. The restlessness came back full force with my instincts behind it. I went once more for the trees, as soon as I was acting like Nightstalkers normally did, my instincts didn't fight with me and the restlessness abated.

I paused behind a shrub along a deer trail in an ambush position, just to test out the various scenarios. I felt the deep patience return, although the slight bit of restlessness was undermining it. How odd... It does seem tied to how I act.

I shook my head and decided to focus on the reason for stopping here. A quick sniff told me about the variety of life around me. It was a good thing I liked rabbit, because the critters were very common around here and just the right size for a meal.

My instincts made it child's play to catch and kill the rabbit. It was normally easy, but my instincts were stronger tonight and more than happy to help in the hunt. The blood tasted sweeter than normal, although 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.

I headed back to where I had left Daniel. I let my footsteps fall louder, which bothered my instincts. I ignored my instincts. I had overruled them for months, so it was almost second-nature now. A quick sniff told me that Daniel had indeed caught a rabbit and was in the clearing.

Daniel had his flashlight on as he leaned against a tree and waited. His head was turned in my direction and I was pretty sure his flashlight was providing enough ambient light for him to see me. I walked toward him and paused as my vision went black.

"Trinity?"

I exhaled gustily, "My vision went again and lasted 7 or 8 seconds." My sight cleared and I rubbed my temples, which didn't ease my headache any.

Daniel wrote the time and duration down before tucking them into a pocket. I continued along the quad trail at a slow jog. The restlessness was back along with my instincts telling me that I was not behaving as 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 sun was just about to peek over the horizon. My instincts had faded reluctantly with the brightening sky. Daniel walked beside me as we headed back to the lab. I didn't bother thinking about going back to my room. They wouldn't be able to track my symptoms if they weren't around me.

Truth be told, I had no control over my current symptoms so there was a chance that my control could suddenly disappear as swiftly as my vision. My muscles were sore both from the drug and from my constant movement last night. I sat down in a chair in the lab and took a drink out of my water bottle. Daniel sat at the counter and started transferring his notes into the graph Nina had been working on.

I felt the instant that the sun finally appeared over the horizon. My instincts were even quieter than normal, as if they had worn themselves out fighting me throughout the night. The restlessness had also faded with the approaching dawn and truly disappeared now that the sun was visible. I was tired now that my mind was no longer waging a war with me.

I closed my eyes and decided to see if I could grab a few seconds of sleep. I knew that once Nina woke up I wouldn't have any opportunity. If tonight was as bad as the night I just went through, then there was absolutely no chance of sleeping as long as the sun was below the horizon.

I hadn't expected to be able to sleep, but I managed to doze off. It had been almost two days since I last slept, so that may have had something to do with it. I heard Daniel put the pen down and relax in his own chair as he kept me silent company. I dozed off again in the silence of the room. The muscle tremors were the only thing that disturbed my rest.

I woke to the sound of footsteps on the stairs. I remained motionless for a bit before turning my head toward the door. For some reason, I still wanted Daniel to be unaware of exactly how good my hearing was. Nina entered the door looking far too awake at this time of the morning 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 6am. "About the same as yesterday."

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

I shrugged, "I took a nap. I somehow doubt that much has changed, but I am sure that we will find out soon enough."

She nodded, "Hopefully some sleep will help. Let me grab another blood sample."

I watched as she took my vitals again before taking one vial of blood. Nina left the room to go analyze the blood sample in the larger microscope. I growled lightly as my vision once more became blurry. I exhaled gustily as my sight returned, "Eight seconds."

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