"Tick tock.  Tick Tock.  Tick Tock."

Waking up, I keep my eyes closed for a few minutes and try to recall the day before or the day before that for the matter.  Increasingly, the last few weeks have all started to blur together and there are times when I don't even remember what I did for days on end.  Turning over, I sense something next to me on the edge of the bed and hesitate to open my eyes.  I could swear I get a whiff of something pungent in my nostrils.

My blood ...