Now 200 years after his turning, John begins suffering insomnia and ages years in only a few days. John realizes Miriam's promise that periodically killing and feeding upon human victims would give him immortality was only partially true: he will have eternal life but not eternal youth. He seeks out Dr. Sarah Roberts, a gerontologist who works with scientists Tom (her boyfriend) and Charlie, specializing in the effects of rapid aging in primates, hoping she will be able to reverse his accelerating decrepitude. Sarah assumes that John is a hypochondriac or mentally unbalanced and ignores his pleas for help. As John leaves the clinic in a rage, Sarah is horrified to see how rapidly he is aging. John rebuffs her once she tries to help him.