Alone.

Scared.

All I saw was darkness. Pressed up against rough walls that closed in like a set of jaws.

I didn't know how I got here.

The last thing I remembered was the Bad Men. A scream from a voice that sounded so familiar. And a floor covered in dark, red liquid.

I shuddered, tears brimming in my eyes.

What did the Bad Men want from me? Why did they hurt me? I didn't do anything to them.

The ground beneath me jolted, bringing forth a memory of something.

A car. A window. Two smiling adults, a man and a woman, looking back at me from the front seats.

The ground jolted again and I whimpered.

There were sounds outside of my own dark box.

Growls and hoots and one terrifying roar, followed by a bang.

Bang. It went again.

And again.

I pressed myself as far away from the furious roaring, the movement sending pain jolting down my injured arm.

There was one last growl, and then I heard a mighty crash, as though something had exploded.

The growls were louder now, and something crashed so close that it tore a hole in the darkness, splinters of wood flying out into the dim light beyond.

I stifled a scream, my voice left me as tears came streaming down my face.

Red eyes gleamed at me from the snarling face of the scariest monster I had ever seen, larger and more nightmarish than any I had imagined to be hiding under my bed.

It stared at me for three long seconds, then it turned and charged at the barrier in front of it, breaking and bending metal doors as though it were pushing aside the blankets of an indoor fort.

A wave of fresh air hit me as I stared out into the view beyond, seeing nothing but a road, moving hastily away, surrounded by more trees than I could count.

The monster darted into the vegetation, and moments later I heard a squealing screech.

I was flung forward, falling out of my box and onto the road, where my palms grazed, and my injured arm awoke with a flash of pain.

A quick glance back and I saw a van, filled with many wooden boxes, all shaking and growling and whining.

Then there was an angry shout, and I scrambled to my feet, stumbling towards the trees.

'No! They're getting away!' One of the Bad Men screeched. 'What are you doing just sitting there?! Get after them! They were the most valuable Red Listed Abnormals we had in there!'

I ran, the road beneath my bare feet turning to a carpet of fallen leaves and branches as I swerved between the trees.

So many trees.

My muscles ached, and I could barely breathe, but the fear that was now filling my belly kept me going.

Running. Running.

Until the shouts died down and the Bad Men were lost in the darkness created by the trees.

Still I ran, tripping over a fallen branch and sprawling to the ground with a cry.

I curled up, hugging my scraped knees to my chest.

A metallic tang filled my nose, and I let out a shuddered cry.

I cried and I cried, shaking amongst the fallen leaves until my tears seemed unable to fall anymore.

So I lay there, curled up, covered with my own sticky red liquid.

Scared.

Alone.

A crunching of leaves made me startle, jumping to my feet and glancing everywhere and anywhere.

The first thing that I noticed was that it was daytime.

I felt my heart beating, hard and fast in my chest.

It hurt.

I wanted it to stop.

But it didn't.

The leaves continued to crunch, and I sobbed, scared.

'Dear God,' a gentle voice whispered, and I whipped around, stumbling backwards.

I saw a lady, tall and pretty, with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was staring at me with a mixture between shock and concern.

My hammering heart seemed to tell me that she was not with the Bad Men. But who was she?

'Where did you come from? What happened to you?' She took a small step forward, and I scampered backwards, pressing up against a tree with my arm cradled against my chest.

'It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you.' She knelt down and I felt my fear become smaller, just a bit. 'I'm a friend.'

She edged closer, and I fought the urge to run.

Something about her voice. Her kind, gentle, smiling face. I didn't want to run from her.

'Can you tell me your name?'

I swallowed, breathing hard.

Name?

I was so sure I had one, but…

I couldn't remember it.

Every time I tried to reach for the memory I found it was clouded over by an image of a floor covered in red blood.

Shuddering, I shook my head.

The lady frowned, her pretty blue eyes narrowed with concern.

Then she smiled again, 'I'm Doctor Helen Magnus.'

I ran the words over in my mind.

'Doc…' I murmured, trying to get them out. 'Doc…'

'Can you tell me what happened to you?'

I felt my breath quicken, as though by its own accord.

'The Bad Men,' I whimpered. 'They found me and… and…'

I burst into tears, terrifying images flashing in front of my mind of all that happened.

The lady came closer and held me against her, brushing my short hair back from my face.

'Dear God,' she whispered again, to herself. Then she looked me in the eye with a comforting smile, 'I'm from a place called the Sanctuary. It's designed to help creatures and people. Special people, like you. I'm going to take you there with me, okay? You're going to be safe there.'

I looked up at her tear-blurred form.

'The Bad Men can't find me?' I asked.

'No, the Bad Men can't find you there.' She reassured. Standing up, she offered me a hand.

I nodded and took it.

I liked Doc.

She made me feel safe.

So, with her guiding me, the two of us walked off, leaving the horrors and the boxes and the Bad Men behind.