I wrote something similar to this when I was younger. I then got into The Night World books, and so I've decided that I'm going to write what has always been a rather loose story line in my head into something solid.

'Contravene' the sign over the door reads. This is their place, Cora Harvey's place. To many it may look like a tower block, but it is just about the one place they're safe.

The Night World had risen up so quickly and without warning a state of martial law had sprung up sealing the humans into various cities, and banishing anyone opposing this.

Witches were trying to protect the humans with force fields and barriers, but Cora had never been one to follow someone else's agenda.

Again Cora Harvey woke alone in her bed, covered in sweat and panting. She could hear howling and explosions from the city around her.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, feeling hot tears on her face and tried to shake the nightmare from her memory, but she knew this was pointless; she would relive it again the following night.

Cora stood up and stretched out slowly, taking her time before she made her way into the living room and walking over to get swig of water from her hipflask which lay discarded on the table.

She made her way to the boarded up window and spun the little circle of metal away from the peephole.

"Damn." She whispered.

The fires were getting closer again. She heard movement from the room to her left, and as she listened, all her senses open she heard the shallow breathing of her best friend and team member Taylor.

Taylor and Cora had known each other since they were children, and before any of the real horrors of the world had happened.
Taylor wrenched her door open and walked into the room. She stood for a moment watching Cora and attempting to read her mood.

"What time are people due here?" She asked tentatively.

"Half past seven." Cora replied quietly massaging the deep scar on her forearm and flexing her fingers. It still ached, even though it shouldn't. "Fifth Avenues on fire, they're not far from us now."

She added looking towards Taylor who had stiffened. Her pale vampire skin made her look like a china doll and her expression was always so suspicious that it was almost comical.

"Reckon we'll have to move again?" Taylor asked.

"No, they won't be forcing us to leave. If we leave, we leave on our terms not there's." Cora almost growled. She tugged on the bandana she tied around her neck and sighed.

"Logan, Caddy and Harriet are here." Cora said turning to face the door, and sure enough moments later there was a low and gentle knock.

Taylor hurried to answer the door unbolting it, and allowing the three women to move forward into the room.

"Where is Emily?" Cora frowned, turning around, the others were early, it was only six.

"We don't know. She was on patrol and we lost contact. We've been looking for her all night but haven't managed to find her. We came straight here." Harriet was the one who had spoken, calmly, and inhaling her cigarette slowly.

"Cora we need to find her." Logan said, moving over towards Cora, there was a slight trace of begging in her voice, but they all picked it up.

Cora sighed. "She was on patrol in fifth avenue tonight, right?"

"Yeh, we've just come from there, all's quiet."

Cora raised her eyebrows, and signalled for them to all look through the peephole. Logan gasped and started to move towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cora asked, her commanding voice bringing Logan to a sharp halt.

"Cora, please!"

Cora smiled and let out a laugh, "Ok, let's find her."

Within minutes they were roaring down the almost abandoned streets towards Fifth Avenue, motorbikes were the best transport for dodging the burnt out cars and various bits of debris that littered the street.

Nature had begun to claim its land back as shrubs and grass were now breaking through the concrete roads. Of course they could all run faster than a motorbike, but they needed to save their strength for whatever lay ahead of them.

About hundred meters from the billowing smoke, Logan sprung from the back of the bike she was sharing with Caddy.
Cora let out a low hiss of anger as she watched her twist in the air and transform into her giant lioness shape, and speed off ahead of them.

Rounding the corner, Cora slammed on the break and slid the bike to a halt, jumping off and taking a long slow breath, taking in the scene around her with all her senses.

She could taste the blood on the air, the sickly smell of smoke was overpowering.

She could feel the heat and pain, the screams and explosions were deafening. Her eyes began to sting, and then they fell upon a creature that stirred up an emotion inside her so powerful that she felt her body contract, and her jaw clench.

The creatures skin was blackened, the texture looked like old burned rubber. It moved unbelievably fast, its motions jerky and uncoordinated.

"Is that the thin-"Caddy began but Cora cut across her.

"Don't let it touch you! Don't touch it! Do you understand me?"

There was a resounding 'Yes' and they rushed forwards to join in the fight. Cora expanded her senses, attempting to seek out Emily and Logan somewhere amongst the chaos.

Cora hadn't seen one of these creatures since the night she'd lost...everything. She pushed this to the back of her mind; she needed to concentrate on finding her friends.

A bullet shot by a humans pistol pierced her neck and made her growl but she continued to move swiftly through the crowd, reaching into the hole pulling out the bullet and feeling it seal itself healing.

She felt something, a familiar noise, a scream of agony.
She moved towards it, her feet touched the ground only once every few metres, it was more flying than running.
As she jumped, she grabbed a crow bar from the hand of a human boy. Emily's body was rigid, her eyes were closed and she was no longer screaming.
Cora could feel Emily's pain and black energy radiating from the creature which was full of hate.

"Bastard!" Cora screamed slamming the crowbar through the creatures face, it crumpled, but Cora knew not for long.

It loosened its grip on Emily for a split second but that was enough, Cora had grabbed her and hoisted her over her shoulder. Running again towards her group, and the bikes.

She saw Harriet, Caddy and Logan in a fight with two shape shifters and a vampire and whistled to them.

"Stop toying with them and finish up. This is not our fight." She yelled to them, looking around for Taylor.

Taylor was attempting to keep two werewolves from attacking a girl who was huddled on the ground.
Cora moved over, Emily still hung unconscious over her shoulder and snapped one of the werewolves' necks with the side of her hand.

The other wolf let out of howl of rage and this gave time for Taylor to dropkick it hard in the face, it fell to the ground unmoving.

Taylor grabbed the girl up and dragged her along towards the bike.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cora shouted looking from Taylor to the girl.

"She's coming Cora, she was only in danger because she helped me."

"This is no time to go soft!" She said kicked the bike into action.

They reached their building in a matter of minutes, and Cora kicked the door open and moved over to lay Emily on the long table.

"We need to get the transfusion kit out, do we have enough blood?" Cora said, never breaking her professionalism, no one answered but Harriet rushed off.

Internally she was scared, and she knew they could all feel it. It was unnerving when Cora showed fear, because it was so rare.

Taylor moved the girl onto the sofa and was talking to her in a quiet and comforting voice, moving only to get a cloth to help the girl mop up her bloody face.

Harriet appeared with the medical box in a flash, whilst Logan stood pale faced at Emily's side tightly gripping her lifeless hand.

Cora moved quickly and carefully, easing the needle into the vein on Emily's left arm, and then the right arm.
The whole time monitoring with her senses Emily's breathing and heartbeat.

When Cora had stopped moving, she put her hand on Emily's cheek. She felt everyone eyes on her, as she held her hand there for a few seconds more and then moved over towards the sofa where the girl sat shaking.

"There's nothing more we can do for her, we just have to wait it out and hope she's as tough as we think she is." Cora said answering everyone's internal question.

"Now, who are you?" She asked, her eyes fixed on girl.

Piercing green eyes stared back at her, they were full of pain and for a moment Cora's heart ached with sudden emotion.
She looked the clock on the wall attempting to calm herself; but of course everyone in the room had felt her sudden pain.

Cora cleared her throat, "Who are you?"

The girls' voice was strong and steady, although her body still shook. "I'm Poppy North." Her accent was American. "And you are Cora Harvey. I've been looking for you."
_

(I've tried to fix them so they're easier to read...makes them seem way longer than they are.) You will get more answers next chapter, so don't worry if this is confusing. Constructive criticism and the like is always welcome. (A) (E)