AN: Note that most of the information placed in this story has been changed to fit it.
(Italics are flashbacks)
Enjoy
The sirens in the small town of Forks rang loudly into the night, everyone who had fallen into a slumber awoke in panic in their small houses, they all knew what the siren meant and, of course, the all knew the procedure that had to be followed once it went off.
Bella sighed in disbelief as she angrily slammed her coffee cup against the table. "This is the Fifth time this week." She grumbled to herself as she stood up and stretched. "If it's a fluke, god help me..." She made her way to the front door and slipped on her jacket. The sirens had in fact been going off all week and it wasn't only Bella who was growing tired of it, nearly, but all were in the town of Forks. Bella leaned over and opened the desk drawer, grabbed the emergency gun and slammed the front door angrily behind her.
Outside of her house was complete and utter havoc. Her eyes widened as she watched people run around; making sure their families and close friend were with them. It shouldn't have shocked her, this wasn't the first time she'd seen this view, she'd seen it over Eighteen times, at least; but it was still a sight to behold.
Bella shivered and hugged her arms around her waist, absently caressing the gun that lay in her left pocket. Being alone outside at this time of night was dangerous, hence why Charlie had told her to take the safety gun out with her, no matter what.
"Bella, come." Bella was knocked out of her reverie when Alice's squeaky voice invaded her ears. She smiled in relief and jogged up to Alice and Jasper, smiling weakly as she began to walk in stride with them.
"Hey Bella-Bells! How are you?" Alice asked in an excited tone of voice, which was oddly strange considering the current situation.
"I'm fine." She said casually, not really in the mood for small talk. "Do you think it's a fluke yet again, or...?" She trailed off and shivered at the thought of this siren being real.
Alice raised her hand and pointed to a small group of cops that were standing by the end of the road "I'm guessing not... they don't usually come out to direct the towns folk unless it is real." She bit her lip and clutched Jaspers hand tightly.
"That's true." Bella sighed and slid her hand into her pocket and lightly wrapped her fingers around the gun.
"But no worries, Bella!" Alice squealed, causing several heads to turn in her direction. "At least it wasn't us that is the main thing... right?"
Bella gaped and felt sickened by what Alice said. "How can you say such a thing? There's a possibility people are dead, Alice!" She said in a hushed tone.
Alice rolled her eyes and snorted, "You know I'm right, Bella. Would you rather it is you in the body bag or someone else?"
Bella sighed and turned her focus on the crowd before her, she didn't want to admit it but Alice was right, she'd rather it be someone else than her, that's for sure.
"Look, we've made it." Jasper said as he pointed towards the crowded police station.
For some reason Alice squealed yet again in excitement. "Good, I want to find out what has happened. This is better than TV, I tell you!" She gripped Jasper and Bella's hand and dragged them towards the crowd, and as they made it she shouted "Excuse me, police of chiefs daughter here, let us through."
A blush rose up Bella's cheeks almost instantly as the crowd done as Alice had asked. It was like the parting of the red sea all over again, the crowd moved and gaped at the young teenagers.
How embarrassing. Bella thought to herself.
As they made it to the front of the stage Bella could hear the crowd grow silent as her Father, Charlie, made his way onto the wooden stage; that was only usually used for when the Mayor wanted to announce something of importance.
Curious eyes lay upon Charlie and soon enough, not even a single whisper could be heard. Everyone wanted to know who it was this time, or where it happened, or how it happened; and most importantly they wanted to know who had done it.
Charlie took his hat off and pressed it against his chest. "Thank you all, for following the procedure." He took a deep breath and let his eyes scan over the crowd, and as his own blue ones fell over Bella's chocolate coloured ones his posture eased slightly. "We are sorry to say that they have struck again..." He didn't need to say any more, everyone knew what he was talking about.
The whole crowd fell into a flurry of panic. Hands grasped one another, tears were shed, and prayers could be heard.
"Please, let me finish." Charlie said as he raised his hand as a gesture for silence. He didn't want to have to tell the town what had happened, but it was his duty to do so. "We found four bodies down at the river at approximately 10:40pm." He sighed and let the crowd digest the news.
"Who was it this time?" Mikes Newton's Father shouted in utter rage
"Yeah, who!" Stan shouted over the crowd, wanting nothing but answers.
"It was the Terrance family." He took a deep breath and said, "We have reason to believe that the killers are preying on more victims than usual. It started out as one or two killings... but now these sick bastards are targeting families." Charlie wanted to spit in disgust but he knew he had to keep his calm for the town, they were relying on him.
"But you're the police! You should have caught them by now!" Stan shouted as his eyes glared at the officers standing next to Charlie.
Officer Paul stepped forward from the line and cleared his throat, "You have to remember that this isn't just happening in our town. It's happening world-wide. This is a clever organisation that has been sent out with one goal in mind..." He trailed off and stepped back, no longer wanting to talk about the horrid predicament.
"Surely something can be done!" Jasper shouted in a friendly manner. He wasn't against the police, or with them, he simply wanted answers so he could protect Alice.
Charlie ran the palm of his hand over his cheek and sighed for a moment. "The only suggestion is to immigrate. Go where these killers haven't yet hit. I, and the police force, if they wish, will stay behind and try to make sure they get no further than Forks." He emphasized nearly every word, trying to get through to the crowd that what he suggested would be the best and only solution to this problem.
The crowd grew angry and began shouting obscenities at the officers. Bella had had enough of this, she knew that her father was only trying to help the town and she hated the fact that they threw it right back in his face. She took a step forward and brought her gun out of her pocket and quickly raised it up into the air. "Everyone shut up!" She growled as she shot a bullet into the air.
Screams sounded but none the less, everyone quietened down.
"My Father," She said as she turned towards the crowd, still with the gun in her hand, "is only trying to help you! The best solution would be to leave Forks until this is all sorted. If you do not want to leave then so be it, but remember by staying here you are risking your life... as well as your families."
Charlie smiled on the inside; Bella was exactly like him, although she didn't like to admit it she was.
"What she said!" He shouted. "If you are going to leave then I suggest you go home and pack your valuables as quickly as possible." He pointed to Officer Paul and said, "Paul will wait on the east road in his car, from there he will escort you and your family... as safely as possible."
People in the crowd looked at each other, some nodded their heads, indicating that they were leaving, others shook their head; indicating that they just couldn't bear the thought of leaving behind their homes.
"If you are staying," Charlie announced, "Then please stay behind after this meeting! I will be handing out protection to anyone who doesn't have any. We have a range of pistols and shotguns! Take your pick, but be careful!" He warned as he turned his back and made his way off the stage.
"Today we have Doctor Cullen here with us to explain the new deadly virus." Caroline said in her usual talk show voice.
The crowd that sat behind the many cameramen began to cheer and wait in anticipation for the doctor to come on stage.
The camera zoomed in on Carlisle face as he entered the room and came on stage. "Thank you for having me." He said as he shook hands with Caroline and sat down on the chair opposite to her.
She smiled and blushed lightly, "We're just glad to have you, Doctor Carlisle." Her smile grew somewhat bigger as she stared into his eyes. "Now let's get straight to business, Doctor." She said as she clasped her hands over her knee. "New reports have been on going ever since this virus has-" Caroline was cut off when Carlisle chuckled and raised his hand, gesturing for her to stop.
"It isn't a virus." He said plainly.
Caroline's face fell and a blush fell over her face. "What do you mean, Doctor?" She laughed nervously.
He leaned forward in his seat and smiled gently at her. "Porphyria is a fairly uncommon condition, therefore I have reason to believe it isn't a virus. There are seven types of Porphyria; most of which are inherited but some may be acquired. The Porphyria we are dealing with is inherited."
Caroline tipped her head and said, "But if it's a hereditary disease then how come there is a sudden outburst of it? To me, it seems like a virus."
Carlisle sighed and leaned back in his seat. "If we knew how... then we'd probably have been able to find a solution to the problem by now, but unfortunately; we haven't." He bit his lip, trying to bring his thoughts to the front of his mind. "I'm here to explain what is going on, not give a solution. See, all living things including healthy people produce prophyrins. Our body's convert two simple substances, which is ALA and PBG, known as prophyrins precursors, into more complicated substances called Prophyrins-" This time Doctor Carlisle was cut off.
"Please, Doctor, could you put this into plainer words?" Caroline asked with a risen brow.
Carlisle chuckled. "In plainer words: We have human vampires living amongst us."
The crowd gasped as well as the talk show host.
"What?" Caroline said, her show façade dropping almost instantly.
"There is a strange link between Porphyria and vampirism. The symptoms are: severe light sensitivity, reddish-brown urine and teeth, mutilation of the nose, ears, eyelids and fingers when sun light hits their skin; an excess of body hair, and anaemia."
"So what happens when you have...? Porphyria, Doctor?"
Carlisle looked at the crowd and leaned forward in his seat, as if to whisper directly into Caroline's ear. "You have to drink blood in order to survive."
"Bella, I want you to go!" Charlie shouted in anger. There was no way his daughter was going to stay behind just for him, he wanted her to travel with the rest of the town.
Bella's brows furrowed, "I am not leaving. End of."
Charlie raised his hands in the air in a huff and growled. "You are so stubborn sometimes, Bella."
Bella smirked, "Like you then?" She asked as she slyly crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yeah... I suppose." Charlie grumbled. He looked at his desk for a moment with his hands on his hips, "You can stay... on one condition?"
"And what's that?" She smiled.
"You fill in this form," He said as he leaned over his desk and grabbed several pieces of paper. "And hand it back to me."
Bella pursed her lips and looked over the piece of paper. "You want me to become a cop?" She shouted, causing several officers to peek over their shoulder.
Charlie nodded, "These killers are still people. They believe they have the right to kill, but they do not believe we have the right to kill them. So, by becoming a cop, you have the right to kill any of those damn bastards without having the Feds sling your ass."
"I don't understand... I mean, you've been handing out weapons to citizens, are you going to make them cops as well? "She trailed off as her eyes scanned over the application.
"Just do it or I'll have Paul arrest you and take you with him?" He said with guilt glazing his eyes.
"You wouldn't!" Bella shouted.
"Care to test me?" Charlie tilted his head and looked down at his daughter with sheer authority. Bella knew it was time to back down from this argument.
"Fine... I'll be a cop." She raised her finger and pointed at him as she began to back away, "But don't expect me to wear one of those uniforms!" She seethed.
"The only way for them to survive is to drink blood?" Caroline asked as she looked from Carlisle to the camera, disbelief etching slowly over her face.
Carlisle sat back and clasped his hands, "They lack iron, which causes their blood to thin, and because of that their skin becomes sensitive, this is where the vampirism comes in." He felt as if someone was choking him, he cleared his throat, trying his best to get rid of the feeling but no matter what it wouldn't subside. "When they come within direct sunlight their flesh burns. It's like putting a block of butter into a tanning bed; we all know the outcome of that?" He scanned the crowd and took in their horror stricken faces.
Caroline gulped and nodded her head. "Carry on, please."
"In conclusion, to stay alive and keep their skin from burning they must consume human blood. It never used to be that way," He said as he shook his head lightly, "Sixty years back six people with Porphyria were put on a trial for two weeks. Scientists came to the conclusion that they could survive on animal blood, but..." He trailed off, "It seems that whatever has caused this outburst of Porphyria has somewhat worsened it."
"In what way?" One of the audience members shouted, which all in all really didn't surprise Carlisle or Caroline.
"They can only survive on human blood." He turned to look at the audience and said, "Do you know what the human instincts are really like? A human will do almost anything to stay alive..."
Charlie placed the mask over his face and tied the ends behind his head. This was the part of the job he always hated, but he knew it had to be done. The Coroner had called him and asked him to come down to the examination room.
The Terrance family, who were murdered, lay on the cold, metal tables. There skin was no longer sun kissed but a pale ghost like colour. Charlie coughed as his eyes trailed over the blood soaked sheets that were covering their torsos. This was not a pretty sight to capture.
"Chief," Said Carlisle, as he walked into the room with a confident stride.
Charlie nodded and took a cautious step further into the room. "What do you have for me, Doctor?" He asked his eyes still trained on the bodies.
"Oh something of great importance," Carlisle said as he pulled on a rubber glove with a snap, "I thought you should know about this immediately." Carlisle grinned.
Charlie nodded and watched as Carlisle finished putting on his gloves and take a step forward to the examination table. "When this all began victims were found torn apart... as you know." Carlisle pulled back the sheet and Charlie gagged as he saw the insides of Howard Terrance splayed out on the table.
"I know it's such an awful site. If it weren't for the fact that these victims held new information then I'd feel great sympathy for them." Carlisle stood at the side of the table and gestured for Charlie to come forth. He smiled sympathetically at the chief; he of course was used to seeing this sort of thing day in and day out, that now it no longer fazed him in the least.
"If you look behind me," Carlisle said as he pulled a small remote from his pocket and pressed it. Behind him pictures of victims appeared on the screen. "If you look closely, chief, you will see that these victims were torn apart, but if you look down at this one you will see a large, perfect incision down his chest."
"What are you saying, Doc?" Charlie asked as he choked back the bile that threatened to rise.
Carlisle smirked and said, "We're dealing with a completely different group of people here. You see," He said as he covered up Mr Terrance with the bloody sheet, "my guess is that the people who killed the people up there; are the ones who have only recently been exposed to Porphyria. But the ones, whom killed Mr Terrance, are the ones who have lived with this disease all their life."
Charlie gasped as his eyes widen in complete horror.
"No need to panic, chief. That is just my guess. Maybe a very good one, but I'm still not sure." Carlisle picked up the tape recorder that had been recording this whole time, from the table next to him. "The only way to be sure is if I find more bodies."
Bella flicked through her homework book and sighed as she realised she was behind on a lot of subjects. It wasn't her fault of course, it was Edwards. He came to her house every night and her seduced in so many ways, she never thought possible. She wished she could fight against him but every time she, Bella Swan, fell for his magic fingers.
"What's wrong, Babe?" Edward asked in his usual, careless tone.
Bella shook her head and slammed her book against the coffee table. "Oh not much. I think it's just the fact that I'm failing every subject possible and therefore have no future ahead of me..." She trailed off and brought her knees up to her chest, ignoring Edwards chuckling.
"Oh come on! You are the brightest kid at school!" He sat up on the couch and pulled her up beside him, "You have nothing to worry about. I promise." He kissed her neck lightly and grinned as she melted at his touch.
"Please, not tonight." Bella moaned, although her hips didn't stop grinding against his crotch.
Edward laughed again, slowly circling his fingers over her stomach. "Don't fight it, Bella."
"Please elaborate further. I'm sure the audience is more curious than I am." Caroline said as the cameraman zoomed in on her worried face.
"Here is an example, Caroline." Carlisle said. "Ten years ago two men were stranded in the desert, with no means out. After Six days one of the men became delusional, of course that was because of lack of water and food." Carlisle pursed his lips, "On that particular day the other man, who was still going strong decided it was time to go on the move again. Two more days after that he began to feel delusional. He knew he didn't want to die in the middle of nowhere, so do you know what he done, Caroline?"
Caroline shook her head and Carlisle carried on, "He killed his friend and drained him of his blood, cut his organs out, and do you know he survived for Twenty-Six days after that? On the Twenty-Seventh day he was found by a helicopter rescue team. That Caroline is what the human instinct can do in order to stay alive."
Edward unbuttoned Bella's jeans and reached over to grab the remote for the television, "Why the hell are you watching this shit?" He snickered as the camera zoomed in on Doctor Carlisle face. "Does someone have a crush on the local Coroner?" Edward teased as he turned off the television and continued to tease Bella's body.
Bella's face burned and she shook her head as a subtle moan escaped her lips. She did have a crush on Carlisle but never wanted to admit it. "No of course not," She grunted out, "But this virus is something that everyone needs to understand."
Edward sighed and slid his hand out of Bella's pants, "This Virus is nothing, just like the rest of them were." He sneered as he pushed her off his lap and stood up. "It's nothing, Bella. We don't have to learn about something that isn't happening."
Bella looked up at Edward with a dazed look on her face, "Of course it's happening! Have you not been watching the news?" She whispered cautiously.
"No, I don't." He said as he gathered up his study books and made his way to the front door, "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella."
Charlie pressed his back against the wall, the stench of dead bodies still invading his nostrils. He had watched as Carlisle inspected the inside of Terrance's body, finding out which organs had been taken this time. It was a long and disgusting process, something that Charlie wished he hadn't seen.
"Are you alright, chief?" Carlisle asked and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.
Charlie nodded as he let his lids slip shut. "All this is just so much to take in, Doctor. It's been Four weeks now since it all began and I can't help wonder when it's going to end?" He opened his eyes and saw a concerned Doctor staring back at him.
"What we have found out in that room has gained us one step further from stopping this!" Carlisle said in his up most confident tone. "You and I need to keep doing our jobs, just like the rest of the force is, and if we do... then I can guarantee that it will all be over soon."
Edward bent his head into the toilet and emptied the contents of his stomach into the bowl. His eyes widened as he opened them and saw a bowl full of blood. "Bella!" He screamed as he smashed his fist against the toilet seat.
"Edward, what is it?" She shouted as she came running into the bathroom.
"I need help..." He mumbled as he spewed another load of blood into the toilet.
Bella just stood there with her mouth gaping. "It's happening... to... you." She gasped out as she stepped back away from him, her back hitting against the wall with a thud.
"No it fucking isn't." Edward ran his arm over his cheek and growled as a line of blood soaked into his skin, "I probably drank too much at the party..." He knew that was a stupid excuse to give to Bella but he didn't want to believe in this apparent virus; all of them were bullshit and he knew it.
"No it's happening!" She pressed her hands against her temples, "What was it Doctor Carlisle said when he was on that TV show... Oh, right..."
"...a lot are born with Porphyria, but most don't show symptoms mainly because there is next to nothing of it in their system."
Caroline nodded her head, "This sudden outburst though will cause those who have little to nothing in their system to become exposed to it?"
Carlisle nodded, "That is correct. Whatever has been produced has given Porphyria strength. Those before, who weren't affected with it, now will be. And as we have all realised there is a large percent of the population who are infected with it." Carlisle leaned forward and grabbed a glass of water, taking a gentle sip he cleared his throat and said, "Earlier I did explain the symptoms but there is more that you need to watch out for. Because the chemicals in their body will react with whatever has caused it to increase; their symptoms will be a lot more violent. One symptom to look out for is loss of blood. This can happen by either spewing or seepage through their pores, because as you know their skin does mutilate if they don't have a considerable amount of blood intake."
Bella gasped as she remembered what Doctor Carlisle said on the show. "Edward, you are suffering from Porphyria! We need to get you to a hospital and now!" Bella screamed as she ran over to him and grabbed his arm.
Edward cried out in pain as he snatched his arm away from her. "I'm fine! Just be careful and help me get up, will you!" He sneered.
Bella wrapped her arm around his waist gently and helped him up from the bathroom floor. "Edward, please... just listen to me for once."
Edward pushed Bella away from him and leaned against the doorway, "There is nothing wrong with me." He said in a rough voice. He felt as if he was going to spew another load of blood. "I have to go home." He stumbled out into the hall and walked with his body pressed against the wall.
Bella looked at him helplessly. She knew for once that she was right and that she had to help him. "I'm calling Carlisle. End of!" She shouted as she ran past Edward and grabbed the house phone. As she began to dial in his number Edward grabbed a hand full of her hair and slammed her head against the wall.
"Listen to me, Bella, because this is the last time I will tell you." He whispered into her ear as his body pressed against her. "I'm fine." He let go of her and stumbled towards the front door.
"Tell her to announce a break." The producer said through a microphone. He watched and waited as the feed went through her ear piece.
"Let me cut you off the Carlisle. It's time for a break." She turned to the camera and smiled cheerfully, "We'll be right back! Stay tuned!"
AN: To be continued...?
