disclaimer: I do not own any of Stephenie Meyer's work, charactors, or plot. I only use them to create a work of fiction of my own. This story is set 4 years, 5 months, and 11 days after the last page of Breaking Dawn – I know, so specific, but just in case you were curious. Jacob Black did not imprint on Renesmee, but still stood alongside the Cullens against Sam's pack and the Volturi. As you can see, it's a bit alternate universe, but that is all I'm inclined to tell you. The rest you'll have to figure out on your own. Enjoy!

knockin' on Heaven's door

by antony & the johnsons

・EVELYN ・

A deep howl resonated throughout the darkness I was shrouded in, causing my eyes to open and my body to shoot up from its horizontal position. The ground was damp, its mud dirtying the thin, pale dress I wore. Dark trees surrounded me, the moon casting odd shadows through their thick foliage. They played tricks on my mind, encouraging it to imagine something sinister lurking in the distance.

Chilling fear spread through me, further numbing my cold body as I realised I had no clue to where I was. Or who I was. Or why I couldn't remember anything. My memory was as dark as the forest I was stranded in. There was no recollection of a childhood, of a family or friends. I didn't even know what I looked like. I was a stranger to myself; a nobody. I pushed back tears as I forced myself onto my bare feet. I felt like a small child lost in a crowded park without her parents. Did I even have parents? I was lost and alone. The darkness scared me and all I wanted was another person. Anyone to tell me who I was. Instead, the darkness pushed my mind into overdrive as it tried to grasp for a single memory.

Who am I? Why can't I remember anything? Think, Evelyn, think!

Evelyn?

I focused on the name. Is that my name? It had to be. It was the only thing I could remember. And it seemed to fit my tanned skin and long, dark hair. Shapely curves filled my flowy dress, which did nothing to aid against the biting wind. I rubbed my bare shoulders as I forced confidence into my bloodstream. Evelyn was a strong and capable name. With newfound determination, I started to march through the forest. I didn't care that my feet were bare I needed to get the hell out of here before that wolf came for me. Don't they travel in packs? Stop thinking about it! Just find your way out, Evelyn.

"My name is Evelyn. My name is Evelyn. My name is Evelyn," I found myself chanting my name. It was the only thing I could hold on to from my past. I didn't want it to disappear, too.

For hours, it seemed, I trudged through the cold forest. Every tree looked the same in the darkness and the sounds of the night only made fear clutch my heart tighter. A stinging pain chipped away at the centre of my head and the textured debris cut at the soles of my feet. But I didn't stop. If anything, the pain and the fear pushed me to a quicker pace.

I swept a tangle of my dark hair out of my face for the umpteenth time when a flash of light entered my peripheral vision. My head snapped to the left and I squinted to see that it was an electric light glowing in the distance. I jogged toward the beacon, uncaring of the branches and roots I had to jump over. The light brightened and I could see that it hung on the outside wall of a wood house. It was a worn, red colour with white-framed windows. Through one of them, a light was turned on. My heart fluttered at the thought of being so close to security.

But I was stopped in my tracks at the sound of another howl. Except it was closer. Much, much closer. My skin crawled and the hairs on my neck rose to attention. I slowly turned my head to see the huge wolf not even 50 yards away from where I stood. In the dim moonlight, I could see that it had a reddish-brown coat and that it was larger than what I expected wolves to be. It had to be the size of a horse. Powerful muscles rippled as it sniffed around carefully; probably looking for me. Its muzzle was pulled back in a snarl and I caught a glance of its razor-sharp fangs. Fear coursed through my veins like an icy poison.

Run!

I sprinted out of the forest and into the clearing the house was in. I could see a truck parked in its driveway, only confirming my thoughts of someone being home. I prayed to the heavens, to whatever I believed in, that the wolf didn't sense me before. I prayed that I could get inside and that I would be offered solace. My heart raced at the thought of the wolf getting to me.

Suddenly, a blinding pain ripped across my back and I fell to the ground with a bloodcurdling scream. The wolf's claws dug across my back, ripping my skin to shreds. It fell on top of me, but continued to snarl at me forcing the oxygen out of my lungs until I couldn't breathe. Tears ran down my face as it assaulted me. I was drowning in pain and the fear of death rose out of my mouth.

"Please!" I screamed. "Help me!"

Almost immediately the wolf's weight lifted off me and I could no longer hear its hostile sounds. A ringing in my ears occupied the silence and my vision was blurred as my mind focused on the pain. It was like I was thrust into the fiercest of fires, its flames piercing through my skin and sinking into my bones. It was hell. Then, my body was turned onto my back and a new pain erupted within me. The cold, wet grass cut into my lacerated skin and I arched my back, trying to alleviate the pain as I screamed. The wolf must've come to finish me off. Good. Then it could take me out of my misery.

I opened my eyes to look into those of my assailant, only to see a large man kneeling above me, his dark features illuminated by the house's light. He had a strong jaw, cropped hair, and a very muscled torso. Under any other circumstances, I would have been disabled by his good looks, but I was in immense pain and he looked troubled.

"Shit," his gruff voice said. "Uh, you're gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay..." He turned to look behind him before yelling, "Sam! She needs help!"

Soon enough, more men surrounded me, all mirror images of the man who found me. They were all tall, dark, and devilishly handsome. Just like the first man, their chests were bare, exposing rippling pectorals and abdomens; even their biceps were huge. Maybe this was Heaven. Am I dead?

The tallest of the men stepped forward. "Embry. How bad is it?"

The kneeling man, Embry, cringed and my heart fell. "Sam, it's bad. Her back… it's shredded. And her wrist… We need to get her to the hospital before she loses more blood."

Blood. The thought of blood caused fear to creep back into my system. Involuntarily, my throat started to whimper and more tears fell down my cheeks. "P-Please…"

All of their attention turned back to me and the tallest man, their leader, commanded, "Embry, take Billy's truck to Forks Hospital. Seth, go with him. The Doc likes you best. The rest of you… I need help with Jacob…"

Their voices started going out of focus as if from the end of a long tunnel. A headache formed like a steady throb and it blurred my vision. I could feel Embry shaking me, but I couldn't respond to him. My energy was fading too quickly and all I wanted to do was sleep.

"…awake… out of here…" his voice came in incoherent spurts and then suddenly it felt like I was flying – no, he lifted me from the ground into his arms. "Please stay… Jake… beating himself… don't go."

I opened my eyes enough to see Embry walking me to the truck in the driveway. It was terribly beat-up, in desperate need of a fresh coat of pain, but I was sure it could get the job done. Beside the worn truck sat an older man in a wheelchair. His dark skin contrasted against the white sleep-robes he wore. His long hair was tied back and his face was downturned into a worried expression, aging him. He wrung his wrinkled hands on his lap.

"What happened?" his gravelly voice asked.

Embry stopped in front of the old, Native man. "Jacob lost control. She's hurt real bad. Seth and I are gonna take her to the Forks Hospital; Sam's orders."

The aged man didn't seem to like Embry's words, but nodded in acceptance. "Where's Jacob?"

Embry shifted. "He's still out there… he's in real bad shape. He, uh…" Embry coughed and maybe mumbled something, but I just couldn't focus.

Billy shook his head and started to roll back into the house. He tossed his keys to the other man who came with us, Seth. "It's okay," his eyes said it wasn't okay. "Just be careful, Embry. You too, Seth."

With that Seth opened the passenger door for Embry, who carefully – at least, as carefully as he could – slid me into the truck. With my dwindling energy, I barely made a sound, but my back burned. I was just so tired of all the pain. Hopefully unconsciousness would take it all away. Or maybe I would die…

The men tried to talk to me, but again their voices sounded too far away and the temptation of the darkness was too strong. The soft timbres bled into my dreams, along with the wolf and the terror it wrought. But soon even my dreams surrendered to the darkness and my consciousness slipped away.

The next time I came to, I was coaxed into the land of the living by a strange beeping noise that matched my heartbeat. The sun shone through a large window to illuminate a plain, small room. My body was stiff and sore, the cast on my arm and the tubes sticking out of me restricting my movements. How did I end up at the hospital? I pushed the edges of my mind, recalling I woke up in an unfamiliar forest with only my name in my head. A freakishly-sized wolf attacked me, and some dark, handsome men saved me. They must've brought me here.

A grunt sounded to my left and I jerked my head to the sound. A headache thumped at the base of my skull from the quick movement. In an uncomfortable-looking chair slept a stranger in a black police uniform labelled C. Swan. His sheriff's badge gleamed in the fluorescent light as he shifted in his sleep. I wondered how long he'd been sleeping there. There were deep circles under his eyes and his greying hair was in complete disarray.

Though, he wasn't asleep long. His head bobbed in the new position and he jerked himself awake. He rubbed at his sleepy, brown eyes before meeting mine. "Oh," he grumbled. "You're up." He adjusted himself in the chair. "How you feelin'?"

It took me a moment to find my voice, but I finally answered. "I think… I think I'm okay. All things considered…"

He chuckled. "Yeah, no kidding. Well, my name's Charlie. I'm the Chief of Police here at Forks."

"Isn't that silverware?"

Charlie laughed loudly. "Sure is, but it's also a town. In Washington," at my confused stare he added, "in the United States?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what that is." My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to figure out what a washing tonne was. Maybe it's where they put all the forks?

His mirth transformed into realisation. "Where are you from? You sound… American."

"I…" why couldn't I think of anything? "I don't know, sir."

Charlie rubbed his moustache. "Can you tell me your name?"

I sighed in relief. Something I can answer. "It's Evelyn."

"Just Evelyn?"

"Yes, sir."

Charlie gave me a look and tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. "Look, Evelyn, I can't help you if you don't tell me. I just… I know this is difficult, being attacked and stuff, but we can get you back home. In order to do that, you need to be honest with me." His warm, brown eyes searched mine. "Can you do that for me?"

I shook my head, looking away from the kind man. "I wish I could tell you, sir. But I… I don't remember anything. Just that I woke up in the woods and all I could remember was my name. I don't know how I go there, who I was before I woke up… it's all I have."

"Okay," Charlie sighed, looking pained. "Do you remember… what happened after that?"

I closed my eyes. I wish I didn't. "Y-Yeah. I… I just wanted to find someone who could help me. I ran around the forest and I heard… wolves. One wolf- it attacked me." I flinched from the memory and I traced the edges of my cast. "It was a brownish colour and it was… so big. At least the size of a horse. I don't know what happened to it, but there were some men there- I-I think they helped me, but I… that's all I remember."

Charlie was silent as he took in my information. He tugged at his collar awkwardly before clearing his throat. "That's really… ah, that's just odd. I'm sorry, but it is. We're gonna find out what's going on, okay, Evelyn? We've got the best doctor in the state of Washington and he's gonna help you. I'll… uh, I'll go g-get him for you"

He stumbled out the door and I chuckled at the strange man. I liked him and his awkward personality. He didn't have a way with words, but he was still kind. It's the only kindness I can fully remember, besides the men from last night. I can recall the feeling of people being kind to me, but it was… a dark kindness. A kindness with an evil motive. A part of me didn't like Charlie being so kind to me. I felt like he was hiding something from me.

The door opened again, revealing Charlie and another stranger in a white coat; Dr. Cullen, according to his name badge. The first thing I noticed about the doctor was his terribly pale complexion. It was lifeless, in desperate need of a couple hours in the sun. He was very attractive, with perfectly styled blond hair and a bright smile. His features were young; he had to be in his mid-20s.

A gasp escaped me when I saw his eyes. They were the most disarming, molten gold. Somehow, in the depths of my subconscious I knew they were an inhuman colour. A colour that meant something… something supernatural. The headache from earlier intensified as I put the pieces together: pale skin, overly-beautiful features, inhuman eyes. The answer practically blared against the edges of my brain.

Vampire.

"it's getting dark, much too dark to see

i feel i'm knockin' on Heaven's door"

dedication: I would like to dedicate this story to you. Yes, you. Whether you're a faithful reader or a random clicker, you decided to open my story and read it. I've had this story in my drafts since January 2016 and it's because of people like you that I decided I was ready to publish it. You're curious and ready for a good story, which I hope I deliver successfully. So read on. Don't be afraid to comment and tell me what you think. This story is for you.