As much as I'd love to own it, SM owns all. I just like to play.

"Porto sventura a chi bene mi vuole! Fu in quel dolore che a me venne l'amor!"

She stumbled, almost dropping the woman she clutched in her tired, aching arms. Her feet were bare and bleeding but she didn't feel any pain. The pain had faded to numbness hours ago. Her thoughts were silent and empty. She could barely hear the voice of the woman behind her whispering the words of the aria. Numbness and exhaustion reigned. All that mattered was survival; all that mattered was that they kept moving. There was a tug at her waist which made her stumble again. She slowed allowing the woman behind her to regain her balance and find the guide rope. Continue. Keep walking. Keep crawling. Keep moving.

"Voce piena d'armonia e dice vivi ancora! Io son la vita! Ne' miei occhi รจ il tuo cielo! Tu non sei sola!"

Lights.

Lights.

Is this the end? Have we died? We must keep moving toward the light. When did it get so cold? Is it supposed to be so cold when you are dead? Did he find us? Maybe Momma will take us to the fair. I can't fight anymore. Seventy-eight .... seventy-nine ....

"SHIT!!" Mike Newton yelled as he slammed on the brakes and swerved to miss the women on the road.

"MIKE! THE TREE!!" Jessica screamed, closing her eyes tightly.

The car slid into the ditch, stopping inches from a massive redwood. The only sound in the car was the furious pace of Mike and Jessica's racing hearts. Acting on the surge of adrenaline, Mike threw the car door open and jumped out onto the road.

"What the fuck were you thinking, walking in the centre of the road in the middle of the night?? You could fucking ...." His voice trailed off as he took a good look at the three women in front of him.

The woman staring at him was tall with wild, curly auburn hair; blood matted her hair and trickled down the side of her face. There were bruises along her cheek bones and her lip was split. Blood had dried there some time ago. Her jaw was angled in an abnormal way, likely broken. Her eyes looked empty, dead. Her skin, where not bruised, was pale, almost glowing in the dark. She was wearing what looked like it had once been a green dress, but it was torn and frayed exposing her right breast. The sleeves were completely missing revealing lacerations and more blood smeared along her arms. She held in her arms a woman with darker hair, also covered in bruises, blood and what looked like multiple bite marks. Her clothing had been shredded. The woman in her arms was unconscious, or dead - he wasn't sure. As he scanned further down the redhead's body, he could see that her feet were bare and caked in blood and dirt. Behind the two women was another, clutching what appeared to be a rope tied around the first woman's waist. This third woman was the spitting image of the first minus much of the blood and bruises - twins: identical twins. Her feet were also bare and caked with dirt and blood.

The first woman, the redhead, opened her mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. Her breath hitched in her chest as she began to panic.

"Jessica," Mike called, "Call 911. NOW!"

The redheaded woman screamed, her high pitched voice piercing the night. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed, dropping the woman in her arms and tripping the twin behind her. She desperately tried to get to her feet, but to no avail. Her muscles had failed her. The unconscious woman hit her head hard against the pavement with a sickening thud. The twin began to rock, sobbing silently.

Jessica stared in dumb awe at the women as she spoke with the 911 operator, giving their location.

Mike slowly walked toward the screaming woman. "Hey, we are getting help. You'll be ok."

The redhead retreated on hands and knees, pulling the unconscious woman with her and pushing her twin behind her, moving them back toward the forest. Mike cringed knowing that the women were scraping their already damaged skin on the rough pavement. He stopped his advance, watching the three women huddled together.

"We are just here to help. We won't hurt you." Keeping his eyes on the women he spoke to Jessica over his shoulder, "Jessica, tell them to get here quick."

Minutes later Mike and Jessica turned their heads as a cruiser approached. The three women were still on the ground. The one that had been carried was twitching and grimacing in agony.

Charlie Swan, the local police chief, was the first to exit his car and quickly walked toward Mike and Jessica. "What the hell's going on Newton? You been drinking?"

Charlie looked over at Mike and Jessica and then followed their line of sight. "Sweet Jesus ...." He paused, taking a few steps closer to the women. He crouched down, speaking to them on their level but keeping a safe distance away so that they wouldn't be scared.

"I'm Chief Swan. Ambulance is on its way ma'am. You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you."

The ambulance arrived as he spoke and the paramedics jumped out with their bags to attend the women. Sensing the heightened level of fear, they too approached the women slowly.

"What's your name ma'am?" Charlie asked the first woman gently.

"India ... Indy," she whispered hoarsely, looking over the Chief.

"Ok Indy. We are going to get all three of you to the hospital. You need to let the paramedics check you over. Ok? No one is going to hurt you. It's going to be ok," Charlie said, trying not to sound gruff.

India nodded and let the paramedics do their work. In little time the unconscious woman was strapped to a stretcher, while India and her twin were wrapped in blankets and seated in the ambulance.

Charlie followed up with Mike and Jessica, getting a statement and making sure they could get the car out of the ditch. As he finished with the couple, the Paramedic announced they were ready to transport the women to the hospital in Forks. Charlie followed behind the ambulance, lights flashing.

The ambulance came to a quick stop in front of the emergency entrance. With the help of a few orderlies and ER nurses, the unconscious woman was wheeled in on the stretcher. Stretchers were brought out for the other two women and they too were wheeled into the emergency room.

India took a deep breath. Safe now. Safe now. Doctors. Nurses. Police. One ... two ... three ... four ...five ... six ... seven ... eight ... one ... two ... Her tears ran, mixing with blood and debris from the forest. A sob shook her body as she heard the authoritative voice of the ER doctor.

"What do we have?" the doctor asked.

"Hey Dr. Cullen. We've got a female, early 20's. She was found unconscious. Blood pressure 80 over 50. Pulse 40. Lacerations to her head, face, arms, and legs. Bite marks over her body. Might want to do a rape kit. Second female, early 20's ..."

India tuned out the paramedic's report to look at the doctor in charge. The breath whooshed out of her lungs. The pale skin. The eyes. The skin that she knew would be cold and hard.

"Nooooo!" India screamed at Dr. Cullen, "Get away from her! Don't you dare fucking touch her you piece of shit! MONSTER." She fought the nurse beside her and fell from the stretcher. She screamed in pain before crumpling into a heap, unconscious.

The twin on the next stretcher began to rock back and forth. Her breathing was loud and forced. She spoke, but the words were unintelligable.

Carlisle stilled, taking a fraction of a second to survey the three women. "Ok folks, let's get them stabilized."

It took hours to stitch up, set bones, splint, and clean up the three women. Carlisle looked over them in the observation room. His eyes fell on the still figure hooked up to the machines that appeared to be keeping her alive. Carlisle knew better. He had counted thirty-eight bite marks, many centred along her inner thighs and pelvic region. She had been raped repeatedly, forcefully. There were fractures to both femurs and the pelvis, a crushed vertebrae, broken ribs, and her skull was a spider web of cracks. He could hear her heart slowing and smell the venom circulating through her body. He knew he would have to figure out a way to get her out of the hospital - before she woke and went on a killing spree to try and quench the thirst she would feel as a newborn. Who would do this? Who could inflict this level of torture? How were the twins connected? Sisters? This was going to take some planning.

Carlisle exited the room and returned to his office. He picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello Edward ..."