The click of Cameron's heels alerted House to her arrival. Looking up from his desk, upon which was spread a myriad of monotonous case files and charts, House's gaze fell on Cameron, leaning languidly against his doorframe, still dressed in her lab coat.
"I just wanted to say 'goodnight' before I go," she said, propping the door open with her foot. House smiled shortly and returned the gesture, looking back down at his desk. Cameron patted the doorframe once before turning on her heel and exiting the office. Out of the corner of his eye, House watched her swaying body until she rounded the corner and was out of sight. Sighing lightly, he continued with his work, hardly noticing the change in weather outside (it was raining) or the time (it was 8:34 PM).
"The night," he mused, "knows not of my trials."
HCHCHCHCHC
Mulling over the list of things she had to complete that evening before bed, Cameron's feet carried her home on a memorized path. Water dripped continuously from her bright blue umbrella, puddling on the damp sidewalk beneath her feet. Her car had been in the shop for a week, and would be for a week more, so Cameron was exploring the different modes of transportation to get herself to and from her house. So far, having ridden the bus and subway, Cameron had decided that she much preferred walking, which was precisely what she was doing. Turning the corner to her building, Cameron was startled by a pop, followed by a searing pain in her left thigh. Screaming out in agony, Cameron fell to the hard concrete, her umbrella flying, grasping her leg. She landed on her side, her coat soaking up a mixture of filthy rain water and blood. Managing to pull herself into a sitting position, Cameron was suddenly very aware of a human presence around her. Before she could react in anyway, a foot came slicing out of her view and made contact with her neck, sending her reeling back to the ground. Instinctively covering her head, Cameron felt pressure all over her body, as feet stomped, kicked, and assaulted her body. She could hardly utter a scream as the breath vacated her body with each brutal attack. Closing her eyes, now clouded with water and blood, Cameron, surprisingly, found herself praying for an end. For a moment, it seemed she would get it, but that thought was soon pushed out of her mind as she felt a pair strong hands grab her and drag her up. Her legs were forced apart by a knee, her underwear torn from her. She felt the pain of penetration, and then nothing.
HCHCHCHCHC
House rapped on Wilson's window as he walked past, knowing full well that he had gone home hours ago. His bag hung heavily from his shoulder as he stepped outside of PPTH, breathing in the damp air left behind from the storm. It had taken him almost three more hours to finish his charting, and with the hour nearing midnight, House was anxious to get home. Walking towards his bike, House heard the shrill sirens of an ambulance cutting through the night, and soon after saw the spastically flashing lights. He watched for a moment as the ambulance pulled into the bay, and the back doors were flung open, ushering out a gurney with what looked like a young woman on it. Sighing, he looked up at the heavens, and thought silently for a moment, before mounting his bike and leaving.
Twenty yards away, in the PPTH emergency room, Allison Cameron lay, barely clinging to life.