(clears throat) Ahem!

Belmont Bellamy would like me to blame her for making you wait last time. And I would like to thank Belmont Bellamy for being a wonderful Beta. And I would also like to thank all the people who are reading, and who have reviewed, the story.

Cameron squinted as she and Chase emerged from the cinema. The movie had ended and it was now time to leave.

"Ah um, Cameron?" she heard Chase say behind her.

"What?" she replied, turning to look at him.

"There's blood on your jacket." He told her hesitantly. She frowned. "What do you mean 'blood'?"

"I mean there are bloody stains on your shoulder." His voice grew louder as he leaned in closer to inspect them. "Fingerprints, by the look of it." He stated.

Cameron's heart plummeted. She remembered the unexplained tapping she had felt in the cinema and shivered as every hair on her body stood on end. Suddenly it felt as though the carpet was being pulled out from under her feet as her head spun sickeningly.

"Are you okay?" Chase watched her warily as she held a hand to her forehead in an attempt to steady herself.

"Yeah… I'm just trying to remember how I got blood on my jacket." She mumbled as her vision cleared. "That's right, I remember. I was in the bathroom this morning when a woman came in with a bloody nose. I was in her way so she tapped me on the shoulder to get past. It was an accident. I must have forgotten." She lied; hoping the beads of sweat appearing on her hairline wouldn't make Chase suspicious.

Fortunately he believed her story. "That's a shame" he commented as they headed for the doors. "It's a nice jacket."

It was raining when they stepped outside. Chase groaned from their position by the doors. "I hate the rain." He grumbled. "We'd better make a run for it. Lucky we got good parking spaces, eh?" he grimaced, turning to her. Cameron murmured in agreement, not really hearing what he was saying. She still didn't want to go home.

"I'm gonna get straight into the car if you don't mind, so I'll say goodbye now." Chase said, reaching out to give her a hug. "I'll see you on Monday. Goodnight."

As he put his arms around her Cameron had an almost irresistible urge to cling to him. The idea of spending the night alone was sending chills down her spine; however, all she managed was a weak hug and a feeble "Goodnight."

"I hope you feel better," Chase added, obviously mistaking her restraint for poor health. Cameron didn't blame him; it was clear she hadn't been herself lately.

With a heavy heart she watched Chase run forward, before reluctantly following him. As soon as she stepped out from the cover of the cinema building Cameron felt the fat, cold raindrops attack her head. The shock seemed to wake her up a bit and she quickened her pace to a jog until her car was within reach.

Chase was pulling out of his parking space when Cameron retrieved her keys from her bag. She paused for a moment to let the cold, refreshing rain wash over her. For a minute she forgot all her fears as the icy liquid soaked through her clothes onto her skin, numbing every inch of her body and mind. It wasn't long, however, before the doctor in her piped up, mentioning something about 'hypothermia' and 'pneumonia'.

Cameron unlocked the car door and climbed in, not worried about the upholstery. She took off her jacket, determined to inspect these 'fingerprints' for herself. She had expected the rain to dilute the blood and make it run, so she was shocked to find the stain intact. It was as if the rain had never touched it. There they were clear as day – two bloody fingerprints overlapping on the shoulder of her jacket. Tentatively she reached out to touch them. Blood came off on her fingertip. Warm blood. With a jolt Cameron frantically wiped the blood on her seat.

Desperate for a distraction, Cameron turned the key in the ignition. She turned the radio up as high as she dared in an attempt to drown out the thoughts racing through her head.

-----------HOUSE MD-----------

The drive home was uneventful, although Cameron's mind was elsewhere the whole time so it was unlikely she would notice if something did happen. The events of the past couple of days kept playing over and over in her head like a broken record.

When she finally made it through her apartment door, Cameron set to work immediately. She hurried from room to room, switching on every light and ensuring the curtains were closed. When that was done she switched the TV on, not really caring about what she was watching. She only had it switched on for background noise anyway.

Cameron stood in her bright, noisy apartment uncertain of what to do next. Her eyes were feeling heavy and grainy, but she was still too unsettled to sleep. Instead she made herself a soothing cup of tea. The pleasantly warm liquid sent waves of heat through her body, making her twice as sleepy. When the cup was finished she placed it in the sink and made her way into the bedroom to change for bed.

Harsh winds were driving torrents of rain into her windowpanes, the noise making her room feel even cosier. She was tempted to go to bed in her work clothes, but decided to change into some fresh pyjamas instead. She slipped her favourite pair of sky blue PJs on and wandered into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Two minutes later she slid under her bedcovers feeling refreshed and somewhat cleaner than before. In her moment of comfort she forgot why all her lights were on, and why a musical from 1953 was playing in her lounge room. It was within this moment of comfort she relaxed against the pillows and fell asleep.

-----------HOUSE MD-----------

Cameron awoke in the darkness some hours later, desperately thirsty. As comfortable as she was in bed she couldn't ignore this need for hydration. She staggered out to the kitchen, groping her way along the bench to the sink. With a glass in one hand she fumbled around for the tap with the other. She gulped down the cold liquid greedily, and filled the glass once more.

She was raising it to her mouth when she heard a sharp rattling breath behind her. She whipped around to find Isabelle's face inches from her own. Her glass fell to the floor, where it smashed into a thousand pieces. Isabelle stared unflinchingly into Cameron's widened eyes with her vivid green ones. Cameron found herself unable to look anywhere but the glowing green orbs in front of her. Finally, when the drumming in her chest reached a frightening tempo, she managed to clap her hands over her eyes and throw herself out the door into the hall.

She ran forward, tears of panic leaving gleaming trails down her cold cheeks. She reached the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind her. But she was not alone. Isabelle stood against the opposite wall – a ghostly presence with long straggly blonde hair and sunken features. Her unblinking eyes remained focused on Cameron, and with another sickening rattle, she opened her mouth. Cameron held her breath, waiting for a terrible scream to pierce her eardrums, but none came. Isabelle opened and closed her mouth several times, but produced no sound other than a rasping breath. She raised thin fingers to clasp at her bruised throat, still mouthing words Cameron couldn't hear.

In the meantime Cameron was pressed against the door, whimpering in fright. She watched Isabelle trying to speak, heart pounding. After what seemed like forever something clicked in her and she spun around to escape through the door.

But as she grabbed the handle pain shot through her hands and something warm dripped on her feet. In shock, she lowered her head slowly. The sight that met her eyes sent jolts through her abdomen. Jagged shards of glass covered the door handle, sticking out at odd angles. Her hands, which had fervently gripped the perilous handle seconds before, were almost ripped to shreds, rivers of blood flowing from the wounds to her bare feet.

Cameron screamed and clutched her hands to her chest. She spun around again; painfully aware her only means of escape was gone. Isabelle began walking across the carpet, her body jerking sickeningly with every movement. She felt bile rise in her throat as fear gripped her stomach. She saw her curtains flutter on the far wall to her right. She leapt away from the floor with a mind to jump out the window, but as soon as her foot fell to the floor agony surged up her leg.

A sea of glass surrounded her, with shards covering every inch of the carpet. Cameron lost her balance and fell to the floor, bracing herself for unimaginable torture once she hit the ground. Her right hip connected with the floor first, and she felt pieces of glass bury themselves in her flesh.

As she rest of her body flopped lifelessly to the carpet, Cameron raised her head to see where Isabelle was. The dead girl was making her way to Cameron once more, slowly but surely. Dazed by pain and numb with shock Cameron's mind knew only one thing: She must get away. She spotted her wardrobe a few feet away, and began the painstaking journey across to it. She began making her way across the treacherous floor commando-style, leaving a trail of dark blood, which Isabelle began to follow.

As Cameron reached the entrance to her closet, she realised she was sobbing. Salty tears ran down her face, mixing horribly with the metallic blood. As she pulled herself into the closet her last glimpse before she shut the door was of Isabelle standing centimetres away, holding her sallow hands out desperately to the young doctor.

Cameron lay in the dark panting, holding her torn hands to a frantic heart.

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