Part 1

She couldn't remember all of the details that had happened from that night. All she remembered was getting off of the subway, walking along the dark streets to her apartment building, and turning her head to the sound of voices coming from behind her. She tried to run, but the dark, menacing figures were able to grab a tight hold of her before her feet could pound the heavy pavement.

She had felt herself being dragged down to the pavement in the dark. A sudden sting began to burn against parts of her skin, and more blows formed to the sides of her abdomen and back. She remembered hearing threats and felt someone spit in her face before she could spot a pair of fangs from one of the leaders. She quickly got up and ran as fast as she could down the block, before running into a dark corner and watching the group run off down the street without looking back.

She slowly walked out and began to stagger down the other side of the street, stopping under a street lamp. She then looked up at the dark, heavy skies with a glazed confusion on her face. Every moment was now a blur, and all she now wanted to do was die alone.

Suddenly, thunder cracked and a heavy, cold rain fell from the dark skies, soaking everything around her. She slowly walked along the sidewalks, letting the rain fall on top of her in huge droplets. She then stopped short, turned and walked in the middle of an empty road. She stood there and closed her eyes, waiting for something to hit her head on.
She immediately felt weak, and collapsed to the ground.

She then heard the sound of a horn in her direction. Before she could open her eyes and stare up at the bright headlights, someone grabbed her and brought her back to the sidewalks. She heard a loud buzzing sound along with some voices and saw a pair of GREEN eyes stare at her in worry before she could pass out again.
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He walked through the darkness of night and suddenly heard thunder from above. When he looked up, a heavy cluster of rain began to fall, getting him completely soaked from head to toe. As he tried to escape the downpour, he stopped and spotted a figure struggling to stand up in the middle of the road. He then noticed a bright light from the corner of his eye and spotted a huge pick-up truck heading towards her.

Without hesitation, he ran into the street, grabbed the figure and brought it to the other side, watching the driver speed off without stopping. He turned his head and saw her struggling on her side and breathing heavily, as if she were about to expire. A scrape had already formed on her forehead, and he noticed a huge dark stain in the center of her shirt, along with some heavy bruises and cuts.

She stared at him in shock and began to tremble. Before he could ask her anything, her eyes closed and he quickly caught her before she could hit the other side of her head. He then struggled to rip his jacket off and wrap it around her before he could lift her up and carry her to safety.

(Hours later)

She slowly struggled to breathe and open her eyes, but could only wince in pain. Everything in her body felt stiff as ice including the pounding of her head and stomach. A chill flowed up and down her spine as she struggled to move.

She suddenly felt something warm and damp upon her forehead as it slowly moved and pressed down on her gently. She tried to open her eyes again, but her vision was blurred. She couldn't tell who the person was but she soon started to see a pair of green eyes stare at her. Her entire body started to tremble in fear and worry, but was calmly stopped when the person placed a calm, warm hand to the side of her cheek.

"It's OK," the figure whispered, "You'll be safe here."
She then felt something trickle down from the corner of her eye.
The figure gently wiped the tear away and whispered, "Don't worry. You're not in danger anymore. Just rest."

Before she could fall asleep again, her voice cracked:
"Who...who are you?"
She missed his name by the time she drifted off into a deep sleep.
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Part 2

(Earlier)

Joey opened the door and watched his extremely wet and frantic friend carry a girl into the living room and place her on the floor.

"Find something to prop her head up," Clay demanded as he began to dart into the bathroom in search of a first aid kit.
"You're not worried about the rug?" Joey asked in confusion, grabbing a pillow from the couch.

He waited for an answer but heard his friend throw numerous objects onto the floor from the bathroom. He rolled his eyes and placed the pillow under the girl's matted head, and peeled the dark jacket off of her.
He looked as if she had been used for some experiment from the various wounds and cuts around her body. Joey checked for a pulse on the side of her neck and noticed the deep cuts on her wrists and arms. The girl then softly moaned and slightly turned her head to the right.

"Hey, Clayton! She's coming out of it! Hurry up!" Joey yelled, not knowing what to do.

Clay finally ran into the living room and placed the first aid kit in front of him, along with some rags, bottles of rubbing alcohol, peroxide, gauze and some black thread.

"You can't be serious," Joey muttered as his friend placed the black thread into the eye of the needle. He then grabbed a rag from the floor and poured some peroxide into the cloth, causing the liquid to spill in droplets onto the rug..

"It's the only way. I couldn't just let her bleed to death," Clay muttered back as he lifted the girl's shirt up slightly and grimaced at the sight of the deep wound. It didn't take long enough for her to scream as the cold, wet rag was placed on the open wound.
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Hours later, Clay placed a warm blanket on top of her and watched her sleep peacefully for a moment. The storm had finally cleared, and the small sliver of the moon began to shine eerily through the window, reflecting the spare bedroom.

She was about his age with dark hair, but looked younger than his motley group of friends. It was a relief to finally watch her sleep in peace after hours of struggle. She was still damp from the storm, and her wounds were finally cleaned, stitched and bandaged. But all that mattered now was that she was resting comfortably without a fight.

"How's she doing?"

He faced Joey and replied, "Whatever it is, she'll sleep it off."
"Clay, she was almost dead. You can't just assume that she'll 'sleep it off'. Let alone survive the entire night without the proper medicine we're supposed to have here."
"Joe, I'm sorry. It's just..."

After a moment of silence, Clay glanced back at the bed momentarily as Joey started again.

"You know her...don't you?" he asked.
"What makes you think that know her?"
"It was just a question."
"Well, no. I don't know who the hell she is. I just didn't want her to be tossed aside out there like Jocel... I mean, road kill. OK?"

"I don't think...that she's really..."
"What? Human? She is human, Joe. She's not one of them," Clay replied through gritted teeth.

Joe then grabbed him by the collar and led him outside into the hallway, closing the door slightly.

"That girl," Joey replied, lowering his voice, "could pass it on to one of us and..."
"She wasn't bitten. Or had her blood drained out. She was escaping from an attack."
"She could be faking it, man. You never know..."
"Not from what you and I just went through, trying to calm her down and fix her wounds. And those cuts..."
Clay stopped for a moment and glanced at Joey.
"Look. Just do me a favor. Let me take care of it. OK?"

Clay slowly opened the door again and slipped inside the bedroom, letting it shut behind him in silence. He then grabbed a chair, placed it a few feet away from the left side of the bed, and sat down, watching the girl sleep in silence again.

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(24 hours later)

She slowly opened her eyes and tiredly sighed. Her mind cleared briefly and she then sat up slightly from the bed, looking around the room. It wasn't her own room or a hospital room, but a small room that seemed bare and plain. The bed that she slept on was the only necessity in the room.

Her eyes lowered momentarily and she noticed that her stained arms were tightly wrapped in bandages and that her shirt still clung to her sides without being fully damp. She then held her head as it started to pound, causing her to slide out of the bed and into the hallway.

"This is weird," she thought as she slowly walked through the hallway, "I'm in someones home and I have no idea where the hell I am."

Before she could turn the corner, she bumped into the figure and stumbled.
She started to get a look of terror in her eyes but quickly calmed down as he started to speak.

"It's OK. I was headed in your direction anyway," he said calmly.

His eyes weren't as intense as they were a few nights before. He looked at her with instant relief and lightly smiled.

"At least you're up. I was starting to get worried."
"Well, you don't have to. I'm alive," she replied, holding her head.
He raised his eyes and replied, "Cool. I can finally have a conversation with someone."
She shrugged as he walked over to her side held his hand out for assistance.

"You want to join me for something? It's just you and I for the day."
She glanced up at him and placed her hand in his.
"C'mon," Clay replied softly, leading her into the kitchen area of the house surrounded by a stove, oven, and some cupboards while the table was placed up against the edge of the wall, away from the stove and oven. He pulled out a chair for her and grabbed two lukewarm mugs from the stove and placed them on the table in front of them.

"Here," he replied, placing the mug in front of her, "It's tea. I hope you don't mind. It's the only thing my friend and I have in here until he's able to get more stuff for the house and whatever."

She nodded and placed the mug around the palms of her hand and felt it's warmth almost instantly. After a moment, she asked:

"How long have I been here?"
"About 24 hours," he replied.

She raised her eyes in shock.
"I know. It seems like it's been..."
"Years?"
"Yeah. You were in and out of consciousness a lot so..."

Constantine watched her hold her forehead and say, "I'm sorry if...I've been causing so much trouble by me being here."
He shook his head and replied, "No trouble. My friend and I could always use an extra guest."

She looked around and asked, "Where is your 'friend', by the way?"
"He's out for the day. Working, I guess. Like I said about the stuff for the house. He's gotta pay his dues somewhere along the line, you know?"
The girl nodded and stared down at the half-full mug for a few moments.

"You've been the perfect house guest, by the way," Clay added.
She looked at him slightly and muttered, "Thanks."

A brief silence surrounded them once more until he asked her how she was feeling.

"I still feel a little bit weak."
"Do you remember anything from that night?"
"Just that I had gotten off the subway and heard these voices. Everything else is still hazy..."

She suddenly placed her head in her hand and sobbed silently as he looked on.

"I'm sorry. I just...I don't remember anything. I don't remember a damn thing that happened after. Just my name."

He stared at her sympathetically and asked her who she was.

"Jordan."
"I'm Clay. And I'll try to help you out, OK?"

Jordan nodded slowly and wiped a tear from her eye as he pulled a chair next to her side and placed an arm around her.

(To be continued...)