With a heavy crack, the bat splits against the ARMS' carbon fiber running parallel with Edward's forearm as he instinctively blocks his head. The reverberations of the strike run through the metallic frame, making his skin buzz with its tinny ring. A shower of splinters and wooden shards gently jab his face as he quickly grips the girl's wrists and spins her out from behind the door in to the empty space of the grungy room.
"What did you do with Vicky," the girl continues to scream. The loud clatter of the bat's remnants and Edward's rifle falling to the floor joins in the echo of her voice. "Where is she?"
Heart racing and in a suddenly breathless rage, Edward feels his face flush with frustration. The surprise of the attack, the screaming in his ears, the stress of the night. He feels his forehead tighten and his lips curl as he throws his leg behind her's and twists her over.
The scream becomes a yelp as she falls. In Edward's grasps he feels her entire body tighten in fear and shock. He stops himself. Her dark hair brushes against the floor as her terrified body trembles inches away from the tile. Wide eyes and a gaping mouth stare up from her stained and bedraggled face as she gasps heavily.
"Are you Heidi?" Edward asks, recomposed.
It takes a moment before the question registers in her mind, her tiny pupils shoot like lasers in to Edward's eyes. She glances to the side, to Jacob who stands with his machine gun raised, before giving a whimpering nod.
"Okay," Edward says as he gently lowers the rest of the way to the floor.
The moment he loosens his grip on her wrists Heidi noisily slides away, inadvertently kicking the remains of the bat nearby. The dirt and grit that cover the floor make traction difficult, causing her legs to flail as she pushes off. She reaches the makeshift nest of bedding and stops, apparently satisfied with the space between them. The moonlight gleaming in from the window makes her wide eyes shimmer.
She wears a cheap denim jacket with short sleeves over a ugly yellow camisole. The legs of her khaki capris are frayed and brown. Everything she wears is matted, dirty and worn, as if she hasn't changed clothes in a month. Around her neck a stone charm hangs from a circle of string. Its shape mimics a key, with a jagged arm extending from a round end. The surface is covered with etchings and hashes that seem to catch the light.
"Vicky is safe," Edward says after a tense moment. He slowly sits down, meeting Heidi's level. He senses Jacob's unending tension and knows that the stock of Jacob's weapon remains nestled preparedly against his shoulder. He's glad for it. It lessens his own urge to rearm himself, an act that wouldn't help him now. "She's the one who told us about you."
"What did you do to her?" Heidi's speaks in a low, shaky voice; a mix of distrust and fear.
"Nothing," Edward says, the hairs on his neck standing at attention. He hears Jacob sigh and shift his weight. The dirty floor is uncomfortable against his palms as he leans back, his knees bent in front of him in an effort to be non-threatening. "She's staying outside while we're here."
"And why are you here?"
Ignoring the curtness of the question, Edward forces himself to smile.
"Investigating," he says. The word is awkward in his mouth, and he immediately regrets using it. "We've heard reports of vandals. Since this is an abandoned nuclear site, we need to make sure everything is okay."
Heidi's eyes narrow and she swallows hard, big enough Edward can see it from across the room. Her focus shifts to the window as her chin wrinkles. She says nothing.
"Why are you here?" Edward asks. Again there is no response. "Have you seen anything weird?" He purses his lips at the incredulous look Heidi delivers.
"We know about Vicky," Jacob says, dropping the barrel of his rifle toward the ground. "What she is."
"Don't you dare talk about her like that," Heidi says back. Her lip turns back in a threatening snarl.
"I mean," Jacob says, stepping further in to the room, "What she can do. How she can change."
"Shut up," she says, the severity of her expression disappearing as she looks away.
"We can help her."
The offer causes Heidi to jump to her feet, causing Edward to instinctively slide closer to his rifle. Jacob snaps the muzzle of his weapon back on the woman, whose heaving shoulders lean forward as her matted hair creates a torn veil over her face. She freezes at the sight of the gun pointed at her. Heavy, tense breathes from all three of them fill the silence.
"I'm taking care of her," she finally says, her voice loud and thick with disdain.
"Please," Edward says, one hand pressed firmly against the tile beneath him. His knees are bent tightly against his body, the laces of his boots digging into his skin from the pressure, allowing him to spring up if she charges. His other arm extends in front of his face, palm forward. "Heidi, we have no reason to hurt you or your cousin."
"Then why the fuck are you here?"
In Edward's periphery, he sees Jacob's entire body tense. The jaw juts forward. The end of his finger pressing gently against the trigger, the warm metal resisting the squeeze. Eyes narrow. Slowed breath.
"We're with the government." The words rush from Edward's mouth in an impulsive attempt to ease them both. Heidi may be the utlunta, but aside from the suspicion whittling away in the base of his skull he has no proof. "We've heard of some strange creatures being in the ar-"
"Like Vicky?"
Her accusation stops Edward. He tilts his head back and bites his tongue.
"Yes," he says, with a sigh. "Like her."
Across the moonlit room, Heidi's eyes blaze as a tremor of fury shakes her balled up fists.
"Are you like her?" Edward asks, an inkling of hope that, if Heidi is a supernatural creature, she'll admit it.
"Why do you have guns?" Heidi asks.
Narrowing his eyes, Edward takes a moment to think about the question. The imaginary click of a rolodex accompanies the images of hundreds of creatures that scroll through his mind.
"Some creatures are dangerous," he finally says. "And we have to stop them."
"Vicky isn't dangerous."
Jacob, crusty streaks of dried blood across his face, chuckles absently.
"Not if she doesn't want to be," Edward says, quickly turning Heidi's angry gaze back to him. "And I don't think she does."
Heidi continues to stare for a brief moment, her cheeks flexing with the grind of her teeth. Suddenly, the stoic ferocity releases with a loud sigh. Her shoulders drop with her gaze, the exhaustion of the stand-off consuming her.
"She doesn't," Heidi says, meekly. "She doesn't want to hurt anyone." She turns away and faces the wall.
"How long have you two been here?" Edward asks, slowly standing. His feet tingle as the blood courses freely through his veins.
"A few months." She keeps her back to them. The dull echo of her voice makes it seem frail and tired.
"Have you seen any other creatures?" Edward asks again, careful to use an empathetic tone.
"Like what?"
"Something that looks like an ogre," Edward says, unsure of how to describe a creature he's never seen. "Or things that look like ghosts?"
She shakes her head.
"We hear voices when it rains," she adds. "At least that's what it sounds like."
Edward noiselessly picks up his rifle and makes eye contact with Jacob. The young soldier takes a deep inhale, the stale waft of the room flooding his nostrils. Sweat, earth, dust, steel. A thick, abandoned, unwashed stink covers it all and he shakes his head.
"Can you take me to Vicky?" Heidi asks, turning to face them. The bright reflection of the moon in her wide eyes makes them glow.
Biting his lip, Edward says nothing. A gamut of options run through his mind.
"You said she's safe," Heidi adds. "If whatever you're looking for is that dangerous, I don't want to stay here."
"She has a point," Jacob whispers.
The doubt in his mind is now a hammer, sending shivers down Edward's spine as he nods. Blocking the sensation, he reaches behind him and pulls a set of zip cuffs from his pouch.
"We need to cuff you."
"Really?" She backs closer to the wall as Edward approaches.
"It's for our protection."
"What can I do?"
"We don't know," Edward says, gently nudging her to spin with a palm on her shoulder. She gives a slight grunt of protest as he tightens the plastic bindings against her wrists. Her skin is dry and rough against his hands as he grabs her forearm and moves her towards Jacob. "Stay between us."
"Right." The fragility of her voice is gone and the syrupy distrust returns.
With Jacob leading them in to the hallway, Heidi walks freely between them while Edward activates his radio.
"Bella, I hope you found Emmett. Meet us on the west side of building D-24. We found a November-Charlie."
He catches Jacob's backwards glance at the use of the acronym; N-C. Noncombatant. As they slowly move through the building, Heidi's dark, knotted hair bouncing stiffly with her shuffling feet the sinking in his stomach grows deeper as he hopes the term is accurate.