Blood Thieving 2.0 (INVITE)

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

“Hey!” A voice called from behind her, while Hannah walked towards the train station. Not recognizing the voice, she decided the 'hey' wasn't for her, and kept walking with both hands stuffed in her rain coat. “Hey, wait!” The voice called again, this time with more urgency. She slowed and turned to look back at a woman in pursuit of her. Hannah pulled the singular ear bud out of her ear, glanced around and then locked eyes with the woman with mossy colored irises.

“Yeeeah?” Hannah asked cautiously, still not positive she was calling our for her attention. Upon further inspection, Hannah was able to take in the appearance of the woman with more depth. She was wearing a black t-shirt, with a Canadian flag smack dab in the middle of it. Some lose metal chains around her neck that that dangled free. Metal stud earrings and both leather and metal cuffs around her left wrist. ”You're like me, aren't you?” The girl (she had to be no more than twenty), asked before tapping at a set of fangs that mirrored the ones Hannah had.

”My name's Rocki-with an 'I' and not a 'y'.” She said glancing around as they stood in place. “Hannah.” Hannah replied, not answering the original question, which had the younger girl laughing at her. ”Come on. Don't let me hold you up.” Rocki said as she kept heading towards the direction Hannah had been going in. ”I can tell. We all can. Those of us who have been around long enough.” Rocki circled back to her original question, taking a different approach.

“Oh. Yeah?” Hannah asked, half interested, while the other half...wasn't. She didn't know 'Rocki' with an 'I' and really wasn't looking to add to her small group of 'friends.' Especially if this woman was a blood thief. Overall, Hannah was a nice, genuine person who wanted to help, but at the potential thought of 'helping' Rocki in terms of getting blood from a vampire she knew? Fat chance in hell. 'Freddie' was her donor and Hannah wasn't about to share him with anyone.

She hadn't walked more than two more steps after that thought, when Hannah realized how that sounded. As if 'Freddie' were just a meal ticket and not an actual human being. The brunette felt herself frowning, as her hands escaped the coat pocket and came at her side. ”Have you gone all the way yet?” Rocki suddenly asked, causing Hannah to pause and look at her with half a frown and half confusion. “I...think so?” Hannah said, not actually sure what all the way meant. That answer caused Rocki to laugh before she spoke again.

“If you only think, then you haven't. Look, whatever you think you know...you don't. It's only the beginning.” Rocki pulled her mid-back length dirty dishwater hair from off her face, and put it up in a loose, sloppy, pony. There was excitement etched on her features as she began talking with her hands. ”Whatever you think vampires can do, whatever you've encountered isn't half of it. It's almost unimaginable what they can do. Turn into an animal, go to another...dimension or something.” Hannah stopped full circle and turned to face the young woman. “I know. Each vampire can sort of do something different. But some can do a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.” Hannah said, not feeling the excitement, or possibilities yet.

”I promise that you don't know as much as you could know. Tell you what. If you have some money...a lot of it, I can tell you and teach you everything I know. I'll be here in two nights. Bring fifty-thousand dollars and be ready to share who you know-not everyone...just a few names. Think of it as a mutual business transaction. I give you something, and you give me something. And I swear, you're walking away with the better deal. Two nights, Hannah.” Rocki said as she looked around, then started walking away from Hannah, back to the people that were heading Hannah's way. “That's more than a car-or my truck!” Hannah protested with a laugh, and a shake of her head. Nothing was worth that much money. Not even turning into an animal.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Fifty-thousand dollars.
Hannah hadn't really thought much about the conversation with Rocki last night. At first, it had been a laughable number. Who in their right mind would pay that much money for something that may, or may not be true?

But as she stood here, helping Mrs. Moffitt (which always had Hannah thinking of Miss Muffett) doing some ROM's (range of motion) activities, Hannah's mind circulated back to the possibilities of what if? What if Rocki was telling the truth? Gino hadn't said anything about learning more than she already knew-but it could be possible. She did have a vampire living with her, after all. And knew a couple others too. Something that should be impossible—that wasn't.

“See you tomorrow, Mrs. Moffitt. I think Adam says you're close to discharging soon? Home with one of your sons?” Hannah asked, clicking a pen so she could jot a couple notes down in her chart. ”That's right. Three more days and then I get to go home with my Dennis. Have you met him?” The older woman asked, before asking another question. ”How old are you, Hannah?” Hannah closed the chart with a smile and stuffed the pen inside the left pocket of her pink scrub pants. ”Old enough to know how these conversations usually go, Mrs. Moffitt.” Hannah laughed with a wave of her finger, and started to head towards the door. “We're scheduled to do a home visit tomorrow. 1 p.m. Don't forget. Your son will need to be there.” Hannah said in a slow voice, so that Mrs. Moffitt didn't miss a single thing. “Want me to call him for you?” ”Oh, heavens no! Unless...you want him to take you out? He's coming tonight. I'll remind him.” With a reassuring nod and careful avoidance of the idea of her son 'taking her out,', Hannah slipped out the door and closed it behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief, put the chart in the rack and headed for the work station.

As Hannah logged into the scheduling system, she pulled out her phone and took a look at her bank account balance. She had the fifty-thousand dollars; life with the Serpents hadn't been all that bad. Virtually anything Hannah had made at work was hers, free and clear. They had paid for her apartment and her handler had gifted her the Ford Flex for delivering them something about Levi. It had to have been something worthwhile, or interesting, even though Hannah believed she hadn't really told them anything at all. Granted, the lease would be up soon, and that meant she would have to resign it (if she wanted to stay there) and it would be up to her to pay for her own rent after the contract expired this year. Which, was just around the corner.

So, if this was a true thing-if Rocki knew more than Gino did about blood thieves, then Hannah should act sooner than later. She had the fifty-thousand dollars now, but what about next year? Hannah signed out of her bank account, then printed off her schedule once it was pulled up and looked at the times she worked tomorrow. If she were going to do this, then tomorrow would be perfect. She was done around five, which meant six, or seven. Still early enough to figure out if what Rocki was telling her was the truth, or a bunch of garbage.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money and Hannah wasn't going to be walking into this with a big wad of cash for display. Or in the same area. Half was put in an envelope, and tucked away in her coat pocket, while the other twenty-five thousand was put in another envelope and stuffed beneath Hannah's scrub pants waistline. Ideally, it would have been best to separate the cash further away, but in this situation, Hannah really didn't have much of a choice. She probably could have asked Freddie, now that Hannah thought about it as she approached the train station, but there might be questions. Such as...why did she want to know more? And....fifty-thousand dollars? Wasn't that a lot of money? Hannah thought it was, but then again, she hadn't known anyone else to make an offer like that. And if it were true...it could be invaluable.

“You came.” A voice stated to the right of Hannah, catching her attention. She stopped in her tracks and moved to the side of the walk, careful not to block any foot traffic going one way or the other. “Surprised?” Hannah asked, pulling out half of the required fifty-thousand dollars in the envelope, but holding onto it with a firm grasp. ”Looks a little light.” Well, points for Rocki not being stupid, which stood in her favor. “It's only half. I want to make sure I know what you're telling me is real and the truth.” Hannah said, slowly stuffing the money in Rocki's hand.

”It's worth it. But fair enough. Can't be too careful these nights.” Rocki nodded as she stuffed the wad of money in her purse and motioned for Hannah to follow her by waving her arm in the direction she wanted them to go in. Hannah glanced around, stuffed both her hands in her wool coat pocket and followed after Rocki.

Rocki took her to an old abandoned warehouse that was once a thriving business that made shoes. Back when saddle shoes were popular. One of the biggest makers in Canada, but when the owner had a heart attack and in good faith split the company between his two children; one girl and one boy, it brought out the worst in them. The business ended up folding and hundreds of people lost their jobs a few months later.

”What do you know about vampires?” Rocki asked, which had Hannah rolling her eyes, realizing the waste of money and time she had spent. ”No, here me out.” Rocki held up both her hands, exposing a set of thin sterling silver rings that probably meant nothing to anyone but her. “I know a little about them...I'm confused. What does that have to do with anything?” Hannah asked taking a step back in case she had to bolt quick. If this was as good as it was going to get, it almost seemed to scream 'set-up' to Hannah.

”Everything.” Rocki hissed out as she looked around and then gestured to the old factory line, inviting Hannah to sit as she did. Hannah indulged Rocki, not hearing or seeing anyone other than them, taking off her wool coat and putting it to her side. ”How do you expect to know what they can do, and how to do those things, if you don't know jack **** about them?” Rocki asked, tossing her purse down on the ground, opposite side of the line. ”Seriously had no idea you've been winging it, but look. Let me tell you what you need to know, before jumping in to this full throttle. There are different types of vampires. Did you know that?” Hannah nodded her head thinking back to something Judah told her months ago, but knew no specifics about. ”Let me tell you more about the types and the things they can do...”

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Hannah grabbed her cellphone from her coat pocket and pressed the button on the side to illuminate the face. She had been aware that it was getting later, because the brunette had met Rocki as the sun was going down. And now, if it weren't for some broken windows and holes in the metal roof above their heads, the two of them would have been engulfed in total darkness. However, Hannah didn't realize that she had been in the old warehouse for almost three hours now. Freddie would have been awake for a couple hours now and while he was probably used to Hannah returning from work at no regular time, she had never been stuck at work this long.

But, Hannah was sure there was more to learn from Rocki. “How do you know so much about vampires?” Hannah asked, more curious than suspicious of Rocki. She still hadn't made a move to try and find the other envelope filled with cash after all this time, so Hannah's guard was down more than it would be when meeting a stranger outside the hospital. Not that new patients were filed as 'strangers' to her, but they were in a sense. Still, with a chart of medical history at her disposal, it was difficult to view them as true strangers.

”Nope. Nothing personal. I know because...I learned from the right people. Some blood thieves and some vampires.” It seemed Rocki was guarded about something, which was fine with Hannah. Everyone had a right to privacy too. Even in this circumstance. “Okay, but...” Hannah's words were elongated, showing a tone of disbelief. “I've never seen or heard of a vampire turning into an animal.” She nodded, then hoped off the line. “Maybe in movies, but I've known a couple vampires and never saw them-or heard them saying that.” Hannah crossed her arms at her chest, waiting for an explanation from Rocki.

“Fine. Guess you're one of those types. Seeing is believing. Gotchya. Stand back.” Rocki raised both her hands and shoo-ed Hannah away from her and kept shooing her until Rocki determined it was a good enough distance from each other. ”I've got a guy-sort of. Donor. Sort-of. It's complicated.” Rocki confessed before she waved both hands in the air and brought them down. ”Just wait and see.” She took a hop back and then pulled her shirt over her head. Then, circled her hands around, as if telling Hannah to turn around as she continued stripping. ”I usually try for dinner first before taking off my clothes, but...” Rocki grumbled before she moaned and snorted through her nose, drawing Hannah's attention. “Are you oka-” Hannah asked as she turned and saw Rocki's skin turning green, as she seemed to 'shrink' before Hannah. Not without a few more sounds and...did something just break? “Woooooah.” Hannah inched backwards, looked around and then started calling Rocki's name, in partial disbelief. Whatever was going on looked and sounded painful and seemed...impossible.
But, there on the ground was a toad the shade of a fern.

“Hooooly crap!” Hannah said as she circled around the toad, and then crouched down to even poke at it. When her fingers touched the top of the toad's back, it leaped forward and Hannah nervously laughed. “Wow. Is this-did that really just happen?” She asked, standing up, almost expecting Rocki to jump out from behind some piece of old machinery or something. “Rocki?”Hannah called out, still not one hundred percent sure that she actually turned into a toad.

“If this isn't for real, you're not getting the other twenty-five thousand dollars.” Hannah warned, letting her know she wasn't going to be taken for an idiot, or played. “Okay, well...I guess I'm going to do with my other twenty-five thousand dollars...” Hannah tempted Rocki before she snatched her coat up and started heading towards the staircase they climbed up a few hours ago.

”You don't want to learn the rest?” A voice from behind her called, Hannah stopping and slowly turning around. Her eyes went to the ground in search of the toad, but there was none to be found. “Come on...really?” Hannah laughed I disbelief, before she pulled up her scrub top and yanked out the rest of the money. “If I can do that...and everything else you said...this was the best fifty thousand dollars I'll ever spent. “Thanks, Rocki.” Hannah almost felt like giving the woman a quick hug, but decided against it. After tonight, it was probably unlikely that Hannah was going to see her again.

”It's no deal. Just...be careful out there.” Rocki took the remainder of the money and stuffed that envelope in her purse, before moving to another exit on the other side of the way they came in. When Hannah heard her footsteps descend down the stairs, she grabbed her cellphone out and sent Freddie a text.

To: Freddie
From: Hannah

Message: I'm on my way back to the apartment. How's the blood supply?

She hit send, then stuffed the phone in her coat pocket as she collected her purse with her free hand. ”Screw you! That's my money!” Hannah heard Rocki's voice from the floor below, followed by another voice. ”It's half yours. I pointed her out to you.” She frowned, then quietly moved towards the way Rocki left to hear what was being said more easily. ”Screw you! I do all the work. I want eighty percent and you get twenty. You didn't do anything other than point her out. Big deal. You lifted a ******* finger, Avery.” There was a snort that echoed throughout the two floors, before more words were exchanged, then abruptly stopped when the floorboards beneath Hannah groaned in protest of being stepped upon. ”Is she still here?” The male voice sharply asked, before steps thudded in the direction of where Hannah stood. Then another set chased the pair running, but Hannah wasn't going to stick around to find out who was coming up those stairs first. Hannah turned and bolted towards the staircase that would take her out of the building after twelve stairs. She just had to get down those and Hannah could probably lose the both of them outside.

OOC: Now open

[Lancaster]

When Freddie woke up, Hannah was not home. It wasn’t completely unusual and he wasn’t so clingy or concerned that he had to call her to check up on her. She’d told him about a bank that was open later, and so Freddie determined to shower and dress and go check it out. If, by the time he got home, Hannah was not there yet, then he could worry.

The sun had set and forty-five minutes later Freddie – otherwise known as Elliot Lancaster – was standing in a short queue at a bank that may or may not be closing soon. No one was kicking them out, and the tellers behind their bullet-proof screens wore smiles and spoke with lilting, friendly voices. Either they were very well trained in customer service or they were actually quite happy to be there. Freddie didn’t waste too much time thinking about it. Instead, he was putting together his story. What was he going to tell them, there behind the counter, to convince them he was who he said he was. He had no identifying documents. He had just his name. To get cards replaced, one needed documents, didn’t they?

When it was finally his turn, Freddie put on his brightest, biggest, most charming smile. He bowed just slightly so that his voice could drift pleasingly through the small hole put in the screen for that reason.

“Hello,” he said. “I uhm. Well, my name is Elliot Lancaster, and I’ve lost my memory,” he said, then stopped. He blinked. He hadn’t meant to say that. He’d meant to tell them how he’d been robbed – his place had been broken into. Someone intent on forging his identity had stolen all of his documents. That wasn’t the story that came out, though. Instead, what he told was the complete and utter truth. Why? God. Now he had to run with it. He cleared his throat. The woman behind the counter looked genuinely surprised, almost incredulous, and Freddie turned on the charming smile. The guy in the next teller booth was with a customer, but his attention was divided. He was looking at Freddie, then at his co-worker – Sally, her name was – but couldn’t pull himself away from his current transaction. Freddie continued his story.

“Yeeah, I won’t go into the details but I’ve got pretty severe amnesia. I was in contact with a friend who filled me in on… my name, at least. I’m not sure where my cards are though. Or any of my documentation. I was wondering if you’d be able to help me out?” he asked. His tongue felt light, his tone melodic. Like he was working some kind of magic he didn’t know he had. It half worked. It half didn’t. Sally looked like she was about to deny his request in an emphatically apologetic way – that was until Brett, the other teller, leaned over into her booth and grinned at Freddie. Freddie didn’t recognise the guy. Not at all. Brett, on the other hand, apparently recognised Freddie. Or, Elliot Lancaster.

“This guy is legit. He comes in all the time to make deposits. This is Elliot Lancaster,” he said with a grin and a thumbs up at the tall Australian. Relief flooded Freddie as he turned back to Sally, who waited until she had a nodded confirmation from Brett, before she met Freddie’s gaze. His bright blue gaze, filled with kindness and generosity and gratefulness. Sally crumbled.

“Okay. We can help you out, sir,” she said, turning to her computer and typing in a few things. She confirmed the spelling of his name and clicked the mouse over and over. Eventually she smiled and nodded again.

“Okay, sir. I’ve ordered you your cards. They’ll be posted to you… is your address the same?” she asked, and Freddie shook his head, and gave her Hannah’s address instead. Just for now.

“It’ll take about a week. Did you need to withdraw some money now, to tide you over until they arrive?” she asked, arching a brow in Freddie’s direction. Freddie nodded – yes. He hadn’t thought about that, but it would be a good idea.

“Sure. How much do I have?” he asked, and she laughed.

“Just over four million.”

If Freddie had had anything in his mouth he might have choked. He leaned closer to the glass, certain that he had misheard.

“Excuse me, what?”

Sally had a sly grin on her face and nodded, speaking slower but not louder. No point letting all of the bank’s customers know.

“Just over four million. How much would you like?”

Freddie stammered and shook his head.

“Uuuh. Uhm, maybe like… one week? Just… maybe two thousand,” he said, thinking of the clothes he would buy, and maybe he would pay Hannah back for the blood she’d bought him. That stuff wasn’t cheap.

Within ten minutes Freddie was back out on the street, feeling a little dazed. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reached in to see the message from Hannah. He blinked at it, vaguely registering that she was okay if she was sending him text messages.

To: Hannah
From: Freddie

It’s fine. I can get some more on my way home. I’ve just been to the bank. See you at home?

As soon as the message was sent, he started to meander back toward the apartment. Thieves were rife in the city, and he wanted to make sure he emptied his pockets before he came back out again.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

If two people weren't in pursuit of her, Hannah would have probably stood her ground. And if she was faced to do it, she would. Hannah was pretty confident in her...training to fend off someone-but two someones? Not the smartest of moves. Was it impossible? Probably not, but she didn't want to find out. Besides, Hannah was well aware that at least one of those people were two was a blood thief that knew a lot more about things than she did and had a lot more powers too. The other could be another blood thief, or even a vampire. She couldn't tell based off their heated discussion that seemed to be resolved due to her.

Hannah was outside without any hardships and scrambling around on gravel. Which way had she come from again? Was it to the left, or right? Hannah decided left, because right didn't seem right. The steps were in hot pursuit behind her, also making the woman make an abrupt decision without giving it any real thought. There wasn't a lot to the gravely parking lot. Another small building zipped by as Hannah kept running to get to a more populated area. The brunette was positive with people around that they would give up the chase.

Her phone went off, a reply back from Freddie, maybe. Or Adam. It didn't matter who it was from, they unintentionally gave up her location. Not that it mattered because after a few more seconds of running, Hannah came to an even smaller building. Something a security guard would have used at some point, and with that came a fence. Movable, sure, but it was chained and locked.

She bent down at the waist for a second, taking in some air while she caught her breath. While Hannah did this, she thought about all the things she could do, thanks to Freddie. The mind thing! Yes, that was it. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Hannah doubled back to the guard station and crouched down, using the smaller sides of the rectangular shaped building as 'cover.' It was a weak cover, but still cover. Freddie.” Hannah harshly thought his name, then thought it again before getting to the point. I don't suppose you've discovered anything new that you can do lately? She asked, as only one pair of footsteps heavily crunched down on the gravel. One set. Just one. They must have split up.

”We just want to talk. That's all.” The guy known as 'Avery,' called out as he started to make his way near the building she was hiding behind. Vampire or blood thief. If he was a blood thief that was a good thing and she could use that to her advantage. If he was a vampire...well, hopefully Freddie had learned something new that Hannah could use.

[Lancaster]

Freddie stopped dead in his tracks as the voice came harshly through his head like an unexpected loud speaker. He may have even startled on the spot, prompting an ‘are you okay…?’ from a concerned passerby. Freddie nodded and smiled, assuring the elderly man of his wellness, before slowly walking onwards.

Hannah he thought back, cautiously. Whatever she wanted, it sounded urgent. Tonight I have discovered I can’t lie. Which isn’t helpful. I can be pretty persuasive. Beyond the internet stuff and what we’re doing right now I haven’t discovered anything new. Are you okay? he asked. He thought he already knew the answer to that question but there was nothing he could do about it without knowing where Hannah was. He wished he could do something else – like summon her, or latch on to her location like some kind of locator beacon. But she wasn’t a mobile phone with a tracking device attached to her brain, so that wasn’t a possibility. And so he stopped dead in his tracks again, hoping to be given a location so he knew where to turn next.

Everything I’ve figured out so far has kind of just happened by accident, he spoke quickly, picking up on the haste. When I needed it, it was there. Hannah, if you’re in trouble, just trust that the thing you need will manifest. Where are you? he asked.

Before now, he hadn’t been over-protective – wanting to buy groceries and cook Hannah dinner couldn’t, he mused, be considered ‘over-protective’. It was called being considerate and helping out in return for the living quarters and the free rent. But if Hannah was in trouble, he mused, that protectiveness just might bloom. Freddie continued to look at his phone so he didn’t look like a dolt, standing in the middle of the street doing nothing. And he hoped that he had misinterpreted Hannah’s tone. Everything was fine.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Why did people say that? Everyone knew that 'just talking,' didn't actually mean that. Very slowly, Hannah moved away from the sound of the approaching steps, debating if she should do a runner, or....what? There weren't very many choices for her as Hannah focused on what Freddie was thinking at her. He couldn't lie. Did that mean she couldn't lie? He was persuasive..that wouldn't help her either. Or could it? Hannah didn't think it was wise to try and chat someone up who 'just wanted to talk.'

What Freddie thought made sense-but there were a lot of things she wished she could do right now. Disappear was one of those things, but somehow, Hannah doubted that was going to happen. Could vampires just vanish into thin air? That would be nifty and helpful-especially in these sorts of situations. I'm near an old warehouse, but I can't remember the name on the side of the building. They made shoes, I saw a...pair of black and white shoes on an advertisement on the side of the building. My mom wore them when she was a kid. Not that any of this is helpful. She thought, as Hannah pressed her body tightly to the outside wall, still in a crouched position. By the hospital. East of it. I think...I don't know. Maybe five or six blocks east of it. I made a big mistake.

”I know you're here. I heard your phone. We really going to do this all night?” The voice was near the side she was on, meaning he was coming around the corner. With eyes on him, Hannah scooted to the other side and bumped into something solid. She looked up to see Rocki, who was staring down at her. “Got her.” She blurted out, as two hands grabbed the front of her wool coat and yanked upwards. Hannah's left hand shot up and pushed against Rocki's chest, as her right circled around the back of the woman's neck at the same time she tugged Hannah off the ground. Yep, Rocki was stronger alright. The left arm joined the right and put the woman in a sort of 'headlock,' before Hannah's knee came up and met Rocki's nose.

Hannah heard the woman inhale through her mouth, as she cried out in pain, then screamed to her partner in crime, “She BROKE my NOSE!” Once free, Hannah bolted for the gate, hoping she could climb the large thing, when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind and tried to keep Hannah from getting away. She let Avery assume he had the upper hand as Hannah bent forward, letting both hands press against the gravel. Her right hand snaked beneath her body and grabber Avery by the ankle and tugged. Her left locked around the same ankle, adding to the force of her pull, knocking the guy flat on his ***. It would only stun him at best, which meant Hannah had to hustle.

Hannah was sure she could have done more, but by nature, Hannah wasn't an aggressive person. More defensive than offensive. Plus, the brunette was sure Rocki would learn a pretty valuable lesson with the broken nose she would be sporting for a while. As for her partner in crime? Well, Hannah knew when to walk away. Or in this case...run away. She grabbed the metal gate with both hands and started climbing up it as quickly as she could. Almost there, almost there. She repeated internally as Hannah made the halfway point. Just as she was about to break past that, and probably free, she felt a powerful tug from a hand that wrapped around her left ankle.

She hadn't expected it, and that was evident when Hannah went crashing down to the gravel below her. It had to have been a five foot drop easy, and one that sucked the wind right out of her as her back bounced against the hard ground.

[Lancaster]

The description of the building, of the shoes that her Mum used to wear – it was all useless to the vampire who could not even remember his own name. Sure, he knew his name now, but it hadn’t come to him voluntarily. The tentacles of his mind grasped at straws, reached out into the ether just in case, magically, he might be told exactly where Hannah was and be given a mental map of how to get there. Yet, there was nothing.

As soon as she mentioned the hospital, Freddie had out his phone. Google was his best friend, Google Maps even better. He knew which hospital Hannah worked at – and felt completely ridiculous when the map told him where to go. Of course Hannah would have suggested the bank that was close to where she worked, and that was why she would have known that it was open later. The hospital was just around the corner from where Freddie was. If only, whatever Hannah had got herself into, she had waited for him. He was right there. He should have said so, in his message. He should have said how close he was going to be. It hadn’t crossed his mind.

Maps wouldn’t help him to track Hannah down so all he could do now was lope East and hope that something caught his eye, or his ears. There were skyscrapers and factories and commercial blocks. Where could she possibly be? At a full running pace, Freddie wasn’t so much an awkward Giraffe but more of a graceful ostrich – if ostrich could be called graceful. His long legs gained him a lot of ground, and fast, until he stopped on a corner and spun around.

I’m here. I’ve got to be close, he called straight to Hannah’s mind. He could hear voices. He could hear the bashing of chain metal against hollow metal poles. A fence?

Is that you? Hannah, scream. As loud as you can, he said. Did she have voice enough to scream? Would her situation allow it? What if what he was hearing wasn’t her at all, and she was stuck in some dungeon somewhere? Would screaming do her any good? It was the best plan he could think of. And even while he waited for it, he started to make his way toward the noise, cautiously and keeping to the shadows.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

The ground hadn't been able to keep Hannah on it very long, as Avery lifted her up with little effort. Vampire. Hannah was almost positive not from just the superman lift, but when her eyes landed on him, his features were gaunt and almost sunken in. Add in the pale complexion and Avery was almost the epitome of a television vampire.

Her feet were on the ground, before he gave her a shove forwards. Back in the direction of the abandoned warehouse. ”You made it a lot worse for yourself.” He sneered at her, as his partner in crime wobbled over, Rocki's right hand pinching the brim of her nose to try and stop the blood from escaping through both nostrils. ”I don't care what you want to do to her, but her nose...Avery! Her nose.” Rocki snapped through deep breaths inhaled through her open mouth.

”Shut UP! He barked back at her, before shoving Hannah again. Freddie's words kept coming at her, Hannah ignoring what was being spoken around her, while the brunette focused on his words. Freddie said he was here, but she couldn't see him. He followed up with a reassurance, then asked the question of the hour. Was it her, he was approaching, or wasn't it? Maybe. Yes. I don't know, just...hurry. Please. She communicated silently as he told her the most useful thing of all. Maybe she should have done that in the first place. Instead of trying to be quiet. Instead of hiding.

They were still arguing between each other, which was a great distraction on her end. Hannah suspected that she would only have one shot to 'scream,' so the woman took a deep breath in, filled her lungs and mustered up all the energy she could to make her one shot worth everything. Her lips parted and she shouted out so loudly that her voice cracked at the first two syllables in her first word. “SOMEBODY HEL-” That's as far as Hannah got, before she felt a ton of bricks hit the side of her nose. Only, it wasn't bricks-but Rocki's fist that slammed into Hannah's nose and the sensitive spot below her right eye.