I have had this story running around my mind for months! Every spare minute i piece more of it together and i have to type it up or else i will explode! :]

I already have three stories on the go, and four would just make it even harder, not to mention take me forever to add more chapters. I will try to add some, but i am trying to complete my other stories at the moment :]

The Hunted

I ran. I don't know where or for how long, but i just ran.

I was still in my pyjamas, thin blue bottoms, and a baggy shirt. I could feel the blood as it seeped through the thin cloth, causing the material to go stiff in the cold, chilly night air. My shivering hands were clamped tightly around my mobile, my lifeline. It was the first thing i grabbed, and it was the only thing i have now.

I recognised the street i was running down and slowed, stopping and leaning against the fifteen foot brick wall of an alleyway. I grimaced as the pain in the left side of my chest seared as i bent forward to put my hands on my knees in an effort to catch my breath. I didn't want to see the damage the bullet had done, probably making me throw up, which really wouldn't help matters at all.

I stopped breathing as a group of men passed the other end of the alley. My eyes darted around, searching for the threat in the blackness. My breath caused a puff of steam to appear infront of my face, my eyes constantly clouded with tears. I ignores my chattering teeth and pain, and carried on running. I ran past the row of shops i had been in so often and ran to the opposite side of the road. The night was silent, the roads empty of any activity. Any other night, i would have been scared of being mugged or raped. Now, i was terrified by something much worse. The shadows didn't scare me, what could be possibly lurking in them did though.

Without stopping, i slid up my phone and checked the time- twenty seven minutes past one in the morning.

I should be at home, in bed, sleeping, dreaming. Not running for my life, afraid to ever go home, afraid to close my eyes in fear of opening them again.

I kept on running, checking my phone regularly for the time. Why does time pass so slowly when you want it to pass fast? I felt like i was in a horror movie, just when i stop, thinking I'm safe, the villain will pop up and kill me in some gross way. Yeah, don't stop running!

But i had been running for about an hour and a half, so surely it was safe. I have been alone except for about twenty seconds, and i have taken plenty of back alleys and deserted parks. If he were still looking for me, wouldn't he have gotten me then? He has had plenty of opportunities to do it. I glanced around once, checking incase i missed anything.

I pulled my phone out of my cramped hand. I had never known how hard dialling three digits would be until i did it scared out of my wits, blurry eyed and trembling. I put the phone to my ear, my eyes never stopping as they took in ever detail of my surroundings. No cars waiting, no lights on in windows. This street actually looked deserted.

I heard a click as the line connected, a chirpy woman on the other end.

"Hello, this is nine nine nine emergency, what is your emergency?" If it was any other situation, i would have laughed at her, but not now.

"Send an ambulance to 13 Abbey Road" I panted, never stopping my search, and any indication to run for my life. I felt like my nerves were alive, any sound would have me running, any touch would send me into hysterics, i felt alive, but not in a good way.

"What is the nature of the emergency" God, i just wanted to punch her smart, cheery face.

"Some people have been...... hurt there. I don't know if they..... if you can....." But i did know. I had seen it. They couldn't be helped, they wre gone. That realisation alone had tears rolling down my cheeks once more, the night air causing them to chap my cheeks.

"An ambulance has been dispatched, as well as a police car. What is your involvment in the emergency?" How the hell can she ask that like she was asking about the weather. I resisted the urge to put the phone down, reminding myself that this woman was trying to help.

"I met the man that did it" I choked out before i put the phone down.

I rustle disturbed the still silent night, and i pressed myself as hard as i could against the wall i was leant on. I breathed again once a cat dashed across the road, into another garden. I pushed off the wall, but imediately fell back.

The pain was getting worse, and i was loosing too much blood. I don't know that much about it, but loosing blood was bad. Very bad. I could see the trail i had left behind, the blood reflecting the light from a street lamp. My hand had been pushed on it, trying to stop the incesent bleeding unsucessfully. The blood was seeping from between my fingers onto the floor and my clothes.

I swallowed the bile as it rose as i ignored the dizziness and carried on my running, now with a purpose. I needed help.

With that in mind, i ran in my friends direction. I had a rough idea where i was, in the edge of Ashby Highstreet. I just had to keep on running in one direction, down the hill then cut across the field and to Laurens house.

I concentrated on my breathing as i made my way past all the houses and the barbers shop to my left. I knew that i had never run this much, this fast or in these conditions. I guess it was all the adrenaline, plus the thought of if i stopped i would be killed pushed me forward. Surprisingly, running down the hill was harder than i thought. I stumbled three times on twigs that had fallen from the hedge next to it.

I cut through a hole in the hedge, running across the field, the slightly sloping wet grass making it harder to run on than concrete. I only fell once, covering my pyjamas and hands, face and legs in thick mud. I cursed the rain that had fallen last night. I sat back on my knees, and had to clamp my eyes shut agianst the spinning blackness. The shadows seemed to stretch and contort towards me, groping for me.

I shook my head and got to my feet. I was definately loosing too much blood. My sight was blurry, but not from tears, and i struggled to run in a straight line.

Once i had, finally, gotten to the other side of the field, i looked to the top, and to the road that runs down the right side of it, the road i just ran down. I saw no cars, no people. The only thing that was awake here were the street lights.

I slowed to a walk as the pain increased, restricting me from moving my body much at all. Once again, i pressed my shaking hand to the bloody mess in my chest. The cold air had successfully numbed my entire body, but it didn't stop me from trembling or my teeth from chettering together. I found bending my fingers and arms hard, something i actually had to force myself to do. I kept my legs going by walking, but they were seizing up as well.

I walked down another alley, the one that led from the feild to the housing estate. I stopped as a notion hit me.

I was alone

I had no family

And here i am, at about three in the morning, bleeding and broken, running for my life, to my friends house. I was helpless. I thought about giving up, about just giving in to the pain and letting it take me.

I shook my head away fom those thoughts. My mum always told me to fight back and to stay strong and i would. For her, for my family.

I carried on, finding my legs had already began to seize up from the cold in the few moments i had been stood there. I managed a slow hobble to Laurens house. I didn't see where i was going, but i was glad i had been down here so often so i knew my way around. Otherwise i would surely got lost in the maze of roads.

When i walked through the garages/carpark i finally looked up from the shadowed ground. I was nearly there.

My grimaces had turned into grunts of pain, of winces every time the wind got up and blew ice dagger into my wound. I ground my teeth together against it, unwilling to give up.

I finally emerged from the garages, and crossed the road. I looked up at the house, noting that there was no lights on at all. I hobbled up to the door, and knocked on it, feeling guilty for waking them so early in the morning.

"Come on, please wake up" I mumbled, tears springing to my eyes. Tears of helplessness, because if they didn't open the door, i didn't know what i was suposed to do.

"Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up" I chanted, checking the time on the clock on my phone. Four o'clock.

In the silence, i heard the heavy footfalls of someone coming downstairs. I could hear as they shuffled into the kitchen to get the keys to unlock the door.

Was this a good idea

That.... man didn't kill me, and i escaped. If he came after me, i would lead him straight to Lauren and her family. I shook my head once again, if he had been looking for me, he would have found me by now.

I put the fist with my phone in it against the wall to stabilize myself. The blood was definately taking it's toll on me, and i vaguely realised that this is the first time i have been around so much bood and haven't fainted or thrown up.

The click of the door unlocking jarred me out of my thoughts, startling me. The door squeaked as it cracked open, revealing the light they must have put on in an effort to see the door better. I squinted against the light, now used to the darkness of the night.

"Hello? Who is it?" Lauren's whisper sounded like a shout to my ears now.

"It's..... Bella" I winced as she threw the door openwider, casting my entire body in light. I closed my eyes against the brightness, and i didn't want to actually see the state of me. I must look a sight, stood on her door step, in my bloody, muddy pyjamas, only socks on my feet and a phone in my hand. I can only guess what my face looks like.

"Jesus Bella! What the fuck happened to you?!" She whisper shouted, stepping out of her house and onto the cold concrete slab outside her door. She shivered a little, squinting at my face.

"My god...... what the-" She cut off with a gasp. I looked up to find her eyes staring at my bloody hand, covering my shirt.

"Help" I whispered feebly, my chattering teeth making my word nearly illegable.

"Come on" She said, hesitating at first, not knowing if she should help me or if it would hurt me even more. In the end she stepped aside and let me enter into the hallway.

She stepped around me, but kept a hand on my frozen shoulder, the warmth making me shiver even more. Lauren's house was always warm, but now if felt like an infurnace.

She pulled out one of her dining room chairs and sat me down as she disappeared into the sittingroom. I took the alone time to gather some hope. I was safe, i was going to get help. But the rest was an unknown.... my entire life had just got off road and i had no idea where the hell i was going anymore.

I could hear whispers from the room and struggled to keep my eyes open. I knew that when you loose this much blood, staying conscious is vital. If you loose consciousness you might never wake up.

I heard Lauren step onto the laminate flooring as well as another heavier person. Lauren's parents slept in the sittingroom, since they have a lot of kids it made more room for them. Lauren's dad walked into the kitchen behind Lauren, pausing as he saw me. Lauren immediately pulled out the chair in front of me and sat, holding my hand in hers, warming it up. My phone was still clutched in my palm, my cramp has gotten so bad that i doubt i could let it go.

"Bella! What the fuck happened?" Laurens's dad nearly yelled. That's one of the reasons i liked her family so much, they were just so.. down to earth, especially her dad. He was tall, over six foot, which is tall compared to my megre five foot six. He was a nice man, though Lauren complains about him. His grey hair was messed with sleep and he was in his own pyjamas. It didn't stop him from kneeling down beside me.

"Bella? Are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?" He asked soothingly. He knew a thing or two about injuries, running a football club had it's perks.

I shook my head as a "No", unable to talk without my chattering teeth getting in the way.

"Dad, Bella's bleeding" Lauren moved out of the way so her dad could look at my wound , or my bloody hand and the hole in the shirt.

"God!" He jumped up, grabbing a first aid kit out the cupboard and laying it on the table next to me.

"Bella, could you face the other direction please? I'm just going to try to have a look at it" He added when i frowned at him. I shuffled around so my wound wasn't facing the table anymore.

"Bella, could you move my hand?" His soft voice reminded me that there was an entire family here, sleeping, unaware of what had just happened.

I doubted i could move my hand, it had been there for so long that i felt like if i moved it, i wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding. But.. i trusted Lauren's dad, and i really need to learn his name.

I removed my shaking hand, leaving it hovering in mid air above my wound, almost protectivly.

"Lauren, get a cloth and clean her hands please" He ordered, not taking his eyes off the bloody mess. Lauren got up, releasing my hand and letting it go cold again. I closed my eyes, just wanted my own dad to be patching me up like he had so many times before. I wanted my mum to be the one to comfort me and tell me it was okay. I turned my head the other way, not wanting to see the bloody mess.

"This might hurt, okay?" I didn't answer and i felt him lift my shirt away. If it was any other situation i would have slapped him or laughed at him. He was always joking around with everyone, but this once, he was trying to help.

He was right, it hurt a lot. The blood that had run down my stomach had bcome sticky and had stuck my shirt to my stomach, and to my wound. As he pulled my shirt away from it, i couldn't help the whimper of pain that escaped my tightly clenched lips, or the tears that ran down my cheeks.

When the shirt was free from my skin, i realised Lauren was cleaning my hand from the blood and mud. The action had been lost in the pain of the wound. I got a little worried when Lauren's dad didn't say anything for a while.

I could feel the world slipping again, and my body feeling light. The edges of my vision darkened as i heard a roaring in my ears. My eyes closed of their own accord and i felt myself falling forward.

"Phone an ambulance!"

I could feel an arm around my shoulders, keeping me upright. "Bella, open your eyes honey. Come on" I heard a voice encourage me.

I opened my eyes as wide as i could, the light still hurt. My entire body hurt and ached. The bruises and cuts stung now that the cold had stopped numbing them. My legs were agony from all the running, my arms felt like a dead weight. I could feel ever bruise on my body as the blood rushing around my frozen body caused them to ache.

"Love, keep the kids upstairs" I heard Lauren's dad order to someone, his wife probably.

"Come on, off back to bed" I heard her say sweetly, though i didn't miss the rough edge to her voice.

"But what's going on? Why are dad and Lauren in the kitchen?" Sam, the son three years younger than Lauren said. They had a big family. There was Ben, Lauren, Sam, Charlie and Molly as well as step children.

I felt a little hand on my leg and looked down to see Molly look at me with big brown eyes filled with worry.

"Belly hurt?" She stroked my leg asuringly. She was four and she wouldn't say Bella, it was always Belly. I attempted to smile but i wasn't sure what it looked like.

"I'm fine Molly Moo" I assured her but she frowned at me, shaking her head.

"Your all pale" She whined, a crease forming between her eyes. I chukled, but stopped when the pain shot through my chest.

"I'm always pale Molly" I tried to hide my bloody wound with my arm, careful not to look at it in fear of throwing up everywhere, and pressing my arm against it.

"No, you're sick" I paused, and her eyes widened "Are you okay? You aren't going to..... die are you?" Her eyes filled with tears as she peered at me. They had lots of animals, and some had died especially a lot of birds. Molly knew what she was talking about.

"No. I'll be fine Molly I promise"

Molly's mum came in, her eyes widening as she saw me, but she took Molly's hand off my leg and guided her back to her room. I then realised that Lauren's dad was missing and i was alone. I looked down at my hands and i could see the red smears where she couldn't get the blood off. I knew Lauren fainted at the sight of blood, and i made a note to remind myself to thank her.

I chanced a glance at my side and noticed a huge white peice of material on it. The pressure didn't hurt much, but it was uncomfortable. I looked at the clock and noticed it was five o'clock. I must have been out of it for a while.

A gust of freezing wind caught my attention, signalling that a door was open. Probably waiting for the ambulance. As if on command my eyes grew heavy as consciousness seemed to hard to hold onto. I couldn't fight it. I was too tired, too hungry and thirsty, too alone to even try. That was the one that weighed down on me the most. I could sleep, and eat and drink but i could never have another family. I will always be alone.

I laid my head agianst the table, realising that i am still trembling with cold despite the warmth in here. The cold surface of the table seemed to soothe me a little as the blackness found me and tried to pull me under.

I faced the doorway to the hall, not having the energy to turn my head the other way. Lonliness crashed down on me like a boulder. Here i was, sat in someone elses home, with someone elses parents. They had their family and i had none. I had never felt so out of place in my life.

A blur of luminous yellow and green flashed before my eyes and i didn't even have the strength to close my eyes against the garish colours that hurt my eyes. I was clinging, hanging on the edge, one little tip would send me over the edge and i don't know if i welcomed it or not.

"Bella? Can you hear me darling?" I didn't know that voice. It was a womans voice, kind and soft. Still, i couldn't find the energy to resurface. I wanted it to end, because in truth, what was left for me? But.. i don't want to give up. It wasn't my style.

"How long has she been here?" I heard a man ask. He had the most gentle and caressing voice i had ever heard. Normally men's voice's were all gruff and gravelly, but his was smooth and soft. It reminded me of..... He couldn't be here! No!

I forced my eyes open, frantically searching for the man that ruined my life. I saw two people in lumious yellow and green jackets- paramedics.

"Bella? Can you stay conscious for me?" I heard his voice again and turned to see the owner. I had to say, he was good looking. He looked in his mid- late twenties at most, but deathly pale. Just like.... No! It isn't him!

But, i couldn't take my eyes off him either. It was like i expected him to just change his appearence right in front of me and kill me here. No. This was a paramedic who was trying to help me.

"What took you so long?" I could hear Lauren's dad trying to keep his voice down for the sleeping kids upstairs.

"There was another emergency just up the road, a girl phoned it in. We think the cases are linked" I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat as i prayed to go deaf. I couldn't hear this, i didn't want to.

"What house number was it?"

"13 Abbey road"

"What happened?" He was in full protective mode now.

"I'm afraid i cannot divulge any information to you at this time, but you will find out in due course" The paramedic said formally before the conversation ended.

I realised my eyes were closed then. When did that happen? However it happened, it seems my energy had faded with everything else. I doubt i could even lift a finger now.

As i drifted in and out of consciousness, i found i was missing chunks of what was happening.

I felt a soft thing against my back- a bed?

The cold air on my face

An engine purring gently, as i swayed

Lots of quiet voices, whispers and hushed conversations

It was then that i gave in to the blackness completely. I couldn't fight it, i couldn't stay conscious forever. The pull was too much, too much had happened, i couldn't erase the images from my mind. When i closed my eyes it was all i saw.

I saw the blood, the blackness. I could feel the cold air and the sting.

I could feel the helplessness of it all. The lonliness, the longing for it all to be a dream.

A girl can always dream can't she?

LIke i said, i don't really know when i will be updating so... bare with me here.

Did you like it? The Cullen's are in it, Carlisle was in this one but she was too out of it to realise. She is a little OCC!!