Julien shot awake. Breathing ragged and unsteady, his eyes scanned the room. His small apartment was cast in a hazy glow despite the hour, illuminated by the persistent glow of street lights and neon signs that advertised each and every virtue and vice. The summer air was heavy and still, the background buzz of mosquitoes and foot traffic filtering through his open window. Nothing seemed out of place, yet his heart refused to settle in his chest.
A muffled thump came from across the room. Julien sat up, trying his best to steady his breath as he trained his gaze across towards the door. The noise came again, two soft beats in quick succession. Someone was there.
His thoughts raced. No one should know where he lived, not even any militia members. He'd tried to make sure of that.
The knocking continued. Anyone truly dangerous would have broken in by now, he reasoned to himself, so despite his better judgment, he slowly got out of bed. He tip-toed unsteadily across the cluttered space, trying his best to stay silent, and pressed his face to the peephole.
It was her. Back-lit by harsh hallway lights was the small, shaking form of the same girl he had found half-dead on the street weeks ago. The girl he had saved.
Without a second thought, Julien stepped back and pulled open the door.
The girl took a half step back, as if to flee, then froze. She was hunched over slightly, breathing heavily. Her face was contorted into an expression somewhere between agony and determination. One hand clutched her side, where a ruddy stain crept out through her fingers, spreading across a disconcertingly large portion of her t-shirt. The other hung low, clenched into a fist.
Julien's eyes caught on the shock of darkness spilling across the fabric. Oh gods…
The girl caught sight of his panicked expression. "Please…," the word came out of her lips choked and tight.
Julien hesitantly took a small step forward. The girl flinched, her eyes wide and wild, but stayed where she was. After a few shaking breaths, she continued, "I didn't-" the words caught in her throat as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. "I didn't know where else to go."
She looked so tiny standing there, defeated and desperate. Julien swallowed a lump in this throat, then began speaking softly and carefully, allowing himself to pretend just for a moment that she was just another patient at the hospital. "It's okay. You're okay. I can help"
The girl hesitated for a moment, meeting his eyes with a gaze full of fear and uncertainty, before beginning to shamble weakly forward. He stepped back, allowing her to pass into his apartment, closing the door behind them.
