Andy scrambled to his feet anxiously, taking off his jacket and lifting his shirt blood-drenched shirt underneath.
"My wound. It's really closing. I'm ok...I'm OK!!"
In fact, he felt far better and stronger than he had ever felt before, like he had just chugged down three red bulls right before starting a marathon.
Danae unsteadily got to her feet.
As the sun rose higher, this was the first time he got to have a clearer look at her.
She was tall, probably slightly taller than himself with a slender build but shapely in the right areas. He swallowed some saliva as he remembered that he had been technically lying on her the whole night.
It still counts right?
She was wearing a white, full-length dress that wasn't too tight but accentuated all her curves. She exuded an ethereal gentleness and poise. Her messy, blond hair was matted with dried blood, and her emerald eyes glimmered from underneath and she observed him watching her with an almost imperceptible smirk.
She was a goddess.
Then, her eyes suddenly rolled back as she stumbled forward, losing consciousness.
"Oh shit! I better get you to a hospital now!"
He caught her in his arms just as she fell. Laying her down softly for a moment to put his jacket back on, he remembered that the closest hospital was only two blocks away on Hyde Street. He picked her up in his arms and made his way back to the main street from the alley way.
The road was starting to have people making their way to the office on the morning commute, and as he walked past, they got startled and made way for him as he made his way through. He couldn't imagine how he must look, holding a woman in his arms, with blood covering both of them. He could hear their worried mutterings as he went past.
Fortunately, it wasn't that many people yet because the shops hadn't even begun to open yet except for a few breakfast and coffee joints, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he say the large sign in front of him indicating the emergency ward of St Francis Memorial Hospital.
The nurses inside saw them approaching and hurriedly pushed out a wheelchair to help transport Danae from his arms. The whole time she stayed unconscious although she winced with pain when he set her down, and murmured the word 'daemonium' several times as though in distress.
.....
"What happened to you two?" the doctor asked in the check up room after he made sure she was stabilised.
"We were...uhmm, she was attacked...in the alley." Andy replied, uncertain as to whether anyone would believe him if he described the creature that he had only caught a glimpse of in the dark.
"These don't look like knife wounds...more like animal claws or something but the gashes look larger..." the doctor mumbled to himself as he inspected Danae.
"Well, first thing's first. I'm going to have to stitch up these wounds so they don't reopen when she wakes up and starts moving. Fortunately, whoever attacked her didn't seem to hit any of her internal organs but she's lost a lot of blood."
He turned to Andy, "Did the guy get away? Hey, wait a minute, how come you didn't get hurt?"
"Oh, I heard her screaming and by the time I arrived, the perp had left." Andy decided to make up some parts so that he wouldn't have to explain anything to the doctor.
"Ah, I see...how lucky for her...and for you." the doctor frowned, unsure how to make sense of the situation. "Anyway, let's get her prepped for stitches. The nurse will be in touch with you to get more details soon. In the meantime, just be in the waiting room outside."
Andy went outside and found an available seat on an old grey couch that had lost all integrity in its springs. He sank down into the seat cushion almost to the wooden panel below and buried his head in his hands.
'What just happened?' He hadn't had any time to process anything he'd experienced until now. 'What was that monster? Why am I still alive? And...what did that lady, Danae, mean when she said our world is in danger? How did she talk to me in my mind anyway? It feels like I'm in the middle of a movie...'
He suddenly remembered that he better update his parents, he took out his phone. There were bits of dried blood all around it and he found a tissue to wipe it off. 'Thank God it's still working after last night!' He decided to use WhatsApp so his parents wouldn't completely panic since he never ever called them unless he was dying or something.
"Hey Mom.
I'm not home yet. Don't worry I'm fine.
On the way back last night, I found an injured woman and brought her to the community hospital nearby."
At this point, he saw her typing and waited patiently for her response.
"Oh no! Andy, are you OK? Stay safe, please!
Is the lady all right? Thank God, you found her.
Anyway, your dad and I have suddenly been called into the university. What's why we rushed out and didn't even check if you were home. There's some weird readings that we're getting and even the government is getting involved. Can't explain now. Take care and be safe!"
Andy's parents were both professors at the local university, both working in the physics department. He wondered what could be so important to involve the authorities but pushed it out of his mind as he thought about his current circumstances.
"Hey mom, I might need to use the emergency credit card you gave me to pay for the woman first. It shouldn't be too expensive because she just needs some stitches. Will pay you back."
.....
Andy sat next to Danae as she slept on the hospital bed. As he looked at her peaceful face, he still found it hard to believe that there was anyone in the world with such perfect features. The nurses had wiped away all the blood that covered her and the doctor had informed him that she was sedated, which was why she was still fast asleep while it was already starting to get dark outside.
"Mmmhhh..." she started stirring as her head moved slightly to the left and right.
'Oh crap, what's the best way for her to find me when she wakes up? Hurry up, think, Andy! What would a cool guy do?'
He quickly took her hand in his and sat up straight in his chair, looking at her confidently although his heart was about to beat right out of his chest.
'They say first impressions are important, right? Let's do this!!'
Her eyes squinted as they focus on his face. "...An...dy?"
"Hi...Danae." his voice caught in his dry throat and he wished he had drank a glass of water before speaking.
She motioned for him to come closer and he realised she wanted to communicate through telepathy again.
'Was that even real? Let's see if it works again, then.'
He placed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, focusing on his thoughts again.
"What happened? Where am I?" her soothing voice ringed out clearly in his mind.
"You got hurt. I brought you to a hospital to get treatment." he replied.
"Hos...pital? What's that? Nevermind, thank you for helping me. Are...you injured?" she asked tentatively.
He touched his stomach. "No, I'm completely fine...I'm not sure why, though."
"I...I'm not sure as well." She paused for along moment. "You must have somehow absorbed the magic power from the demon's core to heal yourself. We've never been able to do that before in my world!" she finally concluded as her eyes widened in amazement.
'Magic? Demon? Other...world?' Andy frowned as he still struggled to believe at this point. 'But I can't deny that I'm alive and well when I shouldn't be...'
"Danae, how are you feeling?" he asked as he gently squeezed her hand. 'How's that for manly and confident?'
She didn't seem to notice his action as her eyes flicked to the window at the side. Right at that moment, he yanked his head back away from her in a reflexive movement as though he were in pain.
His head was still ringing because his whole mind had been filled with her scream. In his shock, he was still trying to make sense of the two words she had said, "It's here!!!"
"It's here? What's here?" he mumbled to himself as he lifted his hand to his head and shut his eyes hard to try to will away the ringing sound inside.
He finally saw that she was pointing towards the window in terror. Although night had fallen, the entire sky and city was bathed in a dark, red light.
It had begun.
The beginning of the end.