Chapter 1

Jason was an average guy. He wasn't exceptionally buff, or outstandingly strong. In fact, he was rather lean. He wasn't exceptionally smart, either. He'd passed his high school classes with a B average. The only thing he really excelled at in life, was acting. It was his major.

He didn't get out often, preferring his solitude to the world outside. It was only when Marie or Zeke (short for Ezekiel) dragged him from his apartment that he went out when it wasn't for class or an audition.

He shook his head, tilting his head back to look at the moon. He'd never liked the 'club scene' his friends seemed so into, so he always left early whenever they dragged him out. Though he did make sure they were preoccupied with something else when he did so, so they never knew exactly when he'd left.

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with another body on top of him. He blinked away his shock before shoving the body off of him. The person (male, he thought, considering he hadn't felt any breasts when he pushed him off) whimpered slightly, his breathing heavy.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jason asked, sitting up. He'd been planning on saying something else, demanding to know why the guy hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, but he couldn't. One look at the guy had him worried.

He might not like the world at large, but he was a bleeding heart when it came to those who really needed help, and this guy looked like he was one.

The guy was pale and skinny, unhealthily so. His hair was matted, skin bruised and cut, at least what he could see was (and that was limited to his face and part of his arms). His clothes were thread bare, already tearing in places, and his breathing was heavy, labored as though he'd just run a great distance.

"Hey, dude, you okay?"

What was he thinking? Of course he wasn't okay. He reached out a hand, gently laying it on the guys shoulder, but he jerked, eyes shooting to his for barely a moment. He scrambled up (Jason sitting back to avoid being his by his flailing limps), only to fall, hand to his chest, face scrunched up in pain. He was muttering something that Jason had to lean in to hear.

"Run, run, gotta run. Can't go back. Gods, please, can't go back."

Jason swallowed. "Hey, dude, it's okay."

Fearful blue eyes shot up to meet his. They were wide, almost wild.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Who're you running from?"

Please don't let it be the police. He really wanted to help this guy, but he didn't want to have to hide him from the police … though, if the police did this to him, he'd happily hide the guy until judgment day.

The guy just shook his head, eyes shooting around the empty street, as if expecting something to jump out.

"Gotta run."

The voice was quiet, panicked, close to tears. It was almost as if he didn't think Jason could hear him.

Jason bit his lip and sighed. "Alright, come on."

He reached out to help the guy up, but he flinched, causing Jason to pause.

"Can you get up on your own?" he asked.

The guy blinked at him with wide, terrified eyes, then he gave a slow shake of his head.

"Then I've got to help you up, yeah? Don't worry, that's all I'll do. I'm not going to hurt you." Despite how worried he was, he kept his voice calm and soothing, the way one would with a hurt wild animal. It wasn't that difficult, he just used the same techniques he would if he was trying to calm himself down before a performance.

The guy nodded, his breathing still faster than anyone's should be. Jason slowly leaned forward and wrapped an arm around the guy (who was panicking, he was sure), who immediately tensed up at the contact. Then, he shifted a little closer and stood, pulling the guy with him. It was easier than it should have been since the guy was taller than Jason's 5'8". He was probably skin on bone if his face was anything to go by.

"We should get you to the hospital," Jason said, quietly, thoughtfully.

"No!"

Jason had no time to look at the guy because he began to struggle, succeeding in pulling away before he fell onto the ground once more with a frustrated cry. Jason blinked, once again kneeling, keeping his face open and honest. He wanted to get away from here now. The guy's darting eyes were making him paranoid, he could almost feel eyes on him as he talked with him.

"No, no hospital. Don't want to be found, can't, can't go back. Wont go back."

Jason blinked, then sighed again. "Alright, no hospital then."

He didn't think the guy could make it to the hospital before passing out anyway.

Marie was a doctor, or would be when she finished the year, so she'd be able to tell if there was anything urgently wrong with this guy. Not that he could call her tonight. She was already on her way to being drunk when he'd left her.

"We'll … go to my place, alright? You'll be safe there."

The guy looked at him silently, then nodded once, his eyes still fearful, but desperate for hope. It almost made Jason's heart break.

"Gotta go," he said, voice frantic as he glanced around again. "They're coming."

Here's hoping he wont murder me in my sleep. Jason thought as he helped the guy to stand.

"It's not far from here, so if we hurry, they wont find us." Not that he had any clue who 'they' were.

There wasn't a reply as they started down the road. The guy leaned heavily on Jason, eyes flickering around them, jumping at every sound, shying from every shadow. It made Jason wonder just what the hell had happened to him as he kept attempting to sooth him, though it had very little effect.

Finally, they arrived at his apartment complex, though the stairs were interesting to navigate. He was just happy that no one came out. He fumbled with the keys, leaving the door open to take the guy inside and set him on the couch. Leaving him there, he returned to the door to close and lock it. The guy had really gotten to him.

You're being paranoid. He told himself, though it didn't stop him from putting across the chain.

When he returned, his guest was unconscious. He'd pulled himself into as small a ball as possible, his head buried in his arms. He looked like he expected to be attacked while he slept.

Jason sighed, shaking his head. What the hell was he doing? He'd done some crazy shit before, but he'd never brought it back home. His home was where it stopped. He didn't even know why he'd done it, except that the guy was terrified of going to the hospital, and Jason couldn't bring himself to do it anyway.

He moved over to the window, slipping his finger between blinds to pull it down so he could look out. Who was following him? Where they the ones who'd put the guy into the condition he was? It was likely. It was also likely that he was just insane … or high … but his eyes had seemed clear. He'd just been terrified.

Jason pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and turned away from the window, glancing back at his guest.

"He'll get cold like that," he murmured, shaking his head as he moved to the hall closet. Silently, he pulled out one of his thicker blankets. It was one he usually reserved for winter, but with how thin the guy was, he was going to give him a little extra warmth. Besides, it wasn't all that far from winter's start.

Jason carried it back out, unfolding it before carefully draping it over his sleeping guest.

He wasn't careful enough. As soon as part of the blanket touched him, the guy's eyes snapped open, staring at him with wide eyes as his breathing picked up again.

"Shh," Jason told him, softly, kneeling next to the couch. "I'm not going to hurt you, remember? I'm just covering you up so you don't get cold. See?"

His frightened eyes flickered from Jason to the blanket barely over his feet and back again. They flickered over his face a moment before he gave a shaky nod, and Jason finished covering him up, careful of the wounds on his arms. The poor guy was a mess.

"There," Jason said, still softly, as he reached up to brush away a loose strand of hair (how it was, was beyond Jason's comprehension). The guy flinched again, but this time, Jason ignored it, running his hand over the guy's hair, showing no outward sign of his distaste for it's current state. "You're safe here, okay? No one's going to hurt you."

He didn't seem to believe him, but his breathing had slowed down to a non-panicked rhythm, which Jason took as a good sign.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" he suggested, his hand still running over the guy's head. He realized he was basically petting him, but it seemed to calm him down, so he kept it up. "No one's going to hurt you here. I'll look out for you."

The guy's eyes drilled into him searchingly, as if trying to see if he told the truth. Jason gave him a small smile, hoping to help his decision. Finally, the guy gave a nod then glanced around the room. He muttered something, but this time it was so low that Jason couldn't hear it. Again, he wondered if this guy even knew he was speaking.

"What's your name?" he asked, causing the eyes to flash back to him.

"Why?"

"Well, I can't keep saying, hey you, now can I?" He smiled humorously.

The guy bit his lip and gave another slow nod. "Isaac," he said. His voice was still soft, still fearful, but at least he was speaking.

"Okay then. Why don't you go to sleep, Isaac? You look like you need it, hmm?"

Those eyes were searching again, so Jason just gave him another smile and stood, moving to the kitchen.

"They'll come for me. They will. Not far enough away."

Jason stopped, turning back to his guest, whose eyes were on the covered window. "Well, they can't know you're here, right? After all, I've never seen you before in my life. So, I'm sure you're safe enough for a couple of days, yeah?"

Isaac bit his lip but nodded again, his eyes not leaving the window.

Jason shook his head slightly, slipping into a chair and pulling out a book. Softly, he began to hum. His mother had used to do the same thing after he'd had a particularly bad nightmare. It had always calmed him down and soothed him back to sleep. His eyes were on the book before him, but he wasn't reading it. Well, he might have, but he'd already read this section, and he wasn't that interested in it to re-read it.

He felt eyes on him, but didn't look up. He knew whose they were. They remained on him as he hummed, unconsciously echoing the same tune his mother had used to use. Finally, after several minutes, he felt the eyes disappear, and he glanced up. They were closed. Jason hummed for a bit longer, wanting to make sure he was really asleep before setting the book aside.

He stood silently, and made his rounds around the house, making sure the door and windows were all locked. Then he turned off the lights and made his way to his bedroom. He left the door opened so he could hear anything, specifically his guest, should he wake. Thankfully, he was a light sleeper, so he'd be easily woken if something happened.

What am I doing? He asked himself once more as he slipped into bed.

Helping him. He answered. He needs it. Exactly how much though, remained to be seen. He'd call Marie in the morning, and things would be settled then.