It had been a half a century since Greyson last lost consciousness. It was a feeling she didn't remember, and it was terrifying. As she waited by the door for an answer, she could feel the last remaining dregs of her energy beginning to leave her. Her vision dimmed at the edges, and the world threatened to go dark. [i]Am I dying?[/i] she thought with a rush of terror. She had to be dying. She'd made it all this way, and she was going to die on the doorstep. A voice sounded above her head, someone speaking. Struggling to focus, she caught a snippet of the words. "... far from death. Drink up..."

Drink up? Her brain was still struggling to discern what exactly he had meant when she caught the scent. In her current state, in such desperate need of blood, the smell of the small amount in the vial was overbearing. Greyson tried, she truly tried, to reach for it. But her vision was now so darkened that she couldn't even [i]see[/i] it. Her arms wouldn't move to try to grab the blood. It was so close, and yet there was no way for her to attain it. Greyson didn't even have the strength to beg for it. 

While she was clinging to whatever remnants of consciousness still remained, she felt herself moving. A hand was gently moving her head, tilting it back. She felt something against her lips, and then the taste of blood in her mouth. Weakly, desperately, she swallowed it. It wasn't much, it didn't begin to quench her overwhelming thirst. But it was enough. "Sleep well, big sister," she heard that same voice say to her, the sound just slightly clearer than before. 

And that she did. With her death no longer quite so imminent, Greyson embraced the unconsciousness that had been threatening to take over. Sleep didn't hurt. For a few short minutes, she was dead to the world while her body worked to mend itself. 

--------------------------

She awoke feeling only marginally better than before. Every part of her body ached, and her injuries were still screaming in pain. A mouthful of blood would certainly keep her alive, but was nowhere near enough for her to properly heal. In her current state, she would have to drain multiple humans to allow for the rapid regeneration to occur. That was highly unlikely. 

Greyson lay still for a few more moments, listening as the sounds around her formed into voices. After a moment, one voice grabbed her attention. "Is she okay?" a girl's voice asked. 

She had to be talking about Greyson. With a great deal of effort, Greyson forced her tired eyes open. She could see vampires around her, making them six in total. She was already leaning against the wall in a slouched sitting position, but tried to push herself up to sit a little straighter. The slight motion was enough to cause her to let out a slight noise of pain. Sucking in air through her teeth, Greyson nodded in answer to the question. She looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw a young-looking woman with blonde hair. [b]"I will be," [/b] she answered, the words forced. Her Japanese was far from perfect, and the English accent was obvious as she spoke. [b]"At least, I think so...[/b]"

[b]"This is the safehouse?"[/b] Greyson asked, hopeful as she looked around at everyone else.