Williamsburg Transfer Station (Leila)

The process of healing her face was strange but finally there was the relief that her mouth was whole again. She was above all grateful she wouldn't have to keep talking with a lisp. She felt the day causing her body to slumber and at long last the entire evening would be put behind her. She fell into her day death.

Few minutes after, more than usual, she was still awaken. Still in the dark chamber of the morgue

'What an oddity... I'm still up.'

Leila thought to herself. She was falling into the day death, so she thought but she was still conscious. Leila searched her thoughts and memories earlier, recalling just a moment later Stein's lesson to her. She thought it was close to dawn and she would be there for the day but to her dismay she realized she'd just nearly paralyzed herself by healing her mouth. Surely the rest didn't make her fully paralyzed right? She should be able to move still. She tested her fingers, wiggling each hand like she was fingering a flute.

Leila's body felt heavy, like she was under anesthesy of some sort. She could move her fingers clumbsy as well as the rest of her body but it felt strange, slow and funny.

Leila almost immediately regretted her decision to heal herself once she realized it was the rest required by the healing process that made her this way. She kept at moving her right hand, reaching it into her pocket of her pants trying to retrieve her phone.

There it was.

Leila brought the phone in her unsteady hand to her face, she turned it on and put the device in silent mode firstly. Then she sent a text message to Tantra.

Check out the news, I was shot in the head n Brooklyn on [street]. Had to stay on the scene and be dead. I think I'm at a mortuary near there. Anyway you can help me out of here?

Leila sent the message then promptly erased it. Then she sent another to Cross.

Sorry lover boy, long night. I ended up getting shot in the head and playing possum. I'm sorry I couldn't come through for you. If you know anyone that can help me out of this please do. I was on [street] and at a mortuary or something nearby.

She erased this message as well and waited a few minutes for any replies, though she was prepared to shove it back into her pocket if anything happened in the room near her.

Tantra replies right away.
I need you to tell me where you are. I'll try to find out on my own.

Cross replies.
Tantra is the Keeper, she can help you. Call me

Leila read both messages in the dark of her body bag. And quickly replied to Tantra:

Right now I'm in a body bag. I'm pretty sure I'm alone but its hard for me to move, I healed myself when I got in here of aggravated damage unrelated to the shooting. I don't think I can get out of here alone.

Leila listened to her surroundings for a few seconds more, making sure things were still silent. She deleted all the messages again then called Cross.

Tantra replies.
Ok. Play dead

Leila replied.

Will do.

Then she deleted all records of all the messages. She listened again to see if it was silent and when she confirmed it was she dialed Cross' number.

Cross answered.
"How are you babe? You didn't had to go that far for food, you know?"

Leila felt like she wanted to choke when she heard Cross' voice. She felt full of emotions she couldn't have explained to herself if she wanted to. She tested her voice for the first time since she'd been "dead" and healed. She spoke softly barely above a whisper.

"Y-yeah, I guess not. I wanted to though, I'd already messed up your car and... that guy. I still wanted to come through for you. Are you alright? Did Leo make it back?"

Cross says
"Yes, Stein was here earlier tonight, he explained me what happend. We'll talk about it in person babe but don't worry I know it must be tough for you too."

Leila listened again to make sure the room was still vacant. She still whispered.

"Yes it has been. Thanks for putting up with me fumbling around. I texted Tantra she's trying to figure out where I am. I can't move much... What do you know about autopsies? I'm hoping not to find out from experience."

Cross says.
"Not much, never been in one but according to the televsion they cut you and remove your internal organs one by one to study them. So it must not be pretty at all."

Cross.
"Not really, but don't worry too much, Tantra is good at hunting people, if someone can find you is her. What you must be worried about is that no one else finds you."

Leila fell silent for a second. She hadn't even considered that anyone else besides Tantra and potentially her father would be looking for her. Her brow wanted to furrow but the effort and the bullet still lodged in her head made that task seem complicated.

"No one else? Like more than my father?"

Just before Cross answer the question Leila heard a noise, someone was opening the door to the morgue.

Leila hung up the phone without a seconds pause, and erased the log of her outgoing call. Slowly she slid the phone quietly into her pocket and tried to go back to her listless state.

Leila stayed perfectly still under the cloak of the bag. Her eyes stared blankly into the darkness above her. The steps inched closer threateningly close, it was clear to her this was someone with an agenda, not an examiner. Tantra's words played in her head repeatedly. 'Play dead, play dead.' It was her internal chant meant to keep her from the hundreds of other possibilities including the one she feared above all others. Her father.

It took all of Leila's resolve to keep incredibly still. Cross was right someone was after her. But how did they know? How could they know about her. She'd only just gotten there only met a handful of kindred outside of her clan. Leila didn't move at all she couldn't. This whole being dead and in addition playing dead didn't allow her to think about dying yet again. It was too far down the line too many deaths in.

She was terrified but her body never showed it. Still, so still even after the clank of metal. There was nothing she could do. She just had to be still...