Michael buttoned his coat and stepped outside.  The girl, Laura, was still lying on the sidewalk.  He lit a fresh Swisher and let his eyes roam the block.  No one was out.

He made his way down the steps, slowly this time.  He was still queasy from before.  The girl was lying on her side, facing away from him.  He didn’t want to look, but morbid curiosity forced him to.

Michael’s joints cracked when he crouched next to her.  He took a long drag before rolling her on her back.  She turned her head in his general direction, but her vile green eyes were unfocused.  Good.  He stared at her for a long time.  She had Liza’s build, slightly darker hair, coarse features, except for the mouth.  The mouths were the same, though the girl’s had blood caked around hers at the moment.

He stared a moment longer.  She was only semi-conscious.  The neighborhood wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.  Michael stood up.  He felt dizzy and had to steady himself.  A hand touched his leg.  He shook it off without looking and trudged back up to the house.  He shut the doors and threw all of the locks behind him.