Sorry I think I missed something there, Exatly who did Ben try to beat to a pulp, and why? if I may ask?

Well I am back in D.C. not alone tho, I will explain later. Ron where can I find you?

Its a long story Shades, maybe one day I tell ya' bout it, but the SOB shouldn't have been looking through my pack. I hate that. Lucky for him I didn't go for my gun. :X

Anyway, Celeste is hell bent on finding Hananah, hopefully tonight we'll find something. Let me tell you guys, Cee is a damn good hunter, I really respect her now more than ever. Her heart is really into this, its like she's driven.

Anyway, I did check out the "abscent" workman's apartment
earlier this afternoon. He was gone, but I found maps of the city's power grid; not anything major, just the basic power; streetlights, homes, traffic lights, etc. Weird.
But no sign of the guy any where. Im hopin' not to run into him, or any more of the damn hounds tonight. I doin' my damnest just to keep up with Celeste.

Well, she and Duke are on the move again, Ill keep ya posted.

I'll meet you there.

Good luck all. I will be dropping offline soon.

Well, here's the update.

Last night we got very close to findin' Hannah. We found her hand.

One moment....

Ok, Ill explain.

We (Celeste, Me, and "Lucy")
went out on patrol again after I went checked on Molly and got somethin' eat. By the way Shades, your sis is gettin' along great with Molly, I do appreciate this.

We went back to her place, picked up "Lucy" whose nose had stopped bleedin' by then
(pansy ass; can't take a left hook). So we headed out and continued our search.

Some leads had us searching an area occupied by more of D.C.s forgotten. About two hours into the search, Duke picked up on a scent, and so did Cee.
We began to follow. Another 20 minutes later I began to smell something utterly rancid. So I grabbed that goth reject "lucy", dragged him into an alley, and slamed hi hard against the wall..."If you were gonna come with us you deranged wack job, you could've at least bathed! "

That is when Cee put a hand on my shoulder and told me it wasn't him, that the smell was that of a corpse. I let the freak down, besides, I think he may have wet himself

Anyway, once agin Celeste and Duke took lead, and further down the alley we found what ooked like a body, but it wasn't Hannah's. I almost shot it when it shot upright, Cee stopped me.

It was a homeless man, thilthy, and reaked like the dead. Don't get me wrong, he was a nice enough guy, but he seriously reaked of the dead.

Of course we asked him if he saw anything about a lil' girl with a stiched up arm and walkin' funny. He answered yes and that the girl dropped something.

He reached into his mangy coat and pulled out her sevred hand It was rotting, chewed on (by rats and other vermin it looked like), and one end was still danglin' with the stiches. He said he was gonna hold on to it so he could give it back to her when he saw her again.

Sweet gesture actually.

Well we took the hand, bagged it up, thanked him, and began to return to the search. When the others weren't lookin' I thanked him again and slipped him $50 and told him to go have a real meal.

I ran to catch up to the others. That's when "Lucy" popped a crack "Did he share his Old Turkey with you Ben"

His nose eventually stopped bleedin.

Well, we are alot closer than before. We got back about 4:30 this morning. Cee brought the pansy home and came with me to see that I got back to the hotel alright. I could see she was on edge about the whole thing, has been since the start. Before we parted company for the day I told her, " We'll find her Cee, I won't stop till' we do. "

I think she may have actually smiled, said "thank you Ben"
and disappeared back into the night.

Tonight we are going to search that area and hopefully Hannah's body won't be too far off.

Ron if you are listenin' try to focus your search in that same quad.

TTYL Guys

Ya know Ron, even if you weren't a hunter. You'ld still have my respect. You're a better human being than most.
I mean it.

Well, I got news about that missing public works guy. His body was found 3 blocks from the city's power hub. When he was found, he had quote "Very extreme light sensitivity and showed signs of advanced rigor mortis. " Sound familiar.

I tried to find out who found the body, but all I got was an "anynominous tip".

I don't like the fact the this most recent dead guy had plans for the city's power grip, and shows up dead 3 blocks from the its power hub.

This just don't seem kosher to me. Somethin' is up. But I am as foggy bout this as before.

“Listen you two,” I forced myself to remain calm. “If you are planning on coming with me tonight, you’ll have to have a truce. Clear? I will not have another fiasco like last night. I don’t care that we didn’t find Hannah. That was inexcusable behavior, Ben. You don’t need to take your frustrations out on Marion. And Marion, you know better than to test an untried spell indoors. Especially on another human being.”

And luckily, it had misfired, I added silently. It hadn’t been too difficult to persuade the firemen the blaze had started because of the grease on the stove had caught fire. It would have been a different matter had the fireball hit Ben.

The sheriff smirked sheepishly. The Gothic glared angrily.

“Shake hands,” I ordered.

“What!?” They both turned and stared at me, aghast.

“Do it,” I grit my teeth. “Or I go alone.”

They both squirmed like a bunch of third grade girls forced to handle worms, their limbs cautiously edging toward one another. No sooner had their palms touched then they had jerked away from each other, Ben wiping his hand on his trousers and Marion scrubbing his own on a linen handkerchief.

“Who’ll be holding the rotting hand?” Ben asked almost as though he suspected he was a candidate.

“I will,” Marion volunteered scornfully, as though handling corpses’ body parts was a privilege.

“You can have it, Lucy-fer,” Ben finished in a different syllable when I turned on him. I rolled my eyes before forcing my way through the ward. At least Marion didn’t mind the demonic moniker as much as the feminine alternative.

It had not been a good idea to introduce these two to each other. It would be a miracle if there was not another murder tonight, involving one of them and initiated by the other.

I was praying for this to end tonight for more than one reason.

The men were silent as we meandered near the docks; so near the water, they were both feeling rather protective of my safety, corralling me away from it with their bodies.

It was good that they could agree upon something.

But it didn’t last long.

“What’s that over there?” Ben pointed across the river.

“Probably just the booze acting up again,” Marion quibbled.

“Where did you see it, Ben?” I ignored their glares and gently lowered his arm, peering into the darkness. “What was it?”

“Over there,” he pointed with his other hand. “Something white . . . there it is again.”

I didn’t speak and Marion didn’t object; we had both seen it that time: a small, slender figure in a hospital gown, stumbling along the far bank. I kept an eye on the figure while the other two looked for a bridge to cross.

But it hardly mattered that I lost sight of it; the reek was identically paired with the limb in Marion’s possession. I spotted a bridge and dashed up to it, racing across with the others on my heels.

Following the figure, we came to an abrupt halt within five yards of our quarry. It was obviously Hannah . . . or at least, it was obviously once Hannah. The slight figure stood stiffly and walked jerkily, a marionette with invisible strings and a handler that didn’t know the first thing about puppetry. Her head lolled to the side as though her neck muscles were incapable of holding any weight . . . or as though a noose was about her throat. The stub to her arm was gangrenous and limp, pieces of frayed stitching hanging loose and forgotten. The hospital gown was tattered and stained with five days’ worth of roaming through the dregs of the city’s baser areas . . . the section Ron referred to as “the Blight.” The girl limped slowly along the bank, oblivious.

“Hannah!” Marion called out.

The figure stopped.

And slowly turned to face us. I stared in revulsion as her head swayed at an angle with the motion, her glassy eyes rolled in their sockets to find our gaze. Her grin was maniacal and perverse, no hint of humanity showed behind the dead eyes or the death’s leer.

Then she collapsed.

I raced to the girl’s side, but she had already fallen to the ground, limp . . . lifeless . . . dead. Dead for some time now. Ben and Marion gathered beside me as I knelt and gathered the poor creature in my arms, the sheriff stroking my hair gently as he might have Molly’s. Marion just stared at the body with a lost expression. For once, their enmity toward each other was forgotten. Cradling her head gently, I detected a small hole bored into the base of her skull. But what the meaning behind it was . . . I don’t know. All I could do was hold the wretched thing in my arms and silently mourn at the loss of an innocent.

But the moment was shattered with explosive force when Ben quickdrew a pistol he had hidden under his coat, shooting at the ground some feet away. Marion and I jerked to the sound, and I saw a small shadow scuttling away toward the river.

At first I mistook the thing for some sort of small snake . . . but then I saw the uneven tentacles lining its body, Ben’s shot having taken more than half the things’ limbs away. Ben cursed and shot again. I set Hannah down and pounced after the thing, which was hissing with the high-pitched weal of an ill-tuned tea kettle. I leaped after it just as it skittered inside a pipe at the bank’s cement surface. The metal screeched as I sought to crush the vile beast in an iron grave. I was angrily pulling the pipe out when Holister touched my shoulder.

“Cee . . .” he hissed frantically. “It got away. It’s gone . . . she’s gone.” I pursed my lips angrily and tossed away the portion of piping I had pulled free. Holister’s eyes registered the despair I felt, but before we could say anything, Marion interrupted us.

“Celeste,” he called to me frantically, kneeling at the girl’s body. “I think you better see this.” The Goth had undone a portion of the gown, and I could see a sliver of red, white, and purple.

I growled when I saw the sacrilege. A note had been sewn along the girl’s chest and stomach, and from what I could smell and from what I knew of wounds, written with her own blood and while she had still been alive. The stitches holding the note to the skin had added to even more infection to the girl’s poor body, had added to the agony she must have felt before dying.

Did you really think I would be so easy on you?

Khavik.

I stared at the macabre note expressionlessly, the emotions roiling underneath. Ben watched horrorstruck, and Marion returned to his feet and backed away several yards. I retied the gown to the girl’s abused body and remained kneeling, shutting my eyes against the blue-hot rage seething inside me as fervently as any blood. I wanted to beat something . . . to tear something apart . . . but I couldn’t do that. So instead, I beat the air with my fist. But even that was only a half-hearted motion, for I knew this would continue as long as Khavik was alive . . . had continued ever since he had become a vampire. And it would not end until he was destroyed.

Finally, I let out my rage and aggravation in a shriek, letting the scream carry with it all my frustration and despair. Ben retreated, his eyes wide. Even Marion seemed to pale underneath his milky face paint.

“Damn him,” I swore, standing up and drawing my fist as tight as death, staring at the others and letting them witness my oath. “Damn him to hell. Even if I have to drag him down there myself, I will see Khavik pay for this.”

Ben and Marion stood speechless. Then I deliberately strode off into the night.

The police just carted off Hannah's body. I had some questions to answer, and told all those involved it was a body drop that I had found.

I didn't mention what had transpired, and I left the hand with the cops. Maybe now Hannah can rest in peace.

That poor kid, all I could do as they zipped up that body bag was think about Molly. How it could have been her if that psycho Khavik ever got his hands on her. Without realizing it I punched the wall where I was standing.
I never even felt it, even after I realized I was bleeding from my hand.

I told Marion to take off before the cops got there. I didn't anyone else involved in this mess. The cops were all so lifeless, so cut & dry about it. They jsut took some pictures, did some CSI, and then came to body bag and off she went. Another number on a mortician's slab.

They were gonna call her a Jane Doe until I forced her name down their throats, "Her name is Hannah, got that."

They looked at me like I had two heads, but that is what they wrote down as the deceased's name. Good, at least she would be remembered.

"Her name IS Hannah". Like she was still there with us. Why her? I just stood there wrapping my bruised and bleeding hand thinking about Celeste. How hard she took it, I never saw so much pain in someone's eyes before. I was as though it was Cee who had lost a child, and not some random stranger. I didn't have it in my heart to go after her, she needed time to be alone. I respected that.

So did I as a matter of fact.
I stood there a good hour after the cops left. Khavik was going to pay for this. I may not be a real hunter like must of you guys, but I will make that SOB pay for what he did. That is my promise to Hannah, to her family, and to Celeste.

I headed back to my car and froze...I was being watched.

I spun around quickly and drew my piece. I surveyed the area, but all I saw was the silence of the night, tripped up by the river. I must have imagined it, but i know that I did not. I headed over to the pipe that Celeste pulled out.
"This had to go somewhere."

That is when I felt it again.
I WAS being watched. My cop instincts were going off five alarm. I agained surveyed the area, my eyes strained against the shadows. But that is what was watching me; the shadows.

I leveled off my gun at what I thought was something in the dark, something human, but I couldn't get a look at it.

That is when I heard the shot.
I dove for cover. The bullet richoceted off the concrete
wall. The shot was off by a least 10 feet, but I knew he was aiming at me.

He fired again, that is when I saw his face. It was pale and shadowed, his eyes lifeless and sunken. His movements were forced and jerked like the girl's was, but yet different.

I returned fire, shooting the perp once in the chest, clean shot to the heart. He wasn't even phased. Another two shots rang out, these missing my head by inches. I returned fire again, this time another two chest shots and one head shot. He didn't bleed. The SOB wasn't bleeding. He just stood there in the shadows smiling at me.

That is when I realized it, that look, that damn smile.
I knew I had seen it before.
It all rushed back to me like a tidal wave through my brain. In my nightmare, the one from my coma. He was here, now, in this world, trying to take shots at me.

Of course, the hounds, they were those damn shadow mastiffs from that place. The bodies, it all made sense!
It was him all along, and I must have relased it somehow.

The reality of a bullet being deflected by the wall brought me back to reality. It didn't bleed, how was I gonna kill it .....the headlights from that truck...the lights in the M.E.'s office...of course light. I searched and found a power transformer within sight of my attacker, aimed, and fired. The heavy .45 slug hit home and soon the area was lit up like the th of July.

The thing screamed in agony and was gone in a wisp of smoke. Dropping the gun to the ground. I cautiously approached the spot where it ahd stood moments earlier.

No ashes, no remains. It got away. I looked around, it was gone. I saw the storm drain near by, and something shadow like dart within. I raced over and gazed inside. I could hear its voice call to me from the dark depths of the tunnel...
"You will not turn me away for ever gaurdian, the chosen one will be mine." Before I could react, it was gone.

What have I released into this world?

I went back to my car and drove back to Molly as fast as I could. She was safe and sound, and fast asleep. I saw her laying there and realized how lucky I was. Whatever that thing was I saw out there tonight, wouldn't be back any time soon. At least for now.

We found Hannah, as pyric a victory as that was, I plan on stopping by the morgue and seeing to it that her and her family get a proper funeral.
It is the least I can do for her.

Ron, if you are out there tonight, be careful, and pack some serious light with you too. Not only is there a "living wig thing" out there,
but some living shadow thing as well.

Im turning in for the night. Besides, Molly just woke up. Think I'll read her some Beatrice Potter, get her a glass of water, and tuck her back into bed.

Good night to you too Hannah; I hope you find peace at last.

Sleep well Cee. Wherever you are tonight.

...failure... I'm...failure...

Keep...failing everyone... ...letting ev...one down...

...lost...girl... Could've helped her...failed...

Can't...do anything right...

I'm...worthless failure...

...better off without me...

Some one trak that if you can,I have some people on it at my end.
Holister Come see me soon I may be able to give you something to even the odds.

That "Living Wig" sounds like that thing that was used to try and assassinate me. What was it called, uhhh, Brain Eater maybe. Melts your skull with acid and devours your brain one chunk at a time until it takes over.

How about we see if we can make these things dead, and then do the same to the bastards that sent them or unleashed them.

Well last night was a bust. So to speak. I didn't find a trace of that damn hairy eel thing I shot at. I don't know what became of it, but I did get a name on it; accoring to my source, they are called "Brain Burrowers". Real pleasant thought with that one.

The same can be said of the livin' shadow. No sign of it and no more "unusual deaths"
like those reported when it was lurking around. I also found out from my source that this shadow thing is called a "Shadow Builder". That means that somehow it gained entance into our world.

From what Carter told me, it is very weak when it first gets into our world so weak you could kill the thing with a pen light. However, the more people it kills, the stronger and more substantial it becomes. Once it kills seven
people, it can remain in this world, and then only be killed by direct sunlight. Great news huh?

It has since is disappeared, and I haven't found any sign of it since it attacked me, Im guessin' it went underground for a spell. That transformer got pretty bright when I shot
it. Maybe I killed it? Yeah, and Im the Prince of Pesrsia.

I did find some homeless folks
(gave them whatever cash I could and pointed them in the direction of a mission), found a mugger (his knee will heal, and his nose, and he doesn't need that hand anyway), plus I ran into some hookers (I avoided the all ya' can eat crab buffet, hell one even tried to claim she was 19, but she a C-Section scar and more lines than a table at Studio 54).

I also ran into another vampire last night. Not Cee, and I never got to "correct" his probelem about being "livin' impaired". I was on my way back to the coroner to see how the autopsy on Hannah was going when I spotted him.

At first I thought it was some young punk goth kid, he looked the part. That was until I saw his face. He was either a really good impersonation, or the real deal. So I followed him, down three doors around back to the local blood bank.

I stayed hidden, drew my .45, loaded a clip of "specials"
and took up surveillance. I saw the door open, and a guy, looked like an orderly or a lab tech, hand out to the guy a white styrofoam cooler. The vamp forked over a wad of cash and took off.

I followed the vamp 15 blocks to a damn night club. I paid the $20 cover charge and went inside.

Ron, if you can hear this, ya' got a nest of bloodsuckers at The Raven's Club. The place was full with about a dozen, maybe more. I lost track of the goth, but I didn't stick round to find him. Yes, I ran out of there like my ass was on fire and my hair was catchin'.

It was not in "the blight" so I don't know if you have a set
territory, or if this place was out of your range. But man, I felf like a drink box in that place with the words "insert here" on my neck.

Anyway. I headed back to the coroner's and got the info I needed about Hannah's death.
I'ld rather not talk about it over the boards. Lets just say she is in a much better place right now, and that Khavik is one sick SOB that is gonna die real soon.

Say hello to KT for me. I hear he is feelin' better, I hope.

I'm gonna head back to the hotel now and get some rest.
I have to meet up wth Cee tonight at the coroner, for some closure I imagine. I needed to speak to her anyway before I left, to see if she was alright.

Well talk to ya'll later.

Ok then Ron, Ill leave that den of vipers in your capable hands.

I should be hoppin' a flight with Molly back home tonight if nothin' else turns up. I got some stuff back home to take care of, and some soul searchin' to do.

Ron, if there is anything I can do to help get you back on your feet, especially now since your planning "you know what", let me know. I can at least offer you guys a home.


See Ya'll

If that club has a sprinkler system I can take out every vamp there with a little help.

Makes perfect sense to me. Why would a vampire who owns and operates a club, have liquid death hanging over its head and the heads of his comrades?