She gnced down at the body of The Cross-Killer and within a sed, felt an icy breeze around her ned then dissipate like it never happened. Flipping off the scope and pg the rifle over her arm, Elle dug out a fshlight from her gear and spotted a set of fresh bloody footprints going to the sed floor of the building. “Noah?” She attempted once more, breaking the silenbsp; Again, nothing but the sounds of the ing night radiated in her ears.

  -Was I too te?-

  Elle took a deep breath and dismissed the thought. “If you already killed Noah, then why bring me here?” She spoke aloud and had another shiver go down the length of her spine, making her skin-pop with goosebumps. Holding the fshlight and peering into the shadows, Elle suddenly felt like she was vulnerable without the rifle in hand. Quickly tearing off some of her FBI tee, Elle used it to affix the bright light to the end of the rifle barrel and once more began to s the bottom floor and where she was headed on the sed floor.

  -What was that?-

  Hair went up on the back of Elle’s neck as she swore she saw something just outside the circle of light. Directly looking into the darkness provided no relief to the rising worry that had somehow found its way into her mind.

  -Vampires hide in the dark. But…the corpse is still there.-

  Swinging the rifle over where she’d killed The Cross-Killer, Elle gasped as she watched the remainder of the body disie into nothing but a puddle of gangrenous goo. Once more off to her left, Elle felt a presend fired her rifle in the dire. She sed the area where she fired and only saw the hole in the derblock where the bullet hit.

  -Not a vampire. What the hell am I dealing with?-

  When the ao that question came as a loud thud of a body ed up in tight bandages, Elle jumped backwards and actally pulled the trigger a a bullet into the apparent corpse. Shaking a bit more than she was used to, Elle set the safety on the rifle and walked over to ihe body. Taking the time to s the area once more with the fshlight, Elle slung the gun over her shoulder once more and reached into one of her cargo pockets and pulled out a couple of chem-lights. She popped the vial in the small pstid ahe green glow shine where she was standing, and used the other to mark the stairwell she’d used to get to the sed floor. “Okay, this is number sixteen or something like that.” She reached for the top yer of the cloth that covered the dead person’s fabsp; Taking a few minutes and usiactical ko cut away stubborn strips, Elle eventually made out the face of the person. “Professor…” She whispered and shook her head. “A little te to save you, apparently.” Internally, she khe right a was to leave the building ao her FBI cruiser and call for backup. “I ’t ask for backup when there is no one here…” She trailed off as the ice presence poured from the inky darkness and grabbed her throat, this time squeezing hard enough for Elle to turn blue and begin shivering from the cold touch.

  Dreadful and authoritative, Elle heard a deep voice permeate her mind. “Good evening, my new Barbie. I know you hear me now. I have to thank you for disposing of the saeat I was inhabiting.” Elle heard the inky dark ugh, causio shiver with fear. “Yes, feed me barbie. You want to know … why you are here?” It ughed once more and tightes grip. “Entrapment.”

  Already aware that the meeting was a trap of some kind, Elle had prepared for things like a kidnapping or the ransom of a federal agent. What she wasn’t ready for was the idea she’d bee a sve. When the pressure on her neck subsided enough so she could grab a breath of air, Elle finally saw the creature that was holding her.

  Made pletely of both a bck mist and a deep gray smoke, the ghostlike being blended easily into shadows. At any given time the thing had four amorphic arms that faded and reformed at the monster's request. Trying to focus on the beast rather than her own fear, Elle saw that her captor was devoid of a mouth and reasohat it unicated through either some form of telepathy or because it was currently toug her. Lastly and most frightening were its eyes. While the diamond shape and bzing white pierced the darkness, there was a visible intellect that came through the never-ending cruelty. Elle k that moment that whatever this creature was doing, was iional and thought out.

  “So, a crucifix for me as well?” Elle mao squeak out from the pain surroundihroat.

  Showing more of itself to Elle, the smoky creature resumed its tight hold on her ned started giggling with an evil uone, “Quite the opposite, Barbie.” One of the two remaining cwed arms slithered its way through the top of Elle’s skull. “Ah…” The misty monster expressed relief at the pain that shot from Elle. “Yes, that’s it Agent Miller. The pain is …” It seemed to swallow like it arched for water, “...revenge is so much better. All of this anger will sustain me, new meat.”

  Elle colpsed to her knees and fought to take deep breaths through the wing pain pulsing from her skull. “Cryptibsp; Do you ever shut up?” Elle snarled and gasped once more. “Whatever yoing to do, just do it you sadistister.” Elle resigned herself to the fate of the creature a limp enough that her rifle fell to the ground in a light crash of pstic hitti.

  “Monster?” It floated down to be eye to eye with Elle. “I am the dark that's been jailed for hundreds of years. Your enemy is mine. They gathered us up once before you know.” The thing waited for Elle to put up anht, but didn’t feel the woman’s determination any longer. “Since you believe in vampires, it is time you believe in at least two other things, my sve.” Using its fourth hand, the monster jerked Elle’s up and pulled until the helpless agent screamed. “Better…Your pain is wonderfully addictive.”

  “Gd I could help.” Elle fought against the ice that started crawling through her veins, taking over her body and mind. “...the…the slow way yiving information is another form of torture and trol?”

  Nodding in agreement, the dark mist seemed to give a smile from its diamond eyes. “Magibsp; There is a certain amount of people here that possess the ability to tap into the residual mystiergy that is slowly being repced by your teology.” Havihe ice flow all over Elle’s body, the creature left her mind alone for a few extra seds. “The living darkness is the sed. Beings like myself. The more I am ected to a host, the more I recall the time we were here before.” It waited a moment. “Yuage would call my kind Shadewraith’s.”