Jenna ran faster and faster down the long hallway, he was close. No matter how hard she ran he never seemed to tire. She stumbled and hit the ground hard, she felt her skin on her hands and elbows shearing off as it came in contact with the hard concrete of the hallway. Jenna turned and felt the knife rip into her stomach. Electric jolts of pain burned down her nerve endings. She screamed as she felt her hot blood pouring down her body. Another deep stab, she tried to fight the hulking attacker off but her fists only made him laugh a deep and sinister laugh. He tore her clothes from her and took joy in nicking and slicing her flesh. Jenna grabbed at his face and pulled a mask off him. Her father leered at her with holding the bloody knife. He laughed as it plunged into her again.

" NO!" screamed Jenna sitting up in bed.
Jenna looked around her bed, her body coated in cold sweat. She rubbed her bare arms trying to bring the warmth of the hot summer night into her body. Jenna looked over the empty side of the bed and sighed sadly, Lynn was always there to comfort her after a nightmare but no more. She threw the covers back, she had to go someplace. She pulled some clothes on over her sweat soaked underwear and got into her car. She drove through Pasadena to a small tea house called 3 pm that was thankfully open 24 hours.
Jenna walked into the intimate tea house, she was rather surprised at the size of the crowd that filled the tea house at 2 in the morning. She walked over to the counter, " What can I get you?" asked the girl.
" Earl Grey" said Jenna.
The girl returned with a large steaming porcelain cup and Jenna retreated to her favorite table that looked out at the city. Jenna put the cream and sugar in her tea and began to sip. This place made the best tea to calm her down, Jenna had tried in the past but hers never had the calming effect this did, probably was the fact that she didn't have to put any work into it. She sipped her tea and let the hot liquid wash the image of Christie Marsh from her head. She didn't understand why this one had her so shaken up, she had seen some really bad crime scenes before but this one was striking a cord. Maybe it was her age or maybe the vicious yet elaborate way she had been hacked to bits. Jenna was starting to think about the crime again when she heard a soft voice, " This seat taken?"
Jenna looked up at an Asian girl wearing a green Hawaiian shirt holding a cup. " Feel free" said Jenna.
The girl sat down, " Tough day" she said.
Jenna smirked, " It has been one to the record" she said, " you don't want to hear about it."
" I'm a good listener" said the girl, " try me."
" We found a body in West Hollywood" said Jenna, " I've been working homicide for 3 years and this was the worse I've ever seen. It was really the work of a maniac."
" Explains the look in your eyes" said the girl.
" I feel so strange" said Jenna, " I've never been unnerved about a crime."
" We're all allowed to be human" said the girl.
" Yah" said Jenna, " but it was the first that gave me nightmares, I haven't had a nightmare in years."
" I know the feeling" said the girl, " at least I know mine comes from a shake up in my life. I quit my old job, starting my own business and learn a few disturbing secrets. All of it wears on your and you need to have an escape, any hobbies? Scrimshaw? midget throwing?"
Jenna laughed, " I like to watch movies and surf when I get the chance, but maybe I could take up midget throwing."
Jenna was amazed how easy she opened up to this complete stranger. She usually never told her inner feelings to anybody, including Melinda and Lynn, but this girl was the answer. The pair talked for over an hour and finished their tea. " Thanks" said Jenna, standing up, " I really needed this, but I have to know, what is your name?"
" Charity Li" said the girl, " here is my cell phone number if you ever want to get a hold of me."
Charity wrote it on the back of a business card, " Thanks" said Jenna.

The gypsy camp party was in full swing, the entire tribe was gathered around the tent in the middle of the rings of trailers. The evening's exploration to the scene of the attack had yielded nothing of any value, the cops and paramedics had stomped over everything and used enough chemicals in gathering their evidence to destroy any trace of the werewolf. They had returned to find the Iliescu Tribe throwing a big party. The entire area was lit by torches, techno music blared from numerous speakers hung on the tent, the Christmas lights were on and almost seemed to flash in rhythm with the music. " Why don't you go and ask him?" asked Jack, cleaning his Enfield Mk IV.
" Me?" asked Ophelia, " I couldn't."
" Malcolm has no problem fishing off the company pier" said Jack, " he says they're the only girls that understand us and he is right. The time is perfect, the stars are beautiful, the mood is festive, if you don't I'm going to drag you over there and tell him myself."
" Okay, okay" said Ophelia, " be a little pushier."
" Don't tempt me" said Jack, jabbing her with his cleaning pipe.

" Go over and ask her" said John, " geeze, this is a first for you, afraid of a woman. Is it because she is a 17 and you're an 8?"
" It's not that" said Malcolm.
" Then shut up and go ask her to dance" said John, " don't make me throw you over there."
" Fine" said Malcolm, " I'll go, happy?"
" Elated" said John, draining his beer.
Malcolm walked through the partying gypsies and saw Ophelia walking towards him, " Hi" he said, his words coming out like a shy 8th grader.
" Hi" Ophelia replied in the same shy way.
" I was wondering... well if you would..." they both stammered.
They both stopped and laughed at themselves, " I would love to" they both said before laughing again.
The pair joined the others in dancing to the electric rhythms coming from the speakers that hung all over of the tent. The danced close to another, their bodies slowly melting together. Malcolm leaned in close and kissed Ophelia. Ophelia returned the sweet kiss, he was a heavenly kisser. The pair smiled at each other and continued to dance.

Sasha danced her way out of the crowd and sat down next to Jack. Her body was soaked in sweat. She pulled her top off and rubbed her sweaty chest with it. " Why aren't you dancing?" she asked, her black lace bra sparkling in the firelight.
" Don't dance" said Jack, " learned that in high school."
" I love your rifle" said Sasha, " I've never seen one like this, is it war vintage?"
" My grandfather carried it through North African, France, and Germany" said Jack, " he said it was lucky and gave it to me. So far it has seen me through."
" Going to mix your silver bullets later?" asked Sasha.
" Yah, always need an extra pair of hands, that is if you can stand the smell" said Jack.
" You've never smelled my cooking" giggled Sasha.
" So where is Derek?" asked Jack, " he seemed like the party guy to me."
" We're going hunting tomorrow" said Sasha, " he likes to gets lots of sleep before hand."
Jack slowly put his rifle back together, " Lets go make some silver bullets" he said.
" Okay" said Sasha, pulling her shirt back on, " looks like your boss is enjoying himself."
The pair looked at Malcolm and Ophelia dancing in one another's arms. " They are a cute couple" said Jack.

Jenna stumbled into the squad room bleary eyed and edgy, " No sleep huh" said Melinda looking equally haggard.
" Kevin wants us" said Jenna, " your night bad too?"
" Wasn't great" said Melinda, " I tried everything to relax but I wound up driving around all night."
" I couldn't sleep either" said Jenna, " I could sleep but I kept having nightmares."
" You still seeing that therapist?" asked Melinda.
" No, I don't need to talk about my horrid childhood anymore" said Jenna, " we divided over my preference towards women, she claimed I was just acting out and if I stopped dating women I would recover faster."
" Maybe you should find a different therapist" said Melinda.
" On our health plan?" asked Jenna, " I was lucky to get that nut case, no I'm through with therapy."

Kevin looked up as the pair entered, " What do you have?" asked Melinda.
" A headache the size of a mountain" said Kevin, " but I think my work paid off."
" You have something?" asked Jenna.
" I found skin and blood under her finger nails" said Kevin, " this one fought hard to stay alive."
" How long did she live?" asked Melinda.
" I found four wounds on her chest and arms that had slight clotting to them" said Kevin, " the attacker jumped her, they fight, he stabbed her four times before she cracked her skull on the table, death was instantaneous."
" You say he" said Melinda.
" I found hair in the skin samples under her fingernails, arm hair. Not too many women in this city walk around with hairy arms" said Kevin, " all the mutilation was done post mortem and this is where the freak show begins, he knew what he was looking for."
" Like he had done it before" said Jenna.
" He removed the heart without going through the rib cage, he opened her up and went in from underneath, removed the blood vessels and the aorta and took it out. Then he removed the eyes with a pair of forceps. He also removed her liver and her tongue" said Kevin.
" Liver?" asked Jenna.
" Tongue?" asked Melinda.
" I hate to the S word but it looks like the organs were removed with some purpose in mind" said Kevin.
" Let's run this by the Gang Task Force" said Melinda, " I think they still keep a file on those cultists in Anaheim."
" You really think it was a human sacrifice?" asked Jenna.
" Why take the parts with him?" asked Melinda, " besides what other leads do we have?"
" One more thing" said Kevin, " the weapon that was used left pieces behind, I sent them to the lab, hopefully it was something exotic."

The pair walked into the Gang Task Force office and into the office of Lieutenant Alfonso Gutierrez. " Hello" he said, " what can I do for you?"
" We were wondering if you had the files on the group of kids in Anaheim that were into Satan?" asked Melinda.
" The case in West Hollywood" he said, " I pulled the file this morning."
" News travels fast" said Jenna.
" Something like that it has a way of filtering through the grapevine" he said, handing Melinda the file.
" What was your take on these kids?" asked Jenna.
" They were posers" said Alfonso, " like petty crime to boast among their friends, there were a couple of them that I think really believed the whole thing."
" Where are they?" asked Melinda.
" Gregory Milnus is doing a nickel in Chino for a B&E on a liquor store, the other guy, Adam Powell he's probably still down there, I have his known locations in the file" said Alfonso, " you better hide your crosses, some of these guys get a little twitchy around them. One of my best detectives almost got her throat cut over it a few years back."
" Thanks" said Melinda, making sure to slip her gold cross into her skirt, " they that violent?"
" When drunk out of their minds and throwing rocks through a church's windows yes" said Alfonso, " I would recommend seeing them around 3, their usually working off hangovers then."
" Thanks" said Melinda.
" Guess we get to meet the Munsters" said Jenna.

Sasha and Derek joined the others after a very filling breakfast and all the good lucks and good huntings from the entire tribe. " You know" said Ophelia, " I'm starting really like these gypsies."
" They are friendly" said Jack, " but others are very unfriendly."
" Markosa" said John, " lousy bunch of thugs."
" Who are they?" asked Ophelia.
" Nobody, a whole lot of nobody" said Sasha, " lets go find us a werewolf."
The group climbed into the Jeep Wrangler and they started off for the Santa Monica Mountains. After an hour they came to the end of the small dirt road. The group climbed out of the Jeep, Derek took the lead, instinct carrying him. " Is he any good?" asked Ophelia.
" Derek Quantrell" said Jack, that wise ass smirk on his face, " that necklace of teeth came from his first werewolf."
" They say he killed with a knife, a hiking backpack, and a rather large rock" said Malcolm, " he's become one of the best werewolf hunters in the country."
" This should be fun" said Ophelia, " you know I hate camping."

Daniella Green stopped on the cliff side and took a long deep breath. She loved jogging in the mountains north of her home in Pacific Palasades, it got her away from the insanity of being an agent to pushy, self absorbed, celebrities. Daniella looked at her watch, she could stay up here all day but work started in two hours and she still had to take a shower. Daniella turned to take the path back down the hill when something moved off in the corner of her eye. Her first thought was a bear, she was in the forest after all. She turned and screamed, it was running at her on two legs. Daniella bolted the opposite direction, she had to escape. She heard a loud howl behind her and she started running faster, it was on her tail and she knew this was the most important race of her life.