“What’s your name?” Cammy asked from the third time, she sighed. This isn’t going anywhere.  

The little girl looked at Cammy with big and unblinking. Cammy, supporting her chin, looked at her with the same big and unblinking eyes.  
   

“What should we do?” She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, this staring games was making her tired. Chunli padded onto Cammy’s shoulder and gave a signal to the rest of the team members: she wanted to be left alone with the girl. Cammy sighed, defeated she left the office.  

“Did your mother protect you from the murderer?” This was at least able to get the girl’s attention.  

“Aren’t you going to find out who killed your mother?”  
   

The little girl's eyes widened with hatred as well as fear. A tear escaped from her crystal blue eyes, she clutched to her floppy doll so tightly that it draws blood.  

“Your name?”  

“Ashley… Ashley Ann Johnson.”  

“Can you tell me what happened?” Chunli picked up a pen and note pad, preparing to take down the notes.  
   

She waited, no answer. The little girl stared at the wall. Chunli sighed, something caught her eyes. The little girl was wearing a necklace with a pendant that looked like a… a…scale. Chunli reached out and wanted to touch it but the little girl flinched, she immediately ran to the other end of the room.  

“What’s that?” Knowing that she would never get the answer from her she turned away.  

“Run… no point in wasting your life…” the little girl whispered eerily.  
    

~~~~~~~~~~~  
   

 “Are you sure?” Cammy wasn’t sure she like the idea.  
“Yes, I want to bring her home with us, you know, to observe her and to protect her.”  
Cammy sighed and lifted her hands up in defeat,  

“Whatever you say, your majesty.”  
   

~~~~~~~~~~~  
   

“I’m tired,” Cammy yawned and stretched, her bones cracked. Chunli just smiled and shook her head,  

“Rest while you can, cause the next few weeks we will be very busy…” She turned to make sure that the little girl was following them.  

“um… did you notice it?” Cammy whispered.  

"Yes.”  

“He's a few steps behind us, can’t see his face, hidden with a black cap,” Cammy looked at the mirror, pretending to put on some power.  

“Uh..oh… I lost the sight of him.”  

“What?! Maybe he wasn’t the one that we were hunting for.” Chunli amused at Cammy’s reaction.  

“I’m pretty sure he is, he’s right in front of us…”  

“This is the police, what do you want?” Chunli pulled out her identification and showed the man in black hood.  
   

“I…I-I-I-I-I… w-w-w-w-want… t-t-t-t-to… k-k-k-kill…." The man in black hood charged towards them with incredible speed.  

Chunli pushed the little girl away and jumped up to give him a back kick. The man’s cap dropped revealing his face, he turned. Chunli sucked in a deep breathe.  

“Run!” she shouted,  
   

Cammy nodded and grabbed Ashley’s hand. The black hood thing turned his attention to Ashley and wanted to chase after them. Chunli raced after him, jumped and gave a sidekick to prevent him for moving any further.  
   

“KIKOSHO!!” Chunli blasted him in the face; the impact sent him flying towards the wall. He lay there motionlessly. Chunli advanced forward, gave a kick at his leg.  

No movement. Chunli let out a breath and was about to walk away, he jumped. Caught hold of Chunli’s hand and gave a twist. Ignoring the pain, Chunli summoning all her strength, knocked at the guy’s head. He stumbled backwards. Chunli took this moment to punch him repeatedly with explosive power then jumped onto his head and slammed him into the ground.  
   

“AHHHH!!!!!” He charged forward with no injuries.  

* This is getting nowhere, he’s getting stronger by the minute * Chunli ducked a few blows but wasn’t fast enough to duck his other attacks.  

He slashed out with his long fingernails and injured Chunli’s hand, drawing blood. A sickening smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, he licked the blood off the fingernails  
   

“Freeze!” Chunli pulled out her pistol,  

He moved forward. Chunli aimed at his legs. Fire once then twice. Nothing happened. The bullet didn’t have any effect on him.  

* This is ridiculous. *  
   

~~~~~~~~~~~  
   

“Can you still run?” Cammy turned to Ashley.  

The little girl nodded, her eyes focusing on something further. Cammy followed Ashley’s gaze and let out a strangled breath. Just in front of them stood a tall figure, wearing black hood and a cap pulled low to cover the face.  

“This is the police please reveal your identity!” Cammy pulled out her pistol,  

He was still walking towards them.  

“Freeze!” Then to Ashley, “I want you to run and hide yourself.”  

“Not without you!” Ashley shook her head,  

“I said, FREEZE!”  
   

The figure was getting closer and closer, as though he didn’t hear anything.  

“Hurry,” Cammy urged. “You’ve got to get out of here!”  
Cammy fired at the figure. The bullet hit the cap and the face of the figure was exposed. It was like looking at a snake except that it was a snake with scales that changed pattern of multicolored sparks, twinkles and flares.  

“Mother…?” Ashley stared at the creature and whispered,  
   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
   

Chunli was getting tired. He seemed to be in good shaped, Chunli had been avoiding his attacked, and he wasn’t even hurt by hers.  
   

* The bullets didn’t hurt him and any chi attacked couldn’t hurt him. What should I do in order to hurt him? * Chunli dodged yet another attack coming from him but she wasn’t quick enough to avoid his kick that sent her flying to the brick wall. Chunli didn’t even make an effort to stand up.  

* Come closer, you jerk. This is the only chance I have to settle him permanently *  
   

His hand moved to her chest. Chunli felt a magnetic suction coming from his hand. Her heart is beating faster and faster.  

“AHHHHHH!!” Chunli screamed in pain, her breathing became uneven.  

She pulled her pistol out quickly but quietly. In a flash, she thrust the muzzle of the gun into the creature’s mouth and pulled the trigger. The bullet went right through the skull; he fell to the ground, lifelessly.  
   

Propping her hands on the ground, she pulled in a painful breath and held the breath until it felt like her lungs would burst. Finally, her heartbeat slowed, her breathing relaxed.  

Chunli straightened and brushed the hair out of her eyes. How long have she been staying like this? Chunli didn’t know. She managed to climb to the side of the body and checked his breathing.  
   

Dead. Chunli pulled herself in a kneeling position. Curiously she plucked one of the scales from the creature’s face. The moment one of the scales was plucked the rest started to melt.  
   

“Jeez…” Chunli couldn’t believe her eyes. Beneath the melting scales was the first victicm Tammy White.  

* Oh God! Ashley is in danger. *  
   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
   

The tall figure sliced into the sweater at Cammy’s throat. It snagged in the many layers of cloth. She could feel the point against her skin. She was afraid to even breathe. The tall figure pulled her hand free and grinned at Cammy with the stumps of her pointed teeth.  

The creature plunged her hand toward her chest; Cammy felt a pull from her chest. It was as if her heart was being tugged, her breathing quickened. She got this dreadful feeling that the thing was trying to extract her heart.  

There was a hollow thud and the thing stumbled backwards losing her balance. Cammy saw Ashley behind the thing with a big stick.  
   

“Are you okay?” She only had a chance to say this before the thing was regaining her balance again, shoving Ashley onto the side of the brick wall. She caught her by the throat and squeezed until her fingers cut off the air and blackness hovered at the edge of Ashley’s vision. The creature jerked her arm up until only the tips of Ashley’s toes were still on the ground.  

“M-m-mo-o-th-th-ther… is… t-t-t..that… y-y-y-you?” Ashley tried to talk.  
   

Something flashed behind the eyes of the predator, she blinked once then twice, then she loosened her grip on Ashley. Cammy took the chance to slide beneath the figure causing her to lose balance again. Then Cammy did a flip and came down onto the thing head with her foot.  
 Ashley pulled herself up and ran between the creature and Cammy,  

“Don’t hit my Mother!” she pleaded.  

“Don’t be absurd! Your mother is dead.” Cammy pushed Ashley away and swung at the creature, hit it just above the eyes.  

The creature wasn’t even hurt by the attack. She kicked Cammy’s legs making her toppled into the hard ground of the alley. The creature moved to pull Cammy’s hair. Cammy tried to move away but the thing tightened her grip on her hair. She threw her to the ground and knee before her, her hands moved to Cammy’s chest in an attempt to extract her heart again.  

The dizziness overcame Cammy again. She tried to breath to hit the creature but she did not have the strength to even lift her hand.  

* No, Mother I won’t let you do this… * Ashley rushed to picked up the pistol.  

“Let go of her!” Ashley pointed the pistol at the creature’s head. A tear rolled down Ashley’s cheek,  

“Sorry…”  

The gun went off. The creature fell to the side, glancing off the wall. Ashley fired again, and the creature doubled over backward with her knees under her. Her eyes stare sightlessly up at the sky with unshed tears.