[b]May 2nd, Night[/b]

	Gunrat clamoured to her feet with a raspy groan.

	"[i]Ahhh, ta-ma-de.[/i]" she hissed to herself, as she began checking her limbs for damage.

	"Ma'am! What's your status?" her earpiece chirped.

	"Minor injuries, Zhang. Pursuit is still hot. Where is my damn knife?", Xiu barked authoritatively.

	"Still within the same block, ma'am. Signal's weak, so I'm guessing it's indoors." Zhang explained.

	"[i]Ngh[/i], good" Xiu commented, walking to the building's edge to look down the fire escape. Splatters of blood decorated the railings, but there was no sign of the Ghoul. "How far out is Jiao now?"

	"E-minus fifteen minutes, ma'am."

	"Tell him to move his ass," she commanded, "I'm gonna need some painkillers before this fight is over."

	"Yes ma'am."

	"Out!"

	".... Out, ma'am."

	Gunrat walked back to the scene of the fight in order to grab her missing revolver. The floor was covered with a great deal of blood, and it certainly wasn't hers. The Ghoul seemed unfazed, but Xiu was familiar enough with the creature to know that it would be moving much slower after sustaining so much damage. The goal now, was to find the creature's hiding spot, where it would be attempting to regenerate. This was the hunting opportunity she'd been waiting for, where she could track it while it was injured and cornered.

	Hopping over the ledge, and making her way down the fire escape, she kept her eyes wide open, looking for possible exit-points. There was a minor trail of blood leading down the alley, but that could have been made when the creature first approached. No, Xiu wanted something a bit messier. Another flight down the fire escape, there it was. The window was bashed it, large shards of glass still hanging from the frame, and the blood droplets were far more numerous. Using one of her pistols to clear out the remaining shards of glass, she leapt through, into a dark, spacious apartment. 

	Holding her pistols in front of her, ready to fire, she slowly made her way further inside. The Ghoul had made a considerable mess, shambling and scratching her way in. All Xiu had to do was follow the trail. Down a hallway, to the left, into the kitchen......

	There! There was her knife, laying on the kitchen counter-top, neatly placed next to the rest of the kitchen knives.

	"[i]The hell is wrong with this thing?[/i]", Gunrat thought to herself. "[i]A joke? Maybe that last shot finally scrambled its brain.[/i]"

	Regardless, Xiu made her way up to the counter, and reclaimed her knife. Wiping the blade off, she took another glance around, for any sign of her prey. Nothing....

	"[i]Wo-cao[/i]", she grumbled under her breath.