[center][img]http://i362.photobucket.com/albums/oo63/NMShape/coollogo_com-3163854_zpsaa80ab45.png[/img][/center] Despite STRIKE’s best efforts they were too late the footage of not only the crime scene but the attempted clean up that they had engaged in was all over the news the next day. The second brutal attack and slaughter was enough to convince many people that something was actually going on and like it had before fear and tension reared their ugly heads across the city. This time there was no feeling of relief as the days ticked away without another attack. It had been three days between the first two and many now began to suspect that the same thing was going to happen. Still the days passed without incident, though people were troubled by the sudden presence of patrols of combat ready men and women who seemed to have occupied the city. When night fell again on the third day since the last attack one would have expected the city to be quiet. Instead the city was still bustling, perhaps there were a few less people milling about, perhaps the nightlife was suffering to a degree but there was still a lot going on. And one poor unfortunate soul was about to encounter the monster that now stalked Lost Haven. Cathy Brooks had been delayed. Her boss had kept her late and as a result she missed the last bus that would have taken her home. And so she had to walk home. She fumed inwardly as she walked down the streets. Her goal was to get home as quickly as possible and minimizing the chances that anything bad would happen and so she turned onto a little traveled side street that would cut time off her journey home even though it was poorly lit. Her footsteps echoed down the deserted side street, little better than an alley really as she moved around a pile of boxes that had been left there. And then she paused, were those other footsteps coming from behind her? She turned but couldn’t see anything back there, had it always been so dark? She thought that the streetlights had illuminated at least part of where she had walked before but in was suddenly pitch black. Turning away she began to walk forwards again when she heard a sound. It was wet and disturbing, a sound that was almost like something slithering but different in some subtle way. And that sound came from behind her as well. Cathy began to run, but she had only made it a few paces when the entire street went dark and she could not see a thing. She kept trying to run and tripped over another set of boxes which sent her crashing to the ground. She tried to scramble back to her feet as the sound of breathing, loud and sounding like the infernal bellows of some demonic furnace drew closer. But then she heard a voice. It was inhuman and sounded thick and heavy while vibrating as if it was spoken through water, or perhaps a layer of some sort of slime. It was a voice that sounded like it came from something set lose from hell itself. “Stop.” It said simply but with a tone that froze the young woman in the midst of her effort to get back onto her feet. “I know who you really are.” The voice continued, seeming to come from both in front of her and behind her. “Wha- What?” Was her stammered response and even as she stammered it out she sensed she had done something wrong. A hand that felt wrong wrapped around her midsection and another gripped her arms, and yet another wrapped around her legs as she felt herself lifted up into the air. She felt a gust of hot air rush over her body, hot air that reeked of sulfur. And the voice sounded again. “I know who you really are and I am making an offer. I know how you spend most nights Firestorm. Join me and this shall be your night. We shall slaughter with fire in your name.” The young woman remained frozen in terror as the hands still gripped her and periodic waves of heat washed over her from the creature’s breathing. How did this thing know? And what did it mean about joining it? It was even worse because she couldn’t do anything without there already being flames. She could always say yes and then run when it let her go. Cathy began to open her mouth to try and reply the creature when she heard the sound of men talking as they walked past the entrance to the side street. She recognized the sounds of commands and a brief hope seized her. “HELP!” she screamed before her body was ripped into three pieces and discarded. The last thing her fading mind heard was the creature saying “A pity” as gunfire erupted and men cried out in alarm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was a pity and as the shadows billowed outwards to meet the gun wielding agents of STRIKE the being within them spared a second for disappointment. He had rather liked the work that Firestorm had done, the torched buildings, the burning people; they had all had a certain flare to them. Still he had other candidates to approach. Bullets bounced off flesh that was harder than steel and a thick tendril of darkness lashed out faster than the eye could see, within it was an arm and a hand, the claws of which beheaded one of the strike soldiers. Then the full mass of shadows struck them and darkness fell completely. In all the times the being had fought these soldiers he was surprised that they still hadn’t learned anything. Soldiers were lifted up and as they fired their guns in vain the creature simply broke them apart with his hands and dropped them to the ground. One had the presence of mind to try another tactic and a flash bang fell from his hand to explode against the ground. The brilliant light temporarily blasted back parts of the dark but the light was too blinding and none could see what lurked within before the darkness returned and the last member of the team was slaughtered. A hand cupped the helmet of one of the fallen soldiers, claws prying it away from the skull as the being raised it. On the film it would look as if thin air was raising the camera in the darkness and it would show nothing. And at the same time another hand did the same to another soldier. “[b]DIRECTOR ANDERSON. THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL.[/b]” The voice echoed as the being spoke and the cameras recorded the sound. “[b]YOU HAVE PURSUED ME, YOU HAVE HIDDEN ME. NO LONGER WILL I BE HIDDEN. THIS IS MY TIME![/b]” One of the cameras and helmet covered in gouges was placed down in the center of the slaughtered men and the monster went to work on the bodies, butchering them and preparing his message with haste for the sirens in the distance could be heard already. When the cops arrived they would find yet another scene of slaughter and this time the message was simply written in blood, with the dismembered bodies stacked neatly around it. [b]HELLO LOST HAVEN 3 OF 20 RECRUITING NIGHTMARE[/b]