"Ma'am! Ma'am! Are you awake ma'am?" I feel someone shaking me.

I blink my eyes open and I see two cops bent down over me, a man and a woman, both looking too young to be on the force...they were barely older then me.

I push my arm out and was glad to feel it respond as I inch myself up and hold my head with my other hand. The room was crawling with people, tapping stuff, bagging stuff and examining stuff.

Antonio's remains were already being put together like a jigsaw puzzle and zipped away. I looked down at myself and found my body a bloody, scratched and beaten mess.

"Ma'am, do you need medical attention?" the woman asked.

Well duh you dumb bitch! Look at me!

But I just shake my head and get up to my wobbly feet. My heels were still on so I kicked them off and hold onto them by the ankle straps. I look around the room, gingerly moving my sour neck, in my efforts to do so I catch a glimpse at the overhead digital clock.

"Oh shit!" I bolt for the main door.

"Wait! Ma'am! We need to ask you some questions!" the female police officer cried after me.

"Fuck off!" I cry to her as the elevator doors ding shut.

The doors opened on the first floor and I race down the hall to the exit, once in the auditorium I am instantly assault by the sight and smell of death.

Se-ve-ral dead decapitated ninja bodies lay on the ground, with twice as many officers running around them and recording things.

A bunch of children were being huddle in a corner, shielded from the raw horrors while parents and attendees were being questioned and attended to. Sadly a couple of guests had died from being stabbed multiple times and bleeding to death.

But I couldn't help but look at the clean cuts around the ninjas' necks, like they were all made of butter. I was in awe of the sheer force and brutality of the scene, the once porcelain clean tiles now covered in an inch of blood.

Instantly I am assaulted with an image of a black clad stranger with menacing blades and a black motor helmet.

Who was that guy...?

I shake the thought of him out of my head and make for the exit.

"Hold it right there missy!" I hear the loud female authoritative voice boom.

I'm just about at the exit when I turn and see Sally charging towards me. Without even thinking I hightail it out the door.

"I'm sorry!" I cry over my shoulder. "I'll send you a lengthy email in the morning! But right now I gotta be somewhere!"

And for all I'm worth I run and dodge the cops trying to stop me. I know if Sally gets her hands on me I'll be trapped here till sun up! I make it down the gold carpet and wave my hands frantically for a cab.

One immediately stopped as I all but jump through the window into the back seat. "Drive! Drive! Drive!" I yell at him.

The confused Indian guy just slaps on the gas pedal and zips away.

I lean back on the seat and sigh, knowing Sally and her stubborn attitude, she'd probably be trying to follow me and be on her way to my apartment right now. Good thing that that isn't my destination.

"Where to miss?" the driver asked, glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

"158 St. Angelo's Avenue" I breathe out, looking out the window mindlessly.

He turns the steering wheel and takes a right.

"Oh shoot!" I exclaim as I just realized something. I had no cash.

I'd thought after my night I'd get Antonio to drop me off or something. I look at my thigh and marveled at how my phone was still strapped to it. Out of the corner of my eye I see the driver continue to look closely at me through his rearview mirror. Then all of a sudden his eyes bulge as if in recognition of whom I was.

"Y-y-your that fighter chick, are you not?" he whizzed out.

"Yes?" I answer tentatively.

"Look, I don't want any trouble..." he trailed off when he got a better look at my disheveled appearance. I see him begin to perspire on his forehead visibly. Poor dude, must be scared for his life.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," I smirk at him. "Right now I'm even wondering how to pay you" I mumble.

I lifted up my dagger heels, maybe I could pay him in shoes?

"Do you have any daughters?" I asked.

He stiffens in his seat, "U-u-uhmmm...two?" he squeaked.

"Hmmm..." I looked at the shoes again. I really didn't want to hand them over but if I paid him in shoes he could give it to his daughters instead of sell it on eBay to the highest bidder.

"Oh please! Don't do anything to my daughters!" he pleaded.

"Huh?" I look back up at him.

"You don't have to pay!" he cried, "In fact, you can have all my money!" he began fiddling with a compartment and was trying to bring out 100 dollar bills.

"Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa" I held up my hands, "What the heck is going on?"

"Yo-y-y-you do not intend to kill my daughters?" he asked, terrified.

"What!? NO!"

He breathed a sigh of relief.

What the hell could've made him think...

I looked at the blade shoes in my hand and rethought our conversation.

"Ooooh, you thought I was threatening to kill them over the taxi money" I realized.

He nodded meekly, afraid to even answer me.

"No, no sir" I shake my head at him. "It's just I don't have any money on me, and I was considering paying you with these" I lifted the heels. "That's why I asked if you had daughters, so you could maybe give them"

"They're 8 and 14, I don't think they're ready for that yet" he grumbled, as if annoyed at the very thought of his daughters wearing heels.

"Well...I have to pay you with something" I protest, I look around, futilely trying to think of something to give the man. I look down at my dress, but it may as well be glittery rags handing off my body. I contemplate handing my phone but instantly scratch that idea.

"It's okay miss" he says, looking at m through the screen again. "You seem to have had a rough day, this ride is on the house" this time he says it more calmly.

My shoulders sag in relief. "Thank you" I breathed out to him.

The taxi pulled up into a quiet neighborhood, full of two story houses and white picket fences. It was a part of town families preferred to settles down in, homey, safe and comfortable.

The lights in most of the houses were out and the street was eerily quiet, except for the occasional dog bark. The cab stopped in the middle of the deserted street, on the right a lone blue and white house still had some of its lights on.

I climbed out the taxi cab, "Thank you so much Mr....?"

"Rajesh" he offered.

"Jinx" I stuck out my hand to him. He shook it and drove off.

I walk across the street to the house and stand on the porch. I notice a six pack can of drinks. I bent down and picked it up. Then I instantly remember I sent for drinks to be delivered here earlier today.

What a jerk! He didn't even pick it up and take it in!

I ignore the door bell and began pounding mercilessly on the door.

5 seconds pass by then the large oak door was pulled open. Tom stood there with a mixing bowl in hand, furiously mixing some white-ish yellow substance.

He gives my body a thorough scan, looking me up and down and taking in my appearance.

"You're late Ember," he simply says dryly. He turns and walks away, down his hallway next to the parlor "Its one o'clock in the morning, you couldn't have at least-"

His words were cut short as I tossed the can ofdrinks right at his head, and it made glorious impact.