"Detective, we found her!" screamed a shrill voice, wavering with every word. Marcus Gates knew time was essence in situations like these. He raced through the woods like a bat out of hell. Following the shallow sobs was easy as the forest was unnaturally quiet, like mourning at the loss of a fellow sentinel being. He moved the last tree branch blocking his way and entered the clearing. What he saw next left a mental scar that he knew would never heal, no matter how much time passed him by.

In the middle of the clearing laid a figure supported of the ground with wooden stakes that pierced every inch of the body, beside the gruesome detail was a silhouette of a women hunched over weeping. Marcus recognized the lady as Mary, the docile and polite nurse that volunteered to be a part of the search and beside her unseen holding on for dear life was her boyfriend Joshua. He seemed to be catatonic at the least.

"Gates, This is the second body we have found this week. Over twelve bodies have been found in the last 3 months, in and around Yelow Stone National Park. This is the thirtieth body and also the last straw. I knew it was the right decision to call you down from New York" The sudden interruption from his old friend and mentor Chief Mason was a relief. Marcus couldn't take his eyes off the victim, her blond hair was a rats nest. All her digit were broken,  and from the look of pain haunting her distorted face he could say that she pretty much bleed out after suffering through it all.

"I will get the deputy to collect the body and deposit it to the morgue" whispered Chief Mason, sometimes it bothered Marcus how the Chief could always keep his emotions in check. The man hadn't shed a tear on his wife's funeral, who died in a bear attack. Marcus knew that the chief loved his wife, and he would never forget that day. The scar that marred his tan face would be reminder enough. The chiefs tall and bulky silhouette disappeared into the fog, leaving Marcus alone with one dead body and a very catatonic couple.

Marcus Gates knew that he had no choice but to retire for the night, after the crime scene was cornered off and the body was bagged and tagged. With nothing else do, he decided to  make his way to the old rest house where he had dumped his belongings earlier that night. The walk through woods the did nothing to calm is nerves though. He knew this wasn't a normal murder case, there was a serial killer on the lose. And this person will kill again unless stopped.

The room that Marcus had acquired, was a piece of work in itself. It was falling apart and was literally held together with duct tape and nails. With only the bare minimum, the room seemed nothing more than the holding cells in the New York Prescient. Shaking his head to clear the haunting image of the murder victim from his mind, the New York detective jumped onto the bed.

The following morning the blond haired, blue eyed detective made his was to the local Police Department after a quick breakfast. What he saw after he arrived amazed him to no ends. The modest little building was surrounded by a flurry of very intimidating SUV's and vans, temporary base camp like structures had sprouted over night in the seldom used parking space of the building. And a crowd bustled around with files in their hands and dead bodies in gurneys. Marcus finally managed to spot the Chief, who was engrossed in a conversation with a heavy set man in a black suit and a darker overcoat. Marcus made his was to the chief, as he approached them the Chief noticed him.

"Ah, Gates you finally made it. Let me introduce you to the FBI liaison officer Special Agent Brown. He and his team will be helping us with the investigation. And honestly we need all the help that we can get on this one." Marcus greeted the Special Agent with a brief nod

"Detective Gates, your reputation precedes you. Sadly i wont be able to work with you on this one, i have some other pressing matters to deal with. But i can assure you that my team will fully co-operate with you during this investigation and i am leaving behind one of our best minds to help you with the case."  

Just as Special Agent Brown finished speaking, a goddess of a women passed by them. She wore something unusual that looked Indian, a bright colored fabric was wrapped around her perfect curves. Her dusky complexion held an attraction of its own, she has the most perfect skin. The Pixie like hairstyle adorned her face in the most alluring way possible. "Briefing in five." she said and stormed off.

"Who on earth is she?" were the only words Gates could up with.

"She is the one who will be spear heading the investigation with you, her name is Erum Shah. She is best the psychological profiler in the world, on loan to the FBI from India. Her efficiency at solving crimes is better than most of our best agents." was Special Agent Brown's answer.

The briefing room was a  very futuristic tent, a hoard of people had gathered around. Erum was to brief the crowd of agents, and Marcus stood in awe of  her beauty and confidence. She had everybody's attention in the room and she spoke "First things first, i can assure everybody that there will be no more killings in regards to this case. Our main objective here will be to apprehend the criminal responsible."

She spoke with such confidence that for once even Marcus wanted to believe her without any questions, but his years of training as a detective wouldn't let that happen. He raised his hand and asked "And how can you be so certain about it Ma'am?"

"These murders aren't serial killings, there isn't a single common denominator between the victims. So once i cross referenced the data given to me with different rituals of occult. I figured that each crime scene stood for an intersection and when all these intersection are joined together they form a star, an essential symbol in occult. The last murder marked the end of a ritual. And my name is Erum Shah. I will be obliged if you call me Miss Shah. You can call my mother ma'am, if and when she decides to make an appearance. Anything else on your mind Detective Gates?" 

Marcus had never seen a lady so nonchalant about him, her expression was almost fierce like she had something to prove. He couldn't resist the urge to pester her a little more, he asked "Okay, Miss Shah do you always dress like that?" She just gave him a death glare and continued with the briefing.

"According to Chief Mason's reports, the latest victim is Sadie Walker, She is a seventeen year old high school  student, who went missing about a week ago-"

Even before Erum could finish the sentence, a lady with flaming red hair and a lab coat walks in and announces loudly "That's not Sadie babe, the Dental records and DNA reports don't match.

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