Last Updated: 3/26/99

"How did they find me?" Jack wondered aloud for the hundredth time in the last three days. He ran as fast as his tired legs would take him through the mall parking lot. If he could just lose himself in the crowds inside...

"How do you think they found you?!" he answered himself angrily. "How did you find all those people who thought they were safe? Great! Now I'm talking to myself!"

He hadn't slept much in the last three days and most of that time he'd spent hiding or running. This was not a good situation, even for someone with his training. They'd caught up to him a few times before in the two months since he had left, but he had always been able to lose them quickly and they were never this persistent. He didn't dare look back to see if the two men were still on his tail, but he was pretty sure he could hear the pounding splashes of their feet on the wet asphalt.

An SUV came around a row of parked cars, not seeing the dark figure in the misty rain. The screech of tires was deafening as he hurled himself up and over the car. Jack landed with a soft thud on the other side, almost holding his footing, then rolling with the inevitable fall.

*That broke something,* he growled as he let the roll take him back to his already pumping legs. *But maybe it'll slow them down.*

No such luck. Mere strides away from the doors, he felt the tug on his leather jacket. He twisted away but even as the jacket came free, a body hurled into him.

"You're not getting away this time, Malone," the man snarled at him.

"Weston, you wound me," Jack smiled as he pushed the man off. *Literally,* he added silently as he bound unsteadily back to his feet. A quick punch in the jaw from the other man stunned him and knocked him back down.

"We're going to do more than wound you," came the attacker's cool reply.

"You don't want to do that, Sherman, not after all we've been through," Jack said wiping the blood from his mouth. He looked at his old friend imploringly as the stranger who had punched him pulled him roughly to his feet. Jack figured he could take either of them individually, with a good night's rest and no cars hitting him, but under the current circumstances he'd need to be a little creative if he wanted to get out of this.

"Oh yes I do," Weston grinned as he picked himself. "You know we don't want to hurt you," he continued more seriously. "But we've been across this country and back following you and I'm getting tired of hotel rooms. How about you Blake?"

The man holding Jack just smiled.

"Guys," Jack almost whined as they started dragging him away. He needed to think of something fast.

A woman rushed out of the mall doors into the increasing down pour. Jack looked pleadingly at her as she passed. After a few steps she stopped and looked back. Two older men in black were holding a bleeding younger man wasn't normal.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

"No, you've got to--" Jack was cut off by the distinct feeling of a gun in his back.

"Yeah, ma'am," Sherman started.

"Then why is he bleeding?" she questioned indicating Jack with her full shopping bags.

"He got hit by a car," Blake explained. "We were helping him out of the road until the paramedics get here."

As if to prove the story the SUV drove up to them. "Is he okay?" the driver asked, looking more concerned about a lawsuit than the person he had almost run over.

"He's going to be alright, right?" Blake answered pushing the gun harder into his back.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack rushed. "These guys are going to take care of me."

The driver tore off, not willing to wait and see if anyone changed his mind. The woman wasn't so quick to leave. Her mother's instinct said this man, hardly more than a boy if you looked at his young face, wasn?t all right, but she couldn't do anything about it.

"I hope you're okay," she said as she turned away.

"Me too," Jack replied to her retreating form.

"No more talking," Weston interrupted. "We're just bringing you in."

"But what if they kill me?" Jack knew Sherman had a soft spot for him and hoped to exploit it.

"If that was their plan you'd already be dead," "Blake" said in a gravelly voice. "Now shut your trap and start wa--"

He broke off as an elbow connected with his ribs and a fist knocked his head back. He doubled over and dropped his gun as Jack turned to his other assailant.

"Sorry guys," Jack almost laughed as a roundhouse kick landed on Weston's back, throwing him to the ground. "But I've got places to go and people to see."

He started to run but something in him heard the click of the gun as it was about to fire. Everything moved in slow motion as he saw his one time buddy Sherman holding the gun not five feet from him. There was no way he could miss and Jack was too tired from his days on the run to try to use his gift to disappear. He closed his eyes and waited, the shot wasn't likely to kill him, at least he hoped that wasn't what his friend's intentions were, but he was a goner anyway if they caught him.

He felt a jolt go through him, but not what he expected from a bullet at such close range. After a moment he also felt that it wasn't raining anymore and there was a hot breeze blowing on him. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around.

"This is not a mall parking lot," he said as he straightened up. Grassy flatlands spread out before him with mountains in the distance, the sun was shining down hot right above him, and he could smell something that wasn't very pleasant and he didn't think he wanted to know what it was. "No goons, though, so who am I to complain?" he decided. "Guess I had a little more juice in me than I thought."

Feeling a little light-headed he took a step back to steady himself. "You learn something new you can do every daaAAAAAAAAY!" Unfortunately there was no level ground behind him for his foot to land on.

Plummeting backwards down the rocky hill, he turned head over heels more than once before he slammed into the ground at the bottom. Dazed, he lay there staring at the now blurry sky above.

"Ohhh," he moaned. "That definitely broke something."

He sat up cautiously, trying to decide if his cracked ribs, sprained wrist, or splitting head hurt most. "Ribs," he told no one.

Looking around more carefully this time he saw a house not a hundred yards away. The survey also showed him that his coat was half way up the hill. Before he got up to retrieve it, redness blocked his vision. A quick swipe with his uninjured hand revealed blood.

"Great, a head wound," he sighed.

Lena felt soft fur brush against her ankle. A trio of church mice had gathered at her feet, and were clamoring for her attention. Lena distractedly picked them up while trying to recall why she had come into the church. She really wasn't overly devout, preferring the glory to be found in the world, rather than salvation from the church. Maybe she had needed Josiah.

The urgent tone that mice were trying to convey to her, slowly caught Lena's attention as she realized the memories she was being sent were about her. Image after image poured from tiny rodent minds into her own. Each was filled with a grandure that could only come of being two inches tall in an otherwise gigantic world. *night cloth* flee-terror*

*DEATH-touch*

The memories poured fast and furious. Each mouse trying to add a piece of the puzzle, as more and more of their ilk crept from the walls. Individual thoughts got swept away in the flood of image and emotion. The only thing that all the mice agreed on was that the man stank of raw evil.

Finally an older mouse batted and rebuked his way through the crowd at Lena's feet. She carefully brought the grandfather mouse up to eye level. He had only one thought for her, but he shared it with such clarity that Lena cried out. The half forgotten terror springing fresh into her mind.

*Those Eyes!* She could tell that they mocked her as she slipped into the waiting darkness.

Then mercifully, she knew no more.

Charlie was sitting in a chair next to the window in Clair's room. She had her arms folded across her chest, and was staring at the floor, tracing the ruts in the wood with her eyes. They were heavy because she was so tired, but she couldn't close them. After a few more minutes of fighting she finally gave up and leaned back in the chair.

Charlie thanked heaven--somewhere deep in her mind--because the instant she closed her eyes she was asleep. Her mind was rushing with pictures. Not like she had seen in the alley, but these were...nice pictures. Pictures of beautiful things. Trees, flowers, animals. Things her mother had taught her to love as a child. There were other things also. People, one in particular, her father.

He had been the one to help her get over her mothers death. Although she had never known why her mother died--she assumed it was the fever. Buck had been so upset he didn't come to visit her for a month. And that upset Charlie to no end. And then two months after her mothers death her father died. Not because he was sick, but because his heart had been broken. She knew her father and mother had loved each other dearly.

Charlie got another picture in her mind. This time it was Buck. He was lying on the ground, a man standing over him. The man was dressed in black. He had a kind of....darkness around him. Charlie saw Buck again. He was dead, though she couldn't tell how. Maybe he was just unconsious. No...he was dead. He wasn't breathing.

She returned her attention to the man in black. He was staring at her with cold, un-caring eyes. She saw the blood on his hands. Suddenly she saw herself. She was standing by a tree, holding the baby she had seen earlier. It was crying, cold, hungry, and lonely. She held it close to her as she started to look around for someone. Who? She saw someone tall in front of her, then the baby was gone and she was in darkness.

Charlie opened her eyes, a bit disoriented, but glad to be awake. She sat up in the chair and looked out the window. 'It's gonna rain.' She thought to herself.

Clair glanced back at Kit as she rounded the corner of the hotel and stepped up onto the boardwalk. Her distraction caused a near collision with the true owner of the town`s hotel, Maude Standish. Maude`s hand flew to her throat. "Good heavens Clair you nearly scared the life out of me, where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I`m sorry Ms.Standish I`m not feeling well." Clair swayed towards Maude in a feign of illness.

Kit stepped around Clair. "I was just seeing her to her room ma`am."

Henson`s booming voice brought a look of panic to Clair`s face that Maude couldn`t ignore. Maude placed her hand to Clair`s forhead, as Henson stepped out of the hotel and spotted the woman, "My goodness child your burning up, you should be in bed" Maude`s voiced carried over the bustle in the street. Henson snorted in disgust at the prospect of loosing his only help for the rest of the day. Maude turned and looked over her shoulder at Henson`s retreating form. Maude turned back to Clair and gave her a conspiratorial wink. "I don`t know what you girls are up to but have a fine time and don`t let Mr.Henson catch you gallivanting around town."

Ezra had strode across the street to have a word with his mother, when he noticed Clair and Kit emerge for the alleyway. He was curious about the scene that followed. He moved from the street to his mothers side. "Ezra,please see Clair to her room she`s quite ill" Maude gave him a manipulative smile.

Ezra offered Clair his arm. "Shall we dear Clair?"

Clair gave Kit a slight shrug of the shoulders and took Ezra`s arm. Ezra hadn`t missed the gesture. He knew there was more to this than Clair being ill. Ezra looked over at Kit she seemed a bit nervous to him. "Well Ladies would you care to confide in me the nature of the tension that surrounds the two of you?" he asked.

Clair avoided his question by asking one of her own. "Have you by chance seen Mr.Tanner in the last few hours?"

"So that`s what your sudden malady Sprang from." Ezra shook his head and smiled.

Clair was horrified at the conclusion Ezra had drawn from her question."I`m afraid you don`t understand, I`m simply concerned that he may be about to find himself in a bit of trouble."

"Clair, Vin is quite capable of seeing to his own safety," Ezra`s mocking reply sent Clair`s temper spiraling. Clair was about to issue a scathing retort when Kit grabbed her other arm and shook her head. At the door to the boarding house Clair thanked Ezra for escorting her home and turned to speak to Kit. Ezra was about to return to the hotel but hesitated. "Clair if I do happen across Vin is there any message you would like me to convey to him?"

Clair looked up at him. "No," was her simple reply. Kit opened the door to the boarding house and the two woman entered, leaving Ezra with the impression of a brewing storm on the horizon.

Charlie, in a chair by the window, startled slightly as the door opened and Clair and Kit entered the room. Seeing who it was, she relaxed. Kit closed the door behind them as Clair crossed the room to Charlie. Charlie's face was still a little pale and drawn. "Are you all right?" Kit asked from her place by the door.

Charlie took a deep breath and looked at the floor. She shook her head. "No," She told Kit. She stood up and leaned against the window sill.

She couldn't stop thinking about the things that had happened today. How confusing and scary they were. What was she gonna do?

She rubbed her hands over her face and looked over at the other two women.

Kit looked from Charlie to Clair and back again, thinking. Clair had told her, by the hotel, that she had seen a vision of death and blood that deeply disturbed her. From the drawn look on Charlie's face, and the quiet words the two girls had exchanged on the stairs, Kit had a sneaking suspicion that Clair wasn't the only one so affected.

"You saw it, too?" she asked fowardly, her voice low so as not to travel through the boarding house door.

Vin looked at Nathan and saw things he wasn't used to seeing. He knew that Nathan had seen a lot of horror as a stretcher bearer for the Union Army. He saw things no one should ever have to see. And Vin, in his ever vigilant way, had watched Nathan during their time together. Nathan never flinched. He held his resolve. But the Nathan standing before Vin was flinching. And Vin didn't like it.

"What do you mean 'ripped to shreds'?" Vin asked.

"There ain't no way to describe it. You have to see it for yourself. And we have to find that baby. It can't survive long without its momma."

"Let's go," Chris said.

The three men turned and walked out of the alley. Nathan went and got his horse tied to the post outside of the saloon, while Chris and Vin went to the livery for their horses.

JD stepped out of the boardinghouse, just in time to see Chris and Vin head into the livery. He sprinted the short distance to catch up with them.

The dust swirled around him as he skid to a stop in front of Chris and Vin. "Chris, I been looking all over for you," he gasped. In his hurry to tell Chris about the stranger, he failed completely to notice the grim set of their faces.

JD breathlessly told them about the incident from the stable earlier, pointing out the black horse. He described the danger that clung to the man like a stench. His words tumbled out faster than he could organize them.

When he finished, Chris and Vin just looked at each other.

Nathan arrived in time to hear the tail end of JD's story. His brow furrowed. "Where's this stranger now?"

JD shrugged. "You got me. It was like one minute he was here, the next he was gone. It was strange. He moved so quiet." Nathan looked thoughtful, concerned.

Vin could tell what pieces Nathan was putting together, and Chris voiced the same thought. "The Taylors?"

Nathan nodded.

"Seems awful suspicious timin'," Vin agreed.

Chris' eyes glinted like ice at the thought of a murderer walking the streets of the town. Of *their* town. "Vin, you and Nathan head on out to the Taylor place. See what you can find." Vin nodded, saddling his black gelding as Chris turned to JD. "I want to talk to this girl, Lena, see what else she can tell us about this stranger. Do you know where she is?"

"Last I saw, she was heading for the church," JD replied.

"Okay. We'll start there, then." Chris and JD strode from the livery and headed in the direction the church. Vin led his gelding from the stable and he and Nathan mounted up and turned for the other end of town at a gallop, dust swirling behind them.

Casey shuffled along the boardwalk heading for the livery. She was searching the street for Charlie, the other girl had told her the plans to go shooting with Vin and Buck. Casey knew where ever Buck was JD wasn`t to far behind. If she could catch up with Charlie before she left town she figured she could wrangle an invitation to join them. As she walked past the hotel she remembered the fancy carriage that had pulled into town the afternoon before. She wondered about the family that had taken up residents at the hotel, she made a mental note to ask Clair about them next time she happened across her. She did remember hearing Maude Standish address them as Mayfair, there had been a woman that seemed vaguely familiar. As if reading her thoughts the woman she had been thinking about suddenly materialized before her. Casey was so shocked she felt rooted to the boardwalk. The other woman extended a slim pale hand.

"Hello, Casey", said the woman. "That is your name, isn't it?"

"Y-Y-Yes", stammered Casey. "How did you know that?"

"My dear, this quaint town isn't that big. You can learn may things by just listening to the chatter of others", laughed Gia. "How rude of me! I know who you are, but you have't a clue who I am". Gia extended her hand again.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Gianna Mayfaire."

"Ya ain't from around these parts are ya", asked Casey.

"No, dear, I'm from Salem, Massacheusetts. It is back East", offered Gia.

Gia was very interested in this young girl. She was sweet and innocent.

Gia thought it would be useful in the future to befriend Casey.

"I hate head wounds," Jack said as he stared at his hand. He was lost in his own thoughts staring at the red as it trickled through his fingers and down his arm. Realizing he was just sitting there bleeding, he started to shake his head to clear it before thinking better of it. *Ah, nothing like a combination of exhaustion and a concussion to bring out the best in a person.*

Gently probing his head for the gash that must be there, he wondered where he was. The house was really more of a shack or cabin and it was obviously in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't even see a road. With a hiss of pain he found the cut somewhere above his hairline. He didn't have much confidence in trying to close up wounds he couldn't see, always the fear that he'd end up with a nose on his forehead or something lurking in the back of his mind. *It was just one chipmunk,* he reminded himself but started looking around for something he could hold to his head anyway.

*Grass, rocks, dirt... I think dirt would be good to put on it,* he thought with disgust. Finally his eyes rested on his dirty, wet shirt. A quick sniff told him it was lost to him anyway, not to mention the blood that was already staining it as it ran down his neck. *I needed a new shirt anyway.*

Pulling on a tear some rock had been so kind as to give him on his trip down the hill, he took most of his left sleeve and folded it over a few times. Holding it to his head, he unsteadily got to his feet. His left wrist was starting it feel better already so he used it to hold the cloth to his cut and wiped his other hand on his shirt. *It was ruined anyway,* he thought sadly as he looked at the red stains covering his once gray shirt. Now it was more of a dusty brown. *At least no one is home, I can probably use the bathroom and be gone without anyone noticing.* He knew no one was home because he had been none to quiet during his few minutes here, but hadn't heard a sound in response. With a moan he remembered his jacket and turned to go back up the hill.

It was rocky and steep and he wasn't feeling too steady anyway but he got to the jacket without trouble. Taking the gun from its pocket he put it back in the shoulder holster where it belonged. The trip back down wasn't as easy but he managed not to land on his head again. Rubbing his butt as he walked toward the house he wondered if they had anything to eat. He hadn't eaten in at least 24 hours, and the Twinkie he had stuffed in his mouth then didn't really count. As he approached the house the smell he'd been trying to ignore before assaulted him. It was an odor he recognized...Death.

Dropping his leather jacket on the fence, he walked up to the back porch. The smell got stronger as he came closer. *Yep, something is definitely dead and the odor is just a little too strong to be someone's pet hamster.* He didn't give a second thought to the callousness with which he thought of death. He'd seen death before, heard it, tasted it, SMELLED it, but some where along the way he'd learned not to feel it. Or maybe he just pretended not to.

He stopped at the door, unsure of whether or not he wanted to get involved with the mess that must be in there. "Just another day at work," he sighed as he pushed the door open.

The stench that hit him was enough to make him flinch. His already queasy stomach turned sharply but he stood his ground. Cautiously stepping forward he stuck his head in the door.

"Woo, wild party."

Gia realized that Casey was the perfect choice to show her around Four Corners and introduce her to the townsfolk. She had already heard about the seven gunfighters that protected the town. Gia knew she would have to meet them, so she could determine each of their weaknesses, just in case she had to 'deal' with them. Plus she needed to meet the women of the town and make new friends. She had to keep up appearences so no one would question the Mayfaire's presence in the town. Oh, how she hated that! Gia did not like very many people, but she was an excellent actress. She fooled most everyone, except for those special few who knew about her kind. Gia then asked Casey to show her around, which Casey obliged to do. Casey was excited to help Gia. She saw Gia as a sophisticated, intelligent woman. Casey hoped she could learn how to become more of lady from Gia. That way JD would surely notice her!!!

Casey smiled at Gia, she looked directly into the other woman`s eyes. A subtle vibration fluttered threw Casey`s head. She shook her head trying to clear the fuzziness. The look on Gia`s face hinted at something only she knew. Casey seemed not to notice, she eagerly agreed to introduce her to the townfolks. "Gia the first person you should meet is Mary Travis." Casey smiled. "She runs the town paper and if it happens in this town Mary knows about it."

"She also has a voice in how this town is ran," Casey moved around Gia and motioned for her to follow. JD and the day's plans forgotten, with a little help from Gia.

Jack acknowledged the heartlessness of that remark, but recognized it for what it was, a defense mechanism. Blood splattered the walls, what was left of the two? victims was strewn across the floor, the quiet buzz of flies filled the air, and dinner was sitting at the table waiting to be eaten. His stomach growled as he focused on the food.

"Now that's just disgusting," he told himself as he walked further into the room. "Thinking of food when there are dead people in the room." Still, he grabbed a biscuit as he passed.

It was a little stale but he wasn't overly concerned about that. Walking closer to the bodies he determined that there were two victims, a man and a woman. Even just a quick glance told him that it wasn't a wild animal that did this and seeing as there wasn't a crazed lawnmower around, that left man. *Who could do such a thing?* he wondered darkly as he took a bite of the biscuit. He smirked at his own question. He knew plenty of people who could, heck, he probably could if he wanted.

The blood was still wet in places and the bodies were in 'good' condition which meant they hadn't been dead very long. *Probably since dinnertime yesterday.*

Jack walked around the bodies, groaning when he stepped in the blood, and looked at the rest of the house. The main room was a living room, kitchen, and dining room rolled into one. Things were in shambles by the bodies, but nothing else seemed to have been touched. There were two bedrooms off the main room. One had a large bed, a dresser and some other items. Nothing looked out of place. The other looked like the beginnings of a nursery. He sighed as he fingered the quilt lying in the crib. *Such a waste.* With a start he went back to the main room. He was sure he hadn't seen a child, but it wouldn't hurt to check. He didn't find any indications that a child had been there at all. *Where's the kid?* he wondered but was distracted by another realization.

"So where's the bathroom, people?" he asked then chided himself for his lack of respect for the dead. *Great,* he thought with self-loathing, taking another biscuit. *If I can just start laughing uncontrollably it'll be my first mission all over again.*

"No telephone or electricity either, I see," he said munching thoughtfully. "Looks like I picked a dandy place to land." He started to laugh but stopped sharply, remembering his last thoughts.

"You've got to have a pump or something," he commented changing the direction of his thoughts. "Other than the fact that I stink, this blood is starting to get uncomfortable." With a mock bow to the room he went out the way he came to look for some water.

Casey opened the door to the Clarion`s front office and immediately saw Mary fiddling with the printing press. Mary looked up and smiled. "I`ll be right there Casey".

"No hurry Mary there`s just someone I want you to meet," Casey replied. Gia moved to Casey`s side,and waited to attract the other woman`s attention.

Mary looked up from the printing press. She saw who Casey brought with her. Mary wiped her hands off on a cloth and then extended her hand to Gia. "Hello, I'm Mary Travis. You must be Gia Mayfaire. I met your father earlier."

Gia raised an eyebrow, " Really, he never said anything. I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs. Travis."

"Oh please, call me Mary," Mary told her.

"Ok, Mary, Casey tells me that you run the local newspaper." Gia said.

" Oh yes I do. I was just printing out some copies now." Mary said.

" Well when you are finished I would love to buy a copy." Gia told her.

Gia watched as Mary worked. She noticed that Mary was an attractive woman, so she of course would come in useful when dealing with the seven. Gia also knew that Mary yielded power in the small, dusty town. Having Mary as a friend could only benefit her. Although, it bothered Gia that her father, Geoffery Mayfaire, had neglected to tell her of his visit with Mary. She wondered what the two of them had discussed. It always made Gia feel uneasy when her father did something without informing her first. He never had done her mother that way. Gia could feel her face start to flush as her anger slowly raised. She had proven herself worthy of being the Mayfaire Coven's leader! How dare her father still treat her as a child!

Just then, the door to the Clarion opened and in walked a man dressed in black...

Clair stood with her back against the door to her room,as if she were trying to bar some presence from slipping inside. She could feel the waves of unease flowing from Charlie, and it was beginning to affect her. She took a deep breath and tried to remember Marie`s words on such matters. She wished more than any thing her godmother was here to talk her threw these visions, but Marie would only repeat her parting word to her "it`s time to see what your made of child". With those words echoing in her mind, she approached Charlie"will you please tell,me what you saw? I swear to you it`ll help" Clair managed a sympathetic smile for Charlie`s benefit.

Kit watched Charlie and Clair intensely, leaning forward ever so slightly. The room was so silent for a moment that she could hear the breathing of the other two girls, the gust of wind against the window, a faint rustle of footsteps somewhere else in the boarding house. The faintly musty smell of a room that was still becoming home reached her nostrils, sharp and clear.

She snapped her body upright abruptly, startled. *Not right now,* she mentally chided herself. *Wrong time, wrong place... wrong company!* She tried to lean unobtrusively against the wall, not wanting to dissuade Charlie from relating her visions, while she chided herself mentally for the slip. She knew it was her concentration that had caused the sharpening of her senses, it was something she used to do on a regular basis, something that was as natural to her as breathing. But something she hadn't done so often since arriving in Four Corners, and right now wasn't the time to get back into practice. She knew her senses had dulled during her stay in town, and she again promised herself some time on the range to exercise them.

After this intriguing little mystery was cleared up, of course.

Charlie noticed two of the peacekeepers riding out of town. She watched until they were out of sight. And even when she couldn't see them anymore, she kept staring.

"I saw the blood. It was eveywhere. And the baby. I saw her too." Charlie's voice suddenly got quiet, like she was trying to hold back tears. She didn't know why she was telling these women this. She had never told anyone about the images before.

"Clair, I have to go to that house." She had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "I have to find that baby. And we have to somehow stop Nathan and Vin from getting there." She felt strongly about this decision. Even after what she had seen.

She turned around and looked for them to understand her without having to tell them everything she had seen. "You guys have got to help me get them back here. We've got to find the others, and we've got to find out what's happening to this town." She stopped talking and waited for an answer.

Jen awoke to hearing horses which were entering town. She walked up to the hotel window and saw 2 of the seven men. Josiah and Ezra. Jen knew what they were talking about. She got dressed and went outside. Josiah was on his way to the church and Jen stoped him.

"Mr. Sanchez, could I have a moment of your time?" She asked. Josiah spun around.

"Yes, of course."

"I heard that you and your men have been seeing things. Ghosts, all the stuff."

Josiah rolled his eyes.

"What are you going to do, laugh."

"No. I believe you! Listen Mr. Sanchez i've been around these spirts all my life. My parents were killed, I need your help."

"On what?"

"To stop them, they are going to kill all your friends!" Josiah's eyes widned.

"Come with me to the church." He put his hand on her back and led her to the church. When they stepped in they saw Lena on the floor.

"Oh my God, Lena."

Lena fought the gray edge of awareness for as long as she could. The darkness was safe, the dreamless blanket that wrapped her mind held the world out. Held the terror out. If she could just keep the creeping light away.... Someone was touching her! *He said he would come back, Oh GOD!* She waited for the icey pain to begin.

But the hands that brushed across her forhead were warm and gentle. They didn't pulse with hate, but had an easy way to them. Slowly, almost afraid of a trap, Lena opened her eyes.

Jack stepped off the porch and was glad to see the wind had changed and was now blowing the stench away from him. A quick survey of the 'backyard' didn't turn up a pump or well so he walked around to the front of the house. There was a small coral but no sign of water. Walking around the other side of the house yielded nothing but a line of trees a 1/4 of a mile away. One thing he'd learned from a young age was that trees equaled water.

He started toward the tree but after a few strides he stopped. *What was that?* He listened and waited but the sound didn't repeat itself. Just as he was about to continue walking, he heard it again, some kind of mewling. *A cat?* he wondered as he focused on the sound. It was coming from somewhere to his left, closer to the house.

"Here kitty, kitty," he called as he crept back toward the house. There it was again, but it didn't sound as much like a cat.

"Kitty?" he asked the tall grass before him. A weak cry answered him. Getting down on his knees he pulled the grass away. A blanket could be seen. Pushing more grass out of the way he saw a little chubby leg.

"What the--?" Lying in the grass before him was a baby that couldn't be more than a few weeks old, though he was no judge of babies.

"What are you doing here, little guy?" he asked as he tried to pick the baby up. "No wait, that should be little gal, huh?" He hadn't held a baby in as long as he could remember and wasn't exactly comfortable holding one now. "You must be the missing kid?"

The baby let out a weak wail in reply. she continued to cry, her little face turning redder and redder.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Jack tried to sooth. He paced around a little, trying to quiet the baby but she kept letting out little hiccupy gasps for air that seemed to be the best she could do for a cry anymore.

"I bet you're hungry," he finally decided. Starting back into the house he wondered what a baby this young could eat.

"Maybe your parents left some formula lying around."

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