The passenger was obviously a woman by the way she carried herself. She wore a long trenchcoat and a pair of black leather gloves, which was odd because it was exceptionally warm that evening. A wide brimmed hat hid her face, which didn't bother the driver because his only interest was getting home.

The woman stepped off the bus and the driver sped away. The woman removed a small piece of paper from her trenchcoat pocket and glanced at it. She crumpled it up and tossed it into a sewer drain.

Stealthily she began moving through the alleys. Making certain that no one saw her moving. She passed from shadow to shadow never revealing her full form. She was moving so quickly that if anyone had seen her that would have assumed they were seeing things. Within a few moments she was staring at the Transverse Motel.

What a fleabag! she thought. It's probably the best this two bit town has.

She examined the doors until she found the one with the proper number. She checked the surroundings once again and removed a key from her pocket. She dropped into a crouch and made her way to the door.

Her name was Tygra. She was an assassin. She was very good at what she did. Very few people could say that they had ever met her. Most of the ones who had met her weren't alive anymore.

Tygra never met her employers. To hire Tygra you sent her an address and a key. The address was always a hotel or a motel (she preferred hotels). In the bureau of the room would be an envelope and half of her payment. If she felt the offer was acceptable, she did the job. If not she left the money and the key in the room. Once the job was complete the other half of the money would be sent to her. If it wasn't she would track down the employer.

Now she found herself in Transverse. Oddly enough she felt right at home here. There was something primal and bestial about the mist. She sensed it and she liked it.

The motel room looked even worse on the inside. A strong mildew odor filled the room. She went to the bureau quickly not wanting to spend any more time here than necessary. The manila envelope was in the top drawer where it was supposed to be. She pulled the money out of the envelope and shoved it in her pocket.

"They're going to pay me for coming to this fleabag," she declared.

She removed the remainder of the contents and looked them over.

"Silas Androvich!" she purred. "Today's your lucky day."

She shoved the data back into the envelope and started to leave. Then she sensed him in the shadows.

Cole October watched her with great pleasure. He had been aware she was in town the moment she stepped off of the bus. He slipped into the shadows next to her and dropped a single drop of liquid on her coat. It evaporated instantly.

Tygra swung her claws around but hit empty air. From the shadows in the corner of the room, Cole smiled. Still sensing him, Tygra turned in his direction but before she could see him, Cole melted into the shadows and was gone.

Magic is a wondrous thing. It cannot be easily defined nor explained. Unlike the laws of physics and the laws of nature, there are no true laws of magic. What may be impossible for one may be a simple gesture for another. So when one uses magic the desired effects are not always the end result.

"I know that there is an heir in Transverse," Silas growled. "I can feel it in my bones."

Silas looked longingly into the pool of water. The water shimmered as he stared. He waved his hands above it increasing the tension on the water's surface.

"Nothing!" he grumbled.

Little did he know that while he was scrying for the heir of Jehovah, Sedona's unusual mark was glowing. Not only was it glowing but it was also enhancing a spell. A spell that Silas had cast the day before on Sedona.* A spell that was designed to protect was preventing him from finding his prize. It also bestowed Sedona with a vision she would receive later that night.

*(MS#2)

Sedona woke in a cold sweat. The mark of "I" was still glowing softly on her chest. She shook her head softly trying to regain her composure. When she finally caught her breath, the name of the man she saw escaped her lips. "Silas Androvich."

"Oh, Jonas," Cole October stated from the shadows.

"It's Silas," Silas replied.

"Whatever!" Cole teased. "It really isn't necessary to change your name every century. It's a waste of time."

"What do you want, October?" Silas growled.

"The pawns are all in position. The knights, the rooks and the bishops have fallen and you still haven't found your queen," Cole taunted.

"It only takes a few pawns to win," Silas returned.

"True," Cole gloated. "I'm only a few moves away from Check and Mate."

Cole laughed as disappeared into the shadows. Silas returned to the pool of water but the image was gone. Though he tried for several more hours the vision never returned.

"Have you ever actually seen an alligator, Geekboy?" Sedona asked sarcastically.

Duane ignored her as he continued to type furiously at the keyboard. "A few witnesses have claimed to have seen lizardmen in the area. If we put all the clues together: the claw marks, the sewer access, the lizard men, it leads to one conclusion."

"Which is?" Ariana asked impatiently.

"A troglodyte," Duane said excitedly. "The other members of the Unnatural Occurrences chatroom room are going to be jealous when I tell them I've actually seen one."

"Great you'll be the king of the geekboys," Sedona snapped.

"In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king," Duane responded.

Most likely it is here to lay its eggs, Grandfather's ghost stated to Leslie.

"It's probably here to lay its eggs," Leslie said aloud.

"You're probably right, Leslie," Ariana agreed. "All right team, let's go check it out. If there is a troglodyte go for the kill and destroy any eggs if you find them."

"And if we don't find the eggs?" Torrance asked.

"If you don't find the eggs bring the body back here. We may get lucky and the thing may not have laid them yet," Ariana replied.

Torrance rushed it with a baseball bat. He struck it solidly in the abdomen. The creature backhanded Torrance and he went flying back into the street. The troglodyte roared at Leslie and began to pursue her when an arrow pierced the creature's neck. The beast turned to Sedona as she notched another arrow and released. The creature turned its attention to Sedona as she peppered it with arrow after arrow.

The troglodyte stopped for a moment and fluid began to seep from its pours. A noxious odor filled the air and the team couldn't see because of the tears in their eyes.

Dan stood back from the rest of the group. He was still not used to the concept of monsters in the real world despite what he had already seen. All he knew now was that his friends were in trouble. Dan grabbed the rope that Torrance had asked him to carry and quickly tied a slipknot. He crept in behind the creature and tossed it over its head. He pulled it tight as he ran back to his motorcycle where the other end of the rope was tied.

A quick jumpstart later and Dan dragged the troglodyte down the street.

"I forgot how bad these things smell," Silas stated from across the room.

"They don't smell any better on the inside," Ariana assured.

"What's he doing here?" Sedona asked eyeing Silas suspiciously.

"I asked him to assist me with the autopsy of the troglodyte," Ariana responded.

As Dan and Torrance laid the body on the table, Ariana removed a scalpel from her medical bag.

"I believe an incision right here will tell you what you need to know," Silas suggested.

Ariana nodded her head in agreement and sliced into the beast. Everyone in the room took a step away from the beast.

"I warned you!" Ariana stated.

She pulled apart the flesh and Silas reached in and made another incision. The two continued to pull and cut until Ariana was able to pull a small sack from the Troglodyte's abdomen. She cut it open.

"I have some bad news," she said shaking her head. "It already laid its eggs."

Sedona's latest dream had left her suspicious of the newcomer. So she had decided to follow him home. She had almost decided to give up when Silas exited the building whistling. She shadowed him down several blocks.

Then a figure jumped out of the mist. It was woman with features that resemble a tiger. She was tall and slender. Her body was covered in yellow to orange fur with black stripes. The hair on her head was a brighter orange and she had yellow cat shaped eyes. Her only apparel was a black leather bikini.

"Today's your lucky day, Silas!" Tygra declared. "You're about to meet your maker."

"You know nothing of my maker," Silas responded.

Sedona tried to get in closer but bumped into a trashcan. The sudden noise caught Silas' attention. That was all the distraction that Tygra needed. She kicked him just under the chin and Silas fell unconscious.

Sedona felt guilty for distracting Silas and knew she couldn't let him die. After all it was only a dream. She had no proof that Silas was her enemy. So she jumped in front of Tygra and took a fighting stance.

Tygra seemed amused by the smaller woman. Then Sedona punched her. As soon as the blow hit Tygra and Sedona became dizzy and disoriented. Tygra retaliated with similar effects. Both girls continued to attack but were unable to cause any real damage because the dizziness only became more disorienting. The sensation became so severe that both combatants became nauseous.

"What happened?" Silas asked as he regained consciousness.

As he stood to his feet, Tygra fled.

"Now what was that all about?" Silas asked as he watched Tygra disappear into the mist.