Under the cover of the darkness of a moonless night, Gunner crept into the warehouse through an open window, navigating room after room, dodging boxes and maneuvering around pallets loaded with merchandise wrapped securely in plastic. His sources had told him that he would find what he had been searching for there—proof that someone in the upper echelons of The Directive was endeavoring to tear it apart from the inside out.

When he leaped onto a tall stack, metal clattered, and he froze, staring ahead to see if anyone had discovered him. Voices murmured, too far away for him to discern the words being spoken even with his vampire hearing. As he waited, perched atop the wooden crates, all fell silent.

Slipping soundlessly to the concrete floor, he ventured forward, towards the direction where the voices had come from. His eyesight was perfect in the void, and he stepped gingerly, aware that there were other supernaturals with his same abilities or better in the building.

Then a woman’s terrified scream rang out.

“Please! No!” she cried. “I don’t want to be a sacrifice! Please don’t kill me!”

Gunner broke into a run, as he brought his pistol loaded with solid silver bullets out of his holster. They were guaranteed to bring down whatever kind of supe was in there, which was why The Directive issued them to their forces.

When he burst into the space, forms with black hoods covering their faces fled at full speed. He fired a few rounds at their retreating figures, missing his targets.

Without questioning whether to go after them or try to save the woman, he went to his knees in front of her. He tried to staunch the blood that was flowing freely from multiple deep slash wounds by placing his hands onto them. Red poured over his fingers from her jugulars and pooled on the floor from her femoral arteries. She had already lost so much of it that he knew she didn’t have enough left for him to try to turn her vampire or save her with his own essence.

“What’s your name?” he said, as a crimson bubble emerged from between her lips. It popped, sending tiny specks of the red liquid to land on his face. “Who did this to you? What sacrifice?”

She gave a final gasp, and the brightness in her eyes faded, dulling, as her life ended.

Who is responsible for this? And why? What did she mean by ‘sacrifice’?

Gently laying the woman’s nude body onto the floor, Gunner stood, looking around the room at its contents. Dozens of bodies lined the walls, and their distinct scent gave away their species—shifters. He also saw ash piles, the telltale signs of the deaths of vampires.

Taking his phone from his pocket, he used its camera to snap pictures of the crime scene to document the evidence.

“No! Help me! Someone, please!” A man came from the shadows, throwing himself to the ground in front of Gunner, as he hollered, “Don’t let him kill me, too!”

“Stop!” Gunner shouted, training his weapon on the man. “Hands in the air! Now!”

“Drop your weapon!” a voice yelled from the door. “You’re surrounded!”

“I’ve got him covered!” Gunner shouted back. “The area is clear.”

“Not him. You!”

“Let me show you my ID,” he said, reaching into his jacket with his other hand. “I’m a regulator with The Directive, and I’m investigating this crime scene.”

“You’ve got two fucking seconds before we start shooting!”

“Okay,” Gunner said. He released his 9 mm, letting it fall to the ground, and then kicked it away. “I’m unarmed. You can stand down.”

“We know exactly who you are,” the leader of District 7 said, as he strode into the room. “The question is, why have you done this, Gunner?”

Straightening to his full height, but tipping his head in respect, he said, “How can you say that, Terrance? You know I didn’t do these things. I was following a lead to this location and found the woman dying.”

“But what of the others?”

Terrance waved his arms, gesturing to the bodies and ash.

“That’s what I intend to find out, who the perpetrator is.”

“He’s lying!” the other man said. “I’ll testify in court as to what I saw him do! He brought them here and killed them! He sliced her open and then grabbed me to do the same thing to me! Just look at him! He’s crazed with bloodlust! Thank the moon, you found me before he finished me off!”

“What the hell’s going on? Who put you up to this?” Gunner thundered, as he began walking towards his accuser. “I work for The Directive! I didn’t murder anyone, and I didn’t assault you!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, considering your stellar service, but until we get to the bottom of this, I have no other choice. Gunner, you’re under arrest.”

“You can’t be serious!” he shouted, turning to face him. “This is a setup! Can’t you see it?”

“I’m bound by The Directive’s edicts, Gunner. You must be taken in.”

Terrance gestured with his hands, and then two men, covered head to toe in black military gear, burst into the room, tackling Gunner to the floor. Pain laced through his flesh, as heavy silver handcuffs were clicked into place. One of the guys punched some buttons on a handheld device, sending an electrical current from the shackles into Gunner’s body. He writhed on the floor in agony, as he continued to declare his innocence.

The men hauled him up, jostling him roughly between them.

As they dragged him away, one of them grumbled, “Tell it to the judge, psycho.”