We had spent the next two days looking at the papers and reading up on the attacks that had been happening. I was fairly certain they were also ghouls, which meant that there were more than the one I'd killed. 

I had also been looking at the details to see if there were any signs of people on the case- other than the police. If The Organization here was on it, then there would be some signs. They would just be hard to spot. 

Once we were fairly certain The Organization was trying to find the ghoul or ghouls, James got me a lighter and helped me find a makeshift weapon to kill the ghoul. 

In case The Organization doesn't show up, I'll still be prepared. 

"You know you're going to have to stay a ways out of the way right?"

"I know."

"And you're going to need to use your hearing. Make sure you stay far away from anyone that comes near. You can't be seen."

"I know," James said again. 

"And you're going to want to make sure that you will be close enough to hear what's going on-"

"In case you need my help. Ellie, I know. Take a deep breath. I think you're more worried about this than I am now."

I was. How was I supposed to tell him that I was completely freaking out. I hadn't been until right now, the night that I was going to try to get myself into The Organization. 

In theory it all seemed fine; I have already been in a group like them, I'd done it for four years. Now I felt like I was about to have a panic attack and it wasn't because of the ghoul I was going to have to face, or ghouls.

I didn't have to tell him anything though because he could feel it all. He could feel it in the way the tension radiated off me, he could hear it in the way my heart was pounding inside my chest, and he could see it in the look in my eyes. He knew everything I was thinking, everything I was feeling, and for some reason he wasn't trying to stop it. 

"You're going to be fine. You know what you're going up against, both supernatural and human. We have a plan in case things go wrong. Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

I nodded and he gave me a hug, kissing the top of my head. 

"This would be so much easier and less frightening if we could just communicate with each other without words. You know, like if I could talk directly to your mind or something."

James went rigid. 

"What?" I asked pulling away slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong at all. We can talk about it later."

I eyed him suspiciously but the sun was setting and we needed to get a move on if we were going to try and follow our plan. 

We'd been keeping a close eye on where the bodies had been found and they all seemed to come from within the same area. Assuming the ghoul or ghouls killed and left the bodies in the same location, that would mean they would be around at some point. 

James went off to find a location that provided all the necessary things; the ability to tell what was going on while being out of the way in case The Organization swooped in. 

When the sun was completely hidden, I found out why the ghoul would pick a place like this. None of the lights worked, giving it the perfect place to be. 

I wanted to turn on my flashlight, but I knew that it would do more to scare it off than help me. 

I found myself wondering what possibly could have made James react like that when I talked about being able to communicate with him from a distance without talking. Had there been something wrong with what I'd said? If so, what was it?

I was too lost in my own thoughts about his reaction that I nearly missed the fact that there was something else in the alley with me. 

I reached my hand behind, touching the make-shift blade that I had at my back. It would hopefully be sharp enough to behead the creature in one motion. Then I would just have to set it on fire. I didn't want to do this before anyone else got here though. 

My goal was to show them that I knew what I was doing, that I knew about the paranormal world, and that I knew how to fight it. I wanted to be in a good position where they would want to bring me in with them. 

I stayed back a little, listening around. I didn't hear anything else, it didn't sound like there was a victim if it was indeed the ghoul. It would be odd for it not to have a victim though. This would be prime time for it to grab someone. 

I heard a snarl from behind me and I turned to the side. I knew that the wall was only a couple feet behind me now, and I wanted to keep it that way. If I couldn't really use light at the moment, I wanted to make sure that nothing could get behind me. At least not without me knowing it. 

My heart started to race and my palms got sweaty. I had no idea why I was having this reaction to hunting, this was something I did all the time. Or something I used to do all the time. 

I pulled out my makeshift blade and clutched it tightly in my hand. It would be bad if I stumbled upon a human, but I was pretty sure humans didn't make sounds like the one I'd just heard. 

I wished I had my dagger, but in this situation it wouldn't really be helpful. I needed something that would take its head off in one clean sweep. Right now, I wasn't entirely sure the blade that James had helped me make would do the trick. I knew that my dagger wouldn't. 

I'd decapitated things before with that dagger, and it had always been a struggle. Partly because I just wasn't as stong as I needed to be. If this didn't work, it would probably be my lack of strength. 

I went further into the alley and I saw something moving around near the wall of trash on the other side. I slowly left the relative safety of my wall and crossed the few feet to the other side. I inched closer to the rustling and I heard it stop. 

I sucked in my breath and held it. I didn't want to give myself away. 

I took another step and I felt the rock hit the toe of my shoe, followed by the sound of it moving along the concrete ground. 

The thing in the trash leaped up and out of the mound toward me. I bit my lip to hold back the scream that was stuck in my throat and stumbled back slightly nearly falling to the ground. 

When the moonlight hit the creature I felt like a complete and utter fool. It had just been a cat rummaging for food. 

I put my back to the wall and let out a long sigh. 

Get your shit together. You've already seen one of these things. You've killed one before. This isn't any different from what you've done the past four or five years. 

Yeah, but you always had back up for the other stuff. You even had James as back up for the last ghoul, my little devil's advocate whispered in my ear. 

The two parts of me were warring inside, the one that knew I could do this, and the one that had it's doubts. I wasn't sure who was winning at the moment. 

I knew that James wasn't far away, hell, he'd probably witnessed my moment of idiocy. He was probably laughing at me. He most likely would have known right away that it was a cat with his wolfish eyesight and hearing. 

I took another deep breath and then started walking the alley again. When there wasn't anything there, I made my way to the next  alley and carefully looked it over. 

After the third one, it looked like I was going to be out of luck and that I'd have to try again tomorrow. When I was about to give up was when it finally happened. 

I heard a muffled scream. I didn't really see a ghoul muffling a scream, they don't care much if they're making a bunch of noise. I thought it was probably a robbery or something that was going on. 

I went down to investigate, keeping my makeshift blade close to me. It had been a man that screamed. I heard the sounds of a struggle and followed it to where it was happening. 

There it was again though, despite what I had thought. It was a ghoul attacking a man in the alley. I looked just as the moonlight cleared the clouds and I saw the pale white creature ripping a chunk of flesh from the man who was still screaming. 

I stopped for a moment, only able to watch what was taking place. I knew I had to behead the creature and I knew I needed burn him. I could wait around and just hope that people from The Organization were around. I needed to be smart about the way I did it. 

Luckily for me- not so much for the guy- the ghoul was busy with his... meal. That gave me more room to go up to him and in for the attack without him really noticing. 

I slowly made my way closer to the creature that was now feasting on the human. I had my blade ready for the strike. 

I was just a couple feet from him. I was mentally preparing myself for the blow that would deliver the fatal sweep when his head whipped around. His cloudy eyes still looking alert as he stared straight at me. 

Shit. 

He hadn't been as distracted as I thought. I spared a small glance for the man the ghoul had attacked, but all I saw was blood, flesh, and ripped fabric. I couldn't tell if he was still alive or not. For his sake, I hoped that he wasn't. I know I wouldn't want to be after that. I could see the areas where chunks of his flesh had been ripped away and eaten. I cringed slightly and forced my eyes back on the ghoul. 

It's cloudy eyes held mine, neither of us making a move. I was just frozen in place, it was assessing me. 

I mentally shook myself and sized up the ghoul. It looked much like the last one I faced. I knew it was stronger than it looked. I knew that I didn't have to be as careful as I would with a werewolf or vampire because it can't turn me into one of them. However, if it got a hold of me, the chances were high that it would kill me. That's why James was close by though. 

I kept still, more now for the sake of throwing it off than being frozen in place. The ghoul sniffed at the air and its sharp teeth shone in the soft light of the moon before another mass of clouds moved in sending us into darkness.

The ghoul had the advantage now. We were playing on his turf. It was pitch dark in the place of his choosing. He had the home field advantage. I was completely out of my element. 

I heard him move and I instinctively took a step back. I was going more by sight now than any of my other senses. I knew I had the light, and I knew it would come in handy. Just not yet. 

I heard it's snarl and sniffing as it came closer. I moved as quietly as possible but I knew it could see.

It was suddenly behind me. 

Its speed was the one thing that really gave it the advantage. There was a chance that I could go up against a creature like this in the dark, but with its speed, I was at a severe disadvantage. 

For the first time I pulled the flashlight out of my pocket and gripped it tightly in my left hand, the blade in my right. I turned around. 

I wasn't sure why the ghoul hadn't attacked yet. He should have been on me by now. I came into his territory, I interrupted his meal and I'm sure it knows what I'm here to do.

Maybe that's why. He knows I'm here to kill him so now he's going to toy with me.

I could hear him shuffling around quickly, cover all sides. It almost sounded like there were multiple. 

When I heard him move to my left side, I turned quickly and shown the light right where he was going. 

He let out a loud screech and pale knotted fingers moved to cover his face. I could see the dried blood under his cracked, ragged nails. 

I had to fight the urge to cover my ears from his screech and instead rushed in toward him keeping the light trained on him. I went in for the kill but his arm flew up and hit me hard in the chest. 

I flew backwards, the air leaving my lungs in a single puff with the assault. 

I tried to pull the air in as the ghoul ran toward me but it was like my lungs didn't have the capacity for it. 

The flashlight was lying a couple feet away, the blade at my side. At least I still had the weapon. 

I brought it up as the creature pounced and it cut through his flesh. He leaped off with another scream and a claws hand raked out getting my arm. 

I gasped and my hand went up to touch the wound. I could feel the blood as it came to the surface and started to flow. My eyes went wide as I looked at the face of the ghoul. His cloudy eyes were locked on me, his mouth salivating at the scent of my blood. 

I needed to do this now or else it was going to be over. He was done playing around. 

I had to remind myself that James wasn't far away. He would intervene before anything too serious happened. At least he was supposed to. 

I rocked forward onto my knees and had the blade ready. I pulled my toes under so I could make a quick dive for the light. I made the count to three before I moved, both the ghoul and I main at the same time. 

We collided on the ground but I got the light. I turned it on him and he screamed again before darting away and into the darkness. 

The adrenaline was pumping through me now and it took away the pain from the scratch. 

I looked around for the creature but it was nowhere to be found. I wondered for a moment if maybe it ran off-- that was before he attacked me from behind, sending my face straight into the cement ground. 

I heard someone else come up, a male. James was here. He was here to help me out of this. 

I turned under the ghoul just as his teeth sank into my shoulder. 

I hissed, closing off my throat and refusing to let any sound through. I gritted my teeth and brought the blade around as I turned. 

I threw my body weight into it, pushing myself into the ghoul. 

I somehow managed to push him back and onto the ground. I the added the force to make my blade go all the way through the flesh and bone. 

I saw a couple fore torches running toward me from down the alley and the man that I had heard was speaking to me. 

A hand was on me, trying to pull me off the ghoul below. 

It wasn't James. This was The Organization. 

The torches bobbed and they came closer and only when they were a few feet away could I make out facial features to the carriers. 

Neither of them said anything as they worked on burning the body. However the man that had pulled me off sure had a ton of questions. 

"-ame?"

"What?" I asked. 

"I asked who you were. What's your name?"

"Eliza Jacobson," I said giving him the alias I was under. 

"What in the world were you doing out here? You could have gotten yourself killed."

Now for the story James and I had worked on. 

"I just had to come out here. I saw the stories in the paper about the people. I thought I knew what it was and I wanted to help. Turns out I was right and I could help," I smiled slightly despite the pain that was working its way back. 

"What are you doing out here? You would be in just as much danger as I would be. Even more so, it doesn't look like you have any weapons... besides the fire they have." I pointed toward the people burning the body. 

"We have training."

"Well I've trained myself."

I needed to be careful in these waters. I didn't want to sound too proud, but I also didn't want to sound incompetent. I needed to make them want to take me in.

"There's a person over there. I don't know if he's a live or dead."

One of the people with the torches went over in the direction I had pointed.

"Why'd you wait so long?" I couldn't help it. The question had been out before I had the chance to stop it.

The man's head tilted to the side and his brows rose.

"I mean, the number of people who died. You could have found the creature sooner and saved some people."

"We tried," a woman with a torch said as she came closer. "Two of the people in the paper were ours."

My eyes went wide. I definitely hadn't expected that. 

"You lost two to that?"

She nodded. "We hope that was the last one."

"We need to take her in," the man that had been asking all the questions said. 

"What for?" The woman asked.

"Look at her. She's been bitten and scratched-"

"It's not like it turned me. It couldn't turn me," I said a little defensively.

"And she knows quite a bit," he pointed out. "I think we need to figure out just how much."

"Fair enough," the woman said as she stepped closer. "Com'on."

"Whoa. You can't take me against my will, and I am not going anywhere unless I know what's going on. I just met you all, and not exactly in the best circumstances." I didn't want to seem too eager to go with them. I needed it to be their own idea. Apparently I wasn't going to have an issue with that though.

"You'll either come with us of your own free will right now," the woman warned. "Or we'll be dragging you out of here with us against it. The choice is up to you."

I raised my brows at that and relented. I gave myself over to them and the three surrounded me as they walked me out of the alley. 

I hoped James was nearby. I hoped he was able to see what was happening, but I'd made him promise not to follow me beyond this point. Hopefully for the sake of both our lives, he would listen.