Caligo stood quietly in a dark corner, her black coat enabling her to blend in well with the shadows around her. She could smell the strong tang of alcohol from the bar, just inside the roadhouse. She flicked an ear as she listened to the loud, rowdy, drunken patrons. Her tail flicked behind her and she shifted her weight to her other hip. She glanced around her at the few people outside of the inn. They paid her no mind, and didn't seem to notice her presence, as long as she was careful, they wouldn't be any wiser, at least not until after it was too late to help. 

She froze and leaned further into the cover, the night concealed her well, but she didn't have any desire to take unnecessary chances. Not yet. She struggled to refrain herself as a small child past under her nose, so close that she could reach out and lick his face with her tongue if she had wanted to. She didn't and he went on his way, completely oblivious to her. She had her eyes on a much bigger, and more flavorful prize. 

She gave a long breath and listened intently to the scene unfolding within the bar. She heard chips being shuffled and could picture a group of guests playing a game of poker or other sort of gambling. Each player sitting, staring intensely at their cards, and putting whatever dispensable object they had at hand on the table. Glasses tinkled and she could imagine a bar lined with drinking occupants: some requesting straight whiskey or bourbon and others preferring more refined drinks. Then there was that odd individual at the end that drank only water and only acted as drunk as the rest. She'd stay away from them.

Laughter and catcalls could be heard as well, from both males and females, and she could only assume what an enjoyable time they were having on the far side of the inn. She licked her lips and casually paid attention to the few people that were walking along the street. She heard footsteps that came to an abrupt stop and she glanced behind her curiously. A young man stood a short distance away from her with his mouth gaping open and his eyes appearing to bulge out of his head. He looked barely old enough to walk the street without an adult, a teenager. 

She bent her large head around and looked at him squarely. He had seen her, so she had no qualms about moving freely in front of him now. She mentally reached out to him and could feel the panic and uncertainty bouncing around in his head like a fast moving ball. She breathed a puff of air in his face and emitted a low grumble from her throat. Don't stray too far from your mother's side, boy. She spoke to him. You might get hurt. She opened her jaws and stepped towards him, her ears pinned back and neck arched, ready to strike. He gave a short scream before racing off down the street.

She growled low in her chest and swung her head back around so she was again hidden in the gloom. Stupid kids. She thought to herself. She pinned her ears back and again focused her attention to the inside of the pub. She heard a loud, shuffling set of footsteps as they made their way to the door. A table was bumped and skidded loudly across the floor. She licked her lips in anticipation. The big, sloppy drunk made his way onto the porch after opening the door of the inn. He stood there for a second, almost falling over. 

He smelled of stale alcohol and musk and various other things. His shirt and pants were stained and his boots were untied. His hair was unruly and his beard was in need of maintenance. Perfect. She watched him step toward the edge of porch and into to the darkness surrounding her. Once he was out of the light illuminating from the roadhouse, she lunged forward and sank her teeth into the flesh of his neck. He uttered a sharp, choking cry before she subdued him and pulled him by the shoulder out of the road. 

She dragged him to the beach, out of sight of any passersby from the street or guests from the inn. There, she shredded his clothing and tore into the soft flesh underneath. She relished the sweet meat, now flavored with the bits of alcohol in the man's bloodstream. Her tongue tingled and she lapped up the blood in delight. It would only take her the better part of the night to finish him, the only remains would be a few scraps of cloth and bone. No, she would not mind staying here for a little while, picking off a drunkard or two every few nights wouldn't cause a lot of harm at all. 

It had been some time since her father had instructed her to “lay low” for a while until his return. Of all the last things she could recall before their world fell into a sunder, Rize had been with him contemplating over one of her numerous brothers, one that seemed too whiny and needy in her face, but one that could prove to be a useful pawn in their father’s schemes. But even with his wisdom, neither of them saw this coming and it wasn’t until after she had awakened that she knew that she was brought into this fascinating realm. Unsurprising he had found her within days- if he wanted something it was damn near impossible to deter him from it. Apparently he had other business to conduct so he left her be until his return.

Rize, ever the loyal one, kept her word and secluded her darkest of dreams from her thoughts. Though in an area such as the roadhouse, it was quite a temptation that she had to stray from. On this particular night, she was especially bored and decided to take a little stroll while the streets weren’t as busy. Dressed in a frilly blue dress that complemented her set of icy eyes and her hair was done up with a few strains around her face. Each step she took with her black boots echoed out around her as she leisurely enjoyed her walk. She could hear a few people out here and there, most likely taking advantage of the darker hours to take pleasure in some sort of debauchery.

Given from the stenches that clouded around them, she deduced that most found their company in the inn’s drinks as she watched a couple stumble drunkenly down across from her. Aside from them and some foolish children that should be tucked away, she found nothing that could kept her interest for long. A small pout etched onto her pale face as she continued her pace, tempted to break her oath to her father about playing nicely when she noticed a large oaf of a man. Alone and intoxicated, he would have made a perfect plaything for Rize as she watched hungrily as the man stumbled about from the safety of the roadhouse and into nothingness. While she pondered on what she would do with him, something unexpected happened. Something that she didn’t spot nor plan for.

From the darkness, she heard his pain, his failing attempts to scream for help. She would likely be one of the only three to hear it between them and who or whatever was causing him harm. Standing out in the distance, she listened to cries die down before she slowly followed the perpetrator and its victim down to the coast. From there, it didn’t take long before the smell of blood filled her nose The feast in of itself didn’t disturb Rize, the weak were made to feed the strong and this was no exception to her.

“My, someone’s hungry”, she said, almost cooing in her tune as she came around to inspect the body from a good distance. She was smart enough not to get too close to make it seem like she was going to interrupt or steal the creature’s dinner. She had to admit, she was hadn’t seem such a being like this predator before, but it spark her curiosity. A sweet smile flourished across her dark painted lips; boredom seemed miles away from the demon now. “Pity, I was going to have fun with him, but I suppose he’s better off this way” 

Caligo sensed her presence before she saw her. The sharp tang of smoke gave her away. She growled low in her throat as she lifted her head up from her kill, a long intestine trailed out from between her teeth. Blood splattered up her muzzle and tarnished her white teeth a sickening red color. She flicked her head up and swallowed the rest of the innards, ignoring the saliva and bodily juices dripping down from her chin. She reached out with her mind to the girl and felt the magic emitting from her.

Watch yourself girl. She cautioned, her warning was partially sarcastic. Magic didn't faze her in the slightest. It's not in my nature to share. She flicked her bony tail between her legs and stared at her with her eyeless sockets. She momentarily pinned her ears back, but brought them forward once more as she returned to her meal. She closed her teeth on a few of the man's ribs before planting a hoof on his opposite arm. With a mighty jerk of her head and a sickening splintering, the rib cage snapped into bony pieces and the large organs started to seep out. She slipped out her tongue and snaked it around the bones in order to lap up the blood that was gathering at the bottom of the new cavity.

She went for the liver and heart next, plucking them out from between the shattered ribs with a cannibalistic delicacy. Her narrow mouth could fit easily between the bones to carefully pick up each organ in turn. Once the organs were taken, she proceeded to strip the meat from his bones with her teeth, in the process making a horrid grating sound of bone against bone. She discarded the scraps of clothing to the side and paid them no mind. She cracked a bone in her jaws and sucked the marrow out with her tongue. She was faintly surprised that the girl was still there when she was finished.

 She snorted at her and raised her head. What are you staring at? She licked her jaws and wiped her mouth on her shoulder. It's rude to watch someone eat, don't you know. She glared at her as she slowly walked away from her kill, there wasn't much left of him anyway. Enough to incite a murder investigation, maybe. But the hoof prints would be misleading. Horses weren't hunters. Normally. She knew humans were ignorant, and because of that, she was able to take advantage of them. A horse wasn't a fast, cold-blooded hunter, especially not of men, they were sweet, innocent, grass eating mounts. 

She left a set of hoof prints behind her as she made her way toward the girl in the blue dress. She was standing still and didn't move as she got closer and stopped in front of her. Shouldn't you be with your mother, child. It's dangerous to be alone at night. She moved around the girl, inspecting her, trying to see a way through her bluff. She bumped her hard in the back with her snout to make her take a step forward. She grinned wickedly as she stopped in front of her again. She extended her black tongue and licked the side of her cheek, not caring if she left a smear of blood on her face. She didn't have the alcoholic tang, but she was young and tender instead. Tell me girl. She teased. What's to stop me from killing you right now?

Rize noticed the abnormal steed’s displeasure at its unannounced dinner guest before chuckling at the three words thrown at her. She’d imagine that the beast was used to being feared or drawing in disgust from victims and speculators alike. But she was a different sort, a far call from the average beings of this realm. Blood and gore hadn’t made her cringe since she was a child and her father had easily broken her out of that habit, and there were scary creatures in the shadowy plane that were akin to the one presented before her. “No, no. You can keep it all for yourself, lovely. I prefer my own kill anyway.” She waved it off before continuing to watch passively, the art of the dismembering of the fool brought forth a happy, amused sigh. At this rate, she doubted anything would remain and should he be missed, they would blame some sort of predator like a bear or something for his death, none being the wiser to the real killer. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought her father had summoned such a wicked beast from their home plane to wreak havoc in this realm.

The process seemed like it took ages, and throughout it all she lingered around like a plague to her host. “I’ve never been one for manner, so I do apologize”, the demon smirked while her tone held some seriousness in it. “My father failed to teach me that. Seemed to much like a human thing, I suppose.” She drummed at her fingers lightly, mirroring the movement of each one as if they were legs of a spider. All that she spoke so far was the truth, her dear beloved parental figure taught her much more destructive and unsavory things. Table manners didn’t seem to be very important to him and surely they weren’t to her. And given its feeding habits, neither was the horse’s. “And my mother? Don’t know where she is and I certainly do not care.” She had been snatched away, mainly because she couldn’t live in within her mother’s community without being shunned. And she preferred that of the darker side her father exposed her to.

Rize remained still and her head hung high as she felt the eyeless stare all over her. Was she being challenged? Or was it all a ruse? It was hard to tell, but it was thrilling nonetheless. The smile widened as she was pushed, it made her move a bit but she remained undeterred at the test. She wasn’t going to be scared off so easily, even as she felt the cold black tongue against her cheek. Some of the oaf’s blood ran onto her, but the demon didn’t rub it off. It just ran down to her chin and neck.

“I do not know, to be honest. If anything, you’d be able to take me down rather quickly. You are stronger and very much likely faster.” Tilting her head, eyes looked back to the remains of what had been a drunken fool and looked back to the steed. “However, I could tell you reasons why you wouldn’t want to starting now. You can gather more flies with honey- me being the latter and more of those like him being the former.” Her hand lifted up to meet with her snout, should she be allowed to anyway. If not, then she didn’t mind returning it back to her side.

“I could strike you a deal which would make it easier for you to hunt- I can allure more men here or anywhere you’d prefer and enjoy as much as your hunger requires.” She doubted that she actually needed help, but it would effectively decrease the waiting time between the hunt and the kill. “I offer this as an olive branch only; I need nothing more than to savor in the chaos you bring.” 

Caligo was thoroughly intrigued with this girl. She wasn't as human as her appearance made her out to be and she regarded her mother as worthless slime upon the earth. How interesting. What further impressed her more was her lack of fear. She couldn't smell in her pheromones any traces of fear or nervousness, which was very strange for most of her victims. She snorted in her face, making her hair bellow out behind her from her warm breath. 

She let the blood drip down her neck and didn't seemed to be alarmed in anyway. She turned her ears forward as she listened to her speak. She focused her attention on the dead man and then back to her. She spoke truth and was very clever in her ideas. She wondered the price, but the enjoyment of a kill was very satisfying to her. She licked her lips and bared her teeth at the girl, dropping her muzzle slightly to allow her nose to be touched. She smelled strongly of smoke, like a chard piece of meat,  but with no visible fire damage.

She stared intently at the girl, her eyeless sockets boring down into the girl's eyes. What demon possesses you girl to have so much love for the hunt? She asked her. To obsess over the kill and the butchery that ensues? What you wish is a simple request for me to accomplish and what you desire is easily given in return. Prove yourself to me your adeptness with men and that you are a worthy accomplice in this undertaking and I will return the chaos you desire four fold. 

She walked around the girl, continuing to sniff her and her clothing. I am a beast and a hungry one at that. I am never satisfied in my appetite for meat, man, woman, child, or animal. Though personally, I have always found the younger children to be the most tender of them all. She ran her cold teeth along the back of her neck and revealed in the shiver that she felt through her skin. She extended her tongue and wrapped it around the girl's neck, the feeling of her heart in her jugular tempted her to tightened her grip until it stopped. She wouldn't, not yet, she had too much to gain from this one. She was reluctant to let go and bumped her again with her muzzle. She grinned at the girl wickedly. If you fail me, I will have no qualms in eating you instead. 

She was pleased with the creature’s reluctance of slaughtering and devouring her like she had the man. While she couldn’t help but to also ponder what it had been that kept her alive for so long so far, Rize didn’t worry herself to death over it. Even if she had been declared right there and then a threat, or more so a wonderful snack, she would be sure to make her departure something that her friend wouldn’t forget.

“Some would say that I inherited it from my father. He is a demon that enjoys torture and spreading pain among others. Though there are others in league with me that savory it even grander, I do appreciate what the hunt means. Beyond the need to feed, it can also make one feel truly alive.” She couldn’t be sure if that’s how the steed felt when she claimed her victims, but if not, then surely Rize could feel the excitement for the both of them. “A simple task, but I surely do not mind”, she replied with a wider grin. The look in her eyes seemed more colder as she bored into Caligo’s stare. She could fetch her whatever victims that were preferred, it was just a mere matter of strategy. Children were likely the simplest for all they needed to hear were false promises of sweets and other goodies to lead them to stray from the safety of their homes to here. Women, though trickier, could be lied to and feed false promises of freedom or some other pleasures they would partake in. Men, the easiest of the three, needed only a bat of a pretty woman’s eyes, or to watch her hips swing or see some forbidden flesh to allure them to this spot. She could feel the coolness of her new accomplish on her hand and withdrew it.

Before any of it could be spoken, she felt the tongue draped around her neck. Between that and the words given to her afterwards Rize decided that it would be foolish to try and anger the steed any longer and nodded. “Fail? I have never done so before. Don’t plan on it either. I’ll be right back.” With that, she turned and casually walked from the beach and Caligo with the intent of returning to the inn. Once there, it didn’t take her to long before she spotted a couple of drunken buffoons and started to play with them and their affections. When it became obvious to them that they were trying to gain her favor from one another, that’s when words were thrown and soon fist were flying. Being the cunning woman she was, Rize merely watched as they were “escorted” off the premises by the inn’s staff and she followed a moment later. She convinced the two that one of them could spend the night with her should they finish what they had started, and were led by her to the beach. Once everything was settled, she backed away and watched as they bickered over her and starting fighting once more, becoming unaware of anything around them other than each other. All the while she looked on with keen interest at the fight, but in the back of her mind, she knew of the true victor in all this. It was only a matter of time…

Caligo cocked her ears forward as she listened to the little demoness. How interesting, she thought to herself. She was a corrupt and horrible little creature if she ever met one. Very unlike the humans she resembled. She had confidence, she would give her that. The little girl would do well with her. She watched her go before she licked her lips in anticipation and dragged the remains of the first man out into the ocean to be carried away by the waves. She covered her mess with fresh sand that she kicked over the blood.

She ducked back into the cover of the darkness, using her large tail to sweep her footprints away. She was almost invisible as she slipped into the dark water. Her tracks were concealed and her body was as well. She only kept the top of her head above the water as she laid down in the shallows. The water cooled her and reached her skin under her thin fur. She flicked her tail and the water swished on the surface. All she had to do now was wait. The girl said she would bring some people to her and she was content to wait.

She hid her teeth under the water, so their white color wouldn't reveal her presence. She had to only wait a short time before she saw the shapes of three people coming towards her. Two were large and likely intoxicated by the way they stumbled around in the light. The third was small and by her shape alone, revealed herself to be the woman that was luring the men out. She opened her mouth and growled quietly underwater. She was vaguely surprised that the girl was telling the truth. Not many children her age were this heartless.

She would surely not kill her this evening. She heard the girl talking, saying words she could not hear clearly, and the men started to go at it in the sand. Punching, kicking, biting, and with more than their share of swearing. They appeared to be fighting over the girl. Just her luck. She reached out to the girl, bring them closer to the water. She watched her, casually herd the men further down the beach and then back up out of the way. Good girl…she thought to herself

The men were oblivious to her as they pitched and rolled in the sand. She flicked her tail again and felt it hit something hard beneath the surface. She wrapped her tail around it, feeling a piece of metal buried in the sand and pulled it out. She she pressed it gently to get the shape of the object and realized it was a large hook, similar to what the fishermen use to get large fish at sea. Oh, yes, now she would have fun. She curled her bony tail around it and slowly rose from the water. 

The men were still very engaged in their scuffle by the time she reached them. She walked silently and it wasn't until she was almost on top of them did they notice. Gentlemen, all is fair in love. Their eyes went wide with shock and their mouths fell open at the sight of her. And in war. In a flash, she'd whipped her tail around and embedded the hook in the one man's neck. With as much speed as before, she yanked the hook out and blood spurted from the wound like a broken faucet. He tried to scream, but began to choke on his own blood and she saw bloody bubbles ooze rapidly out of his throat as he collapsed on the sand.

The other man was not so fortunate, and she took it upon herself to kill him. She reared up over the man, and proceeded to grind him into the sand with her hooves. He screamed a short time before she planted a hoof into the center of his face. He was still twitching on the ground when she grabbed him in her jaws and shook him wildly, as a wolf or fox would shake a rabbit. Blood sprayed violently across the sand as she jerked and snapped the bones in his body from the powerful snaps of her head. She dropped him and turned to look at the girl further up the beach. She panted heavily and licked her bloodied lips. Well done demon-child. She said to her. You may keep your life another night. And with gusto, she turned back to her new kills and proceeded to tear them apart.

Lit lamps caught a massive looming figure which his armor while he patrolled the darkness. His thick, sturdy feet thudded against the pavement, ending in two-toed claws which clicked against stones while he made his way down the street that divided the pubs and smaller buildings from the ocean’s soft sand.

It had been a quiet night so far, until he made it this far into the town. X’yros had heard the sounds of muted screams, the soft low-toned mutters, and the squabble near the beach. The iron stench of blood singed his nostrils, but he ignored his hunger burning his stomach. To say the least, he was not in the mood for death tonight. He was unaroused by the manner of the killings. Whoever they were, they were careless about their mess and impact they had left. A great snort billowed out from his narrow nostrils followed by a strong neck shake, this sudden movement caused the heavy plated armor to clink and clack together as his thick skin slid over his muscles. It was a sign of his agitation.

The behemoth paused at the corner of a building beneath a light while he watched as a group of rowdy men barrelled out of a nearby pub. Heavy laughter would rise every moment or so from the drunken men and X’yros easily picked out a familiar figure. A much more stout, rounded fellow who seemed to hog all of the attention. The man was prancing within the group playing out a scene that had recently occurred. His dark greasy hair stuck to his red face, sweat was dripping off his nose and ran down his dampened stomach. His dance was almost too embarrassing to watch even from afar with all of his unbalanced swaying and flailing arms.

“AYYYE THar SSSIIIRRRRRR, WOULD YE LIKE TO MAH PRETTY HAIR AND *hiccup* BRAID ME BUM.” Spit flung into the air and dribbled from his thick bottom lip while he stuck out his large rump to one of the shorter men who promptly reached out to slap him.

The thick man began swinging his fists in the air at the sudden attacker which began an uproar of laughter in the group of men. A small fight broke out and the smaller man slipped in a pile of horse manure and fell onto his back. Now the men all doubled over with laughter until they wept. If he was going to intervene, now would be the time to do so. X’yros’s large body began to gradually pull forwards while he followed the snail-paced group down the street. They hadn’t made it too far before the dark-haired man finished wiping tears from his face and faced the monster’s direction. The man froze, and he leaned forward, squinting, making sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. The men began to yell at him and tried to drag his attention back to their games, but he continued to stare red-eyed at the tall figure approaching.

When it finally registered in the drunkard’s brain of who it was, the man whirled around and immediately fell flat-palmed on the street. The group laughed even harder, but the dark-haired man quickly tried to pull himself together, huffing with a terrified expression. He shoved a few of people out of the way and quickly waddled around the corner into a dark alleyway.

Fool. X’yros thought. X’yros’s llazy body surged forwards, his feet began to distance themselves, and the sound of his heavy body began to echo whenever it collided with the ground while his speed increased. He set his pace at a relaxed trot which caused his muscles to sway like some graceful predator. The laughter died suddenly when the group noticed the creature that began to approach them. They stood solemnly, understanding why the man took off. X’yros had quickly cleared the distance between them, and the group trailed behind to witness the scene unfold.

The dark haired man had been slowed by a composting dump pile on the side of a cobblestone wall. He scrambled through the trash to barely grab ahold of the top of the stones with his nails, grunting like a pig the entire time. He screeched when he was suddenly yanked from the wall.

“PLEASE DON’ KILL ME I DIDN’ DO NOTHIN’!” His voice boomed and shook in panic.

X’yros stood back from the trash pile while being careful to keep himself clean. After lifting the man, X’yros dropped the mean near the alleyway entrance.

“Silence you idiot,” X’yros snarled. “You’ve been forgetting something.” His tone came from the depth of his chest to echo against the stone walls.

“OHY-YES. YA I REMEMBER NOW-” With effort the fatter man rolled himself into a sitting position and struggled to get back to his feet while he continued to nervously babble a list of excuses as to why he never paid what he owed.

X’yros released a snort while lunging forwards and snatching the man’s grubby thick throat “You better have it.” His voice was demanding and his golden unamused eyes glared down at the human.

“Yeesshhhhh— I gots it right her’ in me pocket.” He gasped for breath and dug around in his pocket until he produced a fairly heavy brown sack. “Aye din’t f-forget, Sir.”

X’yros released his grip and snatched the gold from his hand. A little light, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue or discipline tonight. He snorted and turned around in the small room between the buildings, pushing through the crowd that had gathered to watch until he was outside of the alley and back onto the main street. X’yros paused in the center of the street. His golden eyes darted when something moved in the darkness by the beach. When he focused his vision, he could make out something a bit larger thrashing about.

“Hmm.” He growled.

The fools continued in their feeble quest to try and win Rize over as the fists continued to fly. She stood there, silently enjoying the pain they caused each other. But it wasn’t just that she was taking satisfaction in; oh no, she knew that somewhere close was her new little friend. She would be waiting for sink her fangs into these strapping men. It wasn’t long into their little scrap that she heard the words of the demon horse speak to her, wanting her to drive them closer to the water. Eyes shifted over to the dark waters nearby before back at the gentlemen. “First one to the water can give me a kiss!”, she called out to them before strolling further into the beach. They ceased their brawl momentarily to grasp the concept of what just happened before they fought one another on their way towards her.

The fight continued once they reached the shore line and she watched leisurely, letting lust and wrath guide them down the road to their own destruction. Humans were so easy to lure into these traps, why she could have possibly did this with no effort whatsoever. But Rize loved to manipulate the weak, to string them along before they would be caught in her web of lies and mutilation. It was addicting to her to watch them struggle and squirm to no avail. Oh she loved it, but then things got more interesting once the real predator came out from the murky depths, and it seemed that she had a new toy as well. Licking her bottom lip, she counted the seconds as the horse got closer to the fools. Anxiety build it in her and she was starting to feel giddy about the devastation about to occur. It was so strong that Rize didn’t believe she could breath for a period of time and finally inhaled as the carnage begun.

The first to go had been dispatched with the large hook she wielded, and rivers of crimson gushed through his wound and upon seeing it, Rize started to laugh, but not in a way that was proper for a lady. More so one that belonged to a resident of the asylum, her wicked laughter showed how much of a monster she truly was underneath the heavenly appearance. Her smile widened until it seemed that she was literally grinning from ear to ear as she looked to the second man and could almost smell the stench of fear reeking from his body. But that wasn’t going to save him or grant him a kinder fate; on the contrary, the horse took to him with so much aggression and cruelty that it made Rize feel like she was intoxicated. The chaos brought before her was delicious, sweeter than any baked good she could get her hands on. Through the gruesome killings, some of their blood got onto her stained her blue dress and face, but she relished in it deeply. She was no longer the innocence but grim woman that was there before; no this was her true self, a monster that craved madness and death.

I’m happy you are so sated with this sacrifice”, she spoke smoothly yet the evilness painted upon her face. Death wasn’t really a fear she had, but she supposed she could merely keep up with the appearance to appease the beast. The fun was over for her and the spoils went to the victor, though something just didn’t seem right. The grin dropped and she looked around - something was wrong, she could feel it in the air. Were they spotted? No, that couldn’t be the case, they were alone. She was plenty sure of that. No something else was haunting her, but what?