Death came with a spatter of gunfire. A quick "rat-tat-tat!," a cry of utter agony, and then -

silence. A few seconds later the air was split with a scream of terror as some homeless fellow

tripped over the body on his way to relieve himself. Well, it wasn't the first time his pants got

messed up.

All in all, just an average night in Los Angeles.

The one unusual aspect - a shadow on the rooftops. A soft curse in a woman's voice as she

realized she was too late, again. Not even the call to 911 would do more then bring a few cops

out to gaze in wonder at the body laying there. The killer long gone.

Silvia sighed and retreated into the darkness around her. Thigh-length leather coat flapping

against her legs. A quick jump down to the fire escape on the other side and she was on her way

back to the street. She didn't need to see the body. She knew who killed the poor man. And she

knew why.

The problem was catching the killer. Somehow Silvia was always just a few minutes late. Her

powers were weak yet. The flashes always came just a minute too late and she always showed up

when the killer was gone. The flashes never told her where he went. Just that he was going to kill

again. That made ten so far. Maybe countless others in other states or across the globe. A serial

killer who made no connection between himself and his victims. None of the victims had anything

in common.

Silvia had had the first flash of him a few months ago in the middle of training. She had been

trying to read her trainer's mind as to what card he was holding. As first she saw a bunch of

wiggly lines. Then suddenly it was a dark alley. A bloody knife flashing in the moonlight. She had

started to laugh, a deep man's laugh, and she could feel the hot blood on her hands, taste it in her

mouth. She enjoyed it. Savored it before passing out.

Ever since then she searched for the killer. He was cold, this one. Enjoying his kills like a one

enjoys a fine wine. He had struck terror in a usually heartless city. The stars had doubled their

security, drug dealers and their ilk suddenly weren't as easy to find. It wasn't the fact he killed.

People did that every day here. It was what he did after the kill.

He cut off their faces. Skinned the completely. In a swift, medical matter. Within seconds he

removed them. God only knew what he did with them. But the fact remained that he took them.

Yet managing to leave little to no DNA evidence - or even finger prints behind. The only one who

had a clue was a young psychic.

"Any luck?" Nic's head popped out of the fridge as Silvia flung herself onto the couch. Why did

they keep such a thing in the kitchen anyway?

Blowing a curly strand of blond hair out of her eyes, Silvia sighed. "No. I just missed him again."

Taking off her thick glaces, Silvia rubbed the bridge of her tiny nose. Silvia was a youthful

looking girl of twenty-three, a bit on the heavy side. Her near-sighted eyes were a hazel-green,

almond-shaped with thick, black lashes that turned blond at the tips. She was not was men

considered beautiful now a days, but any man couldn't deny she was pretty. Especially with the

frustrated, pouty look she now had. "I just can't get there in time. If the flashes would come

sooner...."

Nic shook his head. "Don't push it, Sil. You know you shouldn't." Nic was about 35 with a thick

head of dirty-blond hair, brown eyes behind glasses just a bit thicker then Silvia's. His hair was

long and he kept it in a pony tail. "Want some liver?"

Silvia gagged and stood. "I'm going to bed." Dragging herself up the stairs, Silvia sighed. Falling

into bed fully dressed and falling asleep seconds later. Nic came in, chomping on his liver

sandwich as he took off her glasses and put them on the stand next to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The kill had been good tonight. Quick and clean. With a few swift cuts the skin of the face easily

popped off. Then it was only a matter of finding a spot in the dark. Away from all light. His

hands shook in glee as he turned the face over looking at what use to be veins and arteries. It felt

good against his skin. A perfect fit. Maybe this one would last. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill

anymore.

Actually, that would be too bad. He liked the killing. The killing was fun. Finding someone with

the perfect face. Killing them and removing the face. It was exciting. Especially reading it in the

papers afterwards.

The melding was complete. Now he could walk amongst the others. Be just like them. And they

would never know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nic held out his hands, both closed. "Which one. Don't guess. Just take a second to think about

it, alright?"

Closing her eyes, Silvia concentrated. There was a sudden scream from Nic as the object in his

hand turned burning hot. With a half-grin, Sil opened her eyes. "Right?"

"Oh bite me." Nic snapped, blowing on the red spot on his right palm. "On second thought, strike

that. You might actually make that happen."

Silvia laughed and stood up. "Nah," she said as she grabbed a sodapop from the fridge. Mentally

she popped it open and caused a stream to swirl up into her mouth. "I'd rather bite the heads off

chickens."

Snorting Nic stood up. There was three other people he had to put through their paces today and

he just didn't have the time to mess with Silvia. She had been in a good mood all week - it was

creepy, she was always in a good mood for several weeks after one of the murders. Then

suddenly she'd deteriorate. One could tell a killing was due when she started snapping at people.

Then she'd have a flash and someone else would turn up dead.

Silvia turned back to the fridge. Pursing her lips as she looked inside. Her hand began to shake

and the soda boiled in the can to nothing. She dropped it, screaming as she held her head.

Someone was holding her up. Words of comfort spewing forth. With a growl, Silvia pulled away

and rushed out the door. She had gotten a flash. Maybe this time she'd be in time. Outside as the

cold night air hit her she pulled the shadows of the night around her and begin to run.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It hadn't lasted! It hadn't! The man had been sick and the sickness was in the face. Making it rot

away too quickly. Worst, now he had the illness. He should've know. The man had been awfully

thin, but the face had no blemishes, no sores. So he had ignored his thinness. Now he was paying

for it.

There was one who could help him though. One who's face would last. Though he hated the idea

of using a woman's face, it wouldn't be the first time. He had dreamed of her while killing. A

beautiful woman with glasses. Her skin was clear and creamy. It would work. Perhaps it would

even heal him. She had powers, this one, strong powers that she couldn't control yet. Once he

had her face he'd have her powers.

First though, he needed to bring her to him....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Silvia could sense his frustration. The face had rotted away all of a sudden, there had been an

illness there. The newspapers had reported this latest victim was just entering the first stages of

full-blown AIDS. The flash had come quickly and painfully this time. Splitting through her skull

like an axe.

Entering the alley, Silvia let the shadows fall away from her. He was near, she knew it. Felt it deep

in her bones. It was an ice-cold shiver on her psychic waves, like ice water suddenly running

through her veins.

"Pretty girl.... pretty, pretty girl...." his voice was raspy, like he had a throat full of rusty nails.

"Such pretty skin. Healthy skin."

A shiver snaked it's way up Silvia's spine as he moved forward. She knew what to expect, but to

know it and to see it was two different things. He was hunched over, his knuckles dragging on the

ground. His skin was like mud with a thick coating of mold on top. Hair grew in patches all over

his body, which was too twisted for more then a pair of shorts. His legs bowed and twisted. As

for his face....

He had no face. Just a big black hole from which two globe-like eyes stared. There was no

muscles, no veins or tissues of any kind. Just a big, black void.

A wave of dizziness hit her at the sight. She was so off-kilter that she never noticed when his

ham-fist slammed into her chin. Silvia flew back into the side of a dumpster, head spinning. He

was laughing, and Silvia laughed his laughed.

He paused, if he eyes were capable of widening, they would've. How could that have happened?

Silvia stood and began to walk like him. Shadows encased her face so only her eyes showed - the

glasses making them look huge. Her fist slammed into his gut and now it was his turn to fly

backwards. There was a cracking sound as the brick wall behind him gave way. He stood again,

turning just as a homeless man stumbled against him. Before Silvia could do anything he had

broken the man's neck and cut off his face. Then he slapped it onto where his face was suppose to

be.

Staring in horror, Silvia watched as the face melded with the rest of him. The kinks and twists

straightening, his arms shortening, the hair patches shifted to the top of his otherwise bald head. It

was like watching an ape evolve into a man.

"Next time, pretty girl. Next time...." With that he turned and ran. Leaving Silvia behind quickly.

Shaking her head, Silvia lurched out of the alley, reaching for her cell phone to find it crushed.

She stopped the first person she saw and begged them for help. "He just snapped his neck and I

couldn't stop him - Oh God...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He couldn't get her. Not once she laughed - laughed with his voice. So he decided to scare her

instead. Kill a person in front of her and show her what he allows no one else to see. Let her see

the change that made him from Thing to Man. She was too scared to move. To stop him. That

was good.

But it was not good that she laughed with his voice. That was bad. Very, very bad. He'd have to

do something now. Something to her friends. Yes, that was the way to get her face now and

forever. By doing something to one of her friends....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nic popped his neck then laid out to enjoy the sunlight. Closing his eyes, the sun worshiper laid

his body out for the dangerous UV rays to turn it a toasty brown.

A shadow blocked the sun though and Nic opened his eyes to look into the face of a stranger. The

young man nearly vomited as he saw a piece of the man's face slough off and fall right onto Nic's

chest. Where the skin had been was just a black emptiness.

"Face not good," the man said, "the skin's not clear. Too much sun, going to get skin cancer

soon."

"What....?" That was all Nic was able to get out before a foot slammed into his chin. He tasted

blood from a broken tooth and stars shot before his eyes. One more upside the head and Nic was

out cold.

"Now she comes. Now she trades. Herself for friend. Her face for his. Yes, now she comes...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm looking over, a four-leaf clover, that I over-looked before," Silvia sung to herself as she

pulled weeds from the garden. The house they all lived in was one of those huge mansions,

donated to them by some old movie starlet who "owed all her success to psychics." At least,

that's what her will said. Thankfully she had no children or relatives to dispute the will. The

garden normally would take months to weed with just one person, one ordinary person, that is,

but Silvia simply identified a weed, then sent a psychic blast that kill it's roots and the roots of any

other weeds just like it all over the garden. Making an extremely long process the work of a hour

or so.

It was as she was doing this work that she saw one of the younger members of their little group

rushing across the lawn. Michael was a ten year old foster child they had taken in. He had been

kicked out of many places because he was a firebug. Anything he wanted to burn, burned. It had

caused some problems because anytime he was emotionally or physically distressed a fire would

break out nearby. Everything in his room had to be fire-proofed.

"Silvia!" Michael panted, bending over just a bit in an attempt to catch his breath. Sweat gleaming

on his brown skin and soaking his mop of curly brown hair. "Some guy - he took Nic! Left this

for you!"

With shaking hands, Silvia took the note. Her name was written on the top in big, childish block

letters.

"Silvia -

You trade now. You for friend. Your face for his. You find me."

Standing quickly, Silvia began to run. Psychic power boosting her speed. A flash came hot and

hard, but it just urged her to go faster. She knew where to go now. It was time for one final

show-down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She comes. He can feel her coming. The power she carries will heal him. Finally he will be

normal. Like the others. To walk amongst them. Be like them. He'll have a family. The killing

can't stop though. Must keep killing. It's fun. Oh it's so much fun. Once she's dead he can kill

her friend, and then her other friends. Kill kill kill....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With one final push of mental and physical power, Silvia was there. One of the many condemned

buildings in the poorer side of LA. Silvia burst into it, jumping over a homeless woman sleeping

off a pint of cheap bourbon. Dust flew from her heels like jet exhaust.

She skidded to a stop in the middle of what use to be a lobby. Nic laid there, tied up. His face was

swollen up but he was alive.

And then there was him. He stood, the skin of his borrowed face slowly peeling away, the body

growing more and more twisted. "You trade now." He said.

"Yeah, right." Silvia snapped. With a thought a burst of power streaked from her and slammed

into him, sending him back into the wall behind him. Another burst and he was driven up into the

ceiling and three floors above with the snap of rotten wood. Silvia used her powers to cut Nic's

bonds free. "Get out of here."

"No - you need help." Nic began to cough.

"Get out of here. Now." Silvia used her power to force Nic to run out of the building. Then she

stood just as the nameless one jumped from his landing spot back into the lobby. He rushed her

only to be stopped by an invisible wall.

Then something happened, pain came crashing into her mind. Silvia fell to her knees. Though a

fist soon caused her to fly upwards again. She laid where she landed, moaning in pain. There was

a flash of silver before her eyes as the knife descended. A scream of pure anger poured forth from

her. Fueled by her powers. She watched as the skin was rent from the hand in front of her. Sitting

up, she continued to scream. Wood, dust, everything in the scream's path was ripped asunder. As

for him, he screamed too, screamed in pain as his flesh was flayed from his bones, then even they

vanished. A black void stood where he had, then collapsed in on itself. Silvia sagged to the floor

in a faint even as people peeked into the hole she had caused.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something cold and wet was pressed against Silvia's face. Opening her eyes, she blinked at the

blurry faces in front of her. Her glasses were handed to her and she put them on. Nic, looking

worst for wear, smiled weakly to her. "It's over now, Silvia. He's gone."

"Yeah, I know. I can't feel anymore." Sighing, she took off her glasses. "I need sleep." Moaning

softly she rolled over. "Next time, I'm taking throat lozenges with me."

The End