Forgive the cliche, but it was a long, dark stormy night in Los Angeles.
Douglas Birchman, aka B.D., was a man of few words with a long rap sheet. He had already been incarcerated for armed robbery and possession of an illegal firearm, and had just jumped parole, meaning he would be locked up for good if they ever caught him again.
But B.D. wasn't known to be capable of much long-term thinking. Tonight, his only desire was to net a quick payday. And the fastest way to do that in his mind was to find some poor, helpless idiot walking down a deserted alleyway at night and mug them for all they were worth.
He had settled into a quiet spot behind a Dumpster, a mask over his face and a gun in his hand, one eye peeking through the cans looking for a target. And lo and behold, one appeared before him.
Based on the short height, he guessed it was a woman. Her face was completely concealed by the hoodie and scarf she wore, but her hands were in her pockets and she didn't seem to be that aware of her surroundings. Perfect.
He waited until she was within a couple feet of the cans before jumping out. "You wanna live, sweetheart? Give me your money!"
The woman held her hands in the air, seemingly shocked. As soon as B.D. asked for money, she went into her pocket and pulled out a small bundle. B.D. couldn't make out what it was, but he was sure it was the money.
"Now bring it over here."
Her hands still held high, the woman approached him. Pleased, B.D. lowered his guard. It proved to be a fatal mistake.
As soon as the woman was within close enough range, she struck his torso like a bolt of lightning. B.D. found a large knife sticking out of his chest. The life began to drain from him like someone was ripping his soul from his body. In five seconds, his lifeless corpse fell to the ground.
A nearby streetlamp began to crackle with life, producing just enough light to show strange shadows on the wall. As the woman reached down to pull her knife from B.D.'s chest, the image of two, large feathered wings on her back flashed across the exposed brick. And just like that, she was gone.