Fay and Van stared at each other. Around them the sky was darkening, as if it knew that the Vampiric figure who had set the world at odds was gone, and it could relax into night again. Van was hunched over, more than normal. Fay looked at him. She saw the madness in his eyes burn and flicker, a fire set to burn against the world, as if daring it to try and extinguish the blaze within. She saw the strange figure walk away into the darkness, heard Van mutter to himself about a 'Red Herring Church'. Fay checked her Beretta. This time, they would kill Geoff. This time, he wouldn't escape. All this she saw in an instant, even as she stepped forward to stare the ex-cop in the eyes.

'Well I'm coming with you' she stated. There was no argument to be had here. But her comrade shook his head.

'No, this is something I must do alone. It's the place where this all began. And it's the place it must end'. Van's justifications didn't make much sense, but then nor had the past two hours. A thousand counters ran through Fay's mind: 'Why? Do you know what you're saying? That doesn't make any sense! You can barely stand' but all she said, in the end, was

'But we had a deal'. It was true. They had shaken. A pact had been forged. One did not break such pacts.

Van turned to her. She saw his arm tense, his fingers wrapped around the handle tighten. He spoke, even as he twitched.

'The deal's off'. Van jerked his arms up, forward. The Colt M1911 clutched in them raised, and as it did so, it pointed at Fay. Van felt no regret, no remorse. He pointed the barrel at her chest, and with Fay watching, but unable to do anything, unable to react, he pulled the trigger.

A dry 'click' cycled through the weapon. It failed to fire. Perhaps it had been disabled while he was unconscious, perhaps damaged in one of his falls. Perhaps it was not even loaded. But Van would never find out, never be able to investigate the Case of the Misfiring Gun, because in the moment that the mechanical click rang through the harsh night air, Fay raised her Beretta, acting more on instinct than rational though. And her pistol certainly was loaded. Fay squeezed the trigger, once, twice, thrice, four times.

Once. The bullet smashed into Van's ribs, breaking two. Somehow, he remained standing, despite the blood welling in his chest and mouth.

Twice. The second shot connected with his right shoulder. At this range, it went straight through and off into the night. A spray of crimson soared into the dark sky. Van staggered; he was hunched over from the first round, and this one snapped him back upright. Still, the man stood, defying the world around him.

Thrice. This round slammed into his upper left chest, around his heart. This was the round which dropped Van Helsinki. Pink froth welled in his mouth as he fell. Even as he did, with three ribs and a collarbone broken and several internal organs damaged, Fay could hear the sharp 'click click click' of Van's own gun. If it had been working, she would have died in that instant with him, in a hail of .45 calibre bullets. But it wasn't.

And four. The fourth was not strictly necessary, but with the last few hours of people constantly getting back to their feet, Fay was understandably nervous, and pragmatism never hurt anyone. Except Van. The fourth bullet enhanced the work of the first and third. Van's chest was now a mass of blood and broken bones. One rattling breath escaped his throat, then nothing. Fay waited a moment. The realisation of what she had just done sunk in. Then the realism of the situation came to her, and she blasted the rest of her Beretta magazine into Van's corpse, just to make sure. But the detective would never rise again. Van Helsinki was dead.

Fay prepared to run. She must reach the 'Red Herring Church'. She had not gone four paces away from Van's body before she realised, however, that she didn't know where the church even was. No matter. She would ask those who would. Fay retraced her steps, and not pausing by the bloody mess on the ground that had once been a man, she entered the gates to the house, and entered the door.

Inside, Woman was fed up. Given, she had finally ceased to be accused to being dead, but now Man and Jim appeared to be getting it on on top of her coffee table, and this was simply not on. She had told them as much, but they didn't appear to be paying much attention to her. More to each other. Svetlana sat beside her. The other woman seemed drawn into her own thoughts, pensive. Woman's recollections of the past day or so were hazy at best, but some of it she remembered crystal clearly. Especially being shot several times by the woman who now entered her living room. Woman jumped to her feet.

'Now look here-' she began, but the red-head cut her off.

'Look. I want to know where the Red Herring Church is. I'm going to find the bastard who did this, that Geoff Vampire, and I'm going to kill him. So tell me where the Church is, and I won't simply kill you all, burn this house down, and move onto the next one. That got their attention. Even Man and Jim looked up from where they had been drowning in each other's eyes. Woman closed her mouth, opened it again, then shut it. Then a thought stuck her.

'Geoff Vampire? The one dressed like a vampire?'

'Yes' Fay said with no little exasperation. 'He's at the Red Herring Church and I need to find it.'

'That way. Two miles.' Woman pointed. 'And I'm coming too.'

'What?' Fay turned to her.

'That 'Vampire' came into my house claimed to be a novelty themed stripper, only to bite me, dump me on a table and brainwash my housemate. I want him dead as much as you do. So I' – and here Woman pulled Man off the table – 'and my housemate are coming too'. Jim leapt to Man's side.

'And I. Where one goes, we both go'. Man and Jim linked arms, and started giggling to each other. Woman sighed in frustration. Fay nodded, mildly confused Then all four of them turned to Svetlana.

'You too?' asked Fay.

Svetlana shook her head. 'I've done quite enough today already' she said, settling back into her rather comfortable chair. 'After all, I'll watch the house'. Fay shrugged.

'Right, and now to deal with our mutual friend Geoff Vampire'. The band of four ran out of the door. Svetlana watched them go, shaking her head in silent amusement.