The woman screamed as she fell deeper into the dark abyss; soon those screams were replaced by the sound of rushing flames that swept past the two humans form dragons that had tossed the woman in. Soon, hovering in the air before them, was the same young woman, but different. Her presence made even these great monsters tremble in fear from what they had re-released into the world.

The two dragon-men bowed to her as she landed gently on the edge of the chasm and after a few words, their eyes raised to hers as they welcomed their mother back to the earthly plane. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, someone else knew what had transpired...The tall, solidly built man tossed and turned in his hotel bed, knocking the prostitute he had bought earlier onto the floor.

"You ASSHOLE" she screamed out at the exact same moment he sat up grabbing at

his eyes as he somehow witnessed the one thing he despised more than all the things he killed daily being reborn. He rolled out of bed just narrowly avoiding a right hook from the semi-nude pro that had no idea that the good-looking guy she had spent most of the night with was far from being something she would want to hit. Especially in the state, he was in at that moment.

He walked into the bathroom and shouted to the woman, "Take the money on the

bureau and get out. Now!"

The pro didn't have to be told twice. In her line of work, she knew that once she heard a tone like that it was best to just get her money and leave. Grabbing her clothing, she got dressed quickly, putting on the minimum that was needed to go back out on the streets without being accosted by someone. She took the money off the bureau; there was at least five times more than they had agreed on, but she felt she was owed after being so rudely awakened, so she crammed the cash into her bra and grabbed her purse before hurrying out. She could still hear the John shouting profanity as the elevator doors closed.

Meanwhile, back in the hotel room, the man felt sick as the images he saw from the dream along with his own origins and birth replayed before his mind's eye. He saw himself beheading his mother with the very sword he was born with. A sword instead of fang, wing, horn or claw like his other siblings; though they shared the same blood; had scrabbled to life on the same unholy ground. But, unlike the others, he had something else that they didn't - an urge to be something that no monster had ever wanted to achieve before. He wanted to be what he saw reflected in the puddle of his mother's blood. He wanted to be human not something that had to lurk in the dark, and as he'd made that realization, he'd felt his hand tighten around the hilt of his sword as he heard the roars of his siblings coming closer. As one entered the birthing chamber his eyes flashed and he seemed to disappear for a moment before the thing that had entered let out a gurgle as it separated into two halves and fell to the ground. He stood behind it grinning. It had no name, and there would be no others because they were the first. In that moment of death, he could hear his sword whispering the way he could claim his desire. He'd forced himself to breathe deeply as he considered the dark abyss of the cave…

Thoughts of that bloody night were driven from his mind as a tinny rendition of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" rang through the air, returning him to the now rather than the then. He made his way from the bathroom into the main room where he saw his cell phone light strobing with the music. He picked up the phone, glanced at the caller id, and flipped it open."What do you need Bobby?" As he listened to his old friend talk, telling him what was going on, he realized the dream was real and that she had returned.

"I'm in San Francisco. I'll leave right now and try to be there by morning."

With that, he flipped the phone closed then went over to the bed. He lightly touched the sheets, reminiscing about his fun night, before grabbing the mattress and flipped it up to reveal his sword. As dark as the night that spawned them the blade waited, as much a part of him as he was of it.

"Looks like the bitch is back." As those words left his lips, the sword started

As those words left his lips, the sword started to hum with a powerful aura. Reaching down to pick it up he was most rudely interrupted. Shards of glass sprayed around him as the hotel window exploded. The unexpected visitor was dressed in black, pretty face at odds with the taught leathery flaps of skin on bony fingers spreading out from her back. Her wings relaxed, folding back into herself as she stood before him, her eyes told him she was afraid that she was still willing to do Mother's will.

"Hello little brother,"

she said before lunging at him with both of her clawed hands encircled in flames. Not bothering with pleasantries, the man tossed the mattress into her path. As the two things collided he grabbed his sword and removed it from its sheath. He ducked as the mattress exploded in two and a long gash ran along the wall from the expanded force. He didn't see a body, so he knew he missed her or she had gone back out the window. As his eyes traced the room, he heard her voice

"So, the stories are true. After all the years of giving life to our kind she gave life to the thing that slew her and sent her to limbo even before she could name you."

She dropped down from where she had been clinging to the ceiling. Her words made him smile slightly, only causing the female dragon to get even angrier and lash out trying to get close enough to her prey to destroy him. Snarling as she was forced back, she missed the man's muscles tensing when his eyes turned towards her. She tried to back away, but it was too late. The sword swung forward; the force of the air looking like a blade itself traveling towards its target. Snapping out her wings she tried to block it only to see them shredded in the split second before she was cleaved in half. The hunter stared down coldly at the mess while he wiped his weapon on the bed sheets. "I guess an 'I'm sorry' Mother's Day card won't cut it if she wants me

"I guess an 'I'm sorry' Mother's Day card won't cut it if she wants my head."

He laughed at the thought then started to pack his belongings before

the authorities showed up.