Ali opened her eyes and stared up at the insect-like ceiling of the Hive. She had about a minute and a half of pure bliss before the roaring started in her ears and a dull throb began at the back of her skull. She lay in her bed for five more minutes, waiting to see if it would get any worse. When the throb remained constant she sat up, glancing around. She had only just recently made this her 'room' and was still trying to get it just the way she wanted. She had raided the orphanage where she had once lived and created her first genocide, to take a cot, a chest of drawers for clothes, and an old table for the knickknacks she often collected from victims. Three aliens had had to help her drag everything into the sewers to get them to the Hive. The room was small and it had taken a lot of convincing for Tilda to even make it for Ali. She seemed to know Ali was trying to distance herself and had resisted at first, but eventually relented. She was holding out hope that this was simply a phase Ali was going through and would soon get over it, but it wasn't just a phase. It was something much more.

The cot's springs let out an exhausted groan as Ali climbed off the bed, the edges of her large nightshirt brushing her knees. As she crossed the small space over to her dresser, she pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it over her shoulder towards the cot. The first drawer squeaked along its rollers as Ali yanked it open and randomly grabbed underwear and a bra, putting them on one after the other. Her wardrobe used to be relatively simple, consisting of black jeans and black long-sleeved shirts, but recently, she had been raiding the homes of her targets, taking girl's clothing that sparked her interest. She still found herself favoring dark varieties, a natural habit given her nocturnal tendencies. Opening the second drawer, she pulled out a black and white striped shirt and pulled that over her head, followed by a pair of faded dark jeans.

As she stepped out of her room, she was greeted by Hermes, who faithfully waited by the entrance every morning. He, along with the rest of the aliens, seemed especially troubled by Ali's recent behavior and seemed to become more needing of her attention now. She smiled when she saw him and held out her hand which he gratefully stepped into, hissing softly. In spite of herself, Ali laughed.

Going out? Tilda asked as Ali crossed through the Queen's Chamber.

"Yeah," Ali replied, "I thought I'd head out a little earlier, before nightfall."

Do you think that is wise?

"No one's going to see me," Ali said, "The park closes around this time."

You have been going out earlier and earlier ever night. What is the matter?

"Nothing."

Ali.

"I said it's nothing!" It had been a reflex and only after she had finished the thought did she realize her mistake.

The Hive when deathly silent as Ali glared up at Tilda. For a moment she thought Tilda wouldn't reply, but then she spoke in a soft voice, Are you aware that is the first time you have spoken to me through your thoughts in a long time?

"What does that have to do with anything?"

I am worried about you. Something happened that night you returned from the Hunter's planet, something that you will not tell me.

"It's nothing, I'm fine."

Then why are you blocking my thoughts?

"I don't know! Sometimes I just need a moment to myself!"

Ali, Tilda tried again.

But Ali spun on her heel and stamped out the chamber. "Scorpio!" she called.

The Zabin leapt from the wall and landed gracefully on Ali's shoulder, steadying herself with her inverted tail. Ali heard Hermes and Apollo hissing, their intent clear. They planned to follow her and keep an eye on her, but then Tilda hissed them into submission. She let Ali leave with only Scorpio as her companion.

The last few rays of sunlight still clung to the horizon, casting red and pink hues across the sky, when Ali cleared the bramble away from the Hive's hidden entrance. The storm drain was already covered in leafy overgrowth and only needed a disguise over the entrance to discourage trespassers. There was no scent of humans nearby as Ali stepped into the evening and the overhead lights began flickering into existence. A soft breeze rustled the tree branches around her, the only sound in the still evening. Ali smiled, able to move freely as she cut across the deserted park toward the street on the other side. Scorpio clung tightly to her shoulder and began calling softly in soft shrills. As Ali left the park behind and took to the sidewalk, she let herself be swept up in the peculiar and eerie music unique to Scorpio. She thought back to that alien planet where hundreds of Zabins had roosted in trees, making these strange calls and she thought about that final hunt. The Hunter's Moon had marked a day of great hunting for any beast that enjoyed the thrill of the chase. And as Ali had told Cathie, the fiery bloodlust that had mostly lain dormant was stoked by the chaos of that night. If it weren't for her Hive family here on Earth, Ali could easily have found herself able to thrive in that situation.

It had always been in her nature, she supposed; the need to kill. She had once acted upon that feeling when all she could think about was getting revenge on those who had mistreated her. But she had tried so hard to push those feelings away. She had tried so hard to be something she was not. The thing that made her a monster, the one thing she had fought to suppress, was always going to be a part of her. No matter how much she pretended to be human there was half of her that was not. Coursing through her was the DNA of a predatory species whose very being was designed to kill.

Ali reached an intersection and finally came to a stop, glancing left and right. The street appeared to be deserted with not a soul in sight, but the breeze told a different story. Ali lifted her nose to the wind and took a whiff. There was the distant scent of men and the bitter smell of exhaust. In fact, now that she was listening, she could hear the steady rumble of an idle car.

"I guess the fun has begun," Ali said, "You ready, Scorpio?"

Scorpio shrieked in delight and her tail quivered in anticipation. Ali, herself, smiled with eagerness and she set off in the direction the breeze had come from. As she walked she felt Scorpio scuttle backwards from her perch on Ali's shoulder to settle in between her shoulder blades where the Zabin would be concealed until the right moment. She was lightning fast and could move from one place to the other in the blink of an eye. Poison would be filling the tip of her stinger, which could strike with super speed. Ali waited until the feeling of Scorpio's many legs had settled into place before moving down the street once again. When Ali rounded the second corner, she found her targets.

The sound of the car was coming from a bright yellow taxi parked under a street light. There were two men, as Ali had predicted. One of them was a squat, ugly man with thin wisps of brown hair sticking out of an old baseball cap. It had been undetectable from so far away, but now that Ali was closer, she could smell the man's sweaty stink mixed with stale beer and cigarettes. She wasn't the only one disgusted by the taxi driver's scent. The other man, who was standing on the curb, watching the squat man unload three suitcases from the trunk, was tall, slender and rather handsome. His coppery brown hair was streaked with gray and combed back into a neat hairstyle. He wore a neat, three-piece suit with shoes that had been shined to a mirror finish. His nose wrinkled up every time the taxi driver came forward to place one of his suitcases on the sidewalk.

"Look, it's been a long day, do you think you could hurry it up?" the man said as the driver took his time unloading the bags.

The driver looked up and made a small noise in response, not picking up his pace.

The man grunted in frustration and tilted his arm up to consult the gold Rolex around his wrist. He made another disgruntled sound.

Ali tilted her head over her shoulder. "Not Smelly," she whispered and with that, she approached the two men.

The growing darkness hid her approach and it wasn't until she was almost upon the two men that either of them noticed her. The driver noticed her first and he smiled a big grin, revealing several missing teeth. His look was one she had encountered before and she guessed that if it was just the two of them, he would be rather quick to make a move on her. The business man cast Ali a single glance before losing interest. He didn't have the time to mess with some kind of begging girl looking for money. Ali didn't run into too many men like him, but when she did they had similar reactions. One had even told her to fuck off because he didn't give handouts to beggars.

"Excuse me," she started and held out her hand, trying to goad the business man on. It worked.

He turned on her, ready to take his frustrations out on her. But then his face went slack and his eyes filled with shock. He glanced down at his chest and stared at Scorpio as she delivered the second dose of poison into his chest. He dropped like a stone as Scorpio jumped back to Ali's shoulder. The driver stared in shock at the collapsed business man, his mouth opening in a scream.

Ali was on him in a flash, sharp nails ripping into his saggy neck. His stench overwhelmed her senses and made her cut sloppy, but she still sent his blood spraying across the side of his taxi. His scream died in his throat, replaced with a watery gurgle as blood bubbled out of his mouth as he collapsed in a heap. The sight of the growing puddle sent Ali to her knees, her breath coming out in short gasps. She glanced down at her hand where the taxi driver's blood coated the tips of her fingers and she lifted her hand to her mouth.

A tap on her shoulder broke her trance and she glanced over to see Scorpio's little legs dancing on her shoulder. Once she had her attention, Scorpio turned and brought Ali's gaze back to the business man.

"Right," Ali nodded, "Sorry, got distracted."

Ali got back to her feet, gathering up the business man, and turned her back on the dead taxi driver. Leaving the sound of the idling car behind her, Ali retreated once more into the darkness of the growing night.