She touched the broken shard of glass with a half-hearted sigh. Oh, god. In her dreams, she was always nonchalant. She didn't know why, or how, because real life hadn't been like that, no, not at all. She had been exploding with emotions when she had seen the body. Dreams were weird.

"Mum? You there? Mum?" A cold wind blew across the room, scattering various articles of clothing, and coffee-stained paper. Gently, she closed the door behind her.

"Seriously, mum. Where the heck are you? I need you to sign a permission form." No sounds. Nothing. This was getting frightening. Well, apart from the dimly-lit lights, and the empty house, of course it had already been frightening, but she didn't want to think of the worst. Not yet.

"Mum?"

She padded up the carpeted stairs, a feeling of dread sinking to the pit of her stomach. From the corner of her eye, she saw that her mum's door was slightly ajar. Jeez, this was like something from a horror film. Only-it was real.

Oh, god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. She knew what she would find next. She always did. She didn't have to be a horror buff to know what was going to happen next, because it was obvious, really. Blatant.

In the smallest of voices, she muttered, "Mum?" as she felt her hand push against the wooden frame, the lights from inside the room illuminating her features. She screamed.

Cat was thrashing against the pillows by the time she woke up. Wilfred, her next door neighbor, and next-door drunk, banged on the wall, yelling for her to shut up already, that some people were trying to sleep. It was then she realized she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Immediately, she clamped a hand over her mouth, and sighed. It was only a dream. A thing of the past. Mum's not…

Cat laughed at herself for her silliness. Toughen up, girl. It happened a long time ago. Move on, already.

What time was it? Cat glanced at the digital clock beside her, and groaned. 4:am. Four fucking AM.

Cat shook her head at herself, and decided that, well, it wasn't like she was all too keen to go back to sleep and face the dreams again. She might as well get her ass up and take a shower.

Sitting up, Cat reached for her robe, tied it around herself, and got up to go to the bathroom. It was a bit chilly in the loft, but she didn't mind. She'd be warm soon enough. Taking her old radio Michael had given to her over Christmas, she turned on the tap, and jumped in the shower, singing to the tune of a Beatles song.

"She's got a ticket to ride, but she don't care…"

Ten minutes later, she was towelling herself off, still crooning to another Beatles classic.

Afterwards, she put on a sports bra, and some sweat pants, telling herself she'd put on a shirt later, this was her loft damn it, she could wear whatever she pleased, and made herself some toast.

Living in the city wasn't so bad. It had its perks. At least she was close to everything she needed-clothing stores (or in her case, thrift shops) food stores (corner markets) and DVD rental places (namely, blockbuster, although that soon would be closing down). She was fine.

As much as she hated admitting to herself, she didn't exactly find the whole 'independent living' thing too friendly. At certain moments, it could be downright hostile, but that could probably be pinned down to the fact she lived in a not-so friendly neighbourhood. Probably.

It was fine. She was fine. It wasn't like she was lonely, or something. God, no. Or restless, either. No. Never.

Cat sighed. Well, she could always get to work early. She grinned a sly grin. Why not? Nobody else would bother her at this time of hour.

She went over to her closet, brushed back all her clothes, and pressed her hand against the wooden panel in the back until she heard a click. For a second, she let her eyes appraise the small arsenal of weapons she kept safe;y hidden away, appreciatively lingering on the guns, and in particular her samurai sword.

Hunting may not have been the 'family business' but that didn't mean that would stop her from doing what she did for a living.

Cat grabbed a gun, a few knives, and goat's blood. This job probably require need her sword, but just in case...

There. All set.

Cat glanced at the time again, and saw that it was just a few minutes after five. She smiled. Nobody would be caught dead an abandoned warehouse at this hour, unless you actually worked in one, and she had done all the background research. It was definitely abandoned.

Yes, she'd take them by surprise.