Chapter 1 – A Briefing of Sorts

B.P.R.D. Headquarters, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1989

The loud knock at his door jarred Abe Sapien awake. The long trip back from Ireland had left him exhausted and he had barely slept. The fish-man rose slowly from his oversized bathtub, splashing water all over the floor in a daze as the incessant knocking continued. He rubbed his eyes and moved quickly through his immaculate, well-furnished and spacious quarters to the large wrought-iron door, finally opening it.

"Wake up, Abraham," Kate Corrigan shuffled past him, entering in a rush with Hellboy and Liz Sherman behind her.

"Beg pardon, Professor Corrigan, what's this about? We just got back to headquarters late last night." Abe shut the door and followed the professor's every move with his eyes.

"I know Brother Blue, she wouldn't listen to me either, but sometimes, there's just no rest for the wicked," Hellboy patted his frequent partner on the shoulder before pulling a match from his coat and lighting a cigar.

"I'm not all to blame, Abe," Professor Corrigan shot back. "Director Manning wants us to move on this as soon as possible."

"And don't worry, Abe. You don't have to leave again. Kate just wants you to help her consult this new case," Liz Sherman lit a cigarette with her finger and leaned against the far wall, inhaling it.

"Another case already?" Abe whined. "I am exhausted."

"How was your time in Ireland, Abe?" Kate Corrigan sat on an old chair in the corner of the room.

"Well, I did all the work. I found the troll. And I cast the spell that trapped it in that old house. All Hellboy did was hit it a bunch of times."

"And what did Liz do?" Kate inquired blithely.

"Oh nothing really, unless you count setting the house on fire. But hey, no more troll. What was that creature's name again?"

"The Peromerilac, and before anyone says anything, trolls are really hard to kill." Liz replied.

"Yeah. He was a mean sucker. And the owner wasn't too happy to find his house on fire either," Hellboy continued smoking his cigar and sat on a large suede sofa situated in the center of Abe's room, browsing through a stack of Abe's books on a nearby table. "The Definitive Guide To Antique Furniture? Abe, your taste in books needs a little work. You wanna borrow some of my Lobster Johnson magazines?"

"Some other time, Hellboy," Abe acknowledged.

"Anyway, the reason we're all here now is, as Liz said, I need some help with research. A Native American gentleman, a Cherokee, contacted me when you guys were gone and is now claiming that he has resurrected an old woman from Cherokee legend known as U'tlun'ta or Spearfinger. This woman is apparently very dangerous for his village. He wants the B.P.R.D. to stop her. I've dug up a lot of information and I need you, Abe, to help me decipher it."

"And Hellboy is going to go find this witch?"

"Yep. It's my lot in life," Hellboy replied with his nose in a book.

"She's not really a witch, but she does possess some supernatural power," Kate informed.

"And why is she called Spearfinger exactly?" Liz puffed on her cigarette.

"Because her forefinger is long and has a sharp edge, shaped like a knife or a spear," Kate continued. "In fact, Hellboy should be careful. The literature I've read on this legend so far says she's a shape shifter who can look like anyone and feeds on the livers of children and small animals."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm neither of those then, huh. Look, I'm heading back to my quarters. If this witch as dangerous as you say, Kate, I'm gonna need some rest."

"She's not classified as a witch, Hellboy," Corrigan corrected.

"Whatever! When you have what you need, tell Manning to get the whirlybird ready and I'll fly out to meet this man." Hellboy rose from the sofa, put out the cigar on his arm and headed towards the door. "Where is this again?"

"Eastern Tennessee. And the man's name is Charles Chea Sequah. It means Red Bird. He'll show you where she's hiding."

"Swell, my very own Indian guide."

"Native American guide," Kate corrected him.

"Even better. If anybody needs me, do not disturb unless it's an emergency." Hellboy waved with his massive stone hand as he opened the door and headed back to his quarters.