A Dark Past

by Moondancer86

A family is brutally murdered, and the wife is brought back by the crow to seek vengeance. She finds that her husband had a dark past that he was keeping from her. Her family had to pay the price for him trying to leave. Several nods toward other Crow movies.

Started: June 9th, 2009
Detective Dowell shivered in the chilly fall evening air as he got out of his car. He looked around at the cop cars that surrounded the small house. He went up the walkway to the open door and came in to find police officers and forensics swarming over the crime-scene.
"Detective," one of the officers called to him. Dowell went over to the young officer, and found the battered bodies of a young man and woman, each in their late 20's. The woman was probably beautiful at one time, but she was so covered in cuts and bruises that it was hard to tell. She had long blonde hair that would have come down to her waist. The man, her husband, was handsome, with short brown hair. His cloudy blue eyes were wide open and staring at the dead woman. The look of pleading was frozen on his face.
"So do we know who they are?" Dowell asked the officer.
"From what the neighbors told us, the young man was Erik, and the woman was Senna. They had a baby daughter, Katerina. She was about 3 months."
"Was?" Dowell caught the past tense.
"Whoever killed these two also killed their baby."
"God damn," Dowell shook his head. "Did the neighbors see anything?"
"If they did, then they're not talking."
"Hm, probably too scared." Dowell said, once again shaking his head in disgust. "Any finger prints?"
"Nothing except the victims," the officer shrugged. "The woman was raped and stabbed several times. We'll do a rape kit at the morgue."
"Yeah," Dowell nodded. "Alright, bag'em and take them to the morgue."
He stepped to the side to allow the technicians do their jobs. He went over to the mantle and found a picture with Erik, and Senna cradling their beautiful daughter, grinning at the camera. The picture was taken just outside the house.
"Such a shame," Dowell muttered, setting the picture back on the mantle. These people had just started out, and they were brutally murdered. And he had to figure out who did it.
There was a flutter of wings and Dowell looked up at the skylight to see a crow peering down at him. The crow cocked its head to the side, cawed and took off.

The Morgue
The examiner wrote down the last of her notes, then pulled the sheet over the woman. The ME turned and left the room to file her report with the cops. If she had stayed a few moments longer, she would have noticed the crow that flew up to the window and started to peck at the glass. The window silently swung open, and the crow hopped in.
The sheet began to rise and fall with breathing, then it was thrown off. The woman underneath the sheet sat up with a gasp and a cry. With a shaky hand, she reached up to her chest and felt as her wounds closed up.
Her eyes shot around, taking in the room that was filled with steel objects. She was sitting on a cold steel table, that had a drain. On either side of her were other tables that had sheets covering one larger body, and another tiny one.
She shakily slid off the table, her bare feet landing on the cold floor. She stumbled toward the table with the larger body, and she gripped the sheet in her hand, and tugged it off. A ragged cry escaped her lips when she saw her beloved husband laying there, on the examiners table. He had a large angry hole on the side of his head, which grey matter spilled out of. She reached out to rest her hand on him, when she had a flash of memory. FLASH! Her husband kneeling with a pistol pointed at his head. He was pleading to someone, someone she couldn't see. He was begging that they do not harm Kat or his wife. To just kill him instead. Then there was a flash of light as the gun went off, and Erik slumped to the ground. FLASH! The woman sobbed as the vision ended. She fell to her knees, the cold concrete floor biting into her knee-caps. She didn't need to look under the other sheet to know that it was her daughter.
A caw brought Senna's attention to the crow that was standing next to a mirror. It cawed again, and Senna shakily got to her feet and stumbled to the mirror to look at her reflection. Her once blonde hair had for some reason turned black. She reached up and ran her fingers through the tangles of her hair.
The crow gave a caw, and took flight out the door. Senna grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around herself, and followed after the crow.

The ME came back to the examining room a few minutes later, and dropped her clipboard in surprise. One of the tables were empty! The body of the female was missing! But how?

Senna followed the crow down the hallway to the locker room. The bird pecked at one of the lockers that were unlocked. Senna opened the locker and was relieved to find some clothes. It was black jeans and a black t-shirt, and boots. She put these on, then she found a rubber band that she used to put her hair up in a pony tail. The crow cawed at her, and then flew to the window and took off into the cool night air, with Senna following.

Senna followed the crow a couple of blocks until it came upon a bar, and landed on the seat of a black crotch-rocket. The bird waddled up the fuselage and pecked at the keys that were in the ignition.
"You want me to take this?" Senna said, coming up. The motorcycle was a Ninja, and was beautiful. It was black with red flames painted on the sides. Senna looked up to make sure that no one was coming, then swung her legs onto the bike, as the crow took off. She put the kick-stand up, and turned the key in the ignition, revving it up. Then she took off, following after the crow.

Detective Dowell's phone rang, vibrating in his pocket. He sighed as he pulled it out and saw that it was the ME calling.
"Yes?" he answered, while he kept walking down the street. He was on his way to get some dinner before he went back to the station.
"The woman!" the frantic voice said on the other line. "She's missing!"
"What?" Dowell stopped in mid-step. "Who?"
"The victim, Senna! I left to put in my report, then when I came back five minutes later, she was missing! She was just gone! I've looked all over the place!"
"That's ridiculous!" Dowell shook his head in disbelief. "Corpses don't just get up and walk away. Maybe one of the assistants had put her in the lockers or something."
"No, I've asked everyone. No one went into the examining room."
"She's got to be somewhere," Dowell said, just as a woman rode past on a crotch-rocket, and stopped at the corner, waiting for the light to change. Dowell glanced at her, and turned away. Then he stopped, and looked again. The woman looked just like Senna, except with black hair.
"I gotta go," Dowell said, closing the phone, and pocketing it.
The light changed, and the woman took off. Dowell only stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. There was no way that the woman that he just saw was Senna. But something told him that he should follow her, and he always went with his gut. He ran down the street to where his car was waiting, and took off after the woman.

Senna followed the crow down familiar streets, and she was afraid of where they were heading. But she still followed the crow. She wanted to know what happened to her family.
She pulled up to a small one story house, with the police "do not cross" tape around the perimeter of the small yard. The house was empty now, the police and forensics had already left.
Senna put the kick-stand down and climbed off the bike. She ducked under the tape and slowly went up the short walkway and steps. The crow flew in the house, and landed in the entryway. Senna hesitated before going up the steps and into the house. The floor was littered with a smashed vase, mirror shards, and the coat rack on its side, the coats strewn about.
FLASH! Senna walking up the stairs after a long day at work. She noticed the door standing open, and the mess inside. She cautiously crept in, calling Erik's name. She was grabbed from behind and dragged into the living room. FLASH!
Senna went through the entryway, following the bird into the living room. She cried out when she saw the outline of two bodies, each stained with blood.
FLASH! She was dragged into the living room, where she found Erik kneeling by the couch. A man was lounging on the couch, with the gun pointed at her husbands head. The man had straggly greasy grey hair that came down to his shoulders. He had dark eyes that were almost black.
"Welcome home, sweetheart," the man with the gun grinned at her. "We were just talking about you."
"Leave her alone!" Erik yelled. "Sturn, she has nothing to do with this!"
"Oh, but she does," Sturn said, leaning forward. "This is all because of her and that baby of yours. Speaking of which, where is the little tyke?"
The wailing of her baby reached Senna's ears as a black man came in with the child in his arms. "Here she is," the man said, rocking the baby.
"Kat!" Senna gasped, lunging to try to get to her baby, but she was held fast by another man. This one was tall and bald. His arms bristled with muscles.
"Don't worry, Sinth there has her." Sturn said.
"Please, let them go!" Erik pleaded. "Kill me, instead! I'm the one that you want! Please, spare my wife and child!"
"Oh, sorry, Erik," Sturn clucked. "But we can't do that. They've seen too much already."
"Erik, what's going on?" Senna demanded.
"I'm sorry, Senna, I wanted to get away from them!" Erik sobbed. "I tried to get away from them for you and Kat!"
"What are you talking about?" Senna cried.
"He tried to go straight," Sturn said. "And we can't have that. So now you three will have to pay the price." BANG! Erik slumped to the ground amid Senna's scream.
"Now, for the bitch and her child." Sturn got off the couch and went over to Senna, grinning. Then he and the others raped her, then another black man took the knives from his vest, and stabbed her five times. FLASH!
Senna found herself kneeling before the bloodstains, staring at it with tears streaming down her cheeks. That was when she heard the footsteps behind her. She whirled around to find the detective Dowell standing in the doorway, watching her warily.
"Who are you?" Detective Dowell demanded.
At that moment, the crow, that had been perched on the back of the couch, took flight right at the detective. He ducked, cursing at the bird. When he turned, he found that he was alone.

Senna found her way into the bedroom that she had shared with her husband. She didn't dare touch the bed, for she knew that it held too many painful memories. She crossed the room to her vanity, and sat down and looked at her face. Without even thinking, her hand went down to the drawer, and opened it. Her fingers found the old Halloween makeup that she had put there the day before. She pulled out the white and black makeup.
FLASH! Senna painted Erik's face up to look like a mime. They were going to a Halloween party, and they were going to go dressed as mimes. They were laughing and joking when Kat began to cry. Senna had gotten up and went to the crib and picked up the child. She cradled the baby in her arms, smiling down at her baby with love, and began to hum a song. FLASH!
Senna placed her finger in the white paint, and then spread it all over her face. Then she dipped her finger into the black, and smeared it around her eyes. Then she took the black eyeliner and drew a line from her forehead and crossed her eye. She did the same to the other. Then she drew another lines going out from the edges of her eyes. She got out the black lipstick and put it on her lips, then she drew another line going out from her lips. She looked at her reflection and smiled. Yes, this would do very nicely.
She got up from her seat, and went over to the closet. She opened the door and pushed aside the clothes to get to the back. There, she found her husband's old trench-coat. She reached out and ran her fingers down the black fabric. FLASH! Erik pulled the trench-coat on, then turned to his worried wife.
"Don't look at me like that," Erik begged. "You know that I have to go. They need me down at the docks."
"But why do you need your trench-coat to do some paperwork?"
"You know why," Erik said, coming up to her. He cradled her face in his hands, lifting her chin so that he could lightly kiss her. "It helps to keep the chill out better than the other ones."
"I have a bad feeling about this," Senna muttered.
"You shouldn't. When I quit this job, then I can get a better one, and we can move out from this rathole and start somewhere else. You would like that, wouldn't you?"
"Yes," Senna said hesitantly. Erik kissed her again and left. FLASH!
The vision was of the night before she and her family was murdered. She had thought that her husband worked at the docks, but now she wasn't so sure. She had a feeling that it was something more than just loading and unloading ships.
Senna pulled the trench-coat out of the closet, and pushed her arms into the armhole. She was surprised to find that it fit her, instead of being big on her.
The crow cawed as Senna turned and went through the bedroom door and went down the hallway to the living room. She found the Detective standing in the living room, gazing at the picture of her and her family.
At the sound of her footstep, Dowell whirled around, his gun drawn.
"Ok, you're going to tell me who you are!" Dowell shouted. "And why the hell you're dressed like that now!"
"Why am I dressed like this?" Senna said, surprised. "Did you know that the reason that warriors painted their faces in war paint was to strike fear into their enemies hearts? Then after the battle, they would eat the heart to gain their courage?"
"Yeah, that's nice, but you still haven't told me who you are!"
"Who do you think I am?" Senna grinned at the detective.
"You look just like that girl that was killed here. But you can't possibly be her."
"What's the matter, Detective? Don't believe in ghosts?" Senna walked past the detective, and the crow flew up and landed on her shoulder. She turned to the detective and said "Because you should." Then she turned and left the house.
The detective shivered as a cold chill ran up and down his spine. The sound of a motorcycle revving up reached his ears, then it disappeared as it took off down the street.

Four men entered the office, and stood before the drug lord. He was seated at the head of the long table. He had long black hair, and a tattoo of a thorny branch frame his left eye.
"Kybo, Sinth, Kenneth, and Sturn, what news do you bring me?"
Kybo was the one that had dragged Senna into the living room when she came home. He was bald, and rippling with muscles. Beside him stood Sinth, the black man that had brought Kat into the living room. His black hair was done in corn-rows. His twin, Kenneth, stood next to him. Kenneth had dread-locks that came down to his shoulders. He wore no shirt except his vest that was filled with knives. Then there was Sturn.
"Erik and his family are dead," Sturn announced. "You won't have to worry about Erik going to the police with everything that he knows."
"Good," Thornak nodded, and waved that they were dismissed.

Senna followed the crow down to the docks where her husband supposedly worked. She got off the motorcycle, and went to gate that lead onto the docks. She glanced up at the razor wire that topped the fence. She looked around to see if there was any other way, but she didn't see any. She shrugged, then began to climb. When she reached the top, she grabbed the razor wire and pulled herself up and over, and then dropped down on the other side. She looked at her slashed hands and was satisfied when the wounds closed up. Then she set off through the dock yard, the crow flying above watching over her.
The crow flew ahead of Senna, and landed before the door to a warehouse, where they stored what was unloaded until it could be picked up. She went to the door, and placed her hand on the doorhandle. FLASH! Erik came upon the door, and hesitated. He seemed uncertain. Then his face set into determination, then went through the door. FLASH!
"Erik?" Senna whispered. "What were you doing?" She turned the handle and went through, with the crow following behind her.
She found that the warehouse was filled with boxes, and were stacked so that it formed a walkway to the middle of the hangar, which had a table that was filled with a chemistry set. She came forward and was hit with an acrid smell. She immediately knew what was being cooked up here: meth.
The crow landed on top of the boxes and watched as she went and placed her hand on the table. FLASH! The man that Senna recognized as the one that had dragged her into the living room was sitting at the table, measuring something. There was a bang as the door to the warehouse slammed closed, and Erik came into the clearing, and went up to the man.
"Kybo, I need to talk to you," Erik said. He placed his hand on the table where Senna now had hers. "I want out of this. I can't keep doing this. I have a daughter. I need to go straight for her and my wife. I can no longer work for you and Sturn."
Kybo carefully set the mixture onto the burner, then turned to Erik. "You know that you can't just walk away. You knew that when you joined us."
"Yeah, I know, but that was before I was married and had a daughter. Tell Thornak that I just can't do this anymore. I swear that I won't tell anyone, not even Senna."
"Thornak's not going to be happy," Kybo shook his head. "You know what will happen."
"Yeah, but hopefully it won't come to that." Erik turned and walked away. FLASH!
Senna couldn't believe the vision, and yet everything now made sense. Erik was involved with a drug gang, and he wanted out. He had said that he had wanted out for Senna and Kat. He was probably going to the docks in the middle of the night to receive the goods, or to drop off things. This Thornak was probably the one that ordered their murders. Her fists clenched in anger. She wasn't pissed at Erik, for he was trying to get away, but she was pissed that he wasn't allowed to leave, and she and her baby had to die for it. Now, she would make sure that those men would pay for what they did to her and her family.
The sound of a door slamming brought her back to reality. She glanced around, then squeezed in between two stacks of boxes as the man known as Kybo came in. He threw his coat on the ground, and sat down, with his back to her, then set to work measuring and mixing. Senna slid out of her hiding place, and silently came up behind Kybo.
"You know, that's very dangerous," She said, making him jump about a mile. He whirled around to find the woman standing behind him.
"Who the fuck are you?" He demanded, reaching for the gun that was tucked in his waist band, and drawing it on her. "And why the hell are you all painted up like that for? Halloween was last week."
"What? You don't recognize me?" Senna grinned as she ran a hand through her black hair. "Well, I have gone through quite a change since you KILLED ME!"
"No fucking way!" Kybo cried. "You're Erik's broad! But you're dead! Kenneth killed you!"
"Oh yes, he did indeed," Senna nodded, and like lightening, her hand was at the big man's throat. He started to laugh, but was cut off by a gurgling as the woman picked him up off his chair, and hoisted him in the air.
"Now, you're going to tell me who the others are, and where I can find them," Senna growled up at him.
"Jeeze, you got to be kidding me!" Kybo choked.
"Nope, 'fraid not. Now tell me!" Senna took the Bunsen burner off the table, the flame still on, and brought it near Kybo's face. "Who are the others that killed me and my family, and where can I find them?"
"Fuck! I don't know!" Kybo cried.
"Oh, I'm sure you do," Senna laughed. She brought the burner closer to his face.
"Alright! Alright! There are three others! They're Kenneth and Senth, the twins, and then there's Sturn!"
"Where can I find them?"
"I don't know!"
Senna growled, and brought it closer to Kybo's face, singing his eyebrows.
"I don't know where all of them are! I only know where Kenneth hangs out at!"
"Where?"
"He hangs out at the strip bar! The one on 5th street!"
"Alright. Now tell me. Is Thornak the one that had ordered my family's death?" Senna demanded.
"How the hell do you know about Thornak?"
"That's not important. Answer the question."
"Yes! He's the one that ordered us to kill Erik and his family! He said that he didn't want them to go talking to the cops!"
"Did he also tell you to kill my daughter? She was only 3 months old! She hadn't even had a chance to live! And you killed her!" Senna thought for a moment about burning his eyes out. But she released him, and he fell to the ground, coughing.
He glared up at her. "How the hell are you that strong?"
Senna looked down at him, and shrugged. "Like I said, I've changed since you saw me last."
She turned and placed the burner under the tubing so that it would heat up the contents.
"Are you fucking crazy?!" Kybo screamed. "You'll blow us up!"
"How can you die when you're already dead?" Senna said, calmly.

A boat skimmed across the water. The man stepped out from the wheelhouse to have a smoke. He leaned against the railing, and took out a cigarette. He took out his lighter, and was about to light it when one of the warehouses on the dock exploded. The man jumped back in surprise as a ball of flame erupted into the sky, and then spread out to form the shape of a crow. The man dropped his cigarette into the water as he whirled around and scrambled to the wheelhouse to call the harbor patrol.

Dowell sighed as he sat down at his favorite Italian restaurant. Finally, he would be able to get some dinner. He ordered his favorite: spaghetti and meatballs, and waited eagerly for it to come.
He took out the copy of the picture of Senna, Erik, and their baby Kat. He then took out a black marker and began to color Senna's hair. Then he put lines above, below, and going out from the eyes. Then he colored her lips and placed lines going out from her mouth into a grin. He sat back in the booth, and cursed. It was the woman that he had saw in the house! It really was this Senna woman!
"I hope that's not the original," a voice said, making Dowell jump. He looked up to find Senna standing before him. "Because I would like the original."
"Holy shit!" Dowell cursed. Senna ignored him and slid into the booth opposite him.
"So what'd you order? I loved this place. They have great bread sticks."
"How? How are you still alive? You were dead!" Dowell sputtered.
"I have no idea," Senna shrugged. Her eyes lit up when a waitress brought the bread sticks. She took one and began to chew. "I just woke up in the morgue. I think it has something to do with the crow. He's been showing me things, like where to go."
"Showing you things?"
"Yeah. Anyway, that's not important. What do you know about a man named Thornak?"
"Thornak? He's the kingpin around here. He sells anything and everything. Drugs, prostitutes, smuggling, you name it, he does it. Why?"
"Because he's the one that had ordered that my family be killed. If you know so much about him, why isn't he behind bars?"
"Trust me, we've tried. Whenever we get close to getting him, he disappears."
"Hmm." Senna said, absentmindedly nibbling on the bread stick.
"Do you know who killed you? I'm at a loss for this case. The perps didn't leave any trace."
"Yeah, I know their names," Senna nodded.
"So you knew them?" Dowell said, hoping that maybe he finally had a lead.
"I didn't know them, but Erik apparently did. He wanted to get away from them. That's why they killed us. But I'm going to take care of them. They need to pay for what they did to my daughter and husband. And what they did to me. Those bastards are going to die."
"Hey, there are laws against being a vigilante. Besides, you can't take them on."
"Who says that I'm a vigilante? I'm just out for revenge. And you would be surprised at what death can do to someone."
At that moment, the waitress came with Dowell's spaghetti. He took his eyes off Senna for a moment, to glance at the waitress, and when he looked back again, Senna was gone.
"Damn, I hate it when she does that," Dowell muttered, digging in his food.

Kenneth entered the strip club, the music throbbing, with the women dancing to it. He waded past the strippers and tables, to the side of the club, where a doorway was covered by a curtain. A huge bouncer stood guard, with his arms folded across his chest. Kenneth pulled out a twenty and held it out to the bouncer, saying something to him. The bouncer took the money, and drew back the curtain. Kenneth went through the door and down a hallway that had doors on either side. He came to a door at the end, and opened it and went into a small room with a seat and a window. He flipped the switch, and settled down in the chair, unleashing his monster.
A moment later, the curtain rose to reveal a black haired woman. Her face was painted white with black lines. She was wearing all black and a black trench-coat.
"What the hell?!" Kenneth demanded. "I didn't order a goth! I ordered a cheerleader!"
"Rah-rah," the woman said, grinning. She punched through the window, and grabbed Kenneth.

The bouncer outside the hall didn't hear anything, for everything was drowned out by the loud music. He didn't hear the screaming.

"Shut up, and listen," Senna growled. Kenneth shut up, but his eyes were filled with fear. The woman had punched through the window, and her knuckles just healed. How the hell did she do that?
"You killed Erik, and his daughter. And you raped and killed his wife. Am I right?"
"Yeah, so what if I did?" Kenneth said. "Who the hell are you? You a friend of theirs?"
"I guess you wouldn't recognize me," Senna said.
"Yeah, you're right, I don't recognize you!" Kenneth reached into his jacket and to the concealed knife vest. He pulled out a carving knife and plunged it into the woman. She cried out as she released him, and stepped back, gripping the knife handle.
"And I don't give a fuck who you think you are!" Kenneth said, scrambling to his feet while taking another knife from his vest.
Senna looked up and grinned at him as she slid the knife out of her stomach. Kenneth stared in horror as the stab wound closed up.
"How about this: just imagine me with blonde hair."
"There's no fucking way!" Kenneth gasped after a moment. "You were dead! I killed you!"
"Yeah, you did kill me, but I'm back for revenge of my husband and daughter's murder."
"How?"
"How should I know? All I know is that I'm back, and you and your brother are going to pay for what you did. Now, where is your brother?"
"There's no way I'm telling you, bitch."
Senna growled as she reversed the knife and plunged it into his shoulder. She twisted it slightly, causing Kenneth to scream in pain.
"Where is he?" Senna demanded.
"Shit! He works at the Joe's Garage as a mechanic!"
"You mean the place that always rips you off?"
"Yeah! AAARRRRGGGH!" Kenneth screamed as Senna twisted the knife.
"Thanks." She reached into his vest and took a couple of knives and inspected them. "Wow, these are nice knives. You probably bought them with blood money, didn't you?"
"So what if I did?" Kenneth snarled.
"And I'm sure that you have killed others with these, haven't you?" Senna twisted the knife more, causing him to scream.
"YES! Fuck!"
"Well, then Kenneth, it's time that you feel what your victims felt when you killed them." Senna raised one of the knives over her head and plunged it down.

Senna closed the door behind her, then made her way down the hallway and through the curtain door and past the bouncer. The bouncer placed his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Hey, I didn't notice you go in," The bouncer growled. "You sneak in?"
"Yeah, you could say that," Senna shrugged off the hand. "But I'm not the one that you should be worried about. One of your customers...had a little trouble with his knives." She turned and disappeared into the crowd. The bouncer was torn between going after the woman, and going to check on the one customer in the back room. He decided to go check on the customer. He left his post and went down the hall to the door. He opened the door and gasped. Glass littered the floor and blood flowed toward him. Kenneth sat against the wall, his head slumped forward, and his knives stuck in his chest in the shape of a crow.
Senna climbed on her bike just as she heard the wailing of sirens approaching. She revved her engine and took off down the road, the crow leading the way.

Thornak got dressed, ignoring the woman that was sobbing. "You will learn to fake it," Thornak said, pulling on his shirt. "That's what being a prostitute is about."
There was a knock at his chamber door. "Come in!" Thornak called, going over to the bar and poured himself a drink.
Sturn came into the room, wringing his hands. "Sir, my crew's being picked off one by one," Sturn said. "Two have died already. Kybo and Kenneth."
"Wasn't Kybo killed when the meth lab blew up?"
"Yes sir," Sturn nodded.
"Kybo was a fool. He was all brawn and no brains. He probably mixed it wrong."
"No, sir. I saw the wreckage myself. It would appear that a Bunsen burner was placed under a tubing, heating up the wrong elements. That's what caused the explosion. And I know Kybo, and he's not that stupid."
"What about Kenneth?"
"He was killed in the strip club in the back room. He was stabbed with his own knives in the shape of a splayed bird. The bouncer said that a woman had left the room just before Kenneth was discovered."
"A woman?"
"Yes sir. The bouncer said that she had her face all painted up weird. Like for Halloween."
"Hm. That's odd."
"Yes sir. If you don't mind me saying so, but I have a feeling that this is linked to the job that we did."
"You mean killing Erik and his little family?"
"Yes."
"But they're dead."
"Yes sir, but there is an old legend: People once believed that when a person dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Sometimes the crow can bring that person back and put the wrong things right. I think this is what's happened."
"Is there anything in that legend as to how to kill this thing?"
"The crow is the link from the land of the living, and the underworld. Sever the tie, sever the power. Then she'll be just like the rest of us, which means that she can be killed."
Thornak and Sturn both laughed. The woman cringed back on the bed, wishing that she was dead.

Senna rode down the road and stopped in front of a garage. She turned the engine off, then swung her leg over the motorcycle. The crow swooped down and perched on her shoulder. She walked up and banged on the garage door. A moment later, a side door opened, and a black man carrying a shotgun came out.
"We're closed!" he snarled, but stopped when he saw the woman standing there.
"You're Sinth, aren't you?" Senna asked, sauntering up to him. The crow took off and flew into the garage.
"Yeah, what's it to you? And why the hell you made up like that?"
"That's not important," Senna said, ignoring the gun as she brushed past Sinth, and went into the garage. There was a 2007 corvette sitting upon the riser, the crow perched on the hood. She whistled softly as she went under the car and inspected the underside.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!" Sinth said, coming up behind her.
"That's alright. I'm not planning on staying long. Oh by the way, I thought you might like to know that your brother's dead."
"What?" Sinth's face went very pale. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I killed him, and he's dead." Senna turned to face Sinth, her face completely serious.
"You have some nerve, Bitch," Sinth raised the shotgun and took aim.
Senna grinned as she placed her hand on the muzzle of the gun. "Go ahead, and shoot."
"Either you're crazy, or you're extremely stupid." Sinth snarled, and pulled the trigger, blowing Senna's hand off.
Senna screamed and turned, clutching the stump of her hand.
"Ha! Serves you right, bitch!" Sinth barked out a laugh, then aimed at her head. Senna's scream turned to a laugh as she turned around and held the stump up for him to see. Sinth watched in horror as bones and flesh grew back into a hand. He turned and retched.
"I'm not stupid, just dead," Senna said, ripping the shotgun out of Sinth's hands. "And you and your friends had killed me and my family."
Sinth looked up and stared at her for a moment before saying, "Holy shit, you're that Senna bitch!"
"Right, you are." Senna nodded, placing the gun to Sinth's head. That was when Sinth struck, brushing aside the gun, and punched Senna in the stomach in hope of knocking the wind out of her. He looked up at her in confusion when she didn't go down. She grinned as she punched Sinth in the side of his head, knocking him out.
"I think we're going to go for a little ride," Senna said, going over to the controls and lowered the corvette.

When Sinth regained consciousness, he found that his hands and feet were tied up with duct tape, and he was sitting in a moving car that was purring with power. He opened his eyes and found that he was sitting in the corvette, moving through the night. He turned his head and found the Senna woman driving, with the crow perched on the back of her seat. (Guess it wanted to go for a ride in the corvette)
"Where the fuck are you taking me?" He demanded.
Senna didn't answer, she just kept driving. After a few moments, she said, "Damn, I love corvettes. The power that they have! And the beauty! And this one is really beautiful."
"Yeah, who gives a flying rats ass? Where the hell are you taking me?"
"Not sure yet. But first, you must tell me where I can find Sturn and Thornak."
"I ain't telling you nothing."
"That's what your brother said," Senna shrugged. "But he talked in the end. They all talked. And now it's your turn."
"Go to hell."
"I'm already there!" Senna snapped, as she skidded around a corner.
"Shit! You're nuts!"
"No, I'm dead. Which is why I can easily crash this car with you in it, and walk away. I wonder if you can survive going headlong into a wall at," Senna glanced at the speedometer, "100 miles per hour."
"You wouldn't!"
"Yeah, I would. But I won't if you tell me what I want to know." Senna whipped the wheel, causing the car to skid as it turned down a dead-end street that ended at a brick wall. "Where is Sturn?"
"SHIT! He's probably down by the docks! With Thornak!"
Senna slammed on the brakes, and they skidded toward the brick wall, stopping only inches from the wall.
"Shit," Sinth panted. "You are fucking nuts!"
"Pretty much," Senna muttered, turning the car around and raced back to the streets.
"Now where the hell are we going?"
"To the docks."
Red and blue lights flashed behind Senna, and a cop car came upon them. Senna grinned, and pressed the accelerator down, the corvette purred nicely as the needle climbed.
"Oh look, we're making friends," Sinth muttered as several more cop cars joined the first after a few miles.
"Good," Senna said, glancing in the rearview mirror.
They came to the dock's gate, and Senna gunned the engine and blasted through, with the cop cars following behind.
"Now, which building is it that Sturn and Thornak are at?" Senna said, whipping around corners.
"One of the warehouses!"
"Which one?"
"Uh...uh..." Sinth scrambled to keep his thoughts together as Senna barely missed clipping a warehouse. "It's the one on the west side of the docks! By the water!"
"Perfect," Senna grinned as she gunned down the street, with several police cars chasing after her.
She rolled down her window, and the crow took off into the night air. Then she reached over and grabbed Sinth's seatbelt and locked it in.
"Oh yeah, like that's going to save me," Sinth muttered. Then he started to scream as they turned a corner and headed straight for the end of the dock. Senna didn't even slow down, but pressed the accelerator down farther.
"Shit! Fucking crazy ass bitch!" Sinth screamed as they flew off the dock and slammed into the water, killing him instantly.

The cop cars skidded to a halt, and the cops got out and peered down at the sinking car. A woman's head broke the surface, and grinned up at them. Then she disappeared under the water. A crow flew past the cops, and dived over the dock to skim over the water and disappeared.

Senna climbed out of the slimy water and up a ladder that lead up to the docks, her hair and trench-coat dripping water. She heard a caw and found the crow pacing back and forth at the top of the ladder.
"What's the matter, did I worry you?" Senna laughed as she flopped onto the dock. She looked down the dock to where the cops were gathered, staring into the water where the corvette was sinking.
That was when she spotted Detective Dowell pulling up in his car. Dowell had heard the cops talking on the radios about a high speed chase with a corvette. He also heard the description of the driver, and he knew immediately that it was Senna. He had got into his car and followed the chase through the radio.
Dowell heard a caw, and turned to find Senna kneeling by the docks edge, water dripping from her hair. He sighed, glanced at the assembled cops, and went to Senna.
"Why am I not surprised that this was your doing?" Dowell said as she got to her feet.
"Probably because it was," Senna shrugged. "The man was Sinth. He was one of the men that killed me and my family. And now, if you'll excuse me, I have some more unfinished business to take care of." Senna turned and started for the building, the crow flying after her.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Dowell said, going after her. "If you're talking about Thornak, then don't! Let the cops deal with it! That's what they're here for, aren't they?"
"Partly, yes," Senna nodded. "But I cannot rest until I have had my revenge. And I don't feel like waiting around for a trial. I want to join my husband and daughter."
"You'll need someone to cover your back."
"I can take care of myself. I don't need to be worrying about someone else that can get hurt."
"And you can't?"
"No, actually, I can't. I'm dead, remember? You can't kill what's already dead."
"I don't care. I'm still going with you."
Senna frowned. She knew that the detective wouldn't be moved. So she darted her eyes to look behind him, and yelled "Shit!"
Dowell fell for it, and looked behind him to find what Senna had cursed at. When he didn't see anything, he turned back to find that she was gone. "Damn it! Would you stop that!"

Thornak gazed down at the assembled police cars. He had heard the sirens going through the docks, and he went to the window to see if they were coming to him. He had watched as the corvette turned the corner and raced down the street and flew off the deck. He recognized the corvette as the one that Sinth had at his garage. He shook his head, thinking that it was a shame that the corvette was at the bottom of the harbor.
"So what's going on?" Sturn's voice said from behind Thornak. Thornak turned to find Sturn sitting at the desk, assembling a gun.
"Either Sinth decided to go for a joy ride and go for a swim, or that Senna bitch is here."
"Great," Sturn said, sliding the scope into place. "Well, don't you think we should go and greet her?"

Senna slipped through the door, and found herself in the middle of a large room that had a long table in the middle. A ladder led up to a catwalk along the wall, that had doors that probably led to offices.
The crow flew from over Senna's head, flying toward the table, when there was a small PFFT And the crow fell to the floor. Then there was another PFFT!
"Shit!" Senna cursed as what felt like a hot red poker was shoved into her shoulder. She stumbled back, clutching her bleeding shoulder.
"So, you're the bitch that's been hunting down my men, huh?" a voice said from the catwalk. Senna looked up and found a man with a thorny vine tattoo framing his left eye, and long black hair. He had a sword at his hip.
"And you must be Thornak," Senna growled, trying to ignore the pain in her shoulder.
"Yes. And you know my assistant here, Sturn?" Thornak gestured to the greasy haired man that held a rifle that had a silencer on the end.
"How could I forget?" Senna said. She glanced at the crow, and was thankful to see that it was still breathing.
Thornak calmly walked down the catwalk to the ladder, and climbed down.
"You know, I have to hand it to you," Thornak said, landing on the concrete floor, and turned to Senna. "I had you and your little family killed, and here I thought that I was done with Erik. But then you came back, and killed three of my men. And now you come here, with cops right on your tail. And yet you came in here without them, leaving them to fish the car out of the harbor. Why's that?"
"Because I wanted to take care of you on my own," Senna said through numb lips. She knew that she was weakening. She wondered if she could die now that the crow was injured. Her own wounds weren't healing anymore. And that really put a damper on her plans. She couldn't die before she had avenged her husband and daughter!
Thornak drew his sword and paced toward Senna. The sword was a magnificent double edged Katana. The hilt's grip threads were red and black, with a charm of a Japanese kanji at the end.
"You know what this symbol means?" Thornak said, taking the charm in his hand. "It means 'thorn.'"
"You know something?" Senna said. "I really could care less that you're obsessed with thorns."
"Yes, well, you should be." Thornak screamed a battle cry, and rushed forward, plunging the sword into Senna. She screamed as the blade slid into her stomach. "Because I'm a thorn in your side."
"Argh!" Senna gasped. Thornak leaned forward so that he was right by her ear.
"You know, you really are pretty. I'm jealous that Sturn was able to take a taste."
"You both are going to die!" Senna snarled.
"I don't think so," Thornak laughed, pulling the sword free. Senna slumped to the floor, her legs no longer able to hold her up.
Thornak circled around her, as if trying to decide where to stab her next. He seemed to finally reach a decision, for he raised the sword and was about to plunge it into Senna when there was a loud gunshot, and Thornak's hands exploded with blood, and the sword clattered to the ground.
Senna glanced behind her to find Detective Dowell standing in the doorway, his gun drawn and smoking.
"Thought I told you to stay out of this!" Senna growled, as she reached out and took the sword. Thornak stood there, staring at his bloody hands in disbelief.
"Get the guy on the catwalk!" Senna cried, when she noticed Sturn lift the rifle and take aim. Sturn screamed when a bullet slammed into his leg. He stumbled forward, and went over the railing and landed with a sickening thump.
"Four down, one more to go." Senna struggled to her feet to face Thornak. She held the sword in her right hand, and struggled to raise it. She knew that she was losing a lot of blood, and she would probably die soon. But she had to avenge her family before she could finally rest.
Thornak seemed to come out of his trance, and looked from his hands to Senna, and grinned. "Well, darling, is this just between the two of us? Or are you going to have your little detective friend shoot me again?"
"No," Senna shook her head. "Dowell, get the hell out of here. Do you hear me?"
"I hear you, but I'm not going anywhere," Dowell answered, training his gun on Thornak.
"Dowell, I need to do this for myself," Senna growled. "Please, lower your gun so that I can fight this bastard fairly."
"Fairly?" Thornak barked a laugh. "My hands are ruined! And you have my sword. There's nothing 'fair' about it!"
"You know what's not fair?" Senna snarled. "My daughter was only 3 months when your boys killed her. She didn't even have a chance at life! And my husband tried to get away from this life, to get away from you. All he wanted was to get an honest job, and live an honest life. So that his daughter could be proud of her daddy. But no, you had us killed!"
"That's what happens when you try to escape."
"BULLSHIT!" Senna screamed as she swung the sword. Thornak's smirking head went rolling away. Senna dropped the sword with a clatter, and fell to her knees.
Dowell rushed forward, and knelt beside Senna just as she collapsed in his arms. "Dowell, please make sure that I'm buried with my family." Then she smiled as her eyes unfocused. "Erik, my darling Kat, I am coming," Senna whispered, closing her eyes.
The crow flipped over onto its claws, and waddled toward Senna. It cawed at Dowell, then took off through the door just as the cops came in. They ducked as the crow flew over their head and into the morning light.
"What the hell happened here?" one of the cops demanded.
"Vengeance," Dowell whispered. Then he said out loud, "Well, that headless body over there was Thornak, and the crumpled one was Sturn."
"And the woman?"
"Her name was Senna. Senna Craven. Now, she finally rests in peace." At that moment, the rising sun peeked through the filthy glass, illuminating Senna's peaceful face.
Finished June 10, 2009