A/N: Hi guys, this is a big step for me – publishing this first chapter – I've never done it before, and I am quivering in my seat right now. The series have me hooked, though, so I will conquer my fear and share my story with you. Hopefully, you will like it.

Summary: Kind of AU, as it is set in the possible future after Amaru will have been defeated.

In the light of her own foolishness she had lain bleeding. And they had stood watching, mocking her. -And for what?- She had given it her all, and it had cost just as much. Even heaven had rejected her. Waking up changed, Kate, free of Amaru's possession, can't bear the weight of her sins. She runs, trying to forget it all. But God's judgment follows her; and so do two Geckos. Richie/Kate/?Seth

BETWEEN DUSK AND DAWN

Chapter 1: Purgatory

True love is loving the unlovable.

Kate felt the cold touch of hard metal under her right palm. The gun felt good, her grip strong. God Almighty, have mercy on me. Since when did she relish the dead weight of a weapon in her hands? Only sinners do, Kate. And she was one of them now.

Shivers spread realisation. How long until it really sank in? Her fingers tightened around the handle of the Glock; her tongue felt woolly in her mouth. This was life now. A game of hunt and kill. A game she had only just be cast into. Better than being trapped in your own body – the thought came involuntarily, but she let it evaporate before it could fully form. She would not remember - it would not hurt her.

This was how things were different now.

She twisted the Glock, brought it up to her eye-line, and examined its smooth polished surface. Once upon a time she'd been the victim. Now? Never again. Like a lover, she tucked the gun under her blouse, let it grow warm against her bare flesh. She took good care of it like it took good care of her.

Kate turned from the dresser to the bed, covered by a frayed, faded bedsheet; and took one last look at the room. She wouldn't miss it, that's for sure. Not the old, filthy carpet, not the cracked sink, and certainly not the smelly, green curtains. The time she had spent here were not made of great memories. There had been nights, long nights, where she had sat next the bed, curled up tight, and had waited for dawn. But the light of a new day had never quite reached her.

You are a sinner now, Kate. Take your sentence. Bear it alone. Alone. So alone.

That was part of the punishment – wasn't it? - because they were stronger when they were together, they were weaker, too, if separated. So weak. Oh Scott. Weak like him. If this was purgatory, she thought, then he was in hell – and God Almighty - that is where he wanted to be. And she that's why she had let him go and leave her father's last wish unfulfilled. She had given it her all, and still she had failed. God, forgive me, she had been so foolish, so stupid. What had she ever hoped to gain? Too much. So much greed.

Ezekiel 36:31:Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.

And she had – she was. Even heaven had rejected her. So that's how realisation settled in her bones; it tasted sour, like vomit.

Kate fought hard to stay upright, her weak, treacherous knees wanted to bend under the weight of it all. Too much. How could she bear it - What had been; what could be - ...and the certainty of her failure and ultimately, her fall. Like the frayed ends of every conscious thought, it teased her. And in the night, memories transformed into nightmares. This was God's retribution, and she was truly deserving.

Oh, she, Kate Fuller, had closed her eyes in front of her brother's crying face; and woken to a new world. Maybe this was a second chance, an offering to right the wrongs, but Kate saw the truth of it straightaway. What had mattered had been lost. And forcefully she had been returned from death and imprisonment, to face it all.

This was her punishment. God, what had she done in the name of her family?

And in the name of God, all sinners shall repent or return to hell to burn for eternity.

Behind closed eyes she saw it happen again. The blood on her hands, on Scott's face. On her father's chest. She had given her all, and it had cost just as much.

"I gave you all the love that I could possibly give."

Like the words, the pain felt real in her head, but it was only visions, yes? Her words; her memories of Kate, the girl she once had been. Imminent death had painted a stark picture, burned it to her memory. Scott, Richie, Carlos. God, betraying her.

Utter devastation, she felt the echo in her bones, how it had sunk in her heart, eroding all strength. The pain of the gunshot had paled in comparison to the torment she had felt once she had realised her plight. In the light of her own foolishness she had laid bleeding. And they had stood watching, mocking. How she had sacrificed all for nothing, and not even realised her own idiocy until it had shot her dead. Realising this, she had laughed right back.

"And for what?"

There they had stood, looking so devastated. Now they cared. They were going to lose her, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Scott was wailing her name, whereas he had just stood and stared. Richie, oh handsome Richie, with his angelic face and cruel mouth. How she had hated him and craved for his attention at the same time. How wrong it had been, to let him touch her. Richie, with his killer hands, his dark heart. How wickedly wrong it was to have it feel so sweet.

And with his cold eyes he had watched her fall. Her fall from grace.

Psalm 88:14O LORD, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?

Uncountable hours later she had woken; not as Amaru, but as Kate. Kate, the fallen; Kate, trapped, again. Their voices had travelled from the adjoining room to where they had brought her. Arrogantly, they had discussed her fate – their future - as if they had any right. Trembling and barely able to stand, she had raised herself, seen the gun on the table, taken it; and run. To never see them again. To bear the punishment alone.

"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

What she had found on the road was violence. Death. A game of hunt and kill. This was her punishment. I am a sinner, dear Lord, and I cannot ever ask for forgiveness. What she had done in the name of just cause, had turned out to be a sinner's cravings. And she had to bear the curse, because it was her destiny.

Back in the present, back in this dreadful place, Kate made a grab for her duffle back, carrying all that she called her own, and exited the room. She didn't want to meet the manager again, he had called her out two times already demanding his money. And Kate couldn't pay for another night.

57 miles and several days ago, she had had 132 dollars left. Now, the remaining 21,02 felt light in her pocket. Not enough to rent a room, not enough for a bus ride. Barely enough, Kate new, to survive in this godforsaken place for long. If she hadn't needed to run - …She needed to get a job again. Lay low. They had found her too easily this time.

She dropped the bag on the curve of the street. The 20 dollars wouldn't get her anywhere. Not without a passport, obviously. Not without any form of identification. Not if the truckers here were as nice as back in the Titty Twister. Bile rose, but the gone-Kate was not here to cry and collapse, and the new-Kate gulped down her fear like salvia. She made it part of her, building her steele resolve.

This was all part of the play. And she had learnt to stick to the rules.

As if on cue, some men loitering around a small rundown supermarket next to the motel, called out to her. Without a glance back at them, she picked up her pack and made a dash towards the supermarket. She had to figure out where she'd go next, preferably without getting noticed. But she stood out, with her modest clothing – and the blood that covered it.

Trailing down the aisle, Kate surveyed the store. Two other customers, the only ones she could see, roamed the adjoining aisle. She ignored them, as they ignored her. They posed no danger. Nights spent alone - hiding between furniture and waiting for them to come to get her again - nights filled with reoccurring nightmares, waking screaming; oblivious to the world until mindless fear transformed into knowledge of what she had lost - had come and honed her paranoia into survival instinct. It was all part of the game. Of her curse. Of her fate. Of the life she now led.

She felt his eyes on her back, before she saw him. A third costumer. She saw him through the stacks of noodles, his gaze fixed on where she had disappeared behind the pasta. His interest was dangerous, his beady eyes too focused to pass it off as mere curiosity. At once she could tell that he was not human. How, she could not explain. Ever since she had awoken, her sense had changed. At first she had written it off as a mere side-effect of her paranoia, but now, after weeks of running, after countless encounters like this – in alleys, in shopping-centres, diners, and bus stations – how could she doubt her senses? They were telling her he was culebra, and she didn't doubt it for a second. It had been a dreadful realisation that even in broad daylight she was not safe, but not more shocking than the discovery of her skill to identify them.

He would not follower her out of the store, though. Not unless he wanted to go up in flames. Unfortunately, some were quite determined when they smelled her blood. Damn her for not getting rid of the shirt right away. Daylights false sense of security had fooled her once again. Idiocy like that would her killed some day.

Not today, however; she swore to herself. She turned the corner, the tingling on her spine lessened, but she knew better than to stop now. With shaky hands she grabbed several cereal bars, two bottles of water and jogged to the cash register. The clerk scanned her products with a bored expression.

Kate felt her insides cramp up the longer she had to stay put. Already, the tingling in her spine had intensified. He was approaching her from behind. In a weak moment she glanced over her shoulder. He was big, not muscular. In his right hand dangled several beer cans. A man, or a culebra. Right now it didn't matter. She feared him.

"All?" The clerk drawled. Kate snapped around, heart beating fast. All of her senses were telling her ditch her purchase and get out of here, but she knew better than to give into the impulse. They always liked to see her run. She would not give him an invitation to screw her up, nor would she give him the satisfaction to see her squirm.

"No, thanks." She replied, her voice steady. "That's all."

"Do you need a bag?" He stared at her with blank eyes. Kate shook her head, heart pounding in her throat. "That's 5 dollar 10, then."

Kate handed him a ten dollar bill. Once the change touched her palms, she was out of the door. One last look over her shoulder was all she allowed herself, before she made a dash towards the intersection. The closed doors of the supermarket remained immobile. He had not followed her.

Several hours later, Kate was still walking along the road. The sun beat down on her. Kate only wore a white T and jeans, but she felt too hot. A mile back she'd stopped at a liquor store and bought another bottle of water. Down to 12 dollars, walking along the breaches of desert and human population. Two truckers had already stopped and invited her to hop on. She'd refused. How could she not? She couldn't trust them. She could trust no one.

God, have mercy. How long till the sun went down? Even if she dreaded the heat now, she feared the night more.

A car horn yanked her out of her contemplation. She turned, dreading the confrontation. What if they would not take no for an answer this time round? The weight of the Glock was both reassuring and disconcerting against her side. Six bullets left, six times a miss? Was it enough to kill a culebra? After all she'd been through it seemed unlikely that luck was on her side now.

A dark red family van pulled to the curb a few meters before her. A man stepped out of the car, and a woman followed him soon after.

A/N: Liked it? Any idea what will happen next? Who are they? Do they mean any harm? And where the heck is Richie?

Don't worry, you will find out soon enough! We have still some time to kill before the , don't we? So leave a comment and the next chapter will be uploaded in no time. It means the world to me and takes only a little bit of your precious time.