Barbara analyzed the samples we'd taken and they didn't tell us much. Hmph. You'd think that with all that incredible technology she's got she would have been able to turn up something. No such luck.

I found myself back in the same place as the previous night and with the same amount of action...zippo. Is this a bad case of deja vu or what?

I figured a walk might do me some good, and keep me awake, so I get down to street level and prowl around.

It isn't too long before I spot a man at the other end of the street stumbling along. He's probably drunk, but I decide to go investigate just in case.

When I get closer to him I watch him fall to his knees, clutching his side and screaming a bunch of garbled words.

"He...he...help," he slurred as he began to spew blood from his mouth.

I couldn't help but grimace at the disgusting sight. It's not like I hadn't seen people spew blood before, but it's still kinda gross.

He fell to the ground, still holding his side, his fingers in a death grip around the blood-soaked material of his shirt.

"What happened to you?" I asked, trying not to get too close in fear he might spew blood on me and my leather duster.

He reached out and grabbed my ankle, pleading for help. "It...it...don't let..." He coughed up more blood and yelled out in pain.

"It what? What is 'it'?"

His mumbling was impossible to understand so I had to kneel beside him to try and hear him better.

He held onto my pant leg with a death grip as he tried to speak through his pain. His side was all cut up and bloody and when he moved his arm I could see part of his insides hanging out.

"Who did this to you?"

I heard a low growl from a few feet away and quickly looked up. The only sight that greeted me were two red, glowing eyes that peered out of the shadows.

"No!!!" the man screamed as he leaned against me in a desperate attempt to get up.

I stood up and felt my adrenaline kick up a few notches as I readied myself for the "thing" to show itself.

"Don't let it get me!" the man yelled as he tried to crawl away.

I stood my ground and watched the red eyes, but the "thing" never moved.

In an effort to coax it from it's hiding place, I flashed my catlike pupils at him. It got a loud growl in response.

"Come on, show yourself. Who are you?"

The eyes blinked and another growl echoed through the street. Then it lowered itself. I got ready for it to pounce, but instead it flew into the air and disappeared.

"What the fuck was that shit?"

I turned back to the man who'd made it across the street, but was now lying on his stomach, panting.

I ran over to him and could see a massive pool of blood around him. "I'll get you some help," I assured him as I activated my comm.

"No!" he gasped as he turned over, reached up and grabbed the front of my duster with both hands. "It's too late for me," he whispered as his eyes began to close. "Sssstop th-that thing." His eyes closed and he let go of my coat as his body had finally succumbed to the severity of his wound.

Before I had a chance to do or say anything, the "thing" swooped down out of nowhere, knocking me out of the way with a strong shove.

Just as I got up, it snatched up the man's body like a rag doll and ran off into the darkness.

I thought about following, but this thing was quick. A little too quick for me.

***

I returned to the Clocktower and trudged out of the elevator. I was tired physically and emotionally and it showed.

"Oh my God, Helena!" Dinah gasped as she launched out of her chair and ran over to me.

Barbara looked up from her monitor and immediately came over as well.

"What?" I asked, a little shocked by the response.

"You're bleeding!" Dinah gasped as she put her hands all over me, searching for the source of the blood.

I brushed her hands away. "It's not mine."

Barbara still stared at me, as if she didn't believe me.

I opened my coat and then moved my hands all over my upper body and even went as far as to lift up my shirt

. "See...not mine."

"If it's not yours then who's is it?" Barbara asked as she grabbed the sleeve of my coat and dragged me towards the kitchen to clean me up.

"Some guy's, I didn't really catch his name before he died right in front of me."

Barbara turned the faucet on and wet some paper towels to help clean the blood off me.

"The guy's guts had been ripped out, similar to the guy from last night." I scrubbed my hands with the liquid soap and watched the crimson water disappear down the drain as I continued my tale. "I didn't get a good look at who or what did it, but I saw it's eyes. Red and mean. They had a glow about them."

Dinah huffed as she laughed. "You sure you didn't have a few out there or something?"

"I'm not making this shit up. I saw two glowing, red eyes from the darkness. The thing growled at me then took off. When I went back over to the guy, the thing came back and pushed me to the ground. It grabbed the guy and ran off with him." I looked at Barbara to see if she may have an explanation, but she was busy cleaning the blood from my coat. "Hello? Anyone think that's rather odd that there's some...some THING out there with glowing, red eyes going around ripping people's organs out?!?"

Barbara stopped cleaning and looked at me. "I can't say that I've heard of such a THING but that's not to say that it isn't real."

That was it. I turned the water off and grabbed a towel as I shoved my way passed the two of them.

"Helena?" Barbara called out to me, surprised at my sudden exit.

I almost didn't turn around but my inner frustrations took over and turned me around. "If you two aren't going to take this shit seriously then there's nothing left to discuss. I'm not sure why all of a sudden you think I've lost my mind when I..."

"Helena? We didn't say we didn't believe you. You're tired, drained and..."

"Wait! Let me get this straight, you say that you're not saying that you don't believe me and yet you say that I'm tired and drained. In other words, maybe because I'm tired I was just seeing things. So in reality you really don't believe me. And it's funny how you're more concerned about proving me to be a looney tune when another victim's gotten their guts ripped out and I'm standing here covered in their blood!" I turned back around and stormed towards the elevator, my fists clenched by my sides.

"Helena? Helena!"

I ignored Barbara's voice and got into the elevator. I mashed my thumb on the "door close" button until the heavy doors closed behind me. Then I closed my eyes as I swallowed down my rage.

Barbara was right, I am tired and I am drained, but I did NOT imagine those eyes or the "thing" that grabbed that guy.