IV.

Talk of the church fire was making its rounds at the hotel lobby. It would have to come down. Five people dead. Lila ignored it as she paid for her room and got her key. She was tired and needed to sleep; Saturday was going to be a big day.

She looked down at the street from her hotel room window. At the edge of town tarry smoke curled in black ribbons from the dead church. Four there plus the Reverend. Her tongue ran delicately along the inside of her upper lip and her eyes drooped half closed. She'd had only a lick of them as she'd leapt out of the place. The untouched had survived, as well they should. Behind a car a flash of blue disappeared.

She would sleep now.