A scream resonated in the distance.

Sirius's eyes slammed open, momentarily lost in the track of time. It was already dark. The cool breeze brushed his face.

The scream came again. But he realized it was not too far from where he was. It was just below, a few steps from the warehouse balcony where he was.

He blinked several times so his eyes adjusted to the dark. The streetlamps around the edge of the emporium had oddly malfunctioned, bathing the streets in darkness. Several shops had already closed for the night. While some weren't having the time of night under complete darkness.

He jumped off the balcony and headed for the one shop he watched out for.

"Randa!" Screamed an old woman.

As he turned to a corner that led to the street, he could see three forms emerging from the dark. Two were tall and bulky, one petite form was between the bulky ones.

The petite form kicked and writhed. Her mouth was clamped by a hand to prevent her from screaming. Her eyes landed on Sirius who was assessing the situation behind a perimeter wall.

Sirius heard something crash from inside the shop. Clay pots? He reached behind him and cursed. The only weapon he had was a dagger. He had to make do with available resources for now. If they were smart, which he hoped they weren't, they'd know how to counter at his blindside.

He decided to utilize whatever he currently had to his advantage.

He readied the weapon on his dominant hand, his right, angling it to the back. He lifted that hand. And with a swift release, launched it at the man who clamped Randa's mouth shut. The dagger scraped the back of Bulky One, landing with a clang against the pavement.

Bulky Two searched for the source of the attack. When his head turned to Sirius's direction, a punch to his throat greeted him, knocking the air out of him. Staggered, he landed on his ass, coughing.

Bulky One released Randa who immediately scrambled out of danger. His attention shifted to Sirius.

Sirius drew a knife sheathed from Bulky Two's biceps. He turned to face the other brute. But before Bulky One could strike him with a punch of his own, he used the knife to counter. Sidestepping the punch, he angled the knife's edge so it ran a long gash the length of Bulky One's extended arm, instantly spilling away liquid rubies.

Bulky One made a sound and cradled his injured arm. He joined his companion on the ground as they gathered their bearings back.

Sirius turned his attention to the shop. Randa went inside. There were three more forms. One more bulky figure and two more petite forms. One of them, he recognized.

Three ladies and three brutes.

He took his dagger from the ground. Using the knife he got from Bulky Two, he hurled it through the open door to grab Bulky Three's attention.

The man glared at him when he recognized the knife. Unfortunately, he did not let go of the person he dragged outside.

Instead, he positioned the woman between him and Sirius. A hand clamped her throat while the other hand pointed a knife to her side. He dared Sirius. "Okay, punk, come get it."

Sirius didn't like the fact that Bulky Three was using Caltha as a shield. What hostility he portrayed in his stance, he had to halt. He breathed calmly. Then relaxed his shoulders.

He withdrew his hostility and spun the dagger deftly in one hand, the same way anyone would to a pen. Then he raised a hand in Caltha's direction casually. His expression lopsided, daring the man to endanger the hostage. "By all means."

He didn’t dare look at Caltha, avoiding eye contact was the safest route should the man suspect anything. But he could feel her gaze on him. She wasn’t hysterical. Good. His gaze stuck firmly to Bulky Three in a mutual glare.

"I will, asshole, unless you get out of the way."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. His face was a sour taunt of sarcasm. "I don't think the High King would appreciate damaging any of the merchandise."

Bulky Three gritted his teeth. "Agni! Rudra!"

Agni, Bulky One, together with Rudra, Bulky Two, were still hunched outside. Almost out of commission. No help would assist Bulky Three in this game.

"Goddammit!" Bulky Three raged before shoving Caltha towards Sirius like jettisoning a deadweight.

In a split-second, Sirius saw a glimmer of silver. With his left hand, he caught Caltha, quickly moving her to the side. With his free hand, clutching the dagger, he parried the knife attack from Bulky Three. The edges of their weapons clashed as they stood face to face.

Sirius let go of Caltha who stepped away from them.

"Go, the three of you. Now." Sirius ordered the women.

Caltha, Randa and the old woman, the shop owner, hurried outside and away from the vicinity. None of them looked back to witness what was to come next.

Sirius preferred the isolation that way. He could finally let loose some restrained limbs.

With the dagger, he pushed Bulky Three off him and swiped Rudra's knife off the floor. In the blink of an eye, he plunged the knife towards Bulky Three's throat. He didn't draw it off yet. He wanted to avoid leaving evidence or making any more mess in the shop.

Bulky Three clutched the knife while making gurgling sounds. Sirius dragged him out of the shop and dumped him together with his companions.

He crouched before them, waving his dagger back and forth sideways. His tongue clicked against his teeth. Tsk-tsk-tsk. "You three need to be taught about handling women."

Bulky Three's gaze followed Sirius who disappeared for a while. When he returned, an automobile awaited them.

Sirius dragged them inside, tying Agni and Rudra's wrists behind them. Bulky Three? He doubted the man could even move when a blade was stuck in his throat, choking him.

He drove them away from the emporium.

The dead forest that bordered the city rang eerie at night. As if the undead would rise in triumphant bloodlust. It was the perfect place to leave the brutes.

"You're not really leaving us here tied like this." Agni's face was pale due to the sting of his arm's injury.

"Oh no," Sirius's said. "I'm going to make sure you're never going to bother any of them again."

Rudra coughed and laughed in despair. "Son of a bitch wants them bitches for himself. The High King—"

Agni found Rudra's head rolling in the mud a few feet away. Moments earlier, he witnessed the strike of a golden dagger appear like lightning in a hollow storm.

Agni looked at Fyde, Bulky Three. He was about to say something when he realized the knife stuck in Fyde's throat was no longer there. Leaving him bleeding, unmoving on the ground, watering the soil with his own blood.

Sirius stood before Agni. Dagger on his right, knife on his left.

Agni shook his head. His pride left him when he started begging to be spared. But he should have swallowed what was left of it when both blades pierced his vision. Because the last thing he saw were crimson eyes of flames that blazed upon the souls of the unforgiven.

Before Agni hit the dirt, Sirius heard the man say, "Be seeing you."

That was when Sirius felt the dawn of the hunt had finally commenced.