The ride back toward the manor house proved to be largely uneventful. However, upon arrival, the road-tripping trio discovered a disturbing sight. Over a dozen corpses were piled high and set to be burnt.

"Flying eyeballs?" asked Scott curiously. Each of the floating silent death dealers that he could see clearly appeared to be torn apart by gun fire.

Frank was nearby with a bit of gasoline, ready to torch the bodies. He called out to Scott when he pulled to a stop. "Glad you made it back."

"Me too. Thanks." Scott nodded to Frank then tilted his head toward the pile of dead tentacle monsters. "Have a visitor while we were away."

Frank nodded to Scott, glanced briefly at the girl pressing heavily against his back, and then said, "A few. Nothing we couldn't handle, though this literally just happened. We ended up putting up a barrier just in case the smell and noise draws something else."

"Anyone get hurt?" asked Scott, while he swallowed a lump forming in his throat.

"Not really. Those things are tough with our gear, but we kept our distance and used guns," said Frank.

"Of course, a few other visitors came by and mentioned you..."

"Me?" asked Scott curiously.

"Yeah, a delivery man appeared. He had a couple of giant demon looking things install mail boxes and deliver packages..." said Frank while trying to maintain a straight face.

"So that's how it works. I figured they would just spontaneously appear," said Scott.

"A lot happened, for all of us I guess," said Frank. He looked at Scott and his gear, noticed Harley's change, and then looked to the woman wrapped around Scott's back.

"Yeah, I come bearing gifts and news," said Scott. He jerked his thumb backwards, "Also picked up a stray."

"What am I? A cat?" asked the girl in a cute, petulant, tone.

"I wonder..." said Scott. He was still uncertain, but there was something off about the girl.

She purred into Scott's ear. "Meow, meow..."

Frank coughed once into his fist. "I should get to burning these bodies."

"Why not just eat them?" asked the girl. "They taste like octopus."

"We've been a bit reluctant to eat things we kill," said Scott. "Most of the time I think my guts might fall out if I do."

"I see," said the girl.

"Speaking of food. We got the delivery," said Frank. "Harold was happy to see the ammo, and we were all happy to see food and water."

"I should explain everything, to everyone, all at once," said Scott. "There's a lot to say."

"Right, no problem. Let me set these things on fire, and we can get out of here." Frank finished dousing the corpses with gasoline, and then set them on fire. Tentacles twitched in response despite the death of their owner. The nerves and muscles did not know that they were dead, yet.

Scott and the mystery girl dismounted Harley, and the dirt bike became a middle school girl. Frank's eyes widened when he saw her.

"Yeah, they grow up so quickly nowadays," said Scott, after he noticed the stare.

"No kidding..." said Frank. Obviously, a lot did happen while they were away.

Not far from the gate leading into the manor, the mystery girl stopped short. Neither of the others noticed for a moment, but Scott soon realized that the girl did not come with them.

He crossed the barrier while thinking that she would come forward on her own, but she seemed unwilling. Scott called out, "What's wrong?"

Mystery girl winced slightly then offered a cute expression. "I know this is silly, and old fashioned... but..."

"What is?" asked Frank.

"Well, it's a custom of my people. It's impolite to enter someone's home without an invitation..." she said, her smile growing brighter. The light dancing in her eyes became quite intriguing. Both of the men looking toward her found it difficult to look away.

Harley glanced at her master briefly then stomped on his foot. Scott let out a startled cry, more out of surprise than pain. "The hell, Harley."

"You're being weird, master," she said.

"Yeah?" he asked her, confused.

"Weird, huh?" asked the girl, her smile still pleasant and sweet. "I guess that's two of us, but I just don't feel right about coming in unless you invite me."

"Invite you?" asked Scott.

A slight shimmer came to her eyes. "Yes, Scott. Invite me in, won't you."

Scott's mind grew cloudy once more. The words of invitation rose up from within, but something else rose up as well. Suspicion, doubt, and confusion were the primary sensations. She'd said something strange, even for the moment.

"My name..." he said slowly, while fighting off the mental fog that clouded his thoughts.

"It's a lovely name, isn't it?" she asked, her warm smile beaming brightly. "We can talk about it inside, after you invite me in..."

"How..." Scott shook his head briefly then blinked. His eyes snapped up to the woman he'd supposedly rescued. "How do you know my name?"

"What?" she asked, her expression shifted to one of dumbfounded surprise.

"I don't recall saying my name," said Scott.

The moment he realized that tidbit of truth, he also began to notice other things. The most notable of which was the fact that she stood exactly one step away from the edge of the salvation barrier.

Her eyes began to sparkle a little. "You told me your name. Don't you remember?"

Scott's eyes started to glaze over once more. He nodded his head slightly, but before he could give in to the obvious lie, Harley stomped on his foot once more.

"God dammit Harley!" he roared before snatching his foot back.

"Master is being weird," said Harley.

"Weird?" asked Scott.

"You just caught her in a lie, but believed it so easily," said Harley.

"Who's lying?" asked the mystery girl. "Besides that, it's dangerous for me to be out here... So, invite me in already. Won't you?"

Frank spoke up, "Sure, come on in."

The girl sighed loudly. "Thank you so much, but I really wouldn't feel right unless Scott invites me..."

Frank nodded his head like that statement made sense. Scott should be the one to invite her inside. Everything she said made perfect sense.

"Why stop here?" asked Scott quietly. He regained his senses, but looked down. Something about her eyes made him uncomfortable.

"Hey, can't you even look at me?" she asked him warmly.

"I would prefer not..." said Scott, as even more mental fog lifted away from his mind.

"Am I truly so hideous?" she asked, before tossing a hand to her mouth. "I'm ugly aren't I?"

"No... But you're a liar. Tell me what you came here for..." said Scott.

"You're the one who told me to come with you," she said simply.

Scott frowned. What she said was true, but how did she know his name. It made no logical sense. Even the announcer guy referred to them as Team Badass.

Unable to think as clearly as he would like, he came up with a simple solution. "This isn't the entrance to the house or the gate. Why stop here?"

"It would be rude to approach either without a proper invitation..." she counter-argued.

"Take a few steps forward a least..." said Scott.

"What? Why should I..." she replied. Her smile slipped a little.

"Harley, are you sure she's human?" asked Scott after a brief, awkward, pause.

"Sensors indicate human, level one," said Harley.

Scott frowned. If she was human, that made things more complicated. However, that last bit caught his attention. "Wait, level one?"

"I'm alone in the world, and haven't even gained a level! Are you really going to leave me out here, Scott?" she asked him, her expression one of innocence and hope.

"Level one... Level..." Scott's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him. She'd left enough clues for his embattled, fog-laden, mind to piece together a far more sinister picture.

Scott stared at her, his frown turning into a scowl. "The hell are you? You're not human."

"That's so mean!" she cried. "What have I done to deserve that?"

"Cold, causes people to be highly suggestible, and is desperate to get invited into the house... If it wasn't broad day light..."

She looked at Scott and sighed. "Are you really going to leave me out here, all alone? No one... I have no one."

"You're some sort of day walking vampire aren't you?" asked Scott slowly.

Her smile dropped away and she frowned. "Damn. I hoped the masquerade would last longer..."

The mystery girl shimmered softly, and her slightly above average appearance became almost heart-breakingly beautiful. Her eyes became bright red and began to glow with a soft enchanting light.

Her smile returned, this time with a hint of fangs. "It's been fun, but if you don't want to play with me anymore..."

"So, what? Vampires don't care about the sun?" asked Scott. He was pretty sure of what he was looking at now.

"Master, I'm detecting a dangerously powerful creature," said Harley, while she looked at the mystery girl.

"Thanks, Harley," said Scott. It was a little late, but at least he knew she was as dangerous as she seemed, now.

"You know, I intended to make you my plaything just to tease her... But now you've got me curious," said the girl.

"Tease her?"

The vampire girl laughed warmly, "Yeah, she's got it pretty bad for you. If it were any worse, her heart might star beating."

She leaned in and spoke in soft conspiratorial tones, "Heh. Virgins, am I right?"

Scott's eyes narrowed. "Just who are you."

"Me? Well, honey... My name's Amanda Bernice Hyun, but my friends and lovers call me Amber H," said the girl.

She spread her legs shoulder-width apart, clasped her hands and pointed her fingers toward him like a gun, and then tilted her head to the side before offering him a saucy over-done wink. "Now my sights are set on you, big boy."

"Look, if you hurt anyone here..." said Scott.

Amber blinked slowly then laughed a little. "Hurt them? I don't have anything like that in mind."

Scott snorted at her. She was a vampire. His entire faction probably looked like a lunch box to her.

"No, baby. You got it wrong. I'm here for you," said Amber. "I wanna hurt you just a little..."

Her suggestive wink and stance made it clear that she did not mean that she wanted to fight. He stared at her for a moment. Her hypnotic gaze no longer attempted to hold him in thrall, but it was still hard to look away. "Why does every non-human girl I meet besides Harley, want to get aggressive with me?"

Amber giggled softly then waved her hand from side-to-side. "I don't know about that, but I can see why she mopes over you."

"She?" asked Scott.

"Yeah, she's got it bad," said Amber with a grin.

"She who?" asked Scott.

Amber laughed softly then waved him off. "If you don't know, then that's even more amusing."

He started to tell her what she could do with her amusements, but she cut him off. Amber said, "Sadly, now that you've seen through my masquerade, I have to go."

A visible sense of relief washed over Scott. This girl really was dangerous. A single glance could completely dominate someone.

"If you're ever near the hospital, look me up. That's my domain," she said. Amber grinned a little then continued, "We can cut a deal, and make an alliance..."

"What kind of deal?" asked Scott, with suspicion lacing his words.

"What do you think? How'd you make your last deal with a faction?" Amber winked at him then clapped her hands together briefly before throwing them outside sideways in a stylish movement. "I'm out, baby."

Pink smoke poofed up from the ground. A small bat flew out of the mist and flapped away into the early morning.

Harley frowned at the bat, her hand lightly tracing the barrel of her weapon. "I'll make a deal," she groused.

"What's that?" asked Scott.

Harley smiled slightly at him then shook her head. "Nothing of importance, Master."

Frank blinked and started to look around. The mental fog that dominated his mind lifted, and now he could once again think clearly. "What the hell...?"

"We need to get inside and tell everyone about the stuff that's happened," said Scott.

Frank nodded sluggishly. He was still uncertain about anything he'd just seen, heard, or done. Whatever else it might have been, it was definitely dangerous.