Why hadn't the cop been there a year ago. When she was under his care? Why couldn't he have been there, then. Again she reached up to her neck and gently rubbed the scar. Why hadn't the cop been there three years ago when her parents... Well when her parents were killed. Why hadn't they come then? Now he was here, and he was going to get hurt. She thought about stopping The Panther. But she knew she wouldn't do it. Couldn't. No matter how much she hated him, she hated the cops even more.

As The Panther stood silent, she could see the impending fate of this cop. It was the same fate as her mother and father, and many others. The Panther was evil. Pure evil, he played with his prey. Making them think they have some kind of a chance, when they have little. He was the kind of person that would fight to the death, and if he went down, he'd be bringing you with him.

“Turn around now!” The Cop commanded, but The Panther ignored him, as he did most people. Dark Angel watched almost intently at the scene that was being played out in front of her. She wished that she could have been back home, with her beautiful plants. She wished she could smell the wonderful scent that filled her nose every second of the day. She wished so much that she could be curled up between her animals, tending to the warm fireplace. But she was here. Standing in the pouring rain watching. “Come on now, Panther, if you just put the knife down, and come with me, you won't be in that much trouble.” But still, The Panther was silent. He was waiting for The Cop to make the first move. But maybe, just maybe, The Cop would give up. Maybe he would leave. Dark Angel hoped that he would, she hoped there would be no blood shed today in front of her. But she knew death was imminent. It always was when The Panther was involved. He loved to spill the blood of others. It was one of the only things in the world that made him happy.

Although, Dark Angel secretly knew that there were two people The Panther wished he hadn't killed and one he wished he hadn't hurt. But he couldn't take those wounds back. He couldn't make the scars go away.

“Come on Panther, let's go. Turn around.” Now The Cop began the first of his stupid moves. He reached for his gun, and whipped it quickly out. It was exactly the move that The Panther had been waiting for. He lunged at The Cop with his knife out in front of him, slicing The Cop's neck open. That's why he was called The Panther. Because he always went for the neck, it was his trademark. But The Cop was fast, he pulled the trigger as they both fell to the ground, blood spilling out around them. Dark Angel watched, keeping her mouth shut. People around here were used to death, it loomed around them, happening everyday. Most of the kids around here, lost at least one of their family members before they were ten. By the time Dark Angel was thirteen, she'd lost three. And now, at the delicate age of sixteen, she'd lost her entire family. The last surviving member had just been murdered by this cop.

The Cop and The Panther lay beside each other, both gasping for air, each knowing their fate. The Panther knew something more though, he knew his sister was standing by, he knew she wasn't going to help, not after what he did to her. Not after what he did to any of them.

“Why weren't you there before?” she whispered to The Cop in despair, knowing he couldn't hear her. These feelings that she felt, she wished she didn't have. She wished he was no longer capable of hurting her, but he was.

“Dark Angel,” he whispered his plea, knowing she could hear him. She was the one he wanted near him when he died. Slowly, Dark Angel moved toward her brother, she stood over him watching as his chest rose and fell, his breathing heavily labored. She stood so close to him that she could smell the blood that poured from his wounds. The Cop was still alive, looking at her. His wounds were not as deep as she thought, unless someone found him soon, he would bleed out. She hoped they were both suffering as she had.

“What do you want?” she asked quietly as she kicked his knife into a nearby puddle. Th Cop watched as Dark Angel knelt down next to him. Her movements were shaky. She hadn't been this close to him for a long time.

“I... forgive you,” he whispered. The Panther was that kind of person. The kind who instead of making you feel sorry for him as he was dying, made you want him to die faster.

“You forgive me?” she asked, so filled with hate, she pulled out her own knife and held it over his throat. But then he smiled. That's what he wanted. He didn't want to die in agony. He wanted to die fast. She wouldn't give that to him. “Your life was worthless,” she spat. “No one will ever remember you. I'll make sure of that!”

“You will,” he answered with an arrogant smile.

“Maybe, but you didn't amount to anything! You killed your own family! You almost killed me!” To this The Panther smiled again. “You leave behind nothing but hate.”

“No. My life did mean something. You're wrong Dark Angel, for once you're wrong. I created something wonderful, something beautiful, not even mom and dad can say ill of that. I made something that no one else ever did.”

“Oh? And what was that?” Dark Angel sneered, as The Panther's breath came out in shorter more painful gasps.

“I created you. My Dark Angel,” he whispered with his last breath. Dark Angel smiled despite herself and got to her feet. Reaching over, she took all the cash both of the men had on them, and left, never to return to that site again.