Abigail's Sorrow, Victoria's Rage

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 11, Post Number 267

-The outskirts of Oak Town, 7:05 A.M.-

Wearing a hastily assembled outfit of wrinkled blue Steel Matron t-shirt and black gym shorts with no shoes and a backpack containing her iLac, Victoria had hopped aboard her Centaur and zoomed to Oak Town as quickly as she could grab her iLac and backpack. She had driven to Oak Town so quickly that she had not even been able to put her hair up in a ponytail. She had received a frantic iLac call from her friend Abigail Windstrider, who had barely escaped her burning house with only the clothes on her back, her iLac, and her Sky Blade. Now Victoria was here and looking for her friend, who was going to meet her on the outskirts of Oak Town and take her to the Sheridan Estate before returning to Oak Town to get clues from the locals.

Victoria slowed down to 2 MPH as she spotted a blonde-haired young woman wearing a blue Earthland Eagle crop top and blue jean short shorts with no shoes. On her back was a backpack and on her left hip was the scabbard containing her Sky Blade. It was Abigail, who was obviously distraught over what had happened to her. Victoria stopped on the left side of the road and jumped off of the Centaur, rushing over to Abigail.

"Abby, are you OK? What happened?" Victoria asked her friend, who was barely holding it together. Abigail wordlessly reached out for the brunette and hugged her.

"I was asleep when I happened to wake up and smell smoke. The next thing I know I look up and my roof's on fire. I had only seconds to roll out of my bed or I would have been hit by a flaming timber. I couldn't hope to put the fire out in time, so I grabbed my backpack, iLac, and Sky Blade and ran out of the house before it was too late." Abigail told Victoria what little she knew. Victoria's face went pale. She knew her friend's situation was bad if the latter called her early in the morning, but she had no idea that it had been that bad.

"The house was burned to the ground before the fire could be put out. I've lost everything. My parent's belongings, my belongings, all my clothes... it's all gone." Abigail lamented before being overcome with emotion and squeezing the Sabertooth mage tightly. Moments later the blonde burst into tears and buried her face in the brunette's right shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Abby." Victoria tried to console her friend and returned the hug. She stood still and let Abigail cry on her shoulder until the latter stopped crying and went silent. The blonde pulled her red face out of Victoria's shoulder and looked at her.

"You're coming with me to my place, Abby. You can stay there and we'll get you some clothes. I'll hunt down who did this and put them in the ground." Victoria told her friend what they were going to do next. The blonde looked at Victoria with an expression of anxiety as if she was afraid to feel hope.

"But I owe you so much money! I can't do-" Abigail started before Victoria cut off the topic with a right index finger firmly pressed over the blonde's lips.

"I don't care about the money, Abby. I've said that many times and I'm not changing my mind now. You're in a bad place and I'm going to help you out of it." Victoria firmly told Abigail and removed the finger from the latter's lips.

"But-" Abigail managed to utter a single word of protest before she was silenced again.

"No buts, Abby. We're getting on the Centaur and we're going to my place. My older sisters are gonna take you shopping for clothes and you're gonna stay in one of the guest rooms. Hell, you can stay in my room if there isn't an open room." Victoria made it clear that she was not going to budge on the matter. Abigail looked at the brunette in confusion for several seconds before her face changed to an expression of relief and she hugged Victoria again.

"Thanks, Vic." Abigail said while maintaining the hug for at least a minute before finally letting go. After that the pair climbed on board the Centaur and Victoria cranked it up, then turned to head back for Capital Crocus and for home.

-The Sheridan Estate, 11:39 A.M.-

After a long drive from Oak Town the pair had finally arrived at the Sheridan Estate. Victoria had parked the Centaur in the garage and now the two were standing in the living room with Laura and Lorelei. The oldest Sheridan sister made eye contact with the newly arrived mages and noticed Abigail's disheveled look. She then looked at Victoria before speaking.

"What happened to her?" Lorelei asked Victoria about Abigail.

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"Her house caught fire while she was asleep. She woke up just in time to gather a few things and get out before the roof collapsed on top of her." Victoria explained what had happened to Abigail. The blonde stepped forward as if presenting her case to the older Sheridan.

"I lost everything in that fire. All I have now is what you see on me. I've got these clothes, my backpack containing my iLac and charging cable, and my family's ancestral weapon the Sky Blade. I don't have anything else. I don't even have shoes anymore." Abigail confirmed the veracity of Victoria's telling of events. The older Sheridan silently walked over to Abigail and hugged her.

"I'm sorry." Lorelei apologized for bringing up a sensitive subject that was still fresh in the blonde's mind.

"It's fine. I don't have any family left to help me, but thanks to Victoria I've got a chance to get back on my feet and rebuild." Abigail told Lorelei as Victoria listened. The brunette wondered if the cause of the house fire was arson. She would find out when she went back to Oak Town to ask the locals about any suspicious activity that might have noticed. In the meantime she had to get her friend set up with a room to stay in.

"Laura, do we have any guest rooms available?" Victoria asked the silver-haired maid. The latter nodded.

"Yes, Miss Sheridan. We have two guest rooms open." Laura answered. Victoria clapped her hands and turned to Abigail.

"You've got a room now, Abby." Victoria told her friend that the latter now had a place to stay. While that was only part of what her friend needed to get back on her feet, at least she did not have to worry about shelter any longer. Lorelei released Abigail and took a step back before speaking.

"I can take you to Capital Crocus Mall to pick out some clothes if you'd like." The older Sheridan offered. Moments later the kitchen doors opened and in walked Amy, who was dressed in a blue tank top and blue jean short shorts. In her right hand was a bottle of water.

"Hey guys, what's going on here?" Amy asked everyone. Victoria faced her older sister.

"My friend Abby needs some help getting back on her feet." Victoria told her sister the abridged version of the story behind why she was here.

"I was going to go with her to Capital Crocus Mall and help her pick out some clothes if she wanted to. Are you in?" Lorelei asked Amy. Amy looked at Abigail, then looked back at her sister.

"I'm in!" Amy exclaimed. Victoria turned towards her friend for a second time.

"My sisters will help you get some clothes so that you don't have to wear the same thing over and over." Victoria told the blonde. Abigail looked relieved to hear that she no longer had to worry about basic needs like shelter and clean clothing.

"Hey Vic, aren't you gonna go with us?" Amy asked. Victoria shook her head.

"No thanks, Amy. I'm gonna go back to Oak Town and ask around. I don't have any proof to support what I'm thinking, but I'm thinking that Abigail's house didn't burn down in an unfortunate accident." Victoria told her sister directly and the others indirectly. Amy looked at her with an expression of curiosity.

"Do you think it was arson?" Amy asked. Victoria nodded.

"Yeah. I don't have any evidence that it was, but I'm thinking that's the case." Victoria answered.

"My house's electrical wiring was properly installed and it was less than ten years old since my parents had the wiring fixed before they died. My oven was properly installed and all of my appliances had good wiring, so it wasn't an electrical fire." Abigail added a bit of evidence to support her friend's claim that the fire was no accident. Victoria folded her arms over her chest.

"Do you have any old enemies who might have paid you a visit?" Victoria asked Abigail. The blonde shook her head.

"I don't think so. I haven't done very many jobs that involved fighting lately, just some work for Ms. Ashford in Sakuramori." Abigail answered. That answer made Victoria's job more difficult, but it could not be helped. If the blonde did not know she did not know and no amount of asking was going to change that.

"OK then." Victoria commented. After hearing that she was not sure if she should go to Oak Town as originally planned or change her plans to go to Sakuramori and pay a visit to Ms. Ashford to ask if she had seen any suspicious people around her place. Victoria had to decide and had to decide soon because she might not have much time before something bad happened to someone else she knew.

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-Sakuramori, Ms. Ashford's house, 3:31 P.M.-

Deciding to take a gamble and check on an old client, Victoria had set course for Sakuramori as fast as she could go. She had left in such a hurry that she was still dressed in the same outfit she had worn for the trip to Oak Town and her hair was still hanging freely. She was now standing outside the front door to Ms. Ashford's house, which was still intact. She knocked three times and waited for a response. She did not get one.

Victoria took a quiet breath and knocked three more times, hoping that the woman was all right and not lying on the floor unconscious or dead. There was still no answer. Victoria was starting to get worried, but she was not going to panic just yet... Ms. Ashford just might be on the phone with her niece or in the shower.

The Sabertooth mage waited for a minute before lifting her right fist to the door and knocking three more times. This time she got a response when the door opened and in the doorway stood the older brunette, whose hair was shiny like it had just been washed and dried. She was wearing a white bathrobe and it seemed like Victoria had caught Ms. Ashford as she was getting out of the shower.

"I'm so sorry about this, Ms. Ashford, but I had a question for you." Victoria apologized for the interruption to the older woman's routine.

"It's no problem, Victoria. I had just gotten out of the shower when I had heard someone at the door." Ms. Ashford accepted the apology in stride.

"Have you seen any suspicious people around your property lately?" Victoria asked her longtime client. Ms. Ashford tilted her head to the right as she looked at the Sabertooth mage. Nothing was said for a minute or two before the older brunette tilted her head to the left until it was straight again.

"I'm sorry, Victoria. I don't recall anyone strange in the neighborhood. Everything's been normal here as far as I can tell." She answered. Victoria used her ability to read the truth on people's body language out of force of habit and determined that Ms. Ashford was not hiding anything. Victoria felt like should not have done that since the older woman was one of her longtime clients and had been completely trustworthy, but she was looking for answers about what had happened to Abigail's house and was not wanting to leave any stone unturned.

"All right then, Ms. Ashford. I'll be going now. I'm sorry about the interruption." Victoria apologized to the older brunette again before turning to leave.

"See you later, Victoria!" Ms. Ashford bade the Sabertooth mage farewell. Victoria waved goodbye before climbing back onto the Centaur, cranking it up, and slowly going in reverse. She was going to pay a visit to her mentor Florence Manderley's house to make sure it was still standing and the latter was still alive.

-Sakuramori, Florence Manderley's house, 3:51 P.M.-

After leaving Ms. Ashford's home Victoria had traveled to her mentor's home as quickly as she could go and still remain within the speed limit. She had traveled at 5 MPH to give herself plenty of time to react to pedestrians or cyclists and had reached her destination without hitting anyone or anything. Now she was outside Florence's home and had just climbed off of the Centaur. Victoria took a quiet breath and approached the front door, then knocked on it three times.

There was no answer, so the brunette waited a minute or two before knocking again. She knocked three more times and was again met with silence. Victoria hoped that her mentor was all right and was just too busy doing something important to open the door right away.

After three minutes Victoria knocked on the door a third time. This time it opened and Florence was on the other end. Victoria's mentor was dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt and knee-length black skirt with black dress shoes. It looked like she was either going to work or going on a date.

"Hi Victoria! It's been a long time since we last saw each other!" Florence greeted the brunette.

"Hey Florence. Listen, I had a question for you." Victoria started the conversation.

"OK, what do you want to know?" The blonde woman asked.

"Have you seen any suspicious people around your place lately?" Victoria asked her the same question she had asked her longtime client a few minutes ago. Florence put her hands on her hips and made eye contact with Victoria.

"I can't say I have, sorry. I've been too busy at work, but my neighbors haven't reported anything out of the ordinary." Florence replied. Victoria's ability to tell the truth told her that Florence was being honest with her. The Sabertooth mage was hoping to get a clue that could help her find whoever burned down Abigail's house, but at least the blonde woman was OK and her house was still standing. Having made sure that both people she knew in Sakuramori were fine and that their houses were still standing, Victoria was going to set out for Oak Town while there was still daylight and see if the locals were in a mood to answer her questions.

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-The Sheridan Estate, 7:44 P.M.-

After picking up Florence Manderley and ferrying her mentor to her home in Capital Crocus Victoria was ready to hit the road and go to Oak Town to try and pick up clues about the circumstances surrounding what had happened to her friend's house. However, the brunette realized that even if she left now and managed to make the trip with no stops for any reason virtually no one in Oak Town would be awake to answer her questions. Faced with that fact, Victoria decided to just stay home and wait until tomorrow morning to hit the road again.

Victoria stood in the living room and faced Abigail, who looked to be in a better mood now that she had gotten some clothing to replace what she lost and had a guaranteed place to stay. She was still wearing the outfit she had worn when Victoria had first found her, but now she sported a pair of white tennis shoes with blue as the secondary color.

"Have you had any luck finding who set fire to my house, Vic?" Abigail asked Victoria if the latter had made any progress. The brunette shook her head.

"Not yet, Abby. I went to Sakuramori to see if Ms. Ashford had noticed any odd characters in the neighborhood. She said no. I asked my mentor Florence if she had seen any suspicious people, but she didn't see anyone either." Victoria reported.

"When you said that you did some work for Ms. Ashford before your house caught fire I decided to start with her in case people I knew were being targeted for arson... or worse. She told me that everything was OK in Sakuramori. Florence said the same thing." Victoria told Abigail what little she had learned today. The blonde folded her arms across her chest.

"I appreciate what you've done for me, Vic. I appreciate what you're doing for me now. Just be careful out there because we have no idea who we're dealing with." Abigail told Victoria to take care while investigating because they had no idea who the culprits could be. Victoria had her guesses, but she had no solid evidence to support them. One of her guesses was that demon cult she had helped fight a couple of years ago, but she doubted that they would go for something as subtle as arson because that would not send a strong enough message to their enemies. Another guess she had was the necromancer cult from which she and Abigail had stolen two of the four instruments needed to revive some particularly powerful long-dead necromancer or something... that adventure was a couple of years ago too.

A third possibility came up and that was the possibility that they might be dealing with that necromancer who had tiny emerald dots for eyes and flesh missing from around the mouth. Victoria hoped that that was not the case, but she could not rule it out. She might need to enlist her uncle's help to watch for suspicious activity tonight.

-The Sheridan Estate, the living room, 10:07 A.M.-

Victoria had asked her uncle to keep an eye on things while she was asleep and after explaining why she made that request he eagerly took on the task of night watchman. So did Larry, who stood watch in the back yard in case anyone tried to climb over the fence. Last night she had spent a few minutes here and there wondering if everything was going to be all right when she woke up, but as it turned out everything was fine. As far as she knew, anyway.

"Hey Vic, I didn't see anything unusual last night. I guess they were only after your friend." Lawrence said to Victoria. The Sabertooth mage frowned. She did not understand why her enemies would go after Abigail but leave her alone. Maybe they were trying to lure Victoria out by going after people she knew, but if that was the case she did not get why they did not go after Ms. Ashford or Florence.

"I'm glad for that, Uncle. I wasn't sure whether to expect trouble or not last night, but I'm glad there wasn't any." Victoria expressed relief that last night had been calm. She would go ask Larry if he had seen anything interesting in a few minutes, but for now she needed to ask her uncle for his help.

"Would you mind continuing to watch over things until I find out who's behind what happened to my friend's house and stop them?" Victoria requested her uncle's aid.

"Sure thing, Vic. I don't mind doing that at all because I'm having a hard time sleeping lately." Lawrence promised to continue helping her until the matter was resolved.

"Thanks." Victoria thanked him for his continued assistance.

"I'm gonna go talk to Larry and see if he saw anything." Victoria informed her uncle before setting out for the back yard where Larry resided after Amy had kicked him out of the garage some time ago.

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-The Sheridan Estate, the backyard, 10:13 A.M.-

Victoria walked into the backyard where Larry was calmly standing inside of the shed that had been built for him. The brunette felt a twinge of guilt when she saw the little war machine standing inside of a shed after being kicked out of the garage by Amy, who had wanted the space so that she could park her car inside of it. Larry raised his left hand in greeting and his camera eye flashed green.

"Hello, Victoria." Larry greeted her.

"Hey Larry." Victoria greeted the robot. He walked out of his home and looked at Victoria.

"Unusual activity was detected around 6:31 A.M. A robed individual attempted to climb the back fence, but my presence frightened them off before they could get to the back door of your residence." The robot informed Victoria that someone had tried to sneak onto the property while she was asleep. The brunette's eyes narrowed and she looked on the ground to find a set of footprints that suggested the person who left them was moving slowly until they encountered Larry. Another set of footprints that was almost on top of the first set suggested that the individual had made a run for it once they had been spotted.

"Nice work, Larry. I'll go to the fence and see what I can find. Watch my back." Victoria told him and began to walk beside the trail left by the unknown trespasser while the little war machine watched her every move. When she reached the fence she noticed a black scrap of cloth hanging near the top. She reached out for it with her right hand and grabbed it, then gently pulled it down to take a closer look.

Right away she noticed that the scrap felt like it was made from a rough type of cloth, perhaps the kind used in robes. Victoria noticed the color and began to think about all the enemies she had encountered over the years. She immediately narrowed it down to enemies who wore robes and had two suspects... the demon-worshiping cult she had fought in the past and the necromancers she and Abigail had stolen some special musical instruments from during a mission to Silent Cemetery a long time ago. She remembered that the demon cult had members who wore black robes, but she could not rule out the necromancers just yet.

Victoria needed to go warn her uncle what they might be going up against, so she left the back yard and went back inside the Sheridan Estate.

-The Sheridan Estate, the living room, 10:22 A.M.-

"You look worried, Vic. What did you find?" Lawrence asked Victoria. The Sabertooth mage held up the scrap of cloth for her uncle to see.

"Someone trespassed on our property last night. They climbed the fence and got into the back yard, but Larry scared them off before they could get to the back door. I found this scrap of cloth caught in the fence." Victoria told him. He reached out and took the scrap from her, then rubbed it in between his index finger and his thumb.

"It feels kinda coarse, like cloth used in robes." Lawrence gave an opinion that seconded the one she had formed earlier.

"I've fought two groups of enemies who wear robes... demon-worshiping cultists and necromancers." Victoria informed her uncle. Lawrence lowered the scrap of cloth and made eye contact with her.

"You sure know how to make dangerous enemies, Vic." The blond man dryly commented to Victoria. The brunette grinned.

"You can say that again." Victoria remarked. Lawrence handed the scrap back to her and she took it into her right hand.

"I'll do what I can to protect us here. I'll keep an eye out for trouble while you look for the trespasser." Lawrence pledged his continued support.

"Good idea, Uncle. I'll leave Larry to watch the back yard so that you can focus on watching the front yard and inside the house. He doesn't need to sleep, so he'll come in handy at night." Victoria offered to leave Larry to help him watch the back yard.

"Good thinking. I'll take all the help I can get." Lawrence accepted the offer of a robotic helper. With that settled Victoria was about to go back into the back yard to follow the trail when Abigail emerged from the kitchen holding a bottle of water. She was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jean short shorts with white sandals.

"Hey Vic, how's the search going?" Abigail asked the Sabertooth mage. Victoria held up the scrap of cloth.

"We had a trespasser last night. They climbed the back fence and got into the back yard, but Larry scared them off before they got to the back door of the house. I'm about to go see if they left a trail after fleeing over the fence." Victoria informed her friend of what she had found so far and of what her next move was.

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-In the backyard, 10:26 A.M.-

After informing Abigail of her findings so far Victoria had grabbed Hellsinger in case she followed the trail and came across necromancers or demons at the end of it. The holster belt was secured around her waist and on her right hip was the large-caliber handgun. She had also brought her iLac to stay in contact with Abigail so that the blonde could pass along important information to her uncle. She was standing in her backyard near the fence and was about to climb it when she had a thought.

Should she look for a trail now or wait until tonight and hide in the backyard to see if the trespasser returned?

Victoria thought about it a few moments and decided that she should look for a trail while it was still there. A rainstorm or other weather could easily wipe it out, so it was a good idea to search for one while she still could. The brunette reached out and grabbed the top of the fence, then pulled herself over while using her feet to gain traction on the surface. A few seconds later she hopped the fence and was on the other side.

-On the other side of the fence, 10:28 A.M.-

Victoria's feet hit the ground and the moment she landed she looked for footprints in the grass. She did not have to look for long because within seconds of beginning her search she spotted a trail of them leading towards the north. It seemed to go on for quite a distance, suggesting that the intruder had went way beyond the city limits. She did not know whether their home was really outside of Capital Crocus or whether it was only a trick to get pursuers to head in the wrong direction, but she was going to give chase anyway.

Victoria fished her iLac out of her left pocket and dialed up Abigail. Within seconds she got an answer.

"Hey Vic, have you found anything?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, listen. I'm going to follow a trail of footprints I found that lead out of town. Way out of town." Victoria informed her friend of what she was doing.

"OK then. Just be careful and let me know when you reach where you're going. I'll let your uncle know what you're doing." Abigail replied.

"Thanks, Abby." Victoria thanked her friend for passing along the information to her uncle.

"I'd gladly go with you, but I lost the Silver Falchion your uncle bought me in the fire, so if I ran into ghosts or demons I wouldn't be of much use." Abigail lamented her inability to contribute beyond relaying messages to her friend's uncle.

"Don't worry about it, Abby. I can handle myself. Besides, I need someone to let my family know where I'm going." Victoria informed Abigail that the latter did not need to be with her to help out. She understood that her friend wanted to get revenge in person instead of using Victoria as a weapon, but if the pair ran up against demons Abigail might not be able to do much against them. That would put her at risk because Victoria would have her hands full and she might not be able to come to Abigail's rescue should the latter get into trouble.

"Just be careful out there." Abigail said before hanging up so that the Sabertooth mage could get back to the task of following the trail left by the trespasser. Victoria pocketed her iLac and began following in the trespasser's footsteps in the hopes of tracking them to their hideout. Maybe she would find a lone arsonist and not a demon cult or necromancer cult.

-Outside Silent Cemetery, 6:43 P.M.-

After following the trail all the way from Capital Crocus Victoria had reached Silent Cemetery, home of a zombie population that was nothing to sneeze at. The sun was just about to set and the temperature was dropping. Her t-shirt and gym shorts did not offer much protection against the elements, but the weather was not the only problem she would face. She would still have to contend with human enemies once she reached the trespasser's hideout. But before she continued she needed to get into contact with Abigail. Victoria reached into her left pocket, fished out her iLac, and called her friend.

"Hey Vic, have you reached the end of the trail yet?" Abigail asked.

"Yes and no. The trail led to Silent Cemetery, but I've still gotta go through Silent Cemetery to get to where I need to go." Victoria updated her friend on where she was. A groan came from the other end of the line.

"Great. You've gotta fight through a bunch of walking corpses." Abigail sourly remarked.

"Yeah, but that's OK. It could be worse." Victoria casually replied. She could think of much more dangerous enemies to fight than reanimated corpses. For example, she could have been going up against werewolves if the trail had led to Lycan Woods.

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"You're one of the only people I know who could say that about zombies. You're so calm that you sound almost bored." Abigail remarked on her friend's casual attitude towards what she was about to face. Victoria had fought them in Silent Cemetery and Fat Monsterland before, so it was not like this was her first encounter with walking corpses. The brunette was not sure whether the arsonist was by themselves or part of a group, but she would need to be somewhat stealthy while following the trail. However, there was one problem with that approach.

Victoria's magic did not give her any suppressed weapons except for a sniper rifle.

It was great for fighting at a distance because of its range and punch, but up close it tended to suffer against all but the slowest opponents. It was semi-automatic and its rate of fire was fast enough to possibly save her life in a close encounter, but it was still a long-range rifle that might be pressed into service at a range it was not suited for. The Sabertooth mage had no choice but to use it if she wanted to avoid alerting her human quarry before she stormed their hideout with weapons that were louder and more her style. She would have to plan her approach carefully.

"This isn't my first rodeo, Abby." Victoria asserted calmly.

"That might be so, but I'd still suggest being careful." Abigail replied.

"OK. I'll be careful." Victoria assured her friend in a serious tone of voice.

"All right then. Be careful out there and I'll talk to you later. If things get too dicey don't hesitate to get out of there." Abigail said before hanging up, leaving the Sabertooth mage to get to work. Victoria silenced her iLac and put it in her left pocket, then brought out her Sniper Rifle for the first time in years and gripped it in her right hand. As she did so she felt a vague sense there was a reason she had not used it in so long. She quickly shook the feeling off as apprehension about fighting a cemetery full of zombies and approached the cemetery gate on the right, opened it with her left hand, and quickly entered before closing it behind her as quietly as she could.

-Inside Silent Cemetery, 6:47 P.M.-

Victoria spun around to search for zombies and found two in front of her that were three meters apart, one to the left and the other farther down the path and to the right. She quietly raised her weapon and steadied the crosshairs on its temple, then fired a single suppressed shot that hit the target. The zombie flopped to the ground with its friend none the wiser, so she quickly took aim at the other one and waited until she had a clean shot before firing at its temple. She scored another kill and watched it do a dramatic quarter-turn before falling to the ground.

Victoria lowered the weapon and looked all around her to make sure that her tunnel vision did not let other zombies slip up on her, but none were around other than the two she had just killed. She felt the wind rustle her long ponytail as she began to slowly move down the path and look for the trail left behind by the trespasser on her property. She was not seeing it until she reached halfway down the path, where she spotted a trail of bodies leading left. All of the bodies had heads with wounds inflicted by an edged weapon like a sword, suggesting that the person she was after used one.

The Sabertooth mage quietly moved down the path and kept an eye out for more zombies as she moved down the left path, following the grim trail that had been left for her.

-Down the left path, 6:51 P.M.-

Victoria stopped a short distance down the path and peered ahead of her with her Sniper Rifle to try and spot any threats or clues. She did not see any clues, but she did see more dead zombies lying on the ground plus a "live" one in a moldy black burial suit that was shambling mindlessly about while facing away from her. Perhaps it was shambling after whoever had killed its friends, but it was not going to get a chance to track its assailant down. The brunette quickly raised her weapon, aimed for the back of its head, and fired a single shot that punched through its skull for an instant kill. It paused in place and awkwardly fell onto its face, leaving the path clear.

Victoria quickly moved on and began to slowly move past rows of above-ground burial vaults that were thankfully closed... at least for now, anyway. She quietly took a breath and held it as she moved, watching and listening for any zombies who might be lurking further down the path or closer by at the burial vaults. She reached the end of the section and passed deeper into the cemetery. Ahead of her loomed an area like the one she had entered, which was a long corridor of rows of tombstones on the left and right with a path down the middle.

-In the next section of cemetery, 6:58 P.M.-

Victoria paused just inside the next section and dropped to one knee to assume a lower profile. She spotted a quartet of zombies ahead, but they were spread out down the path and she could pick them off one by one with little effort if she kept calm and had a steady hand. Victoria quietly set her weapon on the ground and slowly crawled towards the nearest tombstone to hide behind it and give herself a moment to think before she began eliminating the zombies in the area.

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