The city of Los Angeles was far behind the stolen car. Beyond the headlights was total darkness. Mile after mile Innocence slipped deeper into a trance. For years a powerful man controlled her mind and made her do evil deeds. Even from a distance as far away as a roof top in Hollywood a phrase whispered by the evil man hypnotized the mobster.

“It’s time for a blood sacrifice.” The man whispered to Innocence. His deep voice drifted into her subconscious. “Take a life in honor of our dark ways. Make this sacrifice greater than any others. Make me proud, my child.”      

Next to Innocence behind the wheel of the car MarkReed drove for hours and didn’t say a word. The loyal young associate always followed orders and never asked questions. When they left the family’s headquarters earlier that day Innocence told him they had a job to do. They drove to the home of a bookie who worked for the family. The man thought he could get away with stealing money, but just like everyone else who stole money from the mob, he was caught and he would pay the ultimate price.

With Mark’s help Innocence dragged the bookie out of his house. As they tried to put him in the trunk of the car he resisted and screamed for help. Mark knocked him out with a hard punch to the side of the head and Innocence looked around for witnesses in the neighborhood. In the house across the street a curtain closed quickly. “Fuck!” Innocence snapped and looked over at Mark. “The nosy neighbor across the street is probably on the phone to the cops right now. Let’s get the hell out of here before we have to bribe the pigs with our weekly earnings.”

The quickest route out of the neighborhood was on a highway that lead towards Hollywood. As Mark drove Innocence glanced back to look for the police. Neither of them saw the tall man on the roof of a building in Hollywood. His powerful hold over Innocence’s mind changed the mobsters plans and sealed the fate of the man who was knocked out in the trunk.

“Keep driving.” Innocence ordered Mark and stared straight ahead in a trance. “Out of the city.”

The hours they spent on the highway were silent except for the words Innocence heard echoed in her head. They were the same words she heard since her childhood when the evil man invaded her thoughts as she slept. “To achieve honor and greatness you must take a life everyday and spill blood.” He told her repeatedly. “You were my chosen one. You were born truly evil, my child.”

“It’s time, Mark.” Innocence said to her young associate. “Stop the car.”

Minutes later on the side of the dark highway Innocence took her gun out as Mark pulled the bookie out of the trunk and threw him on the ground.

“I’m sorry about the money.” The bookie whined and slowly stood up. “Tell your boss…”

“Shut up.” Innocence said and pushed him towards the field next to the highway. “Mark, bring that.” With her gun Innocence pointed at the gasoline container in the trunk.

Far away from the car in the middle of the field Innocence fired her gun at the bookie’s legs. The loud shots echoed through the darkness followed by the man’s painful screams. With a wicked smile Innocence holstered her gun and watched him fall to the ground. The mobster took a knife out of her pocket and knelt down next to the wounded man.

“Welcome to my path of blood and glory.” Innocence whispered and grabbed a handful of the bookie’s hair. “In honor of my master and our dark ways I am going to spill your blood and take your life. You will have a very glorious death. Your screams will be heard in heaven and hell.”        

After a few more soft spoken words Innocence viciously sliced the man’s throat with her knife then stood up and watched with satisfaction as he screamed then gasped. He put his hands up to his throat and blood seeped out between his fingers. It was hard for Innocence to take her eyes off her work. It would’ve made her happy to watch him slowly bleed to death, but she had a grander plan.

“Pour the gas on him.” Innocence said to Mark as she walked towards him and lit a cigarette. On the ground the bookie moaned louder as gasoline was poured on him. When the container was empty Mark tossed it on the ground and returned to where Innocence stood with a Zippo lighter in her hand. She held the lighter out to her associate and said, “You do the honors. Release his soul and light up the night with the flames of hell.”

Mark had been a problem child all of his life he never had the same fears as the other kids in his neigbourhood, He was different and being physically bigger in build then the other kids he could bully them into doing what he needed done but Innocence had a hold over him a hold that made him do as she asked not that Mark cared since being an assosiate of the Regiment he was expected to do as any of the buttonmen or leaders asked. But this hold was different Mark felt powerless against it this did not sit well with him, Mark had found himself wakeing up at all hours hearing innocence voice clear as day in his head and find himself snapping out of some kind of trance in many different places adding to his confusion.

This bum deserved to die stealing from Lancelot had decided his fate as the Bookie choked and drowned on his own blood Mark finished pouring the gasoline over him Innocence handed Mark the Zippo "You do The Honors" Her Words crawled into his thoughts like a worm in an apple, Mark smiled a twisted smile as the tell tale clink of the zippo sounded the glow from the lighter showing the sceeen before them as the bookie tryed in vain to close the slash accross his throat.

His gurgeling becoming weaker Mark tossed the lighter towards the bookie a roar sounded as as the bookie burst into flames Mark was temporary blinded by the flash of light the bookie stopped moving Mark turned towards Innocence the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh hanging heavy in the air.

" What now Mistress? "