Excerpt: The Soul Blade

There had to be a way to get her next sacrifice, she mused. Her car was out of sight several blocks away, waiting for a later pick up once her victim was secure. The plan was to use the target's car. How was she supposed to know her sacrifice was a tree-hugger?

Approaching footsteps interrupted Tricia's plottings. She crouched, trying to hide behind the Smart Car. A tiny brunette walked around the front of her van, her keys in her hand. Tricia watched as the newcomer unlocked the van's door. A feral grin grew on to Tricia's face as she pulled her knife from its sheath hidden under the back of her jacket.

Tricia crept forward on the balls of her feet, her black pumps silent on the asphalt of the parking lot. Her new target tossed her purse inside, then grabbed the side of the van as she started to get inside. Silent, Tricia struck, aim true.

Should have been true. Tricia's knife sliced through the air where the girl was. The girl, however, had fallen, had dropped to the asphalt with a speed Tricia hadn't expected. Tricia turned, changing her grip on her knife to plunge it through the girl's back. Not the ideal way, but the manner of death wasn't important; keeping the body was. She let the van door close to get it out of her way.

Tricia brought her arm down hard. Once again, the girl avoided the killing blow. This time, though, Tricia's blade sliced through the brunette's skirt. The denim tore as the girl tried to escape, the knife slicing the fabric easily until reaching the hem. With her free hand, Tricia grabbed the tattered skirt, trying to keep the young woman from escaping. The brown-haired girl twisted around, got on her back. "Get off of me!" the girl yelled. She punctuated her words with a kick that caught Tricia on the side of the head.