All the Gates of Hell by Richard Parks Page A

she'd come to Medias in the first place to hide from the shadow creature she now knew as Shiro. If that was the case, then it clearly hadn't worked. Shiro had found her and was now continuing to find her, no matter where she went, apparently at will. Was the Guan Yin That Was really so wrong about being able to hide in Medias? Perhaps...if that had indeed been her intention. But was it?
    Jin as Jin didn't have a clue one way or another. Yet, if she really was the mortal incarnation of Guan Yin, then some part of Jin, some hidden niche, had to know exactly what the plan was, and her reason for being here in the first place.
    Too bad the dream hotline is only one way --
    Jin stopped. Was it, in fact, one way? She'd assumed as much, simply because as a mortal she did not have the full powers of a Bodhisattva or, in her own case, the knowledge. Still, she did know that dreams could work, had worked. Perhaps she could try.
    Later , thought Jin grimly as she reached the end of the corridor. She stepped out of the alley by the florist's shop. It was dark out, and of course the shadow was nowhere to be seen. Jin glanced at her watch, and then felt a little foolish, remembering that she wasn't wearing one. She glanced at the sign on the bank branch at the far end of Pepper Street: 1:23AM.
    Jin didn't see any point in chasing a shadow in the dark and headed for home. She passed one or two homeless sleeping in doorways and, despite keeping her Third Eye as tightly shut as she could, saw more than a few demons out and about their business. Yet despite the late hour or because of it, predators of the human sort were scarce. Which, Jin thought, was fortunate for them. She was just in the mood to go into full demon mode on some mugger's backside.
    She reached Elysian Fields before she realized she was being followed. She glanced behind her, saw nothing, knew that what she saw and the reality of the situation were not the same. She kept walking.
    Jin's first instinct was to head home by the shortest and most direct route possible, then she'd lead her stalker home as well. Plus the knowledge that she could turn into an eight-foot tall green demon at will lessened the urge. Instead she turned left onto Jemmerson, the first relatively well-lit side street she came to. Jin knew she should have been worried about a confrontation -- demon form on call or no -- since she didn't know what she was dealing with.
    Juney's Homestyle Diner was on Jemmerson Street, just beyond the glare of the last street lamp. They kept a couple of ironwork tables with chairs outside for the lunch crowd overflow, said tables and chairs chained to a bolt in the side of the storefront now, after hours. Jin turned one of those chairs upright and sat down facing the way she had come.
    "Don't keep me waiting all night," she said aloud to the empty street. "It's chilly out here."
    She didn't have to ask again. A man came strolling out of the darkness and into the first of the three streetlights between the corner of Elysian and Juney's Café. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his black leather jacket and Jin wondered if he was hiding a gun; he seemed awfully sure of himself. He also seemed familiar.
    When he reached the second street light Jin finally saw his face clearly and knew she's been right about her first impression of his age. He was young, maybe Jin's age or a little older. Anglo, maybe six feet tall with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. His skin was pale, almost ghostly, though Jin wasn't sure if this wasn't just a trick of the light. When he reached the third light Jin leaned slightly forward in her chair.
    "That's close enough," she said, ready to assume her demon form if he took one more step. He didn't. He stood within the pool of light, waiting. Jin's other first impression likewise proved correct, in that he appeared neither nervous nor furtive. He must have known that she was scoping him out top to bottom and he just stood there, patiently.