**The butler wiped his hands on his apron, a small drop of blood resting on his palm.** **The sound of clattering dishes echoed through the dark mansion, rising and falling in an unfamiliar pattern.** **Gasping for breath, a figure moved through the shadows, a knife clenched in one hand.** ***Lights flickered on---revealing scattered dishes and an empty table, its rightmost place setting now empty of a life.***