-
Xander dialed the number trying to reach Buffy for the sixth time. “Come on and pick up, Buff.” He kept chanting to himself over and over. He was still only halfway certain that they should be calling Buffy. Faith was persistent in her prodding him to pick up the phone and make the call. They were both driven when they saw what had happened to Charley when he faced against Jerry alone. He finally decided when he asked everyone else what he should do and they agreed with the phone call.
“You have reached the line of Buffy Summers,” the recording started.
“Damn it,” Xander said as he shut the phone off.
“Is she on an assignment?” Faith asked.
“She could be,” Xander said as a shrill beep came from his phone. He looked at his phone and LOW BATTERY was across the screen. “And I’m low on juice.”
“Did you leave a message?” Spike asked. “Or did you just shut the phone off in anger?”
“Not now,” Xander snapped at him. He wanted to kick himself. He should have left the message any of the other times he had tried to call her. “I need to plug in. Faith I need to borrow your phone.”
“Don’t have one,” Faith said and looked as if Xander had asked him the stupidest question ever.
“You don’t have one?” Xander asked.
Faith blinked and stared at him. “Have you ever seen me with one?”
“Not really.” How could have not really taken any notice of that. “Let’s see another phone.” He looked around the living room. The kids had gone home Spike was shaking his head and Ed had gone on another beer run. Charley was passed out on the couch from the gin and Dru was gently brushing her fingers across his head while she cooed at him.
“You can try the land line,” Faith suggested. “I know it means you will have to take a step back but they still work.”
“I’ll try the phone again tomorrow,” Xander said as he yawned. “I’m going to go and try to get some sleep.” He stood up and turned to Drusilla. “Don’t stay up too late Dru.”
“She will come,” Drusilla said as she took a step back away from Charley. “She will fall but not to worry.”
“Let’s go to your room Dru,” Faith suggested. “We can go watch a Disney movie and eat cake and tea.”
“I wish to see Beauty and the Beast.” Dru said.
“You take the movie up to your room and I’ll get the treats.”
“It will be an enchanted evening. Come Mr. Tribble.” She climbed the stairs and was followed by her Tarasque.
Xander climbed the stairs after her and went to his room. He plugged his phone into his charger and opened his laptop. He might not be able to reach Buffy on the phone that he can try it with the written word or in this case typed. He turned on the computer and removed his shirt and pants and put on a wife beater and pair of pajama pants. Once it was booted up he logged onto his e-mail and typed out the letter.
Buffy, got some resurrected vampire here who has a boner for you. Has ordered his minions to write out your name in various locations in blood. He also is after the guy that killed him twenty five years ago. He managed to fight with Charley and injured his hand badly. Please call me when you get this message.
Xander read it over and then sent it out and also to Willow, Giles, Vi, Andrew, Rona, and Robin. He altered the message a bit and ending it with him asking to send the message to Buffy.
“That’s over,” Xander said and climbed into bed.
-
“Ronnie remind me again,” Lyra said as she and Ronnie were about to enter the campus. “Which class did we have a test in today?”
“I don’t think I have any tests today,” Ronnie said. “So it must be one of the classes you have that I’m not in.”
“Oh good, then that mean’s its not American History.” Lyra was certain she had a test in one of her classes, but she forgot and didn’t study much for it. She also didn’t get much sleep the night before because of what happened to Charley.
There was a crowd of students gathered around for some reason. She could also see the police tape. Ace and Tyler were amongst the group along with a few of their other friends. A few of the teens were trying to run away from the group and once they were able to hit soil they bent over and threw up.
“Oh god,” Ronnie gasped. “Maybe we shouldn’t get too close with your blood phobia.”
“It’s minor and I’m getting better,” Lyra said. She wasn’t even certain if she would call it a phobia and more of just a fear since it never was extreme in the beginning. “We have to find out what is going on.” She ran up to Ace and Tyler.
“Hey,” Tyler greeted “You two are not going to like this.”
“How gross is it?” Ronnie asked.
“Nothing we haven’t seen before,” Ace said. He was still wearing his leather coat despite that it was more of sweater or light jacket weather. He had o found a way to fold up the bottom part of his wings. He was also getting better at flying.
“Just because we’ve seen it doesn’t mean it won’t be gross,” Ronnie said.
“It’s a dead body,” Tyler said. “Hasn’t start to bloat and the skin didn’t retract but it’s pretty grayish blue.”
“Ugh,” Ronnie socked him in the shoulder. “Don’t use pretty to describe a dead body.”
“Any marks?” Lyra asked and cringed. “I can’t believe I just asked that.” She has changed a lot since she first learned she was a Slayer.
“Bite marks,” Ace said. “On the neck, thigh and wrist and the name Buffy had been carved in the stomach.”
“Multiple bites might mean the demonic kind,” Lyra said. “Don’t have to worry about it rising.” She knew they shouldn’t be talking like this in front of everyone. She motioned to her friends to follow her and ran until she found a nice empty and quiet corner. “Now we can talk.”
“What if there were more?” Ronnie asked as soon as she had arrived. “They could have killed more people like this poor…I don’t even know if it’s a guy or a woman, but all I know was that they were just minding their own business and they become food and now a calling card for this leader of our organization.”
“Our organization?” Ace asked.
Tyler shook his head. “We are part of a Slayer team we are part of the Slayer organization. I think.” He looked at Lyra for confirmation.
“If I’m part of this organization then I guess we all are,” Lyra said. “I guess Xander and Faith has the final says, but if they say you are not then I am not. We are the Avengers. We are in this together and this Buffy better answer soon because of this vampire has attacked not only my boyfriend but people in my city.”
“Man when did get so take chargy?” Ace asked.
“Just now,” Lyra said. This morning she had to worry about a test, and now she wished that was all that she had to worry about again.
-
“This is stupid,” Faith complained as she took on the crane position in front of Tyler. “Not going to be finding any vampires in this fashion.” They had divided themselves into teams of two and were taken to various locations, different cemeteries and parks to look for vampires and or demons.
“Haven’t found any in the past few nights,” Tyler said. “This is supposed to help us relax, refocus our energy and clear our minds.”
“You know what clears my mind?” Faith asked. “Beating the snot out of the undead.” Her Slayer Lust had been increasing and it made her more angry and destructive than usual. She tried to relax at a bar. There was a fight between a couple of drunken men that she helped break up by beating up the two until they were unconscious. It still wasn’t enough. She tried to satisfy it by exercising in both the training room and in the back yard and even sex with Xander wasn’t enough, although she did enjoy it.
“Too much negative energy,” Tyler said as he shook his head. “You need to detox your mind.”
“What’s your deal?” Faith asked. “When I first met you you just wanted to kill every kind of vampire out there, even the good ones with a soul and now you have gone all Splinter.”
Tyler sighed. “I was crippled by anger. I loved Cheryl more than anyone or anything. It was going to be hard to tell her my plans for after graduation.”
“Going to be going out of state?” Faith asked. She had heard he story before from other people she had come across. Highs school sweethearts promise to be with each other always even after they graduate, even after they go to different colleges, trade schools, join the military, backpack across Europe, or something along the lines of join the peace corps. It rarely worked out that way. They ended up meeting someone else or something else crops up that causes them to break up.
“I was going to spend a year in Japan.”
“We got a Slayer cell in Tokyo.”
“Not in the cities but in the countryside. I was going to work more on my karate skills and learn some more of ninjutsu. I would meditate with monks. Seek a deeper state of being.”
“Now what are you going to do?”
He shrugged. “I might keep the plans if there isn’t a Big Bad that is becoming a new threat. Now you need to get back into position. What I have read plus meditating has helped me alleviate my anger it might even help you.”
“I doubt it,” Faith said as she posed in the same fashion.
“Take a deep breath,” Tyler instructed. “Hold it for a few seconds and let it out. Good now repeat.”
“I know how to breathe.”
“This is to help you clear your head.”
“Clear my head,” Faith grumbled. “Okay stop thinking.”
“And stop talking.”
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She cleared her head of all thought and only pictured empty space in her mind. She thought of nothing but what she saw. Sometimes it would switch with expanse of pure white. She wondered how long she should do that, until she realized what is the source of her anger or her power?
Her mind switched to the darkness again and she saw a crypt with what looked like empty beer cans surrounded it. It would be the perfect place for a few vampires to hang out or it could be place for regular teens or even a gang. The image shrank, no it was getting farther away like a camera zooming back and more gravestones and crypts appeared until she could no longer see the crypt but was able to see herself and Tyler.
“It worked,” Faith said when she opened her eyes.
“You feel a little better now?”
“I actually do. I still feel like I got a lot of energy. Are you in the mood to run?”
“Sure,” Tyler said. “But where are we going?”
“Follow me.” She took off running in the direction of that crypt she saw. As soon as she saw the crypt she slowed down.
“What are we doing here?” Tyler asked as soon as caught up with her.
“When I cleared my mind this place appeared,” Faith explained as they walked up to the crypt. She pointed at one of the beer can. “Someone has been camping out here. Now why would there be beer cans around a crypt and why would it appear in a vision caused by your Jedi mind games?”
“Good point, but shouldn’t we be whispering?”
“You whisper and I’ll stay silent.” She dropped to the ground and crawled up against the crypt. Once she reached the wall she threw her back against it and slid her body against the surface until she was next to an opening. Tyler was right next to her. She held up a hand for him to stay silent and listened in.
“What are we going to do?” someone on the inside asked. “Are we going to join up like the others?”
“No way,” another said. “Some strange vampire shows up with his minions and a wizard and he expects us to serve after him?”
“Didn’t hear what some of the guys from Jason’s gang said?” A third voice asked. “This one was a thousand years old and he was killed by sunlight twenty five years ago and was recently brought back to life.”
“I still don’t see why we should work for him,” a female voice said.
“I agree with Lindsey. Have you seen what he has his minions do? They spread graffiti with blood. They leave drained victims with messages carved in their bodies.”
“About those messages. What the heck is a Buffy?”
“I heard she’s a Slayer.”
“That’s the name of one of the Slayers we have down here?”
“A different Slayer.”
“Why would this guy want a different Slayer?”
“ I heard She’s different. She was The Slayer before all the others were called at once.”
Faith nodded at Tyler before she rolled into the crypt. “Actually your wrong.” She kicked out the legs of one of the vampires and struck another in the face with her fist. “There were two The Slayers before everyone was called.” She felt another one reach behind her and try to grab her from behind and she threw him over her shoulder. “A light one and a dark one.” She grabbed the lone female and pinned her against the wall and aimed her stake at her heart. “Guess which one I am.”
“You’re Buffy?” The female vampire asked.
“Guess again,” Faith said. “Now call off your goons.”
“I’m not the leader,” the girl said. “Why would you think that?”
“Cause women are better leaders,” Faith said.
The vampire smiled. “That was what I said but-“ she was still talking when Faith shoved her stake into her chest.
Faith spun around as two more vampires advanced on her. She kicked one back and staked the other. She could see Tyler was doing well against two more and she twisted around to stake a third. There were still two more.
“Gotcha,” one vampire said as he tackled from above. He tried to force her to the ground. “Get her legs.”
Faith tried to wrench her arms free from the vampire that held her down. She felt another one pin down her legs and she tried to kick and thrash. She spat in the face of the one that got a jumped on her.
“Your blood is going to taste good.”
As he opened his mouth for the bite Faith felt the weight removed from her legs. She kicked her legs up and disrupted the vampire on her back. She wrenched an arm away and punched him hard. She managed to pull out her other arm and threw him off. She got to her hands and feet and pinned down the vampire.
“He’s the last one,” Tyler said. He had to have killed the two vampires he was fighting and staked the one that was on his legs. “He is all yours.”
“Thanks,” Faith said and held up her stake over his heart. “Are you the leader?”
“I am now,” the vampire said.
“I’m going to do something different. I’m going to give you some mercy. Answer some questions and we will let you go.”
“Uh I’m evil.”
Faith spun her stake and struck the vampire in the face with the blunt end. “And I’m a sadistic bitch. Now answer the questions.”
“Sure I get it. Ask away.”
“How many of your kind are working for Dandridge?”
“Who?” that question was answered with another strike of the stake.
“I’m the one who asks the questions.”
“Dandridge is the name of the thousand year vampire,” Tyler said. “Now answer her question.”
“I don’t know for sure,” the vampire said. “More than twenty at least. The numbers are still increasing.”
“Not. Good. Enough.” Faith finished each word with another punch.
“Easy,” Tyler said. “You are not going to get any answer if you beat up all the parts that talk.”
The vampire spat up some blood. “I don’t know for certain. I just know that several gangs are working for him.”
“Where is he?” Faith asked. That was the most important question
“I don’t know. I seriously don’t know. They don’t bring anyone to his place unless they agreed they are going to work for him.”
Faith wanted to kill him but a better idea came across her mind. “Guess what. You are going to work for him, and you are going to take this message to him. The message is that we are going to face off. He wants B, but B is too caught up doing her own thing. So he is going to face me. The Dark Slayer.”
“Where will we uh do this fight?” The vampire asked as he stood back up.
“The parking lot across the street at Wet N Wild,” Tyler said.
“And we will fight at ten at the first of March,” Faith added. She will discuss the details later with Xander.
“Now get lost,” Tyler said. He took a deep breath and jabbed two of his fingers into the arm of the vampire as fast as lightening.
“I’m going,” the vampire said and ran off. He wasn’t swinging his arm that Tyler had attacked. “Hey I can’t move my arm.”
“You won’t be able to move period if you don’t deliver the message,” Tyler threatened. “Now get out.”
Faith watched as the vampire ran off before she turned to Tyler. “How did you do that?”
“I struck the right nerve point.”
“Either that or you just made his arm numb from constantly striking him. Whatever you did we are going to need it on the first.”
-
Xander checked his watch. It said there were three minutes to go till ten. He checked his cell phone. According to it there were two more minutes to go and there was no sign of Dandridge or of any of his minions. He knew this was a bad idea but Faith had already let that one vampire go with the message.
“Are they going to even show?” Rissa asked. She was sitting with her legs folded. A handful of tarot cards in her hand. She was laying them out before her.
“If they don’t then we know they are cowards,” Ed said as he made a fist. “Right?”
“A lot of my kind likes a good challenge,” Spike said as he used a knife to whittle away a piece of wood into a stake.
“But your kind are working for Dandridge,” Charley said. “He will not just show up because you gave him a deadline.”
“Good point,” Spike said. “I’ll tell you what. If he or any of his stooges doesn’t show up in about fifteen minutes we break into the water park instead and ride the slides.”
“I’m up for that,” Ace said as he flexed out his wings. “I’ve got my water wings.”
“Not funny,” Ronnie said as she gave him a light smack in the shoulder.
“I want to see if these babies can float,” Ace said.
“Quiet,” Xander said as he held up a hand. “We need to stay alert for any sign of vampires.” He wished he could of gotten a hold of Buffy.
“There is only one person Dandridge wants,” Lyra said. She was in her Slayer Star costume. “And she isn’t here. She won’t even listen to her friends.”
“She would listen if we could reach her,” Xander said. He did manage to reach Vi, Willow and Andrew.
“How do you know B just doesn’t think what we are doing is worth her time?” Faith asked.
“Buffy won’t abandon us,” Xander said.
“Why we abandoned her before,” Faith said. “Didn’t she just up and leave once because she felt she was abandoned and oh don’t forget how she was just kicked out of her own house by everyone, including her own sister.”
“Guys,” Ronnie said. “Can we not argue? Not when it’s starting to get foggy?”
“Fog?” Xander asked and saw they were surrounded by a thick white mist.
“This aint no mist,” Ed said and yelped.
Xander felt hands on him and heard the familiar growls of vampires. He tried to fight him but with his limited depth perception and the fog he couldn’t see them.
Rissa shouted something in Latin and suddenly there were several glowing blue lights running around.
Xander reached for one and grabbed him. He was able to shove a stake through the heart before he ducked another attack and stabbed another in the chest. He was grabbed by let another but when he tried to stake that one he was grabbed by another.
“Dandridge, stop playing your games,” Charley shouted. “Leave them alone. It’s me you want.”
The mist thickened and reformed into a tall vampire with dark curls. “You are no longer the one that I want, Charley Brewster. Seeing you as a bloodthirsty immortal is enough a punishment for you.” He walked over to where a group of minions were holding Lyra. He snatched off her mask. “She is quite lovely, but her beauty will be as fleeting. She will grow old and die, unless you turn her, but of course you won’t.”
“So you’re the poncy one who gave my friend a hard time,” Spike said.
“Interesting look,” Dandridge complimented. He examined each one of them. His smile grew when he recognized Ed. “Hello Edward.”
“Screw you,” Ed said. “You aint my master any more. I’m my own master.”
“Good for you Edward.” He held up a finger. “You need to watch your tongue of course.” He walked away. “There is only one I want to see.”
“She isn’t here,” Faith said. “You are going to have to deal with us.”
“I believe I already have,” he said. “Don’t worry. There will be no harm to you if she comes.”
“Leave them alone,” Charley said. His eyes had turned yellow again and his fangs were pronounced.
“Or you’ll what?” Dandridge asked and raised an eyebrow. “We out number you and your friend’s, boy.”
“I’ve killed you before.”
“Ah yes you have.” The resurrected vampire walked around in a circle. “And what did that bring you? It made my little sister quite angry with you. Decided to give you quite a fitting punishment. And you would still be suffering if it were not for your new little friends here.” He turned and glared at Xander. “Which one of you killed her?”
“I did,” Lyra said in a proud tone. “Shoved a stake right into her chest.”
“Now he shows concern for his sis,” Spike said. “No messages asking for the whereabouts of her murderer hmmm? All you want is a certain blond Slayer and the bloke that did you in.”
Jerry strode straight up to Spike and slapped him up the side of his head. “Don’t you dare insinuate that I did not care for Regine.” A forlorn look graced his face. “We loved each other. We looked out for each other.”
“How well did you love each other?” Spike asked and was answered by another slap that caused blood to spurt out of his mouth.
“Leave him alone,” Ed said. “He’s just asking because of experience. He had to stake his own mother because she tried to bed-“
“That’s enough mate,” Spike told him and turned back to Jerry. “If you loved your sis like you said you did then you would try to bring her back.”
“Another time,” Jerry turned away from the two and approached Charley again. “This is all your doing. If you just simply forgot about me like I asked then none of this would have happened. All I wanted was to live peacefully. You had to spy on me and call the police on me. You couldn’t leave well alone.”
“You were killing innocent people,” Charley said.
“I had to eat. You understand that now.”
“I don’t eat people.”
“You say that now, but sooner or later you will realize that you are above the mortals, or you will simply slip and give in to your cravings. Who will you feed off first?” He turned towards Lyra. “Perhaps it would be your girlfriend.”
“Leave her alone,” Charley snarled while his eyes glowed.
“Maybe I will do her a favor and have you killed. I’ll tie you up and leave you outside and when the sun rises it will burn you into-“
“You sick asshole,” Lyra thrust forward and broke away from those who held her. She ran straight for Dandridge and was a couple of feet away from him before she was pounced on by her captors.
“Strong and determined,” Jerry said. “I need to do my homework on these Slayers.” He smiled before he turned back to Charley. “Perhaps I’ll let this romantic tragedy play out. You give in to your bloodlust and try to feed on her and in self defense she will stake you.”
“Seriously?” Faith asked. “You might be all worldly with your knowledge but when it comes to Slayers you are just stupid.”
“Well hopefully I will learn from the one that I want. That is if she does come.”
“That’s good,” a familiar voice behind a small group of minion vampires.
Eight of the vampires exploded into dust and three had their heads chopped off. Behind where the vampires stood where eight Slayers, all of them were armed with stakes.
“Because I’m here,” Buffy Summers said as she lowered the Scythe.