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Part Nine
Christy Harrison, professional psychologist, and long time friend to Kimberly, started at the computer screen for the better part of the night. She was on her fifth beer, and her last nerve, when she finally struck gold.
“Slayer’s Cross,” she sat up in her chair, “I can’t believe this thing really exists! Of course I can’t believe I’m actually looking this up,” she began to babble to herself, as she scrolled down the page, “Or, for that matter...that I’m talking to myself at four in the morning. I think when this is all over, both Kim and I are going to need therapy!”
Her printer came to life with a whine, as the pages spewed forth. She began to read them, shaking her head in disbelief, “ ‘The Slayer’s Cross was created by Franciscan Monks in 1471 to help battle the forces of evil. It is believed that the Cross can destroy vampires, by exposing them to the light of the righteous.’” she got up, as she continued to read, “ ‘However, should the Cross fall into the wrong hands, the light can be converted into pure evil, destroying the very people that will fight against it.’ You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“Christy,” a tired voice came from the doorway, “It’s four in the morning, what are you still doing up? And have you been drinking?”
The slightly unraveled therapist quickly gathered up the papers and tucked them in a folder, laughing to herself at what she must have looked like. Visions of her hiding notes from her teachers in school came to mind, as she tried to focus on her husband’s irritated voice.
“Look,” he huffed, “I don’t know what Kim has you doing for her, but this stops right now! It’s late, and I want you to go to bed.”
“I’m not tired,” she lied.
“I don’t care,” he demanded, “What ever it is, can wait until morning.”
“It is morning.”
He shook his head and headed back to their bedroom, “You’ve been hanging around her WAY too long.”
As Christy followed, she thought back at the dozens of Vampire Websites she traveled in the course of the night, and sighed, “Tell me about it.”
****** Tamara laid uncomfortably in the back of the dark U-Haul. She was still taped up, and her head felt heavy. She tried hard not to think about the fact that she was at the mercy of these vial creatures, or the fact that her only small bit of protection was up in the cab, driving. All she could do was allow her mind to drift off, taking her away from the pain and fear.
Off in the far side of the van, she could hear several vampires whispering to one another. One of them sounded like the English guy, they ‘vamped’ earlier on in the trip.
“I’m hungry,” Patrick grumbled, “and bored. When is the bleedin’ sun gonna go down?”
“Soon,” Thomas sighed, “Chill.”
“I’m tired of waiting,” he huffed. Then looking over at the bound redhead lying on the floor, he asked, “Why can’t we just snack on her?”
“Because I said so,” Marvin interrupted, “Nobody snacks on her. Understood?”
“Yeah,” Patty folded his arms, “Fine.” As Marvin walked away, he muttered, “For now.”
Marvin crouched down next to Tamara, and brushed back her hair, “So, how are you enjoying your ride?”
“Fuck you.”
“My, my,” he chuckled, “such language. It’s so unattractive for such a pretty young thing.”
“What do you want me to say,” Tamara bit, “Sorry? I’m just about through with being polite to you!”
Marvin reached down and yanked her up by her long, red hair, “Even if it means your life?!”
“Ouch!” she cried out, feeling the closeness of the demon, “Okay, okay...I’m sorry. Are you happy?”
“Much,” he said, dropping her back down.
The truck came to a stop, as the sun finally set. Earl hopped out of the cab, and went around to open the back doors. He was glad for the setting of the sun. That would give him a chance to spend some more time with his Chickie. The Vampires would hunt, and he could...bond.
“All set boss,” Earl announced, “A nice small, out-of-the-way town. Perfect for you guys. And a connivance store for me and Chickie.”
“Right,” Marvin directed, “you buy some supplies, while we....get dinner.”
“Um,” Thomas asked, “who’s gonna watch, Red?”
Marvin gave a nasty smile and turned to Patrick, “That’s gonna be Pat’s job...”
“But-” Patrick protested.
“That will teach you the better part of patience,” Marvin grinned, as he jumped down from the truck, “Don’t worry, we’ll bring you back some left overs.”
As the back doors slammed shut, Patrick turned to Tamara, with predator’s eyes and smiled, “I’ll just me have a little snack.”
****** “You’re not hungry?” Giles asked.
Kimberly played with the fork, twirling the rice around, “I just keep thinking about last night. What were you thinking? I mean, you could have gotten killed...and...”
Giles chuckled softly.
“What?”
“That look you just had,” he reached across the table and took her hands in his, “You were worried.”
“Hell yeah! What do you think!?” she gave him a irritated look, “Without you, how the hell are we going to rescue Tamara?”
He kissed her hands, “And I thought it was just because of the sex.”
Kimberly smiled, “Well...that too. How much ‘down time’ do we have?”
Giles looked at his watch, “About four more hours.”
“Nap, or Nookie?”
“Beg your pardon?”
Kimberly grinned, “Do you want to take a nap before we head out? Or...”
“Oh,” Giles finally understood, “What do you want to do?”
She dropped some money on the table, and pulled him out of the chair, “I’m too wired to sleep, and I really don’t feel like having a pity party.”
Giles pulled her close to him, and kissed her passionately on her lips, “I know the perfect thing to take your mind off of all this, and to pass the time.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“There is one problem though,” Giles pointed out, as they headed out to the van, “We don’t have a room.”
Kimberly gave him a wicked grin, and slid the door open, “Who needs a room.”
****** Even though the inside of the U-Haul was too dark to see, Tamara knew Patrick was stalking her. She tried to inch into the corner, but with her hands taped behind her back, she found escape almost impossible. She held her breath, silently praying that he didn’t really mean what he said.
Suddenly, she felt his knees press up against her back. She tried to scream, but his large hand clamped over her mouth, cutting of any pleas for help. She could hear his breathless words whispering in her ears, as he pulled her closer to him.
“Keep your mouth shut,” he hissed roughly, “and maybe, I’ll let you live. Now,” his voice was thick, “I’m gonna have me a bit of fun. If I can’t eat, I’ll just have myself an appetizer.”
He turned her over and placed his free hand on her breast. Climbing on top of her, Patrick leaned over and licked her neck. As his lips caressed her soft skin, he could hear her pulse racing, and feel the pounding of the rushing blood in her veins. “Mmmm...” he whispered hoarsely, slipping his hand up her shirt, “If I didn’t promise that stupid sod....Well, there are other ways to feed my appetite. I might be dead, Pet, but I’ve still got urges.”
‘Oh for crying out loud,’ she cringed, helpless to get away, ‘This just gets better by the minute!’
He roughly massaged her breast, grinding his pelvis against hers. She could feel his erection through both her jeans and his, and knew what was next. The vampire removed his hand from her breast, and slid it down her stomach to the top of her jeans. He slowly unfastened her pants, and was trying to slip his hand down her panties, when she bucked her knee up, connecting with his.....
“Holy SHIT!!!” He cried out, still on top of her, “You little bitch! That bloody hurt!”
“I’ll do more than hurt you,” she cried out, when he let go of her mouth, “Get the hell off me, you undead prick!’
His hand clamped down on her mouth again. While sitting on top of her, he began to slip his jeans down. Tears streamed down Tamara’s face, more out of rage, than fear. She tried to block out the feeling of his hands touching her, or his lips caressing her skin. All she could think of was screaming for help. But his weight on top of her made it impossible to move, and his hand was like a vice on her mouth. So she screamed in her mind.
Outside the truck, Earl was about to enter the store to pick up groceries. Suddenly, he stopped. A thought tingled the back of his brain, like a fuzzy dream.
Something was wrong.
He turned around and headed back toward the U-Haul. By the time he got to the large doors of the truck, he was practically running. He heard groaning inside the vehicle, and ripped open the door. The light of the parking lot flooded into the van, revealing the source of his concern.
“GET YOUR DIRTY PAWS OFF OF HER!!!!!” Earl cried out, morphing into the six foot tall Adonis.
He grabbed Patrick by the back of the neck, and threw him across the van, right into the arms of Marvin. The Vampire watched Earl kneel by Tamara, and hold her tight, trying to comfort her, and redress her.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” Marvin growled, not allowing him to pull his pants up, “I thought I told you to keep your hands off her?!”
“I didn’t feed on her,” Patrick argued, “You only said not to feed...gack!”
“When I tell you something,” he hissed, squeezing dangerously hard on his neck, “you WILL listen! Is that understood?!”
“Yes,” he squawked, as Marvin threw him to the floor. He quickly pulled his pants up, and scurried off to the corner.
Marvin walked over to Earl, who was whispering in Tamara’s ear, stroking her hair. The vampire knelt down beside him and looked at the frightened girl. For a brief moment, as he heard her soft sobs, he actually felt sorry for her. But it only lasted for a moment.
“How far did he go?” Marvin asked Earl, who was still in his Adonis form.
Earl shook his head, holding her shaking body close to him, “She won’t talk....but I don’t think he did anything....”
The vampire leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Good for you, eh? You see the trouble you cause?”
“Trouble?” Tamara asked with a controlled whisper, “Trouble? You left me alone with Chester the Molester, and you have the balls to say I caused this to happen?! What part of DUH, don’t you get?”
He reached for her cheek and held it hard, “The part that says, I could have not allowed him to be stopped.” he leaned in closer, whispering for her ears only, “And I still might, if you don’t behave yourself.”
As he walked away, Earl’s eyes followed the man he called ‘Boss’. He was sure that Marvin wasn’t aware he heard everything. He was also sure, that as this trip continued, he was beginning to not ‘like’ his employer very much.
****** Giles ran his fingers through Kimberly’s hair, planting soft kisses on her neck and ear. She cooed as he slipped his hand under her shirt, caressing her breast through the cotton bra. Kimberly inched closer to him, allowing her hands to roam down to the growing bulge in his jeans. She gently massaged his jeans, causing him to elicit a soft moan.
“Does that feel good?” she asked, kissing him on the lips, “Do you want more?”
Giles leaned up against the wall of the van and nodded, breathlessly, “Yes.”
Kimberly smiled, and slowly unzipped his pants. She could see the cotton of his briefs straining against his manhood, and was dying to see more. Reaching down, she pulled off his jeans, and began to remove his briefs, with tantalizing slowness. When his erection was finally freed, she knew that the fun was just beginning. She wrapped her hand around the hardening shaft and began to slide it up and down.
Giles closed his eyes, concentrating on the erotic sensations his lover was expertly providing. He opened his eyes when he felt her lips cover the sensitive tip of his penis, “Kimberly,” he gasped, “you’re not playing fair.”
“Who ever said I play fair?” Kimberly grinned, taking the length of his penis in her mouth.
Giles groaned, as he watched her head bob up and down on his shaft. This felt incredible, but he was never into spectator sports. He reached down and lifted her shirt up and over her body. Tossing it aside, he carefully un-fastened her bra, and flung that in the same direction. He picked her head up and pulled her lips to his. Kissing her, he began to quickly remove her jeans and panties. Once she was naked, he pulled her on top of his lap, filling her completely.
They moved together, slowly at first, then increasing their speed with their passion. Giles place his mouth over her hardened nipple, licking and biting them. Kimberly moaned, feeling herself slip away into ecstasy, and wanting Rupert to go with her. With her being essentially on top, Kimberly took charge, determined to have them come together. She heard his panting and knew he was close. Giles felt her walls clamp down on him, and gave one long moan before pulling her against him. Their lips locked, as they fell over the edge of passion together.
They laid side by side, still in each other’s embrace. They were both breathing hard, and shaking from the after effects of the mind-blowing orgasm, when a hard rap came from the outside of the van.
Giles sprung up and looked at Kimberly like a deer in headlight, “W-what is that?”
Kimberly snickered and quickly dressed, “I have a pretty good idea.”
She climbed up into the front of the van and looked out at the bright flash light, and the police officer holding it, “What can I help you with, Officer?”
The police officer craned his head into the back of the van, “Your van has been parked here for several hours, I was wondering if you needed some assistance?”
“Nope,” Kimberly tried not to chuckle, as Giles stumbled up next to her. “We’re fine. We just wanted to...nap a bit....before heading back on the road.” Nudging Giles in the ribs she added, “Isn’t that right, Honey?”
“Um...ah...yes,” he stuttered, trying to fix his ruffled hair, “just a bit of a nap.” He yawned, and looked at his watch. Time was almost up, “I suppose we could leave now. I’m fairly rested.”
As the officer gave the two a stern look, and left, Kimberly started up the van and grinned, “Rested, huh? Remind me to correct that later.”
Giles sighed, closing his eyes. He didn’t want to admit just how tired he was. “After we find the Cross, and rescue Tamara, Luv.”
“Spoil sport.”
****** The drive was a long one to Oklahoma. And for most of it, Tamara sat in silence next to Earl. She was still bound, but Earl insisted that she ride up in the cab with him, during the day, and stay with him at night. Marvin didn’t object, but took great pleasure in knowing the effect one event had on the young woman. She looked beaten...distant. Just staring out into space...in silence.
Now, she was looking out at the sprawling farms of the Great Plains. Earl sighed and wanted to say something to her, but every time he tried, his words fell short. For the first time in his long life, he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to make this better.
Finally, after the second day of silence, she spoke. “They’re gonna kill me, you know.”
Earl turned to her, glad that she said something, but worried at what she said, “No...no they won’t. Marvin promised...”
“I don’t care what he promised,” she said, calmly, still staring out the window, “I can see it in his eyes. He’s gonna kill me.”
“Well, I won’t let him,” Earl said, determinably.
“And if you can’t stop him?”
The demon turned to her and stated plainly, “Then I’ll die protecting you.”
****** Michael pulled their van into the tiny town of Straight, Oklahoma, around noon. He pulled up the tiny post office...parked...and climbed out. “Okay,” he looked around, “Where’s the town?”
“Uh, I think this IS the town,” Harvey pointed out, “Main Street....right off of...Bob’s Road.”
“Must have a great night life,” Laura sighed, stretching.
“Oh yeah,” Harvey grinned, “Come on out, and let’s tip us some cows.”
“Harv?” Michael deadpanned, “I don’t think they even have cows.”
“But they have a post office,” Laura said, looking at the paper, “Which is where we’re gonna find our next clue.”
The walked into the old, wooded building and strode up to the clerk. The man, like the town, looked older than dirt, and moved twice as slow. He scratched his balding head and sighed, “You’re ‘bout the ninth group of people in here today. I aint never seen me so many people afore. Now what can I help you folks with?”
“We’re here to pick up a clue for the treasure hunt, Team Fourteen.” Harvey announced, producing his identification papers, “Do you have to check our transmitter, or something?”
“Transmitter?” the old man looked confused, “You got a T.V. in your car, or something?”
“No...never mind,” Michael sighed, “Can we get the clue please?”
The old man, reached a shaky hand down onto a pile of papers and fished around for a few minutes. The group did all they could NOT to strangle the man, as he pick one up...put it back down...picked another up...and placed it aside. Finally, he found what he was looking for, and handed it to them, “Here you go, young man,” he smiled a toothless grin, “but the other teams have a head start on ya.”
Michael practically ripped the paper out of the old man’s hand and walked brusquely out.
“We know,” Laura explained, as she followed her older brother out.
“What’s your problem?” she asked him, as soon as they left.
“What?!” Michael snipped.
“The attitude,” Laura shook her head, “You’ve been a real asshole for half of this trip.”
“I’ve been an Asshole?! Tamara’s been kidnapped!” he yelled, “How do you expect me to act!?”
“Hey! You’re not the only one worried about her, you know.”
“No....but it just seems like I’m the only one who gives a shit!”
“Guys,” Harvey said.
“I care!” Laura shouted.
“Guys.”
“Bullshit!” Michael hissed, “You’re like Kimberly and Rupert, all you care about is the damn contest!”
“GUYS!!!”
“WHAT?!” they both shouted.
“Can we go? I think the Cross is here.”
Laura grabbed the clue out of Harvey’s hand, and read it aloud, “ ‘To protect yourself from evil, one must only hold faith in your hand.’ That’s it! It has to be! But it doesn’t say where it is.”
Michael looked up at the thickening clouds, “Well, we better try and find this thing fast. Looks like a storm’s brewing.”
****** Giles napped in the passenger seat as Kimberly pulled into Straight. It had been raining on an off for much of the day, and only now did they catch a bit of a break. But, even though it wasn’t raining, the sky was thick with clouds, blotting out the sun.
“I hate rainy days,” Giles muttered.
“Yeah, me too,” Kimberly agreed, “I’m more of a sunny kinda girl...”
“That’s not what I meant,” Giles explained, “Vampires can go outside when the sun isn’t out.”
“But it’s six in the afternoon...”
“As long as they stay out of direct sunlight, they can go out during the day,” Giles sighed, “And with all these clouds...”
“Oh great, something else to be worried about.”
They stopped at the post office, and got the clue. Giles looked at it for several minutes before shaking his head in total frustration.
“What is it?” Kimberly asked.
“This clue,” Giles huffed, “which really isn’t a clue. It doesn’t say anything about where to go. And with the other teams ahead of us...”
“It was probably found already,” she said, deflated.
“Well, yes...but...if we don’t know where to look, I would suspect no one else would.”
“Then, let’s start looking,” Kimberly said, tucking the paper in her jeans, “I mean, we’ve got to find it eventually...this town’s not that big.”
****** A half an hour later, after stopping at the church, the school, the cemetery, and every other place in town, Giles and Kimberly pulled off to the side of the road in frustration.
“This is ridiculous,” Kimberly huffed, “Maybe someone else found it.”
Giles looked out at the ever thickening clouds and sighed, “You’re probably right. Damn! That Cross is our only chance at getting Tamara back! How could her Uncle be so idiotic as to put it in this contest!”
Kim was about to speak, when she noticed a familiar van pull up behind them. Harvey hopped out and walked over to their vehicle.
“I take it, you didn’t find it yet?” the big man asked.
“No,” Kimberly replied, sullen, “and you?”
“Nope...Nada.”
“This is great!” she hissed, “We wasted time back there, and now....”
“Yeah, well...don’t beat yourself up,” Harvey consoled, “we’ve been here two hours before you guys, and we aint seen shit. We were about to head back into town....our down time is almost here...”
“Ours too...SHIT!” Kimberly cursed, “This sucks!”
“There’s a little bed and breakfast,” Harvey continued, “If you can call it that. We’ll meet you there.”
“Sure.”
Both vans turned around and began the trek back into town. Just as they pulled into the Bed and Breakfast, Kimberly noticed a car in the parking lot with three flat tires. Now that was a strange site, in a town this small. Crime and vandalism was not usually seen in tiny communities. But, there must be an exception to every rule...
“Do you need assistance?” Giles asked the three angry owners of the injured vehicle. Then he remembered them from the contest. “You’re in the Treasure Hunt, yes?”
“Yeah,” on of the guys said, kicking the tire, “But it looks like we’re out of it now. At least until we can get three new tires.”
“What happened?” Laura asked.
The contestant walked around to the other side of the car, and checked his other tires, “We got here four hours ago, right? And we finally found the damn Cross...you know, the next prize...”
“You found the Cross?!” All shouted.
The contestant looked at the group sideways, and shook his head, “Yeah, but it won’t do us any good. Two guys stole it from us, and slashed our tires.”
“Two?” Giles asked, “how do you know they did it?”
“Cause we were talking about the Cross in the Inn. See, we have our downtime now, so we couldn’t go anywhere. When the other groups found out we had the Cross, they took off. But this group stayed. So, we talked, and they offered to buy it from us. I told them when the contest was over, I’d think about it. That’s when they left. And that’s when it was stolen. It had to be them. English bastards,” Looking at Giles, he quickly amended, “No offense.”
“None taken,” Giles said wearily, “Did you see them actually take it?”
“No,” the other guy answered, “but we saw them speed off out of town.”
Now, they were getting somewhere.
“Which way?” Giles asked.
“That way,” the second guy pointed to a road, leading to the opposite direction they came from, “took off like a bat outa hell.”
At that point, both groups raced to their vans, and sped off down the road.
“Just like that,” the guy shook his head, and continued to work on his car.
****** “Maybe we can catch up to them,” Kimberly said, keeping her eyes peeled, looking for any kind of clue as to where the thieves went, “I can’t believe they pretended to be nice and all...and they do this. And we fell for it!”
“Yes, well,” Giles nodded, “They were very convincing....”
“Stop the car!”
“What?”
“I said stop the car...now!” Kimberly shouted, as the van came to a screeching halt.
Behind them, Harvey’s van practically ran into their back. Everyone climbed out of their car and walked around to Tamara’s van. “What’s going on?” Michael snapped, “You almost killed us!”
Kimberly pointed over to an abandoned Drive-in Movie theater. “Over there,” she said, peering out of the window, “Do you see that?”
“I’ll be damned,” Harvey sniffed, “Looks like a U-Haul to me.”
“So, let’s go after them,” Michael said, “Cross or no Cross. If they have her...”
“It might be too dangerous,” Giles pointed out, taking off his glasses and wiping them, “We have to think of something.”
“Then why don’t you just give them the Cross?” A voice said.
Nigel stood next to Philip, with the large golden cross in his hand.
Giles looked at both men suspiciously. They seemed to come from nowhere, and their car was not in site. “You have the Cross.” he stated, “The one you stole from the other team.”
“And your point, mate?” Philip said.
“How did you know we needed it?” Giles asked, eyeing the Cross.
Nigel looked dead in his eyes and replied, “I overheard you talking about it. When I saw the other team get it....I figured they didn’t need it as much. We offered to buy it...”
“Right,” Michael spat, “So, you just took it! What do you want from us?”
“We can talk about it when we rescue your friend, yes?” Nigel smiled.
Everyone got into their cars, with Nigel and Philip riding with Giles and Kim. They drove up to the Theater, and parked at the entrance. As they walked out, the sky began to turn even darker. Marvin and the other vamps climbed out of the truck, and stood in the middle of the parking area.
The scene reminded Kimberly of an old western, with the good guys squaring off with the black hats. All they needed was the music and several ten gallon hats.
“Something doesn’t make sense,” Giles whispered to Kimberly.
“What?”
“I don’t remember mentioning the Cross in front of them,” Giles said, as they got within 20 yards of Marvin, and his crew.
“That’s close enough,” Marvin said. He looked up at the darkening sky and smiled, “I love this weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky.” His eyes narrowed, as he looked at Nigel, “Very good. You have the Cross, and our dinner. You’ve earned every penny.”
Giles turned to Nigel, who began to walk toward the vampire, “You pillock!” He reached for him, grabbing the Cross with one hand, and knocked the Merc to the ground. Michael sprang over to Philip, who was going to help his fallen comrade, and hit him hard.
Marvin watched this with mild amusement, knowing he held trump, “When you are all through playing Professional wrestling, can we get down to business?”
Giles held the Cross in his hand and gritted his teeth, “Where is she?”
“Where’s who?” Marvin teased, scratching his head, “Oh, yes....Red.” He motioned to a vampire standing by the back of the truck. When the door opened and Patrick hopped out with a bound Tamara, Marvin said, “I’ve lived up to my end of the deal. Now....give me the Cross.”
“Tam!” Michael shouted, a pained look flooded his eyes.
“Michael?” Tamara said, trying to pull away from her captor.
“The Cross, Mr. Giles,” Marvin repeated, “Give it to Earl here, and I’ll release the girl.”
Panic flashed over Tamara’s face, as she watched Earl walk over to Giles, “No!” she shouted, “don’t do it! They’re not going to....Mmmph!” Patrick clamped his hand over her mouth, and pulled her close to him. She stopped struggling for a moment, then...with all her might, she stomped down hard on his foot. Her heal dug into the tip of his shoe, causing him to yelp out in pain. This bit of distraction was all that was needed for the world to be turned upside down...
And all Hell to break loose.
****** Marvin grabbed Tamara and held onto her tightly, “Go get the Cross,” he commanded to his men, “And kill them while you’re at it.”
Nigel jumped up and tried to snatch the Cross from Giles’ hand. The Watcher drew his fist back and popped him hard in the nose, sending blood spurting in every direction.
“Here, Rupert,” Harvey shouted, “Toss it here!”
Giles threw the Cross to Harvey who then tossed to Michael, who tossed it back to Harvey. As the vampires fanned out to retrieve the Cross, they were caught in the middle of a game of Hot Potato in the parking lot of the Theater.
“Get the Watcher, you idiots!” Marvin hissed, “He’s the most experienced.”
Thomas and Patrick turned their attentions to Giles, who pushed Kimberly out of the way. The two vampires rushed the Watcher, knocking him to the ground. Kimberly was about to help him, when Earl came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.
“What?!” she snorted, turning around to see the scrawny red haired demon.
“You killed Elvis.”
“I killed....huh?” Kimberly tilted her head, “What are you talking about? I staked a vampire, who just happened to be Elvis!”
“Same thing!”
“And your point?”
Earl looked at her, squinting his eyes, “I’m gonna rip your liver out of your nose and wear it as a hat.”
Kimberly paused, “That’s gross. Thank you so very much for that stunning visual.” That was right before she took off, running around the concessions building with a skinny demon chasing her.
Meanwhile...Don, Joey and the two Mercs where trying their hand at getting the Cross away from the group, but Michael, Harvey and Laura where quite good at passing it between them.
Marvin shook his head at the sight, “I really need to get better help,” he sighed.
That was when a gun was fired.
Nigel had pulled a revolver from his coat and began to fire it at Michael, in the hopes of stopping this stupid game. The young man quickly tossed the Cross and ducked around the large movie screen. As the Cross flew through the air, Don smile in great satisfaction.
“I got it!” he shouted as he reached for the flying object.... “Ouch! Shitshitshitshitshit!” he cried out, dropping the Cross on the ground and running in circles holding his burning hand.
Laura quickly snatched the Cross up and sped to the parked vans, with Joey hot on her tail.
Marvin, pulled Tamara close to him and whispered in her ear, “See what you’ve caused? You’re friends are all gonna die, trying to rescue you.”
She watched Giles trying to fight off his two attackers, and getting battered badly. Then, she turned her head to see Michael trying to avoid Nigel and his gun. Kimberly was still playing “Ring around the Rosy”, with Earl, and Harvey and Laura continued to pass the Cross. If it wasn’t so serious, it would have almost been funny.
But, Tamara knew this was FAR from funny. “Stop it.” she whispered, closing her eyes.
Marvin could feel a twinge of energy pass through her body, as he held her. The clouds thickened dramatically, and he felt the first droplets of rain fall on his head. Something was happening, and he was now certain, she was at its roots.
“What are you doing?” he asked her, with a hint of concern in his voice.
Tamara ignored him, only concentrating on the black clouds, “Stop it. STOP!!!”
At that moment a flash of lightning crackled down to the ground, tossing Patrick and Thomas backward, away from the injured Giles. Everyone froze in their place, looking around at each other in amazement.
Marvin swung her around to face him, “You just did that! I felt it, this time!”
Tamara opened her eyes and stared coldly into his, “Did I? Look around. See the clouds? What do you think?” She paused for dramatic effect, “Can you feel it, the sudden drop in pressure? It has a strange effect on people, you know...making them feel all nervous inside. That’s the body telling you to get under cover, and out of the way.”
Thunder rumbled, and the lightning crackled in the sky.
“When a big storm comes, it gets really quite, and calm. No wind, no sound...nothing.” she continued, gaining more courage as she spoke, “But then....”
Another bolt of lighting sped out of the sky and struck the large movie screen, splitting it in two, and sending part of it tumbling to the ground.
Marvin shook Tamara and looked dangerously in her eyes, “I’m warning you right now, stop this!”
“Stop what?” she said, “What’s the matter? You scared of a little thunder? Funny...no matter how immortal you might think you are...you’re still at the mercy of the land you live on. You are still just as vulnerable as the rest of us.”
“Shut up!”
Everyone began to walk over to Marvin and Tamara, wondering what was going on.
“You’re scared,” she smiled, “And you should be. A storm like this is very unpredictable,” Rumble. “It starts out small,” Crackle. “But then, the wind kicks in,” Boom. “and....”
He glared at her, “That’s it!” he growled, grabbing her long red hair, “I know how to shut a witch up!”
Tamara cringed as she felt his teeth sink into her soft skin of her neck. It was like a pain she had never experienced before. She tried to struggle against him, but with her hands still bound, all she could do was give a small whimper. She could feel her life force draining from her, as he continued to lap at her neck.
As her knees buckled, Marvin felt a strong surge of energy pass through her body into his. It was quite a rush to drain the blood of a magic user, something he hadn’t felt since...
“NO!!!!” Both Earl and Michael shouted, racing toward the feeding vampire.
Giles struggled to his feet, with Kimberly’s help. He watched Earl morph into a huge blond hair, muscle man...and tackled Marvin to the ground. Michael caught Tamara, as she slumped into his arms, unconscious.
“Tam,” Michael cried out, shaking her, “Tam! Oh god, please! Wake up!”
“You Bastard!” Earl growled, punching Marvin in the face repeatedly, “You promised you wouldn’t hurt her! You lied!”
“No,” Marvin laughed, knocking the demon off him, “I told you I would give her to you. I didn’t say what condition she would be in.”
“I don’t care!” Earl snapped, “I’m gonna stake you myself!”
“You don’t have the time!” Michael shouted, pointing at the not-so-distant horizon.
There, looming toward them, was a thin rope descending from the clouds.
“Twister!” Kimberly shouted, grabbing Giles by the arm.
“Holy shit!” Harvey cried out, as the roar of the approaching storm grew louder.
Michael picked Tamara up in his arms and started to run to the van.
“No” Kimberly warned, “there’s no time!” She pointed to the brick building, “In here! It should be enough! Come on!”
Kimberly, Giles, Michael, Harvey and Laura all scrambled to the concessions building, with Earl close behind. Thomas looked at his boss and asked, “Marvin, what are we gonna do?”
“Outrun this thing,” He shouted, looking at the only means of shelter, “We have no choice! Let’s go!” He grabbed Nigel by the arm, “Oh no you don’t! You’ve just been hired by us! Drive!”
“It’s gonna cost you, mate!” Nigel said, as he and Philip hopped into the cab of the truck.
“Don’t I know it!” Marvin sighed, climbing into the back with the rest of the vampires.
****** Once inside the building, they huddled in the corner, waiting for either the end, or their salvation. The roar was tremendous. Many people attribute the sound of a tornado to be that of a freight train...but to Giles, the swirling storm sounded more like the howls of a ferel beast, coming to devour them.
Michael worked the tape off of Tamara’s wrists, holding her limp body close to him, and pressing a handkerchief to her wound. He rocked her back and forth, whispering softly in her ear, hoping she might hear him. And praying they lived long enough for him to find out.
“I can’t do this,” Laura cried, holding onto Harvey, “I can’t...I can’t! Please, make it stop!”
“It’s gonna be okay,” Harvey said, brushing her hair, “It’s gonna be okay.”
Giles held Kimberly, covering her head, as the roar became deafening. They ducked every time something struck the building. Glass broke. Pots clanked. And, god knows what was flying around outside, but it was enough to make the, usually calm, Watcher look around in fear. “Are you sure we’re safe in here?” he shouted to Kimberly, over the roar of the tempest.
“We’re safer then we would be outside,” she said, trying hard not to shake.
“My god,” Giles shouted, “this thing’s going to blow the building apart! How much longer?!”
“I don’t know!” she answered, ducking as loud thud came from the outside.
“This is soooo cool!” Earl shouted, “I’ve never been in a tornado before! Wow!”
“Wow?!” Laura spat, “Well, I have! This is NOT cool! I want it to stop!”
Just as she said that, Tamara’s eyes flew open, and the howling stopped. Slowly the wind died down, and everything returned to normal, leaving the group stunned into silence.
“Michael?” Tamara said, weakly, “What happened?”
“You’re awake!” he smiled, kissing her gently on her lips. He frowned when he saw how pale she was, “we have to get you to a hospital.”
“Do we have the Cross?” she asked, as he picked her up in his arms.
“Yes,” Giles nodded, getting up and heading toward the exit, “and, Michael’s right. Now that we do, you should have a doctor check you out.”
“I’m okay,” she argued, “Just a little tired, and my neck’s sore. Besides, what are you gonna tell a doctor? Excuse me, but my friend was just bitten by a vampire, can you help her?”
“Tamara,” Giles said sternly, “This is not the time to joke.”
“I’m not joking,” she said, as tears filled her eyes, “Believe me, these past few days have been far from a joke. Please, I-I just don’t want to go to a doctor, okay?”
“But...”
“I’m fine,” Tamara sighed, as they all left the brick building. Her eyes widened when she saw the landscape, “but the Drive-in isn’t. Wow!”
“Oh my,” Giles inhaled. The Drive-in was a disaster. Half of the movie screen had vanished to god knows where, and the other half had fallen on...
“My VAN!” Harvey threw his hands up in despair, “I can’t believe it!”
The movie screen had missed Tamara’s van, but did a fairly good job at demolishing Harvey’s. The big man walked over to the crushed van and stared lovingly at it, “My poor van,” he sighed. He shook his head, “Well, that’s it then. I’m out of it. No car, no contest.”
“But at least we have the Cross,” Kimberly said, watching Giles move the van closer to the group.
“Um, guys?” Laura said, looking down at the Cross in her hand, “When was this Cross made?”
Giles climbed out of the van and opened the side doors. Michael handed Tamara, who was drifting asleep, to Giles. As soon as the Watcher placed her gently down, and drew a blanket over her, he climbed back out. “Well,” he explained, “from what I understand, the Slayer’s Cross is about one thousand years old. Why?”
“So, I guess it wouldn’t have been ‘made in Taiwan’, huh?” She asked, looking at the back, “And it wouldn’t be chipping either?”
“What?!” Giles said, taking the Cross from her, “Damnit!” he growled, throwing the object down on the ground, “It’s fake!”
“What?!” everyone shouted at once.
“You mean to tell me that we went through all this...for a fake?!” Kimberly hissed. “Tamara was nearly killed...”
“And....” Earl began, then clamped his mouth.
“And what?” Michael asked, his eyes grew cold, “What did you guys do to her?!”
“Hey, I didn’t do nothing,” Earl shouted in defense, “It was that English jerk. He...he...”
“He what?”
Earl looked nervously at his new found allies, “He was mean to her...t-that’s all. I stopped him, okay...and...and she’s okay now.”
“She was nearly vampchow!” Michael spat, “And now we don’t even have the Cross!”
Suddenly, Tamara’s cell phone rang, causing everyone to jump. Kimberly reached with shaky hands to answer its calls. “H-hello? Christy? Trying to reach us? For how long? Oh, well...we kinda had some problems. Twister.” She held the phone away from her ear, just in time for the shouting to commence. She waited until is subsided before she continued, “No, we’re fine,” she lied, “Really. No we don’t have it yet, why?” There was a long pause, while Kimberly listen to her friend explain what she had found.
Giles saw a grim look pass over her face, and asked, “What is it? What did she find out?”
Kimberly ignored him and said into the phone, “I’ll pass it along. Yeah, I know. But think of it this way....at least you’re used to dealing with crazy. I will. Bye.”
She hung up the phone and inhaled.
“What?!” Giles insisted, “If she found something out, please...”
“We have to get the Cross,” Kimberly said plainly.
“I know that,” Giles sighed, “It will aid Buffy in fighting off vampires. According to the legends, the light of the Cross will bath the vampire in good, killing it...”
“Yeah,” Kimberly nodded, “And did you know that if a vampire uses it...the light will be corrupted, and it will then destroy everything that is good?”
Giles paused, “Ah...no. The book I read seemed to have left that part out. Damn. If Marvin finds the Cross before we do...”
“Everything we love will be destroyed.” Laura cringed.
Giles walked over to Earl and grabbed him by his shirt, “Does he know this?!”
“Hey,” Earl struggled against the Watcher’s grip, “I’m just the hired help...”
“DOES HE KNOW THIS!?!”
“I don’t know...I don’t think so. At least he didn’t mention it to me. I bet he still thinks you have the real one, and is scared shitless.”
“But we don’t,” Laura said, “which means...”
“It’s still in the Hunt,” Michael huffed, “If that bastard, Giovanni, knew what the Cross was about....why did he put it in the contest?”
“I don’t know,” Giles sighed, “but it is imperative that I find it....alone.”
“What?!” Kimberly shouted, grabbing a hold of him, “You’re going off on your own?! Are you nuts?!”
Giles held onto her, as she hit him on his chest, “Look around. Look at what traveling with me has brought upon you. You have been attacked by vampires, and Tamara was nearly killed. I can’t allow you to put yourselves in danger anymore.”
“You’re not leaving me!”
“Kimberly...”
“No!” her face turned red, as she fought back tears, “The Cross is still in the contest....you need us! And,” her voice shrank to a whisper, “....I need you.”
“Kim’s right,” Laura agreed, “If you have to find the Cross....WE have to find it.”
“Hello?” Michael stomped his foot, “What about Tamara? You know...doctor, and such.”
“I’ll bring her to a hospital, when we get back to town,” Harvey suggested, “then, I’ll take her home.”
“You’re not coming with us?” Laura asked her friend.
“Nah,” Harvey sighed, “I need the rest of my money to get a new car. I’m about tapped out. Don’t worry I’ll take care of Tam.”
They all rode in silence toward town, looking out at the battered landscape before them. Between the tornado and hail, it was a mess of twisted trees, and downed power lines.
Tamara was curled up in Michael’s arms, sleeping fitfully. Every once in a while, he kissed her forehead lightly, pushing her hair away from her face. Giles smiled, seeing the tenderness the young man had for her. It reminded him of...
“What’s wrong?” Kimberly asked, feeling him Tense.
“Nothing...I....I was just thinking,” Giles said, wrapping his arms around her, “How much further to town?”
“About five minutes,” Earl replied from the driver’s seat. He elected himself driver, hopping into the driver’s side of the van. Laura sat up front with him, looking at him strangely. “What?” He asked her.
“So, you’re demon?” she asked.
“Yup,” he replied, “So?”
“I think that’s cool.”
He turned and smiled, “Oh....you do?”
“And they say woman are fickle,” Kimberly sighed.
“Hey, watch it, Elvis-killer,” Earl snapped, “I’m still pretty pissed at you. So, just give me a reason to eat your liver...”
“Just drive!” they all shouted.
They got into town, and Earl pulled over to the curb. The storm had pretty much missed the tiny town, with only minor damage from the wind. Giles opened the side door and climbed out with Kimberly and Harvey.
“Wha?” Tamara slurred sleepily, “Did the alarm go off? Give me a few more minutes...I’ll get up...”
“Tam, come on...”
“Where are we going?” she asked, finally gaining some coherency.
“Harvey and I are going to bring you to the hospital...you’re hurt and...”
“No!” she pulled away from him, “I’m not going!”
“Tam...”
“NO!” she hit him in the mouth, “Let go of me!”
“What’s going on?” Giles hopped back into the van. “Tamara?”
“I’m not going!” she cried, “I heard you said the Cross isn’t real! I’m not going to just sit this one out!”
“You’re hurt...” Giles said, inching on the other side of the flailing young woman.
“No!” she swung around, boffing him squarely in the nose, “Leave me alone! You’re not going to get rid of me!”
“What are you talking about?” Michael, “We just...”
“You just want to get rid of me, because I’m bad luck!”
“Huh?” Michael said confused.
“Michael,” Giles placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder, “Let me talk to her.”
“But....”
“Now,” he commanded.
Michael saw the look in the older man’s eyes, and knew he had better not argue with him. He backed up and slipped out of the van, leaving Giles alone with her.
Giles held onto Tamara, as she tried to struggle out of his grip. He had seen the look she had in her eyes before. He had seen it in himself after Angelus. Something happened to her in that U-haul...and he wanted to know what it was.
“Tamara...”
“No!” she tried to pull away from his strong arms, “You’re not leaving me behind! You’re not!”
“I’m not leaving you,” he tried to comfort her, “but you need a doctor to look at that wound. You lost a lot of blood and...”
“NO!” she cried, “I’m fine. I’m just...I’m just tired.” She stayed in his arms for a few minutes. Giles thought she had drifted off to sleep, but then he felt her quiver with quiet sobs. “I screwed everything up, and now we don’t have the Cross, and lots of people might die. It’s all my fault...all of it!”
“Shhh....” he soothed, “It’s not your fault. Why would you think that?”
“I make bad things happen,” she sobbed, pressing her head in his chest, “Like the guy who tired to help me...because of me he died, and Marvin knocked me out. And...and...the lady in the car....I thought of a distraction, and she almost got hit...and...and the storm....and that English vampire...”
“Wow....slow down,” he stoked her hair gently, “What did he do to you?”
“Who?”
“The English vampire.”
Tamara froze. Giles could feel her tense up, and withdraw from him. “Nothing.” she said, not able to look him in the eyes.
Giles knew better though. He never spoke of the horrible things Angelus did to him, while he was the vampire’s prisoner. And when anyone asked, he just dismissed it, like she was doing right now. But it was the look in the eyes that told the story. And hers said a thousand words to him. None of which was good.
“What are you not telling me?” he pushed, “And what is Earl hiding from us?”
“Please,” she pleaded, looking away, “Please don’t ask.”
“Tamara,” Giles urged, “You can’t hold it in forever.”
Her gaze was that of a frightened rabbit, trying to hide from the fox. It broke the Watcher’s heart to see her looking so upset, and terrified. And he swore that the very next time he met Marvin....he would kill him.
“I was tied up,” she began, almost in a whisper, “And...I couldn’t move. This new vamp...Pat, or something...he was saying how he wanted to snack on me....but Marvin told him no. Then they went out....and...Pat...he...he...I couldn’t move, Rupert. I wanted to. I really did. But my hands were tied. I couldn’t move.”
He held her tight, as her sobs came uncontrollably. She didn’t need to say anymore, for him to understand, with clarity, what had occurred in the darkness of the empty U-haul. And he hated himself for it. Hated for allowing her to be kidnapped. Hated for ever bringing them along in this trip in the first place. He made the mistake of thinking he could find the Cross without problems...and now a dear friend was paying the price for it.
“Did he...” he trailed off, praying for a good answer.
She shook her head, “Didn’t get a chance to. Earl came in and saved me...” she gave a shy smile, “After I kicked him in the nuts. I guess that hurts vampires too.”
Giles laughed and kissed her on her forehead, “Yes...yes it does.”
Her smile faded, “Please don’t tell that to Michael. It would drive him crazy. Please?”
“Don’t you think he would want to know? He wouldn’t hold it against you...”
“No! I feel grossed out by it, as it is....I don’t want to deal with Michael getting all protective over me...”
“Protect...Tam, he loves you. Of course he would want to protect you,” he argued.
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
Tamara sighed and curled up in his arms. “My whole life has been pretty much a waste of space. No one ever really took much notice in me...why now?”
Giles continued to stoke her hair, feeling her relax against his body, “You’re not a waste of space....and if anyone ever told you that...they were wrong.”
“Promise me something?” she asked sleepily.
“Yes?”
“Promise you won’t leave me behind,” she muttered, “Please, don’t leave me.”
He laid her sleeping form down on the cot, and covered her back up with the thin blanket. He bent over and lightly kissed her forehead, “I promise, Luv.”
****** “Tell me what happened to her!” Michael spat, grabbing the scrawny demon by the shirt.
“Listen,” Earl squawked, “I would, if I could....but I promised Red, I wouldn’t say a word. You wanna know...you ask her. The only thing I can say, is that she’s alive. Aint that’s what’s really important?”
“Why you little....”
At that point, Giles climbed back out of the van, and walked over to the human and demon. He held onto both of them, not allowing for the fisticuffs, that was about to break out.
Michael looked at the older man, and asked, “How is she?”
“She’ll be fine,” he sighed, not wanting to keep the events of the U-haul to himself, but knowing it was Tamara’s wishes.
“So,” Harvey asked, “She gonna go to the hospital?”
“No.”
“No?!” Michael said, furiously, “She needs treatment! You even said so yourself. And I’m not going to let her go with you guys on this insane trip! She was nearly killed....”
“You need not remind me of what happened,” Giles said, rubbing his own bruised head, “And as much as I would love to keep her out of harm’s way, that’s not what she wants.”
“Well, she doesn’t know what she wants,” Michael countered, moving closer to him, “She doesn’t know what’s best for...”
“I beg to differ,” Giles growled, “I understand your concern, and I share them as well, but even if we bring her to the hospital...they wouldn’t know what to treat her for. All they would see is a young woman who developed a strange anemia. They would give her fluids, some iron supplements...pat her on the head and send her on her way.” He waited for everyone to gather around him, “She doesn’t want that. She wants to help us. And I’m not going to tell her no. Will any of you?”
They all looked around in silence, knowing what the Watcher said was true.
“So, what do we do now?” Laura asked.
“The Cross is still out there,” Giles explained, “And without Tamara, as the carrot, they’ll start to track down the first group to find it...”
“But they think we still have it,” Harvey pointed out.
“Yes,” Giles nodded, “And that will buy us some time, although, it will make us targets. But eventually they’ll realize we don’t have the Cross...”
“...and that means that the other teams, could become targets,” Kimberly deduced.
“Ah...yeah...well...” Earl hemmed, “It’s kinda too late for that.”
“You mean, the disappearance of some of the other teams, was no accident?” Giles asked.
“Nope.”
“Wonderful,” Giles sighed, “well, that’s it then. I must find the Cross before anyone else does. I can’t ask any of you to come along, if you don’t want to. This is going to get difficult...”
“Difficult?” Kimberly smiled, “After everything we’ve been through so far...difficult will seem like a vacation. Count me in!”
“Well, I’m not leaving Tamara...so I guess, I’m in too.” Michael sighed.
“I’ll drive!” Earl shouted, hopping into the Driver’s seat, “Besides, I have a score to settle.”
“Hey, what the hell,” Laura grinned, “I’m in.” She turned to Harvey, who looked down at the ground, “Are you really going home?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “I outa the race. And this is dangerous. I got a kid to think about.”
“How will you get home?” Kimberly asked.
“I’ll hitch a ride to the nearest airport,” he said, “You guys just be careful, okay?”
“You too,” Giles said, shaking the big man’s hand, and climbing into the van.
As, one by one, each person disappeared into the van, Harvey wondered if they really knew what they were getting themselves into this time...
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