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Part Eight
Rupert's gaze followed Landry's open mouth stare toward the storeroom doorway.
There stood Teresa, her charred, reanimated form silhouetted by the mist which shrouded the length of the hallway. It raised a length of two inch metal pipe and growled at the humans, daring them to make the first move.
"Zombie...." Sam whispered as his grip tightened on his sword. Rupert gave a slight nod as he also clenched his weapon. Glancing away from the horror his eyes fell on Matt who had froze a few steps into the kitchen, his wrist rocket aimed at the stairwell and whatever it was that hidden within.
Matt heard Rupert call for him to retreat back into the storeroom but something was moving in the mist. He pulled the band tighter and steadied the bolt on the brace. "Show yourself, asswipe... show yourself." He muttered as his concentration tunneled in on the faint movements that could be seen through the swirling veil. Suddenly two glowing red eyes appeared and Matt fired. The dart made contact and with a bloodcurdling snarl Peekon leaped into the center of the kitchen.
Matt loaded another dart, a chill sweeping through him as he took aim. Peekon was without a doubt, dead; his throat and chest showed massive injury from which blood still dripped and the dart fired by the hunter stuck out from between the glowing red eyes. The demon possessed corpse of the catahoula began to stalk forward, Matt drew back aiming this time straight into the creature's gaping mouth. It paused, crouched, snapped then took off at an unimaginable speed around Matt heading straight for Landry.
"HEADS UP!" Matt screamed as his shot missed the creature. Sam whirled around and met the charge with a slice of his sword. With a sickening gurgle the other zombie began to advance toward Rupert. As Matt fumbled in his bag for a dart, his attention momentarily left the scene in the storeroom. A motion out of the corner of his eye caused him to instinctively jump to one side.
Roth's blow missed by inches, Matt spun around and aimed a kick toward the vampire's chest. Roth sidestepped the hit and the two squared off barely out of each other's reach.
"Your form is pitiful and you need to work on the discipline." Roth said with a slight nod toward the Hunter before he feigned to one side and in the same seamless motion kicked the wrist rocket from Matt's grasp. "You should know.." He said with a smirk. "...That I had just received my black in ninjutsu a month before I was turned."
Matt's fingers tightened around his only weapon, one wood tipped dart. "So? That just means you got the bowing bullshit down pat."
"No, it means that you don't even want to try to take me. Give up Hunter, give up and accept..."
"Kiss my ass!" Matt shot back as he made a testing lunge for Roth.
With a smile Roth dodged the thrust. "I would rather kiss your neck, taste your sweat, you flesh, your blood; then you may taste mine. Wouldn't you like that Hunter?"
Matt curled his lip as he waited for another chance to attack. "So you swing it both ways, huh? There's a shock."
Roth's voice became a murmur, his game face came full bloom. "Gender is not an issue, it is only the means to the end. Being turned will give you the best... 'release' you will ever experience; as you shall soon see. And then comes the immortality, and with it the power, the mastery of the darkness."
The vampire's voice buzzed in Matt's head sending the alarm bells ringing. In his training he had been warned over and over not to allow a vamp to get into his head. He forced himself to shut his ears to the soothing cadence.
"Accept your fate, you are mine hunter. Mine forever."
"So what you're saying is, 'Hey 'yall! Come on over to the dark side of the Force. What the hell, it'll be a hoot'?"
With more than a touch of arrogance in his voice Roth responded. "If those are the words you can comprehend, yes hunter, it will be a 'hoot'." He reached into his pocket and partially withdrew the tied bundle of long dark hair. "But, Teresa considered it a 'scream'." He poked the trophy back into his jacket and began to cackle at his own dark wit.
It was all Matt could do to keep from launching a reckless attack at the laughing vampire.
Human and vampire continued to circle in their deadly dance; each waiting for the moment to strike but both anticipating the other's moves. In the storeroom Landry took swipe after swipe at the creature which had him cornered, his back up against the wall while Rupert contended with his foe. The zombie wielded the heavy length of pipe like nothing he had ever seen, using it like a quarterstaff to fend off his sword. As with the catahoula, the fighting skills of it's previous existence remained within the zombie. And this creature remembered them well, using each instance of contact between pipe and sword to push Rupert back another step. The stench of Teresa's burned flesh filled the room becoming more and more vile as its movements opened crevices in what was left of the skin and bits of the crisp clothing flaked off its frame.
Rupert's arm ached from the repeated jarring as his sword made contact with the pipe. Again he brought the sword toward its neck and again his effort was rewarded with the sound of metal hitting metal. With both hands on the hilt he tried to shove the zombie away but its' strength was too great. Effortlessly the demon pushed the pipe forward sending Rupert stumbling backward. It took the opening and swung its weapon downward against the sword sending it spinning out of Rupert's hand. Giles dropped and rolled clear of the second swipe, scrambling to retrieve his blade. The end of the pipe smashed into the cement floor inches from his head. He grabbed the end of it with both hands and held on for dear life.
The zombie gurgled and snapped its teeth as it dragged Rupert a few feet across the floor. Giles felt his grip slipping as the pipe twisted and jerked. He struggled to find his footing and managed to get up on one knee. With a yell he braced himself and took the offensive, using all his strength to force the pipe back into the zombie's collarbone and up and over its shoulder. In passing the rough end of the metal caught the remains of Teresa's blouse and ripped through the material reveling a thin unburned cord contrasting against the charred skin.
"Cunja tote." Rupert mouthed the words as he dropped the end of the pipe and made a lunge toward the zombie's neck. His fingers wound around the cord in the same instant that the creatures fingers tightened around his throat. It dropped the pipe and brought its other hand up pushing Rupert's head backwards. Rupert pulled the cord with all his strength cutting it into the zombie's neck but it would not give. His hand slipped down the length of the twine and he felt the pouch come into contact with the side of his fist. As the last bit of air squeaked into his lungs he yanked the pouch free and the zombie fell forward onto him.
Gagging, Rupert pushed the corpse away, the sound of it hitting the floor sending his stomach rolling. In the kitchen Matt and Roth continued to circle each other, across the room Sam's sword again found its mark on the undead Peekon, but the corpse would not stop its attack.
"SAM! GET THE CUNJA TOTE OFF IT!" Rupert screamed from across the room. Snatching his sword up off the ground he went to assist Matt.
The evil in Roth's game face intensified at this turn of events. "Oh my. Your daddy will be coming to help you in a minute." He whispered scornfully. "Oh what shall I ever do?"
"How 'bout go to hell?" Matt spit edging an inch closer to the vampire while bringing his dart up to strike.
"How about 'this' instead." Roth hissed as he took a quick step backward and waved his fingers in a 'come here' motion. The bats sailed off their perches above the kitchen fire door, swooping around and into Matt's face. The hunter involuntary ducked and turned away from the assault which gave the vampire his opportunity to strike.
As the bats whirled onto Matt, Rupert broke into a dead run trying to cover the distance between himself and Matthew before Roth made his move. The vampire needed but three steps to slide around the hunter, coming up from behind and locking his arms around Matt in a fatal embrace. Then he bit and fed for a split second before an searing heat registered in his brain. The residue of countless applications of Chrism Oil scorched his lips and chin and a repulsive burning came radiating through his jacket sleeve from the Blanchard cross on Matt's chest.
The room spun before Matt's eyes and his knees weakened as his blood pressure dropped. Twisting and countering with all his strength he unsuccessfully tried to break free of Roth's crushing hold. He heard the vampire hiss and felt its head jerk away. With a curse it snapped the chain around Matt's neck and flung the cross across the kitchen.
Rupert's enraged, almost animal snarl cut through the air.
Using the hunter as a human shield Roth started to back away from Rupert toward the mist filled back doorway of the kitchen. Matt began to regain his bearings and shouted. "Nail the sonna bitch! Just do it Old Man, just fuckin' do it." Roth bared his fangs and tightened his grip on Matt. Bringing his hand up to his mouth he ran his index finger along a single sharp tooth. Lifeless, dark red blood flowed down his hand as he brought the wound toward Matt's mouth. Tightly pursing his lips Matt turned his head away from the threat and brought his boot down hard on Roth's foot.
Roth did not even flinch, instead he rewarded his captive with another quick bite, draining another half pint of blood from the Hunter.
Rupert watched in horror as Matt visibly paled. Roth was now backing along the wall toward the safety of the doorway and Rupert knew that once he was hidden in the fog he would kill and turn Matthew. With his mind racing, he raised his sword and moved within striking distance, but where to strike? To pierce the vampire's heart he would have to go through Matt; to behead it he would risk the sword continuing on into his son's neck. Rupert's concentration focused on the vampire's movements, posture and expression looking for an opening.
Landry sprinted into the kitchen and drew up to the side of the vampire and its hostage.
"Block his escape, Mr. Landry." Rupert calmly ordered, then with a nod to his son he raised his sword and whispered. "I'm sorry.... but you know the risks, your 'training' taught you that." Matt glanced at the bloody finger inches from his mouth and then over at Rupert and finally over at Sam who was beginning to edge between Roth and the hall door. An "Ripper" grin crossed his face and he risked opening his mouth for a few last words. "Make it fast."
"You're bluffing." Roth snapped as he tightened his hold and turned his back to the wall to sidestep the last few feet to his refuge.
Matt steadied himself and using the vampire's arm like a pivot threw his body weight forward as he drew both legs up and slammed his feet into Roth's knees. Sam swung his sword toward Roth's upper arm as Rupert came in low toward its' shins. Like a snake Roth sprung forward, out of the way of Landry's attack while dropping his human cargo into the path of Rupert's incoming swipe. Landing on his knees Matt ducked and heard the sword whiz over his head and smack into the brick wall. As if in slow motion the vampire came around Matt retreating for the storeroom. The hunter made a two handed grab for Roth, his fingers catching him by the jacket pocket. With an angry howl Roth swung his fist backward to knock Matt's hands off.
Screaming "Down!" Rupert's sword came slicing toward the vampires neck as Landry brought his weapon plunging toward the vamp's back. Still clutching the nylon jacket, Matt dropped completely to the floor. The sound of the pocket ripping free of the jacket could be heard as Roth jumped clear and sprinted out of the kitchen with Rupert and Sam hot on his heels. The vampire pulled ahead of the humans, crossing the storeroom in a heartbeat and disappearing into the mist leaving Rupert and Sam breathing dark curses in his wake.
****** Face down on the floor Matt shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "That was close, a-freakin'-gain." He slowly raised himself up onto his knees, unconsciously putting his hand to his chest to fiddle with the cross. "Oh shit." He mumbled as he remembered Roth ripping it off him. "Where the hell did it go?" Matt blinked and wavered a bit as he scanned the floor for his possession. A dark mass caught his attention. Hesitantly he crawled over to it and touched it, recoiling from its feel as soon as his fingertips made contact.
"Hey! Old Man! He lost his big-ass cunja!"
Rupert and Sam backed out of the storeroom keeping their eyes on the fog veiled doorway. "What do you mean he lost..." Rupert began.
"This! It's Teresa's hair, the sucker had it in his pocket, showed it to me while we were dancin'." Matt interrupted as Sam gave him a hand up. "It's warm and... it's moving like it's alive.... and okay, I ain't got the balls to pick it up."
Sam crossed himself and whispered a simple question. "Da gift?"
"Probably." Giles made a click noise as he took out his handkerchief and knelt down beside the tied length of hair. Dropping the cloth on it he noted that Matt and Sam both took a step back. "How powerful is this?" He asked just a tad bit nervous.
Matt pointed at the bats which hung in from the ceiling and then toward the conjured mist and finally toward the dead demon in the kitchen aisle. Accompanied by his trademark sneer he spit and commented. "Use your head, duh!"
"Eloquent commentary, per usual." Rupert dryly responded as he picked up the cunja. An involuntary shudder went through him as he felt the slight warmth and ever so faint quivering movement. "Bound...." He mumbled pointing to the cord.
"Which means what, Old Man?" Matt roughly rubbed his hand back through his hair. "Now, is that wording good enough or ya want me to go find a thesaurus?""I want you to be quiet for a moment, if you capable of that, so I can think."
Sam smacked the flat of his sword on a countertop and shouted the obvious. "Á ca oui! Damn both of yous! We still are trapped down here and you waste time cockfighting. Une bonne foise! Enough!"
"Ummmm, yes you have a point." Rupert muttered as he shot Matt a warning glance. He pursed his lips for a moment and stared at the Huntresses remains. "Perhaps..."
"You got an idea?" Sam asked as Rupert slowly walked away lost in thought.
"You really expected an answer outta him?" Matt sniped.
Landry gritted his teeth. "No more then I would expect from...." He paused as Matt's appearance sunk in. The young hunter leaned against the wall holding the collar of his blood stained shirt up against the wounds on his neck. The heart pounding rush of the battle was fading from within him and his face was turning a ghastly white.
"Sit down."
Matt waved his hand toward his friend. "No Problem. Just as soon as the bells stop ringing I'll be okay." In an ego saving display he staggered over to his weapons bag, snatched it up and tossed it on the countertop. "You see my cross anywhere? That s.o.b. threw it..." The kitchen began to spin from his quick motion. "Whoa..." He whispered clutching the countertop as his knees weakened.
"L'terrain!" Sam commanded as he grabbed Matt under the arms and lowered him to the floor.
"I'm fine..." Matt mumbled as the tunnel vision closed to a pinpoint and he passed out. Sam laid him down and raised his legs with the weapons bag then turned his attention to the trickling wounds on Matt's neck.
"Oh dear God!" Rupert said from behind them. "What... how bad?"
Taking out his pocket knife Sam cut a length of material from Matt's shirt. "Don worry, he's strong as a bull cocodrie." Rupert folded his handkerchief into a compress and held it in place as Sam tied the strip of cloth around Matt's neck to hold it. Sam laid his head on Matt's chest and listened to the heartbeat. "Be fine... yes, yes... fine." He said with a nod then pointing to the split lip. "He will have more trouble with where da you hit him in the mouth."
"He deserved that." Rupert said a little louder than necessary. He shifted a bit on his heels and looked uncomfortable as Sam's gaze locked on his own blackened eye. He pointed to his injury and snapped. "And yes... some would say I deserved this."
Sam stood up and nodded toward heaven. "Thank you for giving me daughters."
Rupert half smiled at the observation and rubbed his forehead.
"So...?" Sam asked with a motion toward Teresa. "...You had an idea?"
"There is a chance we can return the gift to Teresa." Rupert looked away from Sam and sighed heavily. "But, there is a substantial risk."
"How?" Landry asked stone faced.
Rupert sat back on his heels and retrieved the cunja from his jacket. "It's powerful. The closer I got to Teresa the hotter it became in my hand. I could sense anger, I could feel a desire to be unbound. The only fact I am certain of is that I will not be able to control it." He bit his lip and went silent.
Sam shook his head. "Da gift will not hurt us. You know da longer we sit here da farther away Roth gets. He don' have da gift anymore, but he still be a vampire."
"I know." Rupert conceded as he stood. "Stay with Matthew, please. I am going to give it a try." Steeling himself he headed back toward the storeroom. A metallic flash in the shadows near the fire door caught his eye and he veered over to see what it was. There Matt's lost Blanchard cross lay in a heap. Rupert picked it up and idly fingered the attached ring before sliding it into his pants pocket and getting back to the business at hand.
The closer he got to Teresa the more the heat intensified from the cunja in his hand until he almost regretted giving up his handkerchief. Kneeling down he thankfully noted that her head was turned to expose the wound. He laid the hair back onto her head, its luxurious darkness contrasting with the dull, lifeless remains. His tension mounted as he began to untie the square knot which held the cunja both physically together and magically contained. Taking a deep breath he held the hair in place and pulled the cord free.
Nothing.
Rising to his feet Rupert slowly backed off a couple of steps while considering this twist. He had fully expected the gift to surge immediately back to its hereditary master. Returning to the kitchen he shook his head and answered Sam's unspoken question. "It does not seem to be working." Landry shrugged as if it made no difference but his face showed disappointment. Matt began to stir on the floor and let out a low moan drawing Sam's attention for a few seconds. His smile of relief was genuine as he pivoted back toward Rupert. "Yes, he's coming to too stubborn to stay down for...." His expression went to panic and he swung his arm to punctuate a single word warning. "RUN!"
The hunter's yell and motion told Rupert to act not think. He broke into a headlong sprint away from whatever it was that was causing Sam to drop his sword and pull Matt upright. Behind him a crackling noise, akin to a far away fire coursing through dry brush came sweeping through the rooms. As Rupert reached the two he took hold of Matt's other arm to help steady him. The crackling intensified and the three men stood like statues in awe of the scene.
A tornado of blue tipped flame had formed above Teresa's body, a swirling concentration of the gift's power. Coiling and pulsating with energy it lengthened into a rope of supernatural fire that entwined around the huntress causing her body to curl into a fetal position. A thin pall of acrid smoke began to waft from the body as the flames consumed flesh, then bone, then themselves until nothing remained for the eye to behold.
The eye that is, but the unseen remained. For as the fire flickered out an icy breeze took its place. So quickly did the temperature drop to below freezing that the first inclination the humans had of this fact was seeing their own breath steam in the frigid air.
Sam retrieved his sword from the floor and turned to watch their backs. "It be Roth! Dat mal serpent d'eau is back for more."
"No Sam, it ain't Roth." Matt whispered as he drew his arms up across his chest. "Take my word for it 'cause I've seen this movie before." He bumped an elbow into Rupert. "So, you gonna let this one possess you too, Old Man?"
"I don't think she needs a medium." Rupert said with a point toward the spot where Jeanmard's body had lain. There a wisps of white vapor was rapidly consolidating into the form of a woman holding an Alliance sword. Teresa Blanchard Jeanmard had reclaimed her gift and was more than ready to take her revenge. The shade raised her hand and called out T.Paul's name, freeing his ghost from the gris-gris that Roth had laid upon him. As her son's spirit materialized out of the cold air Teresa bent down and drew three lines on the floor with her finger and at the end of each she traced a symbol. Over these signs she then waved her hands and called the names of the catahoulas. "Baby! Blitz! Peekon! Hee-ya dogs!" Like a scene from a half-forgotten dream the ghost dogs arose straining on their leads in anticipation of the hunt. Teresa handed the leashes over to T.Paul then raised her sword in recognition to her living compatriots. Sam and Rupert returned the salute in kind, Matt jabbed his fist into the air and shouted. "Carpo noctis!" Then adding just as loudly. "Ma'am!"
Teresa pointed a finger toward Roth's conjured mist which still filled the hallways and stairwell. She raised her voice in a chant and with a hiss the fog retreated. Without a sound the shades of hunters and canines dissolved into a shimmering glow which swirled for a moment before flashing down the hallway following the path taken by Roth.
Wesley, Buffy, Junior and Andy came charging down the stairs to find their two missing companions and the one they assumed dead standing in the kitchen. The animated explosion of true relief over the reappearance of Matthew and the safe reunion of all was shattered by a shriek from the far depths of the bakery passageways.
Matt nudged Andy and flashed a wicked smile. "I think she got him."
"She who?" Buffy asked.
"Teresa's ghost." Rupert answered matter of factly.
"And T.Paul's." Sam added with a nod.
Buffy scuffed her shoe on the floor. "So you guys had all the fun?"
"You got that right sister, and you'll notice we didn't need ya." Matt sniped.
"Yeah... sure, whatever you say. And I suppose you just cut yourself shaving." Buffy began to crack back when a second scream cut through the air followed by a third and a fourth each more terrified and agonized than the last until the sound merged into a continuous howl.
Junior frowned. "It's getting closer. Get ready."
Torn and bleeding, Roth shot back into the storeroom and rushed toward the humans in crazed panic. Andy raised his crossbow and took aim but another figure appeared in the line of sight. With one hand T.Paul stopped the vampire's advance and swung him to the floor, pinning him solidly to the cement with an iron grasp to the neck. Teresa materialized and soundlessly approached the pair. Roth cursed and struggled, trying to break free as she traced a sign upon his forehead. Then the specter plunged her sword into Roth's chest.
The vampire's screech was still echoing through the room, his dust not yet settled on the floor when his form reappeared. Still wounded and bleeding he struggled to his feet and seeing his own dust before him, let out a moan as he realized his fate. T.Paul called the dogs; Teresa laughed and ran her finger down the side of her sword; Roth backed up a few steps and made a sound like a trapped animal before he whirled around and ran. Mother and son both let out a war cry and accompanied by the baying dogs took off after him. The shades shimmered and vanished and the eternal hunt began.
As the sounds faded away Junior gave a motion toward the stairwell and wordlessly the party began to file out of the kitchen. Matt took a few steps then turned away and went back to the spot where he had been taken by Roth. Crouching down onto his heels he began to scan the floor for his cross.
"Matthew."
Matt did not look up at the sound of Rupert's voice. Instead he waved his hand with a "brush off" motion. "Just give me a minute. Okay? I lost something."
"Hey you two! Come on!" Buffy yelled from the stairs.
"Go on, we will be there in a moment." Rupert called back before Matt had a chance to. He dug the cross out of his pocket and held it out. "I found it." He said softly.
Matt stood back up and held his hand out. Rupert dug the cross out of his pocket and gave it to him, catching the faint sigh of relief as Matt rubbed the ring between his fingers. The hunter's gaze darted away for a second and then back to Rupert. "Yeah, thanks." He mumbled and then he quickly headed toward the stairs. Rupert watched him go and whispered through gritted teeth, "You're quite welcome." Taking a last look around the kitchen he adjusted his jacket and followed the others upstairs.
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