Chapter 1: Hate at First Sight

In the end the jurors had no choice but to let Ash off, the security tapes evidence was indisputable, it was self-defense. The cameras and testimonies from dozens of S-Mart employees and customers proved that. And as ghastly and deplorable as his actions after the customers death were, the jury decided they couldn't put the man away just because of their own revulsion of him.

Although Ash left the courtroom a free man, the looks of disgust on the faces of everyone in attendance (Including his own lawyer) told him quite clearly he wasn't welcomed in that town anymore.

It was his boss that gave him a way out, the man had never like Ash and after the deadite incident his dislike had turned into instant fear. Rather than fire Ash, and incur the wrath of the dozens of employees that he'd saved, the man had come up with a far more ingenious plan. He transferred him. He found the perfect place, a town he assumed Ash would feel right at home in, Sunnydale California.

Having been searching for an out for days, Ash jumped at the option. He figured he'd better skip town quick before some hunter turned up at that cabin and unearthed something he'd rather not have found.

His first plan was to take a plane to California, but after several hours waiting in the terminal while Security tried to discern whether or not his gauntlet was considered a weapon, he decided to drive. Besides, at least that way he'd be able to carry his Shotgun with him, he never felt quite right without the trusty weapon.

Still lamenting the loss of his Classic (which he'd never fully been able to repair) to the ravages of the Middle Ages he drove the tiny beat up car he'd bought shortly after his return. The car was only slightly worse than what you'd find at a junk yard and he'd purchased it for a stipend from an owner who seemed relieved someone was willing to pay to take it off his hands. It was held together mostly by a mishmash of paint and a bit of ever useful duct tape. Ash knew he wouldn't't get far, but the car exceeded his every expectation and made it more than halfway there before breaking down.

After futily trying to have the junker fixed only to be laughed out of the garage. He had no choice but to hitch the rest of the way there, an almost impossible thing to accomplish when your thumb is made out of metal and you're sporting a 12 gauge Remington double barreled sawn off shotgun. After awhile he managed to hail a truck that smelled of rank alchohal, being driven by a man who was more than a little tipsy.

He was dropped off about a half a mile outside of town by a driver who had been becoming more and more uncomfortable (and more and more sober) with each passing mile and had suddenly just remembered an appointment he had to make before kicking Ash to the curb. Ash wasn't gonna argue with the man, whose forearm was thicker than Ash's torso, despite the gun and gauntlet, and the chainsaw that he had safetly tucked away in his bag. He could take down deadites with ease, but this guy would have probably killed him.

After a short hike he finally made it to a large green sign, "Welcome to Sunnydale"…he passed it by just as the sun was going down streaking the sky with beautiful colours quite lost on him.

The town was strange, he could tell that right off. He'd done his homework before leaving; Sunnydale was a one horse town (yet oddly still sporting a university and an airport...) that had more cemeteries than Ash had thought possible and more churches than people. Perhaps it was Ash's newfound paranoia but something felt way off about this town. Where were the people? It was only a little after dusk but the streets were empty, of pedestrians and of cars…something about the emptiness was just unsettling.

After walking awhile he reached the first of the twelve cemeteries, and finally he saw some action. A man was prowling around the inside of the gate doing God knew what. Ash walked by, feeling more edgy than ever. The man in the cemetery had started walking in step with Ash on the other side of the gate nearing opening that lead out to the street. Ash could feel the man's eyes watching him every step of the way and didn't like it. They reached the entrance simultaneously and the man stepped out into Ash's path, as he passed under the light of a street lamp Ash finally caught a glimpse of his face.

"Aw, F—Not again!" He dropped his bag and raised the shotgun pointing it at the demons head, the man stopped nervously for a minute before smiling and starting towards him again. Ash was just aiming for the bumpy headed freaks brain when a shrill voice came from behind him.

"Get away from it!" He started and turned around to see a small blonde girl running towards them, she stopped at the sight of the gun apparently confused. She was a tiny thing, kinda pretty if it weren't for the annoyingly superior look she was sporting and the large pointed stick she held in her hand. What was she thinking of doing? Taking on this monster with a stick!? Idiot girl...

"Hey, babe, I can handle this. Get out of here!" he turned his back on her towards the creature who had stopped in his tracks staring behind Ash with a look that resembled terror, what he was afraid of wasn't Ash's problem, he just wanted the thing dead. It was clear to him now that it wasn't a deadite, but it was also clear that it wasn't human.

"No, I've got this...you leave." She tried to get passed him to the creature and he grabbed her holding her back. As annoying as she was, she wouldn't last two seconds against whatever this thing was.

Suddenly he found himself flat against the ground. He lay there a second, trying to clear his head and figure out what had just happened? How had that creature gotten close enough to flip him over like that? He looked up and saw that the thing hadn't moved, but the girl was headed towards it. If it wasn't the bumpy headed thing then...nah! It'd couldn't have been the chick, she was a twig, no way she could've even pushed him let alone knock him to the ground...the thing must have some sort of mind powers...that had to be it. He leapt to his feet and grabbed her arm again before she got nearer to the monster. He'd figure out what happened later, right now he needed to figure out what this chicks problem was.

"Hey, Blondie...beat it!" He yelled, "You got some sorta death wish or something?" She turned to him with fire in her eyes...small, maybe, but this chick was something else!

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, that gun isn't going to help. Now get out of here and let me handle this!" She pulled her arm out of his grip giving him only seconds to act and save her skin.

Ash cursed at the girls impudence taking aim over her head and fireing at the thing that was now trying to slowly inch away from the two of them. The shotgun blast blew its head straight off and it exploded into a pile of dust before him and the girl.

"Bu—" she stopped in her tracks staring at the pile of ash that had seconds ago been a creature of the night. She turned to him, part shocked, part pissed.

Ash quickly cut her off before she could start up on him again...

"Look honey, I've found there are very few things shotgun decapitation doesn't kill, now why don't you run on home before you get hurt"

"Honey? Hey, wake up and smell the new millennium. I have a name." The girl was getting irritable, it was cute. Ash decided to play along.

"Yeah, what's that?" he asked grinning

"It's Buffy!" She said without a hint of sarcasm. The distinct lack of mockery in her voice made the statement even funnier and Ash couldn't help laughing.

"Bu-Buffy?!" He asked between snickers, "that's your name and your complaining about "Honey"?!" With that he dissolved into laughter leaving "Buffy" with her arms crossed, fuming and trying to find her way around that rule about not killing humans.

Reviews are nice...I live off them.