The trio entered the hotel and all looked rapidly around.
Just as Eddie told, there was a long stretching corridor then ended in large double doors. To either side of the corridor numerous doors led off into what Eddie described, the employees rooms. It was presently silent, but all of Carly's senses screamed alert.
"Carly you go first, flit across to that cart and wait for us to join you. Glance into the rooms, just in case." Eddie whispered. Carly nodded then flitted forward before the first two doorways then crouched behind the indicated cart before the third doorway. She peered above the cart and looked into the coffee room. No–one. It was almost like luck was on their side tonight, as there was no-one within the changing room nor the male toilets.
Carly waved for Eddie and Arrius to come forward as she felt a firm hand clamp down upon her shoulder. She grabbed her assailant and lifted with all her might. The person flew upwards and landed with a shattering crash upon the cart, towels and uniforms flying like scattering birds through the air. Carly jumped to her feet and whirled around. Just as she suspected, three more guards came hurtling down the corridor their features twisted horrifically to that of a vampire. Immediately, Carly pulled out her stakes and raced forward. She staked the first vampire within the heart as it screeched in surprise and vanished into dust. Arrius rushed forward and launched a well manoeuvred kick into the second vampires legs. It yelped and fell to the ground. With a swift motion, Carly swung down her stake and plunged it into the fallen vamp.
The third vamp frog leaped over Carly with surprising speed and jumped across the towel covered guard dazed on top of the cart then bolted toward Eddie. Carly yelled in frustration and sprinted forward her stake raised readily above her head. Eddie froze at the sight of the snarling vamp pelting toward him but he thought ahead and pulled out a bottle of holy water. He popped off the cap and threw it at the creature. With a howl like an injured wolf, the vampire fell back and clutched it's burning face. Carly whooped in relief and lifted Eddie up into a bone crushing hug.
"Who's down there?" Came a sudden, gruff voice from the end of the corridor. Eddie grabbed Carly and stuffed her into the men's toilets to their right followed by a panting Arrius whom swore loudly.
They heard pounding footsteps down the corridor. "What the -? My God...Jimmy! Jimmy get the hell down here we have intruders!"
Carly felt a lump rise in her throat as Eddie shoved her into a cubicle. He stared at her for a few desperate moments, which Carly momentarily understood and realised her mission, then closed the door. Carly jumped up onto the toilet lid and raised her feet. She listened then cringed with anger.
"Oh – who the hell are you two?" Came the gruff voice. Carly could literally envision Eddie's calculating expression.
"We are boiler inspectors. We just came by from outside and found the mess out on the corridor. My associate here was just calling the police."
"Likely story I'm sure." The voice dripped with sarcasm. "Hey! I know you! You're Arrius, Father Rannusae's informative!"
"I'm afraid you have me mistaken for somebody -"
"With a face like yours how could I be mistaken?" The voice exclaimed and then started forward. Carly could hear a struggle between Arrius and the man but without the distinguishable sound of fist meeting face. Another set of rapid footsteps came into the bathroom as Carly heard this guard wrestle with Eddie for a few moments.
Carly began to sweat and shake with anger. How could she just sit here and let her Watcher be wrestled away to possibly a gruesome fate? But she had too, if she wanted to take down the BlackWing Leader once and for all and not be caught in the process. The Slayer battled furiously with her conscious as she reached for the door -
"Carly! Kill the leader, save yourself! I shan't die in vain Carly please, just – just do your duty and tell the Council -" Eddie unexpectedly yelled, making Carly jolt backwards. The guard sighed as if a boring advertisement had appeared on the wall before him. Carly then heard a sickening crunch of broken bone then a slit of flesh, making her almost scream in shock. Slowly and agonisingly she could hear a long, drawn out gasp...
Carly sunk to the ground, a hand clasped over her mouth. It couldn't be...it wasn't Eddie surely?
"Jimmy, get that one out of here I'm gonna clean up this mess. Jesus, all over my loafers," the guard grunted. Carly raised her head, fury pulsing through her. She listened for the other guard roughly escort Arrius and twisted the stake in her hands.
"Wow, stakes and holy water, this one came prepared." The guard randomly said, as he loudly threw the bottle of holy water into the sink. Carly took a deep, shaking breath then slowly stood to her feet. She had never, even when faced with an entire posse of vamps, ever felt anger such as this and slowly opened the cubicle door.
The guard was bent over the opposite sink, head bowed, cleaning his hands. To his feet, making Carly recoil and cry even more furiously, was Eddie, his throat cut, a large pool of blood around his head. Images of the night of Eric's death flashed in Carly's mind making her shake as if suffering an extremely painful seizure. Then, with the speed to rival an Olympic athlete, Carly shot forward and, with her eyes rapidly glancing at Eddie's lifeless horrific face, she plunged the stake with all her might into the guard's back.
There was a stiffened gasp as blood spat from the deep wound onto the sink and to Carly's utmost surprise, he was human. She felt pangs of remorse and instant regret but they were dramatically drowned by the raging fury still coursing through the teen. She released her grip as the guard finally slumped forward the collapsed beside her dead Watcher. She gritted her teeth and yanked out the stake then crouched beside Eddie, her eyes observing his unmoving, blank face.
"I'm so sorry, Eddie...I love you..." Carly sobbed. She wiped her eyes and lightly kissed her Watcher's blood speckled forehead then stood to her feet. For what seemed forever she stared at herself in the mirror. Her scruffy blonde hair fell past her shoulders, it had broke from the scrunchie she had tied it with before coming to this god forsaken place. Aaron had got it her...Aaron. And mom, and Madison. She may never see them again and smiled. They all knew that she loved them and hopefully they would forgive her for leaving them like this...
Inhaling deeply, Carly made for the door and bolted through. She rapidly recovered from her silent goodbyes and felt the adrenaline course through her at her mission set before her. And God help her she would complete it. To her far left by the door the hideously burnt vampire was whimpering quietly. He looked up and sneered despite the blood pouring from his face.
It chuckled nastily then attempted to smile. "Poor, stupid, Slayer. All alone, going to die alone. And I hope my master shall have the greatest honour of making sure that you meet a gruesome, violent end," it coughed and slumped a little further down the door.
Carly walked briskly forward then squatted down. "Poor, stupid, vampire. All alone, going to die alone. And the next time you attempt to use some kind of pathetic scaring technique to the Slayer, I suggest you up your game." Carly said and, being the compassionate Slayer she was, thrust the stake through its heart. The vampire burst into dust as Carly wrenched it from the door and stood to her feet. She whirled around and headed for the main building, her business head screwed tightly on to kill every damn blood sucker in the building.