For Peace

For Peace, Wherever

He May Find Her.

Through the blinds on his window, Angel watched as the sky bathed in the warm reds of the sun's afterglow whilst it set in the west. Within a few minutes, night would descend upon the world outside and those things that thrived within its shadows would feed upon its naivety.

Tonight people would scream in terror as they faced the evils of their nightmares. God would have no mercy upon their souls as they disappeared in the darkness, never to return...

That task belonged solely to the one they called the Slayer, the Chosen One. The one girl in the entire world with the strength and skill to protect the humans from his kind. His kind. Nosferatu, boucolac…

Or as most now called them: vampire.

And the Slayer was not here, though he prayed, she never came. She would never come here.

Pulling on his black jacket, he scanned the copy of The Hemery Herald that he kept framed on his wall and uttered a curse. The headline read, "Disturbed teen burns gym!" That teen had been Buffy Anne Summers and the gym had been overrun with vampires baying for blood. He'd been there at the time. Watching her from afar, the woman he longed for more than any other in the world.

Watching her kill them, kill them all.

Angel frowned. Now wasn't the time to question why the girl had failed to arrive.

Why he'd been mad enough to come here.

He needed to be out there hunting, saving human lives regardless of whether or not they were worth it (most were almost stupid enough to deserve death.), he had to try. Right now, he was all they had to save them.

Turning his head back to his window, he caught sight of moonlight seeping through the blinds. They were out there, ready to gorge themselves on mortal blood…

"Wish me luck Whistler." Angel muttered as he gathered up his wooden stakes to fill his pockets.

How Whistler had persuaded him to enter this fight was starting to get beyond his understanding. Angel had trained to fight and to fight well, but when all was said and done he was a vampire. And a vampire was really only as strong as the next of his demonic 'kin' – however preternatural that strength was in the eyes of those he was attempting to help.

But he had to try.

Opening the door to his apartment, Angel slipped out into the night. It was time to even the score.

Unknown to Angel, another vampire stood amongst the shadows of the building. His mortal name was Peter Mattherson though he did not notice Angel begin his walk into the outside world.

Peter was too busy feeding.

The girl's name was Marcie Ross, a mildly pretty little sophomore from the local high school. But what did that matter as long as she remained willing. Poor girl, she had no friends, no self-esteem, no life. Soon though she would begin a new life. Soon, she would experience sights and sensations she could never have dreamt of…

"Marcie?" he said adoringly. "Marcie? Are you awake?"

As hard as he tried not to, he always seemed to drain far too much blood from the ones that he wanted to keep.

"P-ete," Marcie said groggily. "I don't feel… so…good…make it…bet-ter…."

"It's okay," Peter replied, careful not to let his excitement come through. "I promised… but are you sure that you want to walk with me from the sun." He was hungry. He couldn't help but ask.

"Cor-de-lia, Cordelia's blood… and Harmony," the girl moaned longingly. "I…wa-nt…. To taste...it…all…"

Oh yes, this girl would kill her fair share. "Drink. I'll wait for you… I promise," Peter told her as he dug his fingernails into his neck and drew Marcie closer to him. "Drink Marcie, drink your way to happiness…."

***

Marcie felt her heart race. One moment she was rapidly losing consciousness, the next it was back with a vengeance as she pressed her lips against the mysterious young man that she'd met for the first time, this very night. Never had she felt so alive, so vibrant as she did now, as she tasted his blood. Words failed her as she struggled to capture the essence of the flavour. All save one…

Power, his blood was power incarnate…

More! She had to have more…

Moaning with pleasure she continued to drain him. It was beyond the sexual, beyond lust, beyond hunger. The feeling was beyond life itself. Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, Marcie Ross knew that it was wrong. This man, this Pete had not lied to her for the sake of a perverse power game. Somewhere deep inside her heart she knew that the power she consumed was dark and unholy. But she wanted it. She would let nothing stand in the way of her ascension. Nothing!

Not least, her immortal soul…