A Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Dawson's Creek Crossover
Episode Seven - "Served To Order"
*A few weeks later*
*FADE TO: A diner, with Joey, Pacey, and Xander seated at a booth.*
Xander sipped from his Coke as he looked around the room, "This place isn't half bad..."
Joey elbowed him in the ribs, smiling sweetly at him, "Don't get any ideas, wiseguy. We're just here to check out the competition and see what we need to do to stay ahead."
Pacey laughed, observing the two with amusement, "This is pretty underhanded, Jo... subverting your competition by sneaking in and observing their operations. All so you can better plot their downfall. You're right up there with Dr. Evil and that Goldfinger guy." He smirked at her. Their waitress arrived with their orders, placing them down and laying their ticket down.
Xander started unfolding his napkin as he commented, "I don't know, Jo... just the idea of an 'open-faced sandwich' gives me the willies... It sounds so much like an..."
"Open face!" Joey screeched. Her head whipped away from her plate, off to the street outside, as the two boys leaned over to see what the problem was. Pacey's head reeled back, leaving him a view of the ceiling.
Xander was the only one who's eyes remained on the plate long enough to identify the plates contents. His eyes grew wide as he exclaimed, "Cliff!?"
Pacey shook his head wildly, "Oh man... I don't even want to know about my *loin* chops." He hopped up out of the booth, followed by the other two, and made his way for the door.
The arm in front of the door stopped all three in their tracks, only partially because it wasn't connected to a body, "Oh boy." The three said in unison.
*Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Dawson's Creek combined credits.*
*FADE TO: Pacey, Joey, and Xander, standing face-to-face with a half-dozen 'zombies.'*
They were trapped inside the diner, and were furiously looking for a way out. Pacey commented off-hand, "So this is the price of admission to the theme park called Xander-Land? I think I want my money back."
"Sorry, pal. No refunds for this thrill-fest." Xander said, before charging forward and landing a spin kick to one of the 'zombies' cheeks. The abomination's head came flying clean off, with a sickening snapping noise, and landed upside down on a nearby table. Much to Xander's horror, the body kept attacking despite the lack of a head.
A few well-placed kicks, and the body was reduced to several different pieces, all of which kept moving around. "This is ridiculous!" Xander exclaimed, "Vampires aren't even this hard to kill."
Pacey looked over at the head on the table, and noticed it was still moving around as well. He suddenly remembered something he'd seen in a movie, thanks to his years with Dawson, and yelled to Joey, "Hey Jo, plant your foot in the head over there!"
Joey saw his reasoning and didn't hesitate to land a heel kick right through the head. It flattened, crunching disgustingly, before slime oozed out of it. The body parts on the floor summarily stopped inching closer to Xander.
"One down..." Pacey started.
"Way too many to go." Joey finished.
They all saw that several more had joined the previous six. The odds weren't looking good, "Jo, lets make a path do the door. Pace, you stay back." Pacey nodded dumbly.
Xander charged forward with his shoulder, knocking several of the things backwards, and Joey came up to help. They started delivering kicks like crazy, limbs flying everywhere. Whenever the opportunity arose, they'd use double kicks to the head to put the creatures out of commission.
Several had escaped their plowing technique, and were coming up behind them. Pacey saw it, and rather than calling out to them, he instead grabbed a stool from beside the counter and ran forward. He gave a mighty swing, and all at once, heads flew and busted open against the walls.
The path was clear, and they made their way to the door, discarding the motionless arm and pushing out into the early evening.
*CUT TO: Out on the street. The three ran as fast as they could until they deemed themselves out of danger and came to rest in front of a laundromat.*
"What the hell was that?" Pacey exclaimed.
"Best I can tell, zombies." Xander said, out of breath.
"Way to go, Einstein, it would have taken us all night to figure *that* one out." Joey barbed sarcastically.
"Just what are zombies doing in Capeside, man? I mean, I know I've called the place an unholy haven before, but I didn't mean it literally."
"I don't know... I should probably call Giles and get some information from him." Xander sat down against the building. A shadow moved in the laundromat behind them.
Pacey shook his head, "First its vampires, then its werewolves, and now its zombies? Life is gonna be pretty interesting with you around now, isn't it?"
"24/7 party, man... but trust me, its not always this bad..." Seconds later, a pair of hands smashed through the laundromat window on each side of Pacey, and proceeded to drag him back into the building.
Xander and Joey hopped to their feet and climbed in the hole that had been made. The zombie had Pacey pinned to the ground, and held him there firmly, despite Pacey's repeated kicks to the groinal area.
Xander kicked it firmly in the back, drawing its attention upwards, and as it reached out, he ducked to make way for a powerful kick from Joey. The zombie's head snapped backwards, but didn't come off. Xander saw and chopped it in the side of the shin, driving it down on knee. Joey spun around again, delivering a just as powerful kick again to the creature's head. This time the head came free, a snapping noise a little more muffled than previous ones accompanied it. The head flew backwards, and bounced its way into one of the dryers.
The hands of the creature still operated, grasping Xander around the throat and choking him. Pacey climbed to his feet, running over to the dryer, and slammed the door before setting it to run.
Joey, meanwhile, was pounding on the creature as hard as she could to make it let go, but it didn't want to. Finally, as the heat of the dryer started frying the head, the grip of the body started laxing.
Xander fell backwards, coughing loudly and gasping for air. Joey was down by him, making sure there was no permanent damage, as Pacey came walking over. "You okay, man?" He asked.
Xander coughed between some of his words, "Oh... yeah... This kind of... stuff... is nothing to me."
They laid low in the laundromat until Xander could finally breathe normally again. Joey looked sufficiently frightened, and Pacey didn't look much better. Pacey expressed his confusion, "What do we do next, Adventure Boy?"
Xander thought about possible courses of action for a few minutes, "We treat this as an isolated incident. We all go home and make sure the loved ones are okay, then we regroup at my house and try to figure out what may have caused it. From there, we can decide if there's anything we can do to prevent it from happening again."
"That's and awfully rational thought there... especially for a situation like this." Joey said distantly.
"Another gift left to me by Giles, I guess... I've seen a lot worse than this... not much, but still worse."
Pacey looked over the remains of the laundromat killer, and something caught his eye. "Hey X... this one isn't as bad as the ones in the diner."
Xander crawled over and looked, "Yeah... less decay... still some color in the skin..."
"Uh, its head didn't snap off so easy, either..." Joey spoke up quietly.
"Yeah... I noticed that." He shook his head, "All I can get from this now is that whatever happened to this person, happened later than it did to the diner people..." He pinched his nose lightly, "We don't have enough information to go on yet, so I still say we all head home and reconvene at my house."
They all stood up, looking out at the street cautiously. Joey brought up a good point, "What happens if we encounter more of these... zombies?"
Xander looked at her, hoping to everything that she wouldn't, "The only thing you can... run away. We don't stand a chance against them alone." Pacey and Joey nodded, and they ventured out of the downtown area.
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: The Potter front yard. Joey is walking up to the front door wearily. Bessie comes flying out the front door to yell at her.*
"Josephine Potter, where have you been?" She asked angrily, "I was supposed to be at the Icehouse twenty minutes ago... but I haven't had a chance to get ready because Alexander has been throwing a fit."
Joey perked up, "What about Xander?"
Bessie rolled her eyes, "Get in there and take care of my son while I finish getting ready for work."
*CUT TO: Inside the Potter house. Joey walks into crying Alexander's room, while Bessie makes like a mad woman across the house.*
Joey came out of the room rocking Alex on her shoulder, and Bessie called from the bathroom, "Just where were you, Joey?"
"That new diner on main... you know, called Christina's?"
"Oh yeah..." She called half-heartedly, "I think we're going to need to work a lot harder now, because they seem like real competition."
Joey's eyes widened a little, and she asked cautiously, "You mean you've eaten there already?"
Bessie came out, drying her face off with a towel, "Are you kidding, Jo? Bodie and I went out there the day after it opened. I'm a little worried because the food is really good." She threw the towel in the hamper and looked at her sister, who now had a sleeping baby on her shoulder, "What did you think?"
Joey didn't know how to answer. All she really knew was that the place had a real hygiene problem, in the way of dead employees, "I never really got to finish my food... something, uh, came up and we had to head out early." She headed out of the room to put Alexander down. When she returned, Bessie was in the bathroom again.
*CUT TO: Casa de Witter. Pacey comes in the front door, and is confronted with Doug and his dad.*
Pacey stopped in his tracks as he saw this father, right in front of him, "Uh... hi, dad." He expected the usual, 'You're no son of mine,' He didn't even get that much.
"Hello, Pacey." Doug greeted quietly.
"Have you heard about the disturbance at the diner this evening, Pacey?" His father asked, gruffly, "I remember hearing you mention you'd be eating there tonight. Maybe you know what happened." His face stretched into an almost-grin, "Maybe you *are* what happened..."
"Dad... now probably isn't the best time. We have too much on our hands right now."
"Too much on your hands? What's happening?" Pacey asked, taking a half-step forward.
Doug couldn't help but smile at his brother's show of interest, "The dispatcher has been getting calls all day about people acting out of the ordinary. Walking around mindlessly. We've got all of our officers out on it."
Pacey mumbled to himself, then looked up, "Neither of you has had a chance to eat at there, have you?"
They both shook their heads and Doug gave him a verbal response, "No, I haven't. Why, Pacey, is the food there to die for?"
Pacey smiled, but not happily, "In a manner of speaking."
"Do you know something, Pacey?" Doug asked genuinely, "We're going to need all the information we can get in this matter."
Pacey was touched by his brother's genuine air of concern, but unfortunately had to shake his head, "Unfortunately, I don't know anything that would be helpful." He lowered his head, but then it shot up, "Oh, but I'd suggest you make sure no one else eats from that diner place... something funky is going on there... I just don't know what."
Doug nodded, and Mr. Witter was not pleased at the non-hostility that was going on between his sons. "Thanks, Pacey. You be careful out there now."
"Thanks, too. Good luck on beatin' this... situation." He headed out the door, but turned back, "Oh, and can I borrow the truck?"
*CUT TO: The Potter house. Joey is now sitting down on the couch, while her sister is still in the bathroom.*
She was thinking deeply about what to do. Everything seemed fine here, but she didn't quite want to leave yet. Bessie came out of the bathroom once again, and Joey turned to look at her, "Uh, Bessie... you're looking a little pale."
"I am?" She said, sounding stressed, "Darn it... the last thing I want to do is make the customers think I'm sick..." She went in to apply some blush to her face.
Joey picked up the phone and dialed Xander's number. It rang a couple of times, and she called back, "Hey Bess... shouldn't you get going soon?"
Xander picked up on the other end of the line, "Hello, Bachman residence. Xander speaking."
Joey smiled for no reason before answering, "Hey, Xander."
"Hey Jo... something up?"
"No... I got here a few minutes ago, and everything seems fine... but, I've got an idea what might be..." She was cut off when a hand reached around and grabbed her by the mouth, and pulled her backwards over the couch by her head.
Her eyes were wide as saucers, and as she landed on the floor, she found herself staring into the blank, cold eyes of her sister Bessie.
*FADE TO: Xander's house, where Xander is left on the other end of the line.*
"Joey? Jo? Are you okay? JO?" He dropped the phone roughly on the base and sprinted out the front door. He hopped down the stairs, and across the lawn, straight out into the street in the direction of Joey's house.
He was so careless, in fact, that Pacey nearly ran into him with the Witter truck. The brakes squealed, and the truck came to a halt less than a half of a foot away from Xander. Pacey flung the door open, and got half-way out before Xander yelled hoarsely, "Joey... Joey's... Joey!" He tried to get whatever message he had across with that one word, and luckily, Pacey understood... somewhat.
He hopped back into the truck as Xander jumped into the passenger's side, and the tires squealed once again while peeling out.
*CUT BACK TO: The Potter house. Bessie is standing above her sister, and she's not looking in a friendly mood.*
"Bessie? What's going on?" Her sister made no reply, only reached down for her sister's throat. Joey quickly rolled out of the way, and got back to her feet. Bessie wasn't going to give up that easily, for whatever reason, and followed her sister intently.
Whenever she got close, Joey gave her sister a strong push, not wanting to hurt her, but unable to avoid it completely. She hopped up and over the couch, pulling the door to Alexander's room closed, before continuing to run around.
She unwittingly became pinned against a wall, and panicked. She looked from left to right, and spotted a vase on a nearby end table. She grabbed it, giving it a quick glance over, "Oooh, you're going to kill me if you wake up from this..." She quickly smashed it over her sister's head, sending flowers and water all over, along with pieces of porcelain.
Bessie slumped to the ground before her, finally slipping into unconsciousness. Joey cracked a half-smile, "Which is a small price to pay, considering you'd still kill me if I didn't."
*CUT TO: The front door, as it is being rammed by Xander and Pacey shouldering it together. They hit it a couple of times, with little success. Joey makes her way over, and as they try for a third, she swings the door open and the go barreling through the house, landing on the couch.*
Joey faked swooning, "Oh, my knights in shining armor." She glanced at an imaginary watch, "You're late." She smiled weakly before helping them both up, "Now help me get Bessie into this chair over here."
*CUT TO: Bessie tied up to a chair.*
"What just happened, Jo?" Pacey asked.
"Bessie was fine five minutes ago... then when I was on the phone with you, she just seemed to snap." She frowned deeply.
"Any idea what caused it?" Xander asked cautiously.
Joey nodded, "A pretty damn good idea... and it has something to do with that friendly little diner we were at earlier." She looked at her sister with regret,
"Something in the food must be zombie-izing people... and my sister was a victim."
Pacey contemplated, "I guess its good my dad and Doug didn't eat there... else we'd have a real authority problem."
Xander stood up straight, "We've got only one thing to do then... go shut that diner down permanently."
Joey was paling, "Uh, guys... that's not the only thing we have to do."
"Whatta ya mean, Jo?" Pacey asked.
"Bessie wasn't the only person in this house that ate there the other day... and he's currently at the Icehouse right now."
"Okay... not good." Xander said, observing the state Bessie was in, "Okay, Joey, you grab Alexander and anything you think he might need. I'll help you. Pacey, you go start up the truck. We're taking her to my house... my aunt can take care of him... and then we're booking it to the Icehouse." They all nodded before Pacey ran out the door and the other two into the back room.
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Outside the Icehouse.*
They arrived at the Icehouse to the sounds of screaming and breaking dishes. People were fleeing out of the front of the restaurant like the place was on fire.
"Uh... plan of attack, guys?" Pacey asked, drumming the steering wheel.
Joey looked between both of them pleadingly, "Its still Bodie in there... I might not say it much, but I care about the lug that knocked up my sister. Could you maybe not kill him?"
They both nodded, but before any of them could get out of the cab, a hand smashed through the driver's side window, grabbing Pacey by the throat. Joey screamed and began pounding on the arm to let go.
While the commotion had them distracted, a few individuals hopped up into the truckbed, and smashed their way through the rear window. They're arms flailed inside, connecting only with Xander, and dragging him out through the back.
Joey finally beat on the arm strangling Pacey enough for its grip to lax... or at least she thought. In reality, the arm broke off whoever it had been attached to, and was still trying to strangle her best friend.
Pacey wrenched the limb free of his throat, and tossed it outside the window. Joey, seeing Pacey was free, turned around and crawled out of the rear window to help Xander. Pacey was about to do the same, when the one-arm bandit of a zombie reached after him with its good arm. Pacey dove across the cab, and used both his feet to kick the driver's side door open, severing the limb and incapacitating the attacker.
Xander and Joey were still struggling with the two attackers in the truckbed. Joey managed to subdue one of them by smashing it over the head with a small ice cooler that had been laying in the truckbed.
Xander kicked his other attacker off, sending them over the lip of the bed, and crashing to the pavement outside with a dry thud and snapping noise.
*CUT TO: Another angle on them, showing the street and at least a dozen 'zombies' shuffling around and towards them.*
"What are we gonna do, man?" Pacey asked, standing at the ready.
"Bodie is our main priority now, right?" They nodded, "You two go in and get him unconscious... put him somewhere safe... I'll stay out here and fend off the decaying goons."
"Are you crazy? We barely shook those three off in tandem... you're liable to end up zombie chow or something." Pacey warned.
"I don't see much choice here... besides, if I stay in the truckbed, I'll have a 'heads up' advantage on them, so to speak." Xander said, semi-cockily.
"No!" Joey cried, "*We* don't want to lose you., not to *this.*" Her words seemed to be filled with an alternate meaning. But Xander didn't want to read too much into it, so he shook his head.
"You guys won't... I know how to handle myself. Now GO, before Bodie hurts somebody." Joey was reluctantly pulled out of the truckbed by Pacey, who turned one last time before heading in.
"Hey man... remember, Bodie ain't the only 'normal person' among these things. I don't think killing is a necessity." All through Pacey's little advice line, Joey had been staring at Xander intently.
Xander nodded, "Understood." He turned away to avoid Joey's gaze any longer. He was lucky, because a zombie was already starting to climb into the truck bed.
Xander planted a kick to its chest, sending it back down to the street roughly.
Most of the other zombies were moving pretty slowly, so he figured he was all right... for a while.
*CUT TO: Inside the Icehouse. Tables and chairs are strewn everywhere. Glasses were busted all over the place as well. They stepped around cautiously, looking for signs of Bodie or anyone else.*
"Bodie?" Joey called carefully.
"I doubt he'll respond to his name, Jo." Pacey said seriously. She gave him a sheepish look. They checked over the main dining area to find nothing, not even any hurt people. They began venturing into the kitchen area next. Pacey smirked, "So what was with that 'we' business out there."
Joey gulped, blushing slightly, "What do you mean?"
Pacey stopped where he was and imitated her, "*We* don't want to lose you., not to *this.*" He laughed afterwards.
She turned around slowly, her blush increased, "I..." Her words were cut short as she let out a scream. Standing in the doorway next to them, was Bodie. He had a pale, expressionless face, and stared at them blankly.
Zombie Bodie hesitated only a moment before striking out at Joey. She dodged, but ended up tripping on a tipped over stool behind her. Bodie's momentum brought him out against the counter, giving Pacey a chance to quickly kick him in the stomach, which the Zombie Bodie didn't like. He started backing Pacey up down the corridor, trapping him.
*CUT TO: Xander in the truckbed. He's dispatched a few zombies, but almost looks bored.*
"Maybe I should have gone in with them." He said to himself, glancing towards the Icehouse entrance.
*CUT BACK TO: Bodie strangling Pacey.*
Joey ran up behind Bodie, bearing a wooden stool, and broke it over his back in an attempt to knock him out. He just released his grip on Pacey and turned around to face his new enemy. Joey growled as she backed up, "Dammit, Bodie... why can't you be as easy as my sister?"
Pacey regained his composure, ran up behind Bodie, and proceeded to knock his head into the counter a few times. This seemed incapacitate him enough for the time being. Joey looked to be blushing furiously, "That last thing came out SO wrong."
"Sure, Jo, sure... lets drag him back into the back room." Pacey said casually.
"Why?"
"Because we've got to make sure he's not going to hurt anybody else. Don't worry, I'm not planning on leaving him here, Jo. After everything is taken care of, we'll come back for him." He started to pull the unconscious Bodie back through the kitchen.
*CUT BACK TO: Xander looking rather bored in the truckbed.*
"They sure are taking their sweet time." Xander grumbled. He suddenly started thinking about Joey and her statement, *We* don't want to lose you., not to *this.* What did she mean, other than the obvious?
The distraction prevented him from hearing the rather loud, fast footsteps coming up over the hood of the truck. He was caught completely by suprise as someone leapt through the air and caught him with a clothesline-type maneuver.
His head hit the end of the truckbed, and dizzied him sufficiently for the individual to begin strangling him. He couldn't make them out in his blurred vision, as he struggled to get free. The grip of the individual was immense, and his vision not only continued to blur, but began to darken.
Only when the front door to the Icehouse swung open did the individual release their grip and exit the truckbed. Joey and Pacey saw the exit of the shadowed stranger, and came rushing over to the truck.
Joey screeched at the sight of Xander, with his head gashed open and his eyes drowsily closing. She jumped into the truckbed and tried to look him over, "Xander, are you alright?"
He mumbled incoherently as Joey cradled him. Pacey looked at his friend, and then up at Joey, "Should we take him to the hospital, Jo?" His words were reluctant.
"No!" Xander said as he shot up off his spot on the truckbed. His eyes were wide open now, staring at Pacey intently, "No... we've gotta finish off whatever is doing this. If we don't, we might be in for some big trouble."
"But you're hurt, man..."
"So what?" He growled, "If we don't get to that diner and shut them down... Bessie and Bodie might end up like all those other zombies... we may not be able to get them back."
Pacey was ready to protest but Joey's pleading eyes, despite seeming torn, stopped him, "Fine... lets get going. We'll have to go in the back, because Doug and my father are probably on watch."
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Inside a squad car in front of Ethan's Diner. Roadblock horses are posted up around the outside of the building, and a few officers are preventing anyone from coming close. Doug and Mr. Witter are sipping coffee and looking exceedingly bored.*
*CUT TO: Pacey parking the Witter truck a good distance away from the diner. Xander, Joey, and Pacey all get out and make their way to the alley behind the diner.*
They slinked against the dingy walls of the nearby building, and into the alleyway. Much to their displeasure, a group of grumbling patrons came stumbling their way.
They exchanged looks, and Pacey groaned, "How are we going to take these creeps out without making enough noise to alert the creeps out front?"
"We just have to." Xander said, determinantly. He charged forward, landing kicks and punches on anything in his way. Joey followed him, and Pacey took up the rear. Xander would knock one off balance, Joey would knock it out of commission, and Pacey would guide it to the ground as noiselessly as possible.
As the last one was being taken care of, Pacey stumbled after dropping the one before. He caught his bearings just in time to see Joey launching the last one right at him. He had only a moment to try to duck the collision, sending the zombie up and over his back. It sailed through the air, and landed loudly in a row of trashcans.
They collectively groaned at the noise and rushed inside.
*CUT TO: The end of the alleyway, just seconds after the back door closes. Two officers come running along, their guns drawn. They saw nothing in the alleyway but a bunch of fallen over bodies, something they'd run into all too often this evening. One of the officers remained, watching over the fallen figured, while the other went back to report to the Chief.*
*CUT TO: Inside the back of the restaurant. The three of them pass by the Men's/Ladies' rooms*
"This is a brilliant strategy... put an exit near the bathrooms... excuse yourself and go for it." Joey commented.
Xander looked sideways at her, "I don't think their main business strategy had any concern with the customers getting away..."
"You two, shut up... do you want us to get caught?" Pacey reprimanded in his harshest whisper. They slinked low through the dining area, where the remnants of their earlier fight remained. They could see the flashing red and blue lights plastered all over the walls. "So do any of you happen to have a plan?"
"Uh... sneak in the back..." Xander started.
"...bust some stuff up..." Joey continued.
"Y'know... general mayhem." Xander finished.
"Great... I'm stuck in a dead man's diner with Notorious I.Q.0. and his girlfriend, Da Tall Brat... could I be any more screwed?" Pacey commented as he quietly pushed the doors to the kitchen open.
"Oh, I think you could be." A man with a british accent joked dryly. He stood before all three crouched figures bearing a very large butcher's knife. His smile was smug enough to make a person's skin crawl.
He waved the knife at them and motioned for them to sit in a nearby corner. He was standing above a cauldron, mixing a vile smelling brew, all the while keeping his eyes on them. His face was continuously contorted into the spine-shuddering smug grin.
"Just for the record, Mr. Butcher Knife... do you happen to have a name?" Pacey asked defiantly.
The man's smiled faltered, and he looked a bit annoyed, "Well if you must know... I'm the infamous, often imitated, never equaled... Ethan Rayne." He finished with his almost trademark smug smirk, and seemed to expect them to be astonished.
They exchanged a look for several moments, before turning back to him and replied, in unison, "Never heard of you."
His face went read, and his arms flailed as if he were suffering an attack of some sort. They all flinched as the arm wielding the butcher knife came swinging in their general direction. He screamed angrily, although subdued with his knowledge of the police outside, and finished with a small spin before planting the butcher knife in the counter next to him.
He looked at them furiously, "You've heard of none of my exploits? The stampede of mole rats in Tel Aviv? The mass body switch in Nova Scotia? Or even my rampage with The Ripper through London?" They all shook their heads, and he half-screamed again, "Well, you're sure to have heard about my latest escapade... the complete destruction of Capeside, Massachusetts!"
They exchanged another look, and Xander spoke up for the three of them, "Sounds more like some random pranks to us."
"Pranks?!" He yelled incredulously, catching himself and ducking down below the countertop to glance outside. He stood back up, fuming, "Those, my little captives, are some of the greatest feats known to mankind. *Real* magic... none of that hocus pocus bullcrap that you see on the tele."
"What do you have against Capeside?" Joey asked, as calmly as she could.
"What? Oh, nothing really. Its just a place I stumbled on to, to test my magic out before I head over to California for the real deal." He stirred his brew a little more, before looking at them accusatorily, "And everything here was going just fine until you nosy little kids started thrashing my test subjects. I'll make you pay for that... by testing my latest mixture on you."
Their faces all fell at this admission, and Pacey absently commented, "Ruh-roh, Rorge."
*CUT TO: Time-lapse. Tight shot of the three captives. They're all huddled, whispering amongst themselves, when Ethan notices.*
"I hope you're not trying anything tricky over there. Because it won't do any good. Any of you who try to escape, will be met by a rather unruly welcoming committee out in the main dining hall." A quick glance by all was made out in the front, where several 'victims' were stumbling around.
They're whispering stopped, and Ethan smiled widely, "That's a good hostage." He walked over to the stove, where he had placed a pot full of the broth. He ladled some of it up, but quickly noticed its lack of steam. He flipped the switch several times, waiting for a flame, but was met with only a repeated clicking noise. He cursed to himself and shook his head, "Bloody self starters... they never work... oh, bugger, it'll have to do cold. Now, who wants the first taste test of Ethan's Mystical Magical Chicken Soup of Doom?"
"Catchy name, but I don't think it'll fly." Xander commented, a great deal of distaste in his voice.
"Well well... it appears we have a volunteer." He filled up a ladle up again with the evil broth and made his way over in front of the three. He squatted down in front of Xander, his smug smile in full effect, and said cockily, "Open up and say ahh!" He held the butcher knife at Xander's throat menacingly.
"Ahhhhhhh." Xander complied, as Ethan brought the near overflowing ladle up to Xander's lips. Just before he was forced to swallow the brew, he drew his leg up quickly, connected with Ethan's groin, and intermingling his own 'Ahhhhhh' with Ethan's higher-pitched version.
Ethan dropped the ladle, as well as the knife, spilling the disgusting mixture all over. Joey quickly landed a snap kick on Ethan's jaw, sending him teetering backwards to the kitchen floor.
They all jumped to their feet, stomping on Ethan for good measure, and rushed around the kitchen to dump all ingredients and the cauldron itself all over the floor. Ethan was bathed in the broth, though he hardly noticed as he coddled his injured groin.
*CUT TO: Outside in the main dining area. Xander, Joey, and Pacey come rushing out of the kitchen, and straight into the flock of zombies.*
Many of the victims were too far gone to be worth trying to subdue cautiously. Heads and limbs flew, left and right. The three heroes made their way back out the back, hopping over the still groaning zombies in the alleyway, and snuck back to the truck.
*CUT TO: Ethan laying on the floor in the kitchen.*
Ethan started climbing to his feet, dripping in his own mixture. He shook himself off, and cursed out loud, "Oh bugger... this sets me back." He heard the dull clicking of the self-starting range-top, and it drew his attention towards it. He became faintly aware of the light smell of gas in the air, and he gave the self-starter only a moment's longer look before running out of the kitchen, diving over the counter, and making his way out the back.
*CUT TO: Inside the truck.*
"So we knocked out his supply for now... he can get more... and he'll just start again... what are we going to do?" Pacey complained.
"We'll just have to come back and do it again. Until he learns not to mess with the citizens of Capeside." Joey said adamantly.
Xander smiled slightly, "Yeah, what she said."
"I still wish there was something more permanent we could do." Pacey said, lowering his head.
*CUT TO: A shot of the front of the restaurant from earlier. Doug and Mr. Witter can be seen in their squad car. A bright flash goes off inside.*
*CUT TO: A shot behind the truck, facing the diner. The same flash is seen, and the ground shakes, getting their attention.*
*CUT BACK TO: The shot from near the squad car, same time. The ground shakes, and the flash spreads outward. The diner proceeds to expand outward in an impressive explosion, scattering glass and debris all over the street outside. The explosion dies down, and the building can be seen to be nearly hollowed out.*
*CUT TO: Previous shot of Xander, Joey, and Pacey in the car. They've got 'what the hell?' looks written on their faces. Pacey quickly shifts gears on the truck and gets them all out of there.*
*CUT BACK TO: Shot from near the squad car. Mr. Witter and Doug are out of the squad car now, and light debris is still falling. Switch shot to their faces, and they have similar 'what the hell?' looks written on them.*
*CUT TO: The alleyway, a pile of debris made of wood and light bricks. It starts to shift, and out from beneath the rubble, a rather frayed looking Ethan emerges.*
He coughed a few times, getting the dust out of his lungs, and looked at the damage. He could see clear across to the other side of the building, but luckily was out of sight of any of the police. He dusted himself off, and looked a little winded.
He looked around one more time, before looking up and saying, "Oh bloody hell... looks like I'll have to come up with something new to do in Sunnydale..." He walked casually out of the alleyway and down the street, off into the night.
*FADE OUT*
I'd love to hear what you think... and why not go check out http://northernstar.8m.com/acos/ Its the page I put together about this particular series. I'd love to hear what you think of that too.