***********
Part 55 - Graduation
Buffy and the other students sat as the Mayor stepped onto the
podium to make his speech. Buffy and the gang, along with the
students who had agreed to help them, were well-armed under
their gowns. She turned to look at Xander, and smiled at him,
trying to reassure him that everything would be okay. He smiled
back, hesitantly, she could see how nervous he was.
Everything would be just fine, she told herself. She slipped her
hand in the pocket of her gown and clutched Mr. Pointy tightly,
reassuring herself that the stake she'd survived her last three
years of slaying with was still there. She felt lucky as long as
she had it. She also had a crossbow strapped to her body,
underneath her gown but over her dress. Everyone else had
crossbows, too.
She glanced over at Willow and Oz then. They smiled at her; she
knew they were ready. She located Cordelia too, who glared at
her. Buffy sighed, but she knew Cordelia would fight. Willow had
gone to her and Cordelia had agreed to help. She informed Willow
that even though she wasn't too fond of Buffy, she wanted to get
out of Sunnydale alive.
Buffy looked back at the audience of family and friends, trying
to do something to occupy herself to keep her nervousness down
to a minimum. There were so many people, they'd be a good meal
for the mayor if Buffy and the others couldn't stop him. As for
her mother, Buffy and Giles had convinced him to leave town for
the weekend and visit an old friend who lived in L.A. It hadn't
been easy to get Joyce to leave, but Buffy was relieved she was
gone. If things went wrong, at least her mom would survive it.
She glanced across the aisle from the graduates to the faculty.
She knew Giles was somewhere over there, even though she
couldn't locate him.
And the last member of their gang was Angel. Buffy hadn't seen
him yet today, but she knew he was waiting in the sewers for the
eclipse. That had been the plan and she knew she could count on
him. She could count on all of them. They'd all get out of this
alive... she hoped.
They were all ready for what would happen... at least as ready
as they could be. All they had to do was wait for the
transformation. Buffy hoped it would happen soon. The Mayor was
babbling on... and on... and on... A scream of pain from him
diverted her attention back to the podium. Finally.
Xander glanced back at Buffy, amazed at how calm she looked. He
was far from calm. He wasn't thrilled with the plan they'd
decided on, mostly because it was so dangerous for Buffy. If her
timing was off by just a second... He shook his head, he
wouldn't think of that. She'd survived everything the hellmouth
had thrown at her for the past two years. She'd survive this one
too. She had to. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her.
He was distracted from his musings by a scream from the mayor.
He doubled over, like he was in pain. "Come on," Xander
muttered. "Just start changing already, so we can get this over
with."
The mayor chuckled and apologized, then screamed again. There
was a loud crash of thunder and suddenly the mayor began to
morph. He screamed one last time, and began to change, into a
giant snake. People screamed and Xander and the others started
yelling at them to run.
"Get outta here!" Xander screamed at the kids around him as he
tore off his robe and unstrapped the crossbow from his waist.
There was chaos and panic all around him. Xander ran out of the
way, just as what had previously been the mayor dove down and
swallowed two of the graduates. "Shit!" Xander yelled as he
barely escaped being food himself.
He could hear the others herding what was left of the audience
out of the school grounds, while Oz and several other guys lined
up next to him. They all had crossbows of their own. "Fire!"
Xander yelled, and they shot off their arrows. They all hit the
creature on its underside, but the attack didn't even phase it.
Buffy located Willow and Cordelia, they were herding everyone
not in on the plan out of the schoolyard. She saw Xander, Oz,
and several of their male classmates across the yard, shooting
arrows at the demon the Mayor had turned into. The Mayor,
meanwhile, wasn't affected in the least by this; he'd eaten at
least ten people so far.
There was another loud crash of thunder, and darkness
approached. The sun was being eclipsed. "ANGEL!" Buffy yelled
for him to come out of the sewers. She suddenly realized that
the eclipse would be helpful for the Mayor, as well. Vampires
started pouring out of the sewers and attacking people.
"VAMPIRES!" Buffy yelled a warning to the others.
Xander turned just in time and shot off another arrow at an
approaching vampire. "Back to the van!" He yelled at the other
guys as he ran to get more weapons. There were about fifty kids
n on the plan, and they all regrouped to get more weapons.
"Flame throwers," Oz suggested. "It'll at least clean out the
vamps."
Xander nodded, "Just make that you don't get Angel by mistake,"
he replied. At Oz' surprised look, he added, "I did _not_ just
say that," before running off with two flame throwers, one for
Buffy.
"Buffy, catch!"
Buffy looked over at the sound of Xander's voice and caught the
flame thrower he tossed at her. "Good idea!" she hollered back
and let the flames loose on the twenty vampires nearest her.
She looked up to see Principal Snyder scolding the
demon-formerly-known-as-mayor. "You idiot," she sighed. She
watched as the creature then swallowed Snyder. "You should've
run away," Buffy shrugged. She looked over to see Angel beating
up and staking some vamps who'd cornered a group of kids.
Giles ran up to her and said, "It's all ready, Buffy, whenever
you are."
Buffy nodded, "I'm ready." She ran as close to the creature as
she dared and hollered, "Hey! You! Big ugly!" That got his
attention, and she dove out of the way just as he tried to make
her his next meal. She rolled and jumped back to her feet. "I'M
the slayer! Come and get me!" She taunted.
She turned and ran for the doors to the school building. The
ground shook underneath her and she knew the creature was
following her. She dropped her flame thrower and ran faster, as
fast as she could. *I can do this. I always win* she told
herself as she felt the puffs of air of the creature's breath on
her back. She tripped and rolled out of the way as he tried to
swallow her. *That was way too close* she told herself as she
scrambled back to her feet and ran again. She felt the school's
ceiling and walls coming down around them, as she ran down the
hallway for the library.
********
Part 55 - Graduation
Buffy and the other students sat as the Mayor stepped onto the
podium to make his speech. Buffy and the gang, along with the
students who had agreed to help them, were well-armed under
their gowns. She turned to look at Xander, and smiled at him,
trying to reassure him that everything would be okay. He smiled
back, hesitantly, she could see how nervous he was.
Everything would be just fine, she told herself. She slipped her
hand in the pocket of her gown and clutched Mr. Pointy tightly,
reassuring herself that the stake she'd survived her last three
years of slaying with was still there. She felt lucky as long as
she had it. She also had a crossbow strapped to her body,
underneath her gown but over her dress. Everyone else had
crossbows, too.
She glanced over at Willow and Oz then. They smiled at her; she
knew they were ready. She located Cordelia too, who glared at
her. Buffy sighed, but she knew Cordelia would fight. Willow had
gone to her and Cordelia had agreed to help. She informed Willow
that even though she wasn't too fond of Buffy, she wanted to get
out of Sunnydale alive.
Buffy looked back at the audience of family and friends, trying
to do something to occupy herself to keep her nervousness down
to a minimum. There were so many people, they'd be a good meal
for the mayor if Buffy and the others couldn't stop him. As for
her mother, Buffy and Giles had convinced him to leave town for
the weekend and visit an old friend who lived in L.A. It hadn't
been easy to get Joyce to leave, but Buffy was relieved she was
gone. If things went wrong, at least her mom would survive it.
She glanced across the aisle from the graduates to the faculty.
She knew Giles was somewhere over there, even though she
couldn't locate him.
And the last member of their gang was Angel. Buffy hadn't seen
him yet today, but she knew he was waiting in the sewers for the
eclipse. That had been the plan and she knew she could count on
him. She could count on all of them. They'd all get out of this
alive... she hoped.
They were all ready for what would happen... at least as ready
as they could be. All they had to do was wait for the
transformation. Buffy hoped it would happen soon. The Mayor was
babbling on... and on... and on... A scream of pain from him
diverted her attention back to the podium. Finally.
Xander glanced back at Buffy, amazed at how calm she looked. He
was far from calm. He wasn't thrilled with the plan they'd
decided on, mostly because it was so dangerous for Buffy. If her
timing was off by just a second... He shook his head, he
wouldn't think of that. She'd survived everything the hellmouth
had thrown at her for the past two years. She'd survive this one
too. She had to. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her.
He was distracted from his musings by a scream from the mayor.
He doubled over, like he was in pain. "Come on," Xander
muttered. "Just start changing already, so we can get this over
with."
The mayor chuckled and apologized, then screamed again. There
was a loud crash of thunder and suddenly the mayor began to
morph. He screamed one last time, and began to change, into a
giant snake. People screamed and Xander and the others started
yelling at them to run.
"Get outta here!" Xander screamed at the kids around him as he
tore off his robe and unstrapped the crossbow from his waist.
There was chaos and panic all around him. Xander ran out of the
way, just as what had previously been the mayor dove down and
swallowed two of the graduates. "Shit!" Xander yelled as he
barely escaped being food himself.
He could hear the others herding what was left of the audience
out of the school grounds, while Oz and several other guys lined
up next to him. They all had crossbows of their own. "Fire!"
Xander yelled, and they shot off their arrows. They all hit the
creature on its underside, but the attack didn't even phase it.
Buffy located Willow and Cordelia, they were herding everyone
not in on the plan out of the schoolyard. She saw Xander, Oz,
and several of their male classmates across the yard, shooting
arrows at the demon the Mayor had turned into. The Mayor,
meanwhile, wasn't affected in the least by this; he'd eaten at
least ten people so far.
There was another loud crash of thunder, and darkness
approached. The sun was being eclipsed. "ANGEL!" Buffy yelled
for him to come out of the sewers. She suddenly realized that
the eclipse would be helpful for the Mayor, as well. Vampires
started pouring out of the sewers and attacking people.
"VAMPIRES!" Buffy yelled a warning to the others.
Xander turned just in time and shot off another arrow at an
approaching vampire. "Back to the van!" He yelled at the other
guys as he ran to get more weapons. There were about fifty kids
n on the plan, and they all regrouped to get more weapons.
"Flame throwers," Oz suggested. "It'll at least clean out the
vamps."
Xander nodded, "Just make that you don't get Angel by mistake,"
he replied. At Oz' surprised look, he added, "I did _not_ just
say that," before running off with two flame throwers, one for
Buffy.
"Buffy, catch!"
Buffy looked over at the sound of Xander's voice and caught the
flame thrower he tossed at her. "Good idea!" she hollered back
and let the flames loose on the twenty vampires nearest her.
She looked up to see Principal Snyder scolding the
demon-formerly-known-as-mayor. "You idiot," she sighed. She
watched as the creature then swallowed Snyder. "You should've
run away," Buffy shrugged. She looked over to see Angel beating
up and staking some vamps who'd cornered a group of kids.
Giles ran up to her and said, "It's all ready, Buffy, whenever
you are."
Buffy nodded, "I'm ready." She ran as close to the creature as
she dared and hollered, "Hey! You! Big ugly!" That got his
attention, and she dove out of the way just as he tried to make
her his next meal. She rolled and jumped back to her feet. "I'M
the slayer! Come and get me!" She taunted.
She turned and ran for the doors to the school building. The
ground shook underneath her and she knew the creature was
following her. She dropped her flame thrower and ran faster, as
fast as she could. *I can do this. I always win* she told
herself as she felt the puffs of air of the creature's breath on
her back. She tripped and rolled out of the way as he tried to
swallow her. *That was way too close* she told herself as she
scrambled back to her feet and ran again. She felt the school's
ceiling and walls coming down around them, as she ran down the
hallway for the library.
********
