Stepping
into Darkness
Part
3
~~~~~*****~~~~~
The darkness cast an
eerie shadow on her path. Her calling pulled her closer and the
smell of fear filled her senses, intoxicating, inviting her
presence. Stepping on a wounded rat, she pulled her weapon from
its place, slowly edging herself closer. Creeping through the
dingy streets, the foul stench preyed upon her, willing her to
leave.
She could feel him near,
a master surrounded by evil, engulfed within its grasp. Narrowing
her eyes, she continued on her path, undeterred by the eyes that
watched her every move, unwilling to let her focus drop. This one
was strong and she craved the fight ahead.
Stretching out, she
sensed the minions, weak and harmless to her, and the humans. She
knew her calling, she knew her job. Lowering herself to a crouch,
she brushed a stray hair from her masked face and turned the
corner...
~~~~~*****~~~~~
"Angel! Look out!"
He spun around at
Cordelia's warning and quickly used the vampire's momentum to
throw him onto the ground. These minions were weak and foolish to
think they could take him on. He had over three hundred years of
experience and about a hundred of those years had been spent in
hell.
Spinning on one foot,
he kicked the other vampire into the side of the building,
stunning it for long enough to allow Cordelia to stake it.
Without turning, he pulled a stake from his duster and spinning
it in his hand, thrust it back into the remaining vampire as it
got to its feet.
"Well, I should
think that would do it." Wesley said as he wiped the remains
of the last vampire from his shirt and removed his glasses to
clean them.
"Yeah, I don't
think there'll be more trouble tonight."
"Yeah, Gunn, way
to jinx it." Cordelia said throwing her hands in the air.
Looking towards Angel, she frowned at the strange look on his
face.
"More trouble?"
Gunn asked, exchanging a glance with Cordelia.
"I...I don't know."
"Oh, well that
helps." Cordelia said, brushing at her clothes.
"I can sense
someone...but if I didn't know any better I'd say it was a Slayer."
"Buffy?"
Cordelia whispered, slightly hopeful.
"It can't be Buffy."
Angel replied looking at his hands. Cordelia and Wesley averted
their gazes as Gunn looked around awkwardly.
After a moments silence,
Cordelia looked back at Angel, "It's not mad psycho
bitch is it? 'Cause I am so..."
"No, it's not
Faith."
"Faith is in jail,
Cordelia," Wesley said to the girl, "I don't
really see that she can pose much of a threat from there."
Cordelia raised her
eyebrows at him, "Yeah, I sleep safe knowing that."
~~~~~*****~~~~~
She pulled away,
confused by what she had seen. This vampire was not like the
others - he was helping the humans. He had sensed her and she
knew that she was wise to leave quickly. This one was not to be
underestimated.
She stealthily made her
way back, retracing her previous steps, sensing the eyes that
continued to follow her path. She stopped and turned around,
awaiting their imminent arrival. She wasn't disappointed.
"So," the
woman purred, stepping into the light, "a Slayer."
Sneering, the woman tilted her head to the side as she vamped out,
"I've been waiting for years for the opportunity to kill a
Slayer." As the vampire spoke, her minions surrounded the
area, each one grinning at their assumed victory.
The leader gave a sharp
nod of her head and they moved in closer. In an instant, the
Slayer jumped into the air, landing kicks to the vampires
directly to her left and right, knocking them down. As she landed,
the leader grabbed her and slammed her into the nearest wall.
Instantly, the Slayer
lashed out and placed the back of her hand against the vampire's
face, connecting with a loud slap, throwing her opponent to the
ground. The two vampires, yet to enter into the fray, had stakes
protruding from their suddenly dusty forms before they had even
seen them leave the Slayers flaring sleeves.
The Slayer turned her
attention back to the master vampire, who was now back on her
feet, and the two quickly began to throw well-aimed punches and
kicks. The Slayer spun around, her leg flying over the master's
head as it ducked. As she finished spinning, the Slayer threw a
stake from her right hand that landed in one of the remaining
vampires, quickly turning it to dust.
In a fury of punches
and kicks, she managed to keep the others at bay. Jumping up onto
a dumpster, she flipped herself over the two vampires landing
behind them and instantly, she fell to the ground as something
heavy cracked her head from the back.
"Well, Slayer,"
the voice slurred, "I think you've outstayed your welcome."
She rose slowly, her
head still lowered. Turning, she stared at the other vampire that
had appeared behind her. It was still holding onto the large
plank of wood that had recently been in contact with her head.
The vampire laughed at
her deadly stare and continued, "And don't think I'm going
to give you a choice in the matter." The Slayer's gaze
remained fixed as she prepared to fight.
"Oops, look at
this. I think I've walked in on a private moment. Am I bad?"
The three vampires and the Slayer turned to see a pretty brunette
standing at the end of the alleyway.
"Go away, little
girl, or I might just let you in on the party," the vampire
leered.
"Really," her
face lit up, "do you mind if I invite a few friends?"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tall good-looking vampire and two
other humans appeared.
Kicking the Slayer's
most recent enemy in the chest, the new vampire said, "I
guess my invite got lost in the post, huh?"
The Slayer rolled her
eyes before flipping herself backwards and continuing her fight
with the remaining two vamps. After a few minutes, all three of
her opponents were dust and she turned to the new vampire, stake
in hand.
"Woah!" The
brunette stepped forward, "He just saved your ass." The
Slayer raised her eyebrows behind her mask as the girl continued,
"You can't stake him."
Angel looked at the
girl in front of him, an unidentifiable familiarity striking him.
Frowning, he stepped forward, hoping that his instincts were
right, "My name's Angel."
"As in Angelus?"
"No, no, no, no,
no," the brunette, waved her arms emphatically, "Well,
actually yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. But he's a good Angelus. He has
a soul. He's Angel."
"And that makes a
difference?"
"Oh great. We get
him away from Horny Slayer, only to get him dusted by Psycho
Slayer number two!"
"Cordelia!"
Wesley looked at her incredulously.
"What? Well, at
least this time we won't need to worry about you being soulless.
That's one up over Buffy." She turned quickly to Angel,
"Oh God, I didn't mean..."
"It's okay, I know.
I forget sometimes, too." Angel gave her a small smile and
turned back to the Slayer. He looked into her eyes and frowned
once more at their familiarity.
"Who are you?"
He asked. The girl seemed to be eyeing him suspiciously, unsure
of how to proceed. Slowly she lowered her stake.
"Just stay out of
my way and I'll let you live." She brushed past them and
started to walk down the street.
"Rude much? Who's
to say he couldn't kick your ass anyway?"
The Slayer turned back
to look at her menacingly, "Wanna find out?"
"Okay, enough."
Angel stepped in before the Slayer permanently damaged Cordelia,
"Why don't we try to come to some kind of arrangement? We
can go back to the hotel and work something out. Deal?" The
two girls eyed each other suspiciously for a few minutes before
the Slayer replied.
"Deal."
"Cordelia?"
He looked at her expectantly.
"Oh all right."
There was a pause as the two girls continued to glare at each
other.
Wesley looked back and
forth between the two as Gunn stepped forward in an attempt to
aid Angel, "So," he asked, "what's your name?"
She stared at them all
once again before focusing on Angel. She stared into his eyes and
time seemed to stand still. Angel inhaled deeply, using a long
since redundant function, as the girl seemed to search his soul.
After a moment, she lowered her stake.
"Fliq." The
girl pulled the mask from her face and looked back at four
startled faces.
"Buffy?"
~~~~~*****~~~~~
END
OF PART 3
I know,
I'm not just the Diva of Darkness, I'm also the Queen of
Confusion!