Chapter 2
Willow, Xander, and Dawn sat in Xander's apartment. Xander was taking a week off work and Willow was not going to go to classes. Dawn had a week off school while they did repairs from the previous weeks battle (a vampire gang tried to take over the school, but in the process of destroying them, the school had taken serious damage). It was the day after Buffy had been killed by the vampire. When the body was identified, Dawn had called Xander and Willow and Giles right away. Giles would be in Sunnydale that night, but until then, the three were grieving. Buffy had been dead twice before. Once, Xander had brought her back through CPR (she had drowned) and the other time, she had died to save Dawn and the world (Willow had resurrected her three months later). But this time, there would be no "saving" her. They knew she was in heaven and that she was happy. However, they were still quite incredibly sad.
"I can't believe it..." Xander started. He was not crying. He was trying to be a man, to be strong, but he was having a hard time keeping together. Willow and Dawn both had a mountain of kleenex tissues at their feet. Willow patted him on the back. Dawn didn't even realize they were talking. She was incredibly sad, this time more so, knowing that Buffy wouldn't be coming back.
That night, Xander returned to his apartment, carrying a box of pizza (he had left to get dinner). He found Giles inside, with Willow and Dawn. Xander set the pizza down and walked up to the three. Willow had stopped crying an hour ago, but Dawn was still going on. Xander knew Dawn how sad Dawn was. The truth was, he was feeling it too. It would take a while for the pain to cease.
Giles and Willow comforted Dawn as Xander looked out the window. The town was silent. He looked at his watch. 12:03. Past midnight. Xander sighed. Just 26 hours ago, Buffy had been killed. He would never see her again. He would have to make funeral arrangements tomorrow. Giles had to go through that with both Jenny Calendar and Joyce, Buffy and Dawn's mom. No, Xander would do it. He had to. It was his...responsibility, he guessed. He felt that he had to do it. That he had to...
"What's that?" Xander spoke. Giles, Dawn, and Willow snapped their heads toward him. He pointed at a crowd in the middle of the street below. They were staring right up at him. "Some of them look like regular people, but...oh my god. Demons!" Just as he said that, a rumble shaked the building. He could hear screams from the floors below and footsteps thundering up the stairs. He knew what it was.
"Guys, they know! They know that Buffy's dead!" Xander screamed, grabbing a crossbow and axe from his weapons bag he kept in his closet. He put some stakes in his coat as Giles handed weapons to Willow and Dawn. Dawn glared angrily at the door. 'Good,' Xander thought. 'Get rid of some of the empty rage floating in her.'
The rumbling grew louder. Xander aimed the crossbow at the door. Willow held an assault rifle in her arms and had a sword leaning on the wall behind her. Giles had an axe and the trolls hammer they had used to defeat Glory, the Hellgod who tried to kill Dawn to get back to her dimension. Dawn held an axe and she too had a sword behind her. Xander glanced at the others, then snapped back to the door as it crashed in. Three vampires ran in. Xander got one through the heart with an arrow, and he turned to dust. Willow shot a vampire through the neck and he collapsed in pain. The third vampire charged them and Giles hit him with the hammer, decapitating him.
Willow allowed a brief smile, thinking they could beat the demons if they came in like that one at a time. But they didn't. Right after she thought that, the walls beside the door got smashed through and a huge group of demons and vampires barged in. Xander used the axe and was killing the demons left and right, but Dawn and the others were being cornered. Giles smashed a green demons face in with the hammer, but another demon grabbed him from behind and threw him out the window.
Willow hadn't used magic in a while, but she knew she had to. She called out a spell, and Giles stopped falling right before the pavement. He started fighting some demons on the street, but he was still outnumbered. "Dawn, out the window!" Willow called, and Dawn trusted her, jumping out. Willow did the same spell, lowering Dawn to the pavement. Willow looked back and saw the few remaining demons encircle Xander. She charged at one horned demon and threw him into the wall.
Giles and Dawn raced to Giles car. A few of the demons who were on the street saw them, and chased the two. Dawn threw a sword at one, getting it through the heart, but the other kept coming. Giles herded Dawn into his car and hurried to turn it on. Right as he pulled out of the parking lot, a snake-like demon jumped onto the back of the car. They pulled onto the highway as the snake-demon tried to attack them. Dawn stuck her head out the window and hit it with the axe. Giles swerved and the demon fell off.
At the same time, Willow and Xander were finishing off the last of the demons. These were obviously not very good opponents, as they had been brought down quickly and relatively easily even though lots of them attacked. The two friends raced to the roof, trying to figure out what to do.
"Okay Wil, they obviously know the Slayer is gone."
"Yeah, but why did they attack us?"
"I'd guess it's because we are the only ones left to stop them from...running...the whole..."
Xander stopped because they reached the roof, and saw what Sunnydale looked like. Fires raged everywhere, and screams of the citizens could easily be heard even this high up.
"Xander, what are we going to do?" Willow asked, distraught.
---
A group of nine vampires were in an abandoned warehouse towards the south of Sunnydale. They were dressed in ceremonial black garb, and stood in a semi-circle around a small fire, with a bone dangling above it. They were chanting the same thing over and over. They had been doing this for a few hours, since the news about the Vampire Slayers death had broke. Suddenly, a small piece of dust began to circle above the fire. The vampires continued to chant, realizing that they were almost done. The dust began to formulate, growing larger and larger, until a familiar figure stood, with the fire dying out. The vampires now had huge smiles on their faces.
"I'm...back!" The Master crowed.
Willow, Xander, and Dawn sat in Xander's apartment. Xander was taking a week off work and Willow was not going to go to classes. Dawn had a week off school while they did repairs from the previous weeks battle (a vampire gang tried to take over the school, but in the process of destroying them, the school had taken serious damage). It was the day after Buffy had been killed by the vampire. When the body was identified, Dawn had called Xander and Willow and Giles right away. Giles would be in Sunnydale that night, but until then, the three were grieving. Buffy had been dead twice before. Once, Xander had brought her back through CPR (she had drowned) and the other time, she had died to save Dawn and the world (Willow had resurrected her three months later). But this time, there would be no "saving" her. They knew she was in heaven and that she was happy. However, they were still quite incredibly sad.
"I can't believe it..." Xander started. He was not crying. He was trying to be a man, to be strong, but he was having a hard time keeping together. Willow and Dawn both had a mountain of kleenex tissues at their feet. Willow patted him on the back. Dawn didn't even realize they were talking. She was incredibly sad, this time more so, knowing that Buffy wouldn't be coming back.
That night, Xander returned to his apartment, carrying a box of pizza (he had left to get dinner). He found Giles inside, with Willow and Dawn. Xander set the pizza down and walked up to the three. Willow had stopped crying an hour ago, but Dawn was still going on. Xander knew Dawn how sad Dawn was. The truth was, he was feeling it too. It would take a while for the pain to cease.
Giles and Willow comforted Dawn as Xander looked out the window. The town was silent. He looked at his watch. 12:03. Past midnight. Xander sighed. Just 26 hours ago, Buffy had been killed. He would never see her again. He would have to make funeral arrangements tomorrow. Giles had to go through that with both Jenny Calendar and Joyce, Buffy and Dawn's mom. No, Xander would do it. He had to. It was his...responsibility, he guessed. He felt that he had to do it. That he had to...
"What's that?" Xander spoke. Giles, Dawn, and Willow snapped their heads toward him. He pointed at a crowd in the middle of the street below. They were staring right up at him. "Some of them look like regular people, but...oh my god. Demons!" Just as he said that, a rumble shaked the building. He could hear screams from the floors below and footsteps thundering up the stairs. He knew what it was.
"Guys, they know! They know that Buffy's dead!" Xander screamed, grabbing a crossbow and axe from his weapons bag he kept in his closet. He put some stakes in his coat as Giles handed weapons to Willow and Dawn. Dawn glared angrily at the door. 'Good,' Xander thought. 'Get rid of some of the empty rage floating in her.'
The rumbling grew louder. Xander aimed the crossbow at the door. Willow held an assault rifle in her arms and had a sword leaning on the wall behind her. Giles had an axe and the trolls hammer they had used to defeat Glory, the Hellgod who tried to kill Dawn to get back to her dimension. Dawn held an axe and she too had a sword behind her. Xander glanced at the others, then snapped back to the door as it crashed in. Three vampires ran in. Xander got one through the heart with an arrow, and he turned to dust. Willow shot a vampire through the neck and he collapsed in pain. The third vampire charged them and Giles hit him with the hammer, decapitating him.
Willow allowed a brief smile, thinking they could beat the demons if they came in like that one at a time. But they didn't. Right after she thought that, the walls beside the door got smashed through and a huge group of demons and vampires barged in. Xander used the axe and was killing the demons left and right, but Dawn and the others were being cornered. Giles smashed a green demons face in with the hammer, but another demon grabbed him from behind and threw him out the window.
Willow hadn't used magic in a while, but she knew she had to. She called out a spell, and Giles stopped falling right before the pavement. He started fighting some demons on the street, but he was still outnumbered. "Dawn, out the window!" Willow called, and Dawn trusted her, jumping out. Willow did the same spell, lowering Dawn to the pavement. Willow looked back and saw the few remaining demons encircle Xander. She charged at one horned demon and threw him into the wall.
Giles and Dawn raced to Giles car. A few of the demons who were on the street saw them, and chased the two. Dawn threw a sword at one, getting it through the heart, but the other kept coming. Giles herded Dawn into his car and hurried to turn it on. Right as he pulled out of the parking lot, a snake-like demon jumped onto the back of the car. They pulled onto the highway as the snake-demon tried to attack them. Dawn stuck her head out the window and hit it with the axe. Giles swerved and the demon fell off.
At the same time, Willow and Xander were finishing off the last of the demons. These were obviously not very good opponents, as they had been brought down quickly and relatively easily even though lots of them attacked. The two friends raced to the roof, trying to figure out what to do.
"Okay Wil, they obviously know the Slayer is gone."
"Yeah, but why did they attack us?"
"I'd guess it's because we are the only ones left to stop them from...running...the whole..."
Xander stopped because they reached the roof, and saw what Sunnydale looked like. Fires raged everywhere, and screams of the citizens could easily be heard even this high up.
"Xander, what are we going to do?" Willow asked, distraught.
---
A group of nine vampires were in an abandoned warehouse towards the south of Sunnydale. They were dressed in ceremonial black garb, and stood in a semi-circle around a small fire, with a bone dangling above it. They were chanting the same thing over and over. They had been doing this for a few hours, since the news about the Vampire Slayers death had broke. Suddenly, a small piece of dust began to circle above the fire. The vampires continued to chant, realizing that they were almost done. The dust began to formulate, growing larger and larger, until a familiar figure stood, with the fire dying out. The vampires now had huge smiles on their faces.
"I'm...back!" The Master crowed.