2016
"Rachel! Grab my stake!" I shout to the newest slayer as I pin the struggling vampire to the moldy concrete crypt wall.
The willowy Rachel breezes past me with her long, auburn hair flying behind her, and before I blink, a wooden stake hurls through the air and punctures the captive demon's heart. The vampire stares at me in surprise before dissipating in a cloud of dust.
"Thanks!" I call as I whirl to witness Spike being outnumbered by five other vampires in the nest.
"Welcome," Rachel returns, leaping at one of the vamps on Spike's back.
Spike sends a fist into the abdomen of one of the creatures nearest me so that he stumbles in my direction. "Buffy, love, here's one for you!"
"Oh, Spike, just what I've always wanted." I wink at the vampire dressed in tattered clothing and use his bewilderment to kick him in the face, adding a jaw fracture to his list of head injuries.
"Glad you like him, pet. I was a little worried."
I hear the faint sound of vampires exploding into oblivion as Spike and Rachel simultaneously take out their prey. Then, overlaying the reverberation of my own successful kill, a shrill beeping ring echoes from my waist. Punching a button to end the noise, I glance down at the tiny machine to see the number and read the message, "Baby.SOS."
"Time for the baby?" Spike asks, concern and the edge of excitement in his tone as he approaches me from behind.
Glaring at the remaining two vampires who stood paralyzed by the realization that they are now outnumbered, I reply to Spike, "Yep."
Rachel, Spike, and I easily overtake the two vamps. They are heading out the crypt door when I catch the slightest movement out of the corner of eye. I turn and plant my hands on my leather-covered hips impatiently. Even with my enhanced vampire vision, I can't find the source of the activity.
"C'mon out. I haven't got all day. Unlike you, I have places to go and people to see," I demand.
Rachel and Spike are moving around opposite sides of the crypt, successfully blocking the hiding demon from escaping. A small child with dirty, scraggly hair and wrinkled clothing climbs out of the tomb in the center of the room and blinks at me with wide blue eyes. My senses scream that this little girl is a vampire. I'm uncertain what to do next.
I squat to the ground, and the tiny girl, who must have been only seven or eight-years-old at the time of turning, runs to me. I can't fathom what she must have been through, and memories of my own turning rush through my brain like someone dumped a gallon of water over my head. Reaching out a hand, I caress her full cheeks, and she smiles. She is beautiful but probably only knows pain. Might I take her home with me and teach her the ways that Spike and I practice?
At that moment, the girl turns her face to my palm and shifts into game face, biting deep into my flesh. I cry out in astonishment and pain and jerk away. The girl scampers into the night with Rachel in close pursuit.
Spike pulls me close in silence and then, steps back to examine my hand with me. Blood wells to the surface of my palm and drips to the floor as I watch intrigued. As he rips a strip of cloth from his T-shirt, my pager begins to beep again. A flash of confusion washes over my face as my thoughts attempt to refocus.
Spike reaches to my waist and snaps off the pager. "Are you okay, pet?" He gazes into my face as he wraps my hand with skill that only comes with much practice at dressing wounds.
I shake my head, trying to snap out of my trance. After a brief time lag, I offer him a nod to let him know that I'm doing fine.
He kisses my forehead and whispers in reference to the girl, "You know it's for the best, right, pet?"
Not returning his affection because I'm still trying to make sense of what I'm feeling, I nod again.
A breathless Rachel appears in the doorway, hair in disarray and used stake in hand. "Are we going to the hospital?"
TBC...still 2016 Wow! Thanks everyone for reviewing! ;o)
"Rachel! Grab my stake!" I shout to the newest slayer as I pin the struggling vampire to the moldy concrete crypt wall.
The willowy Rachel breezes past me with her long, auburn hair flying behind her, and before I blink, a wooden stake hurls through the air and punctures the captive demon's heart. The vampire stares at me in surprise before dissipating in a cloud of dust.
"Thanks!" I call as I whirl to witness Spike being outnumbered by five other vampires in the nest.
"Welcome," Rachel returns, leaping at one of the vamps on Spike's back.
Spike sends a fist into the abdomen of one of the creatures nearest me so that he stumbles in my direction. "Buffy, love, here's one for you!"
"Oh, Spike, just what I've always wanted." I wink at the vampire dressed in tattered clothing and use his bewilderment to kick him in the face, adding a jaw fracture to his list of head injuries.
"Glad you like him, pet. I was a little worried."
I hear the faint sound of vampires exploding into oblivion as Spike and Rachel simultaneously take out their prey. Then, overlaying the reverberation of my own successful kill, a shrill beeping ring echoes from my waist. Punching a button to end the noise, I glance down at the tiny machine to see the number and read the message, "Baby.SOS."
"Time for the baby?" Spike asks, concern and the edge of excitement in his tone as he approaches me from behind.
Glaring at the remaining two vampires who stood paralyzed by the realization that they are now outnumbered, I reply to Spike, "Yep."
Rachel, Spike, and I easily overtake the two vamps. They are heading out the crypt door when I catch the slightest movement out of the corner of eye. I turn and plant my hands on my leather-covered hips impatiently. Even with my enhanced vampire vision, I can't find the source of the activity.
"C'mon out. I haven't got all day. Unlike you, I have places to go and people to see," I demand.
Rachel and Spike are moving around opposite sides of the crypt, successfully blocking the hiding demon from escaping. A small child with dirty, scraggly hair and wrinkled clothing climbs out of the tomb in the center of the room and blinks at me with wide blue eyes. My senses scream that this little girl is a vampire. I'm uncertain what to do next.
I squat to the ground, and the tiny girl, who must have been only seven or eight-years-old at the time of turning, runs to me. I can't fathom what she must have been through, and memories of my own turning rush through my brain like someone dumped a gallon of water over my head. Reaching out a hand, I caress her full cheeks, and she smiles. She is beautiful but probably only knows pain. Might I take her home with me and teach her the ways that Spike and I practice?
At that moment, the girl turns her face to my palm and shifts into game face, biting deep into my flesh. I cry out in astonishment and pain and jerk away. The girl scampers into the night with Rachel in close pursuit.
Spike pulls me close in silence and then, steps back to examine my hand with me. Blood wells to the surface of my palm and drips to the floor as I watch intrigued. As he rips a strip of cloth from his T-shirt, my pager begins to beep again. A flash of confusion washes over my face as my thoughts attempt to refocus.
Spike reaches to my waist and snaps off the pager. "Are you okay, pet?" He gazes into my face as he wraps my hand with skill that only comes with much practice at dressing wounds.
I shake my head, trying to snap out of my trance. After a brief time lag, I offer him a nod to let him know that I'm doing fine.
He kisses my forehead and whispers in reference to the girl, "You know it's for the best, right, pet?"
Not returning his affection because I'm still trying to make sense of what I'm feeling, I nod again.
A breathless Rachel appears in the doorway, hair in disarray and used stake in hand. "Are we going to the hospital?"
TBC...still 2016 Wow! Thanks everyone for reviewing! ;o)