Chapter 4
"There's absolutely nothing in these books about shadow monsters." Cordelia said, her patience wearing thin.
"I haven't found anything either." Wesley agreed. Angel continued to flip pages, while Gunn sat there, bored.
Serena looked up from the book she was looking at. "Wes, I have an idea." Wesley put down the book he was skimming. "When I was fighting it, it wasn't solid. It was like it was a ghost or something that can become solid in its will to defend itself. Maybe you could find a spell that could turn this shadow solid somehow, so Angel, Gunn, and I could actually do some damage the next time we encounter it."
"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll begin looking in some of my books." Wesley began to rummage through the piles of books sitting on the table. "Ah, yes. Here it is. A spell to turn creatures, like our friends, solid. Hmm." He scanned the list of ingredients. "I need to go out and find some of these ingredients. Gunn, come with me, just in case we run into something."
"Or something runs into us." Gunn replied, hopping off of the counter and following Wesley out the door.
"Uh, guys? I'm about to get a." Cordy began, not able to finish her sentence as a blinding pain hit her. Serena ran over to her, flinching from the pain of her ribs, and waited for it to be over.
"A vision?" Serena asked smiling.
"Yeah." Cordelia wiped the sweat from her forehead. She turned to Wesley and Gunn. "You guys need to wait a second."
"What did you see?" Angel asked.
"Our shadow puppets attacking a mansion up in the hills. Laurel Drive. It'll be the house with exploding windows."
"Wes, Gunn, you get what you need and meet us up there as soon as you can. Take your cell phone and we'll take mine. Cordy, you coming with?" Angel asked.
"I don't think so, judging the by the damage they did to the Slayer. I think I'll get rid of this headache." Cordy smiled.
"Okay." Angel turned to Gunn and Wes. "Lets go."
*****
Angel sped down a narrow road. He glanced at Serena. "Are you nervous?" he asked, studying her expression.
She smiled briefly at him and took a deep breath. "I just know that there's no way to stop these things until Wesley and Gunn get here. We'll just be human punching bags." She turned back towards the moon, staring at the golden glow.
"There's Laurel Drive, coming up." Serena pointed. Suddenly, an unseen thing rammed the car, making it fly into a yard.
"Hold on." Angel called through gritted teeth as he tried to stop the car while it was spinning. A few seconds later, the car stopped with a halt. Angel and Serena climbed from the car. A shadow darted underneath a light.
"Damn, we got visitors." Serena mumbled to Angel.
"I only saw one. You go and find the house. I'll take care of this one." Angel told her.
"But, Angel." Serena protested.
"It won't let both of us through. You go, I'll take care of this one." Angel explained urgently as he approached the last spot they saw the shadow.
With a swift nod, Serena bolted towards Laurel Drive. Nothing tried to stop her. She sped down the road until she saw a house with exploding windows on her right. Nice call, Cordy. Serena thought as she cut across the lawn. She raced toward the front door, but she ran right into and invisible forcefield. She landed on her back. No, not a forcefield, a shadow creature. Serena sprung back to her feet and bolted around to the back of the house. She heard a scream from inside the house. Using all of her senses, she began to climb the terris that clung to the side of the house. Plants wove their way up through the terris and reached for the sky. Thorns scraped at Serena's arms, legs and face, but she kept going until she reached a second story window. Gingerly, she climbed into the window, her pulse vibrating from the unexpected climb. She heard another short yell and dashed into the hall, then stopped and listened. Every Slayer sense was tuned in and waiting. Heavy footsteps fluctuated through the upstairs floor and right to the Slayer. Her body tense, she began to move again, down the steps. Step by step, she cautiously waited a moment before moving to the next step. She turned left at the bottom of the stairs and crept through the foyer into the kitchen. Right by the kitchen table, she noticed a pile of clothing just laying there. She cursed the darkness and silently wondered where Angel was. As she peered at the pile, it began to move. She gasped, but scolded herself for being so silly. It was not a pile of clothing. It was a fallen human body. Serena rushed toward the body, turning it to its back. She checked for a pulse. She found one, a very weak one. She peered at the face. It was a young man's very handsome face. His face was very peaceful, as if sleeping. Something inside Serena stirred at the sight. This man was very well built, very solid and strong. The man stirred and groaned. His eyes blinked open and Serena was mesmerized by glowing sapphires peering at her curiously. This man made a move to sit up, and struggled.
"Here." Serena helped this man stand up and sit in a kitchen chair.
"Thanks." He murmured, staring at her. He coughed and then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who are you and what's going on?"
Serena's mind racked for a suitable explanation, or at least a half-decent lie she could pull off. "Um, well, I was taking a walk, unusual for me, and I saw your windows, uh," Don't use exploding, Serena. She told herself, "breaking, and I heard a yell, so I came in and found you lying on the ground." Not bad. Not bad at all. Actually, it's very believable. she congratulated herself.
"Oh. Well, thank you from saving me from...from.what exactly did you save me from?" The young man was puzzled.
"I don't exactly know. But I'll get us out of here." Hopefully. She added silently.
The young man just sat with his head in his hands and quietly prayed. Sorry, man. A prayer won't help you out of this. Trust me, I tried it. Serena thought grimly. She stood and walked to the glass French doors that opened from the kitchen to the patio. She noticed the glass had been unbroken. Just as she touched the glass lightly, it exploded under her fingers into hundreds of shards. She turned from the doors and leaped, grabbing the man and shielding him from the flying glass daggers. She bit her lip and winced in pain as a few small pieces flew through her sweatshirt she was wearing and into her skin. Then, all of a sudden, silence. The glass stopped flying and everything was calm.
"Are you okay?" Serena asked hoarsely, ignoring the pinpoint pain throbbing all over her back.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just got grazed by a small piece on my arm, but that's okay. How about you? You saved my life!" The young man helped her stand.
Serena forced the smile. "I'm fine. A few pieces flew by, but my sweatshirt protected me. Nothing hit me. Let's get out of here, then I'll look at your arm." The young man smiled graciously. Serena looked around for a moment, searching for an already broken window. She spotted one, in the dining room.
"Okay, lets go." The young man followed her to the dining room. "Go through the window and into the street. If you see something, uh, unusual, go down the street until you find a man by the name of Angel and tell him what you think you saw and tell him to come and help me." Serena instructed firmly.
"But, what's." the man sputtered, confused.
"No time for questions. Go!" Serena commanded, pointing towards the window. The young man wasted no time and leaped through the window. She watched him stumble through the yard. It was her turn. She carefully hopped through the window and began to trot towards the street when an invisible force hit her side and sent her flying 20 feet. She landed awkwardly on her shoulder. Serena gritted her teeth and stood, facing her attacker. She saw the man on the street, yelling to her to get out of there, to run. She ignored him and scanned the front yard, searching for a moving shadow. The shadow hit her in the back this time and her face flew into the grass. She stood again. She would not be defeated. Suddenly, a car drove up containing Wesley and Gunn.
"Oh, thank GOD." Serena mumbled, and the shadow monster picked her up and threw her against a tree. She heard Wesley ramble some foreign, exotic words, words to a spell, and threw some shimmering dust into the air. The dust seemed to float in the air, and slowly moved toward the shadow thing in front of her, until it settled on it. Somehow, she knew that the thing was solid. Taking action, she kicked the face of the shadow that was coming toward her, and then punched it. For the first time, she heard the thing howl in pain. It sounded like a blend of a shriek and a bellow. She grabbed what she considered to be the things neck between her legs and began to twist, until she heard a satisfying pop. Exhausted she laid on the ground, gasping for breath. She felt the blood seeping into her sweatshirt, the jagged pieces of glass protruding from her skin. She felt a presence stand above her and she opened her eyes.
"Looks like I missed all the fun!" Angel commented, helping her up. She smiled weakly.
"Yeah, well, whatever you say." She grumbled. "Did you kill your shadow thing?" she asked.
"No. It got away, and I thought I would join the party." Angel shrugged. "We'll get it next time."
She suddenly remembered the young man, and turned towards the street. He stood there, looking bewildered. "I'll be right back." She told Angel, steadying herself using his arm, then walking toward the street.
The young man saw her coming. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.
"It's a long story." She told him truthfully. "I'm Serena." She stuck out her hand.
"Christian." He replied, shaking her hand gently. "You saved my life back there, twice, at least. How do I repay you?" he asked gratefully.
"You don't. It's my job." She informed him. "Don't worry about it." She turned and walked back to Angel. Wesley and Gunn joined them.
"Wes, I got some glass in my back from those exploding windows Cordy told us about." She said, wincing from the pinpoint pains all over her back. "I need you to dig them out."
"Who was that guy?" Angel asked, glancing over at Christian on the street.
"He was the guy in the house that needed saving." Serena told him.
Angel eyed Serena critically. "But, Serena, Cordy's vision had nothing about someone in the house."
Serena realized he was right.
"There's absolutely nothing in these books about shadow monsters." Cordelia said, her patience wearing thin.
"I haven't found anything either." Wesley agreed. Angel continued to flip pages, while Gunn sat there, bored.
Serena looked up from the book she was looking at. "Wes, I have an idea." Wesley put down the book he was skimming. "When I was fighting it, it wasn't solid. It was like it was a ghost or something that can become solid in its will to defend itself. Maybe you could find a spell that could turn this shadow solid somehow, so Angel, Gunn, and I could actually do some damage the next time we encounter it."
"Yes, that's a good idea. I'll begin looking in some of my books." Wesley began to rummage through the piles of books sitting on the table. "Ah, yes. Here it is. A spell to turn creatures, like our friends, solid. Hmm." He scanned the list of ingredients. "I need to go out and find some of these ingredients. Gunn, come with me, just in case we run into something."
"Or something runs into us." Gunn replied, hopping off of the counter and following Wesley out the door.
"Uh, guys? I'm about to get a." Cordy began, not able to finish her sentence as a blinding pain hit her. Serena ran over to her, flinching from the pain of her ribs, and waited for it to be over.
"A vision?" Serena asked smiling.
"Yeah." Cordelia wiped the sweat from her forehead. She turned to Wesley and Gunn. "You guys need to wait a second."
"What did you see?" Angel asked.
"Our shadow puppets attacking a mansion up in the hills. Laurel Drive. It'll be the house with exploding windows."
"Wes, Gunn, you get what you need and meet us up there as soon as you can. Take your cell phone and we'll take mine. Cordy, you coming with?" Angel asked.
"I don't think so, judging the by the damage they did to the Slayer. I think I'll get rid of this headache." Cordy smiled.
"Okay." Angel turned to Gunn and Wes. "Lets go."
*****
Angel sped down a narrow road. He glanced at Serena. "Are you nervous?" he asked, studying her expression.
She smiled briefly at him and took a deep breath. "I just know that there's no way to stop these things until Wesley and Gunn get here. We'll just be human punching bags." She turned back towards the moon, staring at the golden glow.
"There's Laurel Drive, coming up." Serena pointed. Suddenly, an unseen thing rammed the car, making it fly into a yard.
"Hold on." Angel called through gritted teeth as he tried to stop the car while it was spinning. A few seconds later, the car stopped with a halt. Angel and Serena climbed from the car. A shadow darted underneath a light.
"Damn, we got visitors." Serena mumbled to Angel.
"I only saw one. You go and find the house. I'll take care of this one." Angel told her.
"But, Angel." Serena protested.
"It won't let both of us through. You go, I'll take care of this one." Angel explained urgently as he approached the last spot they saw the shadow.
With a swift nod, Serena bolted towards Laurel Drive. Nothing tried to stop her. She sped down the road until she saw a house with exploding windows on her right. Nice call, Cordy. Serena thought as she cut across the lawn. She raced toward the front door, but she ran right into and invisible forcefield. She landed on her back. No, not a forcefield, a shadow creature. Serena sprung back to her feet and bolted around to the back of the house. She heard a scream from inside the house. Using all of her senses, she began to climb the terris that clung to the side of the house. Plants wove their way up through the terris and reached for the sky. Thorns scraped at Serena's arms, legs and face, but she kept going until she reached a second story window. Gingerly, she climbed into the window, her pulse vibrating from the unexpected climb. She heard another short yell and dashed into the hall, then stopped and listened. Every Slayer sense was tuned in and waiting. Heavy footsteps fluctuated through the upstairs floor and right to the Slayer. Her body tense, she began to move again, down the steps. Step by step, she cautiously waited a moment before moving to the next step. She turned left at the bottom of the stairs and crept through the foyer into the kitchen. Right by the kitchen table, she noticed a pile of clothing just laying there. She cursed the darkness and silently wondered where Angel was. As she peered at the pile, it began to move. She gasped, but scolded herself for being so silly. It was not a pile of clothing. It was a fallen human body. Serena rushed toward the body, turning it to its back. She checked for a pulse. She found one, a very weak one. She peered at the face. It was a young man's very handsome face. His face was very peaceful, as if sleeping. Something inside Serena stirred at the sight. This man was very well built, very solid and strong. The man stirred and groaned. His eyes blinked open and Serena was mesmerized by glowing sapphires peering at her curiously. This man made a move to sit up, and struggled.
"Here." Serena helped this man stand up and sit in a kitchen chair.
"Thanks." He murmured, staring at her. He coughed and then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who are you and what's going on?"
Serena's mind racked for a suitable explanation, or at least a half-decent lie she could pull off. "Um, well, I was taking a walk, unusual for me, and I saw your windows, uh," Don't use exploding, Serena. She told herself, "breaking, and I heard a yell, so I came in and found you lying on the ground." Not bad. Not bad at all. Actually, it's very believable. she congratulated herself.
"Oh. Well, thank you from saving me from...from.what exactly did you save me from?" The young man was puzzled.
"I don't exactly know. But I'll get us out of here." Hopefully. She added silently.
The young man just sat with his head in his hands and quietly prayed. Sorry, man. A prayer won't help you out of this. Trust me, I tried it. Serena thought grimly. She stood and walked to the glass French doors that opened from the kitchen to the patio. She noticed the glass had been unbroken. Just as she touched the glass lightly, it exploded under her fingers into hundreds of shards. She turned from the doors and leaped, grabbing the man and shielding him from the flying glass daggers. She bit her lip and winced in pain as a few small pieces flew through her sweatshirt she was wearing and into her skin. Then, all of a sudden, silence. The glass stopped flying and everything was calm.
"Are you okay?" Serena asked hoarsely, ignoring the pinpoint pain throbbing all over her back.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just got grazed by a small piece on my arm, but that's okay. How about you? You saved my life!" The young man helped her stand.
Serena forced the smile. "I'm fine. A few pieces flew by, but my sweatshirt protected me. Nothing hit me. Let's get out of here, then I'll look at your arm." The young man smiled graciously. Serena looked around for a moment, searching for an already broken window. She spotted one, in the dining room.
"Okay, lets go." The young man followed her to the dining room. "Go through the window and into the street. If you see something, uh, unusual, go down the street until you find a man by the name of Angel and tell him what you think you saw and tell him to come and help me." Serena instructed firmly.
"But, what's." the man sputtered, confused.
"No time for questions. Go!" Serena commanded, pointing towards the window. The young man wasted no time and leaped through the window. She watched him stumble through the yard. It was her turn. She carefully hopped through the window and began to trot towards the street when an invisible force hit her side and sent her flying 20 feet. She landed awkwardly on her shoulder. Serena gritted her teeth and stood, facing her attacker. She saw the man on the street, yelling to her to get out of there, to run. She ignored him and scanned the front yard, searching for a moving shadow. The shadow hit her in the back this time and her face flew into the grass. She stood again. She would not be defeated. Suddenly, a car drove up containing Wesley and Gunn.
"Oh, thank GOD." Serena mumbled, and the shadow monster picked her up and threw her against a tree. She heard Wesley ramble some foreign, exotic words, words to a spell, and threw some shimmering dust into the air. The dust seemed to float in the air, and slowly moved toward the shadow thing in front of her, until it settled on it. Somehow, she knew that the thing was solid. Taking action, she kicked the face of the shadow that was coming toward her, and then punched it. For the first time, she heard the thing howl in pain. It sounded like a blend of a shriek and a bellow. She grabbed what she considered to be the things neck between her legs and began to twist, until she heard a satisfying pop. Exhausted she laid on the ground, gasping for breath. She felt the blood seeping into her sweatshirt, the jagged pieces of glass protruding from her skin. She felt a presence stand above her and she opened her eyes.
"Looks like I missed all the fun!" Angel commented, helping her up. She smiled weakly.
"Yeah, well, whatever you say." She grumbled. "Did you kill your shadow thing?" she asked.
"No. It got away, and I thought I would join the party." Angel shrugged. "We'll get it next time."
She suddenly remembered the young man, and turned towards the street. He stood there, looking bewildered. "I'll be right back." She told Angel, steadying herself using his arm, then walking toward the street.
The young man saw her coming. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.
"It's a long story." She told him truthfully. "I'm Serena." She stuck out her hand.
"Christian." He replied, shaking her hand gently. "You saved my life back there, twice, at least. How do I repay you?" he asked gratefully.
"You don't. It's my job." She informed him. "Don't worry about it." She turned and walked back to Angel. Wesley and Gunn joined them.
"Wes, I got some glass in my back from those exploding windows Cordy told us about." She said, wincing from the pinpoint pains all over her back. "I need you to dig them out."
"Who was that guy?" Angel asked, glancing over at Christian on the street.
"He was the guy in the house that needed saving." Serena told him.
Angel eyed Serena critically. "But, Serena, Cordy's vision had nothing about someone in the house."
Serena realized he was right.