Disclaimer: see chapter 1
"So how are your classes going?" Kirsty asked, looking at him from over her giant milkshake.
"Good, I guess," Connor said. "Though I could really do without math."
She grinned. "Oh yeah, I agree. I mean, if you need to add something up, use a calculator. Right?"
"Right," Connor said.
"So," Kirsty went on, "where'd you go last night?"
"Oh . my uncle wants me to stay with him for a bit," Connor said, biting into his sandwich and chewing. He swallowed. "Quality time, you know?"
"He lives in LA?"
"He's a private detective," Connor explained, on safe ground for a moment. "Works out of this hotel downtown. The hotel's empty, so there are lots of spare rooms and stuff. It's cool."
"A private detective." Kirsty considered this. "Wow."
Connor nodded. "It's a pretty good job. Not the safest, but exciting. Saving people ." he caught sight of her face, and finished quickly, "people's property, and stuff. You should come and meet the others, at some point. People d . my uncle works with. See the hotel."
"I'd like to," Kirsty said, dimpling a smile at him, and for a moment there was silence.
"Tell you what," Connor suggested, "how about tomorrow or the day after we go to a movie, after classes, and I'll show you the hotel after that?" He met her eyes. "I'd love to, if you want to."
Kirsty dropped her eyes to her milkshake. "Yeah. I would."
Connor found himself grinning like an idiot. Kirsty looked up again, and opened her mouth to say something - but she paused, and her eyes went wide. "What the . what is that?" she said, and Connor turned around.
The demon, wearing leather and clutching a club in large blue hands, roared.
"Get down!" Connor shouted, and swung himself off the bench, trying to whirl his bag round as he did so. The club thudded down and broke the seat in half. Connor edged around the table, keeping it between himself and the demon, and grabbed Kirsty's hand. "Come on, run," he said. "Run!"
Together, they raced across the lawn with the demon in pursuit. Connor dimly heard cries and shouts from around them, but ignored the noise and kept running, tugging Kirsty with him.
"We have to get inside," he panted. "Block a door."
Kirsty said nothing, her breath coming in short, gasped bursts. Connor dragged her up a flight of stairs and into the nearest building, trying three classroom doors before he found one that was open. He pushed his companion inside and dragged a table in front of the door to block it, and managed to haul another table on top of the first.
Kirsty was on the floor, clutching her legs to her chest. Connor pulled out his cellphone and dialled the number of the Hyperion, hoping that someone would be there.
"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless!" Cordelia's bright voice answered.
"Cordy, it's Connor. I need help. There's a big blue demon on campus, tried to attack me. Is Gunn there? I'm in a classroom in the main building."
"Yes. Hang on." He waited, listening to the sound of Cordelia calling for Gunn and telling him to move, and then she came back on the line. "He's on his way. What sort of demon?"
"Big and blue. With a club. Teeth. Mucky fingernails."
"Big and blue. Okay, Fred and I'll get on to looking it up. You okay?"
"For the moment."
"Hang in there, Connor," Cordelia said. "Gunn'll be with you as quick as he can."
Connor turned off his phone and went to sit next to Kirsty. "Kirsty?"
She turned a tear-streaked face to him. "What was that thing?"
"Demon," Connor said. "Someone's coming to deal with it. We just have to sit tight here." There was a scream from outside the corridor, and an alarming crunching noise. He got up and started looking for a weapon. "We'll be okay. Why don't you go and get under that desk over there ." He pointed, at the same time climbing up on another desk and starting to pull at the screen for the digital projector, which was hung on a long steel pole. "And stay quiet, if you can." He gritted his teeth, and pulled, and the screen came down with a clatter. For a moment, he dared not move, but there was no noise from outside, and he climbed down and began to pull the pole loose from the remains of the screen. In a short while he had a fairly decent weapon, and he waved it experimentally in the air, and waited.
There was another scream from the corridor, and the sound of running footsteps. Then, a growl, and a bang from a room a few doors down. Another bang, a bit closer. Another one, closer still. Connor gripped the pole and swallowed. Another bang, sounding as if it were next door to them, and then another one. The door to their hiding-place thudded. And again. Then there was silence, and Connor tried to hold his breath. Now the banging began once more, with a vengeance, the tables blocking the door shaking with each new assault. Connor glanced at Kirsty, and then turned his attention back to the door. The topmost table fell to the ground, and a blue fist came through the wood.
Connor waited. Another fist broke through, and started to tear the door to pieces, and in under five minutes the demon's face could be seen, streaked now with red. Connor braced himself, and as the demon came through the demolished door and towards him, he swung the pole back, and managed to land a cracking blow on the thing's head. The demon staggered, but did not fall, and approached again, raising its club for a retaliating blow. Connor raised the steel pole and aimed it at the demon's club-arm, missing and unbalancing himself, but in doing so missing the downward sweep of his opponent. He managed to stay upright, and tried again, with better luck. The pole met the demon's stomach, and the thing grunted heavily and for a moment looked dazed. Connor repeated his strike, and the demon went down. One more time, and its eyelids flickered closed.
Connor dropped the pole, panting heavily, and looked around for something heavy. In the corner there was a pile of dictionaries, and he picked up three of them and carefully dropped them on the demon's abdomen. There was an unpleasant splat, and the creature stopped moving.
He sank to his knees, and sat watching his felled opponent. In the corner, Kirsty was crying properly now.
Gunn arrived a quarter of an hour later, racing into the room wielding his favourite battle-axe; but he stopped when he saw Connor and the dead demon, and let the axe drop so its blade was touching the floor.
"You got it?"
"I think so," Connor said wearily. "At least, I hit it in the stomach, and it went down."
"Interesting!" said Gunn. "We ain't never had one that did that before. Fred'll be fascinated. You okay?"
"Fine. Kirsty's a bit shook up." Connor waved a hand at his friend, still cowering under her table.
"I reckon we should get both of you back to the hotel," Gunn said, "and take this thing with us. My girl will want to do somethin' with it, and Angel won't be impressed if I just let you go off back to class."
Connor nodded, and together he and Gunn rolled up the corpse of the demon in the projector screen. Speaking gently, the older man helped Kirsty up, and they made their way to the car.
"So how are your classes going?" Kirsty asked, looking at him from over her giant milkshake.
"Good, I guess," Connor said. "Though I could really do without math."
She grinned. "Oh yeah, I agree. I mean, if you need to add something up, use a calculator. Right?"
"Right," Connor said.
"So," Kirsty went on, "where'd you go last night?"
"Oh . my uncle wants me to stay with him for a bit," Connor said, biting into his sandwich and chewing. He swallowed. "Quality time, you know?"
"He lives in LA?"
"He's a private detective," Connor explained, on safe ground for a moment. "Works out of this hotel downtown. The hotel's empty, so there are lots of spare rooms and stuff. It's cool."
"A private detective." Kirsty considered this. "Wow."
Connor nodded. "It's a pretty good job. Not the safest, but exciting. Saving people ." he caught sight of her face, and finished quickly, "people's property, and stuff. You should come and meet the others, at some point. People d . my uncle works with. See the hotel."
"I'd like to," Kirsty said, dimpling a smile at him, and for a moment there was silence.
"Tell you what," Connor suggested, "how about tomorrow or the day after we go to a movie, after classes, and I'll show you the hotel after that?" He met her eyes. "I'd love to, if you want to."
Kirsty dropped her eyes to her milkshake. "Yeah. I would."
Connor found himself grinning like an idiot. Kirsty looked up again, and opened her mouth to say something - but she paused, and her eyes went wide. "What the . what is that?" she said, and Connor turned around.
The demon, wearing leather and clutching a club in large blue hands, roared.
"Get down!" Connor shouted, and swung himself off the bench, trying to whirl his bag round as he did so. The club thudded down and broke the seat in half. Connor edged around the table, keeping it between himself and the demon, and grabbed Kirsty's hand. "Come on, run," he said. "Run!"
Together, they raced across the lawn with the demon in pursuit. Connor dimly heard cries and shouts from around them, but ignored the noise and kept running, tugging Kirsty with him.
"We have to get inside," he panted. "Block a door."
Kirsty said nothing, her breath coming in short, gasped bursts. Connor dragged her up a flight of stairs and into the nearest building, trying three classroom doors before he found one that was open. He pushed his companion inside and dragged a table in front of the door to block it, and managed to haul another table on top of the first.
Kirsty was on the floor, clutching her legs to her chest. Connor pulled out his cellphone and dialled the number of the Hyperion, hoping that someone would be there.
"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless!" Cordelia's bright voice answered.
"Cordy, it's Connor. I need help. There's a big blue demon on campus, tried to attack me. Is Gunn there? I'm in a classroom in the main building."
"Yes. Hang on." He waited, listening to the sound of Cordelia calling for Gunn and telling him to move, and then she came back on the line. "He's on his way. What sort of demon?"
"Big and blue. With a club. Teeth. Mucky fingernails."
"Big and blue. Okay, Fred and I'll get on to looking it up. You okay?"
"For the moment."
"Hang in there, Connor," Cordelia said. "Gunn'll be with you as quick as he can."
Connor turned off his phone and went to sit next to Kirsty. "Kirsty?"
She turned a tear-streaked face to him. "What was that thing?"
"Demon," Connor said. "Someone's coming to deal with it. We just have to sit tight here." There was a scream from outside the corridor, and an alarming crunching noise. He got up and started looking for a weapon. "We'll be okay. Why don't you go and get under that desk over there ." He pointed, at the same time climbing up on another desk and starting to pull at the screen for the digital projector, which was hung on a long steel pole. "And stay quiet, if you can." He gritted his teeth, and pulled, and the screen came down with a clatter. For a moment, he dared not move, but there was no noise from outside, and he climbed down and began to pull the pole loose from the remains of the screen. In a short while he had a fairly decent weapon, and he waved it experimentally in the air, and waited.
There was another scream from the corridor, and the sound of running footsteps. Then, a growl, and a bang from a room a few doors down. Another bang, a bit closer. Another one, closer still. Connor gripped the pole and swallowed. Another bang, sounding as if it were next door to them, and then another one. The door to their hiding-place thudded. And again. Then there was silence, and Connor tried to hold his breath. Now the banging began once more, with a vengeance, the tables blocking the door shaking with each new assault. Connor glanced at Kirsty, and then turned his attention back to the door. The topmost table fell to the ground, and a blue fist came through the wood.
Connor waited. Another fist broke through, and started to tear the door to pieces, and in under five minutes the demon's face could be seen, streaked now with red. Connor braced himself, and as the demon came through the demolished door and towards him, he swung the pole back, and managed to land a cracking blow on the thing's head. The demon staggered, but did not fall, and approached again, raising its club for a retaliating blow. Connor raised the steel pole and aimed it at the demon's club-arm, missing and unbalancing himself, but in doing so missing the downward sweep of his opponent. He managed to stay upright, and tried again, with better luck. The pole met the demon's stomach, and the thing grunted heavily and for a moment looked dazed. Connor repeated his strike, and the demon went down. One more time, and its eyelids flickered closed.
Connor dropped the pole, panting heavily, and looked around for something heavy. In the corner there was a pile of dictionaries, and he picked up three of them and carefully dropped them on the demon's abdomen. There was an unpleasant splat, and the creature stopped moving.
He sank to his knees, and sat watching his felled opponent. In the corner, Kirsty was crying properly now.
Gunn arrived a quarter of an hour later, racing into the room wielding his favourite battle-axe; but he stopped when he saw Connor and the dead demon, and let the axe drop so its blade was touching the floor.
"You got it?"
"I think so," Connor said wearily. "At least, I hit it in the stomach, and it went down."
"Interesting!" said Gunn. "We ain't never had one that did that before. Fred'll be fascinated. You okay?"
"Fine. Kirsty's a bit shook up." Connor waved a hand at his friend, still cowering under her table.
"I reckon we should get both of you back to the hotel," Gunn said, "and take this thing with us. My girl will want to do somethin' with it, and Angel won't be impressed if I just let you go off back to class."
Connor nodded, and together he and Gunn rolled up the corpse of the demon in the projector screen. Speaking gently, the older man helped Kirsty up, and they made their way to the car.