Seeing Faith and her entourage burst through the main doors to the school, all but running through the hallway, Principal Wood wasted no time in leaving his office and meeting up with them. "Kennedy and Dawn," Faith asked before the Principal could say anything. "Where are they?"
Though he wanted to, the principal didn't waste time in asking what was going on, knowing if it was important enough for Faith, Spike, Xander, Andrew and, someone else, to be showing up in the middle of the day in a panic, he didn't need to delay them. "Second period American History with Mr. Watson, room 313." Not wasting any further time, Faith bolted down the hall, her four friends in tow, Wood now also following them.
On the way to the classroom, Robert began passing out weapons, a short sword to both Spike and Wood, a dagger to Xander and Andrew and finally drew his long sword in one hand and a Glock in the other. Faith reached behind her coat, to the small of her back, drawing her own dagger.
"What's going on?" Wood asked Andrew, the closest member of the group to him.
"Some ancient demon assassin things are after Faith, but first they kill everyone she cares about, so we think they're after Dawn and Kennedy," Andrew briefly stopped his explanation as a group of panicking students, not including Dawn and Kennedy, led by Mr. Watson ran through the hall.
"What's happening?" Wood asked, grabbing the teacher by the shirt.
"Some … something … some thing!" Was all Mr. Watson could manage before Wood let him go, running at full pace to catch up with Faith's group.
"One already tried to kill Xander and me," Andrew continued, thinking his story would impress the principal. "We engaged it in fierce mortal combat and after a long, tiring battle, emerged victorious."
"You locked it in the bloody apartment and ran away," Spike corrected before Wood could reply.
In the classroom, with the demon closing on them, Kennedy knew she only had seconds to react. Jumping and pushing Dawn out of its path, she grabbed a nearby yardstick and swung it like a sword at the hellish black creature. The creature did not waver as a result of her attempted defense, only pressed on. Landing the yardstick square in the chest of the demon, the wooden weapon shattered.
Pushing Dawn aside, the Tarical grabbed Kennedy with one hand, all but crushing her neck with its grip, holding her up against the chalkboard. The demon brought its other clawed hand perpendicular with Kennedy's neck as the young girl still struggled to get away but could do nothing but stare at the claws. Tiny tendrils emerged from the beast's claws, eight from each one, all of them moving, seemingly with a mind of its own. They punched through her clothes and then through her skin and different places across her body.
She could feel the tendrils moving about inside of her, spreading, expanding, and ripping through her. Kennedy closed her eyes and cried in pain. Then the pain stopped. Kennedy opened her eyes when the demon released her to see a dagger embedded in its skull and Faith, along with several others, standing at the door to the classroom. The demon snarled, pulling the dagger out and throwing it aside.
"Maybe you guys didn't get the memo," Faith coolly walked into the classroom, removing her dark blue denim jacket and tossing it aside on the floor. "But there's a new Slayer in town who doesn't appreciate having contracts out on her head." Spike and Robert entered behind her, their weapons at the ready.
"And her friends are a lot better at staying alive than yours," Spike's face changed again to its true form as he spun the sword around in his fingers, anticipating the battle.
Wasting no time to lick its wounds, the Talicar charged at Faith. Robert tossed her his sword as she assumed a defensive stance. The demon slashed madly with its claws, Faith jumping out of the way or parrying each attack with near effortless skill. The Slayer popped into a spinning kick, hitting the Talicar in the end, sending it careening into the hard tile floor.
Faith wasted no time. She flipped the sword around in her hand and stabbed it into the demon's back. It let out a cry of pain but did not yield. Before she could remove the weapon, the Talicar kicked, sending her flying into a chalkboard on the adjacent wall. It pulled the sword from its back and tossed the weapon at the temporarily stunned Slayer. Faith recovered quickly and with the blade of the sword and inch from her head, closed her hands around the blade, catching it. As the demon charged towards her, she readied the weapon.
Making a diagonal slash with the blade, she cut the demon from shoulder to thigh, causing it to fall back. Jumping into a scissor kick, the Slayer landed three blows on its face, again causing the demon the move backwards, slightly stunned by her attacks. Faith swung the sword again, aiming to cut the demon in the stomach but this time it was prepared. The Talicar grabbed her arm, twisting it backward and punching her in the face with its other hand. Faith slid across the floor, her head impacting against the hard concrete classroom walls.
Robert started to run to help the Slayer but Wood put an arm out in front of him. "Wait, she can handle it," he reassured him.
The Talicar leapt at Faith, flying through the air, its claws aimed to gut the Slayer. She reacted quickly, bringing the sword up and stabbing it through the stomach while in midair. The demon gasped for air, falling to its knees with the sudden blow of the sword severely weakening it. Faith stood, now more resolute to win this battle and feeling stronger. She delivered a ferocious right cross followed immediately by an equally powerful left hook and a single kick to the demons face.
Faith pressed on. Hitting the demon with an uppercut, a spinning kick and eight more quick punches to its head, a final leaping kick sending it sailing across the classroom, close to the position it was first in when she entered the room, Robert's sword still stuck in its stomach. Faith slowly slid towards it, a predator ready to finish its wounded prey. She reached down, picking up her dagger off the floor.
The Talicar attempted to stand but Faith knocked its legs out from under it before hitting with her left elbow and fist all in a quick motion. With her free hand, she pulled the sword from the demon's stomach and jammed it through one leg, effectively immobilizing it. Faith crouched down, looking him in the eye, seeing nothing. No hate, no fear, just evil. She jammed her dagger through the same eye and watched the light fade from the other before pulling both weapons from the lifeless corpse. She sheathed her dagger and tossed the sword back to Robert.
"Two down." Looking solely at Robert and Spike, the Slayer issued a proclamation. "This ends tonight."
"Count me in," Robert was quick to answer. Faith saw pure hatred burning inside of him, knowing he had deeper reasons for wanting these demons dead. There would be another time for her to find those out.
"I'm with you too Slayer," though Spike seemed more hesitant, Faith did not doubt his support. "For better or worse."
Wood pushed his way through the three of them, bending down next to and examining Kennedy. "I don't think it's too bad but we should get her to the hospital.
"I'm fine," Kennedy protested though she struggled to get to her feet, the small wounds the demon's tendrils had made in her hurting a great deal.
"Just to be on the safe side."
"Xander, Andrew," Faith began handing out assignments, reminding both of them all too much of Buffy. "You two go with her to the hospital, if one of those things shows up."
"We'll run and find you," Andrew's suggestion surprised no one.
"Good answer."
"Dawn and I will go with her too, I'll have school shut down early for the day so we can get this mess taken care of," Wood exercised near complete control over the situation and of his own emotions, worrying for the safety of the two girls. Faith, Spike and apparently Robert could handle themselves and though Dawn and Kennedy especially had been well taught and trained; they lacked a certain strength and experience.
"Thanks Principal Wood," Dawn was still shaken by hers and Kennedy's all too close brush with death. She knew though that she had to be strong. It wasn't the first time she'd had an experience like this after all. The only difference was, Buffy wasn't here this time and she knew she had to stop thinking of Faith as Buffy.
Believing the principal had the situation under control; Faith took Spike and Robert out in the hallway, telling Xander and Andrew to stay with Wood and the two girls. "Spike, I need you and Robert to find wherever these things are hiding. They'll probably be regrouping now that two of them are dead."
"Rethinking their strategies," Robert added to her theory.
"If Spike is right and they usually travel in packs of four, we have the advantage. We need to use it to take these things out before they try to hurt anyone else." She looked into the room, seeing Xander and Principal Wood helping Kennedy to her feet and a concerned Dawn standing behind them. She realized she had something she needed to do while they looked for the demons. "I'm going to go with Kennedy, just until the two of you find where they're hiding. If one of those things attacks, I don't know if any of them can fight it off."
"We'll contact you as soon as we've found them." Robert finished replacing his weapons in their concealed places beneath his black leather trench coat.
Seeing Kennedy, wounded, walking towards the door only with help from the two men underneath her arms, Faith became enraged. "Hurry," was her final instruction as she walked back into the classroom, telling Wood she'd be going with them.
"Well where do we start?" Robert put the ball in Spike's court.
"Same place where you went to find me," Spike suggested with a shrug. It was as good of a place to start as any.
***
Faith was relieved. The emergency room doctors had told her that Kennedy's injuries were minor and she would make a relatively quick full recovery. Faith had spent a few minutes by her side. Trying to be comforting wasn't exactly something she was great at, probably because so few people had been there to comfort her whenever she needed someone during her life. With Kennedy now resting, the Slayer sat in the hallway outside her room in a rather uncomfortable chair.
She glanced at her watch. It had been over two hours since Robert and Spike had left. Surely she should have heard from them by now. One thing Faith hated was not knowing what was going on. The Slayer didn't allow herself to consider the possibility that they had gotten themselves killed. She knew they could manage themselves but still could not help but worry.
"Mind if I sit down," Dawn's voice pulled Faith away from her thoughts.
"Free country," the Slayer's answer was cold as she gestured to the chair beside hers.
"Why are you here Faith?" Dawn dispensed with any small talk and skipped straight to the point. When Faith gave her a quizzical look, the young lady explained further. "Why are you here at the hospital when you should be out there with looking for these things with Spike and Robert?"
"Isn't this what B would be doing?" Faith admitted the real reason. Though she was worried about the possibility of the Talicar demons attacking the hospital, being there for and showing concern for Kennedy's wellbeing just seemed like what Buffy would be doing if she were here, before going out looking for the remaining attackers.
"Probably," when Dawn made that admission, Faith thought the conversation was over. "But you're not Buffy," Dawn pointed out the obvious before going into a further explanation. "I think it's taken me a while to realize that to but you're not my sister." Faith was unsure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. "You're more like my bad girl older cousin," Dawn's perky voice brought a smile to Faith's face. "And you need to stop putting yourself in Buffy's shoes."
Faith could not argue the fact that Dawn was right, to a degree. How could she avoid putting herself in Buffy's shoes when she was leading Buffy's life? "You're right Dawn," she conceded to avoid any further debate, knowing that Dawn wouldn't stop before Faith admitted defeat. She stood, collecting her jacket another nearby chair. "I'd better get going."
"Don't get going too far," Spike's voice echoed down the narrow hospital corridor. The vampire and Robert approached Faith and Dawn, confidence and purpose in their step.
"You found them?" Faith already knew the answer but wanted them to give her the information.
"Taking a page from my book," Spike seemed to almost be pouting. "You'd think they could come up with something original."
Faith looked away from him and to Robert. "Translation?"
"The last two Talicar demons are hold up in an abandoned factory on the edge of town. We can make it there in about ten minutes, if the stop lights cooperate."
Faith nodded her agreement with the plan and turned towards Dawn. "You up for it?" For a reason she couldn't quite understand, Faith trusted Dawn to watch her back and it went along with Dawn's theory of stepping out of Buffy's shoes, knowing B would have already told her sister she was staying at the hospital. Dawn did not answer, merely stood and followed the others out of the hospital, to Robert's waiting car.
***
From underneath the cover of an old loading dock, the group watched through a dirty window as the two remaining demon mulled about the factory. It was obvious that they were not pleased by the disruption in their plans caused by the deaths of their two fellow demons. Speaking in a primitive series of grunts, growls and gestures, the remaining Talicars were obviously debating how best to go about finishing their job without getting themselves killed. Or, as Dawn pointed out, they could have been discussing the fastest way out of town.
Either way, Faith was determined that they would not live long enough to put any more plans into motion. The Slayer handed two hand axes to Dawn before drawing her own dagger. Spike wielded Robert's pair of short swords while the demon hunter readied one of his Glock handguns and his long sword. All were ready for the fight.
"All right," Faith backed away from the window, prepared to lay down the plan. "Dawn and I will go in through the opposite side," they had all seen the location of the other door from the car on the way in; it was immediately adjacent to the loading dock. "Robert, Spike, you two go in here, get the demons distracted. Dawn and I will take them from behind and we'll split them up. Robert and I take one; Spike and Dawn take the other." Once she was sure everyone was clear, Faith and Dawn began circling the building, making for the other entrance.
"You ready for this?" Robert placed a fresh magazine for pistol in his hand so he could easily reload his pistol when all the ammo from his current magazine was spent.
Spike, growing very used to Robert's short swords, spun both around in a very showy maneuver as his face changed to its vampire form. Though it had been alarming to him at first, seeing the vampire in this manner no longer bothered him. Quite the contrary, it made him realize Spike was serious about what was about to happen. "Let's get it done hunter."
Working in unison, the two kicked in an access door, immediately drawing the attention of the two Talicar demons. As they charged towards him and Spike, Robert opened fire, dividing his sixteen rounds between the two, dropping his magazine and reloading by the time they entered melee range, the demons not noticeably slowed by the hot bullets tearing through their bodies.
Spike charged into battle, ducking under the swinging claws of one Talicar, darting to its ride and ramming both blades into the demon's side. He pulled them out and, taking full advantage of his vampire speed, Spike pulled the blades from its sides, spinning them into a ready position and cutting the demon down its back.
While Spike was engaged in battle, Robert also went to work. Firing two more shots into the closest demon, he dropped to the floor. Sliding on the old concrete, he went between the demon's legs, sprung to his feet and sliced with his sword from the bottom of the demon to the top, finally firing three more rounds into its head before the Talicar turned to face him. The first blow from the demon knocked the gun from his hand; the second knocked him to the ground.
Robert was quickly back on his feet. He swung twice at the demon with his sword, each attack being dodged, before he spun around, jamming the blade into the creature's thigh. He pulled the blade out as the demon kicked him in the chest, sending him into a support beam, a small pile of dust falling from the ceiling when he hit.
On Spike's front, the demon had also gone on the offensive. Turning around after the vampire had cut its back, the demon grabbed Spike by the shoulders and rammed its head into his. Spike dropped backwards, momentarily stunned while the demon pressed on. It successively slammed both of its fists into the vampire's stomach before grasping his hands together into one fist and hitting Spike on the top of the head, sending the vampire to his knees.
The demon closed in on Spike, its claws nearing the vampire's throat but he was determined not to die this day. Summoning his strength, Spike jammed a sword through each of the demon's hand and jumped into a spinning kick, striking it in the chest. The vampire retrieved the swords and lunged forward, spinning madly and slashing with each spin, cutting the demon across its arms, legs, chest and stomach.
Raising one of its arms to block Spike's quickly spinning blades, the Talicar grabbed one of his wrists and twisted the vampire's arm, sending him spinning to the floor. Spike attempted to recover but was kicked in stomach and punched in the side of his head. The demon stood above Spike, stamping its foot down on the vampire's ribs, preventing him from getting up.
Robert kicked the demon in the knees as it charged him, causing its legs to buckle. The demon hunter was back on his feet in seconds. He stabbed at the Talicar with his sword, the creature parrying with his claws. With Robert continuing his attack, the demon flipped backwards, kicking Robert in doing so, knocking him to the ground.
The demon ran towards him, slamming an elbow across his face, preventing him from getting back up. Holding him to the ground, the demon slammed a pair of claws through his shoulder. With Robert effectively immobilized, the Talicar held its other pair of claws above his neck, tendrils shooting out from each, closing in on Robert's skin.
A hand grabbed the demon's clawed hand from behind, twisting it behind its back. Faith smiled as the Talicar turned its head and looked at her. Not wasting time with witty banter, she delivered a strong punch to its face and then pulled him away from Robert. The Slayer drew her dagger as Robert struggled back to his feet, his strength already returning.
The Talicar slashed at Faith madly with its claws, the Slayer parrying each slash with her dagger, taking every opportunity she had to cut or stab the demon in its arms, slowing down the whirlwind claw attack. As the attacks slowed, due to the quick wounds Faith inflicted on the demon, the Slayer attacked. She spun at the demon, stabbing it multiple times in the upper leg, stomach and chest.
In a last ditch defense, the demon drug its claws down Faith's back, ripping her jacket and red sleeveless top. She kicked the demon the chest. "This was my favorite jacket!" The Slayer landed a series of jabs, hooks, crosses and uppercuts on the demon's head before delivering the deathblow. She jumped, spinning in mid-air, extending the dagger and slicing through the demon's neck, its head rolling to the ground.
Spike, using all the strength he had remaining, kept the Talicar's claws at a safe distance, safe until the tendrils emerged from their tips. Spike struggled but the strength and the weight of the demon were too much for him to overcome. Just as Spike was prepared to embrace the end, a hand axe blade sliced through the tendrils.
Dawn ran up from behind the demon, driving one axe into its side and the other into its neck. She was able to pull them out by the time the creature had gotten off of Spike and was attack her. Dawn jumped, dodged and ducked out of the way of the creature's swinging claws but could not work in an attack of her own, the Talicar demon moved too quickly.
"Hey ugly," Spike, now standing with his weapons at the ready yelled from behind the demon. "Why waste your time with the soddin' appetizer when you can have the main course?" The Talicar turned away from Dawn and slowly advanced on Spike. "Yeah, come on," Spike continued to spin the swords. "Come get a taste of what a real big bad can do." Spike gave a ferocious vampire growl, charging forward. The demon attacked with its claws; Spike knocked them out of the way with the swords, slicing off both of the demon's arms. The vampire then jammed both blades into his stomach and again into his chest.
Spike backed down as the critically wounded demon began to slump to its knees. From behind it, a hand axe flew through the air, embedding into the Talicar's skull. The demonic light from its eyes faded as the demon fell, face first, to the ground.
"Not bad little bit," Spike walked closer to Dawn, his face returning to its human form as he pulled a cigarette from his coat and lit it. "Not bad at all."
"Not too bad yourself Spike," Faith wore a smile on her face as she and Robert approached. "You either Robert," she looked for the first time at the wound on his shoulder where the demon had rammed its claws through. "You all right," the Slayer softly ran her hand across the wound, noticing it felt almost completely healed.
"Fine," he said, taking her hand in his and guiding it away from the wound. "Not as bad as it looks."
"Guess not," Faith was slightly suspicious but let it go, for now.
"Well," Dawn looked around the factory, verifying there weren't anymore demons present. "All demons are dead and all of us are still alive, I think the correct thing to do in this situation is part." Faith smiled, putting her arm around Dawn as the four began walking out of the factory.
"I think the correct thing is for us to party and you to do homework," Faith corrected her, again sounding too much like Buffy for Dawns taste. The sun set as the four left the factory, talking and joking amongst themselves. From the shadows, a pair of eyes watched, not blinking or wavering.
In the darkness, as the door to the factory closed, the owner of the eyes laughed. "You think you have won Slayer. This was just beginning. You have no idea what awaits you."