1 Lily, the Vampire Slayer
A/N: Waaaaaaaaahhh!!!! I just saw some vidcaps of the last ep of X-Men: Evo and I just had to cry!!! Yay! 'Cause Remy or Gambit, was there!!! And he and Rogue had this scene and oooooohhh!!!! *floating in air and dreamy sigh* but Waah! They drew him all wrong. His hair was the wrong color, it was kinda sandy blonde and the original Remy had reddish hair! And his trademark red-on-black eyes were the wrong color. They were normal brown, I think. *WaaaaaaaaaH!* And he kinda looked like Eduardo from Extreme Ghostbusters! Extreme sadness. I guess that's why this is kinda sad.
On with the story.
Chapter Nine
"This vampire you speak of, may I ask its name?" Samantha inquired.
They were in Sammy's little cottage and they had left the boys in the living room, talking to Sammy's Wiccan grandmother.
They were in a small room, a sort of altar, where a thick volume stood on a stand in the middle of the room, garlands surrounding it. There was a cabinet that nearly covered one side of the room, which was where Samantha was, rummaging through its contents.
"Ezekiel," she stated.
"All right then," Samantha emerged from the cabinet, carrying an armload of little bottles.
"Oooh, let me help with that," she approached Samantha, arms held out.
Samantha dropped a few bottles into her arms as she walked up to the book. She set a few vials on the stand and held out her hands, palms down, over the book.
She closed her eyes and murmured, "Find me the demon I am searching for, find me the vampire Ezekiel."
She concentrated for a moment and Lily watched in curious amazement as the pages of the book flipped open and continued its task for a few seconds before halting on a particular page.
"That was wicked," Lily praised then peered at the writings on the book. It was all in Latin. "Okay, I don't think I'll understand that."
Samantha scanned the page and nodded to herself.
"Whatcha readin' anyway?"
"A spell. It is the spell to strip the vampire of its powers."
"'Kay."
"The spell will create a dome of power around the creature and the vampire's warlock power to be absorbed into the dome, rendering it a normal vampire."
Lily nodded slowly and replied, as if speaking to a child, stretching every syllable, "I already know that. That's why I need you to cast it."
"It also states that any being with supernatural powers or skills will, too, be rendered powerless, or be returned to their normal state. Do you understand, Slayer?"
Samantha stared at her, waiting for her decision.
"I don't think I understand."
"The spell will, too, cause you to return to your original state, a human, a witch. Your Slayer strength and skills-your abilities-will be completely stripped from your being."
"So, if I go in this dome and face the vamp, I'll be battling him as a human and a witch and he'll be a vampire?" she asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, that is exactly what it means, Slayer," Samantha said, seriously. "Are you willing to take the risk?"
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, trying to come up with a decision.
"I'll take it. Ain't gonna be a Slayer if I don't take no risks. I'll do it."
Samantha nodded gravely. "All right. Shall we?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go. Where're the guys anyway?"
************************************************************** ***********************
The four fifteen-year olds sat before Samantha's grandmother, going through the third-degree.
Well, they weren't exactly talking, she
Samantha's grandmother was a white-haired royal-looking woman who seemed to know everything. Well, duh!, she was a psychic and could read minds. No surprise there.
"Ooooooh! She's like Trelawney! Except better!" Sirius was amazed after she repeated every prank he had pulled in the past year in perfect order. "Tell me, something else!" he pleaded.
She smiled and examined him. "There is a particular person who is constantly on your mind."
"I wonder who that is, hmmm, Sirius?" Remus teased.
"I see a girl, with long blonde hair and jade eyes. I see a star constellation, Cassiopeia."
Remus, James and Peter burst out laughing while Sirius pouted.
"I do not think of her that much!" he protested.
"You mutter her name in your sleep," Remus patted him on the shoulder.
"Well, let's see who you think about!" He pushed Remus towards Sam's grandma. "Read his mind, pleeeeeease!"
"All right, no need to yell," Samantha's granny smiled good-naturedly. Then she focused her attention on Remus. "You are a werewolf, are you not?"
Remus sadly sighed and nodded.
"What I see is your older version, with a little child. A girl. With dark blonde hair playing with you. She, too, is a wolf. I see happiness."
Remus gave her a questioning look while James asked, "Who's this little girl?"
"Probably his daughter," Sirius and Peter piped up simultaneously.
"They are correct."
"Oooh!" Sirius said happily. "Do I get a cookie?"
She chuckled and nodded. "I shall go and fetch them."
She raised her arm and pointed at the kitchen. The kitchen door opened and from it came a plateful of homemade cookies. The platter floated towards them and settled itself on the living room table.
Sirius and Peter avariciously scrambled out of their seats and grabbed a handful of cookies. James stared at them, then shrugged his shoulders, grabbing a cookie before the two pigs before him finished it all up.
Remus remained seated, carefully digesting the information Christine Parker had just given him.
He had a family, a child. Happiness. Something he had craved for for so long. A wistful smile plastered itself on his face as he thought of what it might feel like to have a family. A wife, someone had actually accepted him and a child a little girl.
Sirius stared at Remus, waving a hand in front of the werewolf, not getting a response, he made a face and turned to Christine.
"Who's Moony's wife?" he asked, mouth filled with bits of pastry.
The old Wiccan stared at him and blinked a few times, as if coming out of a trance. "Pardon?"
"Who's Moony's wife?" James repeated for her, interested.
"Oooh! Oooh! I know! I know!" Sirius waved his and in the air and without waiting for anyone to acknowledge it, he continued, "It's Katherine Banks! That girl from Ravenclaw! She has blonde hair!"
Peter made a face. "You just can't go on saying every blonde's probably gonna marry Moony! You're making an asinine assumption! She could be anyone!"
"Oh, yeah? Says who?" Sirius challenged, facing Wormtail.
"Every logical person in the world!" he responded, matching Sirius, glare for glare.
James, fed up of their constant arguing cut in, "Quit it, you two! It's up to Moony if he wants to know!"
The other Marauders directed their attention towards Moony and simultaneously asked, "So, do you?"
Remus came out of his trance. "Excuse me?" he asked, confused.
"Do you want to know who you're marrying?" Sirius crawled next to him.
"Who's who marryin'?"
They all turned to see the Slayer and Wiccan, standing by the doorframe, carrying armloads of tiny bottles.
"Well, ya ain't answered me yet. Who's marryin' who?" she repeated impatiently.
"Remy!" Sirius danced around the room.
"Now? He's only about fifteen," Lily said bluntly.
"Sammy's granny said he would someday."
"Yeah, that could be tomorrow or ten years from now, so stop livin' on it," she carefully placed the bottles in her duffel. "So, you guys stayin' here or you comin'?"
"Where are you going?" James inquired.
"Out. Slaying," came the frank reply.
"Ooooh! I'm coming!" Sirius piped up, pulling Remus' arm. "Let's go Remy!"
"Same here with me and Petey," James added.
Lily gave them a serious look. "This ain't no game, y'know. You guys get hurt, not my fault. Okay?"
They considered her admonition for a while, then shrugged. "Alright."
"Fine."
The Slayer thanked Christine for her hospitality and left with Samantha and the Marauders in tow, brooding on her chances against a vampire as a normal human, her chances of survival.
**************************************************************************** *********
"So, this gonna take long? Not that I'm rushin' you at all," the Slayer asked of the Wiccan as she removed a few stakes from her bag, shoving a couple of them into her back pocket and one in her sleeve.
She hefted the weight of the axe strapped behind her, wondering if she'll be able to carry it once Samantha's spell would be cast.
Samantha stared at her from where she was, mortar and pestle perched on a sepulcher as she ground a few items together in preparation for the spell. "I shan't cast the spell just yet. I am only preparing the items."
"Oh, right, my bad."
She stared at the Athame in her hand and shoved it in her boot, deciding to train for a bit, knowing that even though her strength was gone, she'd still know all the moves she had been taught, though she wouldn't have much power behind her attacks.
She approached the nearest tombstone and placed her hands on it. She cleared her mind of every thought, which was exceptionally hard since Sirius was annoying Samantha and James, Remus and Peter were speaking in loud tones, but she managed to block them out.
She inhaled deeply and lifted her body off the ground, executing a perfect handstand. One of the little concentration techniques that Ernie had taught her. Clear your mind, only the thought of breathing eminent, center the body and soul with her inner Slayer.
Separate the Slayer from her own being.
But she could never do that. If she divided the two of them, she'd only feel pain. There was nothing left of Lily Evans but pain. Lily Evans was now just an empty core who only felt pain and turmoil.
The Slayer part of herself was her protection. The thing that kept all the memories from reappearing, the one that gave her a sense of protection. The one that made her unsusceptible to feeling.
So, that was why she failed at this exercise. Because there was nothing in Lily Evans anymore. Only the Slayer was left.
And she fell.
She opened her eyes and slammed her fists onto the ground beneath her.
She heard footsteps approaching.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine."
Remus held out a hand and helped her up.
"She done?" Lily looked pointedly at Samantha.
"Almost."
"Good."
**************************************************************************** *********
She looked at her watch. 12:05.
ShowTime.
She looked at the ground before her. A perfect pentagram surrounded by a circle was etched onto the grass, the different elements stood on the star's points.
One side pointed to the river, another to the woods, another to the cemetery, the other to a bonfire that they had started and the last to a clear part of the forest.
Water, earth, spirit, fire and wind.
Right, everything was in place, except for the most essential one.
The bad guy.
Well, that they'd have to wait out. It did say it was coming back, right? What was she thinking? Vampires didn't have a very good record when it came to keeping their promises.
She stood up and headed towards town.
"And where do you think you are going?"
She turned and smiled. "I just thought ya'll wouldn't show up, and oh, gollee gee, I see you've brought your mindless sheep with ya."
Ezekiel gave her a cocky grin. "Let us see if you are worthy."
"Hello, newsflash! I almost dusted you and would've succeeded to sending you back to hell if you hadn't kept the fact that you were a warlock from me."
"Almost. The best Slayers can sense that I wasn't normal. Why couldn't you?"
She gritted her teeth. "Guess I left my freak detector back home."
He chuckled and his minions attacked.
Five of them and one of her. She liked them odds.
She whipped out her stake and impaled one as it clumsily charged at her. She grabbed one vamps arm, evaded his blow, twisted its arm and kicked another approaching vamp. She watched in morbid satisfaction as Samantha burned the other two with her power.
She staked the one whose arm she had broken and turned to the one on the ground. It stood up and she banged heads with it, causing it to stagger. She aimed punch after punch on its ugly face and quickly staked it.
She then turned to Ezekiel. "That the best ya could do?"
He growled and transformed. He expertly tackled her and they fell to the ground, him above her.
"We gotta stop meeting like this," she grunted, as she bent her feet and kicked him off of her.
She quickly got up and ran towards him. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. Then, she made her big mistake. She turned towards Samantha and shouted, "Start chanting!"
That was when Zeke grabbed her slender arm and squeezed, hard. She cried out as she felt a few bones crack and felt his nails scratch her, giving her scars. She was forced to let go of his throat. He turned her around and, still holding her hand, forced her to the ground, slamming her forehead repeatedly on the earth.
This infuriated her. She retaliated by ramming the back of her head back into his face, cruelly. He let go of her arm and she quickly kicked him under his jaw, causing his head to snap back with a sickening crack. She concentrated on Zeke but managed to hear Samantha in the background.
"Artemis, lady of the moon, mistress of the hunt, domina luna, domina verona…"
She grabbed him from behind and threw him into the circle. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best.
When she opened them she saw Zeke swiftly end down and attempt to sweep her off her feet. She jumped up, completely missing his attack, then extended her right leg, smashing it into his face. She looked at his bloodied face and smirked. She heard the last line of Samantha's spell.
"Necto sua animae contra acerbus, contra malum!"
She felt all of her strength drain from her as a shield-like dome encircled her and Zeke, the ends of the dome hovering over the circle of the pentagram. The five elements seemed to rotate around the shield, like a tornado, mixing itself into a cornucopia of colors.
She stared as a red-colored essence lingered over Ezekiel, seemingly draining him of something. She dazily looked beyond the area of the circle, towards the people who had arrived with her. Four out of five of them were gaping at her.
She stared at her hands and found that a bluish aura had surrounded her. She felt weaker by the second as she saw the almost healing scars on one arm cease to heal themselves and she felt a pounding migraine.
She turned her back on Zeke and clutch her head in pain. Must've happened when she rammed heads with Zeke or when he slammed her forehead to the ground. Maybe it was due to both.
She would never know.
And she never sensed Zeke's attack coming as he tackled her to the ground once more. Her eyes widened as she realized how quick vampires were compared to normal humans. She lost focus on Zeke's face as she felt pain in her back, realizing that she must have landed on some rocks.
She raised an arm, punching him but to no avail. She gave him all that she had left, blow after blow, managing to damage his face even more.
And all she got was a laugh from him. "Pitiful. Did you know the risks that you had to take? I'm sure your witch companion must have told you."
He batted her tired fists away.
"Well, I gave it my best shot, didn't I?" She spat in his face.
He growled and slashed her collar. His eyes widened at the sight of her crucifix. "That little trinket isn't supposed to scare me, now, was it?"
She was too tired and too beaten to reply.
He grabbed the necklace by the chain and pulled, breaking it in the process. He threw it aside and grinned. "It has been a long time since I have tasted a Slayer."
Her eyes widened as he roughly cupped her face with his decaying hands. He savagely drew her head up and banged it onto the ground. She grimaced when her head hit a particularly coarse rock, but she refused to shout out in pain. At least he wouldn't have that. She'd still have her pride.
She'd die like the good little soldier she was. Trained and sent out by the Council like a common recruit. Well, she'd prove them wrong. She'd die with honor. Her eyes threatened to roll back as she desperately tried to keep herself from the warm and soothing promises of unconsciousness, wanting to be supraliminal when the vampire finished her off.
Death wouldn't be so bad. At least she would be with her parents, the people who loved her. The hurt and pain would disappear and she'd never have to face rejection and the hate would disappear. And she wouldn't need to fight this never-ending battle between good and evil.
A battle that she would and could never win.
There would be one vamp out there that would be lucky enough to kill a Slayer.
Her luck just ran out and it turned out to be this vampire and she would have to be the Slayer.
Well, if she did survive this battle, there would still be another vampire or demon out there and maybe she wouldn't be so lucky the next time.
So, if she had to choose, she would rather die like this. At least she had an excuse.
She was human now.
"I will enjoy this, Slayer."
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Hers was defiant and wouldn't back down. His was hunger, rage and pure evil. It was a bit of a stare down. He broke it.
And then he bore down on her.
**************************************************************************** **********
A/N: Hahahaha!!! Evil cliffie!!!! Please review!!! I'm being nice and posting this even though I ain't got no more time!!!
A/N: Waaaaaaaaahhh!!!! I just saw some vidcaps of the last ep of X-Men: Evo and I just had to cry!!! Yay! 'Cause Remy or Gambit, was there!!! And he and Rogue had this scene and oooooohhh!!!! *floating in air and dreamy sigh* but Waah! They drew him all wrong. His hair was the wrong color, it was kinda sandy blonde and the original Remy had reddish hair! And his trademark red-on-black eyes were the wrong color. They were normal brown, I think. *WaaaaaaaaaH!* And he kinda looked like Eduardo from Extreme Ghostbusters! Extreme sadness. I guess that's why this is kinda sad.
On with the story.
Chapter Nine
"This vampire you speak of, may I ask its name?" Samantha inquired.
They were in Sammy's little cottage and they had left the boys in the living room, talking to Sammy's Wiccan grandmother.
They were in a small room, a sort of altar, where a thick volume stood on a stand in the middle of the room, garlands surrounding it. There was a cabinet that nearly covered one side of the room, which was where Samantha was, rummaging through its contents.
"Ezekiel," she stated.
"All right then," Samantha emerged from the cabinet, carrying an armload of little bottles.
"Oooh, let me help with that," she approached Samantha, arms held out.
Samantha dropped a few bottles into her arms as she walked up to the book. She set a few vials on the stand and held out her hands, palms down, over the book.
She closed her eyes and murmured, "Find me the demon I am searching for, find me the vampire Ezekiel."
She concentrated for a moment and Lily watched in curious amazement as the pages of the book flipped open and continued its task for a few seconds before halting on a particular page.
"That was wicked," Lily praised then peered at the writings on the book. It was all in Latin. "Okay, I don't think I'll understand that."
Samantha scanned the page and nodded to herself.
"Whatcha readin' anyway?"
"A spell. It is the spell to strip the vampire of its powers."
"'Kay."
"The spell will create a dome of power around the creature and the vampire's warlock power to be absorbed into the dome, rendering it a normal vampire."
Lily nodded slowly and replied, as if speaking to a child, stretching every syllable, "I already know that. That's why I need you to cast it."
"It also states that any being with supernatural powers or skills will, too, be rendered powerless, or be returned to their normal state. Do you understand, Slayer?"
Samantha stared at her, waiting for her decision.
"I don't think I understand."
"The spell will, too, cause you to return to your original state, a human, a witch. Your Slayer strength and skills-your abilities-will be completely stripped from your being."
"So, if I go in this dome and face the vamp, I'll be battling him as a human and a witch and he'll be a vampire?" she asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, that is exactly what it means, Slayer," Samantha said, seriously. "Are you willing to take the risk?"
She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, trying to come up with a decision.
"I'll take it. Ain't gonna be a Slayer if I don't take no risks. I'll do it."
Samantha nodded gravely. "All right. Shall we?"
"Yeah, I'm ready. Let's go. Where're the guys anyway?"
************************************************************** ***********************
The four fifteen-year olds sat before Samantha's grandmother, going through the third-degree.
Well, they weren't exactly talking, she
Samantha's grandmother was a white-haired royal-looking woman who seemed to know everything. Well, duh!, she was a psychic and could read minds. No surprise there.
"Ooooooh! She's like Trelawney! Except better!" Sirius was amazed after she repeated every prank he had pulled in the past year in perfect order. "Tell me, something else!" he pleaded.
She smiled and examined him. "There is a particular person who is constantly on your mind."
"I wonder who that is, hmmm, Sirius?" Remus teased.
"I see a girl, with long blonde hair and jade eyes. I see a star constellation, Cassiopeia."
Remus, James and Peter burst out laughing while Sirius pouted.
"I do not think of her that much!" he protested.
"You mutter her name in your sleep," Remus patted him on the shoulder.
"Well, let's see who you think about!" He pushed Remus towards Sam's grandma. "Read his mind, pleeeeeease!"
"All right, no need to yell," Samantha's granny smiled good-naturedly. Then she focused her attention on Remus. "You are a werewolf, are you not?"
Remus sadly sighed and nodded.
"What I see is your older version, with a little child. A girl. With dark blonde hair playing with you. She, too, is a wolf. I see happiness."
Remus gave her a questioning look while James asked, "Who's this little girl?"
"Probably his daughter," Sirius and Peter piped up simultaneously.
"They are correct."
"Oooh!" Sirius said happily. "Do I get a cookie?"
She chuckled and nodded. "I shall go and fetch them."
She raised her arm and pointed at the kitchen. The kitchen door opened and from it came a plateful of homemade cookies. The platter floated towards them and settled itself on the living room table.
Sirius and Peter avariciously scrambled out of their seats and grabbed a handful of cookies. James stared at them, then shrugged his shoulders, grabbing a cookie before the two pigs before him finished it all up.
Remus remained seated, carefully digesting the information Christine Parker had just given him.
He had a family, a child. Happiness. Something he had craved for for so long. A wistful smile plastered itself on his face as he thought of what it might feel like to have a family. A wife, someone had actually accepted him and a child a little girl.
Sirius stared at Remus, waving a hand in front of the werewolf, not getting a response, he made a face and turned to Christine.
"Who's Moony's wife?" he asked, mouth filled with bits of pastry.
The old Wiccan stared at him and blinked a few times, as if coming out of a trance. "Pardon?"
"Who's Moony's wife?" James repeated for her, interested.
"Oooh! Oooh! I know! I know!" Sirius waved his and in the air and without waiting for anyone to acknowledge it, he continued, "It's Katherine Banks! That girl from Ravenclaw! She has blonde hair!"
Peter made a face. "You just can't go on saying every blonde's probably gonna marry Moony! You're making an asinine assumption! She could be anyone!"
"Oh, yeah? Says who?" Sirius challenged, facing Wormtail.
"Every logical person in the world!" he responded, matching Sirius, glare for glare.
James, fed up of their constant arguing cut in, "Quit it, you two! It's up to Moony if he wants to know!"
The other Marauders directed their attention towards Moony and simultaneously asked, "So, do you?"
Remus came out of his trance. "Excuse me?" he asked, confused.
"Do you want to know who you're marrying?" Sirius crawled next to him.
"Who's who marryin'?"
They all turned to see the Slayer and Wiccan, standing by the doorframe, carrying armloads of tiny bottles.
"Well, ya ain't answered me yet. Who's marryin' who?" she repeated impatiently.
"Remy!" Sirius danced around the room.
"Now? He's only about fifteen," Lily said bluntly.
"Sammy's granny said he would someday."
"Yeah, that could be tomorrow or ten years from now, so stop livin' on it," she carefully placed the bottles in her duffel. "So, you guys stayin' here or you comin'?"
"Where are you going?" James inquired.
"Out. Slaying," came the frank reply.
"Ooooh! I'm coming!" Sirius piped up, pulling Remus' arm. "Let's go Remy!"
"Same here with me and Petey," James added.
Lily gave them a serious look. "This ain't no game, y'know. You guys get hurt, not my fault. Okay?"
They considered her admonition for a while, then shrugged. "Alright."
"Fine."
The Slayer thanked Christine for her hospitality and left with Samantha and the Marauders in tow, brooding on her chances against a vampire as a normal human, her chances of survival.
**************************************************************************** *********
"So, this gonna take long? Not that I'm rushin' you at all," the Slayer asked of the Wiccan as she removed a few stakes from her bag, shoving a couple of them into her back pocket and one in her sleeve.
She hefted the weight of the axe strapped behind her, wondering if she'll be able to carry it once Samantha's spell would be cast.
Samantha stared at her from where she was, mortar and pestle perched on a sepulcher as she ground a few items together in preparation for the spell. "I shan't cast the spell just yet. I am only preparing the items."
"Oh, right, my bad."
She stared at the Athame in her hand and shoved it in her boot, deciding to train for a bit, knowing that even though her strength was gone, she'd still know all the moves she had been taught, though she wouldn't have much power behind her attacks.
She approached the nearest tombstone and placed her hands on it. She cleared her mind of every thought, which was exceptionally hard since Sirius was annoying Samantha and James, Remus and Peter were speaking in loud tones, but she managed to block them out.
She inhaled deeply and lifted her body off the ground, executing a perfect handstand. One of the little concentration techniques that Ernie had taught her. Clear your mind, only the thought of breathing eminent, center the body and soul with her inner Slayer.
Separate the Slayer from her own being.
But she could never do that. If she divided the two of them, she'd only feel pain. There was nothing left of Lily Evans but pain. Lily Evans was now just an empty core who only felt pain and turmoil.
The Slayer part of herself was her protection. The thing that kept all the memories from reappearing, the one that gave her a sense of protection. The one that made her unsusceptible to feeling.
So, that was why she failed at this exercise. Because there was nothing in Lily Evans anymore. Only the Slayer was left.
And she fell.
She opened her eyes and slammed her fists onto the ground beneath her.
She heard footsteps approaching.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah, fine."
Remus held out a hand and helped her up.
"She done?" Lily looked pointedly at Samantha.
"Almost."
"Good."
**************************************************************************** *********
She looked at her watch. 12:05.
ShowTime.
She looked at the ground before her. A perfect pentagram surrounded by a circle was etched onto the grass, the different elements stood on the star's points.
One side pointed to the river, another to the woods, another to the cemetery, the other to a bonfire that they had started and the last to a clear part of the forest.
Water, earth, spirit, fire and wind.
Right, everything was in place, except for the most essential one.
The bad guy.
Well, that they'd have to wait out. It did say it was coming back, right? What was she thinking? Vampires didn't have a very good record when it came to keeping their promises.
She stood up and headed towards town.
"And where do you think you are going?"
She turned and smiled. "I just thought ya'll wouldn't show up, and oh, gollee gee, I see you've brought your mindless sheep with ya."
Ezekiel gave her a cocky grin. "Let us see if you are worthy."
"Hello, newsflash! I almost dusted you and would've succeeded to sending you back to hell if you hadn't kept the fact that you were a warlock from me."
"Almost. The best Slayers can sense that I wasn't normal. Why couldn't you?"
She gritted her teeth. "Guess I left my freak detector back home."
He chuckled and his minions attacked.
Five of them and one of her. She liked them odds.
She whipped out her stake and impaled one as it clumsily charged at her. She grabbed one vamps arm, evaded his blow, twisted its arm and kicked another approaching vamp. She watched in morbid satisfaction as Samantha burned the other two with her power.
She staked the one whose arm she had broken and turned to the one on the ground. It stood up and she banged heads with it, causing it to stagger. She aimed punch after punch on its ugly face and quickly staked it.
She then turned to Ezekiel. "That the best ya could do?"
He growled and transformed. He expertly tackled her and they fell to the ground, him above her.
"We gotta stop meeting like this," she grunted, as she bent her feet and kicked him off of her.
She quickly got up and ran towards him. She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. Then, she made her big mistake. She turned towards Samantha and shouted, "Start chanting!"
That was when Zeke grabbed her slender arm and squeezed, hard. She cried out as she felt a few bones crack and felt his nails scratch her, giving her scars. She was forced to let go of his throat. He turned her around and, still holding her hand, forced her to the ground, slamming her forehead repeatedly on the earth.
This infuriated her. She retaliated by ramming the back of her head back into his face, cruelly. He let go of her arm and she quickly kicked him under his jaw, causing his head to snap back with a sickening crack. She concentrated on Zeke but managed to hear Samantha in the background.
"Artemis, lady of the moon, mistress of the hunt, domina luna, domina verona…"
She grabbed him from behind and threw him into the circle. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best.
When she opened them she saw Zeke swiftly end down and attempt to sweep her off her feet. She jumped up, completely missing his attack, then extended her right leg, smashing it into his face. She looked at his bloodied face and smirked. She heard the last line of Samantha's spell.
"Necto sua animae contra acerbus, contra malum!"
She felt all of her strength drain from her as a shield-like dome encircled her and Zeke, the ends of the dome hovering over the circle of the pentagram. The five elements seemed to rotate around the shield, like a tornado, mixing itself into a cornucopia of colors.
She stared as a red-colored essence lingered over Ezekiel, seemingly draining him of something. She dazily looked beyond the area of the circle, towards the people who had arrived with her. Four out of five of them were gaping at her.
She stared at her hands and found that a bluish aura had surrounded her. She felt weaker by the second as she saw the almost healing scars on one arm cease to heal themselves and she felt a pounding migraine.
She turned her back on Zeke and clutch her head in pain. Must've happened when she rammed heads with Zeke or when he slammed her forehead to the ground. Maybe it was due to both.
She would never know.
And she never sensed Zeke's attack coming as he tackled her to the ground once more. Her eyes widened as she realized how quick vampires were compared to normal humans. She lost focus on Zeke's face as she felt pain in her back, realizing that she must have landed on some rocks.
She raised an arm, punching him but to no avail. She gave him all that she had left, blow after blow, managing to damage his face even more.
And all she got was a laugh from him. "Pitiful. Did you know the risks that you had to take? I'm sure your witch companion must have told you."
He batted her tired fists away.
"Well, I gave it my best shot, didn't I?" She spat in his face.
He growled and slashed her collar. His eyes widened at the sight of her crucifix. "That little trinket isn't supposed to scare me, now, was it?"
She was too tired and too beaten to reply.
He grabbed the necklace by the chain and pulled, breaking it in the process. He threw it aside and grinned. "It has been a long time since I have tasted a Slayer."
Her eyes widened as he roughly cupped her face with his decaying hands. He savagely drew her head up and banged it onto the ground. She grimaced when her head hit a particularly coarse rock, but she refused to shout out in pain. At least he wouldn't have that. She'd still have her pride.
She'd die like the good little soldier she was. Trained and sent out by the Council like a common recruit. Well, she'd prove them wrong. She'd die with honor. Her eyes threatened to roll back as she desperately tried to keep herself from the warm and soothing promises of unconsciousness, wanting to be supraliminal when the vampire finished her off.
Death wouldn't be so bad. At least she would be with her parents, the people who loved her. The hurt and pain would disappear and she'd never have to face rejection and the hate would disappear. And she wouldn't need to fight this never-ending battle between good and evil.
A battle that she would and could never win.
There would be one vamp out there that would be lucky enough to kill a Slayer.
Her luck just ran out and it turned out to be this vampire and she would have to be the Slayer.
Well, if she did survive this battle, there would still be another vampire or demon out there and maybe she wouldn't be so lucky the next time.
So, if she had to choose, she would rather die like this. At least she had an excuse.
She was human now.
"I will enjoy this, Slayer."
She opened her eyes and met his gaze. Hers was defiant and wouldn't back down. His was hunger, rage and pure evil. It was a bit of a stare down. He broke it.
And then he bore down on her.
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A/N: Hahahaha!!! Evil cliffie!!!! Please review!!! I'm being nice and posting this even though I ain't got no more time!!!
