Bursting past the tree line and into the cool night of the cemetery, Buffy felt the cool grass of the ground snake between her fingers as she landed. Buffy had changed into warmer clothes before leaving to start her patrol. She now wore a pair of dark blue jeans and red shirt. Over her shirt was her normal black jacket. Launching herself forward, she continued running through the rows of headstones, her prey still in sight. As inhumanly fast as the vampire before her was running, Buffy's slayer abilities kept her gaining on him. Every step brought her closer to him and his inevitable future. Finally accepting that fleeing was futile, the vampire stopped in his tracks and spun around to face the slayer.
Her current prey was some unlucky college boy. He was dressed in grey slacks, a red and white plaid shirt, and a dark grey windbreaker. Normally, Buffy tried not to think of the human that was once behind the monstrous mask of her vampiric victims. Those types of thoughts usually made her patrols more depressing. Now, however, she felt invigorated. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun on patrol.
Running up to meet her foolishly stopped prey, Buffy quickly dodged a swipe at her neck. Leaning back, her left leg extended before her and her foot connected squarely with the vampires stomach. Her opponent stumbled back, slightly hunched forward from the blow. Hoping onto her other leg, Buffy again kicked the vampire, this time on his lowered head. The former college freshman's torso whipped back from her kick and he stumbled and fell backward onto the grass. Leaping forward, Buffy landed on the vampire's chest, pinning him down. In her right hand she still held the jagged dagger and she now thrust it downward with all of her strength and stabbed the vampire through his neck, just above the sternum. The dazed creature gurgled with pain as blood ran from the wound and onto the grass. He reached up and clawed at Buffy's hand over the knife hilt. Ignoring his meek attempts, Buffy reached behind her under her jacket for a wooden stake. Before she was able to pull the stake free, she felt a buzzing in her head that quickly rose in volume and almost drowned out the sounds of the struggling vampire below her. The wound around her dagger and in the vampire's neck suddenly began to glow a pale white. The vampire's eyes grew wide and his arms fell limp. A moment later, Buffy heard the familiar sound of dematerialization as the vampire below her turned to dust, clothes and all. Momentarily shocked, Buffy then felt a rushing sensation of power flowing from the dagger up her arm and seemingly into her very soul. The feeling jolted the breath out of her and she fell back onto the grass. Her back arched as the energy spread to every part of her body. A sense of physical pleasure flared alive across her skin and Buffy found herself clawing into the grass floor in an effort to contain her screams. The electricity danced through out her body for several moments then slowly died away. She found herself staring up at the stars, her fingers clutching handfuls of grass and dirt.
Buffy jumped up to her feet. Her breath was still running quick and her eyes shot around wildly. She then spotted the dagger sitting blade deep in the grass where she had stabbed the vampire.
"What the hell was that?" she exclaimed at the weapon.
She had to admit to herself that she liked it. The feeling was oddly reminiscent of an orgasm and she knew she liked those. The feeling also made her crave more kills.
Still staring at the dagger, she then remembered that the vampire had dust before she staked him. The blade had somehow killed him and she knew that she had stabbed him no where near his heart. She reached down toward the grass and pulled the dagger free. The blade was perfectly clean.
A broad smile crept over her face. Wherever this dagger came from, it certainly seemed like a god send to Buffy. Turning her head about, Buffy scanned the cemetery for more undead. Not seeing anything, she broke into a run and headed straight for the trees at the edge of the cemetery park. Once inside the trees, Buffy stopped and crouched low near the ground. She quietly listened to the night around her. As she waited, the now familiar buzzing sound began in the back of her head. She let the sound invade her mind and it quickly rose in volume to the chiming music she had heard before. Crouched in the dirt, Buffy thought about vampires. She hoped to find more...many more. As her mind dwelled on the hunt, Buffy felt the music begin pulling at her. It tugged at her attention and seemed to be pointed deeper into the trees. Standing, Buffy began walking through the trees, following the music's continuing pull. She walked on for quite a while. Close to half an hour, she thought. The pull of the music was constant and never wavered in direction.
She soon arrived back in town. The streets were dark and cold. No one could be seen walking about and, as is normal in Sunnydale, traffic was almost nonexistent after dark. Buffy continued walking up the streets. She was passing through the business districts and by rows upon rows of small shops. Most of the shop windows were dark. Occasionally, Buffy would pass a still open Bar and the sharp waft of sweat and alcohol would waft past her nose.
Still following the incessant pull of the music, Buffy found the music and its pull growing in strength as she followed it. The song had an almost euphoric effect on her and she couldn't think of anything else than the possibility of burying the blade into flesh of another helpless vampire. Eventually, Buffy came to the door of a closed shop. The window was dark and a closed curtain hung behind it. The door looked old and unused. The engraving on the door's glass was all but faded and its white letters where now incoherent. As she passed the shop, the music's pulling angled sharply toward the door. Buffy stopped on the sidewalk outside the shop and listened. She heard nothing. Buffy walked softly up to the shop door and peered in through the glass. Nothing but darkness existed beyond. She placed her hand on the rusty door handle and gently pushed. The door creaked as she applied pressure, but held firmly. Buffy momentarily contemplated the idea of breaking down the door and rushing into the shop. She was certain that some type of evil lurked inside. Reason coming to the slayer, Buffy dismissed the idea and decided to take the alley on the side of the shop and look for a back entrance. The alley lead to a loading area in the back of the store and a single door into the rear of the shop. Three concrete steps rose to the doors base. The door itself was painted green and looked heavy. There was a small portal cut out of the door on its upper half, no doubt allowing the shops inhabitants to see who was at their back door before opening it. Stepping up to the door, Buffy placed her hand on the door handle. The handle was warm to the touch, possibly from recent use. Buffy placed her right ear on the door. At first she heard nothing, but she heard the sound of someone moving on the inside. The music pulled her inside, beyond the door.
Buffy stepped back from the door and knocked.
A moment later, she heard a latch release on the door and the small portal slid to the right. A dim light escaped from the portal for a second and then was obscured as a large face appeared in the hole. Buffy could only see part of the nose and the eyes of the person standing behind the door, but the skin looked to be tinted red and not quite human. The eyes were a pale yellow color and peered down at her. The eyes squinted in confusion for a second then looked about the alley way in which Buffy stood.
The eyes came back to her.
"Uh, what do you want?"
The voice was deep and untrusting.
Buffy smiled and placed her arms behind her waist. She then rocked forward on her toes, her eye wide with a look of innocence. Inside, however, her blood was boiling. The music was continually pulling her toward the door and she felt an itching desire to shove the dagger through the eyes staring down at her.
"Oh, nothing." Buffy was using her best brain dead voice. "I'm just a lonely damsel looking for a great big beast to ravage me."
The eyes squinted down at her again. The person inside turn to his right and glanced as something on the inside of the shop. He then turned back to peer down at Buffy.
"You're the slayer, right?" the voice asked.
Buffy's face looked disappointed as she realized her little ploy to get the door open wouldn't work.
"Yes." She answered, annoyed at being discovered.
"Right." The voice behind the door, agreed.
The portal then slammed shut and she heard yelling on the inside.
"I always have to do this the hard way." Buffy muttered.
She then ran up to the door and kicked near the handle as hard as she could. With a snapping of wood, the door broke inward. Light escaped past her into the alley. Buffy saw a short hallway with doors on either side past the now open door. She stepped forward to enter through the broken door way when one of the doors down the hallway opened. Out stepped what looked like a red-skinned, horned demon in a pressed suit. His slacks were black as was his coat. The undershirt was a dark grey and stretched tight over his large frame. In his hands he carried what looked like a double-barrel shot gun. Both Buffy and the demon froze upon seeing each other. A moment later, the demon was pointing the shotgun down the hallway at Buffy. Buffy, still outside, jumped to the side just in time to dodge the blast. Wood exploded from the broken door still hanging on its hinges. Buffy landed near the building wall to the left of the door. Climbing to her feet, she quickly flattened herself against the wall. Her attention snapped back to the open door, her dagger held high and ready in her right hand as she watched the entrance.
"Go get her!" she heard a voice call out from inside. It sounded like the voice she had spoken to at the door.
"You're watching the door, you get her." Different voice, but similar in pitch. Buffy suspected this was the demon she had just seen with the shotgun.
"You just shot me, you idiot. You've got a gun. Get out there and fucking shoot her!"
Buffy stood watching at the side of the doorway. She heard shuffling inside as someone climbed over the broken ruins of the door.
After a moment, Buffy saw the barrel of the shotgun extending out the door next to her. She waited until she saw the gun's grip and the red skinned hand holding it. Buffy then reached over, grabbed the demon's exposed wrist and heaved him into the alley way with all her might. The demon gave a small yelp of surprise before falling head-long out the door and into the alleyway. He dropped the shotgun as he hit the pavement. Buffy shot away from the wall at him and quickly kicked the demon in the side as he tried to stand. The force of her kick flipped the demon onto his back and knocked the wind out of him. Buffy moved forward to kick him again. This time, however, the demon caught her foot and ankle and threw her to the side. Buffy deftly landed on her feet near the door and watched as the demon stood. He warily watched her for a moment then noticed his shotgun lying on the ground. The demon glanced once more at Buffy then made a leap for his weapon. Buffy brought her right arm with the dagger up and flicked her wrist at the demon. The dagger sped end over end at the creature and with a soundless blow, cut straight through the demon's left shoulder and then into the brick wall several feet behind him. The demon howled in pain and took a step back.
The demon's left arm was hanging by a thread onto the rest of his torso and he crumbled to his knees holding the gaping wound. Buffy, however, was ignoring the now defenseless demon and was instead in a panic about her dagger. She raced across the alley and over to the wall were it had hit. She found a long cut from the daggers point of impact which extended all the way down to the concrete ground. At the base of the wall, Buffy found the dagger lying blade-deep in the concrete. Buffy reached down and pulled the dagger from the rock. Behind her, the now enraged demon stood to his feet and reached his still good arm above his head, his sharply clawed hand open. Before he could strike, Buffy spun around with the dagger in hand and sliced at his neck. The demon stopped where he stood, gave a short twitch and fell to the ground. When he hit the floor, his horned head separated from his body and rolled away.
Buffy watched with satisfaction as the demon's body fell. She then brought her attention back to the broken door into the shop just in time to see a second similarly dressed demon standing in the doorway. In his right hand he held a large pistol pointed at Buffy's torso. Before she could move out of the way, the demon pulled the trigger and the gun fired. Stricken with a moment of panic, Buffy then felt her arm holding the dagger twitch and there was suddenly a shower of sparks hitting the pavement before her. Looking down, Buffy realized that her hand had moved the dagger quickly enough to block the incoming bullet with the weapon's blade. The slayer looked back up to see a shocked expression on the demon's face that matched her own. She had no idea she could move that fast. Buffy then noticed that the demon was bleeding from a wound in his side. The demon clenched his abdomen in pain and then fled into the shop. Buffy stepped over the corpse at her feet and followed him.
She reached the doorway and leaped over the shattered door at its base. Buffy spotted the left shoulder of the demon as it entered one of the rooms down the hall. The door slammed close behind it. Buffy cautiously stepped down the hallway towards the door.
As she glanced to her side after entering the building, Buffy gawked in surprise. There, tacked to the wall by the door, Buffy saw her yearbook picture from her junior year at high school. The picture had been blown up to a larger size and below the image of her smiling face the word "Slayer" had been written in fat red ink.
Buffy scowled at the picture.
"So that's how he knew."
She then continued down the hall and reached the door she had seen the fleeing demon escape into. Listening at the door, Buffy thought she heard the shuffling of feet beyond it. Perhaps several pairs of feet. Buffy became aware that if she opened the door, she might be walking into a trap. She had no idea how many creatures inhabited this building. The idea of her rushing into what could be a heavily demon infested lair on her own without any type of reconnaissance struck her has out of character. Normally, after discovering the possible lair, Buffy would have informed the rest of her friends and they would have arrived in force. She had been so pumped up after her last kill that she didn't even considered the danger.
"Too late now." The Slayer thought to herself.
Standing in the hallway outside the door, Buffy closed her eyes. The music which had been fluttering in the back of her mind rose to her attention. She concentrated on the music, feeling it at every point in her body. Buffy then felt the music flutter momentarily at the door and she began to get the feeling that there was danger beyond the door, just beyond it. Even more, she felt fear from the danger...fear over the slayer and why she hadn't entered the room yet. The danger then moved from the door, just to its right...behind the wall.
Her eyes snapping open, Buffy gave a short yell and, without much thought, thrust the dagger through the wall to the right of the door. There was a short howl of pain from inside the room in front of her. Moments later, blood began trickling out from the cut around the dagger. The blood was pale and thick. Buffy's eyes watched the blood as it slowly descended the wall. Her eyes grew wide and a devilish smirk slowly stretched her mouth. Buffy yanked the dagger free from the wall and she heard the sound of something heavy slump to the floor on the other side of the door.
Thoughts of danger fled from her mind as the ringing of the music in her head swelled and pulled her toward the door. With another yell, Buffy kicked at the door with all of her strength. The door swung inward and slammed into the wall behind it. Buffy bolted into the room and rolled to the ground just in time to miss the swipe of a large steel axe at her head. She found herself in a store room full of brown boxes. The boxes piled to the room's ceiling at its walls and large orderly piles of similar boxes could be found spread around the room. Near the door, a square table sat surrounded by chairs. On the table could be seen playing cards and plastic chips. To one side of the table stood the demon she had met at the back entrance. He was still carrying his large pistol and the blood stain on his shirt had grown. Next to him stood another demon of a different variety. This demon's head was of a pale pink color with and array of boney spikes protruding from the back of his skull. His face was wrinkled and gruesome like most demons. Next to the rooms door stood a third demon much like the other with the spiked head only this one held a large axe in his hand. Buffy knew that she had seen these types of demons before and recalled having quite a time killing just one. Also lying next to the door in a pool of blood was another red skinned demon. He wasn't moving.
With a snarl, the demon with the axe charged her with an over hand swing. Buffy deftly dodged to the side and the steel head struck the concrete floor. With fast reflexes, however, the attacking demon swung his right arm out and struck Buffy with the back of his hand across her head. The slayer rolled to the side and caught herself before falling into pile of boxes. When she spun around, she found the other spiky-head demon coming at her with a large clawed hand. She stepped back to dodge the swipe then sliced forward with her dagger. The creature side-stepped the attack and moved out of the way enough to allow the first assaulting demon another overhand swing with his axe. Buffy was again able to avoid the swing, however, her movement left her vulnerable to the unarmed demon and he quickly struck her in the chest. She again fell backward, this time directly into a pile of brown boxes. The demon with the axe came at her again, his glinting steel blade swing down at her now prone body. Stuck in the pile of boxes, Buffy was unable to dodge the attack. In a last effort of defense, Buffy lifted the dagger over her head to parry the attack. When the steel head of the axe struck the dagger's blade, the blade cut cleanly through the base of the axe with no sound. The now separated portion few over Buffy's head and into the boxes. The rest of the axe that the demon held swung past and missed her. The demon was caught off guard by the sudden loss of weight in his axe and stumbled forward. Diving from the pile of boxes as the demon regained his stance, Buffy rolled to her feet and stood to face the demons. Buffy noticed that the horned, red skinned demon that still stood in the back of the room was attempting to aim his pistol in between the fighters. Once Buffy had rolled away from the boxes, the demon had a clear shot on her. In hopes of finishing her off, he fired several rounds at Buffy. The room flashed with each shot and the sound of gun fire echoed between the walls. Buffy again felt her right arm holding the dagger twitch and each of the bullets was deflected by the dagger's blade. The chiming music swelled up again in her head, this time much more insistent. In the heat of the battle, Buffy tried to push the sound aside so that she could concentrate on the fighting. The spiky-head demons were again up and after her. The armed one had not dropped the broken axe and had instead decided to try and pummel her with the now blunt end. The music refused to be ignored and again tried pushing into her mind. Buffy barely kept it at bay. The spiky demons moved in towards her and the one with the axe handle tried swatting at her with the wood. Buffy moved back in time to dodge the attack. The other attacking demon moved swiftly enough as Buffy was distracted to land a claw to her chest. Buffy felt the searing pain of his claws making contact with her skin. She stumbled backwards from the blow, her left hand rising protectively to her bleeding wounds. Having made contact, the unarmed demon howled with delight and rushed forward. Trying to shrug off the pain, the delicate music in her head again pushed, almost pleading with her to allow it access. Fear had risen up into Buffy's throat and she worried that maybe this battle was a bit much for her. The unarmed spiky demon rushed at her in a frenzy. His claws swiping the air in front of him, Buffy was barely able to side step the attack and land a blow to the back of his head, knocking the demon into the row of boxes around the room. She had momentarily forgotten about the demon with the broken axe handle, however. A crushing blow landed on the side of her head and Buffy reeled backward with its force. She landed on her back on the cool concrete floor as her head swarmed with confusion. The blow had dazed her almost completely. Buffy's vision was blurred and swimming. Her head was washed over with pain and she couldn't focus enough to return to the fight. The only clear part of her mind was the still pushing music and chimed in her head. It remained clear and distinct, somehow unaffected by the crack to her head. Finally losing the will to keep it from consuming her mind, Buffy felt the music flood into her. The music overwhelmed her senses. She felt the twang in her fingers, the taste of its chime on her tongue, and the buzz of its tone in her nostrils. Her mind almost instantly cleared of the effect of the demon's blow to her head. She felt the pain of the wounds on her chest fade to near nothing. Her blood seem to catch fire as it coursed through every part of her. The fire made her ravenous for combat. She wanted to feel the quick snap of her arm as she cut into the flesh of her enemy, the lithe sweep of her feet as she dodge an attack, and the gritting satisfaction of delivering the killing blow that would make her victim howl in pain She wanted the fight like none other. Nothing could be sweeter to the slayer now than to feel the steel of her perfect blade cutting perfect holes in her opponents. Buffy's vision cleared and she found that she could now see with a distinction that was lost to her before. She watched as the demon with the wooden axe handle moved to stand over her with his weapon. She couldn't believe how slow he was moving. He took almost and eternity walking over next to her. Buffy watched the tightening and contracting of the sinewy muscles in his legs as he moved. Looking up at the demon's head, Buffy realized the creature was sweating as she noticed each distinct bead of sweat on his head. Finally standing over her now, Buffy watched in fascination as the demon's arms slowly extended above him, lifting the wooden staff over his head for another blow. Buffy saw the demon's face clench with the force of his blow and the axe handle began a slow arc downward and toward her. Finally becoming distinctly aware of the danger, Buffy calmly shuffled to the side and out of the way of the attack. Buffy stood to her feet as the demon's staff struck the hard floor.
"Finally, the slayer!" He thought.
Harkin, had been told by his master that she might arrive. His master had doubted it, but he was aware that the slayer resided in this town and that it was possible that they may run into her. Now she was here and he was kicking her ass. Sure, she had been able to break the head on his favorite axe, but her ineptitude had left her open to his attack and he had finally landed a solid blow to her head. She had sprawled onto her back after the hit and now laid in a dazed stupor.
"I shall finish the slayer! Only the excelled fighting of the draconis-morti could hope to defeat her and I, Harkin of the Harold Blade, shall destroy her!"
He moved toward her prone form as quickly as he could and lifted his broken axe handle over his head for the finishing blow. Harkin was aiming his attack at her unprotected head and expected to easily crush her skull with his great strength. Finally releasing his attack, the swung downward with all his might...and struck the floor. Staring at the concrete slab where the slayer had been lying on only an instant before, his wooden staff looked chipped from the force of his blow. Snapping his head up in astonishment, Harkin found the Slayer standing before him with a puzzled look on her face. Releasing a claw from the axe handle, he struck forward at her. There was a blur of her form and his hand seemed to pass right through her. Straightening up to attack her again with his weapon, Harkin suddenly felt a tremendous hit to his chest. The force of the blow lifted him off his feet and backward through the air several feet. He landed on an as yet undisturbed pile of boxes. The boxes flew from the force of his falling weight but he felt his shoulder strike the solid corner of the crate containing his master's coffin. The breathe was knocked out of him has he landed on the floor. Taking only a moment to recover, Harkin stood in time to see a blur of the Slayers form assault his mate. The Slayer moved faster than Harkin had thought possible as she advanced. Harkin watched as his mate tried to claw at the Slayer's form only to see the human deftly dodge the attack and thrust forward with her blade extended. The blade of the dagger that the Slayer wielded now glowed a pale white in her hand. Harkin gasped as he saw the glowing blade easily penetrate the thick hide over his mate's heart. The skin of the draconis-morti was legendary for its almost impervious nature. However, it seemed that the blade of the slayer slipped through its thickness with ease. Harkin's mate howled in pain and placed a hand over the blade extending from his wound. The Slayer sharply pulled back on her weapon and the blade slipped from it the wound. As it left his mate's chest, Harkin saw the knife cleaning cut through his hand held over the wound in reflex. Half of his mate's hand fell to the floor between him and the Slayer. Harkin howled in rage and leapt forward, intent on reaching the Slayer and punishing her for harming his mate. Before reaching her, however, Harkin was met by the flying body of his mate thrown in his direction. The body made contact with him and they both fell to ground, Harkin again having the breathe knocked out of him. Harkin watched as the slayer then advanced upon the red-skinned owner of the shop they were staying in. The Slayer's form was in-distinct as she rushed toward the demon. He still held the large pistol before him and he fired a few shots toward the Slayer as she moved. The shots seemed to miss the Slayer as she quickly made it to the demon's side. The storeowner tried to bash her with the barrel of his gun, but the wound he had received in his side must have stung him as he winced in pain. A moment later, his head buckled back from an insanely fast hit from the Slayer. She then pounced at him and Harkin saw the demon's head leave his body, rolling away from the fight and under a table. The demon's headless corpse slumped to the ground. Harkin reached to his right toward his mate lying next to him. He tapped him on the chest in a motion to get him up, but there was no movement. Looking toward his right, Harkin saw his mate not moving and his eyes open, but unseeing. Rage welled up in Harkin and he leaped to his feet. The Slayer stood across the room from him next the corpse of the storekeeper. She watched him with a look of fascination in her eyes as her blade glowed in her hand. Forgetting the handle of his broken weapon, Harkin ran forward and launched himself over a piled of boxes, his claws extended before him and looking for human blood. As he was clearing the boxes with his jump, the form of the Slayer twitch then vanished and he felt her rush past him through the air. There was a cold sharp sensation in his abdomen as she passed. He lost his balance and crashed to the ground. He felt pain in his stomach and as he rolled over to glance down at the pain, he found his innards spilled out on the concrete floor below him. A large gashed extended through his skin from one side of his waist to the other. Blood began to gurgle into the demon's mouth and he suddenly felt very light-headed. He glanced across the room to see the Slayer standing over the body of his mate. She made a sudden slice with her weapon and she then lifted and threw his mate's head across the floor. Harkin then felt quite tired and leaned back in exhaustion. He closed his eyes and blackness enveloped him.
Buffy wasn't sure what was happening to her. The world around her moved with a patience she couldn't understand. She had seen each and every bullet escape the red-skinned demon's gun and make their way toward her. Certainly, they moved faster than the creatures around her, but she saw the bullets as the fled across the room toward her and she had easily been able to simply move from their path. The demons themselves had grown slow and their attacks easily avoided. Her senses were also confusing her. She had felt every delicious cut of her blade with a poignant clarity. She could smell the fear and anger from each of the demons. Her eyes had recognized their next moves before they happened. The music in her head had also reacted differently on each kill. It rose, almost joyously, as she killed each demon however it seemed unfulfilled and continued to chime in her head.
Buffy looked down at the headless demon at her feet. Buffy wasn't certain why she had cut off the demon's head. It was plainly dead at her feet. However, the idea was more than she could resist. When she felt the blade pass through the demons skin, bone, and organs Buffy felt further satisfaction from the kill. Her blood still boiled for the kill. Buffy was about to leave the room and search the rest of the store when she noticed a portion of wood sticking out from under a pile of boxes. The wood seemed to be the corner of a larger crate. She moved over to the pile and began clear the boxes out of the way. Buffy was quickly able to reveal the entire crate. It was roughly seven feet long and three to four feet wide. Its lid was secured with nails around its perimeter. Buffy reached under the wood and forced her fingers in between the lid and base of the crate. She then heaved upwards and the lid popped off and landed on the side opposite of the slayer. Buffy looked down into the crate with confusion. The crate was packed full of dirt. She had heard and read of vampires whom were transported in a bed of dirt, but this was the first time she had ever seen anything like it. Still, Buffy wasn't completely certain it was a vampire. There are a vast variety of types of demons and she certainly didn't know the habits of all of them. Anger welled up in her and she reached down and lifted the side of the crate. The wooden box rolled over and the entire contents of dirt spilled out and onto the concrete floor. It seemed that nothing else had been in the crate but this dirt. It was everywhere now, and nothing seemed to be hidden in its mass. Disappointed, Buffy turned from the mess she had made and began walking toward the door out of the room. Had she continued watching the dirt, Buffy would have seen particles of dust rising of the face of the dirt and begin swirling in mid air. Buffy was halfway to the door when her currently enhanced senses began to pick up the disturbance in the room. Whirling about, Buffy suddenly found herself facing a man who stood in the mess of dirt. He looked to be dress for some formal party. He stood about a foot taller than Buffy and looked slim in build. His face was a pale white and Buffy could see the faint lines of blue veins in his skin. He wore a pair of loose black slacks and black dress shoes. On his chest was a vest with a swirling pattern of black and red. He wore a white under shirt and a black bow tie.
"All he needs is a black cape and a top hat and he'd be right out of the mind of Bram Stoker." Buffy thought.
The man was looking about the room assessing his surroundings. He then looked at the floor about him, taking notice of the spilled dirt he now stood in.
"Interesting." He stated with a slight British accent.
He then looked up toward Buffy and upon seeing her a deep scowl clenched his brow.
"I see." He said softly and slightly irritated.
Buffy was about to comment about his being an almost visual copy of a story book vampire, when the chiming music in her head flurried across her mind. Suddenly the thought of him being a vampire was certain and she wanted nothing more than to destroy him. Without so much a single witty remark, Buffy launched herself over ground and directly toward his form. She felt the world rush around her and the quick sharpening of her senses that was familiar from her recent battle with the demons. There was a momentary startled look on the vampires face as she leaped at him. Buffy was almost upon him with her dagger stabbing before her when the vampire made a quick jerk to the side and dodged the attack. Buffy noticed that his movements didn't seem as slow as the demons. Upon missing with her first attack, Buffy swiped out to the left with her blade. The vampire jumped backward away from the attack and landed halfway across the room. Buffy immediately leaped toward him, again attempting to strike at him with her weapon. The eyes of the vampire were wide with wonder as she came deathly close to cutting him. Barely dodging her attack, the vampire made a swipe at Buffy with the back of his hand. The Slayer jerked her head backward to dodge the attack.
"My, aren't we an agile one." The vampire commented.
Buffy responded with a growl and stabbed at him again with her dagger. The vampire side stepped her blade, but was cut off guard by her quick kick. The blow landed squarely in his side and he slid backward across the concrete from its force.
The vampire gritted his teeth in pain.
"My word, they've improved slayers in the last hundred years."
Buffy said nothing as she pressed her attack on him. Each time she swung, the vampire was able to closely dodge then attack in return. Buffy quickly dived and swooped away from the vampire's counter attacks. They continued to attack and defend this way until Buffy saw the vampire make a quick move that exposed his chest. With a sharp jab Buffy was able to strike past the vampire's flailing hand and drive her blade deep into his chest.
Upon making contact, the fight stopped. The vampire looked down to see Buffy's hand holding the blade deep in his chest. He looked back up at her with a smirk on his face.
"Alright, I'll grant you that you're fast, but it seems that you might be new at this. You see, not only do you need to be using wood to destroy me, but you also need to hit my heart."
Buffy glanced up into his eyes. A smirk of her own crept onto her lips. Concentrating momentarily on the blade, the soft glowing surround the metal flared brighter within the vampire's wound. The vampire's head jerked upward and his eyes grew wider. With a quick rushing of what sounded similar to wind, the vampire turned to dust. Overjoyed by the feeling of the kill, Buffy was overwhelmed by the rush of sensation that grabbed a hold of her body. The feeling of gratifying pleasure gripped her mind and her legs buckled out from under her. What seemed liked a wash of electricity flooded over her body and she arched her back as she lay on the floor. Never before had she felt something so intense. Every part of her being was inundated with the pleasurable lightning. Slowly the feeling subsided and her muscles began to relax. She lay there on the floor surrounded by the corpses of her slain demons for several minutes as she basked in the glow of her reward.
She liked her new dagger. Yes, she did.
Her current prey was some unlucky college boy. He was dressed in grey slacks, a red and white plaid shirt, and a dark grey windbreaker. Normally, Buffy tried not to think of the human that was once behind the monstrous mask of her vampiric victims. Those types of thoughts usually made her patrols more depressing. Now, however, she felt invigorated. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun on patrol.
Running up to meet her foolishly stopped prey, Buffy quickly dodged a swipe at her neck. Leaning back, her left leg extended before her and her foot connected squarely with the vampires stomach. Her opponent stumbled back, slightly hunched forward from the blow. Hoping onto her other leg, Buffy again kicked the vampire, this time on his lowered head. The former college freshman's torso whipped back from her kick and he stumbled and fell backward onto the grass. Leaping forward, Buffy landed on the vampire's chest, pinning him down. In her right hand she still held the jagged dagger and she now thrust it downward with all of her strength and stabbed the vampire through his neck, just above the sternum. The dazed creature gurgled with pain as blood ran from the wound and onto the grass. He reached up and clawed at Buffy's hand over the knife hilt. Ignoring his meek attempts, Buffy reached behind her under her jacket for a wooden stake. Before she was able to pull the stake free, she felt a buzzing in her head that quickly rose in volume and almost drowned out the sounds of the struggling vampire below her. The wound around her dagger and in the vampire's neck suddenly began to glow a pale white. The vampire's eyes grew wide and his arms fell limp. A moment later, Buffy heard the familiar sound of dematerialization as the vampire below her turned to dust, clothes and all. Momentarily shocked, Buffy then felt a rushing sensation of power flowing from the dagger up her arm and seemingly into her very soul. The feeling jolted the breath out of her and she fell back onto the grass. Her back arched as the energy spread to every part of her body. A sense of physical pleasure flared alive across her skin and Buffy found herself clawing into the grass floor in an effort to contain her screams. The electricity danced through out her body for several moments then slowly died away. She found herself staring up at the stars, her fingers clutching handfuls of grass and dirt.
Buffy jumped up to her feet. Her breath was still running quick and her eyes shot around wildly. She then spotted the dagger sitting blade deep in the grass where she had stabbed the vampire.
"What the hell was that?" she exclaimed at the weapon.
She had to admit to herself that she liked it. The feeling was oddly reminiscent of an orgasm and she knew she liked those. The feeling also made her crave more kills.
Still staring at the dagger, she then remembered that the vampire had dust before she staked him. The blade had somehow killed him and she knew that she had stabbed him no where near his heart. She reached down toward the grass and pulled the dagger free. The blade was perfectly clean.
A broad smile crept over her face. Wherever this dagger came from, it certainly seemed like a god send to Buffy. Turning her head about, Buffy scanned the cemetery for more undead. Not seeing anything, she broke into a run and headed straight for the trees at the edge of the cemetery park. Once inside the trees, Buffy stopped and crouched low near the ground. She quietly listened to the night around her. As she waited, the now familiar buzzing sound began in the back of her head. She let the sound invade her mind and it quickly rose in volume to the chiming music she had heard before. Crouched in the dirt, Buffy thought about vampires. She hoped to find more...many more. As her mind dwelled on the hunt, Buffy felt the music begin pulling at her. It tugged at her attention and seemed to be pointed deeper into the trees. Standing, Buffy began walking through the trees, following the music's continuing pull. She walked on for quite a while. Close to half an hour, she thought. The pull of the music was constant and never wavered in direction.
She soon arrived back in town. The streets were dark and cold. No one could be seen walking about and, as is normal in Sunnydale, traffic was almost nonexistent after dark. Buffy continued walking up the streets. She was passing through the business districts and by rows upon rows of small shops. Most of the shop windows were dark. Occasionally, Buffy would pass a still open Bar and the sharp waft of sweat and alcohol would waft past her nose.
Still following the incessant pull of the music, Buffy found the music and its pull growing in strength as she followed it. The song had an almost euphoric effect on her and she couldn't think of anything else than the possibility of burying the blade into flesh of another helpless vampire. Eventually, Buffy came to the door of a closed shop. The window was dark and a closed curtain hung behind it. The door looked old and unused. The engraving on the door's glass was all but faded and its white letters where now incoherent. As she passed the shop, the music's pulling angled sharply toward the door. Buffy stopped on the sidewalk outside the shop and listened. She heard nothing. Buffy walked softly up to the shop door and peered in through the glass. Nothing but darkness existed beyond. She placed her hand on the rusty door handle and gently pushed. The door creaked as she applied pressure, but held firmly. Buffy momentarily contemplated the idea of breaking down the door and rushing into the shop. She was certain that some type of evil lurked inside. Reason coming to the slayer, Buffy dismissed the idea and decided to take the alley on the side of the shop and look for a back entrance. The alley lead to a loading area in the back of the store and a single door into the rear of the shop. Three concrete steps rose to the doors base. The door itself was painted green and looked heavy. There was a small portal cut out of the door on its upper half, no doubt allowing the shops inhabitants to see who was at their back door before opening it. Stepping up to the door, Buffy placed her hand on the door handle. The handle was warm to the touch, possibly from recent use. Buffy placed her right ear on the door. At first she heard nothing, but she heard the sound of someone moving on the inside. The music pulled her inside, beyond the door.
Buffy stepped back from the door and knocked.
A moment later, she heard a latch release on the door and the small portal slid to the right. A dim light escaped from the portal for a second and then was obscured as a large face appeared in the hole. Buffy could only see part of the nose and the eyes of the person standing behind the door, but the skin looked to be tinted red and not quite human. The eyes were a pale yellow color and peered down at her. The eyes squinted in confusion for a second then looked about the alley way in which Buffy stood.
The eyes came back to her.
"Uh, what do you want?"
The voice was deep and untrusting.
Buffy smiled and placed her arms behind her waist. She then rocked forward on her toes, her eye wide with a look of innocence. Inside, however, her blood was boiling. The music was continually pulling her toward the door and she felt an itching desire to shove the dagger through the eyes staring down at her.
"Oh, nothing." Buffy was using her best brain dead voice. "I'm just a lonely damsel looking for a great big beast to ravage me."
The eyes squinted down at her again. The person inside turn to his right and glanced as something on the inside of the shop. He then turned back to peer down at Buffy.
"You're the slayer, right?" the voice asked.
Buffy's face looked disappointed as she realized her little ploy to get the door open wouldn't work.
"Yes." She answered, annoyed at being discovered.
"Right." The voice behind the door, agreed.
The portal then slammed shut and she heard yelling on the inside.
"I always have to do this the hard way." Buffy muttered.
She then ran up to the door and kicked near the handle as hard as she could. With a snapping of wood, the door broke inward. Light escaped past her into the alley. Buffy saw a short hallway with doors on either side past the now open door. She stepped forward to enter through the broken door way when one of the doors down the hallway opened. Out stepped what looked like a red-skinned, horned demon in a pressed suit. His slacks were black as was his coat. The undershirt was a dark grey and stretched tight over his large frame. In his hands he carried what looked like a double-barrel shot gun. Both Buffy and the demon froze upon seeing each other. A moment later, the demon was pointing the shotgun down the hallway at Buffy. Buffy, still outside, jumped to the side just in time to dodge the blast. Wood exploded from the broken door still hanging on its hinges. Buffy landed near the building wall to the left of the door. Climbing to her feet, she quickly flattened herself against the wall. Her attention snapped back to the open door, her dagger held high and ready in her right hand as she watched the entrance.
"Go get her!" she heard a voice call out from inside. It sounded like the voice she had spoken to at the door.
"You're watching the door, you get her." Different voice, but similar in pitch. Buffy suspected this was the demon she had just seen with the shotgun.
"You just shot me, you idiot. You've got a gun. Get out there and fucking shoot her!"
Buffy stood watching at the side of the doorway. She heard shuffling inside as someone climbed over the broken ruins of the door.
After a moment, Buffy saw the barrel of the shotgun extending out the door next to her. She waited until she saw the gun's grip and the red skinned hand holding it. Buffy then reached over, grabbed the demon's exposed wrist and heaved him into the alley way with all her might. The demon gave a small yelp of surprise before falling head-long out the door and into the alleyway. He dropped the shotgun as he hit the pavement. Buffy shot away from the wall at him and quickly kicked the demon in the side as he tried to stand. The force of her kick flipped the demon onto his back and knocked the wind out of him. Buffy moved forward to kick him again. This time, however, the demon caught her foot and ankle and threw her to the side. Buffy deftly landed on her feet near the door and watched as the demon stood. He warily watched her for a moment then noticed his shotgun lying on the ground. The demon glanced once more at Buffy then made a leap for his weapon. Buffy brought her right arm with the dagger up and flicked her wrist at the demon. The dagger sped end over end at the creature and with a soundless blow, cut straight through the demon's left shoulder and then into the brick wall several feet behind him. The demon howled in pain and took a step back.
The demon's left arm was hanging by a thread onto the rest of his torso and he crumbled to his knees holding the gaping wound. Buffy, however, was ignoring the now defenseless demon and was instead in a panic about her dagger. She raced across the alley and over to the wall were it had hit. She found a long cut from the daggers point of impact which extended all the way down to the concrete ground. At the base of the wall, Buffy found the dagger lying blade-deep in the concrete. Buffy reached down and pulled the dagger from the rock. Behind her, the now enraged demon stood to his feet and reached his still good arm above his head, his sharply clawed hand open. Before he could strike, Buffy spun around with the dagger in hand and sliced at his neck. The demon stopped where he stood, gave a short twitch and fell to the ground. When he hit the floor, his horned head separated from his body and rolled away.
Buffy watched with satisfaction as the demon's body fell. She then brought her attention back to the broken door into the shop just in time to see a second similarly dressed demon standing in the doorway. In his right hand he held a large pistol pointed at Buffy's torso. Before she could move out of the way, the demon pulled the trigger and the gun fired. Stricken with a moment of panic, Buffy then felt her arm holding the dagger twitch and there was suddenly a shower of sparks hitting the pavement before her. Looking down, Buffy realized that her hand had moved the dagger quickly enough to block the incoming bullet with the weapon's blade. The slayer looked back up to see a shocked expression on the demon's face that matched her own. She had no idea she could move that fast. Buffy then noticed that the demon was bleeding from a wound in his side. The demon clenched his abdomen in pain and then fled into the shop. Buffy stepped over the corpse at her feet and followed him.
She reached the doorway and leaped over the shattered door at its base. Buffy spotted the left shoulder of the demon as it entered one of the rooms down the hall. The door slammed close behind it. Buffy cautiously stepped down the hallway towards the door.
As she glanced to her side after entering the building, Buffy gawked in surprise. There, tacked to the wall by the door, Buffy saw her yearbook picture from her junior year at high school. The picture had been blown up to a larger size and below the image of her smiling face the word "Slayer" had been written in fat red ink.
Buffy scowled at the picture.
"So that's how he knew."
She then continued down the hall and reached the door she had seen the fleeing demon escape into. Listening at the door, Buffy thought she heard the shuffling of feet beyond it. Perhaps several pairs of feet. Buffy became aware that if she opened the door, she might be walking into a trap. She had no idea how many creatures inhabited this building. The idea of her rushing into what could be a heavily demon infested lair on her own without any type of reconnaissance struck her has out of character. Normally, after discovering the possible lair, Buffy would have informed the rest of her friends and they would have arrived in force. She had been so pumped up after her last kill that she didn't even considered the danger.
"Too late now." The Slayer thought to herself.
Standing in the hallway outside the door, Buffy closed her eyes. The music which had been fluttering in the back of her mind rose to her attention. She concentrated on the music, feeling it at every point in her body. Buffy then felt the music flutter momentarily at the door and she began to get the feeling that there was danger beyond the door, just beyond it. Even more, she felt fear from the danger...fear over the slayer and why she hadn't entered the room yet. The danger then moved from the door, just to its right...behind the wall.
Her eyes snapping open, Buffy gave a short yell and, without much thought, thrust the dagger through the wall to the right of the door. There was a short howl of pain from inside the room in front of her. Moments later, blood began trickling out from the cut around the dagger. The blood was pale and thick. Buffy's eyes watched the blood as it slowly descended the wall. Her eyes grew wide and a devilish smirk slowly stretched her mouth. Buffy yanked the dagger free from the wall and she heard the sound of something heavy slump to the floor on the other side of the door.
Thoughts of danger fled from her mind as the ringing of the music in her head swelled and pulled her toward the door. With another yell, Buffy kicked at the door with all of her strength. The door swung inward and slammed into the wall behind it. Buffy bolted into the room and rolled to the ground just in time to miss the swipe of a large steel axe at her head. She found herself in a store room full of brown boxes. The boxes piled to the room's ceiling at its walls and large orderly piles of similar boxes could be found spread around the room. Near the door, a square table sat surrounded by chairs. On the table could be seen playing cards and plastic chips. To one side of the table stood the demon she had met at the back entrance. He was still carrying his large pistol and the blood stain on his shirt had grown. Next to him stood another demon of a different variety. This demon's head was of a pale pink color with and array of boney spikes protruding from the back of his skull. His face was wrinkled and gruesome like most demons. Next to the rooms door stood a third demon much like the other with the spiked head only this one held a large axe in his hand. Buffy knew that she had seen these types of demons before and recalled having quite a time killing just one. Also lying next to the door in a pool of blood was another red skinned demon. He wasn't moving.
With a snarl, the demon with the axe charged her with an over hand swing. Buffy deftly dodged to the side and the steel head struck the concrete floor. With fast reflexes, however, the attacking demon swung his right arm out and struck Buffy with the back of his hand across her head. The slayer rolled to the side and caught herself before falling into pile of boxes. When she spun around, she found the other spiky-head demon coming at her with a large clawed hand. She stepped back to dodge the swipe then sliced forward with her dagger. The creature side-stepped the attack and moved out of the way enough to allow the first assaulting demon another overhand swing with his axe. Buffy was again able to avoid the swing, however, her movement left her vulnerable to the unarmed demon and he quickly struck her in the chest. She again fell backward, this time directly into a pile of brown boxes. The demon with the axe came at her again, his glinting steel blade swing down at her now prone body. Stuck in the pile of boxes, Buffy was unable to dodge the attack. In a last effort of defense, Buffy lifted the dagger over her head to parry the attack. When the steel head of the axe struck the dagger's blade, the blade cut cleanly through the base of the axe with no sound. The now separated portion few over Buffy's head and into the boxes. The rest of the axe that the demon held swung past and missed her. The demon was caught off guard by the sudden loss of weight in his axe and stumbled forward. Diving from the pile of boxes as the demon regained his stance, Buffy rolled to her feet and stood to face the demons. Buffy noticed that the horned, red skinned demon that still stood in the back of the room was attempting to aim his pistol in between the fighters. Once Buffy had rolled away from the boxes, the demon had a clear shot on her. In hopes of finishing her off, he fired several rounds at Buffy. The room flashed with each shot and the sound of gun fire echoed between the walls. Buffy again felt her right arm holding the dagger twitch and each of the bullets was deflected by the dagger's blade. The chiming music swelled up again in her head, this time much more insistent. In the heat of the battle, Buffy tried to push the sound aside so that she could concentrate on the fighting. The spiky-head demons were again up and after her. The armed one had not dropped the broken axe and had instead decided to try and pummel her with the now blunt end. The music refused to be ignored and again tried pushing into her mind. Buffy barely kept it at bay. The spiky demons moved in towards her and the one with the axe handle tried swatting at her with the wood. Buffy moved back in time to dodge the attack. The other attacking demon moved swiftly enough as Buffy was distracted to land a claw to her chest. Buffy felt the searing pain of his claws making contact with her skin. She stumbled backwards from the blow, her left hand rising protectively to her bleeding wounds. Having made contact, the unarmed demon howled with delight and rushed forward. Trying to shrug off the pain, the delicate music in her head again pushed, almost pleading with her to allow it access. Fear had risen up into Buffy's throat and she worried that maybe this battle was a bit much for her. The unarmed spiky demon rushed at her in a frenzy. His claws swiping the air in front of him, Buffy was barely able to side step the attack and land a blow to the back of his head, knocking the demon into the row of boxes around the room. She had momentarily forgotten about the demon with the broken axe handle, however. A crushing blow landed on the side of her head and Buffy reeled backward with its force. She landed on her back on the cool concrete floor as her head swarmed with confusion. The blow had dazed her almost completely. Buffy's vision was blurred and swimming. Her head was washed over with pain and she couldn't focus enough to return to the fight. The only clear part of her mind was the still pushing music and chimed in her head. It remained clear and distinct, somehow unaffected by the crack to her head. Finally losing the will to keep it from consuming her mind, Buffy felt the music flood into her. The music overwhelmed her senses. She felt the twang in her fingers, the taste of its chime on her tongue, and the buzz of its tone in her nostrils. Her mind almost instantly cleared of the effect of the demon's blow to her head. She felt the pain of the wounds on her chest fade to near nothing. Her blood seem to catch fire as it coursed through every part of her. The fire made her ravenous for combat. She wanted to feel the quick snap of her arm as she cut into the flesh of her enemy, the lithe sweep of her feet as she dodge an attack, and the gritting satisfaction of delivering the killing blow that would make her victim howl in pain She wanted the fight like none other. Nothing could be sweeter to the slayer now than to feel the steel of her perfect blade cutting perfect holes in her opponents. Buffy's vision cleared and she found that she could now see with a distinction that was lost to her before. She watched as the demon with the wooden axe handle moved to stand over her with his weapon. She couldn't believe how slow he was moving. He took almost and eternity walking over next to her. Buffy watched the tightening and contracting of the sinewy muscles in his legs as he moved. Looking up at the demon's head, Buffy realized the creature was sweating as she noticed each distinct bead of sweat on his head. Finally standing over her now, Buffy watched in fascination as the demon's arms slowly extended above him, lifting the wooden staff over his head for another blow. Buffy saw the demon's face clench with the force of his blow and the axe handle began a slow arc downward and toward her. Finally becoming distinctly aware of the danger, Buffy calmly shuffled to the side and out of the way of the attack. Buffy stood to her feet as the demon's staff struck the hard floor.
"Finally, the slayer!" He thought.
Harkin, had been told by his master that she might arrive. His master had doubted it, but he was aware that the slayer resided in this town and that it was possible that they may run into her. Now she was here and he was kicking her ass. Sure, she had been able to break the head on his favorite axe, but her ineptitude had left her open to his attack and he had finally landed a solid blow to her head. She had sprawled onto her back after the hit and now laid in a dazed stupor.
"I shall finish the slayer! Only the excelled fighting of the draconis-morti could hope to defeat her and I, Harkin of the Harold Blade, shall destroy her!"
He moved toward her prone form as quickly as he could and lifted his broken axe handle over his head for the finishing blow. Harkin was aiming his attack at her unprotected head and expected to easily crush her skull with his great strength. Finally releasing his attack, the swung downward with all his might...and struck the floor. Staring at the concrete slab where the slayer had been lying on only an instant before, his wooden staff looked chipped from the force of his blow. Snapping his head up in astonishment, Harkin found the Slayer standing before him with a puzzled look on her face. Releasing a claw from the axe handle, he struck forward at her. There was a blur of her form and his hand seemed to pass right through her. Straightening up to attack her again with his weapon, Harkin suddenly felt a tremendous hit to his chest. The force of the blow lifted him off his feet and backward through the air several feet. He landed on an as yet undisturbed pile of boxes. The boxes flew from the force of his falling weight but he felt his shoulder strike the solid corner of the crate containing his master's coffin. The breathe was knocked out of him has he landed on the floor. Taking only a moment to recover, Harkin stood in time to see a blur of the Slayers form assault his mate. The Slayer moved faster than Harkin had thought possible as she advanced. Harkin watched as his mate tried to claw at the Slayer's form only to see the human deftly dodge the attack and thrust forward with her blade extended. The blade of the dagger that the Slayer wielded now glowed a pale white in her hand. Harkin gasped as he saw the glowing blade easily penetrate the thick hide over his mate's heart. The skin of the draconis-morti was legendary for its almost impervious nature. However, it seemed that the blade of the slayer slipped through its thickness with ease. Harkin's mate howled in pain and placed a hand over the blade extending from his wound. The Slayer sharply pulled back on her weapon and the blade slipped from it the wound. As it left his mate's chest, Harkin saw the knife cleaning cut through his hand held over the wound in reflex. Half of his mate's hand fell to the floor between him and the Slayer. Harkin howled in rage and leapt forward, intent on reaching the Slayer and punishing her for harming his mate. Before reaching her, however, Harkin was met by the flying body of his mate thrown in his direction. The body made contact with him and they both fell to ground, Harkin again having the breathe knocked out of him. Harkin watched as the slayer then advanced upon the red-skinned owner of the shop they were staying in. The Slayer's form was in-distinct as she rushed toward the demon. He still held the large pistol before him and he fired a few shots toward the Slayer as she moved. The shots seemed to miss the Slayer as she quickly made it to the demon's side. The storeowner tried to bash her with the barrel of his gun, but the wound he had received in his side must have stung him as he winced in pain. A moment later, his head buckled back from an insanely fast hit from the Slayer. She then pounced at him and Harkin saw the demon's head leave his body, rolling away from the fight and under a table. The demon's headless corpse slumped to the ground. Harkin reached to his right toward his mate lying next to him. He tapped him on the chest in a motion to get him up, but there was no movement. Looking toward his right, Harkin saw his mate not moving and his eyes open, but unseeing. Rage welled up in Harkin and he leaped to his feet. The Slayer stood across the room from him next the corpse of the storekeeper. She watched him with a look of fascination in her eyes as her blade glowed in her hand. Forgetting the handle of his broken weapon, Harkin ran forward and launched himself over a piled of boxes, his claws extended before him and looking for human blood. As he was clearing the boxes with his jump, the form of the Slayer twitch then vanished and he felt her rush past him through the air. There was a cold sharp sensation in his abdomen as she passed. He lost his balance and crashed to the ground. He felt pain in his stomach and as he rolled over to glance down at the pain, he found his innards spilled out on the concrete floor below him. A large gashed extended through his skin from one side of his waist to the other. Blood began to gurgle into the demon's mouth and he suddenly felt very light-headed. He glanced across the room to see the Slayer standing over the body of his mate. She made a sudden slice with her weapon and she then lifted and threw his mate's head across the floor. Harkin then felt quite tired and leaned back in exhaustion. He closed his eyes and blackness enveloped him.
Buffy wasn't sure what was happening to her. The world around her moved with a patience she couldn't understand. She had seen each and every bullet escape the red-skinned demon's gun and make their way toward her. Certainly, they moved faster than the creatures around her, but she saw the bullets as the fled across the room toward her and she had easily been able to simply move from their path. The demons themselves had grown slow and their attacks easily avoided. Her senses were also confusing her. She had felt every delicious cut of her blade with a poignant clarity. She could smell the fear and anger from each of the demons. Her eyes had recognized their next moves before they happened. The music in her head had also reacted differently on each kill. It rose, almost joyously, as she killed each demon however it seemed unfulfilled and continued to chime in her head.
Buffy looked down at the headless demon at her feet. Buffy wasn't certain why she had cut off the demon's head. It was plainly dead at her feet. However, the idea was more than she could resist. When she felt the blade pass through the demons skin, bone, and organs Buffy felt further satisfaction from the kill. Her blood still boiled for the kill. Buffy was about to leave the room and search the rest of the store when she noticed a portion of wood sticking out from under a pile of boxes. The wood seemed to be the corner of a larger crate. She moved over to the pile and began clear the boxes out of the way. Buffy was quickly able to reveal the entire crate. It was roughly seven feet long and three to four feet wide. Its lid was secured with nails around its perimeter. Buffy reached under the wood and forced her fingers in between the lid and base of the crate. She then heaved upwards and the lid popped off and landed on the side opposite of the slayer. Buffy looked down into the crate with confusion. The crate was packed full of dirt. She had heard and read of vampires whom were transported in a bed of dirt, but this was the first time she had ever seen anything like it. Still, Buffy wasn't completely certain it was a vampire. There are a vast variety of types of demons and she certainly didn't know the habits of all of them. Anger welled up in her and she reached down and lifted the side of the crate. The wooden box rolled over and the entire contents of dirt spilled out and onto the concrete floor. It seemed that nothing else had been in the crate but this dirt. It was everywhere now, and nothing seemed to be hidden in its mass. Disappointed, Buffy turned from the mess she had made and began walking toward the door out of the room. Had she continued watching the dirt, Buffy would have seen particles of dust rising of the face of the dirt and begin swirling in mid air. Buffy was halfway to the door when her currently enhanced senses began to pick up the disturbance in the room. Whirling about, Buffy suddenly found herself facing a man who stood in the mess of dirt. He looked to be dress for some formal party. He stood about a foot taller than Buffy and looked slim in build. His face was a pale white and Buffy could see the faint lines of blue veins in his skin. He wore a pair of loose black slacks and black dress shoes. On his chest was a vest with a swirling pattern of black and red. He wore a white under shirt and a black bow tie.
"All he needs is a black cape and a top hat and he'd be right out of the mind of Bram Stoker." Buffy thought.
The man was looking about the room assessing his surroundings. He then looked at the floor about him, taking notice of the spilled dirt he now stood in.
"Interesting." He stated with a slight British accent.
He then looked up toward Buffy and upon seeing her a deep scowl clenched his brow.
"I see." He said softly and slightly irritated.
Buffy was about to comment about his being an almost visual copy of a story book vampire, when the chiming music in her head flurried across her mind. Suddenly the thought of him being a vampire was certain and she wanted nothing more than to destroy him. Without so much a single witty remark, Buffy launched herself over ground and directly toward his form. She felt the world rush around her and the quick sharpening of her senses that was familiar from her recent battle with the demons. There was a momentary startled look on the vampires face as she leaped at him. Buffy was almost upon him with her dagger stabbing before her when the vampire made a quick jerk to the side and dodged the attack. Buffy noticed that his movements didn't seem as slow as the demons. Upon missing with her first attack, Buffy swiped out to the left with her blade. The vampire jumped backward away from the attack and landed halfway across the room. Buffy immediately leaped toward him, again attempting to strike at him with her weapon. The eyes of the vampire were wide with wonder as she came deathly close to cutting him. Barely dodging her attack, the vampire made a swipe at Buffy with the back of his hand. The Slayer jerked her head backward to dodge the attack.
"My, aren't we an agile one." The vampire commented.
Buffy responded with a growl and stabbed at him again with her dagger. The vampire side stepped her blade, but was cut off guard by her quick kick. The blow landed squarely in his side and he slid backward across the concrete from its force.
The vampire gritted his teeth in pain.
"My word, they've improved slayers in the last hundred years."
Buffy said nothing as she pressed her attack on him. Each time she swung, the vampire was able to closely dodge then attack in return. Buffy quickly dived and swooped away from the vampire's counter attacks. They continued to attack and defend this way until Buffy saw the vampire make a quick move that exposed his chest. With a sharp jab Buffy was able to strike past the vampire's flailing hand and drive her blade deep into his chest.
Upon making contact, the fight stopped. The vampire looked down to see Buffy's hand holding the blade deep in his chest. He looked back up at her with a smirk on his face.
"Alright, I'll grant you that you're fast, but it seems that you might be new at this. You see, not only do you need to be using wood to destroy me, but you also need to hit my heart."
Buffy glanced up into his eyes. A smirk of her own crept onto her lips. Concentrating momentarily on the blade, the soft glowing surround the metal flared brighter within the vampire's wound. The vampire's head jerked upward and his eyes grew wider. With a quick rushing of what sounded similar to wind, the vampire turned to dust. Overjoyed by the feeling of the kill, Buffy was overwhelmed by the rush of sensation that grabbed a hold of her body. The feeling of gratifying pleasure gripped her mind and her legs buckled out from under her. What seemed liked a wash of electricity flooded over her body and she arched her back as she lay on the floor. Never before had she felt something so intense. Every part of her being was inundated with the pleasurable lightning. Slowly the feeling subsided and her muscles began to relax. She lay there on the floor surrounded by the corpses of her slain demons for several minutes as she basked in the glow of her reward.
She liked her new dagger. Yes, she did.