Willow, Buffy and Wesley walk through a cemetery, inspecting everything as they go.
"Come in Nighthawk," Willow talks into a yellow walkie-talkie with some red and blue strips wrapping around the top.
"Willow, that you?" asks Xander.
"Affirmative. Do you copy Nighthawk?"
"That's a 10-4 Will-Meister. Everything all right there?"
"Everything is okie dokie."
"Okie dokie?"
"Shhh!" Buffy's voice comes over the communication.
"How come she gets to talk?" asks Wesley?
"Because she's not annoying," replies Giles.
"I protest," barks Wesley.
"Good for you," says Giles.
"Copy that. Over and out," answers Xander.
"These could be very useful for future use. I don't know why Buffy doesn't use them," comments Giles.
"They tend to break pretty easy with all the pummeling. We went through two sets last summer," answers Oz.
"Shame really. I press this button here to talk?" asks Giles.
"Yeah, the one with the tiny letters spelling out 'Talk'," replies Xander.
"You'll never let me forget this one will you?"
"Nope. Bring it out suddenly, from nowhere while you're saying something important."
"If you don't tell anybody, I wont remind them all of 'Bitcha'."
"Ouch, low blow from the bookman. Sounds good to me."
Giles looks over and realizes Oz overheard.
"You'll not say anything right?"
"Do I ever?" replies Oz.
"Ah, yes ... Buffy," he pushes the button, "can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear. What's up?"
"Oh, it worked," he presses the button again, "we're just about finished with this location. Nothing so far."
"It's pretty quiet over here too," she replies.
"Maybe he's Jewish. Taking a day off," says Willow.
"Nothing like that festive spirit Will. Giles ... we're done here. We're going to move on. Maybe he won't kill anyone tonight."
The killer stands a dead person up on a cinder block. The body arches slightly over a concrete railing. He places another block behind her head on the railing itself. He lets go and the body almost falls over. He catches it and repositions it just right. He loops some rope through the block's holes and around her neck. Then back through the holes, finally tying a slipknot. He does the same for the feet.
He sticks one of his fingers into her chest wound and paints the symbol on the body's head
"I transgress by way of your giving. Moving to a higher state. Forthcoming I am."
A bright white lite shines in the darkness; shooting from a point in the air at many angles. With one quick flash a Chamilla appears. It walks toward him just as the killer moves away from the victim's head.
"You are privileged to bare testimate to my transformation. Behold as I immix with the vessel, bringing me forth another step to my becoming."
He walks up to the white demon. He stands in front and closes his eyes. After tilting his head back, the demon grabs him and shoves him into it's own skin. Inside the Chamilla he raises his arms up into the raised arms of the demon itself.
It roars and chunks of it begin to fall off. Slowly it melts over the attacker until it is all, but gone.
The attacker turns around with his arms still up.
"Behold my transmutation!" he speaks to the lifeless body before him.
The left over slime seeps into the pours of his skin until he is almost completely dry. He walks over to the dead person's body, "You have been rescued by my hand. And tomorrow others will transcend. I shall be the deliverance of all that is impure."
He lifts the legs up onto the railing and pushes the body off the bridge into the lake below. The water ripples and the body sinks fast to the bottom.
A knock comes to the Mayor's officer door.
"If you'll excuse me my dear," he gets up from his desk to answer the door. "Why My Kamen! What a pleasant surprise! Please come on in. Faithy dear, I'd like you to meet a good friend of daddies, Charlie Kamen. Charlie, this is Faith."
"I like a man in uniform," she shakes his hand.
"I like my girls legal. That's some grip you got going on there. Exercise a lot?" he comments while realizing who she was.
"You could say I was born with it," and winks an eye.
"Yes, I swear it has been a year since I've seen you. Gosh! How have you been?" asks the Mayor.
"Gliding with the punches. I was in L.A. for a bit. Had to leave. There was too many of 'them' out there. You know what I mean."
"Oh, no need to be so insidious, she used to kill those things for a living. Like little balloons, just popping one right after another. Quite the little spitfire. So what brings you to my office officer?"
"I identified the killer."
"You did?! That's great. I was beginning to think I'd have to make more campaign promises to people I'm just gonna wind up eating later."
"Eating?" asks Kamen.
"It's a political term. So, do tell," he sits on his desk to the left of Faith, who has sat down in a rolling chair.
"His name is Markus Langstrum," answer Kamen.
"Funny how we never seem to suspect murders with the name Mark. I heard you tell him this over the phone yesterday. Is that all?"
"No. I believe I know why he kills these people. His parents abused him when he was little. So badly he was in the Emergency Room for over a week. Finally his father shot and killed his mother and took off. Markus went through a series of Foster homes for the next ten years where he was beaten and sexually assaulted. "Just before he turned 12 he was placed with the Williamsons; they were good people. Over the next five years he showed remarkable improvement in psychiatric counseling. He loved them. Then one day he came home from school to find them both dead. Mister Williamsons had been bludgeoned to death and had twelve stabs wounds. Misses Williamsons had been stripped naked and raped repeatedly, then shotgunned in the head. She was identified by her teeth.
They were rich and he inherited all of the money, when he turned 18 that is. For a few months he lived in proverty and when his 18th birthday rolled around corner, within a week had the money transferred to a secret account and he disappeared. Now one can only guess where he had gone, but to have such hatred and anger build in you for ten years, it's no wonder he turned out the way he did."
"Well, I'm sorry this wayward youth had a rough childhood, but you don't make things right by killing people. If everyone did that, no one would have been able to vote me in. This young man and I are going to have a serious talk when he gets here. I only hope he can use Faithy here as a role model and strive to be like her. Kids today, when will they ever learn violence is not the answer. Three days is too much, find him tonight."
"Yes sir. It was good seeing you Mister Wilkens. Later," he bows out of the room.
"Buy now! Swell guy he is."
"Violence never solves anything? Come on boss, you're planning to rip this town a new one," says Faith.
"Yes sweetie, but I'm a grown up."
Buffy runs to her mail box. She opens it and retrieves the letters. Thumbing through them as she walked back to the house. She stops. A letter with no return address. She opens it. She unfolds the letter and there on the bottom of the page is the mark the killer had painted on all his victims.
It gave a time and a location for her to meet him. It also left her extremely uneasy that this man knew where she lived. She puts the letters under her arms and puts the killer's letter in her pants before she goes back in.
"Did I get anything?" asks her mom.
"Just bills."
"I hate bills."
"Me too," she runs upstairs.
Her mom looks over for a second wondering and then goes back to what she was doing.
Buffy bends down, "Giles, you there?"
"Yes, go ahead," he replies over the walkie-talkie.
"I think I see him. I'm going to turn the volume off. Contact you in five. Out," she turns off the communicator's volume. She gets up and walks up to the killer silently. He is on his knees praying. His eyes open and he stands up. Buffy stops.
"You're human," she says not sensing any vampire.
"More, or less."
"What are you?"
He pulls out a rifle and aims, "I am your deliverance!" and he fires. A dart injected with the overly concentrated morphine sticks into her right side near the belly.
"Do not fear it, let it..."
She pulls it right out, looks at it and throws it to the ground.
"We can do this easy, or I can beat your ass into oblivion. Your choice. I prefer the ass kicking part."
Astonished, he fires again. She stops in her tracks and shakes her head. She then paces quickly at him. She punches him in the face. When she swings again he ducts and aims. At close range he fires the third dose. She grabs him by the shoulders. Her vision becomes glared and her equilibrium plays tricks on her.
"This is, but a temporary state. You will sacrifice for the greater good. Giving for my transformation!" almost pushing his will upon her. Showing no sign of sorrow or forgiveness for what he has done as if this was perfectly acceptable and for him, normal.
She slips down to the ground. Losing her motor functions and balance, she wabbles and falls backwards against a tombstone.
He splashes the water over her face. He straddles her body and looks her in the eyes wildly.
"Your eyes are privileged to bare testimate to my transcendence; that I may change! Behold ... as I become!" his face shifts to that of a vampires. "witness this child's act therein of selflessness. Revere not; for you're humble being is bestowed with thy own generosity," he moves to the next tombstone where a man tied up with rope sits. His head is covered with a black cloth. The attacker pulls it off. It is Scott Hope.
"Scott?" says Buffy.
"Buffy? Is that you? I'm so dizzy," he replies. The man is dehydrated and weak.
The attacker gets on his knees, straddling Hope.
"Look upon my face my child. I am your deliverance!" he pulls out the dagger and holds it up and in a ready to strike position.
"Please don't kill me!" Hope pleas.
But they fall upon death ears when the attacker continues to speak, "Fear not. It shall pass. Yours is a glorious sacrifice. Embrace your journey. It is not death, but an alteration of state," he rams the jagged edged dagger into Scott's chest.
"No!!!" cries out Buffy. Scott looks into Buffy eyes with desperation and she sees the life slowly fade from them.
"Let the pain slip away and transcend in my honor. I am becoming."
Scott's head goes limp and a stream of blood trickles down his face from his mouth.
BANG! The attacker's head shoots up and he arches his back in pain. He spins around and there, standing with a still smoking gun barrel is officer Kamen.
"Now stay right there or I'll dust your sorry ass," he speaks into his shoulder communicator," dispatch, this is Charlie221 Alpha."
"Charlie221 Alpha, this is dispatch. Go ahead."
"I need an ambulance and a back up unit to Saint Christie's Burial Grounds. I have the graveyard killer and two victims in sight."
"Copy that Charlie221 Alpha. An ambulance and backup are being dispatched to your location."
The voice indicator lite on Buffy's walkie-talkie goes on and off.
"Drop the knife. Don't put it down, just drop it," orders Kamen.
The attacker drops it.
"You reek of sin. You and your kind are a plague upon this world. Your blood will spill by thy cleansing and make pure the land."
"Sure, you just sit back tight while I read you your rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say..."
A gargled roar comes from behind him. He comes about face to face with the white Chamilla. It roars in his face. He draws his firearm and fires multiple times. A liquid drains from each hole that was made.
The attacker reaches down, grabs the knife and lunges at Kamen, striking him in the back.
"Fear not!" the attacker holds the knife in hard, "You are transcending. Relinquish yourself in thy honor. Behold! For I will now become!"
It is them that Buffy realizes 12 has been the magical number needed and that assailant was about to achieve what they feared would occur.
He retracts the dagger and goes back to Hope. He bites down and draws Scott's blood. Kamen falls to the ground. He pulls back wild eyed with blood still dripping from his fangs.
"I'm going to kill you," says Buffy.
The attacker looks over still heaving from the lusting rush from the blood and licks it from his lips, "I need now, but to converge with thy vessels and you shall bare witness to my arrival. I am second coming. I shall wipe the land clean of impurity and the unclean will parish. Watch, as I am now forthcoming," he moves over to one of the now two Chamillas and merges with one. Just before he raises his hands, a sword blade slashes across the demon's jugular, lopping off it's head.
"Giles!" calls out Buffy.
"Are you hurt?" he knees down and grabs one of her hands. He checks her pulse.
"I can't move," she replies. Still teary eyed.
"Are you injured?"
"She shot me full of some drug."
Giles looks up t the killer.
"Lie still. Help is on the way," he looks over at the attacker, "I don't imagine you'll go without a fight? Though I must admit, some small part of me wishes to inflict some sort of reparation."
"You are unclean. The sins are old, but I can still smell them upon you. No matter, bare witness," he leans over Buffy after Giles turns his back to examine Kamen.
"Get off her!" he yells.
"...for I am becoming..."
"Very annoying."
The attacker looks up and there is Xander holding out the arm strapped sword.
The attacker growls menacingly and leaps at him. Xander stumbles backwards and lands on his posterior. He lifts himself up and holds there with his arms as the attacker lands in front of him.
The killer's eyes are white. He reaches into his pocket for the dagger and Oz comes running at him.
Giles starts to join them when suddenly the last standing Chamilla rushes at him gurgling.
"Oh dear," he turns around and runs into Willow.
"Giles!" she calls out.
"Run quickly."
"What? Oh!"
And they both take flight with the demon in chase.
"What am I doing? I have the sword," Giles turns around to face the demon, holding the sword up.
The demon squirts the acid at him. He raises his forearm for protection and Willow backs up covering her face. It stops and Giles and Willow both look back.
"Do you smell something burning?" asks Giles.
"Giles! Your coat! It's on fire!"
"well, I knew I was making a bit of a fashion state ... oh!" he drops the sword and quickly tries to remove his coat as the demon confronts them.
"That was a two-hundred dollar Tweed suit and I don't suppose you care?"
He bends down fast in an attempt to recover the sword. The demon swipes him upside his head, sending him to the ground. His glasses fly off and land five feet away.
"Willow, I can't see a blessed thing. Help me please!"
She bends down on her buckled knees to assist him. The demon inhales again and they both shut their eyes tightly and looks away from the forthcoming onslaught. They brace for it.
Oz has a forearm mounted crossbow on as he reaches Xander. The attacker is leaning in to stab Xander in the heart when Oz yells out, "Hey! Creature feature, over here!"
The attacker jumps off Xander and catches an arrow in his left side. He tried to escape by jumping over a tombstone, but another arrow fired by Oz digs into his left leg. He falls down, grabbing the arrow wound in pain.
"I still miss my X, but my aim is improving," comments Oz.
Giles and Willow, both practically grinding their teeth in frightful anticipation, hear a thud.
They both open their eyes and still a bit jittery, look up. There in front of them stands the now headless Chamilla.
"Willow, what's going on?" asks Giles.
Wesley comes frantically from behind the demon with excitement in his eyes.
"Did I get it? Is it completely dead?"
"I'll go get your glasses," Willow slightly laughs.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it," says Giles.
Willow runs off. Wesley looks at the sword.
"It was a bit heavier than I remembered. Log one in the score book for me. You know, I guess the sword is still mightier than the pen at times."
"Where's Buffy?" asks Giles.
"The attacker pulls the arrow out of his side and leg. He rubs the sore spots and then turns around. There is Buffy, still leaned up against the grave marker.
"You! I would have cleansed this Earth as a whole. Delivered the mass from evil."
"By killing a bunch of people? Did you ever stop to ask the victims if that is what they wanted?"
"They were sacrificed for the grater good. Murders, thieves, rapists befoul this would! I have seen such pure and innocent people slaughtered for no reason. No reason! Innocents murdered for petty cash. These individuals need to face justice! They needed to face me! I needed it," he stops. After nearly a decade the realization hit him. He tried to cover his tracks," why did you? How could you! I had a plan!" he yells and shakes Buffy.
Xander drops a stake into Buffy's waiting right hand.
"Sorry, it looks like your plans have gone up in smoke," and she drives the stake into his heart. He looks down and back up.
"I fear not; for it is not death, but an alteration of state. Where I am going there is no evil."
Buffy looks at his white eyes. His lips are also white and his hair has lost all color. He violently explodes in a huge puff of white smoke. His skeleton does not dissolve and collapses upon Buffy.
"Wouldn't bet on that," she says.
Oz kneels down to aid Buffy and Xander runs off to get his car. Willow, Giles and Pryce come stumbling in. Giles runs his hands through his hair on the side the demon's fist had struck. Strings of slime snap off his fingers and his hair stands up on that side of his head. Resembling an Alfalfa look.
"Is everyone all right?" asks Giles.
"I think I am, but still having difficulty with the moving of the legs."
Oz looks at Giles hair as he speaks, "Xander went to bring the car around. Giles you got ... you got something in your teeth."
Giles absent mindedly sticks the slime covered hand in his mouth. His says things best left to the imagination.
"Well, not bad if I do say so myself. We should do this more often," comments Pryce.
Xander comes running back. The demon body still stands up.
"Trunk's popped, everyone assume their baggy positions," he hands out garbage bags.
"Hey guys, check this out," Buffy uses the skeleton's jaw to form words, "say Bob, you think there are any Slayers in this graveyard?"
"I knew you were lying," says Oz.
"Everyone please hurry. We haven't much time," commands Giles.
They pair off and take a demon.
"Well, I saved the world again. Going to have to mark that on the calander when I get back. Can you help me?"
"It's best if you stay here and wait for an emergency medical team to arrive. I don't know what exactly it is he pumped you full of, but we are ill-prepared to care for you in such a case," he looks up and hears the sirens approaching, "I'll see you in the hospital." He walks off.
"Giles!" says Buffy. He turns around and she says, "Forgetting something?" she holds the skeleton.
"Quite right. Now, take care. Xander! Willow! Hurry up! They're almost here!" he shouts.
Buffy rests her head back. A small part of her heart felt hurt that Giles did not stay at her side. Not knowing that she wanted and expected him to be as a surrogate father at times.
She could see the illuminated ring of color in the clouds from the moon. She looks back down and sees Kamen's lifeless body off in the distance. She felt assured of peace now.
"Come in Nighthawk," Willow talks into a yellow walkie-talkie with some red and blue strips wrapping around the top.
"Willow, that you?" asks Xander.
"Affirmative. Do you copy Nighthawk?"
"That's a 10-4 Will-Meister. Everything all right there?"
"Everything is okie dokie."
"Okie dokie?"
"Shhh!" Buffy's voice comes over the communication.
"How come she gets to talk?" asks Wesley?
"Because she's not annoying," replies Giles.
"I protest," barks Wesley.
"Good for you," says Giles.
"Copy that. Over and out," answers Xander.
"These could be very useful for future use. I don't know why Buffy doesn't use them," comments Giles.
"They tend to break pretty easy with all the pummeling. We went through two sets last summer," answers Oz.
"Shame really. I press this button here to talk?" asks Giles.
"Yeah, the one with the tiny letters spelling out 'Talk'," replies Xander.
"You'll never let me forget this one will you?"
"Nope. Bring it out suddenly, from nowhere while you're saying something important."
"If you don't tell anybody, I wont remind them all of 'Bitcha'."
"Ouch, low blow from the bookman. Sounds good to me."
Giles looks over and realizes Oz overheard.
"You'll not say anything right?"
"Do I ever?" replies Oz.
"Ah, yes ... Buffy," he pushes the button, "can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear. What's up?"
"Oh, it worked," he presses the button again, "we're just about finished with this location. Nothing so far."
"It's pretty quiet over here too," she replies.
"Maybe he's Jewish. Taking a day off," says Willow.
"Nothing like that festive spirit Will. Giles ... we're done here. We're going to move on. Maybe he won't kill anyone tonight."
The killer stands a dead person up on a cinder block. The body arches slightly over a concrete railing. He places another block behind her head on the railing itself. He lets go and the body almost falls over. He catches it and repositions it just right. He loops some rope through the block's holes and around her neck. Then back through the holes, finally tying a slipknot. He does the same for the feet.
He sticks one of his fingers into her chest wound and paints the symbol on the body's head
"I transgress by way of your giving. Moving to a higher state. Forthcoming I am."
A bright white lite shines in the darkness; shooting from a point in the air at many angles. With one quick flash a Chamilla appears. It walks toward him just as the killer moves away from the victim's head.
"You are privileged to bare testimate to my transformation. Behold as I immix with the vessel, bringing me forth another step to my becoming."
He walks up to the white demon. He stands in front and closes his eyes. After tilting his head back, the demon grabs him and shoves him into it's own skin. Inside the Chamilla he raises his arms up into the raised arms of the demon itself.
It roars and chunks of it begin to fall off. Slowly it melts over the attacker until it is all, but gone.
The attacker turns around with his arms still up.
"Behold my transmutation!" he speaks to the lifeless body before him.
The left over slime seeps into the pours of his skin until he is almost completely dry. He walks over to the dead person's body, "You have been rescued by my hand. And tomorrow others will transcend. I shall be the deliverance of all that is impure."
He lifts the legs up onto the railing and pushes the body off the bridge into the lake below. The water ripples and the body sinks fast to the bottom.
A knock comes to the Mayor's officer door.
"If you'll excuse me my dear," he gets up from his desk to answer the door. "Why My Kamen! What a pleasant surprise! Please come on in. Faithy dear, I'd like you to meet a good friend of daddies, Charlie Kamen. Charlie, this is Faith."
"I like a man in uniform," she shakes his hand.
"I like my girls legal. That's some grip you got going on there. Exercise a lot?" he comments while realizing who she was.
"You could say I was born with it," and winks an eye.
"Yes, I swear it has been a year since I've seen you. Gosh! How have you been?" asks the Mayor.
"Gliding with the punches. I was in L.A. for a bit. Had to leave. There was too many of 'them' out there. You know what I mean."
"Oh, no need to be so insidious, she used to kill those things for a living. Like little balloons, just popping one right after another. Quite the little spitfire. So what brings you to my office officer?"
"I identified the killer."
"You did?! That's great. I was beginning to think I'd have to make more campaign promises to people I'm just gonna wind up eating later."
"Eating?" asks Kamen.
"It's a political term. So, do tell," he sits on his desk to the left of Faith, who has sat down in a rolling chair.
"His name is Markus Langstrum," answer Kamen.
"Funny how we never seem to suspect murders with the name Mark. I heard you tell him this over the phone yesterday. Is that all?"
"No. I believe I know why he kills these people. His parents abused him when he was little. So badly he was in the Emergency Room for over a week. Finally his father shot and killed his mother and took off. Markus went through a series of Foster homes for the next ten years where he was beaten and sexually assaulted. "Just before he turned 12 he was placed with the Williamsons; they were good people. Over the next five years he showed remarkable improvement in psychiatric counseling. He loved them. Then one day he came home from school to find them both dead. Mister Williamsons had been bludgeoned to death and had twelve stabs wounds. Misses Williamsons had been stripped naked and raped repeatedly, then shotgunned in the head. She was identified by her teeth.
They were rich and he inherited all of the money, when he turned 18 that is. For a few months he lived in proverty and when his 18th birthday rolled around corner, within a week had the money transferred to a secret account and he disappeared. Now one can only guess where he had gone, but to have such hatred and anger build in you for ten years, it's no wonder he turned out the way he did."
"Well, I'm sorry this wayward youth had a rough childhood, but you don't make things right by killing people. If everyone did that, no one would have been able to vote me in. This young man and I are going to have a serious talk when he gets here. I only hope he can use Faithy here as a role model and strive to be like her. Kids today, when will they ever learn violence is not the answer. Three days is too much, find him tonight."
"Yes sir. It was good seeing you Mister Wilkens. Later," he bows out of the room.
"Buy now! Swell guy he is."
"Violence never solves anything? Come on boss, you're planning to rip this town a new one," says Faith.
"Yes sweetie, but I'm a grown up."
Buffy runs to her mail box. She opens it and retrieves the letters. Thumbing through them as she walked back to the house. She stops. A letter with no return address. She opens it. She unfolds the letter and there on the bottom of the page is the mark the killer had painted on all his victims.
It gave a time and a location for her to meet him. It also left her extremely uneasy that this man knew where she lived. She puts the letters under her arms and puts the killer's letter in her pants before she goes back in.
"Did I get anything?" asks her mom.
"Just bills."
"I hate bills."
"Me too," she runs upstairs.
Her mom looks over for a second wondering and then goes back to what she was doing.
Buffy bends down, "Giles, you there?"
"Yes, go ahead," he replies over the walkie-talkie.
"I think I see him. I'm going to turn the volume off. Contact you in five. Out," she turns off the communicator's volume. She gets up and walks up to the killer silently. He is on his knees praying. His eyes open and he stands up. Buffy stops.
"You're human," she says not sensing any vampire.
"More, or less."
"What are you?"
He pulls out a rifle and aims, "I am your deliverance!" and he fires. A dart injected with the overly concentrated morphine sticks into her right side near the belly.
"Do not fear it, let it..."
She pulls it right out, looks at it and throws it to the ground.
"We can do this easy, or I can beat your ass into oblivion. Your choice. I prefer the ass kicking part."
Astonished, he fires again. She stops in her tracks and shakes her head. She then paces quickly at him. She punches him in the face. When she swings again he ducts and aims. At close range he fires the third dose. She grabs him by the shoulders. Her vision becomes glared and her equilibrium plays tricks on her.
"This is, but a temporary state. You will sacrifice for the greater good. Giving for my transformation!" almost pushing his will upon her. Showing no sign of sorrow or forgiveness for what he has done as if this was perfectly acceptable and for him, normal.
She slips down to the ground. Losing her motor functions and balance, she wabbles and falls backwards against a tombstone.
He splashes the water over her face. He straddles her body and looks her in the eyes wildly.
"Your eyes are privileged to bare testimate to my transcendence; that I may change! Behold ... as I become!" his face shifts to that of a vampires. "witness this child's act therein of selflessness. Revere not; for you're humble being is bestowed with thy own generosity," he moves to the next tombstone where a man tied up with rope sits. His head is covered with a black cloth. The attacker pulls it off. It is Scott Hope.
"Scott?" says Buffy.
"Buffy? Is that you? I'm so dizzy," he replies. The man is dehydrated and weak.
The attacker gets on his knees, straddling Hope.
"Look upon my face my child. I am your deliverance!" he pulls out the dagger and holds it up and in a ready to strike position.
"Please don't kill me!" Hope pleas.
But they fall upon death ears when the attacker continues to speak, "Fear not. It shall pass. Yours is a glorious sacrifice. Embrace your journey. It is not death, but an alteration of state," he rams the jagged edged dagger into Scott's chest.
"No!!!" cries out Buffy. Scott looks into Buffy eyes with desperation and she sees the life slowly fade from them.
"Let the pain slip away and transcend in my honor. I am becoming."
Scott's head goes limp and a stream of blood trickles down his face from his mouth.
BANG! The attacker's head shoots up and he arches his back in pain. He spins around and there, standing with a still smoking gun barrel is officer Kamen.
"Now stay right there or I'll dust your sorry ass," he speaks into his shoulder communicator," dispatch, this is Charlie221 Alpha."
"Charlie221 Alpha, this is dispatch. Go ahead."
"I need an ambulance and a back up unit to Saint Christie's Burial Grounds. I have the graveyard killer and two victims in sight."
"Copy that Charlie221 Alpha. An ambulance and backup are being dispatched to your location."
The voice indicator lite on Buffy's walkie-talkie goes on and off.
"Drop the knife. Don't put it down, just drop it," orders Kamen.
The attacker drops it.
"You reek of sin. You and your kind are a plague upon this world. Your blood will spill by thy cleansing and make pure the land."
"Sure, you just sit back tight while I read you your rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say..."
A gargled roar comes from behind him. He comes about face to face with the white Chamilla. It roars in his face. He draws his firearm and fires multiple times. A liquid drains from each hole that was made.
The attacker reaches down, grabs the knife and lunges at Kamen, striking him in the back.
"Fear not!" the attacker holds the knife in hard, "You are transcending. Relinquish yourself in thy honor. Behold! For I will now become!"
It is them that Buffy realizes 12 has been the magical number needed and that assailant was about to achieve what they feared would occur.
He retracts the dagger and goes back to Hope. He bites down and draws Scott's blood. Kamen falls to the ground. He pulls back wild eyed with blood still dripping from his fangs.
"I'm going to kill you," says Buffy.
The attacker looks over still heaving from the lusting rush from the blood and licks it from his lips, "I need now, but to converge with thy vessels and you shall bare witness to my arrival. I am second coming. I shall wipe the land clean of impurity and the unclean will parish. Watch, as I am now forthcoming," he moves over to one of the now two Chamillas and merges with one. Just before he raises his hands, a sword blade slashes across the demon's jugular, lopping off it's head.
"Giles!" calls out Buffy.
"Are you hurt?" he knees down and grabs one of her hands. He checks her pulse.
"I can't move," she replies. Still teary eyed.
"Are you injured?"
"She shot me full of some drug."
Giles looks up t the killer.
"Lie still. Help is on the way," he looks over at the attacker, "I don't imagine you'll go without a fight? Though I must admit, some small part of me wishes to inflict some sort of reparation."
"You are unclean. The sins are old, but I can still smell them upon you. No matter, bare witness," he leans over Buffy after Giles turns his back to examine Kamen.
"Get off her!" he yells.
"...for I am becoming..."
"Very annoying."
The attacker looks up and there is Xander holding out the arm strapped sword.
The attacker growls menacingly and leaps at him. Xander stumbles backwards and lands on his posterior. He lifts himself up and holds there with his arms as the attacker lands in front of him.
The killer's eyes are white. He reaches into his pocket for the dagger and Oz comes running at him.
Giles starts to join them when suddenly the last standing Chamilla rushes at him gurgling.
"Oh dear," he turns around and runs into Willow.
"Giles!" she calls out.
"Run quickly."
"What? Oh!"
And they both take flight with the demon in chase.
"What am I doing? I have the sword," Giles turns around to face the demon, holding the sword up.
The demon squirts the acid at him. He raises his forearm for protection and Willow backs up covering her face. It stops and Giles and Willow both look back.
"Do you smell something burning?" asks Giles.
"Giles! Your coat! It's on fire!"
"well, I knew I was making a bit of a fashion state ... oh!" he drops the sword and quickly tries to remove his coat as the demon confronts them.
"That was a two-hundred dollar Tweed suit and I don't suppose you care?"
He bends down fast in an attempt to recover the sword. The demon swipes him upside his head, sending him to the ground. His glasses fly off and land five feet away.
"Willow, I can't see a blessed thing. Help me please!"
She bends down on her buckled knees to assist him. The demon inhales again and they both shut their eyes tightly and looks away from the forthcoming onslaught. They brace for it.
Oz has a forearm mounted crossbow on as he reaches Xander. The attacker is leaning in to stab Xander in the heart when Oz yells out, "Hey! Creature feature, over here!"
The attacker jumps off Xander and catches an arrow in his left side. He tried to escape by jumping over a tombstone, but another arrow fired by Oz digs into his left leg. He falls down, grabbing the arrow wound in pain.
"I still miss my X, but my aim is improving," comments Oz.
Giles and Willow, both practically grinding their teeth in frightful anticipation, hear a thud.
They both open their eyes and still a bit jittery, look up. There in front of them stands the now headless Chamilla.
"Willow, what's going on?" asks Giles.
Wesley comes frantically from behind the demon with excitement in his eyes.
"Did I get it? Is it completely dead?"
"I'll go get your glasses," Willow slightly laughs.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it," says Giles.
Willow runs off. Wesley looks at the sword.
"It was a bit heavier than I remembered. Log one in the score book for me. You know, I guess the sword is still mightier than the pen at times."
"Where's Buffy?" asks Giles.
"The attacker pulls the arrow out of his side and leg. He rubs the sore spots and then turns around. There is Buffy, still leaned up against the grave marker.
"You! I would have cleansed this Earth as a whole. Delivered the mass from evil."
"By killing a bunch of people? Did you ever stop to ask the victims if that is what they wanted?"
"They were sacrificed for the grater good. Murders, thieves, rapists befoul this would! I have seen such pure and innocent people slaughtered for no reason. No reason! Innocents murdered for petty cash. These individuals need to face justice! They needed to face me! I needed it," he stops. After nearly a decade the realization hit him. He tried to cover his tracks," why did you? How could you! I had a plan!" he yells and shakes Buffy.
Xander drops a stake into Buffy's waiting right hand.
"Sorry, it looks like your plans have gone up in smoke," and she drives the stake into his heart. He looks down and back up.
"I fear not; for it is not death, but an alteration of state. Where I am going there is no evil."
Buffy looks at his white eyes. His lips are also white and his hair has lost all color. He violently explodes in a huge puff of white smoke. His skeleton does not dissolve and collapses upon Buffy.
"Wouldn't bet on that," she says.
Oz kneels down to aid Buffy and Xander runs off to get his car. Willow, Giles and Pryce come stumbling in. Giles runs his hands through his hair on the side the demon's fist had struck. Strings of slime snap off his fingers and his hair stands up on that side of his head. Resembling an Alfalfa look.
"Is everyone all right?" asks Giles.
"I think I am, but still having difficulty with the moving of the legs."
Oz looks at Giles hair as he speaks, "Xander went to bring the car around. Giles you got ... you got something in your teeth."
Giles absent mindedly sticks the slime covered hand in his mouth. His says things best left to the imagination.
"Well, not bad if I do say so myself. We should do this more often," comments Pryce.
Xander comes running back. The demon body still stands up.
"Trunk's popped, everyone assume their baggy positions," he hands out garbage bags.
"Hey guys, check this out," Buffy uses the skeleton's jaw to form words, "say Bob, you think there are any Slayers in this graveyard?"
"I knew you were lying," says Oz.
"Everyone please hurry. We haven't much time," commands Giles.
They pair off and take a demon.
"Well, I saved the world again. Going to have to mark that on the calander when I get back. Can you help me?"
"It's best if you stay here and wait for an emergency medical team to arrive. I don't know what exactly it is he pumped you full of, but we are ill-prepared to care for you in such a case," he looks up and hears the sirens approaching, "I'll see you in the hospital." He walks off.
"Giles!" says Buffy. He turns around and she says, "Forgetting something?" she holds the skeleton.
"Quite right. Now, take care. Xander! Willow! Hurry up! They're almost here!" he shouts.
Buffy rests her head back. A small part of her heart felt hurt that Giles did not stay at her side. Not knowing that she wanted and expected him to be as a surrogate father at times.
She could see the illuminated ring of color in the clouds from the moon. She looks back down and sees Kamen's lifeless body off in the distance. She felt assured of peace now.