***
Watching the proceedings; I had to admit, for a novice at the Bad-Ideas-That-Become-Good-Plans-Game Michael was Scooby material. As promised he marched through the front gate. As predicted the rent-a-thugs attacked him. He transformed. His flesh bleached and paled his fingers became sharp claws and his teeth sharpened. As they came at him Michael roared a challenge and wailed on them relentlessly and with fierce abandon. Bodies flew around the yard to crash against gates, walls and crates like the one I was hiding behind. It took a clear mind to notice two things. One, everyone he hurled around was still alive. Two, the fight was moving away from the slaughterhouse. Of course, the thugs were too busy to notice they were being lured away from the place they were supposed to be guarding. This, for those of you keeping tabs was the point of the plan. I slipped in unnoticed and celebrated the change in my twisted luck. It took me only moments to find Selene. I just looked for the over dramatic torture set-up and there she was, strung up, with weights tied to her and some brute jabbing a stun baton into her. He would toss fresh water on her occasionally so the voltage would be conducted better. Grabbing a substantial piece of wood that was lying around I crept up on the gorilla and hit him with the two by four. The shaft of wood splintered against his head and shoulders but the thug just blinked at me. Then he began to reach for me, which was right when Selene twisted her body upwards so that the weights around her feet fell around the big man's thick neck. Then she began twisting to the side more and more. I'm not sure which was freakier the choking sound he was making or the snap at the end that cut off the choking.
"That was just unreal, why didn't you do that before."
"There was no one around to distract him, nor was there anyone who was likely to release me." her pointed look at her bonds remained me. I was effecting this rescue for a reason. I supposed to be the experienced one. That's why what happened next embarrassed me.
I was about to make with the releasing when a shadow dropped on me. It had been pointed out a few times that Kravan was a dick and a coward. Somehow, it just never dawned on me, the last thing that a guy like him would be doing is risking his neck on combat with a monster like Michael. He had stayed behind.
I fell to the ground and rolled to the side. He came at me fast but I was ready. Lycans were kind of new territory but I had been fighting vampires since I was in high school. We danced around the cleared out space were Selene was hanging Kravan thought he would score an easy kill but the first time he came at me my batons were in my hands and I smacked him around. We traded blows for a few seconds until I entangled his arms and judo flipped him to the ground. He landed on the floor hard. I pressed a stud on the side of the batons and a sharpened stake slid out of the grip housing. I thrust downward but was unprepared for Kravan to twist to the side and take the stake thrust through his arm. He kicked his feet out sending me hurtling into a pile of crates. I landed hard with the breath knocked out of me. I looked down. A metal fasting that had been attached to one of the boxes was now pushing out through my side. I could feel the flow of arterial blood. I was bleeding to death. Not a good thing especially if you are fighting a vampire. Kravan stalked toward me hissing as he came. He grabbed my hair twisting my head back. He looked ready for drink when a whirl of voices began sounding. There was bright lights and confusion. I drifted in and out of full awareness, indeed I thought I was dying.
"No, not dying, not yet." Where was that voice coming from? Was that Tara?
"Of course it is. "
"So how come I get to talk to you. "
"Anya was too busy she figured you weren't going to die so why tease you."
"So how is heaven?"
"Oh its cool, they let me relive all my best moments over and over."
"That's cool. So I guess the message is don't go to the light."
"Well not Go to the light but yeah, you might want to…."
"Look at the light, follow the light. That's right Xander follow it. Ok I think he is coming out of it his blood pressure is stable get us there fast. "
"Amazing Dr Corvin I've seen army trained medics that couldn't work this well under pressure. If you are really joining the team I'll breath easier."
"Lets get him back to LA alive before we start crowing about how good a field medic I am. "
"Should we sedate him? "
"Don't bother," I said, "I think I'm passing out again." Then I did
***