That night had been a turning point for them both. After that, the shadows seemed more menacing, the night more dangerous. As a result, both of them practiced the fighting moves more, trying harder to learn as much as possible. Nikki started asking Mr. Henner more questions about vampires, in a desperate effort to learn what they needed to know before it was too late.
Vampires were stronger and faster than humans, which they'd already discovered. Holy water burned them, as would Holy symbols. Actually, he'd said crosses, and grudgingly admitted that a Jewish Watcher had once held off a vampire with his Star of David, so perhaps other faith's symbols might work, if the person believed. Vampires would burn in sunlight, and were very flammable, though not quite enough to catch fire from a lighter or a cigarette. Beheading would kill them, as well as most sorts of demons, a subject that Erik really didn't want to get into if possible. Wood or silver weapons would hurt them more effectively than steel or lead, and either of those through the heart would kill. Of course, he'd then muttered that vampires became more durable as they aged, so a wooden stake, beloved of horror movies, was likely to shatter on an older vampire's chest, which would only make them very angry. And apparently, silver and silver alloys slid through the chest easier than wood.
Neither of them wanted to know who or how that particular fact had been learned. The thought was just too disturbingly morbid.
Erik was certain that Henner didn't like him. He'd always be glaring at Erik if he was there, and pointing out each little flaw in form and execution as if it was the most wretched performance, actually harsher than when he was directing Nikki. They couldn't quite understand why at first, and it was Nikki who eventually decided to do something about it.
"Hey, why are you always so hard on him? Erik's the best friend that I've got, and the only one that I can talk about this with." Nikki had been glaring at Henner, rubbing at a bruise on her shoulder.
Henner had just shaken his head. "You are - or could become - the Slayer. The Slayer stands alone against the forces of Darkness. Alone. Letting some boy tag along will only serve to get him killed and keep you distracted, which will result in your own death."
"I won't distract Nikki." Erik had heard the question, and offered his words like a promise.
Henner had just snorted. "Since you're here, you might as well go over there and practice the sword katas. It should keep you occupied for a while."
Practice the sword katas... Erik shook his head, pulling the wooden sword from the rack. Henner was so annoyed that he'd even showed up. Did he really think that he'd abandon Nikki to face this alone, just because there were monsters out there? The guy should really know better. He wanted to yell and scream at him, but that would only distract Nikki, and prove the jerk right. Instead, he focused on the katas, letting his mind drift to the question of where the vampires might be, and if there might be a more efficient way to get them than just wandering blindly around the city. His body knew the katas, needed no special attention to direct the smooth movements and the arcs of the wooden blade.
Henner had decided to have Nikki do what he called 'grave-sitting'. If there was a suspicious death, one that was likely to have been the work of a vampire, it was possible that they would rise from the grave as a vampire themselves. Possibly even from being bitten, though that was extremely unlikely, as something of the vampire's essence had to enter the victim for them to change. The explanation was rather mystical and confusing, and Erik was certain that he'd missed parts of it.
Erik had gone along, just in case. He'd also dragged out the wooden sword from the gym, figuring that if they did find a vampire rising, it would be better than just a little sharp bit of wood no longer than Nikki's foot. He'd seen vampires twice, and they'd left the firm idea that the farther you could keep the teeth from you, the better. Swords were longer than stakes, and he was better at using the sword than trying to punch over the heart anyhow.
"This is rather... weird." Nikki whispered, sort of pacing in an odd little circle. She didn't want to step on the graves, didn't want to disturb those who should be resting peacefully underneath them. "Am I just supposed to wait here until something happens?"
"If there's no activity by midnight, then the victim was simply killed, not turned." Henner was leaning against a tall, pointy stone, scribbling into a notebook. He didn't seem at all perturbed by the headstones all around them.
"Midnight? I've got other things to do than stand around in a graveyard for half the night!" Nikki glared at him, her fists on her hips, the stake held so tightly that her knuckles had gone pale.
"This is your destiny, not becoming the late shift waitress at some cheap diner, or possibly a teacher standing in front of a group of disinterested children." Henner looked back, entirely serious and grumpy.
Erik looked past them, feeling... something. It was as if there was a sudden draft inside the skin of his back, and everything felt prickly. He looked towards the grave, and frowned. Had the dirt piled on top just shifted a little? "Nikki, Henner... heads up. I think..."
That was when the hand thrust upwards, the nails long and broken, still showing traces of the crimson polish. Dirt streaked the hand, and there was a scratching, hissing sound as more of the dirt moved, bits rolling and falling away. She was digging her way out.
Nikki spun, her attention now on the grave instead of Henner. She was balanced on her toes, the stake held ready, almost like a knife. "There's a vampire... I'm not this Slayer, why am I here again? Why can't there be some better way than fighting a vampire with a little bit of wood?"
The vampire lunged towards Nikki, hissing as she tried to swipe with her claws, almost like a giant cat. Yellow-orange eyes glared angrily from heavier brows, and the teeth were jagged, slightly stained with red lipstick, as if in warning of what could happen. Nikki kicked at her, possibly hoping to put the new vampire off balance, and was backhanded, sending her staggering back towards Henner.
Erik lunged forward, the wooden blade slicing deep into the vampires shoulder. Dark red blood welled up, thick and heavier, the smell different than a human's. Growling, the vampire woman turned, her eyes focusing on Erik as a new threat. She seemed incapable of fighting more than one opponent at a time.
Nikki took advantage of this distraction, and stabbed the stake into the vampire's back. More blood welled up, and the vampire spun around, trying to grab Nikki, her claws raking along Nikki's arms.
Erik slashed the sword low, cutting along the vampire's legs, causing her to fall to the ground. Nikki stabbed again with the stake, and there was more blood, shortly followed by the vampire crumbling to dust, like the one in the alley. Nikki sat there, kneeling on the bloody dust, trying to put her breathing back under control. Lifting the stake, they could see that the tip had become blunted, and there were a few splinters.
"I know this was sharp when we left." Nikki reached towards it, not quite willing to touch the blood smeared portion of the stake. "How's the sword?"
Erik reached out, running his finger over the edge, feeling the blood under his fingertip. It felt thick and cool, like cooling Jell-O. Carefully, he tested the edge of the sword, discovering that it wasn't very sharp. "I can't remember if it was sharp or not before, but it's dull now."
"One vampire, and the stake's got no point, and the sword's dull. That doesn't sound very good to me." Nikki sighed, her eyes full of worry. "Is a Slayer supposed to carry around a huge supply of stakes every night?"
"That has rather been dependant on the availability of better weapons." Henner's voice was tight, as if he didn't like any sort of questioning about the Traditions, as if things that had worked for centuries shouldn't be changed. Ever. "And it is a bit difficult to get a decent blade made with a high enough silver content to be effective, and enough steel to be strong."
Erik had to admit that there could be some trouble there, not that he was an expert on the making of weapons. But if they could get a sword that would kill vampires and still hold it's edge... "I'd think it would be worth the cost."
"Hmmmm." Henner made this little noise, and looked at Erik, as if he'd just said something unexpected. "Some Watcher families do keep such weapons, and pass them through the generations. My family used to have one, but it was lost defeating a particularly nasty demon in the time of my grandfather."
Erik shook his head, his opinion that demons sounded like things to avoid reinforced. If he could ever find someone who could make it, if he could ever have the money to pay for something like that... A silver-steel alloy sounded a lot better than wooden weapons. Especially since this had been a new and relatively weak vampire.
"Why am I suddenly thinking that Slayers don't have a retirement program?" Nikki's voice was heavy with layers or fear and worry and determination. "Is there at least a better quality of stake that we could use?"
"It is in the nature of wooden stakes to be rather expendable. They aren't intended to last more than one or two vampires." Henner shook his head. "We really have to work on your aim. If you'd just hit the heart when you first stabbed at her, it all would have been over sooner."
"I don't have a lot of experience killing things bigger than flies." Nikki shook her head, and started to wipe at her cheek, stopping when she saw that her hand was smeared with blood and ashes. "I need to wash my hands. I smell like… I don't even want to try to give it a name. But it's not a scent that I like."
"Blood and ashes and dirt, with a bit of crushed grass." Erik murmured, wiping the sword over a section of cleaner grass. The blood was mostly gone now, but the scent still hung thick in the air, almost thick enough to taste. "And something else… I guess vampires have a smell."
Nikki just shuddered, and tried to find a way to carry the stake away from her body. "I think we've done enough here."
"Vampires don't have a smell. Not unless they're minions, who often smell of earth and old blood. You must have just let yourself be carried away." Henner dismissed Erik's words, his eyes hard and cold.
Erik felt his temper flare, and his grip on the wooden sword tightened. He clenched his teeth together in an effort to keep from speaking. It wasn't worth another argument, and Nikki wanted to get home. Instead, he just turned and followed Nikki, letting his mind replay the fight, trying to take apart every move, every action and reaction. If he could figure out what had gone wrong, he'd know how to do better next time. And there would always be a next time, always another fight. Andrew had taught him that. Next time he'd have to be ready for that vampire speed, less shocked by the sharp teeth and demon eyes.
They'd been walking for a while when Nikki glanced at him. "Did you really smell…. Is there really a smell to vampires?"
"Yeah." He looked at her, his stomach suddenly clenching. "Did you smell it too?"
"No." Her voice was low, as if she didn't want anyone to overhear her words. "But if you say that you smelled something, I believe you, Erik."
His mind kept turning over her words. Nikki hadn't smelled it. Henner hadn't smelled it. So what made him different? How could he smell the vampires when they didn't? How had he felt the vampire before her hand had emerged? Slayers were always girls, always a female, so that was out. What else would explain these things?
Erik didn't have any answers for that. Not yet.
End part 3.
Vampires were stronger and faster than humans, which they'd already discovered. Holy water burned them, as would Holy symbols. Actually, he'd said crosses, and grudgingly admitted that a Jewish Watcher had once held off a vampire with his Star of David, so perhaps other faith's symbols might work, if the person believed. Vampires would burn in sunlight, and were very flammable, though not quite enough to catch fire from a lighter or a cigarette. Beheading would kill them, as well as most sorts of demons, a subject that Erik really didn't want to get into if possible. Wood or silver weapons would hurt them more effectively than steel or lead, and either of those through the heart would kill. Of course, he'd then muttered that vampires became more durable as they aged, so a wooden stake, beloved of horror movies, was likely to shatter on an older vampire's chest, which would only make them very angry. And apparently, silver and silver alloys slid through the chest easier than wood.
Neither of them wanted to know who or how that particular fact had been learned. The thought was just too disturbingly morbid.
Erik was certain that Henner didn't like him. He'd always be glaring at Erik if he was there, and pointing out each little flaw in form and execution as if it was the most wretched performance, actually harsher than when he was directing Nikki. They couldn't quite understand why at first, and it was Nikki who eventually decided to do something about it.
"Hey, why are you always so hard on him? Erik's the best friend that I've got, and the only one that I can talk about this with." Nikki had been glaring at Henner, rubbing at a bruise on her shoulder.
Henner had just shaken his head. "You are - or could become - the Slayer. The Slayer stands alone against the forces of Darkness. Alone. Letting some boy tag along will only serve to get him killed and keep you distracted, which will result in your own death."
"I won't distract Nikki." Erik had heard the question, and offered his words like a promise.
Henner had just snorted. "Since you're here, you might as well go over there and practice the sword katas. It should keep you occupied for a while."
Practice the sword katas... Erik shook his head, pulling the wooden sword from the rack. Henner was so annoyed that he'd even showed up. Did he really think that he'd abandon Nikki to face this alone, just because there were monsters out there? The guy should really know better. He wanted to yell and scream at him, but that would only distract Nikki, and prove the jerk right. Instead, he focused on the katas, letting his mind drift to the question of where the vampires might be, and if there might be a more efficient way to get them than just wandering blindly around the city. His body knew the katas, needed no special attention to direct the smooth movements and the arcs of the wooden blade.
Henner had decided to have Nikki do what he called 'grave-sitting'. If there was a suspicious death, one that was likely to have been the work of a vampire, it was possible that they would rise from the grave as a vampire themselves. Possibly even from being bitten, though that was extremely unlikely, as something of the vampire's essence had to enter the victim for them to change. The explanation was rather mystical and confusing, and Erik was certain that he'd missed parts of it.
Erik had gone along, just in case. He'd also dragged out the wooden sword from the gym, figuring that if they did find a vampire rising, it would be better than just a little sharp bit of wood no longer than Nikki's foot. He'd seen vampires twice, and they'd left the firm idea that the farther you could keep the teeth from you, the better. Swords were longer than stakes, and he was better at using the sword than trying to punch over the heart anyhow.
"This is rather... weird." Nikki whispered, sort of pacing in an odd little circle. She didn't want to step on the graves, didn't want to disturb those who should be resting peacefully underneath them. "Am I just supposed to wait here until something happens?"
"If there's no activity by midnight, then the victim was simply killed, not turned." Henner was leaning against a tall, pointy stone, scribbling into a notebook. He didn't seem at all perturbed by the headstones all around them.
"Midnight? I've got other things to do than stand around in a graveyard for half the night!" Nikki glared at him, her fists on her hips, the stake held so tightly that her knuckles had gone pale.
"This is your destiny, not becoming the late shift waitress at some cheap diner, or possibly a teacher standing in front of a group of disinterested children." Henner looked back, entirely serious and grumpy.
Erik looked past them, feeling... something. It was as if there was a sudden draft inside the skin of his back, and everything felt prickly. He looked towards the grave, and frowned. Had the dirt piled on top just shifted a little? "Nikki, Henner... heads up. I think..."
That was when the hand thrust upwards, the nails long and broken, still showing traces of the crimson polish. Dirt streaked the hand, and there was a scratching, hissing sound as more of the dirt moved, bits rolling and falling away. She was digging her way out.
Nikki spun, her attention now on the grave instead of Henner. She was balanced on her toes, the stake held ready, almost like a knife. "There's a vampire... I'm not this Slayer, why am I here again? Why can't there be some better way than fighting a vampire with a little bit of wood?"
The vampire lunged towards Nikki, hissing as she tried to swipe with her claws, almost like a giant cat. Yellow-orange eyes glared angrily from heavier brows, and the teeth were jagged, slightly stained with red lipstick, as if in warning of what could happen. Nikki kicked at her, possibly hoping to put the new vampire off balance, and was backhanded, sending her staggering back towards Henner.
Erik lunged forward, the wooden blade slicing deep into the vampires shoulder. Dark red blood welled up, thick and heavier, the smell different than a human's. Growling, the vampire woman turned, her eyes focusing on Erik as a new threat. She seemed incapable of fighting more than one opponent at a time.
Nikki took advantage of this distraction, and stabbed the stake into the vampire's back. More blood welled up, and the vampire spun around, trying to grab Nikki, her claws raking along Nikki's arms.
Erik slashed the sword low, cutting along the vampire's legs, causing her to fall to the ground. Nikki stabbed again with the stake, and there was more blood, shortly followed by the vampire crumbling to dust, like the one in the alley. Nikki sat there, kneeling on the bloody dust, trying to put her breathing back under control. Lifting the stake, they could see that the tip had become blunted, and there were a few splinters.
"I know this was sharp when we left." Nikki reached towards it, not quite willing to touch the blood smeared portion of the stake. "How's the sword?"
Erik reached out, running his finger over the edge, feeling the blood under his fingertip. It felt thick and cool, like cooling Jell-O. Carefully, he tested the edge of the sword, discovering that it wasn't very sharp. "I can't remember if it was sharp or not before, but it's dull now."
"One vampire, and the stake's got no point, and the sword's dull. That doesn't sound very good to me." Nikki sighed, her eyes full of worry. "Is a Slayer supposed to carry around a huge supply of stakes every night?"
"That has rather been dependant on the availability of better weapons." Henner's voice was tight, as if he didn't like any sort of questioning about the Traditions, as if things that had worked for centuries shouldn't be changed. Ever. "And it is a bit difficult to get a decent blade made with a high enough silver content to be effective, and enough steel to be strong."
Erik had to admit that there could be some trouble there, not that he was an expert on the making of weapons. But if they could get a sword that would kill vampires and still hold it's edge... "I'd think it would be worth the cost."
"Hmmmm." Henner made this little noise, and looked at Erik, as if he'd just said something unexpected. "Some Watcher families do keep such weapons, and pass them through the generations. My family used to have one, but it was lost defeating a particularly nasty demon in the time of my grandfather."
Erik shook his head, his opinion that demons sounded like things to avoid reinforced. If he could ever find someone who could make it, if he could ever have the money to pay for something like that... A silver-steel alloy sounded a lot better than wooden weapons. Especially since this had been a new and relatively weak vampire.
"Why am I suddenly thinking that Slayers don't have a retirement program?" Nikki's voice was heavy with layers or fear and worry and determination. "Is there at least a better quality of stake that we could use?"
"It is in the nature of wooden stakes to be rather expendable. They aren't intended to last more than one or two vampires." Henner shook his head. "We really have to work on your aim. If you'd just hit the heart when you first stabbed at her, it all would have been over sooner."
"I don't have a lot of experience killing things bigger than flies." Nikki shook her head, and started to wipe at her cheek, stopping when she saw that her hand was smeared with blood and ashes. "I need to wash my hands. I smell like… I don't even want to try to give it a name. But it's not a scent that I like."
"Blood and ashes and dirt, with a bit of crushed grass." Erik murmured, wiping the sword over a section of cleaner grass. The blood was mostly gone now, but the scent still hung thick in the air, almost thick enough to taste. "And something else… I guess vampires have a smell."
Nikki just shuddered, and tried to find a way to carry the stake away from her body. "I think we've done enough here."
"Vampires don't have a smell. Not unless they're minions, who often smell of earth and old blood. You must have just let yourself be carried away." Henner dismissed Erik's words, his eyes hard and cold.
Erik felt his temper flare, and his grip on the wooden sword tightened. He clenched his teeth together in an effort to keep from speaking. It wasn't worth another argument, and Nikki wanted to get home. Instead, he just turned and followed Nikki, letting his mind replay the fight, trying to take apart every move, every action and reaction. If he could figure out what had gone wrong, he'd know how to do better next time. And there would always be a next time, always another fight. Andrew had taught him that. Next time he'd have to be ready for that vampire speed, less shocked by the sharp teeth and demon eyes.
They'd been walking for a while when Nikki glanced at him. "Did you really smell…. Is there really a smell to vampires?"
"Yeah." He looked at her, his stomach suddenly clenching. "Did you smell it too?"
"No." Her voice was low, as if she didn't want anyone to overhear her words. "But if you say that you smelled something, I believe you, Erik."
His mind kept turning over her words. Nikki hadn't smelled it. Henner hadn't smelled it. So what made him different? How could he smell the vampires when they didn't? How had he felt the vampire before her hand had emerged? Slayers were always girls, always a female, so that was out. What else would explain these things?
Erik didn't have any answers for that. Not yet.
End part 3.