Warning: This chapter is pretty dark by alot of peoples standards.

Chapter Seven

As the Darkness Descends

Months went by with me going about things as usually. Connor and I would patrol the streets for hours at a time killing vampire after vampire. After two days of fighting I had killed more vampires then I would have after one week in Sunnydale. I had also seen more dead bodies lying in the street then I ever had in my life.

Occasionally Connor tried to coax me into talking about Angel and myself but I would always change the subject. Angel's and I's past was complicated, and had been made even more so by the recent events. I didn't think that was something I should share with a son who already hated his father enough.

Even though months had past since the Angel and I incident, I had yet to even ask Connor about the two of them relationship. I didn't want to know. Curiosity still overwhelmed me at times, but I knew that asking the question would just make it worse. A part of me believed that if I didn't acknowledge that the two of them were related then maybe it wasn't true.

Overall I had started to walk through my life as a shell of the person I once was. I can't remember the last time I smiled or laughed, Connor tried constantly to get some sort of emotion out of me but it was to no avail. All I wanted to do, all I cared about, was going out and killing the things that haunted the streets.

Vampires swarmed here like flies. Everywhere you turned you saw one. I had later learned that where Connor and I lived was one of the only places left that Vamps didn't know about. People came there for refuge, which is one thing I couldn't really understand because they were being no better treated here then they were out on the streets. The only thing that was guaranteed at this juncture was the fact that you wouldn't be killed. But if you didn't have money though, you spent your time working it off with the dozens of willing men that worked there.

It was disguised as a bar, everyone knew that, but in the back was a set of many rooms, and if you had enough money you could stay in them. Connor and a few others were trying to make it a place were people would want to come to. They wanted to make so you could come to get away from the horrors of life instead of trading it for one horror to another. They didn't care about the people out on the street living their life in fear. All they cared about was making enough money in hopes that someday they would be able to get out of here.

It was said that you could buy your freedom from this city. There was a man in the outskirts of the town that knew how to sneak you out of LA and into a little countryside where people lived peacefully. The thing was though that no one knew if it was true or not. Plenty of people would go to this guy, but no one ever saw them again. So who was to know if the man was actually getting them out or if he was just leading them straight to Leon? No one seemed to care though because if there was even the slightest chance that they could get out of this hell whole, they were going to take it.

Connor on the other hand refused to leave, or even think of the idea of leaving. He didn't have a single cent to his name and he didn't want one. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving all the innocents behind with no one to protect them. The only reason why the owners of this secret tavern let him and I stay here was because we could fight. If anyone ever found out about this place, we could protect it, thus granting us a free stay.

People sold their bodies everyday just for a little bit of money to go towards there freedom. I never thought it could get this bad. You use to hear about it every once an awhile on the news, on how kids younger then myself were sleeping with men twice their age to try and get passage over to America, but you never really gave it a second thought. Sure you would think that that was horrible and that someone should put a stop to it, but then you'd just go back to whatever you were doing. But now ever street corner you turned it was happening, it wasn't something you could ignore anymore.

The day of the rations was the worst for me. Connor took me there on the first of the month, not to get food, but to protect the others. We got our food through the tavern once a month so we wouldn't have to worry about stealing it, but others weren't quite so lucky. We were only able to save a few of the many people that had been caught that day.

Thousands of people gathered in this big clearing like herds of sheep trying to get their food. Babies cries could be heard everywhere while mothers tried to shush them. Children were the only thing in this city that was left alone if they weren't marked. Apparently killing a baby was too much even for a monster like Leon.

Connor and I stood outside the gates of the food court, away from the guards view. People who were able to get past the guards and get there food would slip up outside of the gate, letting there jacket slip down a little bit, or wiping off the makeup they put on their neck to make it look like they were marked to soon. That's when a lot of them got caught, and that's when Connor and I stepped in. The victims would run around the corner trying to get away, and if they were able to reach us and lure some of the guards here, we would kill them.

I don't know how many times I felt as if I was doing a good thing when I saw one and then two more people escape without harm, or watch the vampires remains slip through my hands. But as the day wore on, the vamps got smarter. They started checking people for scars more thoroughly, catching more and more innocents as they went.

As the shrieks of small children reached my ears Connor had to hold me back. I struggled to get to the people that had just been revealed, wanting to run to them and help. But Connor held me back telling me that if I went out there I would only be getting myself killed and that would help no one. So I watched in horror as the mother of two kids no more then ten watched as she was being dragged off by two vampires. Watched as they screamed and cried out for their mother to come back all the while having her shout out how much she would always love them.

More and more incidents like this came into view as the day wore on. Mothers and Fathers being pulled away from their children, or kids as little as five or six being taken away to become an 'example' for others later in the day.

I slipped down the wall as I saw a vampire haul off and kill a little boy who tried to protect his baby sister from being taken from him. The blood of the innocent ran down the vampires chin as he drank his life force away. Connor sat down beside me and wrapped his arms around me, trying to shield me from the horrors playing just a few yards ahead.

"We can't save them all." He said quietly.

'We can't just let them die either."

"We have to Buffy. If we go out there and try to save them we'll most likely end up dead too. There are people out there that still need our help, and if we're gone who's going to do it?"

"What'll happen to those people?"

Connor sighed. "I told you already. They'll be made an example of."

"When?"

"Later. They'll hold a mandatory public viewing of their deaths. If you're found on the streets or in your home during this time, they kill you. Everyone has to go."

"I want to go too." I said blankly.

"No."

"Connor, either you take me there or I'll find it myself. I need to see what happens to them."

"Buffy you've had a hard enough day already! I'm not going to let you watch that. I don't even go to those things!"

I starred up at him determinedly. This wasn't up for discussion. I had let those people down and I deserved to see them out to the end. If all it did was punish me, I didn't care. The need inside me to go was too great to ignore.

"No." He repeated.

I got up and started strolling out into the public's eye to go and give one of those vampires a piece of my mind. Yes I would die, but there would be at least one less vampire walking this earth.

"Alright fine!" He pulled me back into the safety of the other side of the building before to much suspicion could arise. "I'll take you there."

The show was held no more then three blocks away from the rations area a couple hours later. I thought that the other place was guarded, but as I came upon this view I knew I was wrong. Already in there game faces vamps stood guarding the six entrances into the square with at least six of them at each opening. In the middle of the gated area stood a tall stage like vicinity with various things on it, a cage stood off to the side filled with the people that had been carried off earlier today in the court. More then three dozen humans were huddled in there crying, praying, and begging for forgiveness.

Next to them stood half a dozen vamps keeping guard for any body who tried to be brave and release the slaves. Chains of all sizes laid everywhere on the stage, almost all of them were stained with blood from previous victims. The fear and grief from the surrounding people was almost palpable. Masses of people crowded together looking down at the ground so they didn't have to see the fear in the eyes of the others. Silent tears coursed down nearly everyone's face, while others just stood looking straight ahead, to numb to do anything else.

All at once, as if someone had pressed a button, everyone in the crowd fell down to there knees, bowing there heads in mock respect as a tall man stepped onto the stage. Connor had to yank me down by the arm for me to move.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to our show!" The voice boomed out to the audience. The man that stood above us all was tall and slender with dark curly hair that barley touched his broad shoulders. He was dressed in an expensive tailored black suit with a deep wine colored shirt under his jacket. The smile on his face was broad, grinning at all of us like fools.

"Leon." I whispered. Connor only nodded his head.

"I trust you all know why we're here. These people," he motioned over towards the cage. "Are traitors. They are squeezing in trying to ruin our happy lives." There was a murmur of agreement sent through out the crowd, but only uttered by the vampires who acted as human. Everyone else just glared on in anger.

"These people have defied me making them unworthy to live, to walk this earth. As before, I am warning you. Do not be tempted by them. They may tell you gallant tales of freedom, but all that comes of their said freedom is this," he sneered at the caged men and women. "Death at my hands."

He let that sink in to all the others that stood before him, making them hear the threat that underlined his words. Then, as if in slow motion the first victim was ushered out of the cage. It was the woman that I had seen shouting to her children that she loved them. Holding her chin up high she didn't even struggle, she just walked towards Leon accepting her fait, looking him straight in the eye.

"This young woman tried to smuggle herself and children into the court to get the food that they do not deserve. For that, there is penance." He pushed her off to the side were a vampire waited with open arms, leering at her body. Quickly he tore off her blouse and sunk his fangs into her breast, sucking greedily as the blood hit him. She didn't once scream as she felt her life force drained.

The others weren't as brave though. Victim after victim came and all of them screamed or cried out for help. People around me wept as they saw friend or family members dying before there eyes.

"And saving the best for last," Leon cried out with glee after all of the victims, except one, lay on the cold stage floor, torn and bleeding whatever blood they had left. Some of them lay bare to the publics eyes, not even getting there dignity back after they died.

"This young man," Leon grabbed a kid about seventeen by his hair from the cage. He was stripped of everything, his body a mass of raw skin from a previous beating. Dried blood stained every inch of his body and he looked as if he was barley able to even stay awake through his finale moments of life.

"Some of you may recognize him," Glancing over at Connor I saw his eyes flicker with recognition. "He has spent his whole life trying to kill me, bring down the empire that we all need and depend on, and today he finally gets his. Today he dared to come fourth to me in my home while most of my guards were at the court looking out for the rest of you." He pulled on the kid's hair a little tighter forcing him to cry out as it jarred a deep long cut that ran into his hair line.

"He tried to stake me in my sleep, tried to kill your almighty ruler. And look what he's reduced to now. Nothing. He's just a shell of a person. This is what you will turn into if you do not obey. For seven years Mathew here has been trying to get rid of me, reduce me to no more then ashes, and what does he get for it? Absolutely nothing. Look around you Mathew my boy! Years of fighting for what you call good and this is all you get. Not even a spec of gratitude is being shown for you; they're all looking up at you in disgust."

Mathew, who could barley even see anything out of his swollen eyes turned to Leon. "Look around you vampire. They're all looking up at you in nothing more then disgust. They're looking at me with respect." He spit blood from his torn lip onto Leon's face. "You'll never even be half the man I am."

Enraged Leon hit the boy with enough force to jar his head to the side. "And which one of us has the control here dear boy? Because it looks as if you can barley even stand on your own two feet." Morphing for the first time into his demon visage he leaned down into Mathew's ear. "Any last words?"

"Yeah," he said coughing slightly. "See you in hell."

Leon laughed jovially at his answer. "Gallant 'till the end I see." Slowly he bent forward and sunk his fangs into the boy's neck sipping at the nectar that flowed out. Mathew winced, but refused to cry out in any pain.

Slowly vampires flocked from the gates or from the sides of the stage each taking in a little piece of him. One sucked from each wrist, another from the other side of his neck, the thigh, the chest, everywhere you could think of a vampire had hold of him drinking away his blood slowly. In the end he screamed. There was no way he could stop himself. Every single bit of him was writhing in agony, his protests getting weaker and weaker by the minute. Just as his eyes started to glaze over the vampire pulled away, every one of them leaving Leon and the nearly dead Mathew standing in the middle of the stage.

"Is this what you all want to be?" He called to the crowd. "An animal?" No one moved or spoke in fear that they would be the next to suffer this brutal kind of death. "I didn't think so." Leon's eyes at some point had glazed over with pure anger. The thought that some teenager had almost defeated him was probably something he couldn't stand. Grinning evilly at Mathew he reached down and cut open his own wrist forcing the bloody object to Mathew's mouth.

The crowd screamed in protest and horror. Many of them tried to rush to the stage to make this all stop, but there were too many vampires in the audience posing as humans to stop them. Everyone watched on in horror as one of their saviors slowly sucked down the blood of the thing he despised most in life. Soon his body fell to the ground as guards came and dragged him off, getting him ready for the birth of a new warrior.

"You may leave." He said to the surrounding people. "But just remember tonight when you lay down to sleep, that I was merciful today. I could have let him die, but I didn't. Instead I saved him and gave him the chance to redeem himself in my eyes. You all may not be as lucky though if and when your time comes." And with that he walked off stage and disappeared into the night as the rest of us were ushered out of the black gates that surrounded us and back out into the streets.

Women fell to the ground crying at the horrors they had just seen as there husbands or sons tried to comfort them for their loss. Connor just took me by the hand and led me away from the blood and tears.

Once far enough away, to the point were we couldn't hear the wails of grief anymore, he turned to me. "Are you okay?"

It wasn't until he asked me that I realized that tears had been making there way down my cheeks throughout the whole nightmare. All I could do was nod my head slowly.

"I shouldn't have taken you here." He grabbed me into a fierce hug as I sobbed into his shoulder.

"No, I wanted to come." I said pitifully. We stood there in the dark street as I cried for the sights I had seen, for the cries of anguish that still seemed to ring through my head. For as long as I live I don't think I'll ever be able to get the haunting cries of the people slaughtered tonight out of my mind.

"Did you know that boy?' I asked as I finally pulled away from him, trying to compose myself.

He nodded while his eyes darkened. "I did."

"Tell me about him." I requested. For some reason I needed to know who he was. I felt like he needed to be remembered by someone.

"Me, him and his sister fought side by side for over three years. When she was killed he went insane. All he cared about anymore was killing Leon and everything that was ever involved with him. We parted ways a year later after he almost got about a dozen of us killed because he was more worried about finding Leon then helping us with the vamps that were on our tails at the moment." Connor started walking. "He was a good man," He said a few minutes later. "And a good fighter. I'll never forget him."

And with that we headed back to the tavern where I climbed into the shower letting the water wash away the stench of death as I cried against the wall.