Crawford Street
Sunnydale, CA
2:17 AM
2076 AD

'Nothin' like an old, abandoned mansion near the edge of town to make a good hideout. You know, the dark, creepy kind that always used to scare away the paper boys at the begining of horror flicks. (Man, I miss watchin' those) I remember this house well. Really, I'd have a hell of time tryin' to forget, considering I died here and all. See, this is not a movie and once upon a time, there really were bad things that would get you here if you lingered.

'Vampires. Three, to be exact, including my Sire.

'Another one was my best friend. Well, up until he got himself ensouled and went crazy. All because of his great love for the Slayer. He didn't even need a soul, but just because he made one little mistake one night, he sped off to Africa to get a demon to work some mojo on him so that she would forgive him. But of course, she kept being a total bitch, as usual. I mean, she treated him like sh- I should stop there before I get into a rant. Thinking about that whole thing just puts me in a bad mood.

'And about the last vampire; I only know her from vague memories (that really aren't even mine) and stories from others. They're all dead now. Just like everyone else I used to know, 'cept Willow. As far as I'm concerned, all this is now is just another place to hideout and crash for awhile. Ya' know, if I sat here and thought about it, it'd probably amaze me to see the house still standing; sturdy support system I guess. Definately seen alot better days though, but it will serve it's purpose just fine. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of personal thought at this moment. I just gotta keep these people moving; keep them hidden.

'I keep the last trace of my mortal life safe. I only try to do the same for anyone else I find alive in this town, because that's what Willow wants me to do. She said it's what Buffy would have done, if she was alive. (Like I care what a Slayer would have wanted; Hello Vampire!) It's also what she'd do herself, if she were able to. She's so old now; I have to carry her alot of the time. Probably this world's most powerful witch, yet she can't even stand on her own anymore. Muscles too weak, bones too brittle. She can do the simplest tasks, then nearly faint from the exhaustion of it all. Almost makes me glad I'll never get like that.

'Of course, I didn't ask to be what I am either, it was some kind of revenge Buffy's ex thought up. Whatever he wanted to accomplish with that, it didn't work. All it did was royally piss her off and get him nice and dusty. And, he should've known I wasn't about to kill her, so whatever his master plan was, it's still a mystery to me. But, it does have it's perks. And at least this way I know that when I die, I'll turn to dust. I can't be cut me up and have my parts harvested and used for more of those Frankenstein wannabe soldiers. No one else here is that lucky, far as I know I'm the only one of my kind left.'

"HWWWAAAAA AAA," a baby's wailing carries throughout the room. His mother quickly calms him down, but some people nearby still send her scathing looks. Those closest to windows and doorways peer outside, warily searching for any sign that the child may have been heard and thus sentencing them to their deaths.

'There's too many people here.

'Too many to keep quiet and still. And they're all gonna die. Most of them know it too; they just don't know when. They just keep running; keep following my lead and trying to stay out of the hands of those freaks.

'I am getting tired though and they're getting closer. This is just delaying the inevitable. If they were smart, they'd kill themselves now, so that maybe, by the time the soldiers got here, their bodies will have rotted too much to be of any use.

'As soon as Willow's gone, I sure as shit wont be sticking around to play babysitter to these people. Think I'll catch the sunrise for the first time in seventy years. Because, I know, the human races' reign on earth is over. The good guys couldn't win this one.'

"Dawn."
"Coming Wills."