Chapter 4

Part XII by Benji: The Vampire Confuser

So, Ben thought, Let's recap here. One minute I'm walking around my campus in Virginia. Next, I'm running away from a Vampire in California. Other's have also been mysteriously transported here. Among them, my little sister. I don't know anyone else.

"Hey Ben." Xander said, waving his hand in front of his face. When he received no reaction, he said louder, "Hey Ben!"

"No." Ben insisted automatically.

"What?" Xander asked incredulously.

"What?" Ben asked.

"What?"

"I asked you first." Ben said.

"No, I did."

"Oh. Okay, what?"

Xander sighed. "Are you awake?"

"Ask me again when this is all over." Ben said. He looked around. The room was empty. "Where is everybody?"

"They went outside to check out a strange noise." Xander told him. "Are you okay?"

"You're not the first to ask me that." Ben told him. "But in this case, yeah. I just seem to have conked out there."

"That happen often?" He and Ben headed for the door to join everyone else.

"Yeah, but usually just in class."

"I hear ya."

As they exited the library, they met Minerva coming back in.

"So what was the mysterious noise?" Ben asked.

"I don't know." she answered. "I doubled back to see what was keeping you guys."

"We were getting high." Xander joked.

"Disney put crack in the water."

"What?" Minerva said.

"Didn't you know? Disney bought out the government and took over their secret experiments. They are even now locked in a viscous struggle for power against the Internet Empire of Bill Gates."

Minerva and Xander stared at Ben for a moment.

"You are so RANDOM!" they exclaimed at once.


Part XIII by Angela .com

The wind was blowing harshly against Angela's face, causing her blonde-streaked hair to whip around her wildly. Everyone outside had paired up in groups of two to find the cause of the strange noise. Even more strangely, Buffy had grabbed her arm when deciding on the pairs and announced rather firmly that she would go with Angela.

"Wait! Why do the two people who have killed vampires get to pair up?" cried Sabrina. She looked like she was about to cry.

Buffy just looked at the group, and nothing more was said. Minerva stated that she would go check on Xander and Ben in the library. Angela gave her a look that said, "Hey I don't blame you...At least one of us is thinking clearly!".

She took a deep breath and said to Buffy, "Well, let's go..."

"So why did you pick me to go joy hunting with you? Just cause I killed a vampire or maybe just Slayer instinct?"

Buffy gave her a strange look and kept walking. Angela didn't think she was going to reply, but she finally received a response. "You know why. I know you aren't like the others...You know more. Probably more than Giles. Willow did some research on you."

Angela grew wide-eyed at the response. What was she, the FBI's most wanted? She tried pulling her hair into a quick ponytail, but was stopped when someone came running at the two full speed and jumped on her yelling "NO!"


Part XIV by Monique Righteous Ms_

Angela managed to throw the figure off. Buffy immediately got in between them. She stood warily with her fists up and ready to knock somebody down. After quickly getting up and brushing herself up, Angela realized that her attacker was Stephanie. *Hold it...Stephanie is a good guy, she's one of us...*

Well, it was Stephanie, but it wasn't...She was pale, her mouth was twisted but closed, her eyes were reddened and opened wide. Buffy flipped forward and landed a kick squarely in Stephanie's chest. Angela screamed and just now noticed that both of them had a weapon drawn; for Buffy it was a freshly sharpened wooden stake, for Stephanie a long, thin blade just short of a sword. *Where would Stephanie get an antique looking thing like that*, Angela thought abstractedly.

"Buffy! It's Stephanie! What in the world do you think you're doing?" Angela exclaimed in bewilderment.

Then Stephanie sneered in a way so cartoonically evil that you would think you had seen it in a Disney movie. Her pearly white fangs protruded as she snickered. This was real life, and yet it wasn't. Either way, people's lives counted for real. The two girls eyed each other, waiting for the first move. Angela suddenly asked herself, *what happened to Cally? Wasn't she paired with Angela?*

It was soon obvious that Stephanie was not the skillfully trained fighter that Buffy was. She continually stumbled over herself and was easily thrown off balance by Buffy's powerful kicks. In the end, there was silence as Buffy and Angela stared at a pile of ashes. Angela remembered that once vampires, their souls were gone. Would that mean that Stephanie didn't go to Hell if one did exist?

The rest of the group heard Angela's screams, of course, and rushed to the pair.

"We've gotta find Cally. Quick," Buffy said with a staggering breath.

"Oh my," Giles said almost breathlessly. "Yes, yes, that would be a good move. We must see if she's -um- if she's one of the -uh- undead, so to speak."

Taking this course of action, the pairs of still shocked searchers fanned out in search of Cally.


Part XV by Sabrina

Sabrina was walking with Minerva around the school when her companion blanched.

"I'm sensing something," she said with urgency, "They can't be far..."

When they turned the corner they both gasped. Cally was lying on the floor, her eyes closed, her face pale and drawn. The vampire who had been bent over her until a moment ago scurried off into the bushes.

"Cally!" Sabrina exclaimed, as she rushed towards the red-haired girl. Cally's hair emphasized her paleness, and the two, small, open punctures on her neck. Minerva was standing some distance away, her expression one of weakness and distaste. "Help me," Sabrina exclaimed, "we've got to get her to the others." Minerva, whose face stayed frozen, stood still, as if in a trance. "Never mind," Sabrina muttered, "I'll have to do it myself." After several attempts to lift Cally, however, Sabrina knew it just wasn't going to work. Cally's frame, however slender, was simply too much for a petite girl like her. Just then Xander turned the corner.

"What's up?" he asked. "What's with her," he said, eyeing the unmoving Minerva. "Hello, anybody in there," He called, waving his hands in front of her face.

"I think she's in shock or something," Sabrina replied. "Come on, you have to help me move Cally." Just then, Ben, who had been walking around with Xander, rounded the corner.

"What's all this?" He asked, drinking in the scene.

"There's no time for explanations," Sabrina replied. Me and Xander will carry Cally. You find some way to get Minerva to come with us."

Soon after, the party was gathered in the library; minus Stephanie, of course.

"What's the deal?" Buffy asked, as soon as they had closed the door.

"Cally was bitten." Sabrina said. "The vamp scurried off when he saw we were coming- she's still alive, though."

"What about this one?" Buffy asked, pointing to Minerva.

"She's in shock." Ben replied.

"We have to take care of them right away." Giles put in. "We've already lost one to the vampires...we certainly don't want to lose anyone else."

"Look- I think she's waking up!" Izzy declared, as Cally stirred.

"What's happened?" Buffy demanded.

"I-I was walking with Stephanie," she said weakly. "and we heard a noise behind us...suddenly, this vampire jumped up in front of us...I think he came from the roof, or something. Before I could react, he smashed my head against the wall, and I-I blacked out." Cally was obviously in pain. It was an effort for her even to talk. "They got Stephanie, though. Is she...?"

"I'm afraid so." Giles replied soberly.

"The important thing is that you're okay," Angela put in.

"I hope we'll be able to say the same for Minerva," Willow commented.

What happens next? Why have our heroes been transported to this strange place? Who will be next? Sadly, it looks as though we'll never know. But for the short time that this round robin lasted, it was great fun. Here's to all of you who had a hand in it, wherever you are.