Part Two: Perhaps God does hate him.

It had been two days sense Xander had decided that God did indeed hate him. Back in Sunnydale he could blame the Hellmouth for this stuff, but there was no Hellmouth that he knew of here. He couldn't blame it, and that brought him back that somehow he had pissed off God or at least a god.

Now in what had become a rare moment of quiet, Xander once again thought on how he had gotten into this position.

He had just gotten paid by Dave, with enough money to keep him going on the road for another three weeks when he had seen a sight that he hadn't seen since leaving Sunnydale. Walking to the bar with a confidant stride was what looked like a vampire.

Deciding to be sure Xander palmed a small cross in one hand and put the other around the stake hidden in the sleeve of his jacket. Figuring that if it was a vamp he was probably looking for drunk, easy targets, Xander assumed the role.

"Hey man, how ya doing? Been a long time" said Xander with a slight slur in his voice. He had never seen the person in front of him before, but a vampire or other predator would attempt to use Xander's drunken confusion to their advantage.

"Yeah, it has been a while hasn't it" said the man with a hungry look in his eyes.

Xander was now almost convinced that the man in front of him was a vampire; it was time for the final test. "Put her there pal, you're my besh friend" said Xander as he extended the hand that held the small silver cross.

As the man took the hand his face twisted into the demonic visage of a vampire over the pain caused by the cross.

As soon as the man's face began to change, Xander was moving, pulling the vampire towards him while the creature was off balance. His plan worked and the vampire fell towards Xander, letting Xander quickly put a stake through its heart.

Xander was feeling good about himself when he was blinded by the headlights from van he hadn't noticed before.

Before he recovered he was pounced on by two figures. At first they shot what could only be described as a taser gun at him. As the electric current brought Xander to his knees the other figure was firing a dart him.

Years of living with his parents, and later fighting with Buffy had taught Xander to ignore and work through pain. This fact, and perhaps a bit of luck was all that allowed him to dodge the dart.

Deciding that the best course of action would be to run away like a frightened child, Xander went into the woods behind Dave's bar. He knew that his attackers would follow, but the trees would provide precious cover and perhaps even give him a chance of escape.

Xander grimaced both at the memories of the two days that followed and at the grub that was attempting to make its way back up his throat. No matter what trick he had pulled in the last two days he hadn't been able to loose his attackers for more than a couple of hours.

His instincts, the last remnants of his Halloween spent as a soldier had let him survive, letting him know what plants and creatures were safe to eat, and ways to mask his trail. Unfortunately those same instincts were telling him that there was no way he could win.

The people that were hunting him like an animal had him out manned, out gunned, and were better trained than he was. All of this added up to one dead Xander, unless somehow God decided to grant him a miracle, but Xander wasn't holding his breath.

No, he knew there wouldn't be any divine intervention to help him; he was completely on his own right now. His only hope was to make his way through the woods into another town and tell the others what was happening. With any luck they would be able to find him and help before it was too late.

Deciding that he had been in one place long enough, Xander began to move in the direction he hoped the next town was in. He hadn't taken more than five steps when he felt a slight sting in the back of his neck. Reaching behind him Xander pulled out a dart that he assumed was full of sedatives.

As the darkness began to engulf Xander's mind, he turned to face his attackers in a last show of defiance. He saw two figures covered from head to toe in black, their faces hidden by masks coming at him with restraints in hand, and he couldn't be sure but it almost seemed as if they were smirking under their masks.

They didn't say anything as they waited for the drugs to take effect on their prey. They were simply dark shadows waiting with infinite patience. Xander was sure that they would have waited until the end of time for him to fall, but he knew that he couldn't hold off the drugs in his system as long.

Deciding to take the offensive Xander took one step forward, and promptly fell. As he reached the ground Xander continued to fall into the darkness, into a place where he could fool himself into thinking he was safe and loved.

Xander was only slightly aware of the feeling of cold metal as it covered his hands, and then he was aware of nothing at all.