Animatus

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. I may be updating a little bit less this week as I've got a lot going on, but I'll do my best.

Previously:

"Do you hear that?" Faith asked.

"What?" Buffy replied, listening closely to the sounds of the night. "I don't hear anything," she stated.

"That's my point," Faith said slowly. "I don't hear the zombies anymore."

"That's a good thing, right?" Buffy asked.

Faith felt her Slayer senses scream to life as the hairs on the back of her neck stood erect. "I don't think so," she whispered gravely. As she spoke, the main doors of the Bronze suddenly burst open and a horde of zombies charged into the club.

Chapter Eighteen: Stemming the Assault:

The cemetery gates stood black and imposing against the night sky, blending into the shadows of the darkness surrounding Faith and Kate as they stood on the sidewalk across the street from the graveyard. Faith had never entered a cemetery prior to that moment, though whenever she had passed one on the street, she had felt the first inklings of fear rearing up in her heart. Her pulse would start racing, her heart would beat wildly, and she would feel the undeniable urge to run. But as she stood in front of the gates that evening, she felt something from within calling to her, and she no longer felt the need to run the other way. Instead, she wanted to move forward and feel the soft acquiescence of the grass underneath her feet.

"What do you feel?" Kate asked quizzically, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the young girl. Snapping out of the daze that she had settled into, Faith looked over at her Watcher with a smirk gracing her lips.

"I have to talk about my feelings now?" Faith asked sarcastically.

"No," Kate replied, flustered. "I just saw the look on your face," she added in her proper English accent. "I knew that you were feeling something and I was intrigued. That's all. You have to understand, Faith," Kate explained, "I've never trained a Slayer before. I've trained some Potentials in my time with the Council, but never a girl graced with the gift. You're completely new to me."

"I've never liked cemeteries," Faith replied softly. "I guess because they make me anxious…all of those gravestones poking out of the earth, decaying, and hundreds of years of dead people just lying underneath the ground."

"Do they scare you still?" Kate asked.

"I never said that they scared me," Faith answered defensively. "I just said that they make me anxious."

"And now?" Kate pressed.

"I don't know," Faith answered uncertainly. "You said that we have to go in there, right?" She asked. Kate nodded. "Let's go." Faith led the way, walking slowly up to the gates until she was standing within inches of them. Reaching out with a shaking hand, she touched the cool metal, and pushed open the gates. The stale smell of death filled her nostrils and she grimaced. However, as she opened the gates, a new, strange feeling overcame her. It started as a low tingling at the base of her neck and spread like a fire throughout her body until her every nerve screamed at her that something horrible was waiting for her from within the shadows.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked concernedly.

"Fine," Faith answered absently. "What are we supposed to see here?" She asked, looking over at the older woman, whose eyes danced kindly, but peculiarly, in the darkness.

"I think it's time that you followed me now," Kate suggested. "Keep that stake handy. You'll need it."

"I'm going to kill something?" Faith asked in surprise.

"Well," Kate answered thoughtfully, "if we see a vampire, it's our duty and obligation to destroy it. We cannot simply run because it's frightening or dangerous. That's the job of the Slayer, to fight when no one else will fight and to stand when all other people would fall."

"What's your job?" Faith inquired.

"My job is to stand beside you during it all and to help you in any way that I can," Kate answered diplomatically. "Some Watchers have played a passive role in the training of their Slayers," she explained softly as they walked slowly through the cemetery. The sky was starting to lighten. The sun would rise shortly. "They teach their girls how to attack and defend themselves. They teach them about demons. And they send them out to fight alone. Others are more active. They join their Slayers on patrol and fight beside them."

"Which kind of Watcher are you?" Faith questioned.

"I prefer fighting to waiting," Kate smiled grimly. Pulling a stake out of her own pocket, she gripped it tightly in her hand. "It's a little unnerving," she said softly. "Your first vampire, I mean."

"Yeah?" Faith asked nervously.

"Yes," Kate affirmed. They walked in silence through the darkness. Occasional flashes of lightening lit their surroundings. The gravestones poked out of the ground like teeth gnawing at the roots of the world. A chill colder than winter air shook Faith to the bones. "Here," Kate whispered, grabbing the younger girl's arm to halt her movement.

"What is it?" Faith whispered back.

"You see just there?" She asked, pointing to a mausoleum standing in the distance.

"Yeah," Faith nodded.

"The gravestone next to it," she pointed, "do you see the ground moving?"

Faith looked carefully into the darkness. The ground around the gravestone was shifting, moving, as if someone – or something – was trying to break free. "I see it," she answered stoically.

"What's rising up from the ground is a vampire," Kate explained. "It's newborn, so it'll need to feed right away to build its strength. It will need to feed frequently at first in order to maintain its strength, but after time, it will be able to feed less frequently and still remain as strong."

"How strong is it now?" Faith asked warily. The vampire's hands shot out through the dirt, clawing at the air. The two women moved forward until they were standing on the edge of the grass just before the gravestone.

"Stronger than a normal human," Kate answered. "But you're stronger than he."

"But I'm just…," Faith trailed off, feeling a sense of panic rise up in her throat, constricting her breathing until only shallow breaths would come to her. She started feeling lightheaded.

"A Slayer," Kate finished for her. "You're the Slayer now. You're stronger than a normal girl and you're stronger than a vampire."

"So what do I do?" Faith asked, feeling entirely lost in the situation with which she was faced.

The vampire's head appeared above the ground. Faith could see its yellow eyes flashing and its white teeth sparkling in the flashes of lightening. A boom of thunder resounded, causing Faith to jump. Gripping the stake tightly in her hand, she recoiled at the stench of death rising from the birthing vampire. "You kill it," Kate instructed. "While it's still stuck in the ground would be preferable."

"How do I kill it?" Faith demanded.

The vampire pulled itself up until its torso was sticking out of the dirt. "Stake it in the heart," Kate replied hastily. "You might miss the first time. That's all right. Just pull the stake out and try again."

"Okay," Faith murmured. Stepping forward, until she was standing over the vampire, she looked down at it as it struggled to free itself from the confines of its grave. It hissed up at her, pure hatred filling its face. The man had once been handsome, but his face was twisted into a demonic expression that made Faith's blood run cold. Her lips tightened in grim determination as she thrust the stake down towards the creature. The point drove through his chest, breaking bones and muscle until it struck the vampire's heart. Releasing the stake, Faith watched with amazement as the creature burst into a cloud of dust and ash. "Holy shit," she muttered.

Kate smiled and walked up to Faith, clapping her hand on the girl's back. "That was excellent," she exclaimed. "And you even got him on your first try. I can tell already that you're going to make an excellent Slayer."

"You think so?" Faith asked hopefully, glancing back at the older woman.

"Absolutely," Kate smiled kindly. "Now that you've seen your first vampire, do you believe me?"

"Yeah," Faith nodded enthusiastically. "I can safely say that I believe you now."

"Good," Kate nodded. "Onto other business then."

"Other business?" Faith asked warily as she and Kate walked back out of the cemetery.

"Yes," Kate replied. "How attached are you to that motel?"

"Not very," Faith snorted.

"Good," Kate said. "I have a proposition for you."

"What?" Faith asked suspiciously. She was beginning to trust the older woman, but she still harbored some concerns. Adults had never treated her well and she wondered if she was expecting too much from her new companion.

"I want you to come live with me," Kate explained. "I know that it will be awkward at first, but we'll be free to train whenever necessary."

"Okay," Faith replied after several long moments of silence.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent. Besides, I don't like the thought of you living in that bloody motel room alone."

"Why not?" Faith wondered aloud.

"It's not safe, for one. Besides, I want to make sure that you're well taken care of. I can't be sure of that if you're living in some dingy box on the other side of town."

"So where do you live?" Faith asked inquisitively.

Kate smiled. "Let's go pack your bags and I'll show you, alright?" She replied. Faith nodded, a new sense of hope filling her heart, though a thought dawned in her mind. She was a Slayer now; she was stronger than a normal person. If she had only been called some hours before, she could have saved Christy. While she felt that she should thank the Powers that Be for her destiny, she also felt like cursing them. Shaking away the image of her girlfriend lying on the ground in a pool of blood, she forced herself to try to look forward to her new life. She would make Christy proud.

…………………………………..

Time seemed to screech to a halt as Faith watched the zombies burst into the Bronze. She felt as though she was living in a nightmare and that, if someone would only shake her, she would awake and find herself in Boston again, living in her Watcher's old house, or in Sunnydale, waking from a restless sleep in her motel room. She saw Buffy jump to her feet out of the corner of her eye. The blonde Slayer shouted something at her, but she either could not hear the words, or else the words made no sense to her. The zombies flooded into the room. Faith counted at least twenty. Utter silence seemed to cling to everything and then she heard a scream. A single, blood curdling scream ripped out and people started to panic.

"Faith!" Buffy shouted, looking back at her girlfriend with distress. "Faith!"

Buffy's voice pulled Faith back into the world. As she shook her head, time seemed to regain its normal pace, and Faith leap to her feet. "What do you want me to do?" She asked eagerly.

Faith was relieved to notice that her friends were on the second floor of the club. Around a dozen other people littered the Bronze. Faith counted seven on the first floor. They seemed frozen in time, as if they could not comprehend what was happening. Faith understood completely. "Get those people upstairs," Buffy instructed, pushing Faith forward.

"What about you?" Faith shouted, turning back to Buffy, but the blonde Slayer was already moving away. "Buffy!"

"I'll be fine," Buffy shouted back. "Hurry!"

Faith ran towards the clump of people gathered by the stage. One of the zombies charged at her, knocking her to the ground just before she reached them. She could smell its breath against her cheek, a moldy scent filled with decay. Looking up into the creature's glazed eyes, Faith felt the distinct urge to vomit. A large gash spread across the zombie's cheek, which should have healed if she were alive, but festered openly instead. The zombie had once been a woman, but her hair had fallen out and her skin sagged like it had started to melt, yellowed and stiff. Faith felt the zombie trying to pin her hands to the ground as it lowered its jaws towards her face. Bucking with all of her strength, she failed to dislodge the creature, which hissed down at her angrily. With a sudden, striking clarity, Faith realized that she had come to the end of her road. She squeezed her eyes closed just as the zombie was about to bite her.

However, its teeth never reached her skin. Its weight suddenly lifted and, opening her eyes, Faith saw the zombie sprawled on the floor next to her. Looking up, she saw Liz standing over her, holding a piece of wood tightly in her hands. "Looked like you could use some help," Liz said, extending a hand for Faith.

The dark haired Slayer smiled with relief, wondering, not for the first time, how many lives she had left. Grabbing the younger girl's hand, she lifted herself to her feet. The zombie was struggling to move forward. Liz lifted the plank high above her head and slammed it down onto the back of the dead woman's skull, which burst all over the floor like rotten fruit. "Come on," Faith said, motioning towards the group of scared people. "Come with me."

They rushed forward just as the zombies were approaching. The soldiers had started firing their guns, trying to still the assault. The smell of gunpowder filled Faith's nostrils and the popping of the guns made it difficult for her to hear anything. Smoke filled the room and she coughed violently. Grabbing a hold of someone's elbow, she led the group to the stairs. One of the soldiers was standing on the bottom step, cutting down the zombies as they tried to advance. Faith reached the stairs first, giving the soldier a curt nod as the people began filing up the steps before her. As the last three were moving forward, a cluster of zombies broke free from the rest, dodging the soldier's fire until they had reached his position. Faith saw them too late.

One of them reached out with bloodied hands and grabbed Liz, sinking its teeth into her back. Faith heard the young girl's scream and turned, horror filling her face as she saw the zombie dragging her away. Another zombie grabbed a middle aged man. The last person fled up the stairs, just out of the grasp of the searching hands of the creatures. Reaching over, she snatched one of the soldier's guns from his hip holster. When she looked back, she could no longer see anything recognizable of her friend on the ground. The zombies had descended upon her, feasting on her dead body. Aiming her gun, she popped off three successive rounds, killing the creatures hovering over her. Sighing deeply, she lowered the aim of her gun to the chunk of flesh that she assumed had been Liz's face and fired. The body stopped twitching and lay still.

"Are you okay?" The soldier asked Faith. He had taken down the rest of the zombies and the man that they had bitten.

"I'm okay," Faith nodded. "You?"

"I'm good," he said shakily. "I didn't see those last ones coming."

Faith sighed and looked over at him. He looked to be only eighteen years old and his eyes still held the innocence of youth, an innocence that Faith had never possessed. "It's okay," she said, clapping her hand on his shoulder. "I didn't see them coming either."

…………………………………..

The other two soldiers managed to hold the zombies back. Buffy ran to where Riley had position himself, shooting at the front doors. "Now would be a good time to give me a gun," Buffy said breathlessly.

Reaching into his holster, he pulled out a handgun and extended it to the Slayer. "I agree," he said grimly.

"We need to get them back outside," Buffy said, shooting two zombies in the head as they piled in through the door. Looking back, she saw Faith standing on the stairs with one of the soldiers. A cluster of zombies lay dead at their feet. The rest of the zombies had been cut down by the other soldiers as they charged into the club, but more were trying to enter through the doors.

"I know," Riley nodded. "Cover me."

"What?" Buffy asked in surprise, watching as Riley rushed forward. Composing herself, she aimed her gun, picking off the zombies closest to Riley. Grabbing a piece of the shattered door, he charged forward, warding off attacks until the wood covered one of the holes through which the zombies were entering.

"Find something to nail this with," he shouted back to one of the soldiers. The man disappeared momentarily and repapered with a toolbox from the side of the stage. Buffy rushed forward, shooting through the hole above the board, which rested in the middle. The zombies had not yet discovered the bottom opening. The soldiers quickly nailed the board to the wall. Grabbing another piece, Riley held it up to the hole that was eye level with him. A sharp pain suddenly tore through his leg, but he ignored it. The soldiers nailed that board as well. When they had covered the bottom hole in a similar fashion, they grabbed some speakers and amplifiers from the stage and stacked them in front of the doors until they formed a formidable obstacle.

The zombies pounded on the makeshift blockade, but quickly realized that it was too strong for them to break. Buffy heard them start moaning again and the pounding on the door lessened. Finally, it stopped altogether. "How many people are dead?" Riley asked.

"Two," the soldier standing on the stairs answered. "Every one else is on the second level."

Buffy sighed with relief when she saw Faith smiling down at her. But the dark haired Slayer's smile faded and her brows furrowed in confusion. Buffy watched as Faith pointed down at Riley. Allowing her eyes to follow the path of the younger girl's finger, she saw a dark patch of blood spreading across Riley's left leg. "Riley?" Buffy asked, capturing the man's attention.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking over at her.

"What happened to your leg?" She questioned warily.

Riley looked down at his bloodied limb, his face paling. Glancing back up at his ex-girlfriend, he shakily replied, "I…I don't know."