Animatus

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

As the sun rose over the horizon, bringing forth a new day, Faith's eyes slowly opened to the world. She was staring up at the ceiling of the Bronze. Buffy was curled up next to her, her arm lying across her stomach, and her fingers grazing the scar that reminded them both of their anger. The sunlight was streaming in through the windows, a soft, golden glow that afforded Faith no warmth. She wanted to stretch, but she did not want to disturb the Slayer sleeping next to her. Smiling a little, she rested her chin on the top of Buffy's head. Her heart welled up with a love that she had not felt in years and she knew that she was exactly where she belonged – at Buffy's side. But the reality of their situation soon crashed into her, breaking the hold that happiness had claimed on her heart. Faith sighed, realizing that today they would leave Sunnydale and never return.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Exodus:

Faith was to become one of the most feared vampire Slayers in the history of the line of Slayers, both for her dedication to her calling and for the chaotic passion with which she fought. She would become so powerful that some believed that she would never fall, though every hero is doomed to die and every road is doomed to end. However, before she would become, she had to endure many trials. The young Slayer that purposefully strode down the streets of Boston as the sun crept over the horizon in a mingling of orange and red knew not what her future entailed, or how many torments she would have to suffer, she only knew that her Watcher had been taken by Kakistos, an old and powerful vampire, and that it was her duty to rescue her – alone.

She realized as she walked that the Slayer was doomed to be alone. For centuries, only one Slayer had existed at a time – one girl in all of the world chosen to fight the forces of darkness. The only reason that two existed now was because of a colossal error on the part of fate. Though, somewhere across the country, another Slayer lived who knew what terrors and struggles Faith met with daily, the younger girl never had met her and never believed that she would. She had no friends and no family. The only person in her life who knew who she was had been kidnapped and that only person was the same only person who could help her. She was terrified for Kate, knowing that the woman was alone, surrounded by ruthless demons bereft of any sense of guilt and driven by a lust for blood that never could be quenched. But she knew that Kate would be strong. Her Watcher faced fear with a certain dignity that Faith only hoped that she would grow to possess.

Yet, Kate was not the only one who was alone at that moment. The streets around Faith were empty as she walked, but even if they were full of bustling people, she would walk alone. A Slayer moved in a different world than normal people. She realized that now. Two parallels worlds ran on top of each other. In one, people lived normal lives; ignorant of the fact that another, dangerous world existed just around the corner. In that world, demons stalked the night, preying on helpless humans who would have been doomed had the Powers that Be not decided to send them a savior – a girl. Like walking through a door, people moved between worlds hardly realizing that they were, but once their eyes were opened to the truth, they could never enter their normal world again.

Faith had stepped through the door, her eyes had been opened, and she had been stranded. The sun rose higher in the sky and Faith could feel its warmth on her skin. She moved in the dark, just like the demons, but she thrived in the light. The knife that her Watcher had given her rested in a holster attached to her ankle. Stakes were holstered up her sleeves and she carried two more in the waistband of her jeans. A lighter rested in her pocket and she carried a can of gasoline in her hand. She did not know whether she and Kate would survive the day, but she knew that before she drew her last, ragged breath, she would watch as many vampires die as possible. Sunlight was her greatest ally, but fire was just as deadly to vampires, though to humans as well.

Her boots clicked on the sidewalk with determination and purpose. Her eyes were masked by a steely reserve that she hardly ever wore, but that crept into her face when the most troubling of times came upon her. Her jaw was set and her fists were clenched. She had started walking as the sun had peeked its round face over the line of trees outside of the windows of the library at the house she shared with her Watcher. The harbor was on the opposite end of the city, but the walk did not bother her. It provided her with an opportunity to think and strategize, though it also provided her with enough time for seeds of fear and doubt to grow in her heart. The closer she came to the warehouse, where Kakistos resided, the more anxious she became. Her stomach fluttered nervously, flopping about in her body like a dying fish. Her palms were sweaty and her skin was clammy and cold. Several times, she thought of turning back. But she walked onwards, ignoring the terror mounting within her.

Finally, she reached the beginning of the warehouse district, where she and Kate had begun their search for Kakistos the previous day. The buildings looked decrepit and filthy, but Faith felt more at home standing amongst them than standing amongst the mansions that lined the road on which she lived. Inhaling deeply, she focused all of her energies on the task that she was about to begin. She could see the warehouse to which she was headed at the end of the row. As she moved forward, her eyes never left the edifice. Her Slayer senses rang alarm bells in her mind. She was terribly outnumbered and she knew it. Kakistos was waiting for her. She could feel his anticipation. He wanted to kill another Slayer.

She finally reached the front of the warehouse. The window into which she had peered the day before loomed ominous before her. She wondered if she had been seen and the sudden thought that Kate's kidnapping entirely was her fault crept into her mind, but she pushed aside the gut wrenching guilt. The front doors were large enough for a truck to fit through and, she imagined, were locked from the inside of the building. Unscrewing the cap from the can of gasoline that she held, she lifted it, and threw it through the window. The glass shattered, falling down in a cascade of glinting rain. Sunlight poured into the warehouse and Faith heard screaming as some of the vampires too slow to react combusted. Drawing the lighter from her pocket, she flicked it open, watching the flame dance for a moment, before throwing it through the broken window. She heard the crackle of the fire before she could see the red glow.

Moving to the front doors, she drew the stakes from the waistband of her jeans, and held them tightly. She lifted her foot and propelled it forward with all of her strength. Her boot collided with the door and it splintered open, flying off of its hinges into the darkness. The fear vanished from her heart as she moved forward, her feet striking the floor of the warehouse soundly. The first two vampires to charge at her she dispatched with ease. Piles of dust littered the floor where the sunlight and fire had killed many of her foes. But she could still see a dozen vampires lingering in the shadows. Smoke filled the warehouse as the fire began to spread. Some of the vampires fled. Faith imagined that many underground tunnels existed through which the vampires often traveled during the day.

Those vampires she cared little about, however. After a thorough scan of the warehouse, her eyes finally rested on Kakistos. He stood in the shadows, regarding her intently. Tied to a chair next him sat Kate. Faith's face paled as she studied her Watcher. She knew without having to check her injuries that Kate was dying. The pallor of her skin more closely resembled a corpse than a living being. Blood coated her torn clothing and Faith could see lacerations covering her half naked body. Her left eye had been slashed and a mangled, hollow pit marred her face. Faith found that she barely could breathe, not from the smoke choking the warehouse, but from the rage that was boiling up inside of her.

"Leave," Kakistos commanded to the vampires around him. His voice was so deep that it almost hurt her ears. The vampires looked back and forth at each other for several seconds before shrugging and vanishing through the doorway through which some of their comrades already had disappeared. "Slayer," Kakistos regarded her.

Faith's eyes never strayed from Kate's remaining eye, which shimmered with something resembling pride as she gazed at her Slayer. However, her eye dimmed and Faith saw that the ragged rise and fall of her chest had ceased. "You must be Kakistos," she growled.

"Yes," the vampire smiled, his teeth flashing in the light. "I am. Your Watcher is dead, Slayer. How does that make you feel?" He asked mockingly.

"I'm gonna kill you," Faith ground out between her clenched teeth.

"I doubt that," Kakistos laughed. "But if it's your will, you may try your best." He strode forward, avoiding the sunlight and fire, but not consciously, so that it appeared to Faith as if they bothered him not. Tucking the stakes back in the waistband of her jeans, she pulled out the knife that Kate had given her. Moving forward to meet him, she blocked the punch that he threw at her, slamming her fist into his face. The impact split her knuckles and she moved back. "I'm not like the other vampires that you've faced, girl," he warned, grinning.

"I can see that," Faith muttered. He charged at her again, his fist striking her in the face. A flood of blood rushed out of her nose. Sweeping her foot out, she kicked his legs out from underneath of him. He toppled to the ground, but grabbed her, turning her, and squeezing her tightly within his embrace until she felt her ribs starting to crack. Despite the pain, she held onto her knife.

"I want to taste you," Kakistos murmured, opening his mouth, and lowering his fangs to her neck. Before they could penetrate her skin, however, Faith slammed her head back into his face. Releasing her from his grip, he groaned. Faith fell to the floor, her lungs straining for air, but she ignored the burning in her chest. Turning, she lifted the knife, and plunged it deep into the vampire's left eye. He screamed in pain, falling backwards, and scrambling away from her. She lost her grip on the knife, however, and it remained sticking out of his face at an awkward angle.

"Eternity with no depth perception has gotta suck," Faith quipped, wincing visibly as she tried to breathe. The fire was starting to rage out of control in the warehouse. Coughing, she covered her mouth and nose. Kakistos stood and the two enemies regarded each other for several, long moments.

"When I find you again, Slayer, I'm going to hurt you more than you can possibly comprehend," Kakistos growled threateningly.

His words chilled her to the bone. Instead of replying, she turned, and fled from the warehouse. The clean air outside filled her deprived lungs. Though she wanted to gulp down the air, every time she breathed, pain flooded her chest. Crossing her arms over her ribs protectively, she dashed down the street. She could hear a siren wailing in the distance and she did not want to be around the warehouse when the fire department arrived. She ran until her legs could no longer carry her and then she collapsed in an alley several blocks from the warehouse. The blood flowing from her nose had dwindled to a trickle. It was starting to dry on her face and, when she tried to wipe it away, it flaked and stuck to her skin. Her Watcher was dead, her plan had failed, Kakistos still lived, and she had fled. She wondered what Kate would have thought of her now. Kakistos' words rang in her ears again as she sat underneath the warm rays of the sun and she muttered grimly, "That's if you ever find me."

……………………………..

Faith surveyed the group of people standing before her. Most of them never had seen a vampire or demon in their lives before the zombie attack, but they had been thrown into a new and terrible world and they had remained standing. The two armored vans were idling behind her. Joyce was sitting in the driver's seat of one and Giles was sitting in the driver's seat of the other. Their supplies were packed and everyone was ready to leave. Faith wondered if they realized the significance of what they were about to do. They were not just leaving the Bronze. They were leaving Sunnydale and chances were great that they would never return to the town in which they had once lived. Faith did not know what awaited them beyond the town borders, but she feared that they would not find a better world in which to rest their tired bones, only more chaos, death, and despair.

"Faith?" Buffy prompted. "You were going to assign people seats in the vans."

"What?" Faith asked, momentarily confused as the blonde Slayer's voice ripped her from her thoughts. "Oh, right," she added, remembering why she had called everyone together. "As you can see," she began, addressing the group, "we managed to find two vehicles. That means that we're going to have to split up."

"Is that a good idea?" One of the people asked uneasily.

Faith smiled reassuringly, though the action felt false to her. "Everything will be fine," she replied confidently. "The following people will be in the van with Giles. When I call your name, go ahead and board, okay?" She said, looked up, saw the group collectively nodded, and continued. "I'll be in that van along with Willow, Tara, Mike, James, and Maya." Those who heard their names moved away from the rest of the group, saying their temporary goodbyes as they boarded the vans. Willow and Tara moved over to Buffy, each giving her a quick smile and hug before doing the same. "The rest of you: Jay, Thomas, Aidan, Sara, Jill, Stephen, and Buffy are in the van with Joyce." As the rest of the people dispersed, Buffy turned to Faith and smiled.

"I guess this is it, huh?" She asked sadly.

"For now," Faith nodded. "But we'll be right behind you. I've got your back."

"I love you, Faith," Buffy said, reaching up on her tiptoes to plant a passionate kiss on Faith's lips. Faith melted into the kiss, almost losing her resolve to part with the blonde Slayer. But then the older girl's lips were gone and she opened her eyes.

"I love you too, B," she replied seriously. "I'm going to see you soon. I promise."

With another quick kiss, the Slayers parted, each moving to their respective vans. Faith boarded, watching as Buffy disappeared into her van. The engines roared as Jay opened the loading bay doors, flashed Faith a wave, and jumped into the van behind Buffy. She smiled, knowing that the soldier would take care of her girl when she could not. Two of the soldiers were on Buffy's van, Jay and Thomas, with only one on the van with Faith, a man named Mike. The first van rambled out of the Bronze, followed by the second. Faith took her seat next to Giles, smiling as the sun struck her face when the van crept out of the club. The road ahead was lined with abandoned cars. "The highway is seven miles away," Giles stated. "This may be the longest seven miles of our lives."

Faith smiled grimly, "I think you're right."