Faith felt on edge the moment that she first stepped outside. She couldn't explain it, but there was the definite feeling that there was something – something bad – out there. That something was going to happen. It gave her a prickly feeling all over. Glancing at Mort, she found herself whispering. "Do you feel that?"
He rubbed at his arms, frowning. His words were also soft, as if he didn't want to be overheard. "Yeah… And I don't like it. What… something out there, and it's not something good, is it?"
"Pretty much. I just… I don't know more than that." Faith grabbed a sword, feeling the need to go more heavily armed tonight. Maybe it would help, and maybe it wouldn't, but it just might make her feel a little bit better.
"Tonight's going to hurt, isn't it?" Mort's words were soft, and almost sounded like he wanted her to tell him that he was only imagining things.
"Probably." Faith sighed, wishing that she could tell him something else. "How about we take tomorrow night off after this one?"
He only chuckled, grabbing a sharp looking ax to take along. "Let's get through tonight first?"
They started with the graveyard, partly because it was nearby, and partly because it was a pretty big vamp tradition. Faith walked into the walls, her feet making soft shushing noises in the grass as she walked. She felt tense, ready to jump at the slightest noise, and half certain that there was something else here. She was too wound up to be quite certain if she was really picking up a vamp or if it was all nerves.
"Oh, look at this. Isn't it a bit late to be out walking with your boyfriend?" The voice had the sort of slow drawl that should have sounded pleasant. But there was something, a slight hissing and a sort of cold menace that left it sounding like a challenge.
Faith turned, looking for the speaker. It felt like a vamp, not old, but oddly strong. She stepped back at the sight. He was huge, nearly seven feet tall, with a sort of leathery hide covering his body, and a pair of ridges remarkably like an alligator's running down his back. A muzzle with sharp teeth gave him added menace, and yellow eyes glared from under heavy brows. She couldn't tell if he was vamped out or just really looked that menacing to start with, but there was only one explanation that fit. "Mutant vampire…"
"Oh, yessss." He sort of hissed the words, and made this expression that could have been a smile or intended as a menacing baring of very sharp teeth. Lots more than the standard thirty two. "And you two will be a nice meal."
"Don't count on it, toothy." Faith glared at him, trying to figure out if he was alone or if he had reinforcements somewhere in the area. He looked like there was a good chance that he'd be a lot stronger than the typical vampire.
He lunged towards her, teeth bared in a snarl as a low rumble emerged. Definitely alligator like, and the whole situation was bringing up bad memories. Faith twisted out of the way, slashing at him with one knife, sort of hoping against reason that his hide wasn't as protective as it looked. The blade parted his skin, but instead of a deep slash, it left only a shallow cut. Not encouraging at all.
He grabbed at her, not terribly fast, but apparently strong. "You're going to pay for that…"
"Right… Pretty typical minion line there, toothy." Faith tried to keep from panicking. He was big, and strong, but she was faster. All she had to do was figure out a way to use that against him… "What's your boss doing, gathering mutants and turning them?"
"Yes. And then, we'll not have to fear the rest of you ever again, human." His angry glare sent shivers down her spine.
Suddenly, Mort dropped down, landing on the vampire's shoulders and sending him face first down to the ground. There were several snapping sounds with the impact. Mort then leapt away, just in case the vampire was still capable of grabbing him. "I've heard lines like that before, from Magneto. Granted, his plan was less toothy and more technological, but it didn't work. Why should yours do any better?"
"Another mutant…. She would find you useful." Astonishingly, the alligator mutant wasn't finished. The resemblance was even more obvious with him on the ground like that. He somehow lunged forwards from the ground, that rumbling growl again filling the air.
As the mutant vampire lunged at Mort, Faith quickly switched from knife to sword, and made a swift chopping motion for the back of his neck. It should have been an easy strike, especially since he was already on the ground and she had Slayer strength. But it was hard to get the blade through his neck. He roared as his flesh disintegrated, momentarily leaving his skeleton before it too began to crumble. That sort of delayed dusting wasn't normal for any vamp under three centuries, but… but he couldn't have been turned for more than a few years.
"Well… that wasn't very easy. He was… a lot tougher than a normal vamp that age." Faith took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "But if that's one of the minions…"
"How tough is the Master?" Mort looked at her, his expression grim. "Good question. I don't think I'll like the answer."
"Right… I think this place is dead now, let's get out of here." Faith wiped the blood onto the grass, cleaning her sword.
They were almost back at the motorcycle when Mort spoke again. "Faith, do you think that idiot Watcher has that girl out tonight?"
"Oh damn, I bet he does." Faith had a horrible sinking feeling. "She'd get slaughtered if she ran into another minion like that one."
"So, I guess we try to find them?" Mort sounded a bit reluctant, as if he'd really rather just let the guy get killed.
"Actually, we look for trouble, and figure there's a big chance that's where they are anyhow." Faith found herself hoping they'd get there in time. Hoping that the girl didn't die because her Watcher was an idiot.
End part 26.
They made their way along the back roads towards the town, stopping long enough to fight something that looked like a snapping turtle the size of a Volkswagon Bug. That had been quite the sight, especially as it was devouring someone's sheep when they first saw the thing.
It had seemed perfectly willing to add them to the menu. The feet had wicked claws the size of their forearms, and it swiped clumsily at them. It's head was capable of being retracted almost into the shell, or extending out almost seven feet away, a discovery that cost Faith a bit of sleeve. In the end, Mort had distracted it long enough for Faith to creep close enough to flip it onto it's back.
She was convinced that she'd strained something with that effort. The gigantic snapping turtle was heavy.
They'd wedged a couple rocks beside it, hoping that it would be stuck there, unable to right itself and continue eating sheep and snapping at people. Faith wanted to kill it, not liking the idea of leaving anything that dangerous alive and behind her. But two things stopped her, the simplest being that she wasn't quite certain how to kill such a large turtle. She couldn't crack it's shell, and couldn't get close enough to try for decapitation or impaling the brain through the eye socket without it biting her arm off.
The other thing was the building sense that they were running out of time. Thy left the gigantic turtle on it's back, the clawed feet flailing uselessly as the head tried to snap any anything in range. Faith rubbed at her arms, feeling her skin rising into goose-bumps.
"Want to bet they're at that orchard again?" Mort's voice was low, and he was practically scurrying them towards the motorcycle. "He seems like a pattern kind of guy."
"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Faith murmured, her mind already spinning. IF he was a big pattern following traditionalist, there would be an established patrol route. And if you followed a set pattern all the time, any halfway intelligent foe could learn it, and pick a point along the route for an ambush. Preferably somewhere that was far enough that no help or interference would come… "Go faster."
The motorcycle was practically roaring as they sped down the road. The wind whipped at them, and Faith could feel it tugging at her hair, probably twisting hundreds of tiny knots and tangles into it. She could feel the vampires ahead, even before she could smell the sickly sweet scent of rotting apples.
Mort didn't so much slow to a halt as just whip the bike into this tight, momentum killing turn that left it on it's side. They started to run, hoping that it wasn't too late, hoping that things could be salvaged, and dreading that it was already over. Dreading that there would be nothing left but a pair of broken corpses. Faith clutched the hilt of her sword and tried to run faster.
As they drew closer, she could see a small figure fighting with two others, undoubtedly Lorrie fighting a pair of vampires. There was another figure, and a large mass that didn't quite look right and shouldn't have been there. The feeling of danger was thicker now, a nasty taste in the back of Faith's throat.
She was close enough to see them clearly now. Lorrie was fighting a pair of vampires, one of them a woman with a wild mane of green hair and a faint shimmer over her body, and the other a guy with a smug sneer that looked pretty normal. The Watcher was held in the lower arms of a hulking mass of… well, it sort of reminded her of an ogre. Twice the height of the Watcher, with a smaller pair of arms below the ribcage, and a lumpy head with flap-like ears, he was unmistakably hideous. Faith wasn't certain if that was some sort of demon or yet another frightening mutant vampire. The Watcher was being held, his arms outstretched as he dangled in the air. It looked as if he was being held tight, as if the thing was trying to stretch him wider or rip him in half like a wishbone.
The only figure not fighting or otherwise busy was a woman. She wore a sleeveless dark dress that fell to somewhere around her calves, fluttering in the breeze. Her dark hair was either short or twisted into a subtle pinned up style. Facing the Watcher, she shook her head, as if dismayed or regretful. "It is quite a simple matter. You are a Watcher, although she is certainly no Slayer. You would naturally have learned all that you could about this area, so you know the things I am looking for. Tell me where I can find the Door."
"Go to Hell." The watcher had barely spat the defiant words before the thing holding him gave a tug, and there was a nasty sound as one shoulder came out of the socket.
Faith absorbed all of this in mere moments. She swung her sword in a swift arc, slicing the head from the smug man. She'd known things were bad, but this sounded like things were even more complicated than she'd thought. Instead of just looking for more mutants, the woman – the Master Vampire? – she was looking for some sort of artifact. Because Faith really doubted that the woman was a frustrated fan of Jim Morrison. Lorrie looked astonished and delighted to see her, possibly because any help would be welcome right about now.
There was a rather rude surprise as she swung her sword at the green haired woman. Her sword hit the faint shimmer around her and sort of… bounced. It felt horribly jarring, almost like she'd hit some sort of wall.
Laughing, the green haired vampire kicked out at Faith, apparently certain that she was invulnerable. "You can't touch me."
Faith wanted to scream in frustration. How was she supposed to get rid of some vampire with a magical shield? Or maybe… probably a mutant shield, some sort of protection from attacks. She watched as Mort leapt towards the ogre thing, and it just… swatted him aside, like a man swatting at a fly. He went sailing through the air, and managed to twist and bounce feet first off of the electric pole instead of being smashed against it. With a groan of wood and sharp pinging snaps, the pole crashed the ground, and dull little pops came from the ends of the wires.
Hmmm… could vampires be electrocuted? Time to find out, especially since she didn't have any better ideas. Faith caught Lorrie's eyes, and glanced at the fallen pole. Lorrie made this sort of startled 'oh' expression, and started trying to catch the green haired vampire's attention.
"I will have the Door! The Door to the Heavens shall be mine, and then I will be unstoppable. You can not keep me from learning what I want to know." The woman's voice was an angry snarl.
Faith managed to grab the green haired vampire and send her flying to the section of ground where the power lines had fallen. The startled shriek became something else entirely as she landed, force field and all, over the power lines. Her body arced, smoking as the energy crackled over her field and through her body. It looked like an excruciatingly painful way to go.
At the same moment, the Watcher spat out something in a language that Faith thought might have been Russian, but it sounded terribly insulting. In response, the ogre pulled, and with a horrible series of popping sounds, the Watcher was torn in half.
"Perhaps you will know instead…." The vampire woman's eyes were glowing as she turned towards Faith and Lorrie.
End part 27.
"Oh shit…." Lorrie's comment seemed to sum things up.
Faith just grabbed the girl, half towing her as she tried to run. Towards the bike, towards the road. Mort was running right along with them, although there was a bit more leaping. She could tell that Lorrie was going into shock, the girl's skin felt clammy and there was a sort of blankness behind the terror. She remembered the feeling from when Mellie had died…
Now wasn't the time for reminiscing, it was the time for running.
Mort had reached the bike first, and was trying to start it. But it coughed and sputtered, the engine refusing to properly start. "Now is not the time… hell, forget the bike."
Once again, they were running. The bike had refused to start, and any more delay trying to figure out why or to attempt to start 'just one more time' might get them killed by the Master Vampire and her Ogre. Was master still the right term for a female vampire? The books had never quite gone over that part… Faith wanted to growl as her mind tried to wander. They were running from a scary vampire and an ogre, ands he was trying to remember the proper formal description? Next she'd be debating the proper time for tea and how exactly a British 'biscuit' was different from an American 'cookie' when she should be fighting.
The only benefit was that this road went almost directly to Tanya's house. If they could keep ahead of their enemies, they might be able to escape, to get behind the safety of a home's walls against the vampire, and a place with more weapons in case the ogre wasn't a big scary mutant vampire but was instead a big scary something else that didn't need an invitation.
As Faith's feet pounded into the road, she discovered that it wasn't the neatly packed and tarred stones that she'd assumed from riding over it. There were loose stones skittering over the surface, flinging themselves under her feet in an effort to trip her, to send them sprawling to the ground, helpless before her enemies. She could hear the ogre's feet thundering like gunshots behind them, not quite closing but still far too close.
Why had it never occurred to her just how far away from everything Tanya lived? She could feel her muscles aching, especially the long strip down her back from her shoulder that had protested when she'd flipped the giant snapping turtle. Her lungs ached with every rasping breath that she dragged in.
"It's getting closer!" Lorrie's voice was barely more than a terrified squeak. "The Handbook didn't cover anything like that…"
"He's big, not fast. Doesn't seem very smart either. When we hit the yard, split up." Mort's words sounded short, almost gasped out.
It felt like forever before they ran to Tanya's yard, and Faith could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Everything ached and burned, and she headed right for the front door, hoping that she hadn't just lead back doom. Lorrie was staggering with her, and tears were streaming down her face. She practically collided with the door, and her hand was shaking as she fumbled with the doorknob. She dimly caught sight of Mort, moving upwards in one of those impossible leaps.
Faith and Lorrie practically fell inside when the door opened, and Faith sort of twisted and rolled, slamming the door shut behind her. As she did, she saw the glowing yellow eyes of the master Vampire coming towards the house, not quite at the yard yet. From upstairs, she heard another door slam, and a sort of muffled thump.
Outside, the ogre bellowed, sounding frustrated.
"Faith? What's… can someone please explain what's out there, and why doors are being slammed?" Tanya's confused question seemed almost out of place.
Lorrie just burst into tears, curling into a tight ball of legs and arms, sobbing incoherently.
Faith slid down the door, feeling exhaustion in her whole body. "Well… we found that Master Vamp. And she's got scary minions."
Wincing at yet another bellow from outside, Tanya looked at Faith and then at the sobbing potential Slayer. "That must be… was it Lauren? Lorrie? There's hot water for cocoa, plenty of marshmallows, and I'd really like some answers."
They ended up managing to get Lorrie moved to a chair, curled up with a mug of cocoa that she was just staring at. Faith pulled Tanya a bit away, and tried to let her know to keep relatively quiet. "Lorrie's Watcher got killed tonight, pretty much right in front of her. It was… it was pretty bad. She's probably in shock."
"Oh no… the poor girl." Tanya looked worried, and glanced over at Lorrie, one hand playing with the tip of her braid, a nervous habit. "I'm guessing that this had something to do with this scary master vampire that you mentioned?"
"Yeah. She wanted him to tell her where something was. Something that she called the Door to the Heavens." Faith frowned, wondering just what was so special about this door. "She seemed to think that it would make her unstoppable."
"He wouldn't talk, would he?" Tanya's question was soft, as if she already knew the answer.
"No. It almost made me respect him a little… well, yeah, it did. He was still a jerk, but… he wasn't a jerk that would spill to the evil woman." Faith shook her head, the gruesome scene replaying in her mind. "He didn't… he didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves… He didn't deserve to go like that."
Tanya nodded, and then looked up, her expression puzzled. "What's this Door supposed to do anyhow?"
End part 28.
He rubbed at his arms, frowning. His words were also soft, as if he didn't want to be overheard. "Yeah… And I don't like it. What… something out there, and it's not something good, is it?"
"Pretty much. I just… I don't know more than that." Faith grabbed a sword, feeling the need to go more heavily armed tonight. Maybe it would help, and maybe it wouldn't, but it just might make her feel a little bit better.
"Tonight's going to hurt, isn't it?" Mort's words were soft, and almost sounded like he wanted her to tell him that he was only imagining things.
"Probably." Faith sighed, wishing that she could tell him something else. "How about we take tomorrow night off after this one?"
He only chuckled, grabbing a sharp looking ax to take along. "Let's get through tonight first?"
They started with the graveyard, partly because it was nearby, and partly because it was a pretty big vamp tradition. Faith walked into the walls, her feet making soft shushing noises in the grass as she walked. She felt tense, ready to jump at the slightest noise, and half certain that there was something else here. She was too wound up to be quite certain if she was really picking up a vamp or if it was all nerves.
"Oh, look at this. Isn't it a bit late to be out walking with your boyfriend?" The voice had the sort of slow drawl that should have sounded pleasant. But there was something, a slight hissing and a sort of cold menace that left it sounding like a challenge.
Faith turned, looking for the speaker. It felt like a vamp, not old, but oddly strong. She stepped back at the sight. He was huge, nearly seven feet tall, with a sort of leathery hide covering his body, and a pair of ridges remarkably like an alligator's running down his back. A muzzle with sharp teeth gave him added menace, and yellow eyes glared from under heavy brows. She couldn't tell if he was vamped out or just really looked that menacing to start with, but there was only one explanation that fit. "Mutant vampire…"
"Oh, yessss." He sort of hissed the words, and made this expression that could have been a smile or intended as a menacing baring of very sharp teeth. Lots more than the standard thirty two. "And you two will be a nice meal."
"Don't count on it, toothy." Faith glared at him, trying to figure out if he was alone or if he had reinforcements somewhere in the area. He looked like there was a good chance that he'd be a lot stronger than the typical vampire.
He lunged towards her, teeth bared in a snarl as a low rumble emerged. Definitely alligator like, and the whole situation was bringing up bad memories. Faith twisted out of the way, slashing at him with one knife, sort of hoping against reason that his hide wasn't as protective as it looked. The blade parted his skin, but instead of a deep slash, it left only a shallow cut. Not encouraging at all.
He grabbed at her, not terribly fast, but apparently strong. "You're going to pay for that…"
"Right… Pretty typical minion line there, toothy." Faith tried to keep from panicking. He was big, and strong, but she was faster. All she had to do was figure out a way to use that against him… "What's your boss doing, gathering mutants and turning them?"
"Yes. And then, we'll not have to fear the rest of you ever again, human." His angry glare sent shivers down her spine.
Suddenly, Mort dropped down, landing on the vampire's shoulders and sending him face first down to the ground. There were several snapping sounds with the impact. Mort then leapt away, just in case the vampire was still capable of grabbing him. "I've heard lines like that before, from Magneto. Granted, his plan was less toothy and more technological, but it didn't work. Why should yours do any better?"
"Another mutant…. She would find you useful." Astonishingly, the alligator mutant wasn't finished. The resemblance was even more obvious with him on the ground like that. He somehow lunged forwards from the ground, that rumbling growl again filling the air.
As the mutant vampire lunged at Mort, Faith quickly switched from knife to sword, and made a swift chopping motion for the back of his neck. It should have been an easy strike, especially since he was already on the ground and she had Slayer strength. But it was hard to get the blade through his neck. He roared as his flesh disintegrated, momentarily leaving his skeleton before it too began to crumble. That sort of delayed dusting wasn't normal for any vamp under three centuries, but… but he couldn't have been turned for more than a few years.
"Well… that wasn't very easy. He was… a lot tougher than a normal vamp that age." Faith took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "But if that's one of the minions…"
"How tough is the Master?" Mort looked at her, his expression grim. "Good question. I don't think I'll like the answer."
"Right… I think this place is dead now, let's get out of here." Faith wiped the blood onto the grass, cleaning her sword.
They were almost back at the motorcycle when Mort spoke again. "Faith, do you think that idiot Watcher has that girl out tonight?"
"Oh damn, I bet he does." Faith had a horrible sinking feeling. "She'd get slaughtered if she ran into another minion like that one."
"So, I guess we try to find them?" Mort sounded a bit reluctant, as if he'd really rather just let the guy get killed.
"Actually, we look for trouble, and figure there's a big chance that's where they are anyhow." Faith found herself hoping they'd get there in time. Hoping that the girl didn't die because her Watcher was an idiot.
End part 26.
They made their way along the back roads towards the town, stopping long enough to fight something that looked like a snapping turtle the size of a Volkswagon Bug. That had been quite the sight, especially as it was devouring someone's sheep when they first saw the thing.
It had seemed perfectly willing to add them to the menu. The feet had wicked claws the size of their forearms, and it swiped clumsily at them. It's head was capable of being retracted almost into the shell, or extending out almost seven feet away, a discovery that cost Faith a bit of sleeve. In the end, Mort had distracted it long enough for Faith to creep close enough to flip it onto it's back.
She was convinced that she'd strained something with that effort. The gigantic snapping turtle was heavy.
They'd wedged a couple rocks beside it, hoping that it would be stuck there, unable to right itself and continue eating sheep and snapping at people. Faith wanted to kill it, not liking the idea of leaving anything that dangerous alive and behind her. But two things stopped her, the simplest being that she wasn't quite certain how to kill such a large turtle. She couldn't crack it's shell, and couldn't get close enough to try for decapitation or impaling the brain through the eye socket without it biting her arm off.
The other thing was the building sense that they were running out of time. Thy left the gigantic turtle on it's back, the clawed feet flailing uselessly as the head tried to snap any anything in range. Faith rubbed at her arms, feeling her skin rising into goose-bumps.
"Want to bet they're at that orchard again?" Mort's voice was low, and he was practically scurrying them towards the motorcycle. "He seems like a pattern kind of guy."
"Yeah, he does, doesn't he?" Faith murmured, her mind already spinning. IF he was a big pattern following traditionalist, there would be an established patrol route. And if you followed a set pattern all the time, any halfway intelligent foe could learn it, and pick a point along the route for an ambush. Preferably somewhere that was far enough that no help or interference would come… "Go faster."
The motorcycle was practically roaring as they sped down the road. The wind whipped at them, and Faith could feel it tugging at her hair, probably twisting hundreds of tiny knots and tangles into it. She could feel the vampires ahead, even before she could smell the sickly sweet scent of rotting apples.
Mort didn't so much slow to a halt as just whip the bike into this tight, momentum killing turn that left it on it's side. They started to run, hoping that it wasn't too late, hoping that things could be salvaged, and dreading that it was already over. Dreading that there would be nothing left but a pair of broken corpses. Faith clutched the hilt of her sword and tried to run faster.
As they drew closer, she could see a small figure fighting with two others, undoubtedly Lorrie fighting a pair of vampires. There was another figure, and a large mass that didn't quite look right and shouldn't have been there. The feeling of danger was thicker now, a nasty taste in the back of Faith's throat.
She was close enough to see them clearly now. Lorrie was fighting a pair of vampires, one of them a woman with a wild mane of green hair and a faint shimmer over her body, and the other a guy with a smug sneer that looked pretty normal. The Watcher was held in the lower arms of a hulking mass of… well, it sort of reminded her of an ogre. Twice the height of the Watcher, with a smaller pair of arms below the ribcage, and a lumpy head with flap-like ears, he was unmistakably hideous. Faith wasn't certain if that was some sort of demon or yet another frightening mutant vampire. The Watcher was being held, his arms outstretched as he dangled in the air. It looked as if he was being held tight, as if the thing was trying to stretch him wider or rip him in half like a wishbone.
The only figure not fighting or otherwise busy was a woman. She wore a sleeveless dark dress that fell to somewhere around her calves, fluttering in the breeze. Her dark hair was either short or twisted into a subtle pinned up style. Facing the Watcher, she shook her head, as if dismayed or regretful. "It is quite a simple matter. You are a Watcher, although she is certainly no Slayer. You would naturally have learned all that you could about this area, so you know the things I am looking for. Tell me where I can find the Door."
"Go to Hell." The watcher had barely spat the defiant words before the thing holding him gave a tug, and there was a nasty sound as one shoulder came out of the socket.
Faith absorbed all of this in mere moments. She swung her sword in a swift arc, slicing the head from the smug man. She'd known things were bad, but this sounded like things were even more complicated than she'd thought. Instead of just looking for more mutants, the woman – the Master Vampire? – she was looking for some sort of artifact. Because Faith really doubted that the woman was a frustrated fan of Jim Morrison. Lorrie looked astonished and delighted to see her, possibly because any help would be welcome right about now.
There was a rather rude surprise as she swung her sword at the green haired woman. Her sword hit the faint shimmer around her and sort of… bounced. It felt horribly jarring, almost like she'd hit some sort of wall.
Laughing, the green haired vampire kicked out at Faith, apparently certain that she was invulnerable. "You can't touch me."
Faith wanted to scream in frustration. How was she supposed to get rid of some vampire with a magical shield? Or maybe… probably a mutant shield, some sort of protection from attacks. She watched as Mort leapt towards the ogre thing, and it just… swatted him aside, like a man swatting at a fly. He went sailing through the air, and managed to twist and bounce feet first off of the electric pole instead of being smashed against it. With a groan of wood and sharp pinging snaps, the pole crashed the ground, and dull little pops came from the ends of the wires.
Hmmm… could vampires be electrocuted? Time to find out, especially since she didn't have any better ideas. Faith caught Lorrie's eyes, and glanced at the fallen pole. Lorrie made this sort of startled 'oh' expression, and started trying to catch the green haired vampire's attention.
"I will have the Door! The Door to the Heavens shall be mine, and then I will be unstoppable. You can not keep me from learning what I want to know." The woman's voice was an angry snarl.
Faith managed to grab the green haired vampire and send her flying to the section of ground where the power lines had fallen. The startled shriek became something else entirely as she landed, force field and all, over the power lines. Her body arced, smoking as the energy crackled over her field and through her body. It looked like an excruciatingly painful way to go.
At the same moment, the Watcher spat out something in a language that Faith thought might have been Russian, but it sounded terribly insulting. In response, the ogre pulled, and with a horrible series of popping sounds, the Watcher was torn in half.
"Perhaps you will know instead…." The vampire woman's eyes were glowing as she turned towards Faith and Lorrie.
End part 27.
"Oh shit…." Lorrie's comment seemed to sum things up.
Faith just grabbed the girl, half towing her as she tried to run. Towards the bike, towards the road. Mort was running right along with them, although there was a bit more leaping. She could tell that Lorrie was going into shock, the girl's skin felt clammy and there was a sort of blankness behind the terror. She remembered the feeling from when Mellie had died…
Now wasn't the time for reminiscing, it was the time for running.
Mort had reached the bike first, and was trying to start it. But it coughed and sputtered, the engine refusing to properly start. "Now is not the time… hell, forget the bike."
Once again, they were running. The bike had refused to start, and any more delay trying to figure out why or to attempt to start 'just one more time' might get them killed by the Master Vampire and her Ogre. Was master still the right term for a female vampire? The books had never quite gone over that part… Faith wanted to growl as her mind tried to wander. They were running from a scary vampire and an ogre, ands he was trying to remember the proper formal description? Next she'd be debating the proper time for tea and how exactly a British 'biscuit' was different from an American 'cookie' when she should be fighting.
The only benefit was that this road went almost directly to Tanya's house. If they could keep ahead of their enemies, they might be able to escape, to get behind the safety of a home's walls against the vampire, and a place with more weapons in case the ogre wasn't a big scary mutant vampire but was instead a big scary something else that didn't need an invitation.
As Faith's feet pounded into the road, she discovered that it wasn't the neatly packed and tarred stones that she'd assumed from riding over it. There were loose stones skittering over the surface, flinging themselves under her feet in an effort to trip her, to send them sprawling to the ground, helpless before her enemies. She could hear the ogre's feet thundering like gunshots behind them, not quite closing but still far too close.
Why had it never occurred to her just how far away from everything Tanya lived? She could feel her muscles aching, especially the long strip down her back from her shoulder that had protested when she'd flipped the giant snapping turtle. Her lungs ached with every rasping breath that she dragged in.
"It's getting closer!" Lorrie's voice was barely more than a terrified squeak. "The Handbook didn't cover anything like that…"
"He's big, not fast. Doesn't seem very smart either. When we hit the yard, split up." Mort's words sounded short, almost gasped out.
It felt like forever before they ran to Tanya's yard, and Faith could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Everything ached and burned, and she headed right for the front door, hoping that she hadn't just lead back doom. Lorrie was staggering with her, and tears were streaming down her face. She practically collided with the door, and her hand was shaking as she fumbled with the doorknob. She dimly caught sight of Mort, moving upwards in one of those impossible leaps.
Faith and Lorrie practically fell inside when the door opened, and Faith sort of twisted and rolled, slamming the door shut behind her. As she did, she saw the glowing yellow eyes of the master Vampire coming towards the house, not quite at the yard yet. From upstairs, she heard another door slam, and a sort of muffled thump.
Outside, the ogre bellowed, sounding frustrated.
"Faith? What's… can someone please explain what's out there, and why doors are being slammed?" Tanya's confused question seemed almost out of place.
Lorrie just burst into tears, curling into a tight ball of legs and arms, sobbing incoherently.
Faith slid down the door, feeling exhaustion in her whole body. "Well… we found that Master Vamp. And she's got scary minions."
Wincing at yet another bellow from outside, Tanya looked at Faith and then at the sobbing potential Slayer. "That must be… was it Lauren? Lorrie? There's hot water for cocoa, plenty of marshmallows, and I'd really like some answers."
They ended up managing to get Lorrie moved to a chair, curled up with a mug of cocoa that she was just staring at. Faith pulled Tanya a bit away, and tried to let her know to keep relatively quiet. "Lorrie's Watcher got killed tonight, pretty much right in front of her. It was… it was pretty bad. She's probably in shock."
"Oh no… the poor girl." Tanya looked worried, and glanced over at Lorrie, one hand playing with the tip of her braid, a nervous habit. "I'm guessing that this had something to do with this scary master vampire that you mentioned?"
"Yeah. She wanted him to tell her where something was. Something that she called the Door to the Heavens." Faith frowned, wondering just what was so special about this door. "She seemed to think that it would make her unstoppable."
"He wouldn't talk, would he?" Tanya's question was soft, as if she already knew the answer.
"No. It almost made me respect him a little… well, yeah, it did. He was still a jerk, but… he wasn't a jerk that would spill to the evil woman." Faith shook her head, the gruesome scene replaying in her mind. "He didn't… he didn't deserve that. Nobody deserves… He didn't deserve to go like that."
Tanya nodded, and then looked up, her expression puzzled. "What's this Door supposed to do anyhow?"
End part 28.