Redemption Day: Part 8
by Sarge
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Willow, Xander, Giles and Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, et.al. The Crow belongs to James O'Barr. I only borrowed these characters for a short time.
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Part Eight
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Xander worked his way through the rows of warehouses at a steady run with the crow flying ahead, leading his steps. The night air was cold and little light shone in the alleys and roads between the warehouses, but these details barely registered in his senses as he focused on his deadly goal. The rear of warehouse 13 soon loomed in front of him with a single dim light shining over the door there. He quickly spotted the vampire by the door. The crow rose on a slight breeze and circled above the roof where it found the two vampires standing guard on the roof. Xander took in the scene developing in front of him through the eyes of the crow and through his own sight. Not even slowing his pace, Xander reached in his pocket for a stake he had taken from the apartment. The vampire lazily leaned against the rear wall of the warehouse, foolishly relaxing his guard. He was too slow in spotting the black figure coming out of the night. Before the vampire could stand up straight Xander pinned him to the wall with one forearm under the chin and staked him with his other hand.
Scanning the area, Xander found the ladder at the corner of the warehouse that led to the roof. He quietly walked over to it and started climbing. As he neared the top he saw one of the vampire guards passing the ladder. In a rush, so the creatures would not have time to give alarm, Xander was over the top and tackled the vampire. Totally surprised, the vampire fell to the roof with Xander on top of him. Before he could react, Xander thrusted a stake home into his heart.
The second guard saw his companion go down with the black form on top of him and turn to dust. When the intruder rose to his feet the vampire was startled to see this particular person in front of him. He recognized the young man he helped to kill a year ago and knew that should not be possible. The vampire was familiar with many strange things but had never come across a being that returned without some kind of demonic aid. “So you’re the messenger that loser was talking about,” he said as he slowly regained his composure. “You are a persistent one aren’t you?”
The crow floated down and settled on the edge of the blacked out skylight between the two adversaries and watched. Xander squared his shoulders, acknowledged the vampire with a simple nod of his head and started walking silently toward the third target of his vengeance. The vampire hesitated for a moment. He contemplated the options at this point, not liking any of them, and then closed the distance with a rush. Xander easily stepped out of the way and tripped the demon as he sped past. The surprised vampire landed spread eagle on the roof and skidded to a stop.
The vampire rolled over, sat up and looked at Xander, shocked that he had missed. Mortals were not supposed to be able to do that. Now his former victim stood by the skylight, grinning, feet spread apart, and taunted him to come on with one hand. Getting up, the vampire advanced on Xander, cautiously this time, like a boxer who had underestimated his opponent, and looked for tricks. The vampire threw one fist at Xander’s face that he simply bobbed his head to avoid. The demon followed through with a roundhouse punch that should have taken off Xander’s head but he blocked it with a simple slap of his palm. The creature tried to kick him, but Xander caught his leg and dumped him back on the roof hard. He was tired of toying with the bloodsucker.
His face now a mask of fury, Xander was on top of the vampire, planting one knee in the demon’s gut and grabbing a fistful of hair. Xander released his rage, pounding the vampire’s face into a pulp and knocking him senseless. Satisfied with the damage, he stood and pulled the vampire up to a standing position. He held the wobbling vampire steady with one hand and slapped his face lightly with the other until a look of coherence returned to the demon’s eyes. He pulled the vampire close and growled, “Don’t worry, I’m going to kill you, but I need you to announce my entrance first.” Then he picked the vampire up over his head and tossed him into the skylight.
Thanatos waited in the old warehouse, lost in his thoughts. As he leaned against an old desk he decided that the squad he had sent to ambush the Slayer was not coming back. He knew it was a suicide mission when he sent them, but a few casualties were acceptable if the results weakened the Slayer. Besides, after tonight he would have a free rein in this ripe little city. “Yes,” he said aloud to himself, “it is time to end this campaign and get on with larger plans.”
He looked around at his small assemblage of troops. He only had eleven survivors of this little war now, but these were his best. Three of them were outside on guard right now with his last lieutenant. The Slayer would definitely be getting a warm welcome. He looked up at the ceiling of the warehouse when he heard one loud thump and then a few moments later another one. Not worried, he thought that maybe he should send someone up to tell the guards to stop messing around and pay attention. Thanatos’s first warning that something was wrong was the sound of breaking glass.
Thanatos looked up as the blacked out skylight shattered inward and his last surviving comrade from that night in the alley came crashing down toward the concrete floor, landing on his back with a sickening crunch. A crow flew in and landed on one of the ceiling girders. It was soon followed by a dark figure falling in feet first.
Xander landed on the balls of his feet then bent his knees and touched one hand down to the floor to stop his momentum, his ragged black jacket billowing around him and then settling. He stood up in a fluid motion and pulled a stake from a pocket. As he scanned his surroundings, he walked over to the prostrate vampire and staked him before he could move. His eyes settled on the vampire leader. Xander pointed at Thanatos while all the vampires stared. “Now there’s just you left, Thanatos. I’m here to collect my bill and you owe me big time.”
Thanatos studied the figure in front of him. Tall, thin, pale and scarred, dressed in torn black clothing and a bloody bandage, Xander looked like a gothic scarecrow to the vampire. “Damn, boy. You sure are hard to kill, but who the hell do you think you are coming in here like this?” He pointed at the dust that used to be a vampire. “It took me twenty years to find a lieutenant as good as him.”
Xander raised his arms level with his shoulders, palms faced upward. He looked at himself and said mockingly, “Death, of course. I get all dressed up for Halloween and people still don’t figure out my costume.” He finished by dropping his hands to his side in an exasperated manner.
Just then the door at the front of the warehouse burst inward and the vampire that had been on guard out front stepped through. He started to yell and then burst into a cloud of dust as Buffy pulled her stake out his back. “Knock, knock,” she said as she stepped in. Giles and Willow followed and fanned out to her left and right. “Is this a private party or can anyone join in?”
Thanatos looked toward the Slayer and then said, “Enough of this. The rest of you take the Slayer. This boy and I have unfinished business.”
With that order the remaining seven vampires rushed at the Slayer and her companions. Buffy charged the vampires and released a year’s worth of pent up fury as she started going through them like a scythe through stalks of wheat.
Xander and Thanatos advanced on each other, oblivious of the carnage on the other side of the warehouse. They met halfway and Thanatos started punching Xander with everything he had. Xander waded into the vampire’s assault, trading and blocking blows. He leaned into the punishment, wincing only when the vampire managed to hit his bandaged shoulder. When Thanatos stopped to regroup and stared in amazement at the lack of effect he was having, Xander immediately lashed out and grabbed the vampire’s head and pulled it down to meet his rising knee. The vampire’s nose crunched in a spray of blood and he reeled backward. Xander followed him, grabbed the front of the vampire’s shirt and lifted him off the ground. Xander coldly whispered, “Do you know what it feels like to be helpless while everything around you crumbles?” Then he threw the vampire away from him.
Thanatos landed on his back in the middle of the old desk and it crumpled under him. He shook his head to clear it. He had lasted too long as a mercenary and a vampire to be brought down by this punk. Watching and looking for a weakness as Xander stalked toward him he zeroed in on the bandage.
When Xander was a step away Thanatos came up off of the desk and clamped his hand on Xander’s shoulder, digging his thumb into the wound. Xander screamed in pain and staggered back. The crow dove screeching from its perch in defense of its charge. The bird flapped its wings in the vampire’s face clawing and pecking at the demon’s face and eyes. Thanatos raised his hands to fend off the bird. He grabbed the crow by one of its wings, heard the bones snap and flung the bird away. The crow hopped away dragging a wing.
When the bird’s wing was broken, Xander felt a wave of pain surge through him. His legs buckled and he went to one knee. Thanatos realized what he had done and saw his chance. “Oh, so my back from the grave friend does have a weakness,” he said. He reached down low and hit Xander with an uppercut sending him sprawling on his back. The vampire walked over and kicked Xander in the gut, making him double up. Then Thanatos kicked him in the head, knocking him senseless.
Across the warehouse Willow stood near Giles waiting to assist him or the slayer if she was needed, trying to remember spells that had proved useful over the past year. Buffy quickly destroyed the first vampire that approached her and did not look like she was going to need much help. Willow turned her attention toward the back half of the warehouse and watched in horror the fight between Xander and Thanatos. When Thanatos broke the crow’s wing and Xander stumbled, she immediately understood. The bird was not just Xander’s guide but his link to the power that brought him back. Without pausing to think, Willow took off running for the bird.
Giles saw Willow start running, tried to grab her and yelled, “Willow, no!” as he raised the crossbow he had brought with him and took aim.
Willow ducked a vampire just as he exploded with Giles’s crossbow bolt in his heart. Focused on the crow, she caught up to it in what just seemed a second and scooped it up in her arms. When she turned around she was confronted with an angry and bloody Thanatos.
When Thanatos thought he had Xander down for the count he turned to look for the crow. The vampire knew that if he destroyed the bird this avenging soul would be easy to destroy afterwards. Then he would kill the Slayer. He turned away from Xander to get the injured bird and found the little witch holding it and glaring at him. “Give me the bird, girl!” he yelled at her.
“No,” Willow said defiantly, shielding the crow from the vampire. “I won’t let you kill him again!”
“Okay,” the vampire growled. “I’ll kill you and then the bird.” Then he heard the distinctive sound of the hammer on a pistol being cocked back. He turned and saw Xander up on his knees, blood running from his shoulder and his mouth, pointing old man Smith’s Colt .45 service revolver at him. “What do you think you’re going to do with that, boy?” he asked and laughed. “Kill me?”
“No,” Xander cruelly replied, “I’m going to hurt you.” He lowered his aim and pulled the trigger. The old pistol fired and the bullet tore into Thanatos’s leg just above his knee. Xander cocked the pistol and fired again hitting the vampire in the left shoulder, staggering him backwards. Xander cocked the pistol again, aimed higher and fired. A hole the size of a dime blossomed on the vampire’s forehead and he fell on his back.
Xander stood up, dropping the pistol and pulling the knife from his belt. He walked to the vampire and in one motion dropped to one knee and brought the knife down on the demon’s other shoulder, driving it through skin, muscle and bone into the concrete, pinning the vampire to the floor. The vampire screamed and Xander’s soul rejoiced.
Xander stood and walked over to the desk. He ripped off one of the metal legs and returned to Thanatos who struggled to pull the knife out of his shoulder. Thanatos looked up at Xander with fear in his eyes and tried to shield himself with his free arm. Xander began beating the vampire, using the desk leg as a cudgel to destroy the vile creature that took everything away from him. Every time he swung the leg down he screamed in anger and sorrow, releasing the vengeance and rage that had brought him back from the grave.
Giles, one sleeve of his jacket ripped, moved over beside Willow and put his arm around her, trying to shield her. Willow winced with each blow on the vampire, but did not turn away, determined to watch her friend. Buffy, having finished with the remaining vampires and watching Xander, walked up behind him with a slight limp. She put her hand on his shoulder to stop his next swing. When Xander looked at her she said quietly, “You’ve won Xander. End it.” She held her hand out, offering him the stake.
He took the stake and dropped to his knees. As he raised the stake above his head Thanatos opened his eyes and screamed, “Nooooooo!” Xander thrust the stake down through the vampire’s heart and it was finally over.
Xander sat back with his head bowed and shoulders slumped for several moments. He looked up at his three friends. “I’m so tired,” he said. “Could you guys help me out of here? I’ve had a rough day.” Buffy and Giles helped him up and Willow moved to his side, putting one arm around his waist and holding the crow with the other. They all headed for the door. As the dust blew away, the only evidence of the night’s carnage was the broken skylight and the crushed desk.
When they stepped outside into the night air, Xander turned to Willow and took the crow from her hands, lifting it up to his left shoulder. He met her eyes, understanding what she had done for him, and said, “Thanks.” The crow’s broken wing hung down and covered the bandage there. Xander looked at his friend for a moment longer, feeling sorrow, the only emotion he had left. But he knew he could rest soon. “It’s over. I have to go now, Will.”
“I know,” she said, crying and smiling. “I’ll still miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Will,” he said. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her close to him, kissing her on the forehead. “See you on the other side,” he whispered and then released her.
When he turned to Buffy she simply pulled him close and hugged him tight. Then she pushed him away to arm’s length to get one last look at her friend and tried to smile, her lip quavering. He smiled back.
Giles put his hand on Xander’s shoulder and said, “Safe journey.” Xander nodded and turned away as a soft breeze started blowing. His three friends watched him walk past the end of the warehouse into the light of a street lamp and listened to his footsteps echo down the alleys.
Buffy and Giles were about to turn away when Willow stopped them. “Guys. Look,” she said. As Xander entered the pool of light a young woman with brown hair walked up to meet him. Xander smiled and offered his arm to Anya. She took it and laid her head on his shoulder. As Willow, Buffy and Giles watched, the two souls walked out of the light and the sound of their footsteps disappeared, replaced by soft laughter and then silence.
If God be willing
There is a train that’s heading straight
To Heaven’s gate, to Heaven’s gate
And on the way
Child and man and woman wait
Watch and wait
For redemption day
-------Sheryl Crow
The End
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