Part Three
Boston, two and a half weeks earlier.
Faith was walking back to her house, where she lived with her watcher. Faith had been living with her watcher since her mother died. Her situation demanded that she would only have to train for the day of her calling, when she would rise to take the place of a fallen slayer.
During the few months since her calling, Faith had her share of fights. Yesterday she faced her greatest challenge, Kakistos. Luckily she was able to hold him off, and injured him in the progress. She was expecting to run into him that night but it didn't happen. Maybe I scared him off, she thought.
So she walked down the sidewalk of her neighborhood when she spotted something peculiar. A black limo sat in front of her house with a woman stand beside it.
"Vampires."
Quietly she jumped the fence of her neighbor, and walked around the house. Seeing that the back alley was clear, she sprinted quietly towards her house. After reaching the house she stopped to survey it. There didn't seem to be any damage, but the blinds were drawn. Knowing that she had to get into the house, she decided to go through her upstairs window.
Being careful that the vampire up front didn't see her, Faith quickly scaled the tree beside her window. She reached the window, opened it, and crawled through. Looking around she saw that her room was undisturbed. Silently she walked across the room, and opened the door. Voices could be heard from downstairs.
Faith walked warily down the hallway. From the top of the stairs she could see the entire living room. She knelt down, and gazed at the situation below.
"Where is the slayer?!" Kakistos screamed. Kakistos stood with Mr. Trick and three other vampires around Faith's watcher. She sat tied to a chair, with blood all over her face. "Tell me where the slayer is and I will end the pain."
"She isn't talking, man," Mr. Trick said.
"She will talk. The slayer will pay for what she's done to me." Kakistos then pulled off a bandage covering his face. On the right side a scar stretched from the top of his forehead to the top of his cheek. "LOOK AT IT!"
"How can she see? You already ripped out her eyes."
Tears began to stream down Faith's face.
"There she is!"
Faith's head jerked to the direction of the voice. To her left, two vampires stood at the bottom of the staircase. In the living room all eyes were fixed on her. Kakistos' glare was particularly evil. Faith turned and bolted down the hallway. The two vampires at the bottom of the stairs immediately gave chase.
"Two of you go out the back," Kakistos ordered. He turned to his remaining minion. "You go out the front. If you don't bring me back the slayer I'll have your head." The minion's face instantly became a picture of terror. Within a second the minion was out the door.
Mr. Trick looked over to Faith's watcher. "What do you want to do with her?"
Kakistos knelt down and mercilessly bit into the woman's neck. Her body spasmed for a second, unable to break free from the ropes. Kakistos stepped back up and looked directly at Mr. Trick. A drop of blood slowly slid down his chin. "Kill her," he answered. Kakistos' eyes turn to the door. His minions had returned.
The terrified minion led the pack. His body language said volumes about the events that had transpired. "I'm sorry. She was too..." He was cut off in midsentence. Kakistos seized the vampire with his hands, and lifted him into the air.
"You're about to see what happens to those who fail me."
Kakistos slammed the vampire down onto his knee. An audible snap was heard accompanied by a horrific scream. Kakistos dropped the vampire onto the ground. The vampire's torso twitched like a decapitated chicken, while the bottom half lay limp.
"What do you want to do now?" Mr. Trick asked.
"Burn it."
Faith knew that she would be alright. She was able to lose Kakistos' minions and the sun was now rising. Out of breath she stopped running and sat down. The reality of what had happened hit her with a force of a tidal wave. Unable to cope, she began to cry uncontrollably. Unknown to her, a steady stream of smoke began to fill the air above her house.
Later that night, while Faith was on patrol, a man was rudely awaken. Grumbling, he went to the door of his house to see what kind of person would wake him at such an ungodly hour. His fatal mistake was stepping outside the house. The next morning his mutilated body would be found in a back alley. The only objects found on him were his wallet, and a piece of paper in his hand.
"We can begin the ritual now, sir."
"Excellent, go get the dagger."
Maurice walked over to the case that was at the center of their plan. Inside lay a small dagger. The only notable thing about it was that there were transparent points in the silver handle. The inside was hollow. Maurice looked at his master. Davison lay on the ground in the position of a cross. His hands and feet were nailed into the ground.
"Let's begin."
"Buffy Summers to the library please. Buffy Summer to the library."
"You better go Ms. Summers. Make sure you get the work assignment from somebody."
Buffy picked up her books and walked out of the classroom. Within a few minutes she was inside the library.
"Ok Giles. What's so important that it couldn't wait for lunch?" She walked over the table and sat down. Giles scurried out of his office with a book in hand. He put the book down in front of Buffy, already open to a particular page.
"You recognize the man in the picture here?"
Buffy stared at the picture closely. It was an old sketch that looked a little faded. Realization dawned on her face.
"This is the vamp from last night."
"That's right. His name is Sean O'Reily. He was part of a group of vampires calling themselves The Three Horsemen. Although there are some reports of a fourth member, it was never confirmed"
"What do you mean, was?"
"According to this book they were killed in 1881 by a group of vampire hunters. We know that O'Reily survived, so it may be safe to assume the others did as well."
"Great. We may or may not have three or four renegades running around Sunnydale. Aren't there suppose to be four horsemen?"
"Actually, yes. In the book of revelations they mention the four horsemen of the apocalypse. It is mentioned in this book that their leader is very picky when it comes to who he allows into his group. Maybe he hasn't found his fourth member yet."
Buffy was obviously disturbed by this news. Up to this point she hoped that this new vampire was nothing to worry about. Giles, sensing her change in mood, sat down beside her.
"What I read about these vampires, tells me that they are probably here for a specific reason. So I want you to tell Xander, Cordilia, Willow, and Oz to help with my research if they have a free period. We have to find out what was in that book."
"What about Faith?"
"Oh yes, I forgot about her. We should call and inform her about our current situation."
"I doubt that she's up yet, and I don't think that she's into researching."
"Well, I'll call her later this afternoon."
"Should I go back to class, or do you need me to help you research?"
"You've missed too much school already. You go back to class and come back here when you can."
"May the power of the First Evil flow through his veins."
Having uttered those words, Maurice thrusted the dagger into Davison's heart. The effect was immediate and spectacular. The cavern was illuminated with a red light radiating from the dagger and Davison's eyes. He began to scream in agony.
"Hold him down," Maurice shouted.
Yuki and Sean dashed, from the chairs they were sitting on, to their master's side. Yuki held down Davison's arms while Sean held down his feet. Within a few seconds the light show vanished. Maurice then ripped the dagger out.
"Get these nails out of me," Davison commanded.
Yuki and Sean obediently ripped out the nails pinning their master to the floor. Davison sat up and Yuki handed him a plastic blood filled container. Davison swallowed it all in one gulp.
"Mr. Davison." All eyes moved to the stranger standing at the entrance. "Mr. Trick sent me. He told me to tell you that the police are on their way to inform Faith."
"Excellent. Boys, Bandage me up. Maurice hand me the dagger."
Maurice handed Davison the dagger. Delighted, he stared at the handle. Where once it was clear, it was now the color of blood.
"You home, Faith?"
Knowing the answer to his question, Nathan continued to knock on the door. Each time his hand hit the door a slight pain shot up his arm. Spots of blood could be seen through the bandages covering his hands. It had only been about fifteen minutes since the ritual, and all his wounds had virtually closed. "This is getting me nowhere," Nathan thought.
He placed his hand on the door handle, turned it, and pushed the door open. The inside was very dark. The only thing illuminating the hotel room was the moonlight coming through the doorway. On the bed, Nathan could make out a huge bulge. It was Faith. She was curled up, under the covers, in the fetal position. "Faith?"
The bulge moved. Pulling down the covers, Faith stared at Nathan. Her eyes were red. She had been crying.
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.
"Go away," she grumbled.
"What?"
"Go away!" she screamed.
"I have a thing about leaving girls alone crying. So you can invite me in or I'll come in anyways."
"Come on in," she said harshly.
Nathan walked through the doorway over to the bed. He stood there silent for a minute, waiting for a sign from Faith. There was no response so he sat down at the edge of the bed.
"You want to talk about it?"
"They killed him," she whispered.
"Killed who?"
"They killed my father," she stated coldly.
"What?" Nathan sounded surprised.
"Vampires tortured and killed my father. The police came by here and told me a little while ago."
"Wait a second. I thought your father didn't live here, so how did they find out?"
"A piece of paper with my name and address was found in his hand. After they identified his body, they realized that I'm his daughter. So the cops phoned the Sunnydale PD to check out the address."
"I'm sorry," Nathan whispered. Gently, he placed his hand on hers. She flinched at first but her hand steadied. Then she felt it.
"What happened to your hand?" she said, alarmed. Sitting up, she turned on the lamp beside the bed.
"It's nothing. I just had an accident with a couple of knives that didn't like me." Nathan lifted up his hands to show his bandages.
"When did it happen?"
"Yesterday."
"Did you change your dressings today? I have some stuff in the bathroom if you need it."
"I changed them a couple of hours ago. I could use some supplies, though."
"I'll go get them for you."
Faith moved of the bed and walked into the bathroom. Alone in the room, Nathan took advantage of the situation. He walked over to the phone beside the bed and ripped the cord out of the wall. Can' t have anybody interrupting us, he thought.
"I've got nothing," Cordelia said exasperated. "We've been here four hours, and we still don't know what's in that book."
"Relax, Cordy," Xander said. "I'll take you out tomorrow since you've volunteered so much of your time."
"You're my boyfriend. You're supposed to anyways."
"Yes, but maybe I'll spend more than ten dollars this time."
"Big woop."
While Xander and Cordelia continued with their verbal sparing, Buffy got up walked over to the counter. Oz was standing there sorting through some books.
"Cordelia and Xander fighting again?" he asked.
"Yes, but it's part of their charm."
"So I've heard."
"Where did Willow go, anyways."
"She went over to Giles's place to find a book."
"I think I have something," Giles said loudly. He rushed out of his office and placed the book on the table. "The book was written about 1700 years ago by a vampire in Germany. It was first called the Book of Calling, but was later renamed the Book of Buchotz, when it was discovered in Buchotz, Germany, 500 years ago. It's purpose is to channel the power of the First Evil."
"How are they supposed to do that?" Buffy asked.
"The vampire will be able to channel the energy after it..." Giles's voice trailed off. "After it kills a slayer."
"Everybody looked at Buffy. If she was disturbed by the news, her face didn't show it. A question popped into her head. "Where's Faith?"
"She hasn't been here all day," Xander answered.
"Giles, did you call her and tell her what's up?"
"No, I forgot to."
"Well we better do it now."
Giles sprinted over to the counter where the phone sat and quickly dialed her number. After a few rings he said, "There's no answer."
"We better get over there."
Giles hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket from the coat rack, just as Willow walked through the door. She was holding a book and keys in each hand.
"Willow, I need the keys to my car."
"Sure," she tossed the keys to Giles. "Where you guys going."
"No time to explain. Ask them," Buffy said rushing past her. The next second she and Giles were out the door.
Willow turned to her friends. "Where are they going?"
"Here's your stuff." Faith handed Nathan a plastic bag filled with dressings and alcohol.
"Thanks."
Unsure what to do next, Faith sat down beside Nathan who then placed his hand on hers. She turned her head to talk and he leaned forward and kissed her. Despite her shock and confusion, she didn't pull back and soon was leaning in as well. The kiss was soft and tender. As they kissed, Nathan stroked her hand gently, making the moment that more intimate.
Nathan pulled back and smiled. He then raised her hand, and kissed it gently. She blushed slightly and smiled. Putting her hand down, he asked her a question.
"Why don't you go away with me and my friends. You can see the world and maybe kill a few demons," he said smiling.
"I don't know. We barely know each other," she protested.
"What do you mean? You know everything that's important to know about me. As do I about you. Besides, I think it would be good for you to get away right now. To be with people that care about you."
Confronted with that logic, she could only think yes. She didn't belong here; she didn't even live here. Aside from her responsibilities as the slayer, which Buffy could handle, there was nothing to hold her back.
"Yes," she said. "I 'll go away with you." Nathan beamed. She could tell this was exactly what he wanted. "Just let me get some of my stuff together."
She stood up and started towards the dresser. Something held her back, though. It was Nathan holding on to her arm. He stood up beside her and kissed her once again.
Placing her arms around his neck, she affectionately kissed him back. With his left arm around her waist, he pulled her in closer. Unknown to her, he held the dagger behind his back in his right hand.
Continuing to kiss her slowly and delicately, he asked her a question. "Do you want to be with me?"
"Yes."
His grip tightened.
"Do you give yourself to me?"
"Yes."
Stepping back he said, "Thanks babe. That's all I needed to hear."
In one swift motion he grabbed her behind the neck and pulled her down into the dagger. Spinning her around, he continued to press the dagger into her heart.
"Don't fight it," he whispered into her ear. Struggling in vain, Faith tried to break free from his grip. She started to spit blood, and then it was over. Nathan stood there holding her lifeless body, with the dagger sticking out of her chest. Nathan then pulled out the dagger and let the body fall, face first, onto the ground. With a smirk across his face, he turned and walked out of the hotel room.
The funeral three days later was a lovely event. Although only attended by a few, it was filled with people who grieved zealously over the passing of a friend.
Buffy, still distraught after finding her friend facedown in a pool of her own blood, was the most emotional. Luckily, she had her mother to help her through the difficult time.
Hours after the group left the gravesite, another small group arrived. This group was comprised of an elderly man, three young men, and a young woman. The young woman was not there of her free will, though. She was bound, gagged, and being dragged across the cemetery by two of the young men. Upon reaching the tombstone the group found itself waiting. After half an hour, the group no longer had to wait. Faith had awaken.
She crawled through the soil with remarkable ease. Reaching the surface, she didn' t know what to make of the group. Then she recognized him. Nathan, the man who created her.
"Hello, dear," he said. "I brought you a present."
Sean and Yuki then brought the woman before Faith. Faith pulled the woman's hair back, leaned forward, and sniffed the woman's neck.
She looked at Nathan. "You want to share?"
"Sure." With that said, the vampires put on their game faces on and bit into opposite sides of the womans neck. After feeding they pushed the woman onto her side.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good. Being a vampire is going to be fun."
To Be Continued..
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