Vampire Slayers United 74
Vampire Slayers United
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all characters are copyright and
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Others. Please do not plagiarize or anything. LOVE YA
"Manga is the ultimate." Lina Morgan smirked.
"No, it's not. I'd prefer Anime any day." Roger Divens snarked.
"I think we're lost." Lina said, looking around the dark alley.
"I'll say..." A dark voice came from down the alley.
Roger and Lina peered through the alley to the dark shadow. The shadow leaped into the air with a certain grace and hooked onto Roger, sucking at his neck. Lina jumped into action, but it was too late. Roger fell to the floor, slumped over in a heap. Lina kicked the vampire and grabbed it's head, swinging it into the alley wall. The vampire elbowed her in the stomach and kicked her feet from under her, causing her to fall to the ground. The vampire picked up a trashcan lid and smashed it into her head as she got to her feet! The vampire placed himself behind the girl, chomping into her neck! She flailed and fought but it was futile.
I sat up quickly, realizing that I was on a train somewhere near Los Angeles. I noticed Lestat was absent.
Chapter 74: Plausible
"They're dying." I said angrily, "They could be alive but because I can't find them fast enough, they're dying."
"It was a dream." Lestat said.
We stood in the car at the end of the train, where no light could penetrate.
"I know what dreams are and this, a dream is not." I frowned, "I'm hoping that by seeing Angel..."
"No good can come of this." Lestat said, "But it is your choice."
"The whole world is cashing in on vampires. So, I'm going to the source of the media vampwhore." I said.
"This slayer, where was she?" Lestat asked.
"What?" I asked.
"This slayer, the one from your dream, where was she?" Lestat asked.
"Looked a lot like L.A." I frowned, "Why?"
"I wonder if we are walking into a trap." Lestat said cautiously.
"Doesn't quite matter." I said, "The world's changing. Not sure I even want to be in it anymore."
"Don't say that." Lestat growled, showing his bumpy fang face.
"I wrote to my friends, I told them about the time reversal, but I'm not sure...If it even happened."
"Of course it happened." Lestat said, "You lived it."
"I also lived meeting Connor and hanging with Buffy and Dawn and the scoobies, but what if everything else is..." I frowned, "What if my life is a bunch of made up memories?"
"Then you should fight to make real memories." Lestat said.
"It's almost night. We're almost there." I said quickly.
"You wrote the letter, explaining to your friends what happened the day you reversed time and saved them?" Lestat said.
"Mailed it at our last stop." I said sadly, "Just seemed like the sort of thing I should tell them personally."
"Going anywhere near them puts them in mortal danger." Lestat hissed.
"I know." I said, walking to the door, "I just miss them."
"Be weary. I fear that Titan will only come after us stronger." Lestat frowned.
I was about to speak when something grabbed me from inside the doorway and pulled me out.
-
Kelly hit the ground with a very miserable thud. The vampire smiled, knowing he had her right where he wanted her. He had the helpless, stupid girl right in his midst. She had come to him under the guise of wanting to be a vampire, claiming that she loved vampires and he had obliged her invitation. It was only when they had gotten in the alley behind Copper and she had tried to stake him that he'd revealed his true self and attacked. His intention, though, had been to drain her all along. In the shuffle, Kelly's stake had rolled away from her and she was now in the line of sight of a very pissed off vampire. Kelly tried to roll and beat him to the stake, but the vampire's speed was just too much and he grabbed the stake from her hand. The vampire slid the stake across her face.
"Pretty little girl like yourself shouldn't be out this time of night trying to play with the big dogs." The vampire smiled.
"I've slain bigger dogs than you." Kelly frowned.
"Oh really? Why don't you show me?" The vampire paused to let her struggle, "Oh...I guess it's time to die. Wait...you've slain? Does that make you a slayer?"
The vampire bit down into her neck but stopped when a bright light shone through causing him to shield his eyes. The light intensified until the vampire was nothing more than a pile of dust.
"Do you have a death wish?" Doug asked.
"Hey stranger." Kelly smiled, wiping blood from her neck.
"Have you seen this?" Doug asked, giving her the note.
"No, what is...it's from Austin." Kelly said, brightening up, "Is he serious?"
"Yeah, I think he is. We need to show this to Cale." Doug said, "Where is he?"
-
Cale made his way up the cold stone steps to a lovely flat just outside Westminister Abbey. He had come to London a few days ago. He was weary of leaving Kelly alone, especially with Doug M.I.A, but he left her in the small town in California, fixing his sight on the home of his former mentor, Silas Vexley. Cale was utterly surprised when he reached the door and without having to knock, the door swung open.
"Cale?" Silas asked, "My boy!" he said, hugging Cale.
"Silas!"
"Come in, I didn't expect to see you."
"Yes, well, I have suffered a few...setbacks." Cale said.
"Well, my boy, come on in."
Cale walked into the familiar home, taking note of the little changes Silas had made. The new paint, the end table by the door, and various other little things. Cale took a seat on the sofa and relaxed, waiting for Silas to offer him tea.
"Tea?" Silas asked.
"Yes, please." Cale nodded.
Cale watched the now elderly man pour tea and wandered what would be his mentor's big advice. How was he going to keep his slayer in line?
"I know why you've come," Silas said, "And the answer is...you won't."
Cale looked at him, chilled to his bones.
-
I hit the roof of the train with a thud, causing a shiver to travel down my spine...well, more than a shiver. A lot more than a shiver. My back cracked against the steel! I was staring up when a set of razor teeth came into my view. With them was a very well built body, mauve in color, and scales jutting from its face. It was only when I stood that I noticed that he had chicken claws for legs. I dodged a foot coming at my face and dived between his legs, trying to catch myself before I fell from the speeding train. I knew that soon, I could be in real trouble. The train was heading into Los Angeles and it would be calling too much attention for me to be fighting a demon on a train as we came in, especially with the masses loving demons. The demon somehow got me in a chokehold and I maneuvered myself around his arms and into a crouching position.
"That all ya got? I've fought old people stronger than you." I said, then I shrugged, "Course they weren't exactly alive. And there was this once when a goddess..."
Before I could finish, I was dodging the demon's attack and kicking him in the leg, causing the bird legs to buckle.
"Strong silent type, eh?" I said.
"Slayer dies bloody."
"I think I liked it better when you were silent." I frowned, dodging a fist. I pulled a stake from my pocket.
"I'm not a vampire."
"Nope," I said, throwing the stake and hitting him between the eyes, "But I'm guessing a stake to the head can really clear those thoughts." I looked out into the distance as we came closer to the city, "Well, Hello Los Angeles."
-
"Are you quite sure? Well I know you can read! It...well, it can't be literal." Cale said into the phone, "Why wouldn't he confide in us earlier? I'll be there as soon as I can."
Cale hung up the cell phone and turned to see Silas standing in the doorway with a cup of tea, "I'm afraid you've come all this way for nothing, if not for a good time."
"You can't tell me how to fix my slayer?" Cale asked, "I'm afraid I've used the wrong wording. Fix, when what I really meant was help."
"We were only here to give encouragement and information to the slayer, we were not meant to be friends with those we watch." Silas frowned, "As a matter of fact, the love and compassion you show for your slayer would be concerning to the casual outsider." Silas frowned, "To think of such a thing..."
"Are you saying that I've somehow..."
"All I'm saying, my dear boy, is that when we become too attached to our slayer, decisions become blurred." Silas said, sipping his coffee, "Rupert Giles informed me that a watcher had gone mad, had been feeding slayers to a demon."
"A demon, you say?" Cale asked.
"Yes." Silas said quickly, "Apparently the demon had been feeding on a town."
"It's the sort of catastrophe you see on American television, I'm afraid." Cale said.
"Imagine a former watcher doing such a thing." Silas frowned, "How barbaric."
"No more barbaric as the cruciatem."
Silas was quiet as he sipped his tea. He pulled a flask from inside his coat.
"This Buffy Summers was the chink in the chain." Silas said, "She brought this upon the world."
"Yes, but she's more than saved the world." Cale said.
"Does saving the world give her license to destroy it?" Silas asked.
"She did something noble..."
"And thereby creating something far worse...a world without order." Silas frowned.
"But..."
"Son, there are no buts. Without order the world will fall. Look what happened after the introduction of vampires to the mainstream world." Silas said, "The world will crumble."
Cale was quiet, thinking of everything. Silas may have been a ponce in his old age, but he was saying things that were true, or were true in relation to what he had been taught. It wasn't the first time he had heard disparaging things about Buffy Summers, nor her choice to create slayers, but it was the first time he was actually listening.
"My boy, your slayer reminds me of the Summers girl." Silas said, "He will fight to the death because he believes in what he is doing. That is their strongest weapon and it is what they will use to undo centuries of rules."
"What should I do?" Cale asked, shaken to his very core.
-
"Why can Connor not know you're here?" Angel asked.
"It would be too much." I said, "And I'm here on the low."
"What did you come for?" Angel asked, "Not to be blunt but..." he looked outside the diner as we noticed cameras.
I frowned, "Angel, this is bad." I said.
"L.A. knows that demons are bad."
"But the rest of the world doesn't." I said quickly, "I'm in hiding. The slayers are in hiding."
"I heard. Buffy doesn't exactly let me in on the secrets anymore, but...I heard." Angel said quickly.
"She misses you." I smiled.
"I miss her too."
"Angel, you went to Hell more than once. Going to see Buffy..."
"Would be like you seeing Connor now." Angel said.
I stopped, "Right." I said.
"You said our memories have been tampered."
"Everything about Rome and...me, you, and Connor meeting in the cemetery...It all...I'm not sure any of it happened." I frowned, "Titan and Wolfram and Hart did something."
"Do you remember any conflicting memories?" Angel asked.
"Yes. So many, I can't keep control." I said, "The dreams and the memories...Angel, they're too much."
Angel reached out and touched my hand, "Austin...You're strong." He said.
"Angel, I'm not." I frowned, "I can't even...Angel, I'm on the run."
"Sometimes, you have to."
"I should be fighting." I said, "I shouldn't be in love with a...a vampire."
Angel looked at me oddly, "I...umm...I haven't experimented since...and Connor..." he said.
"Not you, dork, Lestat." I said.
Angel sniffed the air, "I knew I knew that smell." He growled.
"You know, Angel, you're cute when you're all discombobulated." I smirked.
"You really do have a thing for vampires don't you? Must be a slayer thing." Angel chuckled.
"How is...I mean...Is Connor with..." I stopped.
"No." Angel said, "He's not. There's a trust issue."
"So I hear." I frowned.
"Lestat...he's here?" Angel asked through clenched teeth.
"Yes." I chuckled, "I'm really sucking at this leader thing."
"You're 19. You have time." Angel said, "Look at me, I'm centuries old and I'm still..."
"Where's the group? Gunn...Illyria...Spike?"
"Gunn and Illyria are gone, Spike is...Spike. Connor and Gwen are here with me and Kate."
"Kate?" I asked.
"Lockely." Angel answered, "You shouldn't be trusting Lestat."
"Huh-wha?"
"I know this may not seem like...I may be overstepping my bounds, but Lestat is bad news." Angel said, "I'd hate to see anything happen to you."
"Thanks, but I'm good." I said, "He's been helping me. But thanks for looking out for me."
"For Connor." Angel said quickly.
I nodded, "For Connor." I said quickly, "Now I need info on a vampire that might be nearby."
"There's a newborn vampire causes chaos, I was going to take him by myself..."
"You don't have to anymore. I'm here to do it." I smiled.
-
"Maybe it's all a fun joke." Doug said quickly.
Kelly frowned, "I don't think he'd joke. Not about this." She said.
"I know." Doug frowned, "Did Cale say when he'd be getting back?"
"He said as soon as he can." Kelly said, "I wish he'd come soon."
"You miss him, huh?"
"Yeah, I do." Kelly said, standing and walking into Austin's kitchen, "Am I the only one who thinks that we're going to lose terribly?"
"No. It's looking grim." Doug said, following her, "Don't you remember the days when we were new at this?"
"This is new. It's just not new new, ya know?" Kelly asked.
"I wonder where Austin is." Doug asked.
"I wish he would call or...I don't know, write again." Kelly said.
-
"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked as Angel and stopped at 2D. We were in a dingy apartment building not too far from the diner. We ditched the cameras back at the diner and now we were standing at the door.
"I got a guy on the street." Angel said, "I don't know if I'll be able to enter."
"One way to find out." I said, kicking the door in. I walked into the apartment first, followed by Angel, who looked amazed.
"Is this our guy?" Angel asked.
I walked over to the picture frame, "Looks like the pic." I said.
"The whole situation is..."
"Whole situation?" I asked.
"Someone creating new vampires." Angel said, "The attacks seem randomized."
"I didn't know...Lestat..."
"You really shouldn't be hanging with that creep." Angel sneered.
I looked at him, "You know, you sound..." before I could finish something fell from the ceiling and knocked me to the ground. Angel sprung into action kicking and punching. I stood again and grabbed the vampire by the back of the neck and smashed him into a wall!
Angel pinned him against the wall, "You're going to talk, aren't you." He said.
The vampire nodded.
"Are you sure we can't just stake him?" I asked, dusting myself off.
Angel looked back at me, then to the vampire, "Who turned you?" he asked.
"An Old One."
Angel and I looked at each other.
Angel wrenched his arm, "Now the truth." He said.
The vampire screamed in agony, "An old vampire! I swear. That's all I know." He groaned.
"Why?" I asked.
"He's building an army." The vampire said.
"Where?" Angel asked.
"I don't know."
I kicked him in the stomach, "Ask again." I said.
"Where now?" Angel asked.
Before I could tell what was going on, Angel turned and tackled me to the ground as an arrow pierced through the vampire's heart. Angel and I looked at each other and Angel hopped up and helped me up.
"Damn it!" Angel swore, "Do you know how long it's going to take to find another vampire?"
I looked at him oddly.
"Another connected vampire." Angel corrected himself.
"Not long." I said, "Angel, I don't think this thing is American, I think this is worldwide."
"Why would you think that?" Angel asked.
"I've been touring the world, slaying where I can." I said, "And these girls, the ones I couldn't save, are dying."
"The question is what do we do now?" Angel asked.
"We don't do anything, Angel. I'm doing this." I frowned, "You have other things, like this fame thing..."
"Yeah, about that..."
"...Listen, if Buffy asks, you're on the up and up." I said quickly.
"Not what I was going to say."
"Then what?" I asked.
"I didn't ask for this."
"I know."
-
"What are you doing?" Kelly asked.
"This has to be wrong." Doug said, looking through his books, "I have to remember what I forgot."
"You want to remember me dying?" Kelly asked.
"No, I want to remember...How could I have gone against Austin?" Doug asked, "I wouldn't."
"Not even for me?" Kelly asked.
"I must have." Doug said.
"Thanks." Kelly said, "I can't believe I died."
"I can't believe I lived." Doug said.
"I fear," Cale said, "That we shall be tested beyond our measures."
- - - - - - - - - -
Thank you for reading.