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The night was warm and musty. Puddles of old rain crept from the sidewalks and fell into the streets. Kendra walked alone, her face pale with hunger and exhaustion. This was her third night in Sunnydale and she had not eaten, nor slept. She had searched through most of the town for Angel and Mr. Giles, but had not been able to find either of them. Thankfully, tomorrow morning would be Monday; therefore, she could go to Sunnydale High School and talk to Mr. Giles. Kendra wore simply a white T-shirt (which was too small for her and clung to her figure like spandex), black pants, black boots (which were one size too small) and a black jacket. Her feet hurt from the small boots, but she bore it, remembering the sacrifice of the one whom had given them to her. Kendra sighed as she neared a cemetery. After walking around town for two days, she had been able to count twelve cemeteries. Sitting down on a park bench right outside the cemetery, Kendra again pondered upon her present situation. It wasn't until she had been seated for a few seconds before she realized that her bottom was wet. Standing up, Kendra frowned as she noticed the dampness of the bench that she had been previously sitting on. Great, thought Kendra. The only clothes that I have are now wet. Could this get any worse? As in response to her thought, six vampires appeared out of nowhere and approached her. Eyeing them carefully, Kendra noticed how none of the vampires were Xander and she sighed inwardly with relief. I don't think that I could deal with him just yet, she thought. "A girl as pretty as you shouldn't be out so late at night," said one of the vampires, looking her up and down. Kendra didn't like the way he looked at her and absentmindedly put her hand on the stake that she was hiding in her jacket. The vampire that had spoken to her broke away from the group and came closer to her. "Ooh! And what are we hiding?" Just as he reached out to touch her, Kendra blocked his arm, and in one swift motion, withdrew her stake and turned him to dust. Looking at the remaining five, she remembered something Buffy used to do. She taunted her opponents. Giving the vampires an icy smile, she said, "Anyone else want to play?" Her question got the desired response: the vampires lunged at her. Kendra kicked the closest one in the gut, sending him crashing to the ground. Next, she turned to the second and flipped him over her back. As soon as his body hit the ground, she plunged the stake into his chest, making his body explode. Turning around, her gaze shifted to the other three and she took a fighting stance. The three vampires encircled her, trying to make sure that she had no way of escaping. Little did they know that escape was not Kendra's plan. The vampire that Kendra had kicked stood up and glared at her. Speaking to the other vampires, he said, "Don't even bother with her blood. Just kill her!" The three vampires continued to circle her. Kendra waited patiently for one of them to attack. When one of them couldn't take it anymore, he lashed out with his fists. Kendra blocked each blow and struck the vampire in the face with a hook punch. The vampire staggered, dazed. Just as she was about to finish him, Kendra was assaulted from behind by a vampire that grabbed her. Kendra struggled briefly in his grasp, ascertaining that his strength was greater than hers was. The vampire lowered his head to bite her, believing he had the advantage, when Kendra swung her head backwards hitting him in the face with her skull. Momentarily hurt, the vampire let go of her. Kendra turned around and staked him before he could recover. Three down, three to go. In a matter of a few seconds, Kendra had dusted the two circling vampires and was left only to face the vampire that she had kicked. Kendra stood in a fighting stance and sized up her opponent. He was rather large and probably weighed about 200 lbs. As Kendra looked at him, she suddenly realized how tired she was feeling. She panted heavily from her workout. Having not eaten, nor slept since she woke up in Ms. Calendar's room, was beginning to take its toll on the young woman. Slayer or not, her body was utterly exhausted and these vampires weren't helping. The last remaining vampire looked at her with pure enmity. "What are you, a Slayer?" "No, just someone who didn't want to be bothered." Kendra decided to keep her identity a secret, not quite sure of the ramifications if people found out that she was a Slayer, but not the Slayer. As well, one of the rules of being the Slayer was to never reveal your secret identity. "Now can we get this over with?" The vampire came at her with a roundhouse kick, which she ducked under, delivering an uppercut to his midsection. But instead of backing away because of the punch, as she had anticipated, he retaliated by punching her in the face. Kendra flew backwards and landed on her soiled behind. Ouch! Standing up again, she attacked the vampire. However, every kick and punch she delivered was blocked with the utmost speed and agility. Kendra felt herself grow weaker as the fight continued. If she had been up to full strength, she would have dusted this vampire a long time ago, but now she found herself struggling to stay alive under his assault. Next thing Kendra knew, her stake was knocked out of her hand and the vampire kicked her in the stomach, sending Kendra reeling into a tombstone. Her head connected with the tombstone violently, leaving Kendra feeling dazed and in pain. Her eyes tried to focus on something, but all she could see was a large blur. A feeling of nausea washed over her as she stood up. Before she could react, the vampire had seized Kendra by her throat and had lifted her up. Kendra dangled in his grip as he choked her. Her legs flailed beneath as she tried to kick him, but to no avail. Her hands flew to the arms that held her in midair, trying to break the deadly grip that he had on her neck. Her body was too exhausted to respond with enough strength to stop her assailant. Everything started to go dark as he squeezed the life out of her body. Then suddenly, Kendra felt his body explode into dust and she fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her, but thankful that she was still breathing. Rolling onto her back, Kendra opened her eyes, sending pain throughout her head. She was just about to close her eyes again, in an attempt to stop the pain, when she agonizingly focused on an individual standing over her. Kendra felt herself teetering on the brink of consciousness. She heard herself say something in a hoarse whisper. The word hung in the air like a dense fog. As Kendra slipped into unconsciousness, the word she had spoken resonated in her mind and a warm liquid flowed into her mouth. She mouthed the word again, "Angel..." Then, darkness... << Back Next >> |