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Xander walked through the small business district in downtown Sunnydale. The rain was a fine mist by now that made halos around the streetlights. At this time of night he did not have to worry about being seen by curious eyes, although he probably was not out of place in this town full of weirdness he thought. So he walked straight down the sidewalk until he stopped in front of Smith’s Hardware Store. He looked inside the dark windows, past the display, and saw what he wanted. Smashing his fist through the glass of the door, he turned the release on the lock. He pulled the door open and walked in, the crow flying in behind him before the door swung closed. He wondered if old man Smith had an alarm system and decided it did not really matter. He would be gone before anyone showed up.
He went straight to the spool of rope and started unwinding a length he thought might be appropriate, the spool creaking with each turn it made. He picked up the shears on the counter, snipped off the rope, and took off his jacket. Starting to wind the rope around his midsection, he looked around at the store.
CAW!
Xander looked over at the crow that had settled on the cash register. The black bird looked as if it was beckoning him. He walked over and the crow hopped down and pecked the countertop. He looked underneath and saw what the crow wanted him to take. He picked up the object that was wrapped in an oilcloth and hefted it for weight. Tying off the rope at his waist he gathered up his jacket on the way to the door and stashed the object in an interior pocket. He put on his jacket and opened the door for the bird and quickly followed it out into the mist. By the time the police cruiser rolled up to investigate why the silent alarm was going off at Smith’s Hardware, Xander was two blocks away whistling “Singin’ in the Rain.”
In a park on the outskirts of town a vampire waited, becoming very agitated. His companion should have been back from hunting the little witch hours ago. Thanatos had sent them and three other vampires out to hunt this area of town tonight. They had come up out of the sewers on campus just after sunset when they spotted the red head entering the library. His big mouth braggart of a partner said he could take her and told the rest of them to go on. Now it was getting close to dawn and there was no sign of him. “Humph! Serves him right if that little girl took him out,” he said to no one in particular.
He looked at what was left of his squad, as Thanatos called them. The other three were sitting on the wooden picnic table under the tree he was leaning against. Squad. More military bullshit. But he had to admit that things became better in Sunnydale for him after Thanatos came and took over. He did not get to kill as much now, there was a lot more organization to the hunting, but he had existed longer than he probably would have on his own with a slayer in town. And, oh, it was so much fun to see her get frustrated. She had not been able to corner many of them and Thanatos seemed untouchable.
But here he stood, with three other vampires, in the rain, waiting. Waiting for what? Nothing. No one was going to be stupid enough to be out on a night like this. Then he heard the peal of thunder and looked up. The rain started coming down in sheets. Thoroughly soaked, he was about to tell the others it was time to go when the vampire on the far end of the picnic table from him pointed and said, “There’s someone out there.”
“Now what kind of fool would be out on a night like this?” he asked, not stopping to think he was out here, too.
The vampires looked out into the rain. In a flash of lightning they saw him. He was a dark figure walking toward them. The next flash showed the person had moved a lot closer. The standing vampire thought there was something familiar about this lunatic.
CAW!
The vampire looked up and ducked just in time as a crow swooped in low beneath the branches and settled in the tree. Before he could puzzle out what was going on, lightning cascaded across the dark sky and thunder rolled like artillery barrages. In the flash of light the man was almost up to them. His face was pale, almost white. His eyes and lips were black and there were two black scars running down his cheeks. He was pointing at the vampire next to the tree and saying something they could not hear over the thunder. “Okay. This is getting ridiculous,” the standing vampire said. “Take him.”
The three seated vampires jumped up and rushed Xander. The first one to him reached out to grab him by the shoulder. Xander caught the vampire’s hand, twisted it palm out until the elbow was locked, then stepped behind the vampire. He slammed his own palm into the back of the vampire’s elbow and snapped it. As the vampire screamed, Xander kicked his feet out from under him and planted his face in the mud.
The second vampire moved behind Xander and tried to rush him. Xander looked over his shoulder in time to catch the vampire in mid-tackle. He used the momentum to toss the vampire and brought him down in the middle of the picnic table splintering it into scrap. He grabbed a broken plank and smashed it through the prostrate vampire’s heart, turning it to dust. As he stood to confront the third vampire, he moved too late. The third vampire picked up one of the shortened planks and stabbed its splintered end right into Xander’s midriff.
Xander staggered backwards, grasped the plank and felt unbelievable pain in his gut again. Then the pain subsided. He looked down and pulled the plank out and blood gushed, then slowed and stopped. As the rain washed the blood off of Xander’s skin, the hole healed itself until his skin was unmarred. Xander looked up at the vampire through the rain dripping off of his brow, a maniacal grin spreading his lips. Before the stunned vampire could move, Xander advanced and drove the plank into its heart, sending it to oblivion.
All of this had happened before the lead vampire could get into the fight. “If you want something done you have to do it yourself,” he said as he advanced on Xander. Xander threw the plank into the mud with a splash and met him half way. The vampire tried to throw two punches but Xander blocked both of them, then grabbed the vampire’s shoulders and head butted him. As the vampire staggered backward, Xander turned him around and shoved him face first into the tree trunk, knocking him out cold.
Xander looked back and saw the first vampire getting up. He stalked over, grabbed the vampire by the collar and lifted him off the ground. He glared into the vampire’s face and screamed, “You tell Thanatos that his messenger wants payment. It’s a year overdue. I’ll be by later to collect the bill.” He dropped vampire and kicked it in the seat of the pants. “Now git,” he spat out. The vampire ran without looking back.
Xander began uncoiling the rope around his waist as he returned to the unconscious vampire. He propped the vampire up against the trunk and soon had him trussed up so he could not move. He looked at his handiwork and smiled. He could still feel the power flowing through him and it was intoxicating. “I could destroy every vampire in this city and there is nothing they can do to stop me,” he said aloud.
“No.”
He looked up into the branches of the tree at the crow. For the first time, he heard the voice of the power that brought him back. The voice was older than time itself. It was female, it was male and yet it was really neither. It was everything and nothing. “Listen now for I will only say this once. You are not invulnerable. Your soul cried out for the love you lost and the love you left behind. Your soul cried out for vengeance. Justice has not been meted out. You have one chance to restore the balance. You have one chance for redemption. If you stray from your path of vengeance, I cannot help you.”
“That’s it?” Xander asked the bird. “I kill these few and that’s it?!” The bird blinked once but remained silent. “You’re not going to talk anymore, are you?” More silence. Then Xander whispered to himself, “I’m just a killer,” and turned away from the tree.
The rain slowed, then stopped and the clouds began to move away. Xander stared off to the east listening to the drops of water weep from the leaves of the tree as the horizon lightened. His thoughts were turmoil as hatred and vengeance warred against love and memory. As he heard the vampire behind him stir he said quietly, “You know, it’s been one year since I’ve seen a sunrise.” Remembering what had been taken away from him he hardened his voice. “When was the last time you saw the sun?”
The vampire could feel the sun approaching. He was desperately trying to break free but the rope would not budge. “You let me out of this or I’ll rip your head off!” he shouted.
With his back still turned to the vampire Xander asked, “Just like you did to a young woman in an alley a year ago?”
The vampire was starting to worry. His skin was heating up. “That was business. Nothing personal.”
Xander spun and was on the vampire in two strides. Cupping the demon’s chin in his hand and squeezing his cheeks with thumb and fore finger he spat out, “Wrong! Everything is personal!”
The vampire tried to get away from this madman but could not. “Man, I’ll do whatever you want. Just let me go.”
Xander turned his back on the vampire and watched the horizon. “Answer my questions.”
“And you’ll let me go?” the vampire pleaded.
Xander nodded and then asked, “Where is Thanatos?”
Thinking he might get out of this the vampire answered quickly, “He’s in warehouse 13 in the old industrial district on the edge of town.”
“Why hasn’t the Slayer ever found him?” he asked.
“Because we always moved. Thanatos set up a number of safe houses and we never stayed anywhere more than a few days,” the vampire said starting to hope.
Xander asked his last question, “When will he move again?’
“He won’t move again for a couple of days. You can still find him in number 13. Now can I go?” the vampire asked as he actually heard the heat of the rising sun coming for him.
The crow glided down from its branch and settled on Xander’s shoulder. As he started to walk off the vampire yelled, “Hey! Aren’t you going to let me go?”
Xander looked over his shoulder. “I lied.” He walked off
into the growing orange orb of the sun, listening to the screams of the
burning vampire. Part of him reveled in the pain and death of the
vampire, savoring the vengeance. Part of him shuddered in revulsion
at what he had become.