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Chapter 18: Bloody
"This blood, like yours, is the blood of the slayers." Buffy said, smiling at me.
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"You'll know." she said.
"I'm dying." I blurted.
"I know." Buffy said, " You know, Connor."
"Yeah." I said.
Buffy was silent.
"What about him?" I asked.
"You know Oz, Kelly, Doug, Groosalugg, and Dawn?" she asked.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Six fifty." Buffy said, " Twenty."
"Are we playing the lottery?" I asked. I stopped as she pointed behind me. I turned and was immediately racked with pain as Connor stabbed me with something. The gang stood behind him and I spit up blood trying to speak, but nothing happened. I fell into the darkness and found myself sitting at the table with Lindsay. I wasn't myself. I reached over and pulled his lips into mine.
"We're here again." Lindsay smiled, " Look who's here, big bad."
I turned to see the 6'3 blonde guy from my flashbacks, " I know you." I said in awe.
"Look deeper." he said.
"You're human. Innocent." I said uncertainly.
"They killed your parents. I did not." he smiled, brushing my face with his finger.
"You're..." I said, being blinded by white light.
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"Austin!" I heard, " It's time to go, we're gonna be late." Connor's voice said. I opened my eyes and looked at Connor.
"What?" I asked.
"There's something at the university." Connor said urgently, " Doug and Kelly are already gone."
"What happened?" I asked, sitting up.
"Pieces of a teenage girl were found there, her parents reported her missing and her friends, a young boy and another girl, said that they saw something beatly." Connor said, swinging the curtains back.
"Someone's in a better mood." I said groggily.
Connor slowed and looked at me, " Well, I just figure you don't see how much I love you, I'll just have to work harder to show you." he smiled.
I sighed and stood, " No, you don't and you shouldn't have to." I said, grabbing his arms, " I know you do, but it's...my history with love is sketchy. My only two relationships consisted of a demon and a guy who wore a coat to get girls to do what he wanted. Turns out he was phasing." I chuckled.
"What?" Connor asked.
"My relationships have been lees than this. Way, way...less than this. This is the best thing that could happen to me." I said softly, " YOu changed my life just being here."
"I didn't know you had such a history." he sighed, " Takes the edge off."
"Whaddya mean?" I asked.
"Historyless you is different." he said, " I just don't want you to be...."
"Confused." I asked.
Connor chuckled, " We should get going." he said, walking to the door.
"You don't have competition." I said quickly.
"What?" he asked.
' lindsay." I said, " Not competition."
"That's what I'm sayin." Connor smiled, " Yell when you're ready."
I nodded and let him walk out of the room, then got up and dressed myself.
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"Why doesn't Dawn move down here and go to school?" Kelly asked, " I like her a lot."
Doug raised his eyebrow, " Is there some hot lesbian action going on there?" he asked.
"No, you nasty, unclean dog." kelly scoffed, " Men."
Oz cleared his throat.
"I stand by what I said." Kelly said.
Groo's face scruntched, " So, what does that make women?" he asked.
"pu..." Doug started, but Kelly socked him in the stomach.
"Finish that sentence and you'll be breathing through a tube." Kelly smirked.
"Oooo, are you gonna hurt me? " Doug smirked.
"God, I hope so." Connor said, walking up with Austin, " What do we got?"
"Well, " Kelly started, " Basically what we told you before, but with more specific terms, such as liable, reaper, and demonolgoy."
"Thanks." I said sarcastically.
"It's what I do." Kelly nodded.
I looked at the ground and there were parts everywhere. lood and guts. I was seriously not feeling this scene, " This is like 'SAW', the remized version." I said sickly.
"Can movies be remized?" Oz asked.
"You know what I mean, wolfie." I said, not able to look away.
"Do we know the names of the boy and girl." Connor asked.
"Jesse McCartney and Jessica Biel." Doug blurted, causing us to stare, " You didn't say what boy and girl. If you mean in relevance to this mystery, then Terry Erin and Radon Spencer." he finished.
"I think Kelly should take Radon and..." Oz started.
"No, i"m so on Terry." Kelly smirked, " He's a jock on the basketball team and he's pretty hot."
"You like black guys don't you?" I smirked.
"Sorta. I'm an equal opprotunist. If you were a few points straighter, I'd try to date you." Kelly smiled.
"Wow, but I do hear ya." I said, smiling at Connor, who also smiled, " Now, who's gonna get the scoop on Radon?" I asked.
Doug cleared his throat.
"Alright, but seriously don't ruin this. We need to catch whoever did this." I warned.
"I'm charming." Doug snapped.
"I remember." I smirked, and he held his arm, " I have a queation about that..."
"Not now." Oz said, Isn't that the FBI agent?" he asked, pointing to the scene. Lewis Blake was staring at us and we all looked at each other.
"Mee back at the Hyperion, go." I said, breaking from the pack. I walked to class, which was easy because everyone was outside watching the parts being picked up. I walked fast, hoping that I wouldn't be followed when all of a sudden someone stepped in front of me!
"Austin Young!" Agent Blake said cockily, " Is there something going on here? Is the world ending?
"Over a demon? No." I said, " But if it makes you feel any better, it'll end soon."
"What?" Lewis said, shocked.
"Just kidding." I said, finally notcing his sling, " You hurt your arm."
"Yeah, getting thrown onto a terrace has effects, " Lew smiled, " But thanks."
"You're welcome." I said, walking away.
He walked beside me, " So, I looked up Slayer and found a really big rock group." he smiled, " Then i found something on mystic women throughout the century. You're joking with me, I get it, but you're last name. Young. You're the grandson of..." he started.
"Yes." I frowned.
"Do your friends know?" he asked.
"No. They're not gonna know. They are gonna be full of the not knowing." I said angrily.
"I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to know more about you since you did save my life." he smiled.
"It's what I do." I said, walking faster.
He stopped, " So, you're gonna be around?" he asked.
"For a while." I said.
"You should come and help with this, it's disturbing." Lewis said.
"I know, I'm working on it." I said passively, " Where do you suggest?"
"Ummm, how about here?" he asked.
"Alright, say about nine?" I asked, and he nodded, " Cool." I said, walking off to class.
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"So, college?" Kelly said, " Big bummer."
Terry stopped in his tracks, " What?" he asked.
"I just mean, your friend." Kelly searched, " It's sad."
"Sad? She was sliced into pieces." he said angrily.
"I know, I'm sorry." kelly said, " I shouldn't have said that."
"No, I'm sorry. I'm on edge because of it." Terry said, " So, you're like, what? A cheerleader? Kelly Chase, right?"
"Yeah." Kelly smirked, " We should go somewhere and talk."
"I agree, how about this new club, Caritas?" Terry suggested.
"How about Contour." Kelly asked, trying to get somewhere where she knew someone.
"I'm down, I'll meet you at nine." he said, winking at her and walking away.
Kelly let out a breath of relief, then looked across the way and saw Doug charming Radon. Kelly scoffed and leaned against the wall, " She's not so hot, I mean, she's so not blonde. Her roots aren't even blonde." she said to herself.
Doug smiled and left Radon, who walked in the opposite direction, and he walked over to Kelly and smiled.
"What?" kelly asked.
Doug smiled, " Is that jealousy?" he asked.
"What?" I just don't like that slutty, skanky, blond-ish hobag." Kelly said, " she's not even emo or gothic, she's just ugly."
"Even so, she's hot." Doug smiled.
"And you say you're not a jock." Kelly chuckled, " That doesn't make sense, she cannot be ugly and hot."
"Oh, she is." doug said, walking off.
"Hey! Don't you walk away from me!" Kelly pouted, following him.
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"So, how's Kenneth?" I asked.
"Good. We're good." Dawn said through the phone.
"Good to hear, but Dawn..." I said slowly.
"He is not." Dawn said impatiently, " So, how's Connor?"
"Good." Connor said, walking past the counter.
I smiled, " Super-hearing." I chuckled, " So, this thing with the teen getting ripped to shreds, it's weird."
"How so?" Dawn asked.
"Because, this girl was new. Or as new as us, freshman and she only knew a few people, those people being a few other freshman, including Radon and Terry." I sighed, " And there is a theory that she was into witchcraft."
"Why?" Dawn asked.
"Because she was gothic." I said, looking at Connor and Groo, " But that theory is an idiot's theory, she had no knowledge of the meanings of the symbols and when the police searched her room, she didn't even have books."
"Maybe she cloaked them." Dawn suggested.
I frowned, " But unlikely. If she was a witch, then shouldn't she been able to at least dent whatever did this? I mean, maybe she conjured it...wait, shut up! She isn't a witch, I didn't get that vibe from her." I said, thinking deeply.
"And her friends say they were there?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, I've got Kelly and Doug on it." I said nervously.
"That plan's gonna suck," Dawn said, " I mean, maybe it'll work. It'll probably work."
"What gets me is that there is a monster on the loose, yet no one else has been attacked." I said angrily.
"Well, guys, we're going out." Kelly said, dressed in a blood red dress and knee high boots.
"Hooker." Doug coughed, standing before us in a dark pair of jeans and a tux jacket.
"You look so Brooke Hogan in everything she does." I said, holding my hand over the phone.
Kelly scoffed, " Not what I was going for, but..." she said, crossing the room.
"Can't you see she's going for Adrianne Curry?" Doug joked.
"Keep it up and you'll be limping to your date with super slut." Kelly said, arching her head in a very innocent way. She then picked up her coat and purse and left.
"I vote for that one." I said from my stool, " Yeah, Dawn, I've gotta go. Yeah, see ya. Be careful. Alright, later." I said, hanging up, " Listen, this is delicate. I'm not going, I've got something else to do, but get all the info you can." I explained.
"Where are you going?" Connor asked.
"Lewis Blake, FBI agent, wants me to help him. So, I'm going to see what I can get from him." I said, noticing Connor's sneer, " I promise it shouldn't take long."
"Just be careful, there's something about him that freaks me out. Kinda scary." Connor said quickly, " Well, not scary as in 'ahhh!' more like 'he's the spawn of satan'."
"Really? I got a humanish vibe." Oz said, " Like ninety percent."
"It's the other ten percent that I don't trust." Connor snapped, " I should go."
"No. If something goes wrong with Diva Hogan and Mr. Sexy slut..." I started.
"I knew you think I'm sexy." Doug smiled.
"...then Oz and Groo are gonna need your help." I said, trying not to chuckle, " This things tears people in more than two. It tears people into multiples." I said, grabbing my coat.
"Wait, I found something." Lewis said, causing me to turn and see him.
"I was on my..." I started.
"There's something important...and disturbing that you should know." he said a little more panicked than usual.
===============================================
"I'm glad you made it." Terry said as they walked across the campus.
Kelly smiled, " You're glad? I'm here with the hunk of the year." she said in her most girly tone.
"I've noticed you before, freshman, but I was with Radon." he smirked.
"And you're not now?" Kelly asked, noticing that they were coming up on the murder scene, " Are you sure we should be going this way?"
"Positive." Terry said, still walking, " I know what you're doing, what I can't figure out is why."
"What?" Kelly stopped.
"Trying to figure things out, but I don't know why. Why would you care?" he asked.
They both stopped, slowly looking at each other.
"You wanna know?" he asked.
"Ok, you're acting a little psycho." Kelly said with increasing concern.
"Just a little?" Terry asked. As Kelly stared at Terry, he transformed into Charity, " Kitty's trying to play with the tigers?"
"Growl, bitch." I said, stepping from nowhere and punching her in the face.
Charity growled with pleasure, " Good one, A." she smiled, licking her bloody lip.
"You're killing innocent people now?" I asked, looking down at her, " Pyscho bitch. How'd you play both parts?" I asked.
"I didn't. This is a little gift from Wolfram and Hart. They killed her. That girl Radon killed her. Terry just watched, but he could have stopped. He helped tear her apart so there would be no evidence, but when the plan didn't work, he panicked and Radon ran after him." Charity explained, " Wolram and Hart has some kick ass toys." she smirked.
"How do you know all this?" Oz asked behind me.
"You kidding? That's probably one of the more evil things in L.A., and Wolfram and Hart would hafta know, right?" Charity smiled, " People are killing other people, whaddya gonna do now, A? Fight me or get the girl?" she asked.
"I'd vote for kill the evil bitch, she was gonna do something to me." Kelly snapped.
"Snap you in two, feed you to..." Charity stopped and looked down to the murder scene.
"Where are they?" Lewis asked.
"The campus club, Contour, with the little boy, Doug?" Charity said.
Lewis pulled out his radio, " Attention, we need a lot of back up to Club Contour." he said.
"I can't wait until we get to fight." Charity smiled, getting up.
I smirked, " It's gonna be a ride." I said, running in the other direction.
===================================================
"You don't have to do this." Doug said, trying to persuade the two nutcases not to bomb the whole place. They had taken over the club and were on stage. They were about to leave, with Doug, but the cops showed up and now they were trapped, " It's not too late."
"We killed a girl and chopped her up!" Radon shouted.
The club gasped.
"That was you guys?" Doug said, realizing what had happened.
"If we don't get out alive, no one does." Terry said, waving his gun around.
"We didn't mean to kill her, we got into an argument and I lost my head...I killed her and we couldn't think of what to do with the body, so we chopped her up and before we could get her off campus..." Radon broke into tears.
"You desecrated her." Doug said sadly.
Terry pointed his gun at Doug, " You're going to pay for that!" he said, about to shoot, but before he did, I grabbed his arm and knocked the gun away.
"They say justice is blind, wanna see?" I said, punching him in the face and causing him to fly back!
"Who are you?" Radon asked, her hand on the bomb, " Doesn't matter, we'll just call you pieces."
"You killed your friend, now you want to kill everyone else? God, how self-centered can you get?" I asked, causing her hand to move, " I mean, first you kill her, then you make it about you. You had to chop her up, you had to get rid of her...gosh, you just don't get the big picture do you?" I asked.
"What's that?" Radon asked, looking deranged.
"You killed someone. You're still human, but when you chopped up the body, that made you a monster." I said, walking towards her.
"I just wanted to stop her incessant whining." Radon said.
"I know the feeling." I said sarcastically.
"Then she walked awa from me! I kicked her ass. I had to. I beat that bitch until she stopped breathing...I didn't mean to, but..." she trailed off.
"So, you're an emotional psychopath. That makes you different." I scoffed, " The truth is, that you're a monster and I deal with monsters."
"So, you're going to hurt me." she asked,
"No, I'm going to kill you." I said emotionlessly.
"Then you'd be a monster. I didn't chop her up." she said in shock.
"Not a problem. I kill a monster, then I did my job." I said coldly. I felt someone creep up behind me and I felt the gun touch the side of my face.
"Say goodnight, deadman." Terry smirked as he held the gun up to my head.
I was bout to kick his ass when the door opened and the gang flooded in. Kelly darted at Radon with hatred in her eyes, " Goodnight, deadman." I said reaching over and snatching the gun, then bending it and kicking Terry in the chest, " I would kill for a vengeance stare right about now." I said, taking steps forward as he crawled backwards. I kicked him onto his back and crawled on top of him, " You deserve what you get." I said, punching him, then readying to punch him again.
"Don't!" Connor shouted.
I looked up, " Why? He killed an innocent girl." I said angrily.
"He's human." Connor argued.
"He's a monster." I shouted.
"You'd become the monster." Oz said quietly.
I looked down at the bloody face of Terry and at my bloody hand and I gasped for breath, " I'm turning into her." I said with disgust.
Connor ran to me and I turned to see Kelly being pulled off Radon by the cops. I looekd out and saw a club full of people watching.
"Are you okay?" Lewis asked, walking to me.
"No." I said quickly.
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"So, is he okay?" Kelly asked, gaining a few evil stares, " Ok, but is he at least talking?"
"No." Connor said quietly, " He's in a different place."
"He almost killed someone." Oz said, " With all his powers, it doesn't take much to corrupt."
"Enter Faith." Connor said sarcastically.
"Faith? Faith Lehane?" Lewis asked.
"I say we leave him alone. He, indeed, needs time to himself." Groo nodded, " He has things to think about."
"Maybe someone should call Dawn." Kelly suggested.
"I'll get on it." Oz said, getting up.
"No." Doug said, " Let me try."
"What?" Connor asked.
"Look, you've tried the obvious choices, Oz, Connor...Groo. Let me try." Doug suggested.
Connor looked to Oz, who nodded, " Alright, but if..." he started.
"I won't." Doug said, leaving. Doug sprung up the stairs, trying to get to Austin's room.
Kelly walked over to Connor slugged him on the shoulder, " Whaddya do that for? Now we'll have a cranky slayer and a broken witch." she sighed, walking back behind the counter, " Men!"
Doug stood at my doo, watching me. I was in a chair by the window, staring out.
"It's clear out." Doug said, causing me to look from the window to him, then back out the window, " Um, there's pizza coming."
I nodded.
"You didn't do it." Doug said from nowhere.
"But I could have." I said passively.
"So that means you're gonna be up here forever when the rest of the world needs you? i mean there could be babies out there that are getting eaten as we speak." Doug said, gesturing outside.
"Is there a particular part of your brain that's not hooked up to your mouth, or just everything in general?" I asked.
"Look, at first when Kelly wanted to come and work here, I was...I didn't like it. I mean, I didn't like you." Doug said openly.
I scoffed, " I know the feeling." I said coldly.
"No, you don't." Doug said, " I thought the world was gonna end. I mean, you staked a freakin vampire in front of me, a real live vampire."
"Vampires aren't alive." I corrected.
"Ok, but notice that I said that I thought the world was coming to an end." he smiled.
"You don't think that now?" I asked.
"With Buffy and Dawn and this Willow, I was less worried, but since I've been here, I've gone from thinking the world is a giant snack for evil to thinking that soon it's gonna end." Doug said. I starred at him, " The evil, not the whole world."
"What?" I asked, looking up at him.
"I believe in you. You could have given up anytime and left this city, hell, even the dimension, but you're fighting. You could have let someone else step in, you could have stayed with Buffy, where it's safe, but you came here." Doug said softly, " I don't know Buffy well, but if she's anything like you, then we're gonna kick evil's ass."
I looked at him, speechless.
"When you get scared of anything, we've got your back. I think I can honestly say that you've made us all believe in you and in ourselves. Who can say that they battle vampires and win? Plus, now that we have a chance to live, it'd really suck to die." he smiled.
I chuckled and stood, hugging him, " Thank you." I said tearfully.
"We're friends. You're pretty much stuck with me." Doug smirked.
"I'm ok with that." I said, walking out of the room with him.