act 3
Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time
A nurse picked up the medical chart from a patient’s bed, jotting down something as she moved to push the door open. She stepped out into the hall as the heavy door swung back into place.
It stopped a few inches before it closed, holding for only a moment before closing completely.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Moments Later
“Slick, please,” Faith pleaded, as she tried to hold Kennedy down.
“Me know where hunter is.”
Both slayers jumped at the sound of the tiny voice. Faith whipped her head around, only to be met with an empty room. Her eyes scanned for a moment before she slowly dropped her gaze down to the floor.
Mink looked up at her, cowering as he met her eyes with a wide, nervous gaze of his own.
“M…Mink know where they take strong friend,” he offered weakly as Faith stared down at him. “Me show you where.”
Cut To:
Int.
The Food Factory – Later that Night
What the building had originally been was anyone’s guess. But now it held tables, booths, chairs and a bar.
“What do you think?” Buffy asked Xander as the two of them sat at a small table. “Should I have stayed? Should I have come here? I mean Faith said I need a life, and a life would be great, but what if Ken’s really hurt, and what am I going to do about Kadin, not to mention the lobby? Did you see the lobby?”
Xander grinned. “Yes, I think my reaction was ‘What the hell happened’?” he replied in an exaggerated tone.
Buffy sighed deeply. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Which one?” Xander teased. “You’ve asked me about twenty.”
“I’m sorry,” Buffy said. “See? This is why I said no when you asked to go out. I’m a lousy date.”
Xander chuckled. “Look, you need to eat. I need to eat. So why don’t we just spend a few moments away and eat, okay? Then we’ll go back and check on everything. For years, Giles said the Council is more than one person, right?”
Buffy grinned and nodded. “Okay, for the next sixty minutes nothing but fun…unless Faith calls, of course, because she said she would if –”
“Understood,” Xander said, cutting off her ramble.
Buffy blinked as the waiter placed a dish on the table in front of her. Its width was that of a hubcap. Arrayed upon it were potato skins with cheddar cheese and bacon, pineapples and chicken strips speared on wooden skewers, a variety of cheeses and crackers, onion rings, French fries dripping with chili, even a tiny hill of calamari coated with golden brown batter.
“Decided to go all classy on me, huh?” Her lips didn’t quite smile as she said this, but her eyes did.
Xander shrugged. “This is my one shot. Figured if I’m going to make it count, I’ve gotta be the real me.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “So the real you is lots of cholesterol?”
“According to the doctors. And don’t tell me this doesn’t look good.”
“Oh, yeah! It looks great! But it’d look even better if I wasn’t behind a desk twenty hours a day.”
“So live dangerously,” said Xander, grabbing an onion ring.
“Risking my life is one thing. My figure, though…” She gave him a mock glare for all of two seconds, before giving up and scarfing a potato skin. “Oh God!”
“Good?”
“No, not good at all. Evil! Decadent! The epitome of all things satanic and dark.”
“Have some more?”
“Oh, yeah.” And she dove in, as they both started giggling. A pitcher of beer and two frosted glasses arrived in the midst of their chew-fest. “This is going right to my thighs, I know it is,” Buffy grumbled half-heartedly.
“You can always work it off,” Xander assured her. “Just go out and kill something.”
“Easier said than done.”
Now Xander gave her a look.
“What?”
“Oh, I was just thinking about how you used to go on and on about being the only one, the Chosen One, how no one else could understand, it was just you against all the forces of darkness, yadda yadda yadda.”
“And your point?”
He held open his hands. “You’re not alone any more, Buff. You went from being the only one, to being one of the only two, then you got a sister, and now you’ve got how many sister Slayers to take up the slack? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand?”
“That is a very irritating habit, Xander.”
“What?”
“Being right.”
“Don’t I know it! Giles used to drive me crazy!”
Buffy snorted so loudly she almost spit out her food. Wagging her finger at Xander, she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
“On the other hand,” he continued, “you can always go fight a few monsters now and then. In fact, last time I looked, that’s exactly what you do. Just not so often. So, odds are you’ll probably live longer. Gotta go with that being a good thing.”
Rather than say anything to that, Buffy took a sip of beer and started to munch on an onion ring. A sound of music began somewhere behind her. She looked. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Karaoke?” She looked back at Xander.
“Hey, if you can’t make fun of total strangers deliberately making fools of themselves in public, who can you laugh at?”
Somebody at one end of the room had a microphone in his hand and was following a Meatloaf tune, without a lot of support and far too much emoting. “It was long ago and it was far away, Oh God it seems so very far,” he was singing, “But if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car…”
“Huh.”
“What?” Xander looked to where Buffy was staring.
“That guy is up to something.”
“Which? Oh, you mean the pale one with short hair?”
“And dark glasses and long sleeves –plus he never opens his mouth, do you notice?”
“Uh, no – wait! Yeah. Now I do.”
Buffy stared at the stranger for several more seconds, until Xander stopped chewing and started staring at her. “You know,” he said at last, “I didn’t mean you had to do any slaying right here and now…”
“What were those carnivorous demons Jason was saying had just migrated to Cleveland?”
Cut To:
Int.
House on Campus – Same Time
“You mean Von Moree?” Grace whispered in the corner of the student-filled room. “Felix’s demons?”
Jeff nodded in response, his eyes focused on the blonde woman winding her way through the partygoers. Her hair was stringy, and she wore sunglasses.
“Notice her sleeves?” he whispered back.
Grace looked. “Okay, her sleeves are long.”
“Long enough to hide her hands…”
“…because they’re really claws. I get it.”
“That’s what I was thinking. And it explains the vague feeling of danger I’ve been having for the past twenty minutes.”
“Now, wait a minute,” said Grace. “This many people…too much food, even for a starving Von Moree. She’s outnumbered something like forty to one!”
“There’s got to be more of them, then.”
“Where? And if there were a bunch of them, wouldn’t your feeling of danger be a little less vague and a little more screaming its head off?”
He considered this. “I think she’s a scout. Jason said there was a whole nest, but there’s only one here.”
“Okay.” Grace nodded. “So what do we do now?”
“She’s leaving. We follow her.”
“But –”
“Come on!”
Jeff headed for the front door, winding his way through the various college students, by now in various stages of inebriation. Grace hesitated a little, then followed. “Shouldn’t we be getting back up? Like maybe Lorinda?”
“No time.”
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – That Evening
The warehouse was crowded with demons, each working to prepare for the big fight night.
Some of Krylak’s minions had removed their suits as they worked to build a large steel fence around a circle of dirt and concrete. A dozen or so were working to erect rows of bleachers outside of the steel ring.
Others were pulling bottles of liquor and glasses out of boxes to fill the shelves of the bar placed in one of the corners behind the ring. A betting booth was set up next to the bar, with a lineup board hanging overhead. The scheduled fights were outlined in scrawled chalk in each section.
A demon that was posting flyers on the board suddenly stopped in his work when he saw the large doors swing open to reveal a horde of bodyguards. They parted to reveal Krylak who walked in with a haughty smirk on his face.
Kadin was soon pulled in after him, her arms and legs shackled together as she was roughly pulled further into the warehouse. Her eyes scanned her surroundings before landing on a line of demons, near the back, that were herding other, chained demons, as well as several people who appeared to be humans, into the room.
She looked up at Krylak. The demon was smirking and looking totally pleased with himself as he surveyed the room.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Bar – Same Time
The demon, his hand still braced on the bar, grinned as he moved to staple a large poster on the board.
Written in large letters, in several different scripts, was the name “Kadin Van Helsing.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Conference Room – Same Time
Faith and a drowsy but insistent Kennedy sat along one side of the table. Robin and Andrew sat across from them.
Mink cowered in the chair next to Kennedy, struggling to keep his tiny head over the edge of the table.
“All right, Smurf,” Faith sighed as she looked over to the tiny blue creature. “Spill it.”
Mink shook slightly as he looked around to see all eyes in the room focused on him. He swallowed nervously, then slowly started to speak. “K…Kry-Krylak not very nice,” he managed. “He-he like pain. Suffering,” Mink told them softly. “Mink see him take many souls. Too many souls.” He shook his head sadly.
“So,” Faith added as she released a slow breath. “He’s just like all the other McBaddies whose asses we’ve kicked.” She looked over to Kennedy. “Doesn’t sound so bad.”
“No,” Mink offered a bit more strongly. “Not like others.” He shook his head adamantly as he moved to hop onto his feet in the chair. He met Faith’s eyes for the first time. “Krylak very old. Cannot die.”
Kennedy snorted as she slumped back in her chair. “You were saying?”
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Main Entrance – Moments Later
Two demon guards moved to pull open the large doors at the entrance to the fighting arena.
Another set of well-dressed demons stepped into the room and glanced around. One of them motioned back outside the door. A large demon, dressed in an expensive suit and wearing a lot of gold jewelry, smiled as he stepped into the warehouse to look around.
“Seems ole Krylak has finally outdone himself.”
Krylak suddenly appeared and nodded to the demon with a slight bow. “Welcome, my friend. I hope you will be most pleased with the evening’s main event.”
The demon’s smile widened.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Conference Room – Moments Later
“Krylak take souls,” Mink continued, the room remaining silent except for his tiny voice. “He live off pain. Suffering. Until soul is no more.”
“He can…do that?” Andrew asked hesitantly. “There’s actually something out there that can…do that?”
“It would seem so,” Robin added softly.
“Strong soul mean more power,” Mink added as he glanced over at Kennedy.
“That’s why he tried to suck Slick dry,” Faith added, as she too glanced at the other slayer. “For…power?”
“No,” Kennedy answered softly, her eyes never leaving the table in front of her. “He wanted Kadin to watch me die.”
Mink shifted in his chair, releasing a small squeak at the mention of Kadin’s name. “Krylak hate Hunter,” he explained softly. “Only want suffering and die.” He looked up at the two slayers, pausing as he met each of their gazes. “Hunter have to fight very bad demon. Fight she cannot win.” He scooted closer to the table, placing his tiny blue hands onto the edge. “After she lose, he will take Hunter’s soul. Turn her into minion to serve in army. Hunter will live no more.”
“Then she won’t fight it,” Kennedy interjected, rising up in her chair. She looked at Faith as she set her jaw and let out a slow, short breath. “We have to get her outta there. Soon.” Kennedy’s demeanor wavered. “She won’t last if…”
“We’re gonna kill the Krylak guy too, right?” Andrew suddenly interrupted. “Cause…a demon that can destroy souls?” He shook his head with a light tsking noise. “Can’t be good for the economy.” He looked up to see four pairs of eyes staring back at him. “Sorry,” he offered as he slumped back in his chair. “Just sayin’…”
“Must kill Krylak?” Mink spoke up softly. Both slayers turned the same glare in his direction and his lip began to quiver as he slumped further back into the chair. “Mink sorry, but…Krylak still father.”
Kennedy blinked. “Say huh?”
“You’re the spawn of that…thing?” Faith asked with a raised brow. “Who the hell would sleep with something like that? And how the hell did they make you?”
Faith grunted when she felt a hard elbow in her ribs. “What?” she grumbled. “I’m just askin’.”
“Mink mother die in birth,” the tiny creature offered as a weak answer. “Body not able to withstand Mink.”
“You mean Krylak…?” Kennedy began, but she trailed off.
“Mink mother human,” the little demon explained, even more softly.
“Well,” Faith sighed. “You still look like an imp to me…running around with a pitchfork…causin’ mischief.”
Kennedy leveled another glare at her.
The other slayer just looked back at her. “What? Look at him!”
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Holding Cell – Same Time
Kadin was slumped over in the far back corner of the room. Her chained arms rested lifelessly on the ground next to her as she struggled to maintain her steady breathing. She looked up when she heard the door open, and then the sound of another set of chains.
“Thanks a lot,” a voice called out. The guards, who had just shoved her roughly to the ground, snorted in laughter before quickly slamming the cell door shut.
A blonde woman, with only her hands chained, moved to her feet and looked over to the other slumped form in the room. “Hope the room service is better than their bedside manner.”
Kadin didn’t respond.
“The name’s Sara,” the blonde offered, moving over to the back wall where the hunter was resting. She slowly slid down to sit next to her silent roommate.
“So…how’d they get you here?” she continued to try to strike up a conversation. “I’m here for my brother. They told me if I fight, they’ll let me take him home. Funny,” she added, looking down at her shackled hands. “They didn’t mention the chains in the brochure.”
Kadin finally snorted and slowly lifted her head. Sara smiled back at her. “It lives.”
Kadin’s smile faltered just slightly as she dipped her head back to rest against the cold brick of the wall. “You look human, Sara,” she stated bluntly. “What are you really?”
Sara’s smile faltered in slight surprise. “Wow,” she laughed softly. “Direct.”
Kadin shrugged. “Not really the situation for subtle.”
Sara glanced around at the room. “Good point,” she shrugged with a sigh, as she turned her gaze back to the brunette. “I’m a werewolf.”
Kadin’s smile returned just slightly. “Of course you are.”
“But don’t worry,” the blonde woman added quickly. “I won’t hurt you.”
Kadin’s smile widened just a bit more.
The door to the cell was yanked open and a demon guard stepped into the room. He lifted the chicken leg that he was eating to his mouth to take a hearty bite. “Don’t get too friendly,” he taunted around his mouthful, laughing with the other guards. “Unless, of course, you enjoy trying to kill your friends.”
Both Kadin and Sara looked at each other, their expressions darkening.
The guards erupted in more laughter as the demon threw the chicken bone at Kadin and then turned to slam the door behind him.
The hunter glanced back over at Sara, then released another sigh and dropped her head back against the wall.
Cut To:
Ext.
Field Near Warehouse – Evening
A dark shadow appeared near the edge of a building, followed by another, before a tiny shadow quickly ran up behind the two.
Faith leaned against the edge of the building, slowly peeking around the edge to look across the field at the rundown building.
“He is here,” Mink whispered as he clung to the slayer’s left leg. Faith looked down with a glare at the tiny creature and he suddenly released her leg, jumping back slightly.
“You sure?” Kennedy whispered, as she crept up behind the other slayer. She peered around the edge to size up the building.
Mink’s tiny eyes took in the warehouse for a long moment. His tiny body shivered.
“Me sure,” he finally replied.
A few of the other slayers were just catching up to them. Kennedy turned to quickly motion for them to get into position.
“How many we lookin’ at?” Faith asked, as she watched a few demons appear in the outer perimeter of the building.
“Me know fifty,” Mink replied. He moved to cower behind Kennedy’s leg. His tiny fingers gripped at her jeans as his eyes took in more of the demons filing out from the building.
“Great,” Faith muttered. “For a moment, I thought we might be in trouble.”
Cut To:
Ext.
Warehouse – Front Entrance – Same Time
“You there!” a demon guard called, as he approached two of the others laughing and talking together. They stopped instantly, straightening to attention as the senior guard approached.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the guard asked the pair with a harsh glare.
“Nothin’ sir!” one of the guards replied. “We were just –”
“Going to get yourselves killed!” the guard barked back. “This place is crawling with slayers!” He stepped up and grabbed one demon by the throat. He leaned over, his breath harsh against its face as he snarled. “They will be coming for their beast. I know you’ve never faced a slayer before. That is the only reason you are still breathing.”
The demon released the guard with one last glare. “Be ready.” He shot a glare at the other demon, then quickly walked away.
The two demons looked at each other and shrugged.
Cut To:
Ext.
Field Near Warehouse – Moments Later
“Here’s the deal,” Faith said as she turned back to face Kennedy. “I’ll lead a group in around back. Smurf said there’d be fewer guards there.”
Kennedy glared at her friend. “I’ve already told you,” she nearly growled. “He’s not a smurf.”
“Whatever,” Faith replied, with a glance down at the creature still hidden behind her friend’s leg. “Point is, he’s leading us through the back entrance.”
Mink was more than a little nervous as he peered up at her.
“What about me?” Kennedy asked, as she braced herself against the building.
Faith smiled. “You’re gonna walk right in the front door.”
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Holding Cell – Same Time
“Are you still alive?”
Kadin was sitting in the far corner, slouched down with her back against the wall. Her head was hanging and her breathing was slightly irregular.
Sara approached her cautiously, with as much range as her chains would allow. She got right up to the hunter before Kadin’s head snapped up, sending her jumping back a few feet.
“Leave me alone,” the hunter rasped, before slowly dropping her head back down.
“You’re not very social, are you?” the blonde pressed on. She sighed and sat back against the wall a few feet away from Kadin. “I always get stuck with the no talking kind.” She glanced over at the brunette.
A long moment of silence passed between them. Kadin’s heavy breathing stopped as she lifted her head and eyed the other woman. “You’re awfully chatty, considerin’ you’ll be tryin’ to kill me in a few hours.”
Sara looked over at her, a moment of pain flashing through her eyes. “I don’t want to,” she barely whispered, choking back as she dropped her eyes to her hands. “He’s my baby brother,” she added after a moment. “He’s all I have in the world.”
“Not anymore,” Kadin rasped back. She winced, trying to push herself up in a better position.
“Stop saying that!” Sara shrieked. Kadin briefly glanced over at her before releasing another deep sigh.
“I know it’s hard to hear,” the hunter sighed. “But he’s not your brother anymore.” She paused to look over at the blonde. “And he never will be again.”
Sara looked back at her, green eyes shining with tears and her lip quivering. “He is,” she whispered weakly. “He has to be.”
“He’s not,” Kadin nearly snarled back, becoming more than a little annoyed. “I’m sorry,” she added quickly, with another sigh. “It’s not what you wanted, but it’s how it is.”
“They told me…” Sara choked again. “They told me, if I came and fought for them…then they would give him back to me.” Her eyes darkened just a bit. “They have to,” she whispered harshly.
The hunter looked over and watched as the werewolf started to break down quietly.
“I know how it feels,” she responded sincerely. “Krylak has tried to take more than one person from me.” Her own eyes darkened as she draped her arms across her raised knees. “When you become one of his…things,” she paused to swallow back, nearly choking on the word, “you lose who you are. Everything that you were or could be is just…gone.” She looked over at Sara to see that the blonde was enraptured with what she was saying. “It looks like you, it might even talk and smell like you,” the hunter continued, never taking her eyes from the werewolf’s. “But it’s not.”
“How do you –”
“I’ve seen them. Up close,” Kadin added, before Sara could finish. “The eyes…” she furrowed her brow, averting her eyes for a moment. “It’s like looking into pure darkness, emptiness. There’s nothing.” She looked back at the other woman. “Nobody deserves to have to live like that.”
A few tears fell from Sara’s eyes. “What…” she trailed off and swallowed, then tried again. “What happens to the…soul?”
Kadin’s eyes darkened and her face tensed. “It stays inside Krylak,” she replied slowly. “He keeps it inside. Feeds off their suffering.”
Sara perked up a little. “That’s good, right?” she implored hopefully. “If it’s inside him, then we can just get it out and then put it back in my brother and he’ll be…”
“Nothing,” Kadin interrupted again.
Sara’s head snapped up.
The hunter leveled her eyes on the other woman. “What he would become…” she paused, steeling herself. “He’d be better off dead.”
The tears returned to the werewolf’s eyes as she cowered back into her corner. She pulled her knees up to hug them against her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. “I have to try.”
Kadin released a long, slow sigh and dropped her head back against the wall.
Cut To:
Ext.
Warehouse – Back Entrance – A Short Time Later
The guard took one last drag from his cigarette before tossing it to the ground to stub it out with his boot. He adjusted the gun strap over his shoulder and then started to make his rounds.
Just as he passed by the edge of the building, a hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat to pull him around the side.
Cut To:
Ext.
Warehouse – Front Entrance – Same Time
The two demon guards leaned against the edge of the building. They were so immersed in their conversation that they didn’t notice Kennedy walking up right behind them.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Holding Cell – Same Time
Kadin slowly opened her eyes and glanced over to see that Sara’s arms were still wrapped around herself. Her ears picked up on the distinct sound of quiet sobbing.
She sighed, adjusted herself against the wall and then closed her eyes again.
Cut To:
Ext.
Warehouse – Front Entrance – Same Time
Kennedy walked up to the closest demon and reached out to wrap her arms around his throat. With a quick flick of her wrist, she snapped his neck, dropping his lifeless body to the ground.
The other guard watched his buddy fall, mouth open in shock. He moved his wide eyes up to meet Kennedy’s smirk.
“Hi.”
Cut To:
Ext.
Warehouse – Back Entrance – Same Time
Faith motioned for the other girls with her to enter as she held open the back door. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she looked up just as another demon guard came down the steps. She halted the last two slayers, readying herself for a fight.
The demon suddenly stopped, with only his feet in sight. His radio crackled as one of the demons called for backup at the front of the building. Faith smiled as the demon quickly took off back up the steps.
Cut To:
Ext.
Warehouse – Front Entrance – Same Time
Two more demons fell at Kennedy’s feet when the other demon guards started to file out the front of the building. She quickly dashed behind the edge of the building as rapid footsteps approached the fallen bodies.
She peered around the edge to watch as one of the guards started directing men into position. He picked up his radio and began to deliver orders in a language she couldn’t understand.
Then she noticed that one of the guards was slowly approaching her hiding place. She slowly edged back into the shadows as he moved closer. He was only inches away when the sound of an engine suddenly roared to life.
All eyes quickly snapped toward the sound of a motorcycle engine revving, the red taillights the only illumination in the complete darkness.
The young slayer on the motorcycle slammed on the gas and peeled out of the field.
“She’s a spy!” one of the demon guards yelled. He motioned to the remaining guards. “Don’t let her get away!”
The guards scrambled to chase after her, leaving the front door wide open for Kennedy to walk right in.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Holding Cell – Moments Later
Kadin squinted and raised her arm to cover her eyes when her cell door swung open. A demon stepped in and motioned the two others towards Sara. He walked over and reached down to grab Kadin by the arm.
“Come on, Beast,” he snarled as he started to unlock her chains. Kadin glanced to see that the other two were doing the same for Sara. The blonde looked over and met her gaze as she was dragged from the cell. Kadin grunted, wincing as the demon roughly pulled her to her feet.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Front Entrance – Moments Later
Kennedy ducked behind a large beam as two guards rushed from a room and down the hall towards her. She quickly jumped out from behind the beam to clothesline the nearest one. He flipped head over heels into the air before landing, unconscious and flat on his face, a few feet away.
The other demon started to raise his gun, but Kennedy quickly disarmed him with two quick moves of her hand. She tossed the gun away and grabbed the knife attached to the demon’s leg. She covered his mouth as she stabbed him through the chest. His lifeless body fell to the ground next to the other guard.
Kennedy grabbed the demons by the legs and dragged them back into the darkness.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – The Ring – Same Time
One of the demons manhandling Sara removed the shackles from around her wrists and then kicked her into the ring. She grunted as she fell on her hands and knees, then slowly lifted her head. She looked over to see Kadin thrown in, face-first, from the other side.
The crowd surrounding the ring began to shout and cheer as the two fighters slowly got to their feet. The crowd waved fists full of money in the air, shouting and taunting the two fighters.
Kadin regained her footing, glancing around to see the demons shouting and banging against the fence surrounding her. Her eyes traveled across the bloodstained dirt to see Sara staring back at her from the other side.
She watched as the woman’s eyes began to glow bright yellow.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Back Hallway – Same Time
Faith pulled her knife from a demon’s back, and then kicked him away. Two of the younger slayers grabbed his body to pull him into an abandoned room.
Faith turned to the five other slayers lined down the hall behind her, raised two fingers to her eyes and then pointed towards the large door at the end.
The sound of roaring and taunting echoed through the hall as the slayers slowly edged their way closer.
Cut To:
Int.
The Ring – VIP Box – Same Time
Krylak laughed at another demon’s joke, then slammed back a shot of dark liquid. The five other demons arrayed behind him were watching the ring when the back door to the VIP box suddenly dinged and a guard rushed inside.
“Sir,” the guard called to get Krylak’s attention, saluting with a quick hand across his chest.
The blue demon looked up in annoyance. “What is it now?” he asked nonchalantly. “I’m about to be entertained.”
“Sir,” the demon tried again. “There was a spy. The men are trying to catch up with her now, but she…” he trailed off, fearing for his life as Krylak’s cold eyes leveled a deathly glare at him.
“She…?”
The demon swallowed. “She got away, sir.”
Krylak was quiet for a long moment. He cracked the fingers in his right hand as he slowly turned his attention back to the large window in front of him. He had a perfect view of the ring.
“Perhaps I underestimated their love for you,” he said quietly, as he watched Kadin cautiously circle her opponent. He took in a short breath and then glanced back up to the guard. “Call the men back,” he ordered. “Have them set up a perimeter outside.” He quickly looked back at the hunter. “They’ll be coming for her.”
“Sir!” The guard saluted with another quick slap to his chest, then quickly moved to leave.
“And Krakis?” Krylak called, just before the demon reached the elevator. He stopped and snapped back to attention.
“If you fail me again,” he promised with a sinister smile, “I’ll make you my dessert.”
The guard visibly paled at the threat, but quickly saluted again before exiting into the elevator.
Another demon leaned over to Krylak. “This won’t interfere, will it?” he inquired with a cold gaze. “I’ve given you a lot of money to ensure my satisfaction.”
Krylak’s smile widened. “I assure you, Mr. Denny,” he maintained with another crack of his fingers. “We’ll all be satisfied here.”
Cut To:
Int.
The Ring – Moments Later
Kadin watched Sara’s body crack and morph as she slowly changed form. The woman howled in pain as her body twisted and gnarled into shape.
The werewolf remained completely still, resting on all fours across the ring as the crowd suddenly went silent.
All eyes were on the hunched form as Kadin slowly sucked in an audible breath. The yellow eyes suddenly snapped open and a loud growl erupted in the arena.
The crowd roared back to life as the werewolf charged.
Cut To:
Ext.
On Campus House – Same Time
The blonde woman left the duplex and passed several more like it as she headed off campus. With hardly any traffic, she crossed the bordering street with no difficulty.
Jeff followed. He hugged the shadows as he did so, keeping her in sight. As the woman turned the corner across the street, he dashed out and rushed across the street. Grace, who had almost caught up with him at that point, silently cursed. She hesitated less than a second before following. She had to wait while a taxicab stopped to be waved away impatiently. On the other side of the street, she ran after Jeff, who was now turning the same corner as the blonde woman.
“Damn damn damn damn damn,” Grace muttered under her breath.
Jeff was walking at a steady clip. The blonde woman was ahead of him by a city block. Grace caught up with him in a few seconds.
“You could have waited,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Gotta keep her in sight.”
Grace made a sound halfway between a snort and a sigh.
“We do,” Jeff insisted.
“I know, I know.”
They followed the blonde woman for several blocks. Given the late hour and the neighborhood, traffic was minimal, both in the streets and on the sidewalks. A few homeless people curled up here and there in alleys and doorways. What looked like a hitchhiker passed them by at one point, carrying a very large backpack. But, at last, their quarry entered what looked like an abandoned church.
“Okay. Nice piece of irony, that,” said Grace.
“This might be where they’ve made their nest.”
“Right. Do you have your cell phone?”
“No.”
Grace gaped. “What do you mean, no?”
“I forgot it.”
“But…we need to get backup!”
“Use yours, then.”
“Mine’s broken!” She stared at him. He stared at her. “I should have gotten another one, I know, but I figured we were all going out together, and it was just to see a show, and that you two would have yours…why the hell did you forget yours?” she demanded in a hiss.
Jeff sighed after a moment. “Same reason you didn’t replace yours.”
“Guess that shows us, huh?”
“Yep.” He started to walk towards the abandoned church.
“And what are you doing?”
“We need to know if this is the nest.”
“So? Let’s go get backup!”
“No time.” He all-but-sprinted towards the church.
Grace watched him go, her eyes huge. “Oh. Damn. It.” Taking a deep breath, she followed.
Cut To:
Int.
Warehouse – Doorway to Arena – Same Time
The door to the arena slowly slid open as Kennedy quickly crouched down and slipped into the room undetected. She eased the door closed behind her, before quickly moving to duck behind one of the large cement pillars.
The slayer braced herself with a steady hand as she slowly peeked around the side. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched the creature charging towards her lover.
Her gaze snapped up as her slayer hearing allowed her to hear the door across the ring slide open to reveal Faith and the other slayers. She locked eyes with her best friend as the crowd continued to cheer beneath them.
Black Out
End of Act Three