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BUFFYSTEPPEDINTOTHEMAUSOLEUMANDTHEVAMPIRESFROZE.
“You know, I just wanted to start over. Be like everybody else. Have somefriends,maybeadog....Butno.Youhadtocomehere.Youcouldn’tgosuckonsomeothertown.”
BeforeBuffycouldgoon,avoicecamefromtheshadowsbehindher.“You’rewastingmytime,”Lukesaidcalmly.
“Hey,”Buffyretorted,“Ihadotherplans,too,okay?”
Thevampireshovedaheavystoneslabstraightather,butBuffyleapedoveritandjumpedontop.Withoneswiftmovement,sheflippedoverandplantedbothfeet solidly onLuke’s chest. Themomentum caused both of them to fall, butBuffymanaged to get up first, pulling out her stake and driving it toward hischest.Luke’shandshotoutandgrabbeditjustbeforeitmadecontact.
“Youthinkyoucanstopme?”Luke’sfacewastwistedwithrage.“Stopus?”Hesqueezedhisfist.Thestakesplinteredlikeamatchstick.
Victorious now, he loomed over her, contemplating her with gleeful animalhunger.
BuffytheVampireSlayerTMBuffytheVampireSlayer(movietie-in)TheHarvestHalloweenRainCoyoteMoonNightoftheLivingRerunBloodedVisitorsUnnaturalSelectionPowerofPersuasionDeepWaterHereBeMonstersGhoulTroubleDoomsdayDeckTheAngelChronicles,Vol.1TheAngelChronicles,Vol.2TheAngelChronicles,Vol.3TheXanderYears,Vol.1TheXanderYears,Vol.2TheWillowFiles,Vol.1TheWillowFiles,Vol.2HowISurvivedMySummerVacation,Vol.1
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THEHARVEST
AnovelizationbyRichieTankersleyCusickBasedontheepisodesbyJossWhedon•
CreatedbyJossWhedon
POCKETPULSENewYorkLondonTorontoSydneySingapore
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’simaginationorareusedfictitiously.Anyresemblancetoactualeventsorlocalesorpersons,livingordead,isentirelycoincidental.
AnOriginalPublicationofPOCKETBOOKS
POCKETPULSE,publishedbyPocketBooks,adivisionofSimon&Schuster,Inc.1230AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,NY10020
VisitusontheWorldWideWeb:http://www.SimonSays.com
TMandcopyright©1997byTwentiethCenturyFoxFilmCorporation.AllRightsReserved.
Allrightsreserved,includingtherighttoreproducethisbookorportionsthereofinanyformwhatsoever.ForinformationaddressPocketBooks,1230AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,NY10020
ISBN:0-7434-3107-3
POCKETPULSEandcolophonareregisteredtrademarksofSimon&Schuster,Inc.
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER1
CHAPTER2
CHAPTER3
CHAPTER4
CHAPTER5
CHAPTER6
CHAPTER7
CHAPTER8
CHAPTER9
CHAPTER10
CHAPTER11
CHAPTER12
CHAPTER13
CHAPTER14
CHAPTER15
CHAPTER16
CHAPTER17
CHAPTER18
CHAPTER19
CHAPTER20
CHAPTER21
CHAPTER22
CHAPTER23
CHAPTER24
CHAPTER25
CHAPTER26
CHAPTER27
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
toFrancesWennerwithloveforteachingmehowtoslayallthosecreaturesofthedark
Virginia,1866:ThefrequentdisappearanceoflocalCivilWarwidowsshockedanalreadygrievingcommunity.TheseeventsendedwhenLucyHanoverarrivedintown.
Chicago,May1927:Forty-onebodieswere foundnearUnionStation.Shortlyafterthearrivalofacertainyoungwoman,themysteriousmurdersstopped.
FOREACHGENERATIONTHEREISONLYONESLAYER
Nowit’sstartingalloveragain....
THEHARVEST
PROLOGUE
SunnydaleHighSchoollookeddifferentatnight.Infact,itlookedalmostscary.Classeshadbeenoverforhours,andnowthebuildingslayemptyandeerily
silent,walls gleaming dark in themoonlight. Shadows clung to the stairwells;roomsgapedalongthecorridorslikesomanyabandonedcaves.Whenawindowsuddenly shattered insideoneof them, the echo seemed tohang there forever,even as a hand thrust beyond the broken glass, fumbling with the lock andslidingthewindowup.“Areyousurethisisagoodidea?”Thegirlwhospokelookedaroundnervouslyashermalecompanionclimbed
through,thenreachedbacktohelpher.“It’sagreatidea!”heinsisted.“Comeon.”He led her out into the hallway. It was even blacker out here than the
classroomhadbeen,andthegirlthrewhimatimidglance.“Yougotoschoolhere?”“Usedto,”hesaid.“Ontopofthegym,it’ssocool—youcanseethewhole
town.”“Idon’twanttogoupthere.”Hisbodymovedagainsthers.“Oh,youcan’twait,huh?”“We’rejustgonnagetintrouble,”sheprotested,butheonlypressedcloser.“Countonit.”Ashekissedher,hefeltthetensingofhershoulders,feltherpullawayfrom
him,sawthegenuinelookoffearuponherface.“Whatwasthat?”“Whatwaswhat?”heaskedimpatiently.“Iheardanoise.”“It’snothing.”“Maybeit’ssomething...”“Maybeit’ssomeThing...”hedeadpanned.“That’snotfunny.”Grudginglytheboysurveyedtheirsurroundings.Thehallwasstilldark,still
completely deserted, yet the shadows seemed to have thickened somehow,creeping up on themwhile they hadn’t beenwatching. He could feel the girlcoweringclosebehindhim.“Hello...”hecalledsoftly,teasingly.Silence.“There’snobodyhere,”hesaidatlast,turningbacktoher.Butshestillsoundedfrightened.“Areyousure?”“I’msure.”“Okay,”shemurmured.And then, as her face contorted into a horrible shape, she bared her fangs,
buryingthemswiftlyintohisneck.
CHAPTER1
Buffywaslost.Wanderingthroughaplaceshedidn’tknowanddidn’twanttoknow.Asubterraneanchamber,perhaps,orthehiddenlairofsomehorriblebeast—
this dark, forgotten place of dampness and decay. Shemoved on through thegloom,waryandconfused,tryingtofigureoutwhereshewas,howtofindherwayoutagain.Andyetwhileonesmallpartofhermindknewshewasdreaming—hadtobedreaming—anotherpartwarnedherthatthisplacewasalltooreal,alltoohorriblyclose.Imagesjumpedoutather,thenfadedagainalmostinstantly,leavingonlythe
vaguestofmemoriesintheirwake.Shesawcandlesflickeringoveradeepredpool. . .clawingfingersthroughaglowoffire. . .drawingsofbeastsandthesilveryglintofacross.Demoniclaughterechoedamongcrumblingheadstones—faceless figures stalked her—and then suddenly, startlingly clear, she saw abook,averyoldbookwiththewordVAMPYRengraveduponitscover...From far, far away she could feel herself tossing and turninguponher bed,
tossingandstrugglingevenas thedreampulledherdeeperanddeeper into itsspell.Withoutwarning a shadow rose up behind her, foul and evil, a shadowblackasdeath,roaringthroughherhead,throughherveins—“I’lltakeyou...likeacancer...I’llgetinsideyouandeatmywayout—”Buffy’seyesflewopen.Even in the light of morning, it was as if the nightmare still lingered, the
horrorofit,thedangerofit...Shesatupinbed,blinkingagainstthebrightnessthatstreamedinthroughher
window.Shewasawakenow;shewasperfectlysafe.Thiswasherroom...herhouse...herreality—“Buffy?”“I’mup,Mom.”“Don’twant to be late for your first day!” Joyce Summers called from the
hallway.“No,”Buffymumbledtoherself.“Wouldn’twantthat.”Sheheardtheuncertaintyinherownvoice.Shesatupandstaredaroundthe
room,atthehalf-decoratedwalls,theunpackedboxesstackedinonecorner.
Thenwithasigh,sheforcedthelastdregsofnightmarefromhermindandgotuptofacetheday.
“Now,youhaveagoodtime,”JoyceSummerssaid,watchingBuffygetoutofthecar.“Iknowyou’llmakefriendsrightaway.Thinkpositive.And,honey...”shepaused,soundinghopeful.“Trynottogetkickedout.”“Ipromise.”As her mother drove off, Buffy stood for a moment, sizing up her new
situation. The weather this morning was Southern California-perfect, andthrongs of students were laughing and talking as they crammed their wayleisurelyintoSunnydaleHigh.Well...mightaswellgetthisoverwith.Sighing,Buffy started in, so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the
cuteboyontheskateboard.“Coming through . . .” Xander announced, weaving his way recklessly
throughthecrowds.“Comingthrough...notcertainhowtostop...”Hewas tall and dark-haired,with a look of shaggy indifference about him,
andasheheadedtowardtheentrance,hesuddenlyspiedagirlhe’dneverseenbefore.Shewasshortandpetite,withdarkblondhairandbigblueeyes,andherface
hadthatheart-shapedcutenessthathenevercouldresist.Shewaswearingbootsandareallyshortskirt,andasXanderpassedherhecranedhisneckforabetterviewandcompletelyforgotaboutnavigating.Atthelastpossiblesecondhemanagedtomissthesteps,butonlybyducking
beneatha railing.He landed inaheapon thepavement,andasa familiar faceranuptohelphim,helookedatherwithagrinthatwasallcharm.“Willow!”Xanderexclaimed,pickinghimselfupagain,notatallbotheredby
hisdramaticentrance.“You’resoverymuchthepersonIwantedtosee.”“Really?”Willowaskedhopefully.Shewas consideredplain and totally boringbySunnydale standards; itwas
badenoughthathernosewasalwaysburiedinsomebook,butevenworsewerethe rumors that her mother actually picked out her clothes. Yet a keenintelligence shone inWillow’s soft brown eyes, and her smilewas poignantlysweet—and as Xander came toward her now, she brightened at his attention.Xander,asusual,didn’tseemtonotice.“Yeah,”hesaid.“Youknow,Ikindofhadaproblemwiththemath.”Willowquicklyhidherdisappointment.“Whichpart?”“Themath.Canyouhelpmetonight?Please?Bemystudybuddy?”
“Well,”Willowconsideredcheerfully,“what’sinitforme?”“Ashinynickel...”“Okay.DoyouhaveTheoriesinTrig?Youshouldcheckitout.”Xanderlookedbaffled.“Checkitout?”“Fromthelibrary.Wherethebookslive.”“Right.”Hegrinnedagain.“I’mthere.See,Iwanttochange.”Astheywentinsideandpushedtheirwayalongthepackedcorridor,theysaw
theirfriendJesseapproaching.“Hey,”Jessenodded,andXanderraisedhisarminacasualwave.“Jesse!What’swhat?”Jessedidn’thesitate.“Newgirl!”“That’s right,” Xander confirmed enthusiastically. “I saw her. She’s pretty
muchahottie.”“Iheardsomeonewastransferringhere,”Willowadded.“So,”Xanderinsisted.“Tell.”“Tellwhat?”Jesseasked.Hewastallandganglywithshort-croppedhairand
thickbrows.DefinitelynotoneofthehotguysatSunnydale.“What’sthesitch?”Xanderurged.“Whatdoyouknowabouther?”Jesseshruggedmatter-of-factly.“Newgirl.”“Well,”Xandercamebackathimwithoutmissingabeat.“You’recertainlya
fontofnothing.”
Buffy sat in the principal’s office, across the desk fromMr.Flutie.Hewasmiddle-aged and overweight, slightly impressedwith his own importance, shenoted. As she watched him, he pulled her transcript from a folder, glancedthroughit,thenturnedadirectgazeonher.“Buffy Summers,” he recited. “Sophomore, late of Hemery High in Los
Angeles.Interestingrecord.Quiteacareer.”BeforeBuffy could answer, he smiled and carefully tore her transcript into
fourpieces.“Welcome to Sunnydale,” he announced. “A clean slate,Buffy, that’swhat
yougethere.What’spastispast.We’renotinterestedinwhatitsaysonapieceofpaper.Evenif itsays—”Hebrokeoffandlookeddownagainat therippedpages.Hiseyeswentwide.“Whoa.AtSunnydalewenurturethewholestudent.Theinnerstudent.”Having recoveredhimself,Mr.Flutiecontinued to talkwhilepickingup the
piecesofhertranscriptandarrangingthembackintotheiroriginalshape.
“Otherschoolsmightlookattheincredibledeclineingradepointaverage,”hewenton.“Welookatthestrugglingyoungwomanwiththeincredibledeclineingradepointaverage.Otherschoolsmightlookatthereportsofgangfights—”“Mr.Flutie—”Buffyinterrupted.“AllthekidsherearefreetocallmeBob—”“Bob—”“Buttheydon’t.”Hepulledoutapieceoftapeandbegantapingthetranscripttogetheragain.“Mr.Flutie.Iknowmytranscriptsarealittle...colorful—”“Hey,we’renotcaringabout that!Doyou think‘colorful’ is theword?Not
‘dismal’?Justoffhand,I’dgowith‘dismal.’”“Itwasn’tthatbad.”Mr.Flutiestaredather.“Youburneddownthegym.”“Idid.Ireallydid.”Buffywinced.“Butyougottaseethebigpicture.Imean
thegymwasfullofvamp...uh,asbestos.”“Buffy.Don’tworry.Anyotherschool,theymightsay‘Watchyourstep,’or
‘We’llbewatchingyou,’or‘Getwithinahundredyardsofthegymwithabookofmatchesandyou’llgrowupinjuviehall,’butthat’sjustnotthewayhere.Wewanttoserviceyourneedsandhelpyoutorespectourneeds.Andifyourneedsandourneedsdon’tmesh...”Stillsmilingblandly,heslipped themessilymended transcriptback intoher
folderandslammeditshutwithhishand.Buffyjumped,herownforcedsmilegoingdoubtful.Shefeltdepressedasshe leftMr.Flutie’soffice.Asshepaused there in the
hallway, rummaging through her bag, a distracted student bumped into her,sending her stuff flying in all directions. Frustrated, Buffy knelt down andstartedscoopingeverythingbackup.ForthesecondtimethatmorningshefailedtoseeXander,whowasstandingclosebyandhadwitnessedthewholeincident.Immediatelyhecameoverandkneltbesideher.“CanIhaveyou,”Xanderasked, thencorrectedhimself.“Dyeh—canIhelp
you?”“Oh,thanks.”Hestartedpickingupherthingsandhandingthemtoher.“Idon’tknowyou,doI?”“I’mnew.I’mBuffy.”“Xander.Isme.Hi.”“Thanks.”
“MaybeI’llseeyouaround,”Xandersuggested.“Maybeatschool,sinceweboth...gothere.”“Great.Nicetomeetyou.”Hegavehertherestofherbooks.Shestuffedthemintoherbagandhurried
away.“‘We both go to school,’” Xander shook his head in disgust. “Very suave.
Verynotpathetic.”Then he noticed something on the floor. Bending down to retrieve it, he
automaticallycalledafterher,“Oh,hey,youforgotyour—”Hebrokeoff.Helookedatthethinghewasholding.“Stake,”hesaid.Buffywastoofarawaynowtohearhim.Withapuzzledfrown,Xanderstaredatthewoodenstakeclutchedinhishand.
CHAPTER2
Buffysatinthebackofherhistoryclass,earnestlytakingnotes.Theteacher’svoicedronedonandonwhileshetriedtokeepup.“It’sestimatedthatabouttwenty-fivemillionpeoplediedinthatonefour-year
span.ButthefunpartoftheBlackPlagueisthatitoriginatedinEurope:How?As an early form of germwarfare. The plaguewas first found inAsia, and aKipchakarmyactuallycatapultedplague-infestedcorpsesintoaGenoisetradingpost. Ingenious. If you look at themap on page sixty-three you can trace thespreadofthedisease...”Everyoneopened their books.Buffydidn’t haveoneyet, and as she looked
aroundattheotherkids,agirlinthedesknexttohersleanedover.Shewastallandveryprettyinanexoticsortofway,obviouslyself-assured,andwaswearingakilleroutfitoftightpantsandamostlysee-throughshirt.“Here,”thegirlsaid.ShemovedherbooksoBuffycouldshareit.“Thanks,”Buffysmiled.“Andthispopularplagueledtowhatsocialchanges?”theteachercontinued.
Buffythoughtclasswouldneverend.Whenthebellrangatlast,thegirlfinallyintroducedherself.“Hi,I’mCordelia.”“I’mBuffy.”“Ifyou’relookingforatextbookofyourveryown,there’sprobablyafewin
thelibrary.”“Oh,great.Thanks.Wherewouldthatbe?”“I’llshowyou.”ThegirlswalkedoutintothecrowdedhallandCordeliaglancedatBuffywith
unconcealedinterest.“YoutransferredfromHemery,right?InL.A.?”“Yeah.”“Oh! I would kill to live in L.A. Being that close to that many shoes . . .
Why’dyoucomehere?”“Becausemymommoved, is the reason. Imean, we bothmoved. Butmy
momwantedto.”
“Well,you’llbeokayhere,”Cordeliaassuredher.“Ifyouhangwithmeandmine,you’llbeacceptedinnotime.Ofcourse,wedohavetotestyourcoolnessfactor.You’refromL.A.,soyoucanskipthewritten,butlet’ssee...Vampnailpolish.”Buffyaskedtentatively,“Over?”“Soover,”Cordeliareplied.“JamesSpader.”“Heneedstocallme.”“Frappachinos?”“Trendybuttasty.”“JohnTesh.”“TheDevil?”Cordelianodded.“Well,thatwasprettymuchagimme,butyoupassed.”“Oh,good.”Buffyputahandtoherheartinmockrelief.Theystoppedatthewaterfountain,whereWillowwastakingherturn.“Willow!”Cordeliaraisedaperfectlypluckedeyebrow.“Nicedress.Goodto
knowyou’veseenthesoftersideofSears.”BuffysawtheinstanthurtonWillow’sface.ShestaredatCordelia,surprised
bythegirl’ssuddenviciousness.Willowsoundedalmostapologetic.“Well,mymompickeditout.”“Nowonderyou’resuchaguymagnet.”Cordelia’stonewaswithering.“Are
youdone?”“Oh,”Willowsaidsoftly,instantlyvacatingthefountain.Cordeliasteppedup
toitandglancedatBuffy.“Youwanna fit in here, the first rule is, ‘Knowyour losers.’Onceyou can
identifythemallbysight,they’realoteasiertoavoid.”Shebentdowntodrink.BuffylookedunhappilyatthedepartingWillow,then
followedCordeliaontothelibrary.“Andifyou’renottooswampedwithcatchingup,youshouldcomeouttothe
Bronzetonight,”Cordeliasuggested.“Thewho?”“TheBronze.It’stheonlyclubworthgoingtoaroundhere.Theyletanybody
in,butit’sstillthescene.It’sinthebadpartoftown.”“Where’sthat?”Buffyasked.“Abouthalfablockfromthegoodpartoftown.Wedon’thaveawholelotof
town.Youshouldshow.”They’dreachedthelibrarynow.Thetwoofthemstoppedinfrontofthedoor.“Well,I’lltry,thanks,”Buffypromised.
“Good.I’llseeyouatgymandyoucantellmeabsolutelyeverythingthereistoknowaboutyourself.”Cordeliaturnedandwentoff.Buffy,slightlythrownoffbytheideaofgiving
herwholelifestory,allowedherselfanironicsmile.“Thatsoundslikefun,”shemumbled.Sheenteredthelibrary,surprisedattheeleganceofit,thedarkwoodpaneling,
thestreamingsunlightacrossthefloor,theshelvesandshelvesofbooks.Ashortflightofstairsleduptoasecondlevelofstillmorebookcases,andwithitslargeoaktableandcozystudylamps,theroomhadacuriouslywarmcountry-housefeeling.Theredidn’t seem tobe anyone around.As shepausedbeside the checkout
counter,shehappenedtonoticeafoldednewspaperlyingthere,anarticleonitsfirst page circled in red. The headline stated “Local Boys StillMissing,” andbesideitwasablurrypictureofthreeboys.Buffywanderedfartherin.Shepeeredaroundabookcase.“Hello...isanybodyhere?”Without warning someone touched her shoulder. Startled, she spun to face
him.“CanIhelpyou?”themanaskedpolitely.HespokewithaBritishaccent,and
hisexpressionwasoneofquietintensity.Buffy breathed a sigh of relief. “I was looking for some, well, books. I’m
new.”“MissSummers,”themansaid.“Goodcall.IguessI’mtheonlynewkid.”“I’mMr.Giles,thelibrarian.”Buffystudiedhimforaninstant.Tall,slender,witharefinedsortofelegance,
dressedinEnglishtweedsandwools,apinstripeshirtandtie.Kindeyesstaredbackatherfrombehindthinwire-rimmedglasses.“Great.”Buffysmiled.“Soyouhave,uh—”“Iknowwhatyou’reafter.”Heturnedandledher tothecheckoutdeskbythedoor.Buffycouldseehis
officejustbehindit,butMr.Gilesobviouslyhadn’tmeanttotakeherthere.Shewatchedcuriouslyashepulledabookoutfrombeneaththecounterandslidittowardher.Hugeandleatherbound,itboreasinglewordingiltuponitscover.VAMPYRItwasthebookfromhernightmare.ConcernfloodedBuffy’sface—andwithit,alookofwaryunderstanding.She
steppedbackfromthedesk,buthergazeremainedonthelibrarian.“That’snotwhatI’mlookingfor,”shetoldhim,hervoicegoingtight.“Areyousure?”“I’mwaysure.”Mr.Gileshesitated...gaveanalmostimperceptiblenod.“Mymistake.”Hereplacedthebookunderthecounter.“So,”hecontinuedsoftly,“whatisityousaid—”Hestaredoutintotheemptyroom.Buffyhadgone.
At almost the same moment Buffy left the library, two other studentshappened to be discussing her while they changed their clothes in the girls’lockerroom.“Thenewkid?”onegirlsaid.“Sheseemskindofweirdtome.Andwhatkind
ofnameisBuffy?”Sheturnedasanotherfriendcalledtoher.“Hey,Aphrodesia.”“Hey,”shesaiddistractedly.“Well,”Aurasaid,pickinguptheconversation.“Thechatterinthecafisthat
shegotkickedoutofherlastschool,andthat’swhyhermomhadtogetanewjob.”“Neg,”Aphrodesiareplied,butAuranodded.“Pos.Shewasstartingfights.”Aphrodesiaopenedherlocker.“Negly!”“Well,IhearditfromBlue,”Aurainsisted,tuggingopenherowndoor,“and
shesawthetranscripts—”Shenevergottofinishthesentence.Withoutwarningsomethingflewoutofthelocker,andAphrodesiascreamed
as the body of a dead boy collapsed on top of her. His eyes were wide andstaring, as though they had witnessed something truly horrible. She didn’trecognizehim,andshehadnowayofknowingthathe’dbrokenintotheschoolwithhisgirlfriendlastnight,withtheromanticintentionofgoinguptotheroofofthegym.All she could dowas keep on screaming as the body sprawled at her feet,
gazingupatherfromthefloor.
CHAPTER3
Willow carefully sorted through her packed lunch. Healthy as usual. Andtotally boring.Shewas so involved that she didn’t notice anyone approachinguntilavoicespokebehindher.“Uh,hi,”thevoicesaid.“Willow,right?”Willowstartedandturnedaround.“Why?”sheaskedsuspiciously,andthen,
seeingwhoitwas,“Imean,hi.Didyouwantmetomove?”“Why don’t we start with ‘Hi, I’m Buffy,’” Buffy suggested, sitting down
beside her. “And then let’s segue directly into me asking you for a favor. Itdoesn’t involve moving, but it does involve you hanging out with me for awhile.”Willow’s expression was doubtful. “But aren’t you . . . hanging with
Cordelia?”“Ican’tdoboth?”“Notlegally.”“Look, I really want to get by here,” Buffy explained. “New school . . .
Cordelia’sbeenreallynice—tome,anyway—butIhavethisburningdesirenottoflunkallmyclasses,andIheardarumorthatyouwerethepersontotalktoifIwantedtogetcaughtup.”Willowbrightened.“Oh,Icouldtotallyhelpyouout!Ifyouhavesixthperiod
free,wecouldmeetinthelibrary—”“Ornot,”Buffydeclinedatonce.“Or,youknow,wecouldmeetsomewhere
quieter.Louder.Thatplacekindofgivesmeawiggins.”“Ithas thateffectonmostkids. I love it, though.It’sagreatcollection,and
thenewlibrarian’sreallycool.”“He’snew?”“Yeah, he just started. He was a curator of some British museum. Or the
BritishMuseum,I’mnotsure.Butheknowseverythingandhebroughtallthesehistoricalvolumesandbiographies,andamIthesingledullestpersonalive?”“Notatall!”Buffyinsisted.ThegirlslookedupasXandersaunteredoverwithJesse.“Hey.Areyouguysbusy?”Xandergreetedthem.“Canweinterrupt?We’re
interrupting.”“Hey,”Buffysmiled.“Heythere,”Jesseanswered.“Buffy,thisisJesse.”Willowmadetheintroductions.“Andthat’sXander.”“Oh,me andBuffygowayback,”Xander said casually. “Old friends, very
close. Then there was that period of estrangement, I think we were bothchangingaspeople,buthereweare,andit’slikeoldtimes,I’mquitemoved.”Buffystaredathimhalfamused,halfamazed.“Isitme?”Jesseaskedhim.“Orareyouturningintoababblingidiot?”ForasplitsecondXanderlookedalmostembarrassed.“It’snotyou.”“It’snicetomeetyouguys,”Buffysaid.“Ithink.”“Well, we wanted to welcome you, make you feel at home,” Jesse replied
gallantly.“Unlessyouhaveascaryhome.”“And to return this,” Xander added. He produced the stake that had fallen
earlierfromBuffy’sbag.“TheonlythingIcanfigureis thatyou’rebuildingareallylittlefence.”“Oh.No.”Buffy’smindworkedswiftly.“Thatwasforself-defense.Everyone
hastheminL.A.Peppersprayissopassé.”Xandernodded,asthoughnotquiteconvinced.“So.Whatdoyoulike,what
doyoudoforfun,whatdoyoulookforinaman?...Let’shearit.”“Ifyouhaveanydark,painfulsecretsthatwecouldpublish,”Jessesuggested.“Gee,”Buffy’s tonewasmildly sarcastic. “Everybodywants to knowabout
me.Howkeen.”“Well, not a lot happens in a one-Starbucks town like Sunnydale,” Xander
confessed.“You’rebignews.”“I’mnot.Really.”“Arethesepeoplebotheringyou?”CordeliasuddenlyappearedbehindJesse,
alookofpuredisdainonherface.Buffyglancedaroundinsurprise.“Oh!No.”“She’snothangingoutwithus,”Willowhastenedtoexplain,whileJesseonly
lookedsmittenatthesightofher.“Hey,Cordelia,”Jessesaid.“Oh, please,” Cordelia dismissed him in disgust, turning her attention to
Buffy.“Idon’twanttointerruptyourdownwardmobility.IjustthoughtI’dtellyou that you won’t be meeting Coach Foster, the woman with chest hair,becausegymhasbeencanceledduetotheextremedeadguyinthelocker.”Buffystaredather.“What?”
“Whatareyoutalkingabout?”Willowstraightened,lookingalarmed.“SomeguywasstuffedinAura’slocker,”Cordeliaexplained.“Dead,”Buffyrepeated.“Waydead,”Cordeliaconfirmed.“Sonotjustalittledead,then,”Xanderadded.Cordeliagavehimoneofherlooks.“Don’tyouhaveanelsewheretobe?”“Ifyouneedashouldertocryon,”Jesseoffered,“orjusttonibbleon—”“Howdidhedie?”Buffybrokein,hergazestillsteadyuponCordelia.“Idon’tknow...”“Well,werethereanymarks?”“Morbidmuch?”Cordeliawaseyeingher as though shewere somekindof
alien.“Ididn’task!”AbruptlyBuffystoodup.“Uh,look,Igottabook.I’llseeyouguyslater.”“What’sherdeal?”Cordeliaasked,soundingannoyed.Buffytookoffhurriedlytowardthegym,leavingtheotherstostareafterher
inbewilderment.
CHAPTER4
Buffywentstraighttothegirls’lockerroom.Unfortunately,Mr.Flutiewasjustcomingout,closingthedoorbehindhim.“Oh!Buffy!”Heregardedherinsurprise.“Uh,whatdoyouwant?”Buffy tried to keep her voice casual. “Um, is there a guy in there who’s
dead?”“Wheredidyouhearthat?”Mr.Flutieaskedquickly.Then,“Okay.Yes.But
he’snotastudent!Notcurrently.”“Doyouknowhowhedied?”“What?”“Imean,”Buffyfumbled,“howcouldthishavehappened?”“Well, that’s for the police to determine when they get here,” Mr. Flutie
replied. “But this structure is safe,wehave inspections, and I think there’snogroundsforalawsuit.”“Was there a lot of blood?” Buffy couldn’t help asking. “Was there any
blood?”Mr.Flutiegaveheralonglook.“Iwouldthinkyouwouldn’twanttoinvolve
yourselfinthiskindofthing.”“Idon’t,”Buffyassuredhim.“CouldIjusttakeapeek?”“Unlessyoualreadyareinvolved...”Mr.Flutieinsinuated,andBuffyshook
herhead.“Nevermind.”“Buffy,” the principal went on, relenting a little, “I understand this is
confusing. You’re probably feeling a lot right now. You should share thosefeelings.Withsomeoneelse.”Givinghimawansmile,Buffynoddedandbackedaway.Shehadnointentionofgivingupsoeasily.Rushing from thebuilding, shewentquickly around the sideof thegym. It
waseasylocatinganotherdoortothelockerroom.Shetwistedtheknob,butthedoorwaslockedtight.Buffylookedaroundtomakecertainshewasalone.Withonequicktug,she
pulledthedooropen,splinteringthelockintheprocess.Thenshegaveonelast
glanceoverhershoulderandslippedinside.Shesawthebodyatonce,lyingonthefloorstretchedoutbeneathablanket.
Hesitantlysheapproachedit,feelingcertainshewasn’tgoingtobeatallpleasedwithwhatshefound.Slowlyshefoldedtheblanketdownfromthecorpse’sheadandshoulders.Grim frustration floodedBuffy’s face. She stared down at the body, nearly
seething.“Oh,great!”sheexploded.Thereontheboy’sneckweretwodistinctbitemarks.
Momentslater,anexasperatedBuffystrodebackintothelibrary.“Okay,what’sthesitch?”shedemanded.Gileswasstandingon thesecond level,completelyengrossed inabook.He
lookeddownasshestarteduptowardhim.“Sorry?”heasked.“Youheardaboutthedeadguy,right?”Buffyretorted.“Thedeadguyinthe
locker?”“Yes.”“Well,it’stheweirdestthing.He’sgottwolittleholesinhisneck,andallhis
blood’sbeendrained.Isn’tthatbizarre?Aren’tyoujustgoing,‘Ooooh...’”Gilesletoutasigh.“Iwasafraidofthis.”“Well, Iwasn’t! It’smy first day. Iwas afraid that I’d be behind in all the
classes,thatIwouldn’tmakeanyfriends,thatI’dhavelastmonth’shair.Ididn’tthinktherewouldbevampiresoncampus.AndIdon’tcare.”“Thenwhyareyouhere?”Thatstoppedher,butonlyforamoment.“TotellyouthatIdon’tcare,”Buffystammered.“WhichIdon’t,and...have
nowtoldyou.So,’bye.”She retreated and started for the door, feeling a little let down by her
undignifiedexit.“Willheriseagain?”Gilesasked.Buffystoppedinmidstride.“Who?”“Theboy.”“No,he’sjustdead.”“Canyoubesure?”Buffyshookherhead.“Tomakeyouavampiretheyhavetosuckyourblood
and thenyouhave to suck theirblood. It’s awholebig sucking thing.Mostly
they’ll justtakeallyourbloodandthenyoujustdie—whyamIstill talkingtoyou?”“Youhavenoideawhat’sgoingon,doyou?”Gileschallengedher,hiswords
tightlycontrolled.“Doyouthinkit’sacoincidence,yourcominghere?Thatboywasjustthebeginning.”Buffyturnedbackandlookedupathim.“Oh,whycan’tyouleavemealone?”“BecauseyouaretheSlayer.”She froze.All theclever things she’dbeen ready to say tohimstuck inher
throat.ShewatchedasGilescomedownthestairs,hisgazeverysolemn.“Intoeverygeneration,aSlayer isborn,”Giles intoned.“Onegirl, inall the
world,aChosenOne.Onebornwiththe—”Buffyjoinedhimthen,thetwoofthemspeakingtogether.“—thestrengthand
skilltohuntthevampires—”UntilGilesbrokeoff,lettingBuffyfinishthewordsalone.“Tostopthespread
oftheirevilblahblah,I’veheardit,okay?”Buffythrewathim.Gileslookedtroubled.“Idon’tunderstandthisattitude.You’veacceptedyour
duty,you’veslainvampiresbefore—”“Well,Ihavebothbeenthereanddonethat.AndIammovingon.”Giles considered this amoment, thenasked, “Whatdoyouknowabout this
town?”“It’stwohoursonthefreewayfromNeimanMarcus.”Motioning her to wait for him, Giles disappeared into a back room and
continuedtotalk.“Digabitintothehistoryofthisplaceandyou’llfindthere’vebeenasteady
stream of fairly odd occurrences. I believe this area is a center of mysticalenergy.Thingsgravitatetowarditthatyoumightnotfindelsewhere.”Hereappearedwithastackofbooks.“Likevampires,”Buffyconcluded.Shetriedtomovepasthim,buthepulledabookfromthepileandhandeditto
her. It resembled thevampirebookhehadshownherearlier, andwhileBuffystareddownatit,hecontinuedtoheapmorebooksintoherarms.“Likewerewolves,”Gileswent onquickly. “Zombies.Succubi, incubi . . .”
Heleanedcloseintoherface.“Everythingyoueverdreadedunderyourbedandtoldyourselfcouldn’tbebythelightofday.”“What,didyousendawayfortheTimeLifeseries?”Gilesactuallylookedabitsheepish.“Uh,yes.”“Didyougetthefreephone?”
“Thecalendar.”“Cool.”Then,rememberingheragenda,Buffystated,“Okay,firstofall,I’ma
vampire slayer,” transferring the books back into his arms. “And second, I’mretired.Hey,Iknow!Whydon’tyoukillthem?”Giles’ssmileseemedrathersurprised.“I’maWatcher.Ihaven’ttheskill.”“Oh,comeon.Stakethroughtheheart,alittlesunlight—it’slikefallingoffa
log.”“TheSlayerslays,”Gilesexplainedpatiently.“TheWatcher—”“Watches?”“Yes.No!”Gilesrecoveredhimself.“He—he—trainsher,hepreparesher—”“Preparesmeforwhat?”Buffywasreallyangrynow.“Forgettingkickedout
ofschool?Losingallmyfriends?Havingtospendallmytimefightingformylife and never getting to tell anyone, because it might ‘endanger’ them? Goahead.”Hergazewaschallenging.“Prepareme.”Sheturnedonherheelandleft.Gileswentoutafterher.Bothofthemhadbeensointentontheirdiscussionthatneitherhadnoticed
theshadowyfigurelurkinginthestacks.ButnowXanderemergedslowlyintothelight,amixtureofamusement,excitement,andtotaldisbeliefuponhisface.Helookeddownat thecopyofTheories inTrig thatheheld inhishands,andthenhelookedbackatthelibrarydoor.Foralongtimehislipsmovedwithoutasound.Andthenatlasthisvoiceechoedoutintothesilence.“What?”
Gilescontinued to followBuffy through thehallwayas itbeganfillingwithstudentsonceagain.“It’sgettingworse,”Gilescalledafterher.Buffy stopped and whirled to face him. All too conscious of the crowds
aroundthem,shetriednottosightooloudly.“What’sgettingworse?”“The influx of the undead,” Giles murmured, moving her over against the
wall.“Thesupernaturaloccurrences. It’sbeenbuildingforyears,andnow . . .there’sareasonwhyyou’rehere,andthere’sareasonwhyit’snow.”“Becausenowisthetimemymommovedhere.”Shestartedtowalkawayfromhim,butheputuponearmtostopher.“Something is coming,” he insisted. “Something is going to happen here
soon.”Buffypulledhisarmdown.“Gee,canyouvaguethatupforme...?”ButGiles’svoicehaddroppedevenmore.Buffyhadtostraintohear.
“As far as I can tell,” he explained, “the signs point to a crucial mysticalupheavalverysoon—days,possiblyless.”Buffygavehimanarrowstare.“Comeon.ThisisSunnydale,”shereminded
him.“Howbadanevilcantherebehere?”
CHAPTER5
Nighthadfallen.And yet itwas always night in this dark and evil place, this secret, hidden
placewhereeventheflickeringcandlelightcouldnotquitepenetrate theheavyblackness.Shadowsslidacrossdamp,crumblingwalls,oozingintocornersandcrevices,slitheringsilentlyovertheblank,staringfacesofbrokenstatuary.And thehumanfigures, too, resembledstatues—strange,soulless reminders
of death and decay—as they knelt upon the ground, their faces bent insupplication.Anominouschantingroseandfellaroundthem...roseandfell...echoing
onandonthroughthechamber.Lukekepthimselfapartfromtheothers.Apartandwellaheadoftherest,an
imposingfigureevenuponhisknees,hiseyesandsenseskeenlyalert.Hewaslargeandpowerfullybuilt,withwidenostrilsandnarrowlyangledreptilianeyes,thicklips,andajuttingbrow.Toaninnocentonlooker,hemighthavepassedfora youngman in his twenties—yet the truthwas, Lukewasmuch,much olderthan that. His clothes reflected long-ago and long-forgotten eras, but spokedefinitivelyofnone.The chanting became louder now . . .more intense. Luke gazed for a long
whileintothecalm,thicksurfaceofadarkredpool.Apoolofblood.“Thesleeperwillawaken,”Lukepronounced.Hisvoicewasdeepand resonant;his facewasavampire’s face.Hisbreath
smelledofgraveyardsandrottingcorpses.“Thesleeperwillawaken,”Lukesaidagain.“Andtheworldwillbleed.”Slowlyhedippedhisfingerintheblood.“Amen.”And as the candles guttered wildly, the dismal ruins around him were
illuminated, but only for one brief instant—the ruins of a church long buriedbeneath theearth.Stanchionsandarches leanedatbrokenangles,sheetedrockpushedinfromallsides.Theshinypoolofbloodspreaditselfthicklyoverwhatoncehadbeenanaltar.Thechantingswelledinvolume.
It filled the chamber with devotion and despair, trembling every shadow,everyheartbeat.Andthefaithfulwaited.
CHAPTER6
Buffy stood in front of her bedroom mirror, agonizing over her fashionstatementof theevening.Holdingupanoutfit thatwasshockinglyscanty, shespokealoudtoherreflection.“Hi!I’manenormousslut!”Somehowitwasn’tquiteright.Shereplaceditwiththesecondoutfit,thisone
amuchplainerversion,andtookanothercarefullookatherself.“Hi!WouldyoulikeacopyoftheWatchtower?”Stillnotright.Frustrated,shethrewthembothdown.“Iusedtobesogoodatthis,”shegrumbledashermothercameintotheroom.“Areyougoingouttonight,honey?”Joyceaskedher.“Yeah,Mom.I’mgoingtoaclub.”“Willtherebeboysthere?”“No,Mom,it’sanunclub.”Hermotherignoredthemildsarcasm.“Well,justbecareful.”“Iwill.”Buffycouldsensetheconversationeasingintoseriousterritory.Bothsheand
hermotherregardedeachotheralittleuncomfortably.“I think we can make it work here,” Joyce insisted. “I’ve got my positive
energy flowing. I’m gonna get the gallery on its feet—we may already havefoundaspace.”Buffytriedtosoundenthusiastic.“Great.”“Andthatschoolisaverynurturingenvironment,whichiswhatyouneed.”“Mom...”“Oh,nottoonurturing.Iknow.You’resixteen;Ireadallaboutthedangersof
overnurturing.”Joycehesitated,thenaddedtruthfully,“It’shard.Newtownandall.Forme,too.I’mtryingtomakeitwork.I’mgoingtomakeitwork.”“Iknow.”“You’reagoodgirl,Buffy.Youjustfellinwiththewrongcrowd.Butthat’s
allbehindusnow.”“It is,” Buffy reassured her. “From now on, I’m only hanging outwith the
living.I—Imean,thelively...people.”
Hermotherlookedrelieved.“Okay.Youhavefun.”
*
Shedecidedonthetightslacks,thepowderblueshirt,andtheknittanktoptogounderit.Shedecidedtoputherhairupontopofherhead.AndthenshedecidedtowalktotheBronze.As Buffy left the safe lights of the suburbs behind, she soon found herself
enteringthedesertedcitystreetsontheedgeoftown.She turned a corner, wondering how much further she’d have to go. The
sidewalk stretched endlessly before her, camouflaged in shadows, and herfootstepsechoedhollowlyinthedark.Shecouldn’tgetthatday’seventsoutofhermind,allthepeopleshe’dmet,allthestrangethingsthathadhappened.Lostinthought,shecontinuedalongthepavementuntilslowlyitbegantodawnonherthatshewasn’talone.Therewasanothersoundoffootstepsnow.Footstepsbehindher...footstepswalkingwhereshehadwalked...Buffywhirledaround.Shecouldseeafigurestandingthere,shroudedinblackness.Justfarenough
awaysothatshedidn’tfeelquitecomfortableconfrontingit.Thefiguredidn’tmove.Andthoughshecouldn’tactuallyseeitsface,shehadthedistinct,unsettling
impressionthatitwaslookingstraightather.Turningquickly,Buffywenton.Thefigurefollowed.Buffypickedupspeed.Shecouldhearthefootstepsagain,sureandmeasured
behindher, takingtheir time.Withatwingeoffear,sheturnedthenextcornerandwentevenfaster.Thefigurekeptcoming.Nothurryingatall...keepingadiscreetdistance.On impulse, Buffy ducked into an alleyway, quickly assessing her
surroundings.A large pipe spanned the enclosure some ten feet above her.Aclusterofsmellygarbagecansblockedtheotherend.Withonesmoothmovement,Buffyswungherselfupontothepipe,herbody
poised inabandstand.Shewaited for the figure to turn into thealleyway,andthenshedroppeddownonhimwithoutwarning,herlegslockedoverhisneck.Throwingherselfback,shetippedhimover,thenrolledandslammedhisbodyontotheground.
Hewasonhis feet instantly,butshegrabbedhimand threwhimupagainstthewall. As she closed in, she suddenly realized hewasmaking nomove toattackher.Insteadheputuphishands.“Isthereaproblem,ma’am?”theyoungmanasked.He seemed faintly amused at the situation. Buffy eyed him suspiciously,
gettingagoodlookathimforthefirsttime.Hewasstrikinglyhandsome.Tallanddark,withprominentcheekbonesand
thick hair, and an unmistakable aloofness in his deep-set eyes. Yet there wassomethingelsethere,too—glowingfarbackbeyondhisgaze—astrangesortofknowing thatmadeBuffyfeelslightlyuncomfortable.He’dmovedswiftlyandeasily during their scuffle—with a fighter’s grace, she’d noted—but now hesimplystoodtherelookingbackather.“There’saproblem,”Buffyshotback.“Whyareyoufollowingme?”Hisvoicewascalm.Matteroffact.“Iknowwhatyou’re thinking,butdon’t
worry.Idon’tbite.”Itwasn’tatallwhatshe’dexpectedtohear.Shetookastepbackfromhim,
herfaceperplexed.“Truth is, I thought you’d be taller,” the young man went on. “Or bigger:
musclesandallthat.You’reprettyspry,though.”“Whatdoyouwant?”Buffydemanded.“Samethingyoudo.”“Okay,whatdoIwant?”Theamusementlefthisface.“Tokill’em.Tokill’emall.”Buffy felt a split second of surprise. “Sorry!” She announced, recovering
herselfneatly,doingherbestimpressionofagame-showhost.“That’sincorrect,butyoudogetthislovelywatchandayear’ssupplyofTurtleWax. . .whatIwant...istobeleftalone.”Hegazedathersteadily.“Youreallythinkthat’sanoptionanymore?You’re
standingatthemouthofhell.Andit’sabouttoopen.”Slowlyhe reached intohis coat.Whenhewithdrewhis hand again, hewas
holdingwhatappearedtobeasmallsortofjewelrybox.“Don’tturnyourbackonthis,”hewarned,throwingittoher.“You’vegotto
beready.”Buffy’schinlifteddefiantly.“Whatfor?”“FortheHarvest.”Heturnedfromherthenandstartedbackthewayhe’dcome.Buffycalledout
afterhim.“Whoareyou?”“Let’sjustsayI’mafriend,”hesaidquietly.“Well,maybeIdon’twantafriend,”Buffyanswered,exasperated.Hissmilewasstrangelysecretive.“Ididn’tsayIwasyours...”Buffywatchedhimgo.Shesawhisshadowfadingintoalltheothershadows,
andthenshecarefullyopenedthebox.Itwasacross.Smallandmostdefinitelyanantique.Attachedtoalongsilverchain.Sheglancedupquickly.Themysteriousyoungmanhaddisappeared.
CHAPTER7
Agood-sizedcrowdmilledaimlesslyaroundtheBronze.Itcertainlywasn’tafancyplace,Buffysawatonce—infact,itwaskindofa
dive—but therewasanappealing sortof earthinessabout it that seemed togowiththehigh-school-and-oldercrowdstandinginline.Nostandardsofcoolnesshere either, she noted—just a simplematter of paying four bucks and gettingyourhandstampedifyouwereoldenoughtodrink.Shemovedherwayuptheline,scanningaboutforafamiliarface.Therewas
nooneheresherecognized.Inside,theplacewasdarkandnoisyandabsolutelypacked.Abandblastedwildly from thestageup front,yet thecrowdsseemedrelativelywellbehaved.A lotofkidswere squeezed into thecoffeebarat theback,whileevenmorewatchedtheactionfromthebalconyabove,loungingattablessetfortwo.Buffypushedherwaythrough,stilllookingaroundforsomeonesheknew.A
good-lookingguycaughtherattentionandwaved,smiling.Buffysmiledandwavedback,thensuddenlyrealizedtheguywaswavingto
someonebehindher.Embarrassed,she loweredherhand toherhead, trying topretend she’d been fixing her hair. Shewas relievedwhen she finally spottedWillowatthebar.Thegirlwasshylyorderingasoda,andBuffyhurriedovertojoinher.“Hi!”Buffysmiled.“Oh,hi!”Willowlookedsurprisedandpleasedatthesametime.Andveryout
ofplaceinherPeterPancollarandsweater.“Hi.”“Areyouherewithsomeone?”“No,I’mjusthere.IthoughtXanderwasgonnashowup...”“Oh,areyouguysgoingout?”“No.We’rejustfriends.”Willowthoughtamoment,thenadded,“Weusedto
goout,butwebrokeup.”“Howcome?”“HestolemyBarbie.”AsBuffygaveherastrange look,Willowexplained,
“Wewerefive.”“Oh.”
“Idon’tactuallydateawholelot...lately.”“Whynot?”“Well,when I’mwithaboy I like, it’shard forme to sayanythingcoolor
witty,oratall...Icanusuallymakeafewvowelsounds,andthenIhavetogoaway.”Buffycouldn’thelplaughing.“It’snotthatbad.”“Itis.Ithinkboysaremoreinterestedinagirlwhocantalk.”“Youreallyhaven’tbeendatinglately.”“It’sprobablyeasyforyou.”“Oh,yeah,”Buffynoddedalittleforlornly.“Realeasy.”“Imean,youdon’tseemtooshy.”“Well, my philosophy is—” Buffy broke off. “Do you wanna hear my
philosophy?”“Ido,”Willowsaideagerly.“Lifeisshort.”Willowfixedherwithasteadygaze.“Lifeisshort.”“Notoriginal,I’llgrantyou,”Buffyshrugged.“Butit’strue.Whywastetime
beingallshy?Whyworryaboutsomeguyandifhe’sgonnalaughatyou?Youknow?Seizethemoment.’Causetomorrowyoumightbedead.”“Oh...”Willowsmiled.“That’snice...”Buffy’s glance went quickly around the crowds. As she spotted someone
movingaboutonthebalconyabovethem,herbrowcreasedinafrown.“Uh,I’llbebackinaminute,”shepromised.“That’sokay,”Willowassuredher.“Youdon’thavetocomeback.”Smiling at her friend’s self-effacing attitude, Buffy said again,more firmly
thistime,“I’llbebackinaminute.”Shewasn’t sure ifWillowheard.The girl’s headwas lowered and shewas
murmuring to herself, “Seize the moment . . .” while Buffy took off againthroughthecrowds.Itdidn’ttakeherlongtofindthestairs.Shepushedherwayupandontothe
balcony,thenmanagedatlasttosqueezenexttotherailingthatoverlookedthestage.She leanedthere trying toappearcasual,noteven lookingatGiles,whocametostandjustascasuallybesideher.“So,youliketopartywiththestudents?”Buffyteasedhim.“Isn’tthatkindof
skanky?”Giles’s tonewaswithering.“Right.This ismehavingfun.”Hecontinuedto
gaze down upon the stage. “Watching Clown-hair prance about is hardly my
idea of a party. I’dmuch prefer to be homewith a cup ofBovril and a goodbook.”Buffy rolled her eyes. “You need a personality, stat.” “This is a perfect
breedinggroundforvampireactivity,”Gilesadmonishedher.“Dark,crowded... besides, I knew you were likely to show up. And I have to make youunderstand—”“ThattheHarvestiscoming,Iknow,yourfriendtoldme.”Gilesseemedcompletelythrownoffbythisremark.HeshotBuffyananxious
glance.“Whatdidyousay?”“The...Harvest,”shesaidcarefully.“Thatmeanssomethingtoyou?’Cause
I’mdrawingablank.”“I’mnotsure....Whotoldyouthis?”“This guy.” She could still see him in her mind, could still recall their
confrontationinthealley.“Dark,gorgeousinanannoyingsortofway.Ifiguredyouwerebuds.”“No . . .”Gilesmumbled, frowning.“TheHarvest. . . .Didhesayanything
else?”“Somethingaboutthemouthofhell.Ireallydidn’tlikehim.”Theywerebothstaringoutoverthefloornowatthekidsdancingandpartying
totheloudrhythmoftheband.“Lookat them,”Giles’s toneborderedonannoyance.“Throwingthemselves
about...completelyunawareofthedangerthatsurroundsthem.”“Luckythem...”“Orperhapsyou’reright,”heconceded.“Perhapsthereisnotroublecoming.
Thesignscouldbewrong.It’snotasthoughyou’rehavingthenightmares...”Atthementionoftheword,Buffy’sfacesuddenlyclouded.Shegazeddown
atallthehappyfacesbelowherandsaidnothingatall.
CHAPTER8
Cordeliastoodofftoonesideatasafedistancefromthewrithingcrowds.Shestoodtherewithherusualfriendsandherusualairofdisdain.“Mymomdoesn’t even get out of bed anymore,” she announced, sounding
bored. “The doctor says it’s Epstein-Barr. I’m, like, ‘Please, it’s chronichepatitisoratleastchronicfatiguesyndrome.’ImeannobodycoolhasEpstein-Barranymore.”Shestiffeneda littleasshesawJesseapproaching.Hewalkedrightpast the
othersinhergroupandturnedhissmilestraightonher.“Cordelia!”“Oh,yay,”Cordeliareplied.“It’smystalker.”“Hey,youlookgreat.”“Well,I’mgladwehadthischat—”shebegan,butJessecutheroff.“Listen,I,um,doyouwannadance?”Cordelia’stonewaswithering.“Withyou?”“Well,uh,yeah.”“Well,uh,no.”She tookoff,her loyal entourage in tow,while Jesse stood therehelplessly,
alonewithhispain.“Fine,”hesaid,managingatlasttomustersomedignity.“Plentyofotherfish
inthesea.Oh,yeah.I’montheprowl.Witnessmeprowling.”He looked around at the room full of people, appraised the situation, and
officiallybeganhisprowl.Up above on the balcony, Buffy stood watching him disappear into the
crowds.ShewasstillshakenbyGiles’scommentsaboutthenightmares,andshecouldfeelherdefensesstartingtocrumble.“Ididn’tsayI’dneverslayanothervampire,”shetriedtorationalize.“I’mjust
notgonnagetwayextracurricularwithit.IfIrunintoone,sure...”“Butwillyoubeready?”Gilesaskedearnestly.“There’ssomuchyoudon’t
knowaboutthemandaboutyourownpowers.Avampireappearstobeanormalperson until the feed is upon him.Only then does he reveal his true demonicvisage.”
“You’relikeatextbookwitharms!”Buffyexploded.“Iknowthis!”Gileschose to ignoreheroutburst.“Thepoint is,aSlayershouldbeable to
seethemanyway.Withoutlooking,withoutthinking.Canyoutellmeifthere’savampireinthisbuilding?”Buffyhesitated.“Maybe?”“Youshouldknow!Eventhroughthismassandthisdinyoushouldbeableto
sense them.”Gilesdrewabreath,hisvoiceencouraging.“Try.Reachoutwithyourmind.”Buffy looked down at the mass of swinging, swaying bodies. Slowly she
furrowedherbrow.“Youhavetohoneyoursenses,”Gilesinstructedher.“Focusuntiltheenergy
washesoveryou,tillyoucanfeeleveryparticleof—”“There’sone,”Buffysaidquickly.Giles stopped. He peered down over the railing, completely nonplussed.
“What?Where?”Pointing,Buffytriedtoshowhim.“Downthere.Talkingtothatgirl.”Inonefarcornerstoodagood-lookingyoungman.Hewastalkingtoagirl,
but fromwhere theywere standing, neitherGilesnorBuffy could reallyget agoodlookather.Giles castBuffy a doubtful look. “But you don’t know—”he began,while
Buffyvehementlyinterrupted.“Oh,please!Lookathisjacket.He’sgotthesleevesrolledup.Andtheshirt..
.dealwiththatoutfitforamoment.”AgainGileslookedperplexed.“It’sdated?”“It’scarbondated!Trustme—onlysomeonewho’sbeenlivingunderground
fortenyearswouldthinkthatwasthelook.”“But...youdidn’thone...”Buffy scarcely heard him. She leaned farther out over the balcony and
murmured,“Oh,no...”Thevampirewasstillchattingwith thegirl in thecorner.Onlynowhewas
motioning her to comewith him, and as she finally stepped into view, a sickfeelingofdreadroseinthepitofBuffy’sstomach.“Isn’tthat—”Gilesbegan.“Willow.”“Whatisshedoing?”“Seizingthemoment,”Buffythrewbackathimasshestartedforthestairs.Foronebriefinstantshecaughtaglimpseofthem—thevampireandWillow
—moving toward the back door near the stage. She fought herway down thestepsandthroughthemobsacrossthefloor,butwhenshelookedagain,Willowhad disappeared. Worried, Buffy scanned the room, then headed for thebackstagedoor.Shefeltasifsheweremovinginslowmotion;theclosershegotto the stage, the more crowded it seemed to grow. In frustration, she finallymanagedtowrestlethroughtherestofthewayandshoveopenthedoor.Theshockofthedarknesstookherbysurprise,butonlyforasecond.Itwas
empty backstage, cool and strangely muffled. There was no one about, andBuffy moved slowly, cautiously, along the postered brick walls, ready foranything. She passed an old chair propped in a corner and on impulse, shesnappedoffoneofitslegs,holdingitclosetoherlikeamakeshiftstake.Afterthe noise and crush of bodies inside the club, the place seemed vast andmysterious.Atlastshefoundtheexitdoor.Itopenedintoanalley,butthis,too,was deserted, andwith a growing sense of danger Buffy headed back for themaindoor.Shedidn’texpecthimtobethereassheturnedthecorner.WithlightningspeedBuffygrabbedtheshadowyfigure,threwhimupagainst
thewall,thenheldhimthere,twofeetofftheground.Shestaredfiercelyintothevampire’sface...Andrealizedtoolatethatitwasn’tavampireatall.Cordeliahungthereinhergrasp,wearingthesamedumbfoundedexpression
thatherotherfriendsworeastheytroopedoutofthebathroom.“Cordelia!”Buffystammered,while thegirlcontinuedtohangthere,gaping
ather.“Excuseme . . . couldyoube anyweirder?”Cordeliaburst out. “Is there a
moreweirdnessthatyoucouldhave?”Sheepishly, Buffy let the girl down and lowered the stake discreetly to her
side.“God,”Cordeliasneered.“Whatisyourchildhoodtrauma?”Buffy tried to recover herself. She faked a cheerful expression and asked
brightly,“DidyouguysseeWillow?Didshecomebyhere?”“Why?”Cordeliashotback.“Didyouneedtoattackherwithastick?”Witharedfaceandshakennerves,Buffyquicklyretreated,leavingCordelia
andherentouragestillgazingafterherindisbelief.“Excuseme,”Cordelia grumbled, pulling her flip phone from her purse. “I
havetocalleveryoneI’veevermetrightnow.”Buffyhurriedbacktothestagedoorandletherselfintotheclub.Shespotted
Gilesatonce,waitingforheratthefootofthestairs,andshewentovertojoinhim.“Thatwasfast.”Gileslookedrelieved.“Welldone.I’dbestgotothelibrary.
ThisHarvestis—”“Ididn’tfindthem,”Buffysaid,herfrustratedglancegoingaroundtheroom.Gilesstaredatherasthoughhe’dmisunderstood.“Thevampire’snotdead?”“No,butmysociallifeisonthecriticallist.”“Whatdowedo?”“Yougoon.I’lltakecareofit.”“Ishouldcomewithyou,no?”Gilesoffered,butBuffyshookherheadathim
andstartedoffagainthroughthecrowds.“Don’tworry,”shesaid.“OnevampireIcanhandle.”She didn’t really see Jesse as she brushed past him. She had her mind on
other,more important things, and Jessewas too busy talking to a girl even tonoticethatBuffyhadgoneby.“Whatdidyousayyournamewas?”Jesseaskedagain,hopingthis timehis
luckmightchange.Shedidn’tlookfamiliartohim.Definitelynotfromclass. . .notevenfrom
campus.Thoughofcourse,hehadnowayofknowingthatshe’dbrokenintotheschool lastnight.That she’dbeenonadatewithacertainyoungman . . . thesameyoungmanfounddeadjustthisafternoon,stuffedinsidealocker...“Darla,”thegirlanswered,smilingathim.Shehadareallycuteface,andJessesmiledback.“Darla.Ihaven’tseenyoubefore.Areyoufromaroundhere?”“No,butI’vegotfamilyhere.”“HaveImetthem?”Darla’ssmilewidened.Herteethwereprettyandwhite.“Youprobablywill,”
shepromised.
CHAPTER9
Cloisteredwithinthemolderingwallsoftheirsanctuary,thedisciplescontinuedtheirritual.Itwas a ritual as ancient as evil itself, and slowly, slowly, the impassioned
voicesroseasone.Soontheceremonywouldreachitslong-awaitedclimax.Andwherethischurchhadonceresonatedwiththeheartfeltvowsofthevirtuous,theonlysoundsthatfilleditnowwerethesemockingprayersofthedamned.BesidethealtarLukesuddenlylookedup.Hestaredforamoment,eyeswidewithreligiousfervor,andthenhebeganto
backaway.Asthoughinobediencetohissignal,theothersalsobeganmovingback,theirvoicesquiveringwithexpectancy.Still,Lukeprayedabovethepool.Withoutwarning,aheadthrustupfromthe
bloodydepths,andLukestarted,staringinwonder,takingyetanotherstepaway.Theheadcontinuedtorise,andwithit thetall,elegantfigureofakinglong
sleeping,hismassivebodygleamingwithdark,richblood.TheMasterwasthemostpowerfulofallthevampires.BornHeinrichJoseph
Nest some six hundred years ago, he was dressed completely in black, bothfrighteningandawesometobehold.Hisfacedidnotresembleanythinghuman;he was as much demon as man. His regal bearing spoke of invincibility—commandedreverence,submission,andundyingloyalty.Ashesteppedforward,extendingonehand,Lukegraspeditwithhumbleandutterdevotion.“Master...”Lukemumbled.AgaintheMastermovedforward,hisfacestillcloakedinhalfdarkness.Luke
withdrewseveralrespectfulpacesandtheMasterlookedaboutforamomentasthoughconsidering.“Luke.”“Master...”“Iamweak.”“CometheHarvest,you’llberestored,”Lukepromised.“TheHarvest...”“We’realmostthere.Soonyou’llbefree.”TheMasterwalkedpastLuke.Oncemorehe reachedouthishand,but this
time,ashedidso,theairbeforehimbegantorippleslightly,formingasortofmysticalwallthatenclosedhim.Abruptlyhepulledbackhishand.“Imustbeready,”theMastersaid.“Ineedmystrength.”“I’vesentyourservantstobringyousomefood,”Lukereassuredhim.“Good.”Then,asLukestartedout,“Luke...”Lukestoppedatonce.“Yes?”“Bringmesomething...young.”
CHAPTER10
Willowwasdefinitelyhavingsecondthoughts.As she and her date walked along through the dark, she could feel herself
growing increasinglynervous.Hehadn’t saidhalf a dozenwords since they’dleft the Bronze, and there was just something different about him that hadn’tbeensoobviousbackthereinallthenoiseandbrightlights.Andallthepeople,shethoughttoherself.“Sureisdark.”Shemadeafeebleattemptatconversation,butitdidn’tmake
herfeelanybraver.“It’snight,”herdatereplied.“That’sadarktime.”Willownodded.“Night.Traditionally.”Theywalkedfarther.Againshetriedtostartaconversation.“Istillcan’tbelieveI’veneverseenyouatschool.DoyouhaveMr.Chomsky
forHistory?”Theboydidn’tanswer.Hejustsuddenlystopped.Willowglanced arounduneasily. “The ice-creambar’s down thisway,” she
directedhim.“It’spastHamiltonStreet.”Shewatchedashishandreachedout,asitfirmlytookholdofhers.“Iknowashortcut,”hesaid.Andthenheledhertowardthecemetery...intothedarknessofthewoods.
Buffycouldn’tfindWillowanywhere.Withgrowinganxiety,shehurriedaroundfromthebackoftheclubandsaw
Xandercomingdownthesidewalk,hisskateboardtuckedunderonearm.“You’re leaving already?”Xander asked, butBuffywasn’t in themood for
chatting.“Xander,haveyouseenWillow?”“Nottonight.”“Ineedtofindher.Sheleftwithaguy.”“WearetalkingaboutWillow,right?”Xandersoundedimpressed.“Scoringat
theBronze.Workit,girlfriend.”
Buffywasoblivioustohishumor.“Wherewouldtheygo?”“Why, you know something aboutMr. Goodbar that she doesn’t?” Xander
pretendedtohaveasuddenbrainstormandrubbedhishandstogether.“Oh!Hey.Ihopehe’snotavampire.’Causethenyou’dhavetoslayhim.”Thistimehegotherfullattention.Withalookofsurprise—andundisguised
annoyance—sheturnedbacktostareathim.“Was there a school bulletin?Was it in the news? Is there anybody in this
townwhodoesn’tknowI’maSlayer?”“Ionlyknow thatyou thinkyou’reaSlayer.And Ionlyknow that ’cause I
wasinthelibrarytoday.”“Whatever.”Buffywaspainfullyawareof thepassingof time.“Just tellme
whereWillowwouldgo.”“You’reserious.”“Wedon’tfindher,there’sgonnabeanotherdeadbodyinthemorning.”Xanderhesitated,studyinghersolemnexpression.Itdawnedonhimthenthat
shewasn’tkidding.Thatshewas,infact,verydeadserious.“Comeon,”hesaid.
Willowhadpassedthepointofnervousness.As she and her date continued on through thewoods, she realized shewas
easingintoquietpanic.Hermindspunhelplesslyasshetriedtofigureouthowshe’dmanagedtogetherselfintosuchascarysituation—andhowonearthshewasgoingtogetherselfoutagain.“Okay,”shesaidatlast.“Thisisniceand...scary....Areyousurethisis
faster?”Still her date said nothing. She couldn’t be certain, of course, but every
instinctwarnedherthatthisprobablywasn’tthewaytotheice-creambar.Andthen, as he suddenly stopped, she realized theywere standing outside a smallmausoleum.Confused,Willowstaredatthecrumblingentrance.Awellofthickblackness
yawnedbeforeher,andacoldchillcreptupherspine.“Hey,”herdatespokeatlast.“Youeverbeeninoneofthese?”Willow tried to keep her voice from shaking, tried to sound assertive. “No,
thankyou.”But he was moving in on her now, pulling her hair back from her neck.
Holdingherintimately...holdinghermuchcloserthanshewantedtobeheld...
“Comeon,”hetemptedher,hisvoiceteasing.“Whatareyouafraidof?”Andthenhepushedherthroughthedoorway.Willow stumbled in, terrified. She couldn’t see a thing and she blinked
rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to thedark.After several agonizing seconds,shewasable tomakeouta small roomwithcarvedstonewalls.Ahuge tombtook up most of the center, with a stone figure of a man lying on top of it.Behindherwasthedoorshe’dcomein;aheadofherwasamuchsmaller irondoorthatwaslockedshut.Willow spun around. She could see her date now, his silhouette filling the
entrancetothemausoleum,blockingherescape.Herheartthuddedfranticallyinherears.“Thatwasn’tfunny.”Shetriedtosoundcalmandincontrol,buthervoicewas
dangerouslyclosetotears.Theboydidn’trespond.Insteadhesteppedcloser,hisfacebathedinshadows.
Willowcircledawayfromhim,tryingtogetclosertothedoor.“IthinkI’mgonnago,”shetoldhim.“Isthatwhatyouthink?”There was no playfulness in his voice.Willow heard the danger there and
instinctively took a step back, and then another. And then she turned andsquealedassheranstraightintoDarla.Darla seemed tobe appraising the situation.She looked first atWillowand
thenatWillow’sdate.“Isthisthebestyoucoulddo?”Darlaaskedhim.Theboy’svoicesoundedslightlydefensive.“She’sfresh.”“Hardly enough to share,”Darla returned,walking casually down the steps
andacrossthefloor.“Whydidn’tyoubringyourown?”“Idid.”Darla indicated the doorway just behind her.AsWillowwatched in fearful
confusion,averydazedJessestumbledin.“Hey,waitup,”JessecalledtoDarla.“Jesse!”Willowhurriedovertohim,relieved.Hewasclutchinghisneckand
lookedslightlyfeverish.Intruth,hedidn’tseemparticularlyawarethatWillowwaseventhere.“I think you gave me a hickey.” Again he spoke to Darla, who pointedly
ignoredhim.WillowwatchedasJessetookhishandfromhisneck.Shecouldseebloodon
hisfingers,bloodonhisthroat.Shegazedathimforamomentindisbelief,thenlookedattheothertwofiguresbehindher,hereyesgoingwide.“Igothungryontheway,”Darlashrugged.Willow tookholdof Jesse,pullingdesperatelyonhis arms. “Jesse, let’sget
outofhere.”“You’renotgoinganywhere,”Darlainformedher.“Leaveusalone,”Willowtriedtosoundforceful,butDarlaadvancedonher
soswiftlythatshedidn’tevenhavetimetobackaway.“You’renotgoinganywhere,”Darlamuttered,“untilwe’vefed!”As she spat out the lastword, she thrust her face right intoWillow’s.And
before Willow’s horrified eyes, Darla’s face began to change—to shift andslitherintosomethinggrotesque—rottingskin,teethgleamingrazorsharp,agrinthatwasasravenousasitwasevil—Willowscreamed.Shestumbledbackwardandfell.Throughahazeofterrorshecouldseeherdatelaughingnow,circlingher slowly, his predator’s face every bit as hideous and repulsive as the girl’shadbecome.Willowknewshewasgoingtodie.Shewatchedasthecreaturesclosedinon
her, knifelike fingernails reaching out, mouths drooling, eyes glisteninghungrily.When thevoicesuddenlyspokeoutbehind them,she thoughtat firstthatitwasn’t—couldn’tpossiblybe—real.“Well,thisisnice,”thevoicesaidpleasantly.BuffysteppedintotheroomwithXanderfollowing.Everybodyfroze.“Alittlebare,”Buffyobserved,runningonehandacrossthedustytomb,“but
adashofpaint,afewthrowpillows—callithome.”“Whothehellareyou?”Darlagrowled.“Wow,youmean there’sactually somebodyaroundherewhodoesn’tknow
already?”Buffy tossed back. “That’s a relief. I’m telling you, having a secretidentityinthistownisajobofwork.”AsBuffy held their attention,Xandermoved in between the two vampires.
Nothinghadquitepreparedthecreaturesforthisunexpectedturnofevents,andtheyslowlyloosenedtheirgripsonWillowandJesse.“Buffy, we bail now, right?” Xander prompted, but Willow’s date had
managedtorecoverhimselfalittle.“Notyet,”hesnarled.“Okay, first of all,what’swith this outfit?”Buffy baited him. “Live in the
now, okay? You look like DeBarge.” Then turning to Darla, she added,
completely unperturbed, “Now, we can do this the hard way, or . . . well,actually,there’sjustthehardway.”Darlastoodherground.“Finewithme.”“You sure?” Buffy persisted. “It’s not gonna be pretty. We’re talking
violence,stronglanguage,adultcontent.”Even as she spoke, Willow’s date rushed her from behind, charging with
lightning speed. With one graceful motion, Buffy whipped a stake out frombeneathherjacketandstuckitoutbehindher.Therewasadullpuncturesoundasthecreatureimpaledhimself.Hestopped,eyesroundwithsurprise,andthenhethuddedtothefloor.Buffyneverevenlookedathim.Ashehittheground,hisbodycrumbledtodust.“Seewhathappenswhenyouroughhouse?”BuffytoldDarla.XanderandWillowwerespeechless.Alltheycoulddowasstareatthecold,
emptyfloorwhereabodyhadlainonlysecondsago.Darla,ontheotherhand,waswide-eyed andwary, but definitely not cowed.Shemoved slowly aroundBuffy,preparingtofightthegirlherself.“Hewasyoung,”Darlasaidindisgust.“Andstupid.”“Xander,go,”Buffyordered.“Don’tgofar,”Darlaechoed.Without warning she lunged at Buffy. Buffy met her head-on, parrying
Darla’sblowswithmartialartsprecision,whileXanderherdedtheothersout.Thethreeranasquicklyastheycouldthroughthewoods,WillowandXander
half dragging, half carrying Jesse.No one spoke. Theywere all still trying tocopewiththerealityofwhatthey’djustseenbackthereinthemausoleum.Buffy...theSlayer...AsBuffygotinanothereffectiveblow,Darlahitthegroundpainfully.Buffy
wasn’t jokinganymore.Shewassweatyandbreathless,andall thehumorhaddrainedfromherface.“Youknow,Ijustwantedtostartover,”shesaidpeevishly,plantingonefoot
onDarla’schest.“Belikeeverybodyelse.Havesomefriends,maybeadog...butno.Youhadtocomehere.Youcouldn’tgosuckonsomeothertown.”“Whoareyou?”Darlaglaredupather,furyinhereyes.“Don’tyouknow?”ButbeforeBuffy couldgoon, a pair of hands suddenlygrabbedherby the
throatandliftedherbodilyfromtheground.“Idon’tcare,”Lukesaidslowly.
She hadn’t sensed him behind her.As Luke stepped from the shadows, hisenormous bulk made her seem tiny and insignificant, and Buffy realized theoddswere now dangerously against her. Luke tossed her into the air with noeffort at all, hurlingher agood fifteen feet.She landedbadly andhit thewallwithherface.LuketurnedonDarla,whowasstrugglingtogetup.“Youwere supposed to be bringing an offering for theMaster,” he berated
her.“We’realmostatHarvest,andyoudallywiththischild?”“Wehadsomeone.”Frightenednow,Darla tried todefendherself. “Butshe
cameand...shekilledThomas...Luke,she’sstrong.”Lukefixedherwithacontemptuousstare.“Yougo.I’llseeifIcanhandlethe
littlegirl.”BuffywastryingtoliftherselfoffthefloorwhenLukeclosedinandgrabbed
her.He’dcountedonherbeingstunned,butshewasreadyforhimthistime.Sheknockedhis armsaway, thenkickedhimsmartly in the face. It senthimbackjusta little,butherecoveredhimselfalmost instantly, landingasolidpunchtoherjaw.“Youare strong,” Lukemuttered.He slammed her back to the ground and
gaveathroatylaugh.“I’mstronger.”ButBuffyhadnointentionofgivingup.Wrestlingawayfromhimatlast,she
gottoherfeetandcircledslowlyaroundthetomb,keepingitsafelybetweenherandLuke.“You’rewastingmytime,”Lukesaidcalmly.“Hey,”Buffyretorted,“Ihadotherplans,too,okay?”Lukeshovedat the lidof the tomb.As theheavystoneslab flewstraightat
her, Buffy leaped over it and jumped on top.With one swift movement, sheflipped over and planted both feet solidly on Luke’s chest. The momentumcausedbothof them to fall,butBuffymanaged togetup first,pullingoutherstakeanddriving it towardhischest.Luke’shandshotoutandgrabbed it justbeforeitmadecontact.“Youthinkyoucanstopme?”Luke’sfacewastwistedwithrage.“Stopus?”He squeezed his fist. The stake splintered like amatchstick in his powerful
gripandhepunchedBuffyviolently,knockingherbackward.“Youhavenoideawhatyou’redealingwith,”hesnarled.Victoriousnow,hestoodoverher.Hisvoicelowered,andhebegantointone
thesacredtext.“Andlikeaplagueofboils,theraceofmancoveredtheearth.Butonthethird
dayofthenewestlightwillcometheHarvest...”Buffy hovered on the very edge of consciousness. Her head spun in slow
motion,distortedthoughtsflashinginandoutofhermuddledbrain.SheseemedtoseeGilesstandingbackinhislibrary,poringoverhisancient
bookswithgrowingconsternation.Hewasstaringdownatonepageinparticular—anoldengravingwhichdepictedacruelandviciousmassacre...“...Whenthebloodofmenwillflowaswine...”Lukewenton.Thepeopleintheengravingwrithedaboutintheirownblood,andinthevery
centerofthemallstoodacreaturebearingathree-pointedstaruponhisforehead,feedingoffawoman...“...WhentheMasterwillwalkamongthemoncemore...”AsLuke’svoicedronedsteadilyon,theimagessuddenlyshifted.NowBuffy
could see the crumbling ruins of an old church; she could sense an awesomedangeremanatingfromafigurebathedindarkness.“...TheworldwillbelongtotheOldOnes...”Lukerecited.
Willow,XanderandJessehurriedthroughtheforest.“We’llgetthepolice,”Willowgasped.“It’sjustafewblocksup—”Willow’svoicebrokeoff.Thethreeofthemstoppedandstared,expressions
ofutterdespaircreepingovertheirfaces.Threevampiresstoodwaitingforthem.Evenasthethreefriendsbackedoff..
.evenastheysuddenlyrealizedthatDarlawasrightbehindthem...
Buffy forced her eyes open. She got unsteadily to her feet, all the whilekeepingherwarygazeonLuke.“...andhellitselfwillcometotown.”Lukefinishedatlast.Buffytriedtomovesideways,togetawayfromhim—buthestruckherwith
savage force. Helplessly she flew backward and landed inside the tomb. Shelandedharduponherback,allthewindknockedoutofher.Sheturnedherheadslowlytothesideandsawthewithered,decayingcorpseofthetomb’sowner.Shecould tell shewasbadlyhurt.Shecouldn’t seeLukeanymore,couldn’t
see anything but the damp,moldywalls of the tomb, though she strained hereyes desperately through the darkness. He could be anywhere, she realized.Anywhere...Slowly, achingly, she liftedherhead.Shewas really frightenednow—more
frightenedthanshe’deverbeeninherlife.Verycautiouslyshepeeredoveronesideofthetomb.
Nothing.Onlysilence.Withherheartwildlyhammering,Buffytriedtolookovertheoppositeedge.Lukejumpedoutofnowhere,roaringtriumphantly,fillinghervision,filling
theroom,throwinghimselfintothecryptontopofher.She triedfrantically to fighthimoff,buthepinnedherwithnoeffortatall.
And thenhesimplystareddownather,contemplatingherwithgleefulanimalhunger.His teeth dripped a thick string of spittle. She could feel it sliding over her
cheek.“Amen,”Lukegrinned.Andthenheboredownonher.
CHAPTER11
ThroughahazeofterrorBuffycouldseeLuke’smonstrousface,hislipscurledback fromhisgums,his fangsbaredgreedily,movingcloserandcloser toherneck.Shetwistedandfoughtwithallherstrength,butherstruggleswereuselessagainsthim.Withonequickslashofhisfingernails,Lukepulledhershirtopen,justwide
enoughtoexposeherthroat.Buffygasped,bracingherselfforthequick,searingstabofhisteeth—butinstead,Lukeletoutashriekandjumpedback.Buffy stared at him, her mind reeling in confusion. Smoke was streaming
fromhishand,andhewasglaringathispalm,eyesblazingwithfuryandshock.AsBuffy’sowngazeloweredtoherchest,shesawasilvercrosslyingthere—
thecross that themysteriousguyhadgivenher earlier thatnight.Somehow ithadslippedfree fromher insidepocketandcome incontactwithLuke’shandduringthestruggle.Buffywasted no time.With a burst of renewed energy, she kicked atLuke
withbothlegs,sendinghimflyingfromthetomb.Beforehecouldrecover,sheleapedoutandranforthedoor.Thebeatinghad takena toll onher—muchmore than she’d realized,Buffy
thought glumly. Now as she tried to run through the woods, she was all tooawareof the lightness in her head, the rubbery feeling inher legs, thepainfulheavingofherchest.Shestumbled through thegraveyardasfastasshecould.Whenshefinallyreachedtheoppositeedgeofthetrees,shestoppedandlookedbehindherinthedirectionofthemausoleum.Shewasalone.Nobodyseemedtobefollowingher...noteventheshadowsweremoving.AndthensheheardWillowscream.“No!Nooo!Get—off—”Adrenalinepumping,Buffyracedtowardthesoundofherfriend’svoice.As
sheburstuponthescene,shecouldseeWillowontheground,wrestlingwithavampire.ThecreatureheldWillowmercilesslyinhisgrasp.HewasjustgoinginforherneckwhenBuffysurprisedhim,causinghimtolookup.ItwasjustthechanceBuffyneeded.Withoneswiftkicktohisface,shesentthevampiresprawlingbackward.He
gaveagruntofpain,thenstaggeredtohisfeet,holdinghisnoseandtryingtogetawayfromher.Buffystood thereasecond,catchingherbreath.Allhersenseswereat their
most alert now, and she furiously scanned her surroundings. She heard acracking sound followed by unmistakable scuffling, and again she took off,leavingWillowstill sitting thereon theground,her eyeshugewith fright,herbodytrembling.Shesatawhilelonger,pullingherself together, thenat lastshegotupandfollowedthepathBuffyhadtaken.It didn’t take Buffy long to find what she was looking for. Almost
immediately she caught sight ofXander, his unconscious body being draggedaway by twomore vampires. As they sensed an unwelcome presence behindthem,thevampiresslowlyturnedaround.It wasn’t Buffy they saw, suddenly appearing through the trees. It was
Willow.AsWillow realized thatXanderwas inmortal danger, she seemed tochangerightbeforetheireyes,herexpressionfiercelythreatening.Thevampiresturnedbackagain,butBuffystoodthereblockingtheirescape.
Itwaseasytotakethembothout.Withonequickpunch,Buffyknockedthemofftheirfeetandtheyscrambledtogetupandgetaway.Buttheydidn’tscramblefastenough.Grabbingabranchfromanearbytree,Buffysnappeditoffandhelditinher
handlikeastake.Shechargedonevampire,nailinghimneatlythroughthechest,whiletheotherfledforhislife.WillowranuptoXanderandkneltbesidehim,cradlinghisheadinherarms.
To her relief he seemed to be coming to, and after blinking a few times, hefrownedupather,tryingtogethisbearings.“Xander...areyouokay?”Willowaskedsoftly.“Man...”Xanderstillseemedalittledisoriented.“Somethinghitme...”Buffy walked a few paces, peering hard through the trees, her expression
solemnandworried.“Where’sJesse?”For the first timeWillowseemed to realize that Jessewasmissing. “Idon’t
know,”sheshookherhead.“Theysurroundedus—hewasreallyweak...”“Thatgirlgrabbedhim,”Xandermumbled.“Tookoff.”“Whichway?”Buffydemanded,butXanderlookedblank.“Idon’tknow.”Buffystared into thenight.Shehonedallhersenses, reachingout, straining
throughthedarkness—buttherewasnothing...Nothingatall.
Buffy’sheartfeltheavyandsad.“Jesse...”shewhispered.
CHAPTER12
Thingscertainlydidn’tlookanybrighterthenextmorning.Eveninthepeacefulcalmoftheschoollibrary,afeelingofdoomhungthick
in the air. No one had gotten any sleep, and Jesse was still missing. Buffycouldn’t rememberwhen she’d been so sore; her body ached all over and herbrain felt numb. She’d had to hide her injuries from hermother, so now sherummaged throughGiles’s office for somemakeshift bandages.Giles stood atthe railing on the upper level of bookshelves and tried to give Xander andWillowanexplanationforwhatwashappening.“Thisworldisolderthananyofyouknow,”hetoldthemsolemnly,spinninga
globe foremphasis.“Andcontrary topopularmythology, itdidnotbeginasaparadise.Foruntoldeons,demonswalkedtheearth.Madeittheirhome...theirhell.”WillowandXanderbothlistenedintently,theirexpressionseverybitasgrave
asGiles’sown.“In time they lost their purchase on this reality,” he continued, carrying an
armload of books down the stairs, “and the way was made for the mortalanimals.Forman.Whatremainsof theOldOnesarevestiges.Certainmagics,certaincreatures...”“Andvampires,”Buffyadded.She emerged at last from Giles’s office, wrapping a bandage around her
forearm.Xanderstoodup,clearlyagitated.“Okay,thisiswhereIhaveaproblem,see,becausewe’renowtalkingabout
vampires.”Hefrowned.“We’rehavingatalkwithvampiresinit.”“Isn’tthatwhatwesawlastnight?”Willowasked.“No,thoseweren’tvampires,”Buffyquipped.“Thosewerejustsomeguysin
thunderingneedofafacial.Ormaybetheyhadrabies—couldabeenrabies.Andthatguyturningtodust...justatrickofthelight.”SheignoredthelookXandergaveherandregardedhimwithtotalunderstanding.“That’sexactlywhatIsaidthe first time I saw a vampire. I mean, when I was done with the screamingpart.”“Oooh...”Willowmurmured.“Ineedtositdown.”
“Youaresittingdown,”Buffyremindedher.“Oh.”Willowgaveavacantnod.“Goodforme.”“Sovampiresaredemons?”Xanderwenton,whileGilesagaintriedtoclarify.“Thebookstellthatthelastdemontoleavethisrealityfedoffahuman,mixed
theirblood.Hewasahumanformpossessed—infected—bythedemon’ssoul.”GileshandedXanderoneoftheheavyvolumes.“Hebitanother,andanother...andsotheywalktheearthfeeding.Killingsome,mixingtheirbloodwithotherstomakemoreoftheirkind.WaitingfortheanimalstodieoutandtheOldOnestoreturn.”
EvenasGileswasspeaking,twovampireswerereturningtotheirlair.Far below the earth,where themorning sunnever reached,Luke andDarla
dragged Jesse along the dark, dank tunnel toward the church. Jesse staggeredbetweenthem,hisconsciousnessslowlyreturningatlast—andashiseyesgrewaccustomedtotheblackness,terrorrosesickeninglyinhisthroat.Helookedatthetwoinhumanfacesoneithersideandthenatthemouthofthe
tunnel theywere pulling him through. They seemed to be inside an old pipe,hugeandcrackedandslimywithmold.Astheyhauledhimtherestoftheway,hefelthimselfbeingpropelleddownapileofrocksandontoacold,dampfloor.Hiseyeswidened inalarm.Achurch? It looked likeachurch—orwhathad
oncebeenachurch—andyetthiswasafoul,evilplace;hecouldfeelitineveryfiberofhisbeing.Jesselookedaround,astrangesortofwondermixedwithhisfear.Hecould
seenowthathewasstandingbeforeanaltar.Analtarandwhatappearedtobeathickredpool.And then from the total darkness, something moved. Moved and gathered
itselffromtheendlessshadowsasitslowlyemergedandcametowardhim.TheMasterregardedhisservantswithacold,imperiousstare.Heturnedhis
gazeonJesse,andthenatlasthespoke.“Isthisforme?”“Anoffering,Master,”Lukerepliedhumbly.“He’sagoodone,”Darlaadded.“Hisbloodispure.”TheMaster’svoicewasquiet.Cunninglyinnocuous.“You’vetastedit.”Realizinghermistake,Darlasteppedbackinfear.TheMasterbestowedhera
tauntingsmile.“I’myourfaithfuldog.Youbringmescraps.”“Ididn’tmeanto—”Darlastammered,buttheMastercutheroff.
“Ihavewaited.Forthree-scoreyearsIhavewaited.WhileyoucomeandgoIhave been stuck here.” His voice rose, tremblingwith his power. “Here, in ahouseofworship.Myascensionisalmostathand.”Hebrokeoff.HeclutchedDarla’sfacebetweenhisfingers.“Praythatwhenitcomes...”hesnarled,“I’minabettermood.”“Master, forgiveme,”Darlabeggedhim.“Wehadmoreofferings,but there
wastrouble.Agirl.”Lukenoddedaffirmation.“Therewasagirl.Shefoughtwellandsheknewof
ourbreed.It’spossiblethatshemaybe...”TheMastercalmlyturnedtohim.“ASlayer?”
“ASlayer,”Gilescontinuedtoexplain.“Andthatwouldbeawhat?”Xanderaskedhim.“As long as there have been vampires, there has been the Slayer,” Giles
recited.“Onegirlinalltheworld—”“Helovesdoingthispart,”Buffyinterrupted.“All right,”Giles conceded, speeding up a little. “They hunt vampires, one
Slayerdies,thenextiscalled,BuffyistheSlayer,don’ttellanyone.”Hestoppedanddrewabreath.“Ithinkthat’sallthevampireinformationyouneed.”“Exceptforonething,”Xanderspokeup.“Howdoyoukillthem?”“Youdon’t,”Buffycorrectedhim.“Ido.”“Well,Jesse—”“Jesse’smyresponsibility.Ilethimgettaken.”Xanderfrowned.“That’snottrue.”“Ifyouhadn’tshownup,”Willowaddedloyally,“theywouldhave...taken
us,too....DoesanybodymindifIpassout?”“Breathe...”Buffyorderedher.Willownodded.“Breathe.”“Breathe,”Buffysaidagain,andthentoGiles,“Thisbigguy,Luke,hetalked
aboutanofferingtotheMaster.Idon’tknowwhoorwhatthatwas,butiftheyweren’tjustfeeding,Jessemaystillbealive.I’mgonnafindhim.”Calmernow,Willowofferedasuggestion.“Thisisprobablyadumbquestion,
butshouldn’twecallthepolice?”“Andthey’dbelieveus,ofcourse,”Gilesreplied.“Wedon’t have to say vampires,”Willow stammered. “We could say there
was...abadman.”Buffyshookherheadconsolingly.“Theycouldn’thandleitiftheydidcome.
They’donlyshowupwithguns.”“You’venoideawheretheytookJesse?”Gilesaskedher.“Ilookedaround,but...soonastheygotclearofthewoodstheycouldhave
just—”Buffymadeaquickmotionwithherhand.“—whoom.”“Cantheyfly?”Xanderlookedsurprised.“Theycandrive.”“Oh.”Willowtriedtothinkback.“Idon’trememberhearingacar.”“Well,let’stakeanenormousintuitiveleapandsaytheywentunderground,”
Gilessaid.“Vampires really jam on sewer systems,” Buffy agreed. “You can get
anywhere in town without catching any rays. I didn’t see any access aroundthere,though.”Xandershrugged.“Well,there’selectricaltunnels.Theyrununderthewhole
town.”For a moment Giles considered this. “If we had a diagnostic of the tunnel
system,itmightindicateameetingplace.Isupposewecouldgotothebuildingcommission—”“Wesodon’thavetime,”Buffycuthimoff.“Uh,guys?”Willowsaidtentatively.“Theremaybeanotherway.”
CHAPTER13
“ASlayer...”TheMasterponderedthispossibility.“Haveyouanyproof?”Lukeansweredhimwithasneer.“Onlythatshefoughtmeandyetlives.”“Verynearlyproofenough,”theMasterconceded.“Ican’trememberthelast
timethathappened.”“Eighteenforty-three.”Lukelookedalmostembarrassed.“InMadrid.Caught
mesleeping.”TheMastergaveavaguenod.“Shemustn’tbeallowedtointerferewiththe
Harvest.”“Iwouldneverletthathappen.”“Youneedn’tworry.Ibelieveshe’llcometous.”Ashistwoservantslooked
athimquestioningly,theMasteradded,“Wehavesomethingthatshewants.IfsheisaSlayerandthisboylives,she’lltrytosavehim.”LukewalkedovertoJesse.Hishideousfacesplitinamacabresmile.“I thought you nothing more than a meal, boy,” he chuckled.
“Congratulations.You’vejustbeenupgradedto‘bait.’”
TruetotheMaster’sprediction,Buffywasevenatthatmomenttryingtoplanarescue.“Thereitis,”Buffysaideagerly.Willowsatatthecomputerwhileeveryoneelsegatheredaroundher.Showing
onthescreenwasacompletemapofthecity’selectricaltunnels.“This runs under the graveyard,” Willow explained, pointing to one in
particular,butXandershookhishead.“Idon’tseeanyaccess.”“Soallthecityplansarejustopentothepublic?”Gilesasked.“Uh,well,inaway,”Willowfrownedalittlesheepishly.“Isortofstumbled
ontothemwhenIaccidentally...decryptedthecitycouncil’ssecuritysystem.”Xander’sfocusremainedonthescreen.“Someone’sbeennaughty...”“There’snothinghere,”Buffysoundeddisappointed.“Thisisuseless!”“Ithinkyoushouldeaseuponyourself,”Gilesconsoledher,butBuffyturned
onhim,obviouslydistressed.“You’re the onewho toldme I wasn’t prepared enough. Understatement. I
thoughtIwasontopofit,andthenthatmonsterLukecameoutofnowhere—”ShebrokeoffabruptlyandXanderglancedupather.“What?”Xanderasked.But Buffy was remembering the scenes from the past night playing out
perfectlyinhermind.“Hedidn’tcomeoutofnowhere,”shesaidexcitedly.“Hecamefrombehindme.Iwasfacingtheentrance.Hecamefrombehindmeandhedidn’tfollowmeout.”Shelookedat theother threefacesaroundher.“Theaccesstothetunnelsisinthemausoleum.”“Areyousure?”Gilesstraightened.“ThegirlmusthavedoubledbackwithJesseafterIgotout,”Buffywenton.
“God,I’msomentallychallenged!”Xander steppedback, ready for action. “Sowhat’s the plan?We saddle up,
right?”“There’sno‘we,’”Buffycorrectedhim.“I’mtheSlayerandyou’renot.”“Iknewyouweregonnathrowthatinmyface,”Xandergrumbled.“Xander,thisisdeeplydangerous.”“I’minadequate.That’sfine.I’mlessthanaman.”Xanderturnedhisbackonherandwalkedoff.Withasympatheticglancein
Xander’sdirection,WillowappealedtoBuffy.“Buffy,I’mnotanxioustogointoadarkplacefullofmonsters,butIdowant
tohelp.Ineedto.”“Thenhelpme,”Gilesrepliedwithouthesitation.“I’vebeenresearchingthis
Harvestaffair.Seemstobesomesortofpreordainedmassacre.Riversofblood,hellonearth...quitecharmless.Iamfuzzyonthedetails,however,anditmaybethatyoucanwrestsomeinformationfromthatdreadmachine.”Hepaused,glancingfromoneuncomprehendinglooktoanother.“ThatwasabitBritish,wasn’tit?”headmitted,embarrassed.Buffysmiled.“Welcometothenewworld.”“IwantyoutogoontheNet,”Gilestranslated.“Oh!”Willowbrightened.“Yeah.Sure.Icandothat.”“Then I’m out of here,” Buffy announced. “If Jesse’s alive, I’ll bring him
back.”Gilessteppedforward,hisgraveexpressionsoftening.“DoIhavetotellyou
tobecareful?”Buffymethiseyesforalongmoment.
Andthenshewentout.Sheheadedacross theschoolgroundstowardtheoutergate.Itwasstanding
wide open, but before she could go through, Mr. Flutie suddenly appearedbehindher.“Andwheredowethinkwe’regoing?”Mr.Flutiegreetedher.“We?”Buffywasallinnocence.“I?Me?”Mr.Flutiegaveherapatronizinglook.“We’renotleavingschoolgrounds,are
we?”“No!I’mjust...admiringthefence.Thisisqualityfencework.”“Because if wewere leaving school grounds on our second day at a new
schoolafterbeingkickedoutofouroldschoolfordelinquentbehavior—”Theprincipalpaused,drawingabreath.“DoyouseewhereI’mgoingwiththis?”Buffy’smindworkedquickly.“Mr.Giles!”sheburstout.“What?”“He asked me to get a book for him,” Buffy explained. “From the store,
’cause I have a free period and I’m a big reader—did it mention that onmytranscripts?”Mr.Flutiestaredather.“Mr.Giles.”“Askhim.”ButMr.Flutiesteppedaroundher,closedthegate,andlockedit,fussingthe
wholetime.“Well, maybe that’s how they do things in Britain; they’ve got that royal
familyandallkindsofproblems.ButhereatSunnydalenobodyleavescampuswhileschool’sinsession.Areweclear?”Buffykeptherfacepleasant.“We’reclear.”“That’s theBuffySummersIwant inmyschool.Thesensiblegirl,withher
feetontheground.”Theprincipalsmiledbeforeheturnedandwalkedaway.ForabriefmomentBuffygazeddownatherfeet.Thenshetookaleap,sailed
easilyoverthefence,andlandednimblyontheotherside.Shethrewonequicklookbackoverhershoulder.Andthensheran.
*
WillowandXander left the library andwentout into thehall.Thebell hadrungandstudentswerealreadyfilingintotheirclasses.
“Murder,death,disaster,”Willowmumbled,makingalistinhernotebookastheywalked.“Whatelse?”“Paranormal, unexplained.”Xander thought aminute, then asked, “You got
naturaldisasters?”Willowgavehimanod.“Earthquake,flood...”“Rainoftoads.”“Right.”“Rainoftoads.”Xander’stoneborderedondisbelief.“Aretheyreallygonna
haveanythinglikethatinthepaper?”“I’llputitonthesearch.Ifit’sinthere,it’llturnup.Anythingthat’llleadus
tovampires.”Xanderlookedgrumpy.“AndI,meanwhile,willhelpbystandingaroundlike
anidiot.”“Not likean idiot,”Willowsoothedhim.“Juststanding.Buffydoesn’twant
yougettinghurt.”Shecasthimasidelongglance,thenaddedinamuchsmallervoice,“Idon’twantyougettinghurt.”They’d reachedWillow’s class.The twoof themstood sideby sideoutside
thedoor.“This is just toomuch,”Xandersighed.“Yesterdaymy life is like, ‘Oh,no.
Popquiz.’Today—rainoftoads.”“I know,” Willow agreed, looking around at all the other students. “And
everyoneelsethinksit’sjustanormalday.”“Nobodyknows.It’slikewe’vegotthisbigsecret.”“We do. That’s what a secret is. When you know something other guys
don’t.”Hergentle sarcasmwas totally lostonXander.“Right,”hesaid.“Well,you
bettergettoclass.”“Youmean‘we.’‘We’shouldgettoclass.”“Yeah.”“Buffywillbeokay,”shereassuredhim.“Whatever’sdownthere,Ithinkshe
canhandleit.”“Yeah,Ido,too.”“SodoI.”Butdeepintheirhearts,neitherofthemreallybelievedit.
CHAPTER14
Buffymadeherwaythroughthegraveyardoncemore,backtothemausoleum.Exceptforthefeeblelightanglinginfromthedoorway,itwasjustasdarkin
hereasithadbeenthepastnight,andBuffymovedcautiously, inchingfartherandfartherintothegloom.Hereyeskeptacontinualwatch.Everysensewarnedher that a presence lurked nearby, but the shadows closed thick about her,revealingnothing.Shereachedtheirondoorontheoppositesideoftheroom.Shetriedit,butit
waslocked.Standingthere,sheloweredherarmstohersidesandletoutalong,slowbreath.Withoutturningaround,shesaid,“Idon’tsupposeyou’vegotakeyonyou?”Foramoment,nooneanswered.Andthenhermysterious“friend”steppedfromtheshadows,afaintsmilein
hiseyes.“Theyreallydon’tlikemedroppingin,”heanswered.“Whynot?”“Theyreallydon’tlikeme.”Buffycouldn’thelphersarcasm.“Howcouldthatpossiblybe?”“Iknewyou’dfigureoutthisentrywaysoonerorlater,”hesaid,changingthe
subject.“Actually,Ithoughtitwasgonnabealittlesooner.”“I’m sorry you had to wait,” Buffy retorted. “Look, if you’re gonna be
poppingupwiththiscrypticwise-manactonaregularbasis,canyouatleasttellmeyourname?”Anothersilence.Then,“Angel.”“Angel.”Shewaited for a last name.Whenhedidn’t respond,Buffy added
somewhatoffhandedly,“It’saprettyname.”“Don’t go down there.” The warning was calm, matter-of-fact. Buffy
shruggeditoff.“Dealwithmygoing.”“Youshouldn’tbeputtingyourselfatrisk.TonightistheHarvest.Unlessyou
canpreventit,”hisvoicedroppedtoawhisper,“theMasterwalks.”StubbornlyBuffyheldherground. “If thisHarvest thing is such a suckfest,
whydon’tyoustopit?”“BecauseI’mafraid.”Itwasananswershehadn’texpectedandwasn’t the leastpreparedfor.The
unashamed openness of his confession caught her completely off guard. Shestaredathim,athisfacesilhouettedinthedimlight.Shekickedthedooropen.“They’llbeexpectingyou,”Angelsaid.“I’ve got a friend down there—or a potential friend.” Almost as an
afterthought,Buffyjoked,“Doyouknowwhatit’sliketohaveafriend?”Angel didn’t answer. Buffy paused, a note of gentleness creeping into her
voice.“Thatwasn’tsupposedtobeastumper,”shetoldhim.“Whenyouhitthetunnels,headeast,towardtheschool.That’swhereyou’re
likelytofindthem.”“Yougonnawishmeluck?”AgainAngelwassilent.Buffygazedathim,thenturnedabruptlyandheaded
intothedarkness.Angelwatchedhergo.He stood there for a long while without moving, and his face held quiet
concern.“Goodluck,”hesaidsoftly.
CHAPTER15
The tunnelsspread likea forbiddenmazebeneath thecity.Darkand twisting,theyraninalldirections,andasBuffymadeherwaycarefullydownaflightofsteps,shewonderedifshe’deverfindherwayoutagain.Shestoodforamoment, takinginhersurroundings.Damp,fetidairwashed
overher,and therewasafarawayechoofdrippingwater.Whenaratscurriedacross her foot, Buffy didn’t even flinch. Instead she squared her shoulders,choseonetunnel,andstarteddown.Shemovedslowly,hersensesgropingintoeverycrackandcrevice, through
every thickbankofshadows. Itwasaperfectbreedinggroundfor theundead,shethoughtgrimly—andsheknewtheycouldbeanywhereatall,watchingher,waiting.With themurky blackness flowing over her, she continued along thetunnel,heartpoundingwildlyinherchest.Shecametoacornerandturned.Thisnewpassagewayseemedtobeempty,
but still she hesitated amoment longer, ears straining through the eerie quiet.Oncemoreshestartedforward,everynerveonedge.Shethoughtsheheardsomethingthen.Spinningaround,shesneakedbackthe
wayshe’dcomeandpeeredaroundawallintoyetanothertunnel.Shadows,butnothingmore.Avaguehumofindistinctnoise,butnothingshe
couldreallyidentify.Buffypulledherheadback...Andrealizedhewasstandingbehindher.Foronehorrible instantshefroze.Herbodytensed,preparedforattack,and
shewhirledaround,rightintoafamiliarface.“Didyouseeanything?”“Xander!”Buffyexploded.“Whatareyoudoinghere?”“Something stupid. I followed you,” Xander didn’t seem at all contrite. “I
couldn’tjustsitaroundnotdoinganything.”Buffystaredathim,notknowingwhethertolaughorscream.“Iunderstand.
Nowgoaway.”“No!”“Xander,you’regonnahaveto!”
“Jesse’smybud,okay?”Xanderinsisted.“IfIcanhelphim,thenthat’swhatIgottado.”Shepaused,weighingthesincerityofhiswords.“Besides,”Xanderadded,“it’sthisorchemclass.”Buffysighed.Without furtherargument, theycontinueddown the tunnel, reaching theend
andpausingtolisten.Therewasnothingaroundthenextcorner.Relieved, they turned into still anotherpassageway, their eyes searching the
shadows.Theykeptclosetoeachother,bodiestense,readyforanything.“Okay,” Xander said, trying to prepare himself. “So, crosses, garlic, stake
throughtheheart.”“That’llgetitdone,”Buffyassuredhim.“Cool.Ofcourse,Idon’tactuallyhaveanyofthosethings.”Buffy gave him a look, then immediately handed him a cross. “Good
thinking.”“Well,thepartofmybrainthatwouldtellmetobringthatstuffisstillbusy
tellingmenot to comedownhere,”Xanderdefendedhimself. “Ibrought this,though.”Heproduceda flashlightandflicked iton.Thebrightbeamof lightstabbed
throughthedarkness,illuminatingseepingwallsandoozingpuddlesunderfoot.“Turnthatoff!”BuffyhissedwhileXanderscrambledtodoso.“Okay,okay,”Xandercomplied.“So,whatelse?”“Whatelsewhat?”“Forvampireslayage.”Buffysighed.“Fire,beheading,sunlight,holywater...theusual.”“So,”Xander’svoicesoundedalittleweak.“You’vedonesomebeheadingin
yourtime?”“Oh,yeah.Therewas thisone time, Iwaspinneddownby thisvampire,he
playedlefttackleforthevarsity—Imean,beforehewas...wellanyway,he’sgotoneofthosereallythicknecks,andallI’vegotisalittleX-Actoknife—”ShebrokeoffabruptlyasXandergapedather.“You’renotlovingthisstory,”sheaccusedhim.Xandermanaged to suppress a shudder. “Actually,” hemumbled, “I find it
oddlycomforting.”
CHAPTER16
Inthelibrary,Gileswasonaquestofhisown.Withhisancienttextsspreadoutuponthetable,helookedcloselyfromoneto
another,readingpassages,ponderingtheirvariousmeanings.He’dbeenatitforsome time now, and the look on his facewasweary but still determined. Hepicked up yet another of his volumes, consulted it, and suddenly discoveredsomethingquiteinteresting.Gilespeeredcloselyatoneparticularpassage.Andthenhebegantotranslate
italoud,softlytohimself,fromtheoriginalLatin.“‘Fortheywillgather,andbegathered.Allthatistheirsshallbehis....From
theVesselpourslife.’”Gilespaused,repeatingthoughtfully,“Pourslife...”Hestudiedtheengravingonthefacingpageofhisbook.Thepictureshoweda
hideousman-beastwithhis hand extended, commanding a throngof villagers.Allofthevillagerswerebleeding.Belowthem,inwhatmighthavebeenhell,ademonglowedwithpower.Gilesleanedcloser.Hisbrowfurrowedinconcentration.Uponthebestialone’sforehead,acrudesymbolhadbeendrawn.Astarwith
threepoints.Giles squinted behind his glasses, peering intently at yet another passage.
Oncemorehebegantoread.“‘Onthenightofthecrescentmoon,thefirstpastthesolstice,itwillcome.’”Hestraightenedup.Realizationdawneduponhisface.“Ofcourse,”hemumbled.“Tonight.”
“ArewegoingtotheBronzetonight?”HarmonyaskedCordelia.Theywereincomputerclass—definitelynotoneofCordelia’sfavorites.And
today—likeallotherdays—even thougheveryoneelsewasworkingdiligentlyontheirassignments,devisingprogramswasthefurthest thingfromCordelia’smind.NowsheglancedoveratHarmony,herclasspartner,whowasalsostruggling
tomakesenseoftheirproject,andHarmonyrealizedthatCordeliahadn’theard
herquestion.“No!”Cordeliaburstoutintotalfrustration.“It’ssupposedtofindthesyntax
andmatchit.Or,wait...”Harmonykepthereyesonthekeyboard,typingslowly.“Arewegoingtothe
Bronzetonight?”sheaskedagain.“No,”Cordeliaretorted.“We’regoingtotheothercoolplaceinSunnydale.”Harmonygaveherablanklook,andCordeliasighed.“Ofcoursewe’regoingtotheBronze!Fridaynight,nocover.Butyoushould
havebeentherelastnight.”Harmony didn’t ask what had happened. Instead she just frowned at their
program.“Ithinkwedidthispartwrong.”“Whydowehavetodevisetheseprograms?”Cordeliaaskedirritably.“Isn’t
thatwhatnerdsarefor?”SheglancedatthedeskbesidethemwhereWillowwassitting.“Whatdidshedo?”shemumbled.Harmonycranedover to look atWillow.Thegirlwasobviously lost inher
ownworld,whateverthatcouldpossiblybe.ShewasbringingthingsupontheNet andwas completely engrossed in herwork, typing intently, scrolling, andsearchingforGodknewwhat...HarmonyshruggedandlookedatCordelia.“Uh,she’sdoingsomethingelse.”Cordeliaglared.Sureenough,thenerdgirlwasbusyatthenextterminal,her
foreheadcreasedintotalconcentration.Cordeliadismissedherwithasneerandwentbacktoholdingcourt.“Okay,” she said to Harmony, trying half-heartedly to focus on their
assignment.“Andthen‘PatternRun,’right?Or‘GoToEnd.’That’sit.”Harmonylookedcompletelylost.“Maybe...Ithink...”“Well,whatdoesthebooksay?”Cordeliawaspracticallyoutofpatience.As
Harmony lookedup the procedure,Cordelia tried oncemore to interest her insomegossip.“Soanyway,”shewenton,“Icomeoutof thebathroomandshecomesrunningatmewithastick,screaming,‘I’mgonnakillyou!I’mgonnakillyou!’Iswear.”“Who?” Jared asked.Hewasoneof the cutest guys in class, andhe leaned
eagerlyfromhisdesknowtolisten.WithsmugsatisfactionCordeliarealizedshe’dfinallyhookedanaudience.“Buffy,”shetoldhim.“Thenewgirl,”Harmonyechoed.Jaredlookedpuzzled.“What’sherdeal?”“She’scrazed!”Cordeliasaid.
“Did you hear about her old school?” Harmony asked conspiratorily.“Booted.”“Iexhibitnosurprise,”Cordeliadeclared.Jaredleanedcloser.“Whywasshekickedout?”“’Causeshe’sapsycholoony,”Cordeliasaid.“No,she’snot.”The voice was totally unexpected. It spoke out firmly and calmly, and the
otherthreeturnedtolook.Willow sat staring at them. Cordelia stared back. No one—no one—ever
contradicted Cordelia, and it took an endless moment for the reality of thesituationtoactuallysinkin.“What?”Cordelialeveledherwithanicygaze.“She’snotapsycho,”Willowsaid.“Youdon’tevenknowher.”Cordelia’svoiceroseindignantly.“Excuseme?Whogaveyoupermissionto
exist? Do I horn in on your private discussions? No. Why? Because you’reboring.”Hurt flashed in Willow’s eyes. She lowered them quickly, then stood and
gathered somepages that had comeupon theprinter.Cordelia and the othersturnedbacktotheirprojects.“There.”Harmonysoundedrelieved.“Ithinktheprogram’sdone.”Cordelianodded.“Finallythenightmareends.Nowhowdowesaveit?”Willowwasjustgoingoutthedoor.Sheglancedbackandsaid,“Deliver.”“Deliver.”Cordeliastaredatthescreen.“Whereisthat—oh!”ShespottedthekeymarkedDEL.Shetappeditsmartlywithonefinger.Therewasalongpause.Cordelia and Harmony kept their eyes upon the computer screen. They
watchedas theirprogramfaded, thenmeltedaway . . .while theirownsmilesmeltedintoutterbewilderment.
CHAPTER17
“They’reclose,”Buffysaid.They’d been walking quite a while without speaking. Tunnel after tunnel
melted into nothingness behind them, and their uneasiness continued to grow.Therewasnocomfortablebanterbetween themnow.Theairwasheavy, thickwith a dark, dangerous expectancy, and Buffy frowned as she scanned theblacknesswithworriedeyes.“Howcanyoutell?”Xanderaskednervously.“Nomorerats.”Itwasn’texactlytheinformationhewantedtohear,butXandersaidnothing.
Theypassedthroughseveralmoretunnelsbeforehespokeagain.“Overthere.”Hestopped,pointing.“What’sthat?”Ahead of them was a small, gloomy side chamber. They could just barely
makeouttheoutlineofadoorway,butpastthat,nothing.Afteraquickglancebehind them, the twowalkedcloser.Xanderpulledout
hisflashlightandplayeditslowlyovertheentrance.Thelightshonefaintlyjustbeyondtheopening.Overthemotionlessshapeof
abody,lyingfacedownontheground.Xanderdrewaquick,suddenbreath.“Jesse!”“Oh,no...”Buffymurmured.ShestartedforwardasXanderkeptthelightfocusedonher.ReachingJesse,
sheheldoutherarmstohelphim.Jesseleapedatherwithoutwarning,aheavypipebrandishedinhisfist.Ashe
preparedtobringitdownonherhead,Xander’svoicerangout.“Jesse!”Jessestopped,amazed.“Xander?”With a look of sheer relief, Jesse dropped his weapon. He walked slowly
towardhisfriend,meetingXander’shugwithoneofhisown.Afteramoment,Xanderpulledaway,holdingJesseatarm’slength,lookinghimover.“Jesse,man,areyouokay?”“I’mnot okay on an epic scale.” Jessemade a frail attempt at humor. “We
gottagetoutofhere!”
Hepointedtohisleg.Aheavychainheldhimfasttoametalringinthewall.“It’scool!”Xanderassuredhim.“Buffy’sasuperhero!”At thementionofhername, thesuperhero frownedand ranonehandalong
Jesse’srestraints.“Holdon,”shesaidgrimly.Taking thepipehe’ddropped,Buffysmashed the lockon theshackles.The
sound of it reverberated back and back through the labyrinth of tunnels, andXandercringed,fixingherwithadoubtfulstare.“Youthinkanybodyheardthat?”hemurmured.From the corner of her eye Buffy thought she saw something moving just
outsidethechamberdoor...severalblackindistinctshapesshiftingwithintheshadows.Shemotionedtheotherstofollowherout.“Theyknewyouweregonnacome,”Jessetoldheranxiously.“Theysaidthat
I—Iwasthebait...”“Oh,nowyoutellus,”Xandergrumbled.“I’veseentheirleader,”Jessewenton.Hedidn’thavetoelaborate;asBuffy
andXanderwatchedhim,thelookofsheerhorrorinhiseyessaidalltherewastosay.QuicklyBuffy led theway back through the tunnel. Thenwithoutwarning,
shefrozeinhertracks.XanderandJessecouldseethemnow,too.Thedeep,murky,shadowythings
movingattheotherendofthepassageway...“Oops,”Buffysaid.Jesse’svoicequiveredwithfear.“Oh,no,no...”“Doyouknowanotherwayout?”Jessethrewheradesperatelook.“Idon’t,uh,maybe?”“Comeon,”Xanderordered.Turning, the three of them hurried in the opposite direction. They began to
run,andastheycametoajunctionofseveraltunnels,theychoseoneandheadedinside.Theydidn’texpecttoseetheeyesthereaheadofthem,gleaminginthedarkness—theydidn’texpectthewhisperedsoundsoflaughter.Inrisingpanictheyswungbackagain,untiltheyreachedyetanotherintersection.“Wait, wait,” Jesse paused breathlessly. “They brought me through here!
Thereshouldbeawayup.Ihope.”Noonestoppedtoargue—theysimplyran.Amomentlatertheyfoundthemselvesinasmall,murkychamber.Toolate,
they saw the vampires closing slowly in behind them—too late, they realizedthere was no other way out. In mounting horror, Buffy and Xander lookedaroundforanescape,buttherewasnowheretogo.Buffyracedbacktothedoorway.Shecouldhearthevampiresstalkingcloser
andcloser, and sheglanced frantically ather friends. “Idon’t think this is thewayout!”“We can’t fight our way back through those things,” Xander’s voice was
shakingasmuchasherown.“Whatdowedo?”“I’vegotanidea,”Jessesaid.HewasstandingrightbehindXander.Butastheothertwoturnedtolookathim,hewasn’tJesseanymore.Hisfacewasrepulsiveandtwisted,aninhumanface,anunholyface.Hiseyes
werecoldandpassionless,andashesmiledatthem,hispointedteethgleamedthroughthedarkness.Buffy and Xander were too shocked to answer. As they stared at him
helplessly,Jesse’ssmilewidened.“Youcandie.”
CHAPTER18
Inpainfullyslowmotion,XanderbeganbackingawayfromJesse,whileBuffy’smindraced,tryingtothinkwhattodo.AssheglancedatJesse,thenbackagaintothedoorway,shecouldhearthevampiresclosinginonthem,couldseetheirshadowsslitheringalongtheoutsidewalls.“Jesse...”Xandertriedtoappealtohim.“Man,I’msorry...”Jesse regarded himwith a triumphant sneer. “Sorry? I feel good,Xander. I
feelstrong.”Evenastheytalked,Buffywasgrabbingatthedoor,tryingdesperatelytoshut
it—butthethickmetalhadrustedbadly,jammingitopen.“I’m connected,man,” Jesse slowly advanced onXander. “To everything. I
canhearthewormsintheearth.”Xandermanagedaweaknod.“Well,that’saplus.”“Iknowwhat theMasterwants. I’ll servehispurpose.Thatmeansyoudie.
AndIfeed.”“Xander!”Buffyshouted.“Thecross!”Xander didn’t hesitate. Gripping it tightly, he thrust the cross in front of
Jesse’sface.Jessestoppedinhistracks.Hisuglysmilebegantofade.Withallherstrength,Buffypushedagainstthedoor.Atlastshecouldfeelit
givingwaybeneathher,eversoslightly—butshecouldalsohearthevampires,theirmeasuredfootfalls,theirmuffledlaughteralongthepassageway.Theywerepracticallyattheentrancenow,andintheflickeringshadowsshecaughtquickglimpsesoftheirfiendishgrins.Theywerecertainoftheirvictory.Itwasonlyamatterofseconds.“Jesse.”Xandertriedagain.“Man,we’rebuds.Can’tyouremember?”“You’relikeashadowtomenow,”Jessesnarled.Xandermovedtowardhim,crossinhand.“Thengetoutofmyface!”Jessewas furious.He stumbled backward asXander forced him toward the
doorway.Withalast-ditcheffort,Buffyheavedatthedoor.Shecouldseethevampires
massedtogetherinthecorridor.Gettingnearer...nearer...Jesse lashed out, knocking the cross from Xander’s grasp. He grinned
victoriously—butonlyforaninstant.WithoutwarningBuffygrabbedhimfrombehindandhurledhimoutof the room,knockingvampiresover like somanybowlingpins.Xanderstoodstaringindisbelief.“Helpme!”Buffycried.Recoveringhimself,Xanderrushedtoheraid.Thetwoofthemwedgedtheir
backsagainstthedoor,strainingforalltheywereworth.Atlasttherewasaslowgroanoflooseningmetal—andthen—blessedly—thedoorslammedshut.Thearmshotinwithoutwarning.Gropingandgraspingfortheirfaces,tryingtopullthemout.Buffy jerked the door open slightly, then slammed it again till the arm
withdrew.Thistimeshemanagedtoboltthedoor,andasshedidso,sheturnedtolookatXander.He was as breathless as she was. Still stunned over what had happened to
Jesse.“Ican’tbelieveit...weweretoolate.”Aresoundingthudshudderedthedoorbehindthem.Thevampiresweretrying
tobreakitdown.“Weneedtogetoutofhere,”Buffysaidgrimly.“Thereisnooutofhere!”Another thudshook thedoor to itsveryframe.Horrified,Buffycouldsee it
beginning to buckle on its hinges. She glanced around,mindworking swiftly.Therewereoddsandendsofassortedjunklyingabouttheroom,andshestartedpickingthemup,flingingthemaway,searchingforsomeotherrouteofescape.Xanderwasalsoscanningthearea.Ashiseyesdartedquicklyoverthewalls,
hesuddenlyspiedsomethinghighupintheshadows.Itlookedlikeanairvent.Justahintofgratingbehindametalsheet,practicallyobscuredbythedarkness.“What’sthat?”heasked,gettingBuffy’sattention.Buffylooked, too.Shethrewdownaboxshewasholding, thenuseditasa
footstooltotryandreachthevent.Shepeeledawaythesheetofmetal,revealingthegratebehindit.Herheartgaveahopefulleap.Itwasindeedanairvent.Anditwasbigenoughtoclimbthrough.Usingherbarehands,Buffytriedtopryopenthegrate.Shetriedtoshutout
thesoundsofthevampiresbehindthem,thethuddingandpounding,thescreechofbreakinghinges...XanderglancedworriedlyfromBuffytothedoor.Itwasoffitshingesnow,hecouldsee—justenoughforavampiretoputhis
fingers through, just enough for a vampire to get a really good grip—Buffy
rippedthegratinglooseandflungitaside.“Comeon!”sheshouted.Avampireshotoutoftheairvent.Itsrottingarmcamestraightather,andthe
scalyfingersclosedaroundherhead.Behind them, the door burst wider. A vampire’s face squeezed through,
grinningattheminsmugtriumph.Buffy yanked the vampire out of the vent and hurled him to the floor. She
jumpeddownontopofthecreature,pinninghim,andyelledatXander,“Go!”Xander didn’t argue. He raced past her and climbed up on the box just as
Buffy sank a stake into the vampire’s back. Fumbling the flashlight, Xanderaimeditintothevent.Empty.Theventseemedclear,atleastfornow.With one last look at Buffy, Xander crawled inside the vent and began
worminghiswaytowardsafety.Inthedistance,hecouldhearamuffledcrashasthedoorbrokedownatlast.
Hecouldhearthevampirespilingintotheroom.Atthelastpossiblesecond,Buffyjumpedup,clawingatthewall.Then she pulled herself into the air vent and hurried afterXander,with the
vampiresclosebehind.Crawlingon all fours in the darkness,Buffy andXanderwere awareof the
creaturesfollowing,squeezingtheirrottingbodiesonebyoneintothenarrowairvent,keepingcloseontheirtrail.Theyhadnoideahowfarthey’dgone,butsuddenlythetunnelopenedintoa
muchwiderspace,andthetwoofthemspottedaladderleadingup.Highabovethem,thefaintestglowofsunshineshowedthroughagratingatthetop.XanderglancedoverhisshoulderatBuffy.“Up?”“UP!”Hestartedclimbing,Buffyrightbehindhim.Reachingthetop,heopenedthe
grating, thenhoistedhimselfoutonto thedesertedstreet.He turnedatonce tohelpBuffy.Hishandclosedtightlyaroundhers,andhebeganpullingherfree.She’dalmost cleared theopeningwhen somethinggrabbedher.She felt the
scaly,pointed fingers clamparoundher ankle as thevampire tried todragherbackintothehole.Instinctively, Buffy strained upward.With Xander’s arms tight around her,
shepulledharder,forcingthehandintotheafternoonsunlight.Thefingersbegantosmoke,and therewasahorriblestenchofburningflesh.Afteranagonizingshriek,thehandtwistedbackintothedarknessandBuffyrolledout,slamming
thegrateshut.ShelayonthegroundbesideXander.Neitherofthemspokeandneitherofthemmoved.They only lay there, side by side, stunned and shaken, trying to catch their
breath.
CHAPTER19
TheMasterroseslowlyandsilentlyfromhischair.Hisfacewasgrimandhiseyesweredangerouslyhard.Severalvampiresstooduneasilybeforehimandhetookhis timewith them,
toyingwiththeirfear,allowinghispitilessgazetolingeruponeachoneinturn.“She escaped,” theMaster spoke at last. “Shewalks freewhen I should be
drinkingherheart’sbloodrightnow.Careless.”ThevampirecalledColinatlastfoundthecouragetospeak.“Master,wehad
hertrapped,”hetriedtoexplain,buttheMasterstoppedhimwithaglance.“Areyougoingtomakeexcuses?”theMasterhissed.“Youareallweak.It’s
beentoolongsinceyoufacedaSlayer.”Heconsideredamoment,thenadded,“Butit’snomattertome.She’llnotstoptheHarvest.ItjustmeanstherewillbesomeoneworthkillingwhenIreachthesurface.”HetookastepclosertoColin.HeleaneddownintoColin’sface.“IsLukeready?”theMasterasked.Colinnodded.“Hewaits.”TheMaster seemedpleasedat this.Hegesturedvaguely toanothervampire
whokepthisheadlowered.“It’s time,” the Master said. “Bring him to me.” Then, almost as an
afterthought,“AndColin,youfailedme.”Hisvoicepurredwithgentlemalice.“Tellmeyou’resorry.”Colinfeltastaboffear.“I’msorry...”hewhispered.“There,now.”TheMasternodded.“Thatwasn’tsohard.Oh,holdon—”Hejabbedhis fingerviciously intoColin’s face.Colingasped inpainashis
eyeballsuddenlypopped,squishingdeepinitssocket.TheMastersmiledathim.“You’vegotsomethinginyoureye.”
CHAPTER20
Gileswas still poring intentlyoverhisnotes.Whenhe suddenly realized thatsomeonehadenteredthelibrary,heglancedup,hisvoicehopeful.“Buffy?”Willow shook her head, looking apologetic. “It’s just me. So there’s no
word?”Giles’sfacefell.“Notasyet.”Helookedverytiredashetookoffhisglasses.“Well,I’msurethey’re...great,”Willowoffered,tryingtoreassureherself
asmuchashim.“Didyoufindanythingofinterest?”heaskedher.Thegirlsatdown,spreadingoutthecopiedarticlessohecouldsee.“I thinkmaybe. I looked throughtheoldpapers,aroundthe timeof thatbig
earthquakebackin‘Thirty-seven.”Willowplacedherfingerononeofthepages.“Andforseveralmonthsbeforeit,therewasarashofmurders.”“Great!”Gilesstraightenedandputhisglassesbackon.“Imean,notgreatina
goodway....Goon.”Willowobligingly began flipping through the articles. “They sound like the
kindyouwerelookingfor.Throats,blood.Months,andnotevenaclue.”“It’s all coming together.”Henodded.And then,with an anxious glance at
Willow,“Iratherwishitweren’t.”
Thetimewasdrawingnearer.TheHarvestwasathand.Darla lit the last row of candles at the back of the church. Solemnly she
steppedawayfromthem,clutchinghertaper,andattheexactmoment,anothervampirecompletedhisownrowoflightedcandlesalongtheoppositewall.Theflickeringlightcastastrange,sicklyglowoverthecongregation.Thetwolinesofcandlesextendedallthewaytothealtar,totheplacewheretheirMasterstoodwaiting.The chanting had begun again. Yet not quite a chanting . . . more a low,
primalwhisperthatmadethebloodturncold...
Lukesteppedforwardanddrewoffhisshirt.HesteppedforwardtothealtarandknelthumblybeforehisMaster.When theMasterheldouthishandLukekissedit,andwhentheMasterturnedhisopenpalmupwardLukekissedthataswell.And then very gently, Luke took hold of the Master’s wrist. He lifted it
delicatelytohismouth,andhesankhisteethdeepintothearteriesandveins.The Master winced. He shut his eyes and felt centuries of time flowing
throughhim.AsLukecontinuedtofeed,herearedbackhisheadinanagonyofdeliciouspain.“Mybloodrunswithyours,”theMastersaid.“Mysoulisyourprovince.”“Mybodyisyourinstrument,”Lukemurmured.Luke pulled away.TheMaster took one drop of blood fromhis ownwrist,
thentouchedittoLuke’sforehead,paintingathree-pointedstar.Hefacedhisdisciplesandspoke.“Onthismosthallowednight,weareasone.LukeistheVessel.Everysoul
hetakesshallfeedme.Theirsoulswillgrantmethepowertofreemyself.”Asmilespreadacrosshisface.Hiseyesnarrowedwithkeenanticipation.“TonightIwillwalktheearth...andthestarsthemselveswillhide.”
BuffyandXanderdraggedthemselveswearily into the library.AsGilesandWillow stared open mouthed at their disheveled appearance, it was painfullyobviousthatnothinggoodhadcomeoftheirsearch.Still,Willowcouldn’thelpasking.“DidyoufindJesse?”sheasked, thoughdeepdownshewasprettysureshe
alreadyknewtheanswer.Xanderconfirmeditwithatersereply.Hewouldn’tevenlookather.“Yeah.”“Worse,”Buffyechoed.Sheploppedheavilyintoachair,herfaceamixtureofangerandregret.“I’msorry,Willow,”shesaid.“Weweretoolate.Andtheywerewaitingfor
us.”Willowshookherhead.“Atleastyoutwoareokay.”“Idon’t likevampires,”Xanderburstout.Heaimedhis foot at a trash can,
kickingitinfrustration.“I’mgonnatakeastandandsaythey’renotgood.”BuffyturnedtotheWatcher.“So,Giles,yougotanythingthatcanmakethis
dayworse?”“Howabouttheendoftheworld?”herepliedcalmly.“IknewIcouldcountonyou.”
“This iswhatweknow,”Gileswenton.“Somesixtyyearsago, averyold,verypowerfulvampirecametothisshore,andnotjusttofeed.”Buffy sat down at the table. She rested her chin on her hands. “He came
’causethistownisamysticalwhoosit?”“Yes.TheSpanishwhofirstsettledherecalleditBocaDelInfierno—roughly
translated:Hellmouth.”Gilesbeganpacing.“Asortofportalfromthisrealitytothenext.Thisvampirehopedtoopenit.”“Bringthedemonsback.”“Endoftheworld,”Xanderclarified.“But he blew it,” Willow picked up the story. “Or, I mean, there was an
earthquakethatswallowedabouthalfthetown.Andhim,too—oratleasttherewerenomorevampire-typekillingsafterward.”Gileslookedthoughtfulashepulledupachair.“Openingdimensionalportals
istrickybusiness.Oddsarehegothimselfstuck.Likeacorkinabottle.”“AndthisHarvestthingistogethimout?”Xanderasked.“Itcomesonceinacentury.Onthisnight.”Giles stood and crossed to a chalkboard where he’d rendered several
mysteriousdiagrams.Hebegantodesignseveralmoreasheexplained.“AMaster candrawpower fromoneofhisminionswhile it feeds.Enough
powertobreakfreeandtoopentheportal.TheminioniscalledtheVessel,andhebearsthissymbol.”Hepaused,pointingtoasketchofthethree-pointedstar.“So,” Buffy made an attempt at cheerfulness. “I dust anyone sporting this
look,andnoHarvest.”“Simplyput,”Gilesresponded,“yes.”“Anycluewherethislittleget-togetherisbeingheld?”“Well,thereareanumberofpossibilities—”BeforeGilescouldfinish,Xanderbrokein.“They’regoingtotheBronze.”Theroomwentsilent.Theyallstaredathim.“Are you sure?”Willow looked surprised, but Xander simply shrugged his
shoulders.“Come on, tasty young morsels all over the place. Anyway, that’s where
Jesse’sgonnabe.Trustme.”“Thenweneedtogetthere.”Giles’svoicewastense.“Thesunwillbedown
beforelong.”Thefourof themheadedout thedoor,butBuffysuddenly turnedinanother
direction.
“Igottamakeastop,”sheexplained.“Won’ttakelong.”“Whatfor?”Gilesasked.Buffygaveasecretivesmile.“Supplies.”
CHAPTER21
Duskwasalreadybeginningtofall.ThelastbloodredraysofsunlightstreamedthroughBuffy’swindow,andthe
roundballofsuneaseditselfloweruponthehorizon.“Buffy?”JoyceSummerscalledfromthehallway.Buffyheardher,butshedidn’trespond.Shejustkeptrummagingthroughher
closetashermotherfinallyenteredthebedroom.IfyouareborntobeaSlayer,Buffyreasoned,youhavetolookthepart—youcan’twearjustanyoldoutfittotheHarvest...Thebrownjacket,shedecided.Theleatherone.Definitely.“You’regoingout?”hermotherasked,standingbehindher.Buffy heard the frown in hermom’s voice. She tried to keep her own tone
casual.“Ihaveto.”Therewasapause.Thenhermothersaidjustascasually,“Ididn’thearyou
comeinlastnight.”Buffythoughtquickly.“Iwasquiet.”This time the silence wasn’t pleased. And it bordered dangerously on
disappointment.“It’shappeningagain,isn’tit?”Joycesighed.Buffystoppedrummaging.Shestraightenedup,turned,andfixedhermother
withalevelgaze.“Igotacallfromyournewprincipal,”Joycewenton.“Saysyoumissedsome
classestoday.”“Iwas...runninganerrand.”Buffysmiledbrieflyandturnedbacktothecloset.Shepulledoutanoldtrunk,
opened it, and began going through the contents. She could feel hermother’seyesboringintoherback.“Wehaven’t finishedunpacking,andI’mgettingcalls fromyourprincipal,”
Joyceworried.“Mom,Ipromiseyou,it’snotgonnabelikebefore.”Anedgeofdesperation
creptintoBuffy’svoice.“ButIhavetogo.”“No.”
Buffycouldn’tbelievewhatshewashearing.“Mom...”She glanced up at the window, at the thickly spreading darkness. Joyce
awkwardlystoodherground.“The tapes all say I should get used to saying it,” she explained to Buffy,
soundingalmostdefensive.“No.”“Thisisreally,reallyimportant,”Buffysaidpleading.“Iknow.Youhavetogooutorit’llbetheendoftheworld.Everythingislife
ordeathwhenyou’reasixteen-year-oldgirl.”“Mom,Idon’thavetimetotalkaboutit—”“You’vegotallnight,Buffy.You’renotgoinganywhere.Nowyoucanstay
uphere and sulk if youwant. Iwon’t hold it against you.” Joyce took adeepbreathandputbothhandsonherdaughter’sshoulders.“Butifyouwanttocomedown,I’llmakeussomedinner.”Sheleft,closingthedoorquietlybutfirmlybehindher.Buffystaredafterher
foramoment,thenshookherheadandreacheddownintothetrunk.All her special things were in there—photographs, letters, her diary,
mementoesfromherchildhood,aTeenBeatmagazine...Shegropedalongthebottom,thenlifteditout.Noonebutsheknewthatthe
trunkhadafalsebottom.Andnoonebutsheknewaboutthesecretcachethatlaybeneathit—thestakesandcrosses,thehost,thegarlic,thewidemouthedjarofholywater.Quicklyshegatheredeverythingupandstuffedthemintoabag.Then, almost reverently, Buffy withdrew one particularly deadly looking
stake.Itfitinherhandasifitwerepartofit,anormalextensionofherarm.Thissheslidcarefullyupintohersleeve.Shegotupandwenttothedoor.Shepressedherearflatagainstthewood.Foralongmomentshestoodthere
andlistened.Thenshetiptoedtothewindowandopenedit.Andcrawledoutintothenight.
CHAPTER22
“Seniorboysaretheonlywaytogo,”Cordeliasaidwithpracticedennui.Shewasholdingcourtagain—thistimeattheBronze—andhergroupieswere
gatheredadoringlyaboutherattheirtableonthebalcony.“They’re just a better class of person,”Cordeliawent on. “The boys in our
grade? Forget about it. They’re children. Like Jesse—did you see him lastnight?”Sherolledhereyesinhalfamusement,halfdisgust.“Thewayhefollowsme around . . . he’s just like a little puppy dog—you justwant to put him tosleep.”Sheleanedforward,eyeswidewithsuperiority.“Seniorboyshavemystery,theyhave...what’sthewordI’msearchingfor?
Cars.”Besideher,Rainestartedtospeak.Cordeliainstantlyinterrupted.“I’mjustnotthetypetosettle,”sheexplained.“IfIgointoaclothingstore,I
always have to have themost expensive thing, not because it’sexpensive,butbecauseitcostsmore.”AgainRaineattemptedtospeak.AgainCordeliacutheroff.“Hello!”Cordelia flashedhera lethalstare.“MissMotormouth—canIgeta
sentencefinished?Oh!Ilovethissong!”With friends in tow, she jumped up and headed down the stairs. Within
minutesshewasdancingawayintothemiddleofthecrowd,smuglyconsciousofthemalestaresuponher—nottomentiontheenviousglaresfromthefemalepopulation.Sheknewshelookedfantastic.AtthedoorJessewalkedin,butnottheJessethatCordeliahadonceknown—
andloathed.ThisJessewasanewman.Therewasacool,subtleswaggerinhisstep—alookofsupremeconfidencein
hiseyes.HisgazewentstraighttoCordelia.Andhesmiled.
Outside the entrance to the Bronze, things were relatively quiet. A fewstragglers lounged against thebuilding, laughing and talking, but the sidewalkwasdeserted.At first, no one noticed them coming—the eight shadowy figures strolling
leisurely up the street. Their faceswere bathed in the dim glow of sputteringstreetlights,andnoneofthemsaidaword.NotevenLuke.
Jesse made his way slowly through the crowds, circling Cordelia, his eyesneverleavingherface.Shedidn’tnoticehimatfirst.Itwastheburningintensityofhisgazethatfinallyalertedher,andthenwhenshesuddenlyrealizedwhoitwas,shestaredathiminsurprise.Therewassomethingverydifferentabouthim.Somethingshecouldn’tquitefigureout,butsomethingstrangelyseductiveall
thesame.Aslowsongwasplayingnow.Cordeliastoppeddancingandheadedoffthefloor.Suddenly hewas just there, closer than ever, standing right in front of her,
blockingherway.Smilingavague,knowingsmile.“Whatdoyouwant?”Cordeliademanded.Shewasn’tfoolinganyone.Notevenherself,andcertainlynotJesse.Without
awordhetookherhandandledherbackontothefloor.“Hey!”Cordeliaobjected.“Hello,caveman-brain!Whatdoyouthinkyou’re
doing?”Heturnedtoher...gaveheranirresistiblesmile.“Shutup,”hesaid.She’d never have guessed he was such a great dancer. Guiding her to the
centerof thefloor,Jesseheldherandstartedmovinginperfectrhythm,barelytouchingher,hisbodysuggestiveandsensuous.Cordelia’s heart raced wildly. She could feel her resolve beginning to
crumble.“Justthisonedance...”shemurmured,andpressedclosetoJesse.
Theysawthebouncerbeforehesawthem.Hestoodatthefrontentrance,allauthorityandmuscle,andtriedtostopthem
astheyheadedforthedoor.“IneedID,”hetoldthem.
They wouldn’t answer and they wouldn’t stop. The bouncer wasn’tparticularlyfondoftrouble,sohetriedraisinghisvoice.“Hey!NobodygoesinsidetillIsee—”Lukehadno timefor threats.Hegrabbedthebouncerandheldhimface-to-
face,grazinghimcoldlywithhiseyes.Thebouncerdidn’tseemquitesobravenow.Infact,Lukecouldfeelhimshaking.“Getinside,”Lukegrowled.Once through the door, the vampires began spreading out, each of them
headingforanexit,whiletwostayedbehindtocloseoffthefront.Darlatookthedoor that led backstage. Another vampire made his way to the bar, swunghimselfover,andstoodinfrontof theexit.Asanotherpushedhiswaytowardthebalcony,Lukeclimbedupaloneontothestage.Darla checked her door once again,making certain itwas secure.Then she
openedafuseboxonthewallandflippedtheswitch.Immediately the main lights and music went off. Surprised gasps and
murmurssweptthroughthecrowd,andaseveryonelookedaboutinconfusion,avoicecalledoutfromthefrontoftheroom.“Ladiesandgentlemen,”Lukeannounced,“there’snocauseforalarm.”A single beam of light still shone onstage. Confident that he had their
undivided attention now, Luke stepped into the spotlight and faced thebewilderedcrowd.“Actually,”hislipstwistedinamockeryofasmile,“thereiscauseforalarm.
Itjustwon’tdoanygood.”He saw their expressions of revulsion and disbelief. He felt their waves of
weakness and growing panic coursing through his veins. He thrived on it—thrivedonallofit—itonlyservedtomakehimstronger.A terrified couple tried to get out.Luke grinned as the vampire at the door
teasinglyshookhisheadat them.His facewasas revoltingasLuke’s,and thecoupleshrankaway.Cordeliawasstaringupatthestage,Jesse’shandsstillonhershoulders.“Ithoughttherewasn’tanybandtonight,”shesaidblankly.ShelookedbackatJesse,recoilinginhorroratthehorriblechangeinhim,at
thehideous sightofhis face.She tried to struggle,butheheldher tightlyandpulledherbackintothedarknessbeneaththestairs.Itwastime.
*
“This is a glorious night,” Luke proclaimed. His predatory eyes hungrilyscannedtheseaoffacesbelowhim.“It’salsothelastoneanyofyoushalleversee.”Therewasatense,uncomprehendingmomentofsilence.ThenLukecommanded,“Bringmethefirst!”Hewatched,sneering,asthebouncerwasthrustonstage.“What do you guys want?” the young man asked earnestly. “You want
money?Man,what’swrongwithyourfaces?”Luke grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, squeezing any further
conversationoutofhim.“Watch me, people!” he shouted. And then to the struggling victim in his
grasp,“Theirfeariselixir.It’salmostlikeblood.”Withoneexpertmotion,Lukebitintotheyoungman’sneck,suckinghislife
outinhuge,wetgulps.Hecouldfeelawarmredhazeenvelopinghim...couldsensehisMastergrowingstrongerandstrongerwitheverysip,thepoweroftheagescoursingthroughhisMaster’sveins,radiatingthroughhimlikedivinelight...Lukecontinuedtofeed.After severalmoments longer, hepulledhisheadbackand flung theyoung
man’sbodyaway.“Next!”heroared.
CHAPTER23
TherewasnooneoutsidewhenBuffyandtheothersfinallyreachedtheBronze.Buffystruggledtogetthefrontdooropen,butitwouldn’tbudge.“It’slocked,”shetoldthem.Gileslookedalmostsick.“We’retoolate.”“Well,Ididn’tknowIwasgonnagetgrounded!”Buffyalmostyelledathim.“Canyoubreakitdown?”Xanderasked,butBuffyshookherhead.“Notthisthing.Youguystrythebackentrance.I’llfindmyownway.”“Right.”GilesglancedfromXandertoWillow.“Comeon.”“Guys!”Buffycalledouttothem.Thethreestopped.Buffyhandedthemherbag.“You get the exit cleared, and you get people out,” she instructed them.
“That’sall.Don’tgoWildBunchonme.”“Seeyouontheinside,”Gilespromised.As they took off around the building, Buffy began circling in the other
direction.Herexpressionwasgrimandshekepthereyesontheroofabove.ItonlytookaminuteforGilesandtheotherstoreachtheback.Xandertried
thedoor,butittoowaslocked.Theylookedaroundfranticallyforsomethingtoopenitwith.“Damn!” Xander exploded. “We’ve got to get in there before Jesse does
somethingstupiderthanusual.”“Xander,”Giles stoppedhim, “Jesse is dead.Youhave to remember that if
youseehim.”And then inakindervoice,“You’renot lookingatyour friend.You’relookingatthethingthatkilledhim.”
TheMasterwasevenmorepowerfulnow.His whole being seemed to glow with energy and light, with indomitable
strength,witheternallife.Hesteppedoncemore to themysticalwall thatconfinedhim.Heplacedhis
handsagainstitandbegantopush.Slowly...slowly...thewalldisintegratedathistouch.Veryslightlynow..
.butsoon...“Almostfree,”hemurmured.Heshuthiseyesandhisvoiceragedthroughouthissanctuary.“Yes!Givememore!”
*
Lukeobeyed.Flushed with power, Luke triumphantly dropped another body and looked
aboutathishostages.Theywerereallyterrifiednow,anditexhilaratedhimtoseeit.Withthetwo
corpses lying before them, the reality—and the utter hopelessness—of theirplight had begun to sink in at last, and he could hear screams and pitifulwhimpersfromthecrowd.Inacornerunderthestairs,DarlawasfacingoffwithJesse.Hestillheldonto
Cordelia,andhewasdeterminednottogiveherup.“Thisone’smine,”Jessechallengedher.Darlahadnotimeforhisgames.“TheyareallfortheMaster,”shetoldhim,
grabbingthestunnedgirlfromhisgraspandheadingtowardthestage.Jessepaused,disappointed.“Idon’tgetone?”They didn’t notice the upstairs window opening . . . the window by the
balconywhereanequallyobliviousvampire stoodwithhisback to it.NoonesawBuffyslipinandnoonesawherstandingthere,sizingupthesituation.“Ifeelhimrising!”Lukeshouted.“Ineedanother!”Buffystaredatthethree-pointedstaronhisforehead.“TheVessel...”shemurmuredtoherself.Butthistimethevampireondutydidhearher.Asheturnedandgrabbedher,
Buffy felt herself beinghauled to themiddleof thebalcony, another potentialofferingforLuke.Luke was still unaware of her intrusion. “Tonight is his ascension,” he
informedthehorrifiedonlookers.“Tonightwillbehistoryatitsend!Yoursisaglorioussacrifice.Degradationmostholy.”Hestopped,hisevilgazeslidingfromonefacetoanother.“What,novolunteers?”hemocked.AndthenDarlaemerged,holdingCordelia.“Here’saprettyone,”shesaid.“Nooo . . .”Cordelia struggled,but tonoavail.Asshestarted tocry,Darla
draggedhertowardthestageandhandedherovertoLuke.The activity had momentarily distracted Buffy’s captor. With one quick
movement,sheslippedfromthevampire’sgraspandthrewhimoffthebalcony.Helandedonhisbackrightinfrontofthestage.Theroomplungedintoshockedsilence.“Oh,I’msorry,”Buffysaid.“Wereyouinthemiddleofsomething?”Lookingup,Luke’sfacecontortedwithfury.“YOU!”“Youdidn’tthinkI’dmissthis,didyou?”Buffytossedbackathim.TheangerdrainedfromLuke’sexpression.Hislipscurledinadangeroussmile.“Ihopedyou’dcome,”hesaid.
CHAPTER24
Thedoorwasopenatlast.Wieldingametalpipe,GilesburstthroughthebackstageexitwithXanderand
Willowclosebehind.At the samemoment, a vampire rushedBuffy from the side.Grabbing him
easily,shetossedhimintothehookahpit,wherehetriedtoscramblebackup.Buffydidabackwardflip,sailedthroughthehole,andlandedontopofapooltable.Therewasacuelyingthere.Withonesimplehandspring,shegrabbeditandlandedneatlyonherfeet.Avampirecameatherotherside.Withoutlookingathim,shejammedthecueendintohisheart.Therewasa
soft soundofpunctured flesh, andwhenBuffy released thecue it stayed rightwhereitwas.“Okay, Vessel-boy.” She stared straight at Luke, challenge flashing in her
eyes.“Youwantblood?”Shesteppedforwardas thecuerose into theair. It lookedcuriously like the
armofaguardgate,andinthenextsecond,thevampire’simpaledbodythuddedtothefloor.“Iwantyours,”Lukesnarledather.“Onlyyours.”“Thencomeandgetit.”Seeingherchance,CordeliatriedtobreakfreeofLuke’sgrasp.Heflungher
roughly away just asBuffy leaped at him and slammed her fist into his face.Lukewasshockedatherstrength.Hestumbledbackinpain.Almost instantlyhecamebackather.Buffyduckedandmethis faceagain,
thistimewitharoundhousekick.Shewhippedoutherstakeandtookaim,butheblockedherwithablowtoherface.Badlyhurtnow,Buffyskiddedintothecorner.ThestakefellatLuke’sfeet.Asthecrowdpanickedandshovedinalldirections,thebackstagedoorburst
open.Xander stumbled out and nearly fell, but recovered himself at once.Hetookaquicklookaround,sawthattheimmediatevicinitywasfreeofvampires,andinstantlybeganherdingpeopleout.“Comeon!”heyelled.
Asfastashecoulddirectthem,Xandermovedthepanickycrowdthroughthedoor.Willow and Giles waited backstage to push everyone safely toward theexit.Lukewasclosingin.Buffykickedhimfiercelyinthechest,sendinghimbackagainstthewall.He
landedhard,andseeingherchance,shewentinforthekill.ThenshespottedXander.Hewastoobusygettingpeopleouttonoticethevampireathisback.Buffyturnedtothedrumkit,kickedthecymbaloffitsstand,andcaughtitin
midair.ThevampirehadreachedXandernow;shecouldseeXander’s lookoffearasthecreaturegrabbedhim.BuffyhurledthecymbalFrisbeestyle.Sensing something, the vampire turned, his eyes wide, as the cymbal flew
straightathisneck.Xanderheardthesliceandduckedaway.His eyes followed the trajectory of the severed head as it sailed across the
room.“Headsup...”Xandermumbled.BuffybarelyhadtimetoturnbeforeLukegrabbedherfrombehind.Hisarms
closedaroundherandheliftedherinacrushingbearhug.Xander started toward her, but a shriek stopped him in his tracks.Whirling
around, he saw Jesse dragging Cordelia farther below the stairs. As Cordeliascreamed and struggled, Jesse threw her to the ground and knelt above her,pinningherwithhisweight.“Holdstill!”Jesseorderedher.“You’renothelping.”Xandercameupbehindthem.Hestoodlookingdown,clutchingastakeinhis
hand.Hecoulddo it right then,he thought tohimself, couldend it right then,justplungethestakethroughJesse’sback,straightintoJesse’sheart...“Jesse,man...”Xanderbeggedhim.“Don’tmakemedoit.”Jesselookedup.Hisgrinwasanythingbuthuman.Helookedlikesomething
fromthedregsofanightmare.“Buddy...”Jessesaid.
Buffy twisted uselessly in Luke’s grasp. She could feel him squeezing andsqueezing—everythingaroundherspinning,fadingtoblack...Shecoughedandchoked,gaspeddesperatelyforair.Fromsomedistantplace
shethoughtshecouldhearLukelaughing.
“I’ve alwayswanted to kill a Slayer,” he confessed.He sounded proud andsomewhatamused.AndthenBuffyheardsomethingelse.Somethinginsideofherbeginningtocrack.
CHAPTER25
Thepanichadreachedfullproportionsnow.Backstage, people were still rushing out, and Giles shouldered his way
throughthem,shoutingtoWillow.“Comeon!We’vegottoopenthefrontaswell!”Heheadedforthedoor,movingagainstacurrentofhystericalpeople,trying
to reach the main room. Darla came out of nowhere, leaping upon him anddiggingforhisthroat.Gilestriedtousehisstake,butitknockedoutofhishandashetoppledtothefloor.
XandertookastepbackasJesseroseandfacedhim.“Jesse,Iknowthere’sstillapartofyouinthere,”Xanderinsisted.Jesse looked exasperated. “Okay, let’s deal with this. Jesse was an
excruciating loser who couldn’t get a date with anyone in the sightedcommunity!Lookatmenow!I’manewman!”To prove his point, he grabbed Xander and hurled him against the wall.
XanderslidbackdownagainandfellinaheapbesideCordelia.“See,” Jesse sighed impatiently. “The old Jesse would have reasonedwith
you.”
GileswasnomatchforDarla.While Willow dug frantically through Buffy’s bag for a weapon, Giles
continuedtostruggle,alltooawarethathewaslosingthebattle.Darlaheldhimflatagainst the floor,andashestaredupather,her teeth loweredmenacinglytowardhisneck.“Getoffhim!”Willowcried.DarlaturnedatthesoundofWillow’svoice.Somethingwethitherfullinthe
face,andsherealizedtoolatethatshe’dbeendousedwithholywater.Screaming, she brought her hands up to her cheeks, smoke pouring from
betweenherfingers.Gilespushedheroffandstaggered tohis feet,prepared toconfronther.But
Darlawasalreadystumblingoutoftheexit,herfaceascorched,sizzlingmaskofagony.
Uponthestage,itlookedasifBuffywaslosingherownbattle.HerbodywentlimpinLuke’smercilessgrasp.Herheaddangledforwardlike
aragdoll.Luke lookeddownather, smiling.Wildelation rushed throughhim,andhe
utteredhishumbleprayer.“Master,tasteofthisandbefree.”Hislipspeeledback...mouthopeningwide.Heloweredhishead,leaningin
forthekill.Buffyhithimsohard,hedidn’trealizewhathadhappened.Hefelttheback
ofherheadassherammeditupintohischin,andtheunexpectedimpactnearlyknockedhimoffhisfeet.“How’dittaste?”sheaskeddefiantly.Despite her bravado, she was still weak. She managed to grab the cymbal
stand,holding it out likeaweapon, andat the same timequicklyassessed thestagetotryandformanotherplan.Thenshenoticedthewindowatthebackofthestage.It hadn’t been that visible before, because someone had painted the entire
windowpaneblack.Buffylookedatthewindow.ShelookedatLuke.
JessepickedXanderupagainfromthefloorandshovedhimagainstthewall.Hedidn’t have time for all these interruptions, theseold reminders thatmeantnothingtohimnow.Heglaredatthiseasypreythathadoncebeenafriend,andcoldfuryetchedhisnewface.“I’msickofyougettingintheway,youknow?”herailedatXander.“Cordelia,she’sgonnaliveforever.You’renot.”Musteringhiscourage,XanderheldthestakeuptoJesse’schest.Hisfacewas
determined,butJessecouldseethatitwasalsoveryscared.Jessecouldn’thelpbuttaunthim.“Oh,right!Putmeoutofmymisery!You
don’thavetheg—”His words gagged in his throat. He felt the sharp, quick thrust and looked
downathisstomach.Apanic-strickengirlhadslammedintohimfrombehind.She’dbeentryingto
escapeandhaddrivenhimforward,rightontoXander’sstake.JessestaredatXanderinshockedsurprise.
Gasping,dying,hegrabbedontohisoldfriend.XanderwatchedstunnedaswhatoncehadbeenJessedisintegratedintoapile
ofdust.Hescarcelyhadtimetoreactbeforetwovampiresgrabbedhim.
Buffyswungthecymbalstandat thesteadilyadvancingLuke.Hedodgediteasily,bestowingheranevilgrinintheprocess.“Youforget,”hesneered.“Metalcan’thurtme.”Buffydidn’tflinch.“There’ssomethingyouforgotabout,too.”Shesawhissplit-secondpause—theflickerofdoubtonhisface.“Sunrise,”shesaid.Shehurledthestandthroughtheplate-glasswindowatthebackofthestage.
Glassshatteredeverywhere,andas thewarmlightstreamedinoverhim,Lukescreamedandraisedhishandstowarditoff.Thenhestopped.Hisexpressionwascompletelybaffled.With lightning quickness, Buffy drove her stake though Luke’s back. He
archedforward,hismassivebodytwistedinunbearablepain.“It’sinaboutninehours,moron,”Buffyremindedhim.ItwasthenthatLukerealizedthelightfromthewindowwasn’tdaylightatall.
Onlyastreetlight,shininginfromthedeep,safedarkness.Withagaspofamazement,hestumbledforward.He could feel his life draining . . . draining . . . andwith it the life of his
Master.Itwasasiftheywereoneandthesame:Lukestaggeringacrossthestage—theMasterstaggeringforwardinhislairasallthebright,vibrantenergybegandrainingfromhim, too.Lukecouldfeel theMaster’ssuffering—hisanguish—theMaster reachingout,doublingover, justasLukewasdoubledover, justasLukewasfallingandcrumblingtodust...Inthoselastbriefsecondsofawareness,Lukecouldseeeverythingending—
centuriesofhope,centuriesofwaiting,thelastvestigesofpowermeltingawayfromtheMasterasthatmightyonefellweaklytohiskneesandgropedblindlyforhelpthatwouldnotcome...Fromfaraway,Lukeheardhisstrangledcry.“Nooooo . . .” theMaster gasped, and as he touched themysticalwall that
entrappedhim,itwasonceagaintoostrongtoescape.Furyanddespaircrossedhisfaceashegazedupatit.Ascreamofdefeatwelledupinhisthroat.Throughamysticalhaze,LukegazedupandsawBuffystandingbreathlessly
overhim.Andthentherewasnothingmore.
CHAPTER26
Xanderstruggledfiercelywithhiscaptors.Thetwovampiresholdinghimhadmomentarilyshiftedtheirattention.Their
eyeswerenarrowed,focuseduneasilyonwhathadbeenhappeningonstage.TheysawBuffystaringdownatthespotwhereLuke’sbodyhadbeenonlya
moment before. Then they watched as she turned her gaze slowly anddeliberatelyonthem.Theyregardedherexpresssionforonefractionofasecond.Thenwithoutaword,theydroppedXanderandboltedforthedoor.Xanderwas justpickinghimselfupagainwhenGilesandWillowcameout
frombackstage.HeandBuffymettheminthemiddleofthedancefloor.Gilesglancedaround,anoteofreliefinhisvoice.“Itakeitit’sover.”“Didwewin?”Willowwasalmostafraidtoask.Thefourofthemlookedaboutatthecarnagesurroundingthem.Mostofthe
crowdhadmanaged to escape by then, but a few still remained, some sitting,somewandering,allofthemstunnedandsilent.“Well, we averted the apocalypse,” Buffy saidwearily. “You gotta give us
pointsforthat.”ShelookedoverandsawadazedCordeliastill inaheaponthefloorwhere
Jessehadlefther.Foronce,Cordeliahadnothingtosay.“Onething’sforsure,”Xandersighed.“Nothingisevergonnabethesame.”
OutinfrontoftheBronze,vampireswerefleeinginpanic.Asthelastofthemretreated down the street, Angel stepped quietly from the shadows and stoodtherealone,gazingafterthem.Heturnedslightlyandstaredattheentrancetotheclub.Andthenhesmiled.“Shedidit,”hemurmured.“I’llbedamned.”
CHAPTER27
ContrarytoXander’sprediction,thenextdaydawnedasitalwaysdid.Andeverythinglookedamazinglynormal.ThewarmCaliforniasunshineenvelopedSunnydaleHigh,andinthefountain
quad the routine was exactly the same. Students milled about laughing andtalking,andCordeliaheldcourtwithherfriends.“Well,Ihearditwasrivalgangsfightingforturf,”shesaiddramatically.She
glancedaroundatall theeager faces,heradoring fansclinging toeveryword.“Anyway,Buffytotallyknewtheseguys,whichistooweird.Ican’trememberanythingtoowell,butI’mtellingyou,itwasafreakshow.”“Oh,IwishI’dbeenthere,”oneCordelia-wannabesighed.Crossing the quad in the opposite direction, Buffy and her own friends
happenedtooverhearCordelia’splay-by-play.WhileBuffyhidasmile,Xanderturnedtoherinexasperateddisbelief.“Well,what exactlywere you expecting?”Buffy chided him,whileXander
gaveanindignantshrug.“I don’t know! Something. The dead rose!We should’ve at least had an
assembly.”“People have a tendency to rationalizewhat they can,”Giles reminded him
gentlyashejoinedthemoutsidethebuilding,“andforgetwhattheycan’t.”Buffynoddedinagreement.“Believeme,I’veseenithappen.”“Well, I’ll never forget it,” Willow said emphatically, giving an inward
shudder.“Noneofit.”Gileslookedpleased.“Good.Nexttimeyou’llbeprepared.”“Nexttime?”Xandersoundedsuspicious,whileWillowechoed,“Nexttimeis
why?”Giles gave them a tolerant smile. “We stopped the Master from freeing
himselfandopening themouthofhell.Doesn’tmeanhe’llstop trying. I’dsaythefunisjustbeginning.”“Morevampires?”Willowcroaked.“Not just vampires.”Giles stopped and turned to face them.His expression
wasverysolemn,evenforhim.“Thenextcreaturewefacemaybesomething
quitedifferent.”Buffyrolledhereyes.“Icanhardlywait.”“We’reatacenterofmysticalconvergencehere,”Gileswenton.“Wemayin
factstandbetweentheearthanditstotaldestruction.”Xandershookhishead.“Buffy,thisisn’tgood.”“Well,Igottalookonthebrightside,”Buffytoldthemcheerfully.“MaybeI
canstillgetkickedoutofschool.”ShesmiledatGilesandstartedoff,theothertwohurryingtokeepupwithher.“Hey,that’saplan,”Xanderwasagreeable.“’Causealotofschoolsaren’ton
hellmouths.”“Maybeyoucouldblowsomethingup,”Willowsuggestedhelpfully.“They’re
reallystrictaboutthat.”Buffyconsideredthiswithashrug.“Iwasaimingforasubtleapproach,like
excessivenotstudying.”Watchingthemgo,Gilesshookhishead.Hearchedoneeyebrowandsettledhisglassesmorefirmlyuponhisnose.“Theearthisdoomed,”hesighed.
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
Richie Tankersley Cusick loves to read and write scary books. Richie enjoyswriting when it is rainy and gloomy outside, and likes to have a spookysoundtrack playing in the background. She writes at a desk that originallybelonged to a funeral director in the 1800s and that she believes is haunted.Halloweenisoneofherfavoriteholidays.Shedecoratestheentirehouse,whichincludes having a body laid out in state in the parlor, life-size models ofFrankenstein’smonster, thefigureofDeathtokeepwatch,andscarycostumesforHannahandMeg,herdogs.Aneighbortoldherthatapreviousownerofthehousewas fearedbyallof theneighborhoodkidsandnoonewouldgo to thehouseonHalloween.
Richie is the author ofVampire, Fatal Secrets, The Locker, The Mall, SilentStalker, HelpWanted, TheDrifter, Someone at theDoor, Summer of Secrets,Overdue, Starstruck, and the novelization of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, inadditiontoseveraladultnovelsforPocketBooks.ShelivesoutsideKansasCity,wheresheiscurrentlyatworkonhernextnovel.