a new world hangs outside the window
beautiful and strange
it must be I've fallen awake
I must be

The chase was the best part.

As Buffy ran at full speed down the slick and murky brick-lined alleyways in what appeared to be an industrial district not far from the harbor, she felt her anxieties lifting, dissipating almost. It was as if returning to her old routine was what she needed after all. So she continued to sprint, pushing herself harder and faster as the thin, gangly vampire a few feet in front of her took a sharp left turn around a crumbling abandoned warehouse. As she whipped around the corner, a slender hand reached at the silver knife at her back and pulled it free from the holster. "Man this is fun, right?!" She called in a raspy growl to her prey, the fleeing vampire in front of her. A toothy grin was plastered across her sweaty face as they continued to paddle against the damp asphalt and puddle-ridden bricks streets. Her lungs heaved, protesting for air, but the familiar burn in her chest only fueled her fire.

Finally the vampire made a mistake, taking a last-ditch right turn into a dead-end alleyway. The slender, wife-beater wearing dark hunter slowed up as she too took the turn, and realized this was where the pursuit ended. The vampire man, clad in a tailored suit and tie, hissed at her feverishly before attempting to scale the brick wall. Buffy expertly tossed her knife into the air, which sliced through the vampire's palm in sharp precision and left him pegged to the wet brick wall. He recoiled and shrieked, but didn't dare try to pull his hand free from the dagger.

Casually Buffy approached, her hands placed at her hips with her mouth agape as she caught her breath. She tugged free the plaid flannel shirt she had tied around her waist and used it to wipe the beading sweat from her brow while she doubled over, her chest still rising and falling in quick huffs. She lazily slid herself to lean against the wall so she could get a better look at him. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?" She says with a goofy grin. The vampire said nothing, of course, so Buffy pulled out her phone and flipped to the last email she received from the Council. "Alright handsome, let's get a good look at your mug."She says now, cocking her head to peer closer at him while admiring a picture that was illuminated on her phone. "Yep, that's definitely you, Curtis."

Next she revealed an old-fashioned wooden stake. And that's when the pleas began. The vampire squirmed and danced in place. At first, Buffy was able to tune it out as she always had. But as she tightened her grip on the stake and took a step closer to make the kill, she choked up. She felt a sudden tightness in her chest and throat. Her heart was beating furiously, and not from the recent sprint. Suddenly, she felt paralyzed, if only for a second. The vampire continued to cry and plea.

"FUCK! She shouted over him, and turned on her heels so she didn't have to look at him anymore. She breathed in deeply through her nose and used her white knuckles to bead into the sides of her forehead. But the anxiety wouldn't give up its hold. After several silent minutes, she turned to face Curtis the vampire again, who'd grown quiet. "I can do this. I can do this. Right, Curtis? I mean, you're just another vampire. Just one more...." She said aloud. "And I know what you did, Curtis. I know it was you who kidnapped that little girl in the suburbs. I know what you did to her. I know you killed her." It was true. And he'd killed several little girls, hence the BOLO from the Council. He seeemed just the right kind of evil to get her back into the game after her extended time away. The vampire recoiled again, trying to hide his face from her. But it was too late. Buffy had regained her composure. She walks with deliberate, purposeful steps as she approached him again. She grabbed him by the forehead and pulled his body so his back pressed against her chest. She whipped his head back over her shoulder, and she swiftly slit his throat with the stake, dropping it like it was too hot the touch the second his undead insides began to spray against the wall.

And then she turned around and left, not once looking back at him. "Goodnight Curtis!" She called out over her shoulder as she rounded the corner, her chest still rising and falling with adrenaline. But her face was once again buried in her phone as she searched for the closest bar. All she could think of now was how badly she needed a drink.

GIA BUFFY JONES