The crypt wall was hard and dirty, and it made an ominous cracking noise when Doug's shoulder slammed into it for the third time. He slid to the ground and stood up, wincing and swinging his arm in a tentative circle.
"You know who has cool powers?" he said. "Kitty Pryde. I mean, sure strength and endurance are awesome, but I could really go for phasing through walls." The vampire stalking toward him gave an unimpressed glare, and Doug sighed and raised his stake into a defensive position. "Okay, fine. You guys are lame conversationalists, you know?"
"Talking to your food is rude," the vampire said primly. With her neat sweater set and pearls, she looked like Martha Stewart, if Martha Stewart were a bloodsucking fiend. So, exactly like Martha Stewart.
"I'm sure Miss Manners will forgive you." Doug caught a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye and grinned. "I'm not food, anyway."
"What are you, then?" she asked sneeringly. "The big, bad Slayer, here to save the day?"
"Well, yeah," Doug said. "But also? I'm the distraction." And that's when Jo shot her right through the heart with a crossbow bolt. It was awesome.
"That was awesome!" Doug bounced on his toes as Jo wound her way between coffins (sarcophagi? Doug should ask Henry what the right term was for the boxes o' dead people that were laid out inside the crypt. It was probably a good idea to get the lingo down, since he was destined to spend all his nights in graveyards.)
"I told you I had great aim," Jo said. Smug was a good look for her; it made her eyes sparkle.
"Hey, good aim with a baseball doesn't necessarily translate to good aim with projectile weapons."
Jo arched an eyebrow. "Whatever. Let's just find Carter and get out of here."
"Right, yes." Doug nodded and twirled his stake. "Henry said there was a level of catacombs right below us. I'm guessing that's where they're keeping him."
"If they're keeping him," Jo said under her breath. Her hands were tight on the crossbow, and there was no longer anything sparkly about her.
"Don't think like that," Doug insisted. "He's okay, and we're going to save the day. Because we're awesome." A big part of Henry's Watcher-ly advice had to do with staying positive. A pessimistic Slayer was a dead Slayer, and Doug wasn't ready to be dead.
"Right," Jo said. Her eyes were shadowed and unconvinced, but she nodded. "Down we go, then."
Down they went.
The catacombs were, if possible, even creepier than the crypt had been. Someone needed to talk to the creatures of the night about their decorating habits, because they were way overselling the 'evil' thing. Doug and Jo kept close to the wall as they crept along the passage. It was dotted with alcoves containing bodies, and they had to stop and check each one. Twice, they heard vampires coming and pressed themselves into the nooks along with the bones, hiding just long enough to jump the vamps from behind. Since they were being all covert, Doug didn't try out any of his carefully prepared wit, just staked them quick and clean.
After several minutes, a side passage widened into a stone chamber, roughly square. There were no vampires in it, but tied up and slung in a corner was Jack Carter. Jo stilled for a moment when she caught sight of him, clearly expecting the worst, but then Carter groaned and she almost sagged in relief.
"Go untie him," Doug said quietly. "I'll guard here."
Jo cocked her head. "You sure?"
"You're better with knots than me." As Doug could attest, after the time in junior high when she'd tied him to the flagpole every day for a week. Which was clearly overkill; it's not like he'd meant to ruin her ballet recital.
More importantly, though, she and Carter were friends. They had that whole jock/cool kids bond going on, and if Carter was freaked out about being kidnapped by vampires and tied up for use as a ritual sacrifice, he'd probably be more reassured to see Jo than he would be to see Doug. Or as he was known at school, The Dork Who Blew Up the Computer Lab.
"Jo?" Carter's voice was a little unsteady, but he sounded okay. "What are you doing here?"
"We're getting you out of here," Jo said, kneeling down to untie his ankles.
Dougie the Vampire Slayer
***
The crypt wall was hard and dirty, and it made an ominous cracking noise when Doug's shoulder slammed into it for the third time. He slid to the ground and stood up, wincing and swinging his arm in a tentative circle.
"You know who has cool powers?" he said. "Kitty Pryde. I mean, sure strength and endurance are awesome, but I could really go for phasing through walls." The vampire stalking toward him gave an unimpressed glare, and Doug sighed and raised his stake into a defensive position. "Okay, fine. You guys are lame conversationalists, you know?"
"Talking to your food is rude," the vampire said primly. With her neat sweater set and pearls, she looked like Martha Stewart, if Martha Stewart were a bloodsucking fiend. So, exactly like Martha Stewart.
"I'm sure Miss Manners will forgive you." Doug caught a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye and grinned. "I'm not food, anyway."
"What are you, then?" she asked sneeringly. "The big, bad Slayer, here to save the day?"
"Well, yeah," Doug said. "But also? I'm the distraction." And that's when Jo shot her right through the heart with a crossbow bolt. It was awesome.
"That was awesome!" Doug bounced on his toes as Jo wound her way between coffins (sarcophagi? Doug should ask Henry what the right term was for the boxes o' dead people that were laid out inside the crypt. It was probably a good idea to get the lingo down, since he was destined to spend all his nights in graveyards.)
"I told you I had great aim," Jo said. Smug was a good look for her; it made her eyes sparkle.
"Hey, good aim with a baseball doesn't necessarily translate to good aim with projectile weapons."
Jo arched an eyebrow. "Whatever. Let's just find Carter and get out of here."
"Right, yes." Doug nodded and twirled his stake. "Henry said there was a level of catacombs right below us. I'm guessing that's where they're keeping him."
"If they're keeping him," Jo said under her breath. Her hands were tight on the crossbow, and there was no longer anything sparkly about her.
"Don't think like that," Doug insisted. "He's okay, and we're going to save the day. Because we're awesome." A big part of Henry's Watcher-ly advice had to do with staying positive. A pessimistic Slayer was a dead Slayer, and Doug wasn't ready to be dead.
"Right," Jo said. Her eyes were shadowed and unconvinced, but she nodded. "Down we go, then."
Down they went.
The catacombs were, if possible, even creepier than the crypt had been. Someone needed to talk to the creatures of the night about their decorating habits, because they were way overselling the 'evil' thing. Doug and Jo kept close to the wall as they crept along the passage. It was dotted with alcoves containing bodies, and they had to stop and check each one. Twice, they heard vampires coming and pressed themselves into the nooks along with the bones, hiding just long enough to jump the vamps from behind. Since they were being all covert, Doug didn't try out any of his carefully prepared wit, just staked them quick and clean.
After several minutes, a side passage widened into a stone chamber, roughly square. There were no vampires in it, but tied up and slung in a corner was Jack Carter. Jo stilled for a moment when she caught sight of him, clearly expecting the worst, but then Carter groaned and she almost sagged in relief.
"Go untie him," Doug said quietly. "I'll guard here."
Jo cocked her head. "You sure?"
"You're better with knots than me." As Doug could attest, after the time in junior high when she'd tied him to the flagpole every day for a week. Which was clearly overkill; it's not like he'd meant to ruin her ballet recital.
More importantly, though, she and Carter were friends. They had that whole jock/cool kids bond going on, and if Carter was freaked out about being kidnapped by vampires and tied up for use as a ritual sacrifice, he'd probably be more reassured to see Jo than he would be to see Doug. Or as he was known at school, The Dork Who Blew Up the Computer Lab.
"Jo?" Carter's voice was a little unsteady, but he sounded okay. "What are you doing here?"
"We're getting you out of here," Jo said, kneeling down to untie his ankles.