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Chapter 3: Dana

Dana walked through the desert. She loved the desert it was her home, where she belonged. There was always sun in the desert, and never any shadows for anyone to hide in. She was safe in the desert, no one could hurt her here.

Big Sister came across the sands to meet her. At first Dana had thought Big Sister was kind of scary looking. Her hair was wild and tangled. She was dressed in white rags kind of like a mummy, and her face was covered with white clay except for her eyes, which gave the impression she was wearing a dark mask.

But Dana knew Big Sister would never hurt her. Big Sister was a mighty warrior and a hunter. Big Sister killed monsters. According to Big Sister, Dana was a warrior too. Dana was strong now, and nothing could hurt her.

Big Sister motioned for Dana to follow. Big Sister rarely talked, but it didn't matter, Dana always knew what she meant. Today was special. Today Dana would be the hunter. Today Dana would have revenge.

He was here, the man who hurt her. Except he wasn't a man. He was a demon, and Dana knew how to kill him. Head and heart. Cut till you see dust.

Big Sister led her across the desert to where she could see him. He stood leaning over a woman dressed in black. Dana ignored the woman, she wasn't real, only the desert sand made flesh.

Big Sister handed her a wooden stake. The feel of the wood in her hand felt right, as if she had always done this. Dana took off across the sand, as the demon began to run. His black coat billowed behind him and his platinum hair shone in the sunlight.

He looked back over his shoulder at her, and Dana knew he was scared. She wasn't little anymore. She wasn't a child. The desert was her home and he didn't belong here. He couldn't hurt her now.

She tried not to think about that. About him coming for her, about him killing her parents and taking her down into the dark.

The desert shifted under her feet. She was running down the streets of a city. The streets looked vaguely familiar, as if they were from someone else's life.

It was night. Dana didn't like the night. The man came for her during the night and took her down into the place where there was no sun.

She tried not to think about it, tried to remember that she was strong now, that he couldn't hurt her. But it was hard. It was raining and the thunder and lightning scared her. It was just like the night when he had come for her.

Then up ahead she saw her house. The house she had lived in before the man came.

Dana screamed.

The man changed direction and ran toward her house. Dana tried to catch him, stop him before he could get to her parents. But suddenly she was no longer gaining on him.

He ran into the house before she could stop him. She froze in the doorway, too scared to follow him in. Lightning flashed behind her.

Then she was there, under her bed, hoping the man wouldn't see her, wouldn't find her. Her parents had stopped screaming. They had screamed for what seemed like forever. But it was quiet now, the only sound was the man's boots as he walked across her room to her bed.

She tried to hold very still, to be quieter than a mouse. But it was no good. He found her anyway. A bloody hand reached under the bed and dragged her out by the foot.

She struggled, but it was no good, he held her tightly and lifted her into the air.

She was sobbing now, and the man told her, "Don't cry. They can't hear you."

That's when Dana noticed it. It was a different man. He wasn't the demon with the white hair and the black coat. It was a different man, one with brown hair.

There was no time to wonder about it. The demon rushed into the room, roaring. He closed his hands around the neck of the brown haired man and there was a loud snapping sound.

The arms that held her went limp, and she fell for just a second before the demon caught her. He smiled at her, although she could see that he was scared.

He spoke, and he had a funny accent. "It's all right, moppet. But we have to get out of here. I know someplace safe."

"I thought it was you," Dana apologized.

Dana felt sorry for him. Big Sister was coming and she was mad. Dana had failed to kill the demon. She wasn't strong after all. She wasn't a warrior or a hunter.

Big Sister was there, behind him. She snarled in anger.

He put Dana down and she told him, "Big Sister's angry, I have to go now."

Dana didn't want to watch. She was confused. The demon had tried to save her, but he was a demon, she could sense that. And she had seen him before. She knew that.

She could remember him killing her on a train, and in a strange building with a big golden statue. And she could remember fighting him. In a school, and in a church. And once out in the sunshine. He was always trying to kill her. She remembered that, but it didn't seem to fit with everything else. So Dana retreated into the desert, where she was safe and strong.

Big Sister found her there, and Big Sister was angry. Once again Big Sister gestured for Dana to follow and Dana obeyed. She led Dana to a cave. Dana didn't want to go on, but Big Sister waited impatiently until Dana went in.

The cave was very large and there was a black spiral painted on the floor. Three men with dark skin and dressed in colorful robes stood around the cave. Dana didn't like them. They scared her, but Big Sister was pushing her forward deeper into the cave.

Then two of the men reached down and before Dana understood what was happening they had chained her wrists to the earth.

Dana began to struggle against the chains.

"I'll do better," Dana promised. "Head and heart. Cut till you see dust."

But they didn't listen. The three men moved to the edges of the spiral and began to beat the ground with their sticks. Big Sister moved to the center of the spiral.

The men spoke in a strange language but Dana understood every word they said.

"The dream has been corrupted," said the first.

"The demon walks through the sacred places," continued the second.

"The dream must be purged," finished the third.

The spiral began to glow. There was a bright flash. Dana screamed.

The First Slayer woke up.

She began with her fingers. Testing them, remembering what it was to be flesh. Her body did not respond as she thought it should. There was a heaviness about her limbs. She was drugged.

It didn't matter. The First Slayer was used to the fogginess of the dream, which she had guarded since her death. It would take some time, but she was the Slayer, and the drugs could not hold her for long. Then her sisters would be avenged, and the dream would be free of the vampire that had been drawn into it once and for all.





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