She watched helplessly as he walked into Central Park, obviously to meet the girl.  “Bastard,” she heard somewhere in her head, “He’ll regret the day he ever said no to me…”

 ***

Mariah watched Billy with a look of pure lust in her eye.  She sighed and carried on drinking her malt.  The 50’s were a hard time for a young black girl like herself, with all these racist people around.  They didn’t care that she was the one stopping all these nasty-ass vamps eatin’ them alive!  If it weren’t for her, half of New York would be dead. At 17, she had lasted quite a while as the slayer. She was 13 when she was chosen, one of the youngest to be called her watcher had told her. Still, Billy never even looked at her.  Instead, he chose to chase around after Anna.  Slim, blonde, white, Anna.  Jealousy coursed through Mariah’s veins.  She got up and left, before her feelings could take action.

The vampire lurked in the shadows in the alley behind the malt shop.  He smelt a slayer in the neighbourhood.  As a newbie, he knew he was being cocky, going after her straight away, but he felt confident.  He could be like…a legend…Jimmy the vampire slayer…um…slayer…

Mariah walked the streets of downtown New York with her watcher, Veronica.

“Where were you today?” the young woman asked, “I needed you to go to the store or me…”

Veronica had looked after Mariah ever since she’d been chosen to be the slayer.  She took her away from New Orleans, away from her family, friends, and other relatives.  Mariah was close to Veronica, or Ronnie, as she liked to call her.  She was only couple of years older than her and the two young women had a good friendship.  Mariah didn’t know anything about Ronnie’s past; she just knew she was a good woman from Texas.  Ronnie continued to ask Mariah questions…

“Were you at the damned malt shop again?  You should have been training with me ya know?  What do you do there anyway?”

Ronnie guessed from Mariah’s look…

“Ya still don’t like that godamn Billy-Joe Westly do ya?  He’s nuthin’ but trouble!  He likes that Anna Olston doesn’t he?  Forget him hun, he aint worth your troubles, no man is…”

Ronnie trailed off…perhaps reminiscing about her past, it made Mariah wonder.  She continued…

“…And besides, a slayer can’t fall in love…”

The words echoed around Mariah’s head for the rest of the evening.

Jimmy watched the slayer and her pal, slowly walkin’ down the street…ripe for the picking.  The thing was, it was still daylight and if he went one step into the glorious sunshine…poof…big ball of flames and dust.  Not a good idea.  He’s just have to wait in the shadows until nightfall…

Mariah walked towards nowhere in particular, just patrolling the streets for vamps.  The night air was damp, but refreshing and she was lost in her own thoughts for a while…

Suddenly she walked right into…

“Billy!” Mariah cried out, with a little too much enthusiasm.  She quickly slid the stake into her pocket.

“Watch where you’re going you dumb bitch!” he shouted crudely.  Mariah felt the tears well up behind her eyes.

“S-s-sorry…I didn’t see you…ummmm…I was wondering if…”

Billy snorted with laughter…

“Yeah whatever; just leave me alone ok? I don’t like you…and even if I did…I wouldn’t even think of dating a weirdo like you…” And he stalked down towards Central Park, leaving Mariah alone. All was quiet for about 30 seconds, before she started to sob.  She quickly ran into a doorway of a closed shop and let herself cry.  Why?  What had she done? Why? Ronnie’s words rang in her ears…“a slayer can’t fall in love…” She stopped crying.  If she couldn’t be in love…well…neither could Billy.

Jimmy saw the slayer exit from the doorway and head in the same direction of that guy she talked to earlier.  This was it…he could finally go for it…

Mariah watched as Billy headed for the centre of the park.  She watched from behind a bush as he sat on a nearby bench to wait for Anna.  Mariah quickly glanced at her watch…nearly 8:30…that’s when they were to meet obviously. She slid down the path using all her slayer senses to listen out for anything.  She was like a hunter…and she’d just spotted her prey.  Anna was walking down the path.  Leaping out quickly, Mariah stood in front of Anna.  Sickeningly pretty, pleasant, perfect Anna.

“Hey Mariah!  How ya…” that’s as far as she got before the stake was plunged through her heart.  Anna tried to scream but Mariah’s hand flew over her mouth as she stabbed frantically at the girls chest and stomach.  After a few minutes, she was dead.  Mariah hid the body in a nearby bush, and hoped that a few vamps would devour it before morning.  Now for Billy….

Jimmy watched, horrified as the slayer killed a girl…a human girl!  This was no ordinary slayer…this was a rogue slayer…what had he gotten himself into?

Billy seemed troubled…where was Anna?  She was 10 minutes late…Mariah smugly watched him from a short distance.  She crept round to the back of the bench he was sat on…

“Billy….” A taunting call, barely a whisper, but he heard it.  He span around, seeking the person who had called his name.  Mariah crept forward and lovingly wrapped her hands around his eyes and neck…

“Guess who…?”

“Anna…?” he guessed tentatively…

The rage inside Mariah bubbled over.  He should be frightened, worried, or a little nervous, but all he could think about was her.

“Wrong…” she whispered…and quickly broke his neck, using all of her strength.  She left him there; almost as if he was asleep…when suddenly a vampire sprang out of the bushes.

Jimmy leapt at the slayer.  It was a battle to the end, kick, punches, and flips.  Even as a newbie his strength and power was a good match to hers.  When she stopped to get out her stake, he leapt at the chance to tease her…

“I know what you did slayer…you killed a human…two actually…”

The look on her face was priceless. Shock…and then…mock horror?

“Did I?” she replied, “You would call him human?”  She said, with malice clear in her voice.  Mariah lunged at Jimmy, and the stake went through the heart.  He seemed surprised…but quickly added…

“Your guilt will kill you better than I could have…” before he turned to dust. Silence pounded against Mariah’s eardrums as she repeated his words. She realised now what she had done.  She would have to face Ronnie, the locals, God…she was a murderer.  She ran back to the apartment she shared with Ronnie.  Quietly she crept in and headed over to the closet where they kept the weapons.  She pulled out a gun…it shone beautifully in the moonlight. It felt different now…in her hands…because she was a killer.  Shaking, she held it up to her head…felt the cold smooth barrel touch her scalp…and pulled the trigger.

BANG! Faith sat up in her cold hard prison bed.  The bang was from the guard at the door, screaming at her to wake up.  She stood up…shaking and comforted herself with the thought that the nightmare was in the past…in the past…the past…