Cleansing - 3 -

    "Ben!" Tom placed his hands on the narrow wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding, "No!" he knew there was no hope of saving the only person he had left, but he was still going to try, "Don't die on me, you old fart!"
    Ben's eyes glazed over as he stared up at Tom. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He was already dead, but he wasn't willing to give in. The last thing that went through the man's head was that the boy before him didn't deserve what had happened to him.
    Tom narrowed his gaze on Ben as the man let out his last shallow breath. Tom didn't know what to do. His mind just shut down as he pulled his hands away from the man's chest and stared at the bright crimson blood that coated his hands. Why was it that he had to be coated in the blood of his loved ones again? What had he done to deserve such a fate?
    A large hand rested on Tom's shoulder and a strong masculine voice drifted down to him, "We must see to his funeral, Tom."
    Tom nodded as he stared down into Ben's vacant eyes, "He's dead," Tom looked back down at his blood soaked hands, "He's dead, Gustav."
    Gustav sighed as he nodded, "It is a shame, but he lived to be nearly sixty. A good run for any slayer."
    Tom jumped to his feet and spun towards Gustav, his dark eyes narrow, "He was killed by the very creature I set free! This is all my fault," he held his bloody hands out to Gustav, terrified of everything that was happening to him, "What am I supposed to do?"
    Gustav stared down at the young boy. He didn't understand why they were forcing Tom into the hall at such a young age. Gustav himself had just been inducted into the hall a couple months prior at the age of twenty and he thought it was too much to handle. Gustav sighed as he just shook his head, "Fix things."
    "How!" Tom dropped to his knees and just stared at his hands, "I've tried to be good. I haven't done anything wrong and I've still seen everyone I've cared about die. I've been coated in their blood!" his hands started to shake as the tears finally started to stream down his cheeks, "I'm covered in their blood!"
    Gustav's eyes grew wide as Tom started to tear at his clothes and drop to his knees. Coating the large while sweatshirt in Ben's blood. The boy was starting to panic after all that had happened. It wasn't the fact that the boy was freaking out that surprised Gustav. It was the fact that he held out so long. Gustav knew that he would have panicked way before this point.
    Gustav kneeled down next to Tom and grabbed the boy's trembling hands, "Tom," Tom looked up into Gustav's dark eyes as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks, "Everything will be okay."
    Tom just stared up at the older boy. There was no way he understood what was happening to him, "I watched my six year old sister get ripped apart, Gustav," he pulled his hands away from Gustav and pushed him away, "How the hell can you say everything will be okay! You can't know! You just can't!"
    Gustav nodded, "I know," he stood up and ran his hand through his light hair, "but this isn't going to make it better, Tom."
    Tom glared at the man as he jumped to his feet. He grabbed Gustav's collar and lifted him off his feet, "What am I supposed to do then? How am I supposed to make it better? There's no way I'm going to be able to hurt this creature!" with the last word Tom threw Gustav into the bookshelf, splintering the wood and causing the dozens of books to pile on the floor, "Huh? Gus! What the hell am I supposed to do!"
    Gustav stared up at Tom as the boy stared down at him with fire in his gaze. He had never thought that his words would upset Tom so much, but he was learning to regret it. Slayers had a higher tolerance for pain, but having a dozen or so wood splinters jabbing into your spine wasn't pleasant for any creature.
    "Stop being a little bitch!" Tom's eyes grew wide as he spun towards the entrance to see the only other slayer that he had met in person before, "Suck it up, Slayer, and stand strong. The council frowns on slayers banding together because they fear they will rise up and take out the council, but," he flicked his long chestnut hair back over his shoulder, "I haven't been one for the council."
    Gustav's eyes grew wide as he pushed himself up straight, "What are you saying, Geo?"
    Georg rolled his eyes as he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, "I've never listened to the council. I've been slaying since I was sixteen," he looked Tom over as he realized that the boy's anger had started to diminish, "I'm saying that I'm not going to leave Tom high and dry. This Bill thing is an eerie creature and I really want to test my skills."
    Gustav looked up at Tom to see that the boy was smiling over at his friend, "It's a kamikaze mission, Geo."
    Georg shrugged, "Yeah, but hell," his eyes lit up, "it's going to be one hell of an adventure!"
    Gustav sighed. He knew he should help the two younger boys, but he knew that what they were doing was completely idiotic. Those two had no sense and that was the thing that made Gustav's mind for him. They needed someone that actually knew how to think, "Where do we start, Geo?"
    Georg shrugged again as he looked around at all the books, "Go out and see what we can find on this creature."

-Bill was standing before a shop window as he stared at the mannequin before him. It was supposed to be female, but it didn't have a face. Even to Bill that was unnerving. He had seen stuff like this as he watched the world from his cell, but it still surprised him that the world had come to this point. What had happened to his beautiful world? Why did the humans embrace the demons? He had worked so hard so save them from such an ending, but the humans didn't see it.
    Someone bumped into Bill and he turned slowly to look at the human. He was small and frail with shaggy bleach blonde hair and light eyes. Bill could sense that the boy was nearing death's door and wondered if he would be able to imbue the boy with strength as he had done the infants. It was worth a shot.
    Bill placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled, "Andreas," his voice was level as he felt the power as it entered the boy. The boy's appearance wouldn't change, but that was fine with Bill. The boy wasn't horrid, not quite as perfect as his slayers, but he would do, "Follow me and I'll give you more than you could ever imagine."
    The boy pulled away from Bill as he felt the strength surging through his body, "Did you just drug me!"
    Bill shook his head as he smiled down at the boy, "No, I only helped you. Now, in turn, you help me," Bill held his hand out to Andreas and waited for the boy to take his hand, but Andreas turned and ran away.
    Bill let out a light sigh. He should have known that this would have happened. He saw the desperation in the boy's heart, but he knew that he would be able to get the boy no matter what. Bill started after the boy at a slow gait. He wasn't rushed. The slayers thought him weak since he had been caged for so long, but his power hadn't weaned at all.
    He could still take on an army by himself and he was going to make his children pay for what they had done to him. He was back and the millennia of solitude took away the mercy he did possess. His latest child wasn't going to escape him and he wasn't going to let the slayers capture him again. This was his world and he was going to take it back!