PIERCE ASKEG

THE LATE SHOW MAY BE YOUR LAST.

Sunnydale, California, hosts more than its fair share of action and horror. It's understandable, then, that news of the long-closed Sunnydale Drive-In's grand reopening with a scheduled night-long festival of classic action and horror movies is met with disinterest or disdain by Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia. Only Xander, who has been spending his afternoons on the drive-in's work crew, is eager to enjoy the rewards of his effort.

Buffy is too distracted to sit and take in a movie, anyway. A frightening encounter with a werewolf ends with its vanishing -- not into the woods, but evaporating like a ghost before her eyes. Suspicious people in dated clothing and hairstyles are spotted throughout town but don't appear to be the usual vampires.

And most disturbing, a sleeping sickness begins to sweep over town, leaving those affected in a state of extreme drowsiness -- or a coma.

It's no wonder no one notices the distinguished-looking gentleman of indeterminate age. His name is Balsamo. At least, that's what he's calling himself this century. But Xander simply knows him as "Boss" and has been promised a prime parking space for the upcoming evening's spectacle....