Angel 6X06: Enter Sandman
Chapter 1: Say Your Prayers, Little One...
The cavern around them began to collapse. Spike could see the new slayers scrambling to escape through the seal.
"Go on then." he said to the slayer.
"No! No, you've done enough! You could still-" said Buffy.
"No, you've beaten them back," said Spike, the light pouring from his chest, destroying Turok-Han wherever it passed. "It's for me to do the cleanup."
"Buffy! Come on!" Faith shouted from the top of the seal, as more of the roof caved in around them.
"Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say, school's out for the bloody summer."
"Spike!" Buffy yelled.
"I mean it!" Spike said, the heat from the amulet burning him. "I gotta do this!"
Buffy looked deep into Spike's eyes, and took hold of his hand as it burst into flame.
"I love you."
"No, you don't, but thanks for saying it." He said with a sad smile. "Now go!"
"You're right." Buffy said standing in front of him, the emotion gone from her eyes.
"What?" Get out of here!" Spike screamed as flames licked his body.
"I could never love you William." Buffy said with a smile. "You're beneath me..."
The flames consumed Spike's writhing body, as Buffy stood laughing...
Spike awoke with a jerk. The nightmare again. He got up and splashed cold water from the sink into his face. He looked up and saw the empty mirror in front of him, nothing but the room staring back at him. Blood. Thats what he needed.
He made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Laura was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea.
"Can't sleep?" she said to Spike.
"Yeah. Funny thing about dying in a pillar of fire, leaves a lasting impression.."
"Getting nightmares? I never seem to get them. Or if I do I never remember them."
"Its better that way Red, trust me. You never want to get stuck in your head with your own nightmares. Especially when you have done some of the things I have over the years..."
The phone rang. The Council had a job for them.
When everyone had assembled in the lobby of the Hyperion, Laura explained the mission the Council had for them.
"According to the Watcher who called, there has been an outbreak of mystical comas across L.A. They have managed to discover a few details, but they are pretty sketchy."
"What details do they have for us then?" said Angel.
"A few reports state that just before the coma a mysterious, inhuman figure was seen around the victim, who disappeared right before they fell into the coma."
"Fair enough," said Spike, "Sounds like some kind of demon so far. What else you got?"
"The victims have almost all died a couple of days after falling into the coma. Eyewitnesses said that the victim's eyes flicked open, they screamed in obvious terror, and then died, their face twisted in a look of fear."
"Well that can never be good.." muttered Oz.
"There's one other thing." Laura said. "Each of the victims seem to have been present at the bedside of the person to die before them."
"Now that sounds a lot to me like a clue." said Faith.
"Well the Council have given us the details of the last person to fall into a coma, name, address, hospital they are being held at."
Angel stood up. "Faith, Oz. I want you guys to start doing some research on this. Get the stuff the Council gave Laura, and work from there. I want to know what we are dealing with here."
"Right boss." said Faith.
"Spike, Laura. You're with me. Lets visit the latest victim. Hope you got plenty of sleep guys. Looks like we have a long night ahead of us."