Title: Leftovers Prompt: # 11 "Something's better on the other side"
Pairing: As yet there are none.
Spoilers: Post-Show, End of The Long Way Home in the comics.
Rating: T Word Count: 638 Summary: After the general, Buffy, Willow, and Satsu look for other prisoners.
Disclaimer: All of this belongs to Joss Whedon. Also, unbeta-ed. I had a significant lack of volunteers.
Buffy locked the door behind her as she left the general behind. It wasn't good news, but she'd had worse. She caught up to Satsu and Willow as they finished healing the worst of the injuries.
"Let's check the other cells, see if anybody else needs rescuing. Be careful though, any demons they have locked up are probably more than half-crazy at this point.
Satsu took off in one direction, while Willow and Buffy took door 29. Buffy kicked open the door, then reeled back at the odor. Her eyes teared, but she still saw the decapitated body. "I know some demons are supposed to smell like this, but this one is definitely dead."
Willow already moved on to the next cell. They found few survivors, all of them showed signs of torture and neglect. Buffy's heart hurt when she found the family of Naberius demons. They'd died holding eachother.
"Ma'am, I think I found something," Satsu called from her end of the long hall. "I think she's human."
Both older women set out at a trot. The peered into cell 45 and studied the frantically rocking shadow in the corner.
Buffy heard whispering. "I'll lie, I can lie, but machines don't. I calibrated the machine every time. I used fresh baselin, I used your blood. They're human, they're human. Machines don't lie." She repeated the mantra, eyes firmly shut.
"Hey, you," Buffy called out as she took a cautious step forward.
The girl froze and her eyes shot open. They shone a startling blue against the layers of grime on her skin and hair. "You're not General Voll," she whispered tightly.
The blond woman shook her head. "No, I'm Buffy."
The girl gasped. "Slayer. Slayers are human. Blood says they are. Blood doesn't lie. Machines don't lie."
Buffy managed not to flinch when she put a hand on the girl's filthy shoulder. "I believe you. Please, calm down."
The girl looked up at the original Slayer. A tear tracked through the dirt on her cheek. "No more lies?" she asked.
Buffy shook her head firmly. "You never have to lie. I'd actually prefer it if you didn't."
The girl nodded. "Okay."
Buffy held out her other hand. "Let's get out of here. Get you into a shower, maybe?" She heard Willow and Satsu move away from the door.
The girl looked toward the empty doorway. "No!" She shouted and squeezed herself into the corner of the cell. "Not another trick. Not again. Stay right here. Wait for the hoses. Not leaving, not leaving."
Buffy sighed. Then punched the girl, who slumped over, unconcious. "Satsu, find a blanket. She's filthy and I am not picking her up like that."
The two slayers wrapped the woman security into a spare wool blanket found in a supply closet. I twas tight enough to prevent a struggle if she woke.
Willow leaned around the door fram. "They're starting to wake up. We'd better vamoose while the getting is good. If I can have a volunteer for battery duty, I'll get us back in Scotland quicker than a shake."
Buffy stood with the girl in her arms. "Use us both, spread it out."
They all stood in the cell, Willow with a hand on each slayer. buff felt the drain as Willow began to chant. It didn't take long for the image through the doorway to change. Buffy smiled when she saw the castle courtyard.
Then she felt the girl in her arms stiffen. She looked down at the frightened face. "I'm scared," the girl whispered.
Buffy smiled gently. "I'll be okay. Something's better on the other side. You'll see."
The girl squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. The slayer stepped through the portal, away from the hopless fear and certain death into ... a hopeful fear and possible death.
It wasn't perfect, but it would do.