Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening
Buffy choked as the first breath of air in months entered her lungs. She dry heaved, trying to get accustomed to the feel of the organs full of oxygen. When she opened her mouth, the flavor of dirt assaulted her taste buds. She coughed to rid herself of the offending soil, only to have it fall farther down her throat, making the task of breathing almost impossible. Instinct told her she had to get out before she suffocated so she begun punching and kicking the dirt ceiling with every ounce of energy she had.
Her hands were bleeding and dirt was covering her from head to toe. Her lungs and throat burned from the new, sudden intake of oxygen and its immediate absence shortly after. Her body ached from being cramped in the same position for so long and the constant banging on her dirt grave. When she finally felt cold air on her skin, she knew she had made it to the surface. Digging deep to find one last bit of strength; she managed to slowly pull herself out of the ground.
What the hell? It was the only coherent thought that she could manage in her current state.
She growled. It was low; animalistic and it came from deep within her. Anger fueled her as she made her way out of the cemetery, her steps slow. Her brain was still unable to function properly and the enormity of being alive once again had yet to seep through the fog that clouded her thoughts. She walked passed the gate of Restfield Cemetery onto the main road. The night was eerily silent and something inside her told her that it was a bad sign.
She rounded the corner and only to be confronted by the loud noise of motorcycle engines and the brightness of the bikes' lights. She squinted through her blurred vision and noticed the grotesque creatures atop the vehicles. The sudden attack on her depleted senses elicited another, angrier growl from her throat and she took a step back.
One of the biker demons heard her and turned around, grinning menacingly.
"Well, looky here boys. The Slayer is alive after all." He laughed.
The other demons had stopped their cycles to look at Buffy. She finally realized they had been circling something on the ground. From where she stood, it looked like a human. This angered her even more. She stepped forward once more, an icy glare on her face; her slayer side had recognized the demon threat and was ready for a fight. One of the demons hopped of his bike and headed for Buffy; figuring it would be an easy kill thanks to her confused state.
Buffy grabbed a nearby plank of wood that was leaning against a building and hurled it at the approaching demon. It hit him square in the face and he fell to the ground, unconscious. Two more demons charged her and she easily dispatched of them by jumping into the air and kicking them in the torso simultaneously. She grabbed another wooden plank from the pile against the building and shoved it through the chest of the one of the demons on the ground.
Another grabbed her from behind, trying to choke her. She easily flipped him on his back, smashing the plank through his face. With two dead and two unconscious demons on the ground surrounding her, Buffy looked up at the Hellion gang, a menacing look in her eyes, daring them to challenge her.
They knew better.
The two demons on the ground were left to fend for themselves as their gang made a quick exit out of town. With a grunt, Buffy threw the plank back against the pile. She walked up to the human on the ground, which with further inspection, she discovered was a woman. Buffy bent down and a chill ran down her spine. The women resembled her.
She came to the slow realization that it was the Buffy-bot.
Too traumatized and indifferent to mourn the loss of the robot, Buffy continued her journey down the street, her destination unknown. The reality of her situation was too much for her to handle, so she closed off her emotions, letting the demon within her completely take over.
The thunder of a motor was in the distance and as it got louder, Buffy instinctively took a fighter's stance.
The bike appeared over the hill, speeding towards her. She put a hand over her still sensitive eyes to shield them from the harsh, bright light. Buffy was surprised when the bike stopped a few feet away from her. A blonde man jumped of and sauntered towards her.
"Come on, nuts-and-bolts, better get you back to Red. Make sure you're not too roughed up." Spike jumped off the bike and headed towards Buffy. He went to grab her arm , but she flinched away.
His eyebrows lifted in surprise at the reaction then he tilted his head in question.
"Oh, my God! Buffy!" Dawn ran passed him and enveloped her sister in a hug. "I can't believe it's really you!" Buffy pushed Dawn away harshly. The hurt look on the brunette's face caused an emotion deep down in Buffy to stir, but it was not enough for her to react.
"Dawn, come here." Spike said sternly, sensing the danger radiating from Buffy. Dawn turned hurt and confused eyes on him. She hesitated for a moment before making her way behind the vampire.
"Spike, what's going on?! How is she back? What's wrong with her?" Dawn was hysterical.
"Ssh, niblet, calm down." He regarded the blonde in front of him, taking in her dirty and bloodied hands and the threatening glare that was permanently on her face. Bloody hell. She dug her way out. His undead heart ached at the revelation. He wasn't going to begin to question the reasons the girl he loved was standing a few feet away, but the thought of her waking up in a grave was almost too much to bear. "If you're trying to scare me, Slayer, you'll have to do better than that." He showed some fang, putting his words into action.
To his surprise, she growled.
He heard Dawn gasp from behind him and he growled back, his eyes flashing amber, to show Buffy his dominance. The threatening look slowly left her eyes as she backed down. "That's good, kitten." He took a tentative step towards her. When she did not flinch away, he took it as a good sign. He extended his hand once again, "Come to Spike. Let's get you cleaned up." His voice was gentle, his face kind.
She timidly reached for his hand. When she finally placed her small one in his, he held tightly and pulled her towards him, wanting to reassure himself that she wasn't going to try to escape.
After some growling, fighting and a little bruising, Spike finally managed to get on the motorcycle seat with Buffy on his lap. Dawn, still apprehensive about her sister, climbed up behind him and wrapped her arms securely around his waist. With both Summers girls successfully on the bike, Spike kicked the motor into gear and headed towards 1630 Revello Drive.
TBC.