Title: Burning Home

Rating: 18, scences of extreme violence.

Setting: Early season 3

Disclaimer: If you know it, I don't own it etc etc etc.

Disclaimer 2: Had this idea a while ago but found it hard to write.

Got sick of kicking it around so thought I would finish it off.

Tried a few things with it so all feedback, good and bad would be

greatly appreciated.

Burning Home

Again he raised his arm to strike in self defence. Tired and hungry,

he knew he could not hold them off much longer. They were too

multiple and too strong and too few of his erstwhile colleagues

could deny the pains of hunger to assist. Over his shoulder, Angel

saw that six other vampires had abandoned the fight to feed on the

man they had trapped. Angel turned and ran. He used his momentum to

burst through the other feeding vampires and sank his fangs deep

into the victim. The man screamed loud with an intoxication of pain

and slumped unconscious against Angel. So consumed was he with

sucking the hot, sticky goodness from the man, Angel didn't even

notice. Nor did he notice the shrieks of the vampires around him as

they were devoured live. He did however feel as a Maglon ripped at

his back as it flew by.

The unconscious man forgotten, Angel turned. Blood lust had cost the

vampires many of their band, the Maglon picking them off easily as

they concentrated on their hunger. Now all that were left to face

the thirty or so ravenously hungry Maglon were Angel and four

others. Despite their winged advantages and greater strength the

Maglon could not survive a frontal attack on the vampires so the

blood thirsters backed against the wall standing on their prostrate,

drained but still alive victim and stared out at the winged, taloned

demons. The Maglon stared back, hungry frustration evident on their

faces. Angel smiled an ironic smile. They would survive as long as

they remained conscious. Angel wondered if the blood from the man he

was standing on would sustain him long enough. How long ago had the

Maglon fed? That a pack this size would search for a large band of

vampires to feed on could mean it had been a while.

One of the weaker vampires swayed before regaining his balance but

another immediately tossed him out to the frenzied pack. No chink in

the defensive line could be tolerated if any of them were to

survive. Time went slowly. A bright flash followed by the dull roar

of thunder broke the monotony of the vigil.

The Maglon turned as one, swept their magnificent wings and fled

skywards in panic. Angel ran too, careful though to hug the rock

face and the little protection that it provided from the rain that

was threatening to fall. Here you never went too far from shelter

and Angel found the cave in time. Still, he wasn't quick enough and

he could feel his skin burning where a few drops of precipitation

had hit him.

Angel looked out on the desolate plains. The red dusty rock

stretched out in front and around the horizon switched into the pale

red sky that only the few black rain clouds punctured. The picture

was framed by the sheer, rock faces that rose like towering

monuments and gave the scene an intimidating claustrophobia. The

rain began to fall with greater intensity.

Out in the open one of the vampires had found his crushing hunger

too great to ignore and still knelt by the human victim intent on

sucking the remaining life from the man. At first the almost

narcotic effect of the blood shielded the vampire from the pain that

indicated his fate but Angel knew it wouldn't last. The rain

continued to fall the hungry scavenger at last felt the rain

scalding his body. He looked up with open eyed, open mouthed,

surprise at the deadly rain falling. The vampire screamed deeply as

the rain consumed both him and his victim. Angel did not turn away.

Expressionless he continued to stare out aimlessly at the grim scene

but his mind was already focused on where his next meal would come

from.

Angel was biting hard into the neck of the girl. She was still

muttering her pleadings but that was by now a mere reflex as the

shock and pain had taken over. He did not hear the movement behind

him. The lead Hallard demon hit him hard. Taken completely by

surprise Angel crashed into the wall of the cave with force and fell

to the ground. Taking a few moments, he surveyed the situation from

the cave floor. Another Hallard demon had entered the cave, grabbed

the food and was making for the exit. The first approached the

prostrate vampire obviously deciding that he was also good enough to

eat.

Angel was too hungry and had tracked his victim too long to allow

her to disappear. With fury and vampiric strength and speed he

launched himself at the attacking demon, knocking it down. He

grabbed at the girl the other Hallard demon was dragging away. The

demon pulled back. The arm of the girl came away in his hand but

Angel had no time to concern himself with the dripping blood.

Using the arm as a weapon he clubbed the adversary now rising from

the floor. Twice, three times, with violent abandon, Angel smashed

at the demon with the arm. And then he collided with the far wall.

Everything went black and buzzed for a few seconds. Angel was

finding it hard to focus but he could make out more Hallard shaped

bodies entering the chamber. One had picked up the arm of the girl

and was approaching Angel with an athletic purpose that did not bode

well for the vampire.

Angel could hear the dying screams of the girl as the intense pain

bit through her nausea, the demons ripping muscle from bone with

their teeth and claws. The arm was brought down forcibly on Angel.

Strange, Angel mused, that her flesh on his flesh made a sharp crack

not the thud he had expected. Angel recognised the pleasant drift to

unconscious bliss. Crack, again. Closer. Something however, refused

to dim in him. Something was still burning brightly and refused to

allow him to surrender, here, like this. These Hallard would not

have an easy course with him. Even the repeated thumping of the club

on his head could not diminish the flame that told him for something

he was better than this fate at least now.

With new found energy the souled vampire scrambled to all fours and

launched himself towards the opening. Surprise at his endurance

prevented the demons from allowing their food to escape. Out into

the open, Angel collapsed on the ground with a fall that drained the

last of his energy and his spirit. It was raining.

Tired, hungry and broken, Angel could feel the rain burn through his

clothes. In moments it would be his skin but he didn't care. Here he

would die. Here on these evil plains, in this evil land far away

from somewhere he had left his heart but he could no longer

remember. This was the end.

There was a crack of thunder. Angel hit the stone floor hard. Death

was strange. It had a cold stone floor and the warm pleasant smell

of soft, water rain, cut grass and warm, fresh mammal blood. Warm,

fresh mammal blood! Angel struggled to his feet unsteady with

desire, his mind clear of all things except the scent of warm blood.

He staggered but moved forward. He ran, out the door of the mansion

and into the warm Sunnydale Autumn.