Chapter 2: Ludo? Who though?
'Buffy?' Dawn's heart hammered inside of her as her lips trembled on her sister's name. Guilt and fear pulsated from her heart out into her veins and into her dizzy brain. She rushed through the kitchen doors and stormed into the lounge. Buffy was gone!... 'Oh no!' Dawn almost tripped over the carpet as she ran towards the light-switch. For some reason the lamps had all gone out. Frantically, she reached for the switch and began to turn the lights on and off, on and off, on and...
'Hey! Stop that!' Buffy strode down the stairs, her brows burrowed in irritation. 'I know you're mad at me but that's no reason to take it out on the lights!' Dawn gawped at Buffy, open-mouthed, like a fish surrounded by ravenous sharks. It didn't work! Buffy was still here, and as far as her sister was concerned Dawn had just had a crazy spell with the lights, nothing more.
'Buffy, you're okay?' Dawn smiled, and sighed a heavy sigh of relief. For a moment she thought she had wished away the most important person in her life.
'Why wouldn't I be okay?' Buffy grimaced. She didn't understand her sister a lot of the time. "Dawny the Drama Queen" always over-exaggerating, even when there were vampires around. The differences between the two were substantial. Buffy had always been headstrong and fearless. She depended on no one and in return she expected no one to depend on her. She prefered to go about saving the planet without anyone else relying on her to do so. Willow and Xander were the only ones she really trusted with her secret, and when Dawn came along it took a while before Buffy could trust her. Dawn was so jumpy and sensitive. She needed caring for, and for the first time in her life Buffy became directly responsible for the emotional welfare of another human being. It was hard being a mother to her sister and balancing it with her exceptionally abnormal career, but she tried her hardest everyday.
'It doesn't matter. Can we just forget about my little tantrum and go back to normal. Whatever that is!' Dawn hoped that Buffy would never think badly of her, because in truth she admired her more than words could explain.
'Sure!' Buffy laughed and went over to her sister. She draped her arm around her. 'As long as we don't have to play chess... You know there's always Twister.'
'Eeeek! I love Twister! I totally forgot about it! I'll go get the box!' Dawn excitedly ran back over to the kitchen, failing to observe the subsequent eye-roll her sister made as she fled. She knew things were hard, but a game of Twister would solve everything. Dawn grabbed the box and skipped back into the lounge. She expected that Buffy would be sat on the couch, probably sighing to herself, in deep thought about past loves and near-death-experiences and whatnot. She NEVER expected there'd be a giant orange yeti standing in the way of the entrance!!! 'AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' Dawn watched in terror as Buffy began to strike and kick the huge monster. It must have been about 12 feet tall. It had a big round body which was covered in shaggy red fur. On its head stood two short, twisting horns and behind its back sat a long, straight, swinging tail. Its deep orange eyes watched thoroughly as Buffy used all her stength to try and wound the beast.
'Hi-yah!' Buffy punched the yeti, hoping to send it flying backwards like the many demons she'd fought before it, but it didn't move an inch. Its tail swung violently, almost hitting Buffy in the eye, but its face seemed oddly gentle and unassuming. The corners of its mouth were turned upward into a permanent smile, which looked almost adorbale in contrast to its threatening stature. Still, he was a stranger in the house and he needed to be taken care of. While Buffy distracted the giant, Dawn dashed over to the front door, hoping to escape and run for help, but she became startled when the monster noticed her and started howling. The noise was deep and lowing, almost deafening, like the fateful sounds of a war siren. Dawn placed her hands over her ears, too stunned to move. Buffy threw a couple more punches at him but had to give up and cover her ears too. 'Why is it making that noise?' Buffy and Dawn watched in astonishment as a large boulder came rolling from out of nowhere and moved to where Dawn was standing. Dawn quickly jumped out of the way, and winced in fear when she realized the boulder had blocked the only exit.
'Buffy, do something!' Dawn ran up the stairs, sat on the landing and pulled out her cell phone from her pocket. She began to dial… Buffy continued to use her moves on the yeti, but nothing could overpower it. It didn't even bother to fight back. Buffy was beginning to become confused, but there was one move she hadn't tried yet. No one had ever survived after this move. She smiled to herself, took a few steps back to prepare herself, then leapt up into the air spinning around as she did so. She then used her killer heels to kick the beast several times in the chin before she landed with poise. But when she looked at the monster, all it did was stare at her with its big, glassy eyes. 'What the f--'
'Flaming red monster in our house!' Dawn interrupted, shouting down the phone. 'Hurry Xander! He's big and he's orange and he's...he's....he's taken Buffy!' Dawn watched as the beast reached out its long furry arms and hoisted Buffy over its shoulder.
'Sorry' The Beast muttered. It's voice was loud and booming, but tender at the same time. Buffy yelled and punched her fists at its back, but she knew it was doing no good. It kicked the burdensome rocks out of the way and opened the door, stepping out onto the streets.
'Noooooooooooooooooooooo!' Dawn sprinted down the stairs and ran outside, but she could no longer see her sister, or the monster! 'Buuffffy!' Dawn screamed.
5 Minutes Later
Dawn was still screaming. Her voice had become frail and strained, but still she continued to belt out what sounds she had left inside her feeble throat. There was no sign of Xander. He had gotten himself caught up in the traffic. Traffic of Sunnydale became bad since the mysterious winds had been blowing people into the roads. There were always road accidents these days and most of the time it was caused by wind. No one knew why the weather had become so turbulent lately. Some said it was the cause of an evil, dark force that was slowly trying to take over Sunnydale then, consequently, the world! Buffy was the only being that would have been able to save the town from being destroyed by whatever was causing these storms, but Buffy was now gone! There was only one man Dawn knew of who was almost as invincible as Buffy. Only one man who had explored the darkest depths of the outlands only to return safely. No storm, no soulless vampire, or no giant yeti would be able to take on this man without a fight. Spike could always be relied upon. Dawn knew nothing could stand in the way of Spike's devotion to her sister. Occasionally, she'd be jealous of his dedication to her. Dawn had always had a bit of a crush on him, but on this fearful night she'd make an exception for the peroxide stud, who sprinted over to the Summer's house, all wrapped his usual leather garments that terrified the life out of old grannys as they crossed the streets.
'What is it? What's wrong?' Spike didn't like to see Dawn cry. Dawn only cried when something serious had happened to Buffy. He handed her an old handkerchief he pulled from his pocket and sat her down on the steps in front of her, now empty, house.
'He took her, Spike. He took Buffy.' Dawn buried her head into Spike's leather jacket, the comforting smell of dead cow skin soothing her brain. But Spike didn't have time for being all lovey-dovey and reassuring. He needed to know the facts, and now!
'Tell me, Dawn. Who took her?' He shook her a little, which made her cry even harder. Still, she tried her best to give him the answers he needed.
'It was...*sobs*...a giant!'
'A giant?' Spike looked surprised.
'A giant, with...big...big--' Dawn was crying so hard she couldn't get her words out.
'Big what?' Spike asked. 'Big feet? Big teeth? Big bosoms?'
'No!... Big horns!' Dawn replied.
'Big horns? Well, this doesn't sound good. Where did they go?'
'I don't know. They just disappeared.' Dawn hung her head with guilt. If she hadn't had wished her sister away then none of this would have happened. How could she ever face Buffy again even if she did find her? Right now, Dawn just wanted to shrivel up and die.
'Oh, come on, Dawny! Pull yourself together!' Spike stood up and pulled Dawn up next to him. 'Dawn, look at me.' Spike forced her chin up so she would look him in the eye. 'Everything's going to be alright. We'll find her. All we need is a clue to where she went... Ay up!' Spike suddenly became startled when in front of him emerged a lanscape he did not recognize to be part of Sunnydale. Spike and Dawn found themselves on a hillside. The sky glowed yellow and orange. In the distance was a castle surrounded by darkness. Fingers of light spread over the hillside as the sun began to rise. Stretched out at their feet was the Labyrinth, an expansive maze of wonderment. They both gawped in astonishment, like two fish surrounded by a hundred ravenous sharks. 'Okay, I'm guessing this is the clue. Now how the hell do we get through that?'
