Chapter 3

PATROL, LATER THAT NIGHT

"Angel, have you been picking up bad vibes about all this?" Buffy asked as they walked down yet another deserted street. Once again, there were no creatures of the night about.

"It's too quiet," agreed Angel, outfitted in a black duster, black shirt and black trousers.

"T-that's a g-good sign r-r-right?" Willow chirped with false enthusiasm, knowing the answer to that question all too well. This has happened before, a long spell of quiet and inactivity, it has never led to anything good. Oz reached out and held her hand, his calm warm strength passing into her. All of a sudden, her doubts slipped away and she was happy, but at the same time, she felt guilty. She looked over her shoulder at Xander, who was trailing behind them, dragging his feet.

The whole gang was out tonight, mainly because there was nothing better to do. Oz was singing a song under his breath. Willow caught words like "weightless, endless, faithless I'll adore you." She's never heard those lyrics before but there was a great sadness in the words, one she cannot begin to describe.

"Oz," she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me something about AFI."

Just then, Buffy halted suddenly, standing very still and gestured for the others to follow suit. In the faint moon light, they could see a dark shape a little in front of them Right before their eyes it began to change, it's spindly arms unfolding into large bat like ones, its eyes lengthening into horns, it's eyes large and giving out a red light.

Noticing the five figures before it, it lifted its head and gave a loud cry, shrill and piercing, before sweeping off into flight, it's great wings darkening the moon. All that time, the Scooby Gang had stood frozen, in utter horror. They have never seen anything like it before in Sunnydale, which was saying quite a lot seeing as how they were on a Hellmouth and everything.

Oz was the first one to break the silence. "That was weird," he muttered, looking over at Buffy, who was still stunned.

"Buffy?" Willow looked very worried, Angel's face reflected her concern, he looked at the Slayer intently, in the end, he took off his duster and wrapped around her shoulders. "Come on, lets get out of here."

With shaky steps they walked down the next three or four blocks without incident, but a little further on, they found a badly mangle body on the floor. Willow stopped dead, her breath caught in her throat, threatening to choke her, She recognised that body, it had been Billy Carson, a rather bookish kid who was in her economics class, just yesterday she had spoken to him, now… she couldn't bear to think about it. She buried her head in Oz's shoulder, utterly horrified.

Angel took a step closer to the body, his face was still intact but his stomach had been cut open roughly, his insides were strewn all over the place, but unlike many corpses they've seen, this one didn't appear to be missing anything.

Angel walked closer still, Buffy tentatively followed him. Xander looked very pale and sickly, he didn't turn round but didn't go any closer either.

"Buffy…" Angel said quietly and gravely, "his heart is gone."

Willow jerked at that and begun to sob. Oz put his arm around her protectively.

"The blood is still fresh, he only died about a minute ago," Angel said to Buffy. She looked very scared.

In a small voice hardly above a whisper, she said, "It was that thing, I know it…I…I…I could have stopped it." Oh my god, this is all my fault, why did I freak? I'm the Slayer!! This is all my fault, I'm sorry Billy, I didn't mean to… I'm sorry.

"You can't blame yourself, it isn't your fault," Angel reasoned, as if you could read her mind.

"No, it is, I could have stopped it, Angel, you don't understand, I just froze. I don't know why, I was so scared Angel, so scared. Just looking at it… Angel…" Buffy's eyes were wide, looking bewildered and sad. Angel tried to comfort her as Xander looked on helplessly. Willow stopped crying now but was still in shock, and as with Buffy, Oz was doing his best to calm her down.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" said a familiar voice from behind them. Startles, they turned round to find none other than Spike himself standing in front of them in his usual black attire with the same bleach blonde hair.

"Spike?" Buffy asked, regaining some composure.

"Yes baby, I'm back."

"Get out of my town." She's been having a very bad night already, she really didn't need this.

"It's a free country, I can go where ever I want to go."

"Not when I'm around," Buffy shot answered back. Swiftly moving forwards, she aimed a punch to his head, which he blocked, so she sent a roundhouse kick his way, which hit him squarely on the jaw.

"Ow, bloody hell," Spike grumbled, but the ruthless blows are coming in thick and fast. At that moment, the winged creature appeared again out of nowhere. Once again, Buffy froze. The searing fear rippling through her like ice. Angel motioned for the others to go and they reluctantly agreed.

Spike, renewed by this sudden change of fate, kicked the slayer in the chest, sending her flying. She landed with a heavy thud onto the hard concrete pavement. Spike rushed at her in full game face, an enraged Angel joined the fight just as the winged creature fluttered down. Spike retreated but Angel took a swing at it.

His fist went right through it's wing, a sudden shock shot through his body. Surprised, he fell back, feeling drained. He noticed that the hole he had made in the creature's wing healed straight away. Not only had he done no damage to it, but he somehow managed to hurt himself for his hand was badly burnt.

Seeing what this creature can do to even a vampire, Spike retreated and ran away. When he was a safe distance from the monster, he turned round and looked at the scene before him. The Slayer was on the floor, cowering from the monster that was looming over her like a menacing shadow, Angel was holding the hand he had hit the thing with, and he looked like he was in pain.

"Looks like there's a new player in town," he chuckled, "bye bye Slayer." With that, he turned and walked off, leaving Buffy and Angel to face this deadly foe.

"I can't believe we just left them there with that thing!" Willow cried; her face streaked with tears. She broke away from the circle and started to run back. Xander and Oz followed. They wanted to stop her but at the same time, they also wanted to help Buffy.

They arrived not a minute too soon; the creature had its claws poised to strike with Buffy on the floor, unable to move.

"HEY!" Willow shouted, forgetting her fear. The creature looked at her, her insides seized up but she raised her hand in a defiant way, in it, she held a bottle of holy water. Uncorking it, she threw the bottle at the creature, it shrieked as the liquid splattered it's hide, its cry so piercing Willow lowered her head and covered her ears.

The monster shrank and a stream of smoke rose from it. Once again, it was the small rodent like creature again.

Buffy stood up and saw it run away but it was still very fast and there was no way she could catch up with it in her weakened state.

"Buffy?" Xander asked, tentatively touching her shoulder. She looked over at Angel, who was leaning against a tree, looking very tired. There was a massive burn on his hand.

They looked at each other, making a silent agreement that it's time to leave. They've quenched the demon's evil shadow for that night and it wouldn't do anymore harm for the time being.

Willow put an arm around Buffy, who smiled at her weakly and muttered a barely audible thank you.