Like a Lamb to the Slaughter

Melissa closed her eyes against the worsening day, unable to take its harshness anymore. She could still taste the sickly copper in her mouth and the girl's unbelievable terror before she died, like too strong a bout of salt. Melissa had always hated salt.

She could feel the emotions coming off the car's other occupants in the gallons, smothering her like a pillow. Sometimes so thick that she felt as though she was choking. It was for this very reason that she'd elected to stay in the safe enclosure of Rex's arms. If anyone could make the horrors of the world disappear it was him.

The mindcaster had of course sensed his surprise as well as that of the polymath's and found it undeniably amusing. Then he'd seemed to get over his shock and hugged her closer as if afraid she would slip free if he didn't.

With a sigh she let herself drift off to sleep.

She was back in that dark cave again. Though this time there was no blood to be seen and she looked to be alone. Then again, she'd thought she was alone last time before that creepy voice suddenly appeared. As if on cue the sound of a stone being knocked reached her ears and she spun around. There was nothing there. The revelation somehow made Melissa more afraid than before and she pulled her black jacket tighter around her.

Alone. Always alone. The voice seemed to echo throughout the cave's countless caverns even though she knew the only place it sounded was within her mind, a chill crept down the mindcaster's spine.

She chose not to reply and instead searched the cave for a way out. There had to be one somewhere.

No way out. Never a way out of your mind, the singsong voice said again, seeming to grow closer by every word.

She shivered and looked around her still finding nothing.

Nowhere to run.

Nowhere to hide.

Torqueo's gonna get you and you don't know why

Gonna make you bleed

Gonna make you scream

Gonna make you hurt

Ain't that right my little firefly, the voice sung and Melissa closed her eyes, willing it to disappear.

Why don't you talk little lamb? Lost, lost little lamb.

Great, now she was being called a lamb. First a firefly, then a lamb. This dream just couldn't get more disturbing.

Oh but it can. Oh but it can.

There was a flash of movement to her right and she spun around to be confronted by a large male figure. He was hooded and cloaked so she couldn't really make out his features but he seemed to be in his mid-twenties or thirties. She gasped when she saw a squirming figure in his arms. A squirming figure that looked an awful lot like Rex.

She tried to speak his name but nothing but air came out and her eyes widened.

Only thoughts exist hear little lamb. Speech is but a dream.

Rex? She thought really hard, willing him to look at her.

Cowgirl? The figure pausedin its squirming and glanced up at her. It was definitely Rex, she couldn't mistake that face anywhere even if his glasses were a little askew and there was a big bruise covering his left eye.

Oh, how sweet. I think I'll enjoy this.

Melissa's eyes were like saucers as the large figure holding Rex grabbed his neck and twisted it to an unnatural degree. She let out a silent scream, tears beginning to form in her eyes as her oldest friend's form hit the ground.

Rex? was the only word echoing around her mind as she desperately willed him to get up. Rex!

"Rex!" Melissa sprung up in bed, glancing wildly around her and Rex's room; although the seer was nowhere to be seen.

For about a minute she sat there, breathing heavily as the remnants of her nightmare slowly began to clear from her mind and the panic she'd felt only moments before gradually began to subside. She didn't know how she'd ended up in bed at the Summers household, the last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was the warmth and safety of Rex's arms in the car.

Rex. She had to see him, had to make sure that he was OK, that it really was just a dream. Hesitantly the mindcaster crawled out of bed, noting absently the faint blueness of the world and how the only thoughts she could hear were those of the other Midnighters. The shudder of the Blue Time arriving must have been what had awoken her from her nightmare.

With a shiver she wrapped her arms around herself and left the room, following the faint taste of Rex's mind. She found him in the lounge room reading a book – no surprise there – and cautiously made her way over to him.

Rex glanced up in surprise. "Cowgirl?"

"Hey," Melissa greeted, taking a seat on the armrest of his couch. "What you reading?"

He looked down at his book with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing worth mentioning."

She nodded with a smile, happy that her dream had been just that: a dream. "So, where is everyone?"

"Jessica and Martinez are out flying, again. Dess is working on some weapons. Mrs Summers is asleep upstairs and Buffy's nowhere to be seen."

A smirk suddenly tugged at Melissa's lips as she remembered what she'd done to the blonde the previous night. "And how is our dear Buffy Summers?"

Rex shrugged. "She had a huge screaming fit when she got home. She knows it was you who wrote on her neck and she's not going to let it go to rest. In other words: you're dead."

The mindcaster snorted, highly doubtful that the petite girl would be able to lay a finger on her. "We'll see about that."

"You shouldn't underestimate her," Rex told her. "Especially when we know next to nothing about her."

Melissa frowned suddenly remembering something. "Hey, have you ever heard of something called a slayer?"

Rex frowned in concentration, pondering her words. "No, can't say I have. Why?"

"Just something Buffy was thinking last night. Girl thinks she's a slayer, complete nutcase obviously."

"Obviously," Rex said playfully, nodding along with her.

The mindcaster sent him a glare receiving only an amused smile in return. They didn't mention what had happened only hours before nor did Melissa mention the dream she'd just had. Because right then all they wanted was to smile, not dwell on the bad things that were happening. That they would save for another time.