[Note:Vamped Buffy will be referred to as V-Buffy]
Chapter 24: The Maze of Life
Oz, Willow, and Buffy rode in Oz's van while Ms. Calendar and Giles rode in Giles' car. Giles was deep in thought while he followed Oz's van. He was trying to get in his own game face in a way as they all made their way to save Xander. However, he was still worried about this Reed guy. He didn't have time to tell Buffy and the others. He did tell Willow and Oz about the visitor he had, but he didn't go into detail. In fact, pretty much all he said was "Man, Reed, intruder."
Even Giles could be off his game somedays.
"Rupert." someone said, snapping fingers in front of him as he stared straight ahead.
"Rupert." Ms. Calendar repeated.
"I heard you." he said not moving his face an inch as he continued to look straight ahead.
"Oh, you looked like you were...."
"Thinking?" Giles asked.
"No, more like spaced out." Jenny replied.
This got his attention, "Spaced out?" he said with a questioning expression on his face.
"Oh I forget, you still go by the 13th century Webster dictionary, don't you?" Jenny was rewarded with a smirk from Giles.
After a moment or two of silence Jenny spoke up, "Thinking about what?"
"Huh...Oh...uhh, well, Xander mostly, a-and...umm.."
"Buffy." Ms. Calendar said
Giles let out a sigh as he continued to look straight ahead, "I don't know what to do."
"What to do?" Ms. Calendar asked.
"About this Reed character." Giles said still staring straight ahead as they followed Oz's van. Giles filled in Jenny about Reed on the drive to his place to pick more weapons. Now they were on their way to hopefully save Xander.
"If he's telling the truth about his mission then he could help Buffy get back to her reality, but..."
"But, you don't trust him?"
"No." Giles said looking at Ms. Calendar and then back at the road, "And yes."
Giles was about to explain, but she cut him off, "You don't want to believe him because if he's telling the truth you would lose her again."
Giles looked anywhere that didn't have Jenny's eyes.
"Are you going to tell her?"
This got him to look at her, "Of course, how could I not?"
After spitting that out a little hard his expression softened as he gave her a smile.
"Let's just get Xander back and then we'll worry about this Reed character." Ms. Calendar said.
Giles seemed to firm up as he looked back at the road, "Yes, lets."
.................
Meanwhile in Oz's van Buffy was having thoughts of her own. {I may have lost my way back to my reality, but I won't lose Xander. If I have to stay here it's going to be with all of my friends}
Buffy was in the back of the van as Oz and Willow were in the front. As Oz turned the corner to the street of the address the vampire had given her it just occured to her that what if the vampire was lying to her. She mentally kicked herself for being too impulsive and killing the vampire, especially since her last impulsive action resulted in Angel losing his soul.
Going down that road of thought just made her think more and more about her reality, especially the loved ones she wouldn't be seeing anymore. Sure, she would see her friends here, which in almost every way are her friends, but it still wouldn't feel the same. {God, snap out of it girl} she thought to herself as she got back into Xander savage mode.
"That's the place." Buffy said pointing towards what looked to be a two story house, before thinking {I hope}. The house was white with a black trim. It looked fairly normal. In fact, it looked too normal. It looked like a place where a couple would begin their lives together and raise a family in. This only freaked Buffy out more because now she had a feeling that the vampire was lying to her.
As they came to a stop outside of the house Buffy got out followed by Willow and Oz as Giles and Ms. Calendar pulled up behind the van in Giles' car, which made a clanking noise as it came to a stop.
{At least some things are always the same} Buffy thought to herself before seeing Ms. Calendar and Giles getting out of his car. {Well, some things} she thought as she looked at Ms. Calendar.
"Okay, you guys ready?" Buffy asked looking at them. She didn't need a response because she saw it in all of their eyes.
Oh yeah, they were as scared as she was.
=======================================================
In a way life is like a maze.
You go into the maze trying to find your way, your meaning.
Along this journey through the maze there are many turns, many decisions to be made.
Some are small, some are not.
Many people take the wrong turn and don't recover.
Some are unable to recover either because they haven't the opportunity or the means.
The lucky ones, however, recover and find their way.
They find their meaning.
Others a normal life that they can be proud of.
They go through the rest of their lives with a somewhat happy life until ultimately they come to the end of the maze.
In life V-Buffy was one of those who took the wrong turn, or in her case punched when she should've kicked.
However, what she couldn't find in life, she found in death.
Yes, she had made her way through the maze.
Just not the way most do.
As she stood at the window V-Buffy could see them coming. She smiled as she walked away from the window.
"Thomas!" she yelled.
"Thomas!" she repeated, this time with a little fury because of the lack of response.
One of the vampires came into the room with his head down, too scared to look her in the eyes, "T-Thomas w-went out hunting." he said more scared than he'd every been in his unlife, which granted was only about two days, but...
"He what!" V-Buffy said furious that she had been defied.
"I told him...(she broke off getting ahold of the rage of her demon inside), then looking back at the newly turned vampire, "Gather everyone and get ready."
"For what?"
"My destiny." V-Buffy said turning back towards the window.
"Yes master." he said before turning and running into a stake. He looked up in shock as he turned to ashes.
"*Our* Destiny." said the person that staked the vampire.
V-Buffy turned slowly around with a smile, "Of course honey, *Our* destiny."
===========================================================
Buffy made her way towards the front door of the house. {This is too easy. Where's the welcoming committee} she thought as she reached the door.
She looked back at Giles and the others before raising her leg to kick in the door. Just when she was fixing to kick the door, it slowly opened. It was almost as if the house was welcoming them.
Buffy looked back at Giles and the others before turning around and taking a step into the house.
As she crossed the threshold of the house she expected to see an army of vampires, demons, or even her Vamped self, but she was surprised to see nothing. Nothing except pitch black. In fact, the only light she had was from the night sky that came through the opened door.
Buffy was the only one at the moment inside the house as she took a couple of steps to her left with her arms in front of her, ready for anything that came her way. The only thing she found was a cold, smooth wall. She felt around for the a lightswitch along the wall, but came up empty. Her spider sense was in overdrive and it wasn't until she moved to her right that she knew why.
"Giles! It's a.... (before she could finish the door slammed shut as Buffy heard several locks clicking, leaving her alone in the darkness.
============================================================
{A few minutes earlier}
Reed leaned against a tree as he watched the big two story house from across the street. {Talk about Irony} he thought to himself. He looked at the house as the memories came flooding back to him. He was only a boy, twelve to be exact, but he could see it like it was yesterday.
"Reed the sun has almost set, get in this house!" yelled his mother from the front porch.
"Just a minute mom!" he yelled as he stood in the street.
He was playing touch football with about ten of the neighbor's kids. However, touch wasn't exactly the word he would always use because it got to be aggressive on more than one occasion. He turned his attention back to the game, but not before seeing his father join his mother on the porch.
He looked over at the other team as he prepared to hike the ball. His team was down five points and he knew this would be his team's last opportunity to score and win, but he had two obstacles to overcome. One being the sun was setting, meaning he didn't feel like playing football with vampires, and the other being JJ Peak.
Reed would've been the biggest kid on the block if it wasn't for JJ. He was eleven, but looked like he was about sixteen. He had four inches and about fifty pounds on Reed. Reed and JJ hardly ever got along, but they continued to play against eachother, if for nothing else the competition. Reed was the only boy on the block that didn't seem afraid of JJ. Reed stared down JJ who had his teeth baring, while spitting out insult after insult at Reed.
"Yeah Reed, hurry up so you can go to your freak show of a family!" JJ yelled.
This made Reed seeth in anger as he gripped the football by the laces. He could care less what people thought about him, but when someone put down his family, well, lets just say that he'd been suspended once from school because of what he did to a boy who was saying the same kind of thing that JJ was doing right now. Reed seethed in anger as he gripped the football by the laces. As he gripped the ball it felt like it was loosing air.
This was the moment that Reed would remember for the rest of his life, not because it was the game deciding point, but because it was the moment that would change his life forever. Sure he had let his rage get the best of him before, but this was different. Reed knew he was different. He'd always been told to control his anger because if he didn't he could end up hurting others or himself, but in many ways Reed was like any other child. Carefree, innocent, and immature. However, that would all change with simple snap of the ball.
Letting his rage get the best of him Reed screamed hike as the players on his team took off down the street. However, Reed was so overcome in anger that he wasn't even looking at them. He was only looking at JJ, who at that moment was counting down the five mississippi. After he finished his countdown, JJ rushed towards Reed.
Reed brought his arm back just as JJ was rushing at him. However, Reed wasn't trying for the winning toss because all he saw was revenge as he let the ball go towards JJ's face. There was a sound that the ball made when it hit JJ's face that Reed will never forget as the boy hit the pavement. It was a cracking sound, followed there after by the sound of impact JJ's face made with the street.
On that day one boy would lose his innocence and the other would lose his life.
Throughout the next few years Reed wasn't the same. However, as time passed and with the help of his mother and father, Reed would learn to control his abilities and his anger.
Whenever Reed felt like giving up or not doing what he was supposed to he would remember that day on the street that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Although that day was the worst of his life, it was also one of the most important. It kept him cool and calm, especially in times like these as he watched Buffy and the others pull up in front of the house and start towards it.
He saw Buffy go in and the door slam behind her, leaving Giles and the others outside as they banged on the door.
Reed was about to cross the street until he saw something down the road. He took a couple of steps back into the shadows as he watched a dozen or so vampires walk towards the two story house.
=======================================================
"Giles!" Buffy called out in the dark.
"Buffy!" Giles yelled from the other side of the door as he tried to open the door.
"Buffy are you okay?" Giles yelled through the door.
"Yeah, except for the not being able to see factor. By the way, did I ever tell you that I'm not a big fan of the dark." she said as she turned away from the door, peering into the darkness. {This coming from one who spends most of her time in it} she thought as she heard Giles say that they were going to try to find a way into the house from the back.
Buffy almost wished she was a smoker because then she might have a lighter or a match to give her some much needed light. However, she didn't need one as the lights suddenly came on.
The light blinded Buffy for a moment, but she adjusted. She adjusted her eyes to see that she was in a corridor of some kind. After adjusting to the light she walked down the corridor with caution, ready for any attack that might come her way. As she made her way to the end of the corridor she found two ways to go. Both were corridors that looked just like the one she was in now.
"Great, this day just keeps getting better." she muttered to herself before choosing the right corridor.
She moves forward until she comes to the end of the corridor only to find two more ways to go. Letting out a frustrated sigh Buffy does the only thing that comforts her at the moment, which is squeeze the life out of the stake that she has in her right hand.
"Alright, I've had enough of playing the mouse in a maze bit." she says looking up and down the walls that extent all the way to the ceiling.
Buffy heard a laugh throughout the place that gave her the wiggins, "But you haven't even started running yet, why would you want to quit now." the voice that belonged to V-Buffy said.
{Running?}Buffy thought until she heard growling from the way that she had came as ten vamps come from around the corner of the last corridor, but because of how small the corridors were it looked like a hundred.
{Where did they come from} Buffy thought as she looked back and forth between the two ways she had to go and the vamps that approached her from behind. Buffy usually wouldn't be one for running from a fight, but she didn't like to fight in tight spaces so she chose the right corridor in front of her and prayed that it lead to somewhere that was a little more roomy.
Buffy looked behind her a couple of times as she jogged her way through a couple of turns in the maze before coming to a complete stop and listening with her slayer hearing for any signs of the previous vamps, but there was none. It was as if they gave up. Usually Buffy would be grateful that ten vamps found her not worthy of a happy meal, but under the circumstances it gave her that not so pleasant feeling she called the wiggins as she looked up ahead to yet another corridor that extended two ways.
Buffy knew from her previous outburst that V-Buffy could somehow hear her so she looked up towards the ceiling, "Why don't you come out and face me, or are you afraid I'll win?" Buffy said, hoping that the nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah approach to battle would work.
Once again Buffy heard that awful laugh, "I'd love to, but someone has to keep Xander all warm, or should I say cold." V-Buffy said just as Buffy took off into a sprint, not knowing where she was going or who she would run into as long as Xander was there too.
======================================================
Meanwhile outside Giles and the others were trying to find a way into the house. Giles went to the window on the porch and tried to break the glass with his forearm, but only got a sensation of pain shooting up his arm for his troubles.
"Damn!" Giles said as he held his arm and looked more closely at the window. From what Giles could tell it seemed to be made out of some sort of bullet proof glass. Which meant his forearm didn't stand a chance.
So concerned about finding a way in, and his aching arm, was Giles and the others that they didn't see the vampires who were approaching them from behind, that is didn't see them until the vamps started up towards the porch as they growled, drawing Giles' and the other's attention to them.
"Uhh...Rupert." Ms. Calendar said as she held onto her crossbow.
Giles, Ms. Calendar, Willow and Oz were on the porch which had two ways off of it. One was right in front of them, which was the way the vamps were coming from and the other was to the right which lead down a dozen or so steps to the driveway leading to what Giles guessed was the back of the house, but he couldn't tell because just as he made his way towards the stairs he saw four vamps coming from around that side too. That made ten vamps, with the six coming from the front.
They were surrounded and Giles knew that they couldn't take on ten vamps, mainly because they didn't have the firepower, not to mention the slayer. Giles cursed himself for not being more prepared for this.
Giles had two shots at best in his crossbow, along with a cross. Jenny and Oz also carried a crossbow with two shots, but all Willow had was a stake and a cross. So that was six shots and ten vamps which would leave four on four, if they all hit their marks. Four on four would usually be great odds in any game, but the problem was this wasn't a game.
Giles quickly decided that the best option was to try taking out the four vamps coming up the side of the porch and them make a run for it to the back and hope that they found a way in the house. Giles held out his crossbow, but was surprised when he heard a whoosh sound coming from behind him.
As he turned his head he saw that Jenny was perhaps thinking the same way that he was as the arrow from her crossbow hit the lead vamp coming up the stairs on the right in the heart, instantly turning him to dust.
Giles quickly brought his crossbow up just as Oz let an arrow fly towards one of the vamps that was starting to come up the front, dusting him where he stood. However, Giles' shot at the lead vamp coming up the right side of the porch wasn't as lucky. His arrow hit the vamp, but not in the heart as the vamp stumbled back into the other two vamps behind him, knocking them all to the ground. {Maybe it was a lucky shot after all} Giles thought as he yelled, "Run" pushing Willow and Oz in front of him with Ms. Calendar leading the way.
Giles used his last shot to dust a vamp that was running up the stairs from the front, then turned and followed the others down the stairs leading to the driveway. When he reached the bottom of the stairs the vamp that he had shot above the heart was getting up, with the arrow still in him. Well, he was getting up until Giles used his crossbow like it was a bat and busted it across the vamp's face knocking him back to the ground, along with the broken crossbow.
Giles was about five yards behind the others as he made his way down the gravel driveway.
He took a glance behind him to see the three vamps on the ground getting up and joining in on the chase with the other five vamps that had jumped down from the porch. He looked back in front of him just as someone grabbed him around the throat. Willow was the first to hear Giles' struggle as she stopped and turned around, "Giles!" she yelled, stopping Oz and Ms. Calendar in their tracks.
As Giles struggled for air he heard the voice that belonged to the hand around his throat say, "Oooh, look what I caught. Can I play with him?" in a innocent voice.
Ms. Calendar, Willow and Oz stood in fear looking at the dark haired beauty until their attention was drawn elsewhere.
"I'd told you we'd play love, but I meant with the slayer." came a voice from the darkness to the right, "But I guess a few appetizers wouldn't hurt." Spike said as his vampire features came to the surface.
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Chapter 24: The Maze of Life
Oz, Willow, and Buffy rode in Oz's van while Ms. Calendar and Giles rode in Giles' car. Giles was deep in thought while he followed Oz's van. He was trying to get in his own game face in a way as they all made their way to save Xander. However, he was still worried about this Reed guy. He didn't have time to tell Buffy and the others. He did tell Willow and Oz about the visitor he had, but he didn't go into detail. In fact, pretty much all he said was "Man, Reed, intruder."
Even Giles could be off his game somedays.
"Rupert." someone said, snapping fingers in front of him as he stared straight ahead.
"Rupert." Ms. Calendar repeated.
"I heard you." he said not moving his face an inch as he continued to look straight ahead.
"Oh, you looked like you were...."
"Thinking?" Giles asked.
"No, more like spaced out." Jenny replied.
This got his attention, "Spaced out?" he said with a questioning expression on his face.
"Oh I forget, you still go by the 13th century Webster dictionary, don't you?" Jenny was rewarded with a smirk from Giles.
After a moment or two of silence Jenny spoke up, "Thinking about what?"
"Huh...Oh...uhh, well, Xander mostly, a-and...umm.."
"Buffy." Ms. Calendar said
Giles let out a sigh as he continued to look straight ahead, "I don't know what to do."
"What to do?" Ms. Calendar asked.
"About this Reed character." Giles said still staring straight ahead as they followed Oz's van. Giles filled in Jenny about Reed on the drive to his place to pick more weapons. Now they were on their way to hopefully save Xander.
"If he's telling the truth about his mission then he could help Buffy get back to her reality, but..."
"But, you don't trust him?"
"No." Giles said looking at Ms. Calendar and then back at the road, "And yes."
Giles was about to explain, but she cut him off, "You don't want to believe him because if he's telling the truth you would lose her again."
Giles looked anywhere that didn't have Jenny's eyes.
"Are you going to tell her?"
This got him to look at her, "Of course, how could I not?"
After spitting that out a little hard his expression softened as he gave her a smile.
"Let's just get Xander back and then we'll worry about this Reed character." Ms. Calendar said.
Giles seemed to firm up as he looked back at the road, "Yes, lets."
.................
Meanwhile in Oz's van Buffy was having thoughts of her own. {I may have lost my way back to my reality, but I won't lose Xander. If I have to stay here it's going to be with all of my friends}
Buffy was in the back of the van as Oz and Willow were in the front. As Oz turned the corner to the street of the address the vampire had given her it just occured to her that what if the vampire was lying to her. She mentally kicked herself for being too impulsive and killing the vampire, especially since her last impulsive action resulted in Angel losing his soul.
Going down that road of thought just made her think more and more about her reality, especially the loved ones she wouldn't be seeing anymore. Sure, she would see her friends here, which in almost every way are her friends, but it still wouldn't feel the same. {God, snap out of it girl} she thought to herself as she got back into Xander savage mode.
"That's the place." Buffy said pointing towards what looked to be a two story house, before thinking {I hope}. The house was white with a black trim. It looked fairly normal. In fact, it looked too normal. It looked like a place where a couple would begin their lives together and raise a family in. This only freaked Buffy out more because now she had a feeling that the vampire was lying to her.
As they came to a stop outside of the house Buffy got out followed by Willow and Oz as Giles and Ms. Calendar pulled up behind the van in Giles' car, which made a clanking noise as it came to a stop.
{At least some things are always the same} Buffy thought to herself before seeing Ms. Calendar and Giles getting out of his car. {Well, some things} she thought as she looked at Ms. Calendar.
"Okay, you guys ready?" Buffy asked looking at them. She didn't need a response because she saw it in all of their eyes.
Oh yeah, they were as scared as she was.
=======================================================
In a way life is like a maze.
You go into the maze trying to find your way, your meaning.
Along this journey through the maze there are many turns, many decisions to be made.
Some are small, some are not.
Many people take the wrong turn and don't recover.
Some are unable to recover either because they haven't the opportunity or the means.
The lucky ones, however, recover and find their way.
They find their meaning.
Others a normal life that they can be proud of.
They go through the rest of their lives with a somewhat happy life until ultimately they come to the end of the maze.
In life V-Buffy was one of those who took the wrong turn, or in her case punched when she should've kicked.
However, what she couldn't find in life, she found in death.
Yes, she had made her way through the maze.
Just not the way most do.
As she stood at the window V-Buffy could see them coming. She smiled as she walked away from the window.
"Thomas!" she yelled.
"Thomas!" she repeated, this time with a little fury because of the lack of response.
One of the vampires came into the room with his head down, too scared to look her in the eyes, "T-Thomas w-went out hunting." he said more scared than he'd every been in his unlife, which granted was only about two days, but...
"He what!" V-Buffy said furious that she had been defied.
"I told him...(she broke off getting ahold of the rage of her demon inside), then looking back at the newly turned vampire, "Gather everyone and get ready."
"For what?"
"My destiny." V-Buffy said turning back towards the window.
"Yes master." he said before turning and running into a stake. He looked up in shock as he turned to ashes.
"*Our* Destiny." said the person that staked the vampire.
V-Buffy turned slowly around with a smile, "Of course honey, *Our* destiny."
===========================================================
Buffy made her way towards the front door of the house. {This is too easy. Where's the welcoming committee} she thought as she reached the door.
She looked back at Giles and the others before raising her leg to kick in the door. Just when she was fixing to kick the door, it slowly opened. It was almost as if the house was welcoming them.
Buffy looked back at Giles and the others before turning around and taking a step into the house.
As she crossed the threshold of the house she expected to see an army of vampires, demons, or even her Vamped self, but she was surprised to see nothing. Nothing except pitch black. In fact, the only light she had was from the night sky that came through the opened door.
Buffy was the only one at the moment inside the house as she took a couple of steps to her left with her arms in front of her, ready for anything that came her way. The only thing she found was a cold, smooth wall. She felt around for the a lightswitch along the wall, but came up empty. Her spider sense was in overdrive and it wasn't until she moved to her right that she knew why.
"Giles! It's a.... (before she could finish the door slammed shut as Buffy heard several locks clicking, leaving her alone in the darkness.
============================================================
{A few minutes earlier}
Reed leaned against a tree as he watched the big two story house from across the street. {Talk about Irony} he thought to himself. He looked at the house as the memories came flooding back to him. He was only a boy, twelve to be exact, but he could see it like it was yesterday.
"Reed the sun has almost set, get in this house!" yelled his mother from the front porch.
"Just a minute mom!" he yelled as he stood in the street.
He was playing touch football with about ten of the neighbor's kids. However, touch wasn't exactly the word he would always use because it got to be aggressive on more than one occasion. He turned his attention back to the game, but not before seeing his father join his mother on the porch.
He looked over at the other team as he prepared to hike the ball. His team was down five points and he knew this would be his team's last opportunity to score and win, but he had two obstacles to overcome. One being the sun was setting, meaning he didn't feel like playing football with vampires, and the other being JJ Peak.
Reed would've been the biggest kid on the block if it wasn't for JJ. He was eleven, but looked like he was about sixteen. He had four inches and about fifty pounds on Reed. Reed and JJ hardly ever got along, but they continued to play against eachother, if for nothing else the competition. Reed was the only boy on the block that didn't seem afraid of JJ. Reed stared down JJ who had his teeth baring, while spitting out insult after insult at Reed.
"Yeah Reed, hurry up so you can go to your freak show of a family!" JJ yelled.
This made Reed seeth in anger as he gripped the football by the laces. He could care less what people thought about him, but when someone put down his family, well, lets just say that he'd been suspended once from school because of what he did to a boy who was saying the same kind of thing that JJ was doing right now. Reed seethed in anger as he gripped the football by the laces. As he gripped the ball it felt like it was loosing air.
This was the moment that Reed would remember for the rest of his life, not because it was the game deciding point, but because it was the moment that would change his life forever. Sure he had let his rage get the best of him before, but this was different. Reed knew he was different. He'd always been told to control his anger because if he didn't he could end up hurting others or himself, but in many ways Reed was like any other child. Carefree, innocent, and immature. However, that would all change with simple snap of the ball.
Letting his rage get the best of him Reed screamed hike as the players on his team took off down the street. However, Reed was so overcome in anger that he wasn't even looking at them. He was only looking at JJ, who at that moment was counting down the five mississippi. After he finished his countdown, JJ rushed towards Reed.
Reed brought his arm back just as JJ was rushing at him. However, Reed wasn't trying for the winning toss because all he saw was revenge as he let the ball go towards JJ's face. There was a sound that the ball made when it hit JJ's face that Reed will never forget as the boy hit the pavement. It was a cracking sound, followed there after by the sound of impact JJ's face made with the street.
On that day one boy would lose his innocence and the other would lose his life.
Throughout the next few years Reed wasn't the same. However, as time passed and with the help of his mother and father, Reed would learn to control his abilities and his anger.
Whenever Reed felt like giving up or not doing what he was supposed to he would remember that day on the street that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Although that day was the worst of his life, it was also one of the most important. It kept him cool and calm, especially in times like these as he watched Buffy and the others pull up in front of the house and start towards it.
He saw Buffy go in and the door slam behind her, leaving Giles and the others outside as they banged on the door.
Reed was about to cross the street until he saw something down the road. He took a couple of steps back into the shadows as he watched a dozen or so vampires walk towards the two story house.
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"Giles!" Buffy called out in the dark.
"Buffy!" Giles yelled from the other side of the door as he tried to open the door.
"Buffy are you okay?" Giles yelled through the door.
"Yeah, except for the not being able to see factor. By the way, did I ever tell you that I'm not a big fan of the dark." she said as she turned away from the door, peering into the darkness. {This coming from one who spends most of her time in it} she thought as she heard Giles say that they were going to try to find a way into the house from the back.
Buffy almost wished she was a smoker because then she might have a lighter or a match to give her some much needed light. However, she didn't need one as the lights suddenly came on.
The light blinded Buffy for a moment, but she adjusted. She adjusted her eyes to see that she was in a corridor of some kind. After adjusting to the light she walked down the corridor with caution, ready for any attack that might come her way. As she made her way to the end of the corridor she found two ways to go. Both were corridors that looked just like the one she was in now.
"Great, this day just keeps getting better." she muttered to herself before choosing the right corridor.
She moves forward until she comes to the end of the corridor only to find two more ways to go. Letting out a frustrated sigh Buffy does the only thing that comforts her at the moment, which is squeeze the life out of the stake that she has in her right hand.
"Alright, I've had enough of playing the mouse in a maze bit." she says looking up and down the walls that extent all the way to the ceiling.
Buffy heard a laugh throughout the place that gave her the wiggins, "But you haven't even started running yet, why would you want to quit now." the voice that belonged to V-Buffy said.
{Running?}Buffy thought until she heard growling from the way that she had came as ten vamps come from around the corner of the last corridor, but because of how small the corridors were it looked like a hundred.
{Where did they come from} Buffy thought as she looked back and forth between the two ways she had to go and the vamps that approached her from behind. Buffy usually wouldn't be one for running from a fight, but she didn't like to fight in tight spaces so she chose the right corridor in front of her and prayed that it lead to somewhere that was a little more roomy.
Buffy looked behind her a couple of times as she jogged her way through a couple of turns in the maze before coming to a complete stop and listening with her slayer hearing for any signs of the previous vamps, but there was none. It was as if they gave up. Usually Buffy would be grateful that ten vamps found her not worthy of a happy meal, but under the circumstances it gave her that not so pleasant feeling she called the wiggins as she looked up ahead to yet another corridor that extended two ways.
Buffy knew from her previous outburst that V-Buffy could somehow hear her so she looked up towards the ceiling, "Why don't you come out and face me, or are you afraid I'll win?" Buffy said, hoping that the nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah approach to battle would work.
Once again Buffy heard that awful laugh, "I'd love to, but someone has to keep Xander all warm, or should I say cold." V-Buffy said just as Buffy took off into a sprint, not knowing where she was going or who she would run into as long as Xander was there too.
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Meanwhile outside Giles and the others were trying to find a way into the house. Giles went to the window on the porch and tried to break the glass with his forearm, but only got a sensation of pain shooting up his arm for his troubles.
"Damn!" Giles said as he held his arm and looked more closely at the window. From what Giles could tell it seemed to be made out of some sort of bullet proof glass. Which meant his forearm didn't stand a chance.
So concerned about finding a way in, and his aching arm, was Giles and the others that they didn't see the vampires who were approaching them from behind, that is didn't see them until the vamps started up towards the porch as they growled, drawing Giles' and the other's attention to them.
"Uhh...Rupert." Ms. Calendar said as she held onto her crossbow.
Giles, Ms. Calendar, Willow and Oz were on the porch which had two ways off of it. One was right in front of them, which was the way the vamps were coming from and the other was to the right which lead down a dozen or so steps to the driveway leading to what Giles guessed was the back of the house, but he couldn't tell because just as he made his way towards the stairs he saw four vamps coming from around that side too. That made ten vamps, with the six coming from the front.
They were surrounded and Giles knew that they couldn't take on ten vamps, mainly because they didn't have the firepower, not to mention the slayer. Giles cursed himself for not being more prepared for this.
Giles had two shots at best in his crossbow, along with a cross. Jenny and Oz also carried a crossbow with two shots, but all Willow had was a stake and a cross. So that was six shots and ten vamps which would leave four on four, if they all hit their marks. Four on four would usually be great odds in any game, but the problem was this wasn't a game.
Giles quickly decided that the best option was to try taking out the four vamps coming up the side of the porch and them make a run for it to the back and hope that they found a way in the house. Giles held out his crossbow, but was surprised when he heard a whoosh sound coming from behind him.
As he turned his head he saw that Jenny was perhaps thinking the same way that he was as the arrow from her crossbow hit the lead vamp coming up the stairs on the right in the heart, instantly turning him to dust.
Giles quickly brought his crossbow up just as Oz let an arrow fly towards one of the vamps that was starting to come up the front, dusting him where he stood. However, Giles' shot at the lead vamp coming up the right side of the porch wasn't as lucky. His arrow hit the vamp, but not in the heart as the vamp stumbled back into the other two vamps behind him, knocking them all to the ground. {Maybe it was a lucky shot after all} Giles thought as he yelled, "Run" pushing Willow and Oz in front of him with Ms. Calendar leading the way.
Giles used his last shot to dust a vamp that was running up the stairs from the front, then turned and followed the others down the stairs leading to the driveway. When he reached the bottom of the stairs the vamp that he had shot above the heart was getting up, with the arrow still in him. Well, he was getting up until Giles used his crossbow like it was a bat and busted it across the vamp's face knocking him back to the ground, along with the broken crossbow.
Giles was about five yards behind the others as he made his way down the gravel driveway.
He took a glance behind him to see the three vamps on the ground getting up and joining in on the chase with the other five vamps that had jumped down from the porch. He looked back in front of him just as someone grabbed him around the throat. Willow was the first to hear Giles' struggle as she stopped and turned around, "Giles!" she yelled, stopping Oz and Ms. Calendar in their tracks.
As Giles struggled for air he heard the voice that belonged to the hand around his throat say, "Oooh, look what I caught. Can I play with him?" in a innocent voice.
Ms. Calendar, Willow and Oz stood in fear looking at the dark haired beauty until their attention was drawn elsewhere.
"I'd told you we'd play love, but I meant with the slayer." came a voice from the darkness to the right, "But I guess a few appetizers wouldn't hurt." Spike said as his vampire features came to the surface.
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