Chapter Nine
Buffy and Willow were still at the Magic Box when dusk fell. Willow was looking out the window when she saw the sun begin to sink behind the trees and the moon begin to appear in the sky.
"Looks like its werewolf hunting time." Willow remarked and turned away from the window.
"Okay." Buffy said. Everyone had been given maximum damage weapons (without killing the creature) and had been shown how to use them. Xander studied the crossbow in his hands and ran his finger along the arrow in the shaft.
"Okay, here's the plan. Anya, you are going to go to my house and make sure Dawn is home and safe. Do you have the walkie-talkie?" Buffy asked and showed Anya her own black walkie-talkie. Xander still had them left in his basement from when the Scooby Gang had to patrol without her.
Anya fished around in her pocket, dropping her own crossbow, and finally pulled out the walkie-talkie. "Yep." She said and showed it to Buffy. She stooped to pick up her crossbow. "Do we get to have cool code-names? I want to be James Bond." Anya said.
"No, no code names. Anya, be serious here." Buffy muttered.
"Okay." Anya muttered.
"So, once Anya makes sure Dawn is home she's going to join us in Weatherly Park, that's around where I saw the werewolf last night. Exactly, I saw the werewolf in the cemetery behind Weatherly Park but who cares." Buffy said, muttering the last part.
Anya ticked the things off on her fingers. "Dawn, Weatherly Park, werewolf. Got it." She said.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Okay, everybody ready?" She asked.
Xander nodded and ran his finger along the crossbow. "Ready." He said, speaking for all of them.
"Okay, let's go." Buffy said and the four of them headed out of The Magic Box.
Spike peered out the small window of his crypt and saw the sun go down. Finally, he thought, after being cooped up all day. But then again what made today different from yesterday or all other days?
Spike opened the door to his crypt and exited, he was going on the hunt tonight. Or, sort of. Spike headed toward Weatherly Park to see what small animals or whatnot he could find.
Anya stumbled noisily through the bushes at the back of the Summers' property. Anya couldn't see very well in the dark; Buffy had thought of everything, down to the little walkie-talkies, but she hadn't thought about giving her a flashlight. Anya cursed as she tripped over a root and hit the ground.
Anya stood up and brushed herself off. She still had her crossbow but she had dropped her walkie-talkie. Anya looked around for it for a few seconds before giving up. Dawn was probably home anyway so she wouldn't need the walkie-talkie.
Anya walked to the back door of the Summers' house and peered in through the window. A few of the lights were off but the place was mostly dark.
"Dawn!" Anya shouted, banging on the door. No answer. Anya sighed. "She should know to be home before dark in this town." Anya muttered and walked back over to the bushes she had tripped in.
Anya sighed and got down on her hands and knees and started looking around for the walkie-talkie. After a few minutes of searching Anya pulled the walkie-talkie from beneath a bunch of bushes that scratched her hand. In the morning, Buffy was going to get an ear-full from her.
Anya picked up the walkie-talkie and sat cross-legged amidst the bushes while she tried to remember the frequency that Buffy had told her to be on. She switched to the channel (channel 6) and pushed the "talk" button.
"Um, hello Buffy. Somebody this is me, pick up." Anya said, speaking into the body of the walkie-talkie.
As Buffy and co. neared Weatherly Park they were surprised by the static that came from the walkie-talkie in Buffy's pocket. Buffy pulled the walkie-talkie out in time to hear Anya's voice saying "This is me pick up."
Buffy pressed the "talk" button on her own walkie-talkie. "Hey Anya, this is Buffy. Is Dawn home?" Buffy asked.
The three waited for Anya's response. "Um, no. Nobody's here." Anya replied.
A look of fear quickly crossed Buffy's face when she heard Anya's words. "Are you sure?" Buffy asked.
"Pretty sure. Nobody's here. It's really dark, I can't see a thing. I tripped over a (static) bush and cut my hand." Anya replied.
"Anya, stay there we'll be right over." Buffy said and switched off her walkie-talkie, right as Anya was continuing her angry rant.
Anya listened as the walkie-talkie went dead. "She hung up on me!" Anya yelled and through the walkie-talkie toward the house. The walkie-talkie went crashing through the kitchen window. Anya's eyes went wide but then she just shrugged. "That'll teach her to hang up on me." Anya muttered.
Buffy, Willow and Xander ran as fast as they could toward the Summers house; Buffy, of course, was in the lead but was followed closely by her friends.
When they finally arrived at the house, they found Anya sitting on the ground surrounded by a bunch of bushes. Buffy didn't even have stop to ask her why she was on the ground but turned right to the house and peered inside. It was indeed dark inside and looked as though no one was home.
Buffy scanned the house and noticed the hole in the window. "What the hell happened?" She asked turning to Anya. "No, screw that I don't care. Let's go; we have to find Dawn." Buffy said.
Anya picked up her crossbow. "Okay, let's go." She said.
Before anyone had a chance to say anything more, a very out of breath Spike ran up to them. He tripped over one of the bushes and nearly fell on Anya.
"Spike, what the hell are you doing here?" Xander asked and helped his fiancé up.
"Lil' Bit, at Weatherly Park." Spike said and was going to continue when Buffy cut him off.
"Dawn's at Weatherly Park? Is she in trouble? Is she hurt?" Buffy asked.
"Werewolf, hurry." Spike managed to say before Buffy took off running.
"To Weatherly Park we go." Willow said, brandished her dagger and took off after her friend.
Anya, Xander and Spike took off running after them.
Buffy and Willow were still at the Magic Box when dusk fell. Willow was looking out the window when she saw the sun begin to sink behind the trees and the moon begin to appear in the sky.
"Looks like its werewolf hunting time." Willow remarked and turned away from the window.
"Okay." Buffy said. Everyone had been given maximum damage weapons (without killing the creature) and had been shown how to use them. Xander studied the crossbow in his hands and ran his finger along the arrow in the shaft.
"Okay, here's the plan. Anya, you are going to go to my house and make sure Dawn is home and safe. Do you have the walkie-talkie?" Buffy asked and showed Anya her own black walkie-talkie. Xander still had them left in his basement from when the Scooby Gang had to patrol without her.
Anya fished around in her pocket, dropping her own crossbow, and finally pulled out the walkie-talkie. "Yep." She said and showed it to Buffy. She stooped to pick up her crossbow. "Do we get to have cool code-names? I want to be James Bond." Anya said.
"No, no code names. Anya, be serious here." Buffy muttered.
"Okay." Anya muttered.
"So, once Anya makes sure Dawn is home she's going to join us in Weatherly Park, that's around where I saw the werewolf last night. Exactly, I saw the werewolf in the cemetery behind Weatherly Park but who cares." Buffy said, muttering the last part.
Anya ticked the things off on her fingers. "Dawn, Weatherly Park, werewolf. Got it." She said.
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Okay, everybody ready?" She asked.
Xander nodded and ran his finger along the crossbow. "Ready." He said, speaking for all of them.
"Okay, let's go." Buffy said and the four of them headed out of The Magic Box.
Spike peered out the small window of his crypt and saw the sun go down. Finally, he thought, after being cooped up all day. But then again what made today different from yesterday or all other days?
Spike opened the door to his crypt and exited, he was going on the hunt tonight. Or, sort of. Spike headed toward Weatherly Park to see what small animals or whatnot he could find.
Anya stumbled noisily through the bushes at the back of the Summers' property. Anya couldn't see very well in the dark; Buffy had thought of everything, down to the little walkie-talkies, but she hadn't thought about giving her a flashlight. Anya cursed as she tripped over a root and hit the ground.
Anya stood up and brushed herself off. She still had her crossbow but she had dropped her walkie-talkie. Anya looked around for it for a few seconds before giving up. Dawn was probably home anyway so she wouldn't need the walkie-talkie.
Anya walked to the back door of the Summers' house and peered in through the window. A few of the lights were off but the place was mostly dark.
"Dawn!" Anya shouted, banging on the door. No answer. Anya sighed. "She should know to be home before dark in this town." Anya muttered and walked back over to the bushes she had tripped in.
Anya sighed and got down on her hands and knees and started looking around for the walkie-talkie. After a few minutes of searching Anya pulled the walkie-talkie from beneath a bunch of bushes that scratched her hand. In the morning, Buffy was going to get an ear-full from her.
Anya picked up the walkie-talkie and sat cross-legged amidst the bushes while she tried to remember the frequency that Buffy had told her to be on. She switched to the channel (channel 6) and pushed the "talk" button.
"Um, hello Buffy. Somebody this is me, pick up." Anya said, speaking into the body of the walkie-talkie.
As Buffy and co. neared Weatherly Park they were surprised by the static that came from the walkie-talkie in Buffy's pocket. Buffy pulled the walkie-talkie out in time to hear Anya's voice saying "This is me pick up."
Buffy pressed the "talk" button on her own walkie-talkie. "Hey Anya, this is Buffy. Is Dawn home?" Buffy asked.
The three waited for Anya's response. "Um, no. Nobody's here." Anya replied.
A look of fear quickly crossed Buffy's face when she heard Anya's words. "Are you sure?" Buffy asked.
"Pretty sure. Nobody's here. It's really dark, I can't see a thing. I tripped over a (static) bush and cut my hand." Anya replied.
"Anya, stay there we'll be right over." Buffy said and switched off her walkie-talkie, right as Anya was continuing her angry rant.
Anya listened as the walkie-talkie went dead. "She hung up on me!" Anya yelled and through the walkie-talkie toward the house. The walkie-talkie went crashing through the kitchen window. Anya's eyes went wide but then she just shrugged. "That'll teach her to hang up on me." Anya muttered.
Buffy, Willow and Xander ran as fast as they could toward the Summers house; Buffy, of course, was in the lead but was followed closely by her friends.
When they finally arrived at the house, they found Anya sitting on the ground surrounded by a bunch of bushes. Buffy didn't even have stop to ask her why she was on the ground but turned right to the house and peered inside. It was indeed dark inside and looked as though no one was home.
Buffy scanned the house and noticed the hole in the window. "What the hell happened?" She asked turning to Anya. "No, screw that I don't care. Let's go; we have to find Dawn." Buffy said.
Anya picked up her crossbow. "Okay, let's go." She said.
Before anyone had a chance to say anything more, a very out of breath Spike ran up to them. He tripped over one of the bushes and nearly fell on Anya.
"Spike, what the hell are you doing here?" Xander asked and helped his fiancé up.
"Lil' Bit, at Weatherly Park." Spike said and was going to continue when Buffy cut him off.
"Dawn's at Weatherly Park? Is she in trouble? Is she hurt?" Buffy asked.
"Werewolf, hurry." Spike managed to say before Buffy took off running.
"To Weatherly Park we go." Willow said, brandished her dagger and took off after her friend.
Anya, Xander and Spike took off running after them.
