Part 5 - Faith's Nightmare Made Real
Buffy sat up with a gasp, instinctively grabbing for the hand on her shoulder, shoving away with all her strength. But Faith didn't move, her strength the equal of Buffy's, fear adding to it. Their eyes met - Faith's wide with fright, Buffy's dark with confusion. Buffy let go of her arm and touched the back of her head. "Ow." She winced as she touched a sore spot. "Must've hit it when I fell over...... what the hell happened? Where's Willow?"
Faith swallowed, gestured to one side. "Willow's OK, I think. She's still out though, I tried - I couldn't wake her up. She's over there."
Buffy crawled over to Willow and gently touched her face. Faith had placed a pillow under her head. Her cheek was warm and her chest rose and fell with regular breaths, but shaking her gently produced no response. Buffy looked up at Faith, who'd risen to her feet, head tilted now to one side. Slowly she walked to the door and warily, silently pulled it open. She looked out into the corridor, glanced quickly both ways, and came back into the room. "Buffy? Do you hear anything?" She swallowed quickly, face and eyes strained. "There's no noise. Nothing. Apart from the fans......"
She left the door open and followed the wall of the dayroom along, until she reached the thick shatterproof glass of the nurses station. The light there had gone off, leaving it in shadowy darkness. There was no movement inside. She pressed her face to the glass and cupped her hands beside her face, peering in. She recoiled as though she'd been struck, face white, eyes wide, stumbling away from the window with a strangled gasp.
"Faith? What is it?" Buffy said quietly. Faith swallowed convulsively and stared at her. Demons she'd seen, and she'd killed in her time, human and non-human, but what was left of the orderly.........she'd never seen anything like it. She just shook her head, backing quickly away from the nurses station, hands loose at her sides.
"Something's......happened," she said thickly. "He's been - uh. Jesus. Uh, ripped apart. You - you don't want to look in there."
Buffy scrambled to her feet from where she'd been kneeling by Willow's side. "But......who - how - I don't understand." Faith's face tightened and she shook her head wordlessly.
"What - what about the rest of the - you said there was no noise out there," Buffy continued She frowned. "What about the rest of the people in this place? The rest of the, uh, inmates. Surely they can't all be - be......" her voice trailed off as she glanced at the station which contained what had been the orderly.
A low moan brought her whirling round; Willow's eyes were flickering. She sat up shakily, rubbing her face, glancing up at Faith and Buffy. Buffy moved to her side; she held up a hand and Buffy pulled her to her feet. "What happened? What's going on?"
Buffy sat up with a gasp, instinctively grabbing for the hand on her shoulder, shoving away with all her strength. But Faith didn't move, her strength the equal of Buffy's, fear adding to it. Their eyes met - Faith's wide with fright, Buffy's dark with confusion. Buffy let go of her arm and touched the back of her head. "Ow." She winced as she touched a sore spot. "Must've hit it when I fell over...... what the hell happened? Where's Willow?"
Faith swallowed, gestured to one side. "Willow's OK, I think. She's still out though, I tried - I couldn't wake her up. She's over there."
Buffy crawled over to Willow and gently touched her face. Faith had placed a pillow under her head. Her cheek was warm and her chest rose and fell with regular breaths, but shaking her gently produced no response. Buffy looked up at Faith, who'd risen to her feet, head tilted now to one side. Slowly she walked to the door and warily, silently pulled it open. She looked out into the corridor, glanced quickly both ways, and came back into the room. "Buffy? Do you hear anything?" She swallowed quickly, face and eyes strained. "There's no noise. Nothing. Apart from the fans......"
She left the door open and followed the wall of the dayroom along, until she reached the thick shatterproof glass of the nurses station. The light there had gone off, leaving it in shadowy darkness. There was no movement inside. She pressed her face to the glass and cupped her hands beside her face, peering in. She recoiled as though she'd been struck, face white, eyes wide, stumbling away from the window with a strangled gasp.
"Faith? What is it?" Buffy said quietly. Faith swallowed convulsively and stared at her. Demons she'd seen, and she'd killed in her time, human and non-human, but what was left of the orderly.........she'd never seen anything like it. She just shook her head, backing quickly away from the nurses station, hands loose at her sides.
"Something's......happened," she said thickly. "He's been - uh. Jesus. Uh, ripped apart. You - you don't want to look in there."
Buffy scrambled to her feet from where she'd been kneeling by Willow's side. "But......who - how - I don't understand." Faith's face tightened and she shook her head wordlessly.
"What - what about the rest of the - you said there was no noise out there," Buffy continued She frowned. "What about the rest of the people in this place? The rest of the, uh, inmates. Surely they can't all be - be......" her voice trailed off as she glanced at the station which contained what had been the orderly.
A low moan brought her whirling round; Willow's eyes were flickering. She sat up shakily, rubbing her face, glancing up at Faith and Buffy. Buffy moved to her side; she held up a hand and Buffy pulled her to her feet. "What happened? What's going on?"