Part 6 - Finding Out
The three of them had made a quick investigation of the hospital, only Faith and Buffy daring to look into the rooms. Buffy had blanched at the first, and then refused to let Willow anywhere near them. She'd gritted her teeth, but they had to search. Surely someone would have escaped....
Silence reigned throughout. The place had been decimated; there was no clue as to what had torn through the rooms, ripping apart and killing everything in its path. Not until they reached the far end of the building, and then they found something. Words, jaggedly scrawled over the walls and floor of a room. Written in blood, bright and vivid against the magnolia walls. Obscene, evil, mocking. Curses and threats - against them all; but directed mainly at Faith. Buffy had checked her watch before they'd begun to look; the thing that had knocked them out and killed the inmates and staff at the hospital had done so in less than half an hour. They'd gone back to the dayroom and called Giles, white and shaken.
He paced in front of them now, glasses clutched tightly in one hand. "And you say - the air became thin? And then you fell?" he questioned. Buffy nodded, mouth tight as the memories of what she'd seen in the rooms (some locked, some not) danced in front of her eyes. Blood everywhere; so much blood. So much red. Faith sat curled up in a chair, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her face was startlingly white against the dark hair, eyes black pools, wide with horror as she stared unblinkingly at her knees. She hadn't spoken a word since Giles arrived. He turned to Faith, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Faith? Can you tell me what happened? What you - felt?"
She looked up then, nodded slightly. "It was the same as the dreams," she said softly. She looked back at her knees. "Buffy and, and Willow were talking. Then - I felt like someone was looking at me, watching me. But I knew I wasn't asleep, this time......," she paused and swallowed, licking dry lips. "It felt like something was, I don't know, gloating. Sort of glad to have found me, but not - not in a good way. Then I felt - like something was - pinning me into the chair, I couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't - do anything." Her voice became almost inaudible. "It felt - felt like my mother." She raised her face then and looked at Giles, meeting his gaze. "It felt like it used to feel when I was little, and I'd know she was in the house - watching me."
* * * * * *
The story was featured on the evening news. The official version was that the inmates had somehow turned on the staff, then on each other. Conclusion? Mass murder by the crazies. No further investigation was needed, stated the reporter, police were satisfied with what they'd come up with. Covering up unusual events in Sunnydale had become second nature by now, part of the job. The real truth would never be revealed, that an unknown something had attacked and killed the inmates and staff. Nor would the truth of the devastation wreaked at the hospital ever be revealed to the townsfolk.
They watched the report at Giles'. He'd made the three girls return to his place, before he called the authorities in to the scene. He'd only taken a quick look - it had shaken him up so much that he'd stammered on the phone, been as white as a sheet by the time they arrived. He'd said he'd come to visit a staff member. After briefly questioning him and taking his details, they'd let him go.
The rest of the Scooby Gang had been called over; it had been Giles' decision to return there and to take Faith with them. It would take the authorities some time to discover that she wasn't at the hospital anyway, with the state that some of the inmates had been left in, those that had been in the dormitories. He'd also made the decision not to contact the Council, feeling that it was better if they dealt with what had happened without the Council's knowledge, especially with Faith's conviction that this was her fault, that she had brought this down on them.
He paced now, trying to keep his face still as Buffy described again what they'd seen. Willow's face blanched, and Xander comfortingly took her hand. They sat together, Xander perching on the arm of Willows' chair. She swallowed, thankful that Buffy'd insisted she stay back, pushing her away when she would have looked into the rooms with them.
"Faith, why - why do you think this is something - something to do with your mother?" he said finally, coming to a halt in front of her, where she huddled next to Buffy on the sofa. "I mean, the words in that room, were, well. But why your mother? We know something came, but what makes you, I mean, why do you think it was her?"
The three of them had made a quick investigation of the hospital, only Faith and Buffy daring to look into the rooms. Buffy had blanched at the first, and then refused to let Willow anywhere near them. She'd gritted her teeth, but they had to search. Surely someone would have escaped....
Silence reigned throughout. The place had been decimated; there was no clue as to what had torn through the rooms, ripping apart and killing everything in its path. Not until they reached the far end of the building, and then they found something. Words, jaggedly scrawled over the walls and floor of a room. Written in blood, bright and vivid against the magnolia walls. Obscene, evil, mocking. Curses and threats - against them all; but directed mainly at Faith. Buffy had checked her watch before they'd begun to look; the thing that had knocked them out and killed the inmates and staff at the hospital had done so in less than half an hour. They'd gone back to the dayroom and called Giles, white and shaken.
He paced in front of them now, glasses clutched tightly in one hand. "And you say - the air became thin? And then you fell?" he questioned. Buffy nodded, mouth tight as the memories of what she'd seen in the rooms (some locked, some not) danced in front of her eyes. Blood everywhere; so much blood. So much red. Faith sat curled up in a chair, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her face was startlingly white against the dark hair, eyes black pools, wide with horror as she stared unblinkingly at her knees. She hadn't spoken a word since Giles arrived. He turned to Faith, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Faith? Can you tell me what happened? What you - felt?"
She looked up then, nodded slightly. "It was the same as the dreams," she said softly. She looked back at her knees. "Buffy and, and Willow were talking. Then - I felt like someone was looking at me, watching me. But I knew I wasn't asleep, this time......," she paused and swallowed, licking dry lips. "It felt like something was, I don't know, gloating. Sort of glad to have found me, but not - not in a good way. Then I felt - like something was - pinning me into the chair, I couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't - do anything." Her voice became almost inaudible. "It felt - felt like my mother." She raised her face then and looked at Giles, meeting his gaze. "It felt like it used to feel when I was little, and I'd know she was in the house - watching me."
* * * * * *
The story was featured on the evening news. The official version was that the inmates had somehow turned on the staff, then on each other. Conclusion? Mass murder by the crazies. No further investigation was needed, stated the reporter, police were satisfied with what they'd come up with. Covering up unusual events in Sunnydale had become second nature by now, part of the job. The real truth would never be revealed, that an unknown something had attacked and killed the inmates and staff. Nor would the truth of the devastation wreaked at the hospital ever be revealed to the townsfolk.
They watched the report at Giles'. He'd made the three girls return to his place, before he called the authorities in to the scene. He'd only taken a quick look - it had shaken him up so much that he'd stammered on the phone, been as white as a sheet by the time they arrived. He'd said he'd come to visit a staff member. After briefly questioning him and taking his details, they'd let him go.
The rest of the Scooby Gang had been called over; it had been Giles' decision to return there and to take Faith with them. It would take the authorities some time to discover that she wasn't at the hospital anyway, with the state that some of the inmates had been left in, those that had been in the dormitories. He'd also made the decision not to contact the Council, feeling that it was better if they dealt with what had happened without the Council's knowledge, especially with Faith's conviction that this was her fault, that she had brought this down on them.
He paced now, trying to keep his face still as Buffy described again what they'd seen. Willow's face blanched, and Xander comfortingly took her hand. They sat together, Xander perching on the arm of Willows' chair. She swallowed, thankful that Buffy'd insisted she stay back, pushing her away when she would have looked into the rooms with them.
"Faith, why - why do you think this is something - something to do with your mother?" he said finally, coming to a halt in front of her, where she huddled next to Buffy on the sofa. "I mean, the words in that room, were, well. But why your mother? We know something came, but what makes you, I mean, why do you think it was her?"