Chapter 6
Half way up to the counter, I abruptly stopped. My brow furrowed and I tried to concentrate. "Dawn?" I said aloud. I looked around but found that she was nowhere in sight. I know she's here-or at least she was here recently. I could sense her presence, just like how I could sense Buffy's whenever she was near. I scanned the area again, no sign of her. There was a slight pang in my stomach and I knew she was in danger. I spotted the small group of teenybopper girls that Dawn hangs around with sometimes. "It's been awhile since Josh went off after Dawn." I was able to hear one of them say over the live band performing; thanks to my heightened sense of hearing. One foot stepped in front of the other and I found myself hastily heading over to the group.
"Uh, can we help you?" one of the girls asked in a stuck up tone.
"Yeah, I'll bet he wants fashion tips I mean hello? That outfit is so mid ninety's" another butted in.
I looked myself over, what the hell's wrong with my clothes-wait I'm not here to get insulted about how I dress from some little girl, I'm here to find out where Dawn is.
"Y'know, out dated clothing aside, you're pretty hot." One of the girls declared.
She stood up from her seat and looked me over. The guy who had been sitting down beside her stood up too and got right up in my face. "Hey what the hell do you think you're doing pal she's mine!"
"Look boy-o, I don't bloody care. I'm looking for Dawn," I snapped back.
"How should I know? Josh went after her after she headed outside-" I was gone before he even gets the chance to finish. I'm already pushing through the crowded building, trying to make my way to the exit.
* * *
'Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god!' I said over and over again. "You-you don't want to do this," I stuttered as I looked into Josh's eyes and I'm hit with a second wave of shock for his pupil's momentarily dilated and became slits-slightly reminiscent of cats' eyes- a low snarl sounded and he grinned malevolently.
"Really? 'Cause I think I do," he declared; his voice had become much deeper and horse. 'Help, somebody!' I yelled inside my head. The fear was so great that I was unable to scream.
"Trust me." A voice sounded in the near distance-an unfamiliar voice-and I noticed the figure was hidden within the shadows, "You really don't want to."
"Piss off pal. Can't you see I'm busy?" he hissed.
But the stranger merely stepped out of the shadows and looked down on me. "Help me!" I scream and he shakes his head.
"Sorry squirt, but it's not my place."
Demon Josh then, grabbed my left wrist and held up my palm. He swiftly ran the blade across my skin and I shuddered in pain. He then sliced his left palm and pressed our hands together. Instantly he let out a most horrid scream and clutched his hand in pain as it burned and smoked.
"Can't say I didn't warn you. She's not an ordinary human."
"Dawn!"
I knew that voice, "Spike!" I looked over to see him speeding towards me; his face changed, rigid and rough skinned as his feral eyes glowed golden with rage. It was like a giant blur and I soon found my self rising up off the ground as the battle between Demon Josh and Spike began.
Spike took a punch to the abdomen. He stumbled back slightly, regained his balance and then kicked Josh in the side of his knee. Josh yelled out and fell down clutching the side of his leg in pain while Spike clutched his head and fell to the ground uttering anguished grunts.
The stranger casually called out, "Oh, did I forget to mention? The boy's not really a demon, he's just being possessed by one- A Melcranakt I believe."
"What!?" I asked taken a back.
While Spike gets up again and complains, "Would've been nice if someone'd told me that before I broke his knee and gave ma-self a mind numbing migraine!" he then rolled back and dodged a downward kick from Josh only to be hit with an elbow to the face. "This is really gonna hurt." Spike declared just before executing an upper cut which propelled demon Josh a good few feet in the air, knocking him completely unconscious.
"Spike!" I called as I ran over to where he's again clutching his head in pain. "Are you okay?"
He recovered somewhat and looked up at me, his face then reverted back to normal and he smiled lightly, "I'll be fine 'bit. Be good as new with in a few hours, one of the upsides to being a vampire." He then wiped the blood that ran from his nose and attempted to get up only to fall over. I gave him a hand and helped him steady himself.
"Is he? You didn't kill him did you?"
"Na'h. He'll be fine- except for the broken leg. and the jaw that I'm sure is dislocated. and he's also probably going to be suffering from a concussion- who the bloody hell are you?" He asked as he directs his attention to the stranger.
"I'm just a wondering demon who directs people on the path they're supposed to follow. Now are you going to finish what you started Chips O'hoi or are you just going to let our little friend go off and posses some other unfortunate kid who crosses its path?" We all looked in Josh's direction to find a small green colored parasite, no bigger than a soft ball come out from inside his bleeding hand and try to escape only to have itself stomped out by the bottom of Spike's leather boot.
"Man but you seem to get into trouble as much s your big sis does." He abruptly stated.
"You know Buffy?"
"Yup. A little bit. Imparted some words of advice just before she'd gone off to stop Angelus from awakening Akathla all those years ago. The name's Whistler," he began. "And I'm not exactly sure what your roll is in the grand scheme of things but I do know that some one will stand by your side, and it's not the Slayer." He turns to leave when Spike called out to him.
"Hey mate. What are you babbling about?"
"I'm just the messenger. Don't ask me what it all means. Now, do you know if they sell hotdogs in there?" Whistler said gesturing towards the Bronze. "Cause I could really go for a hotdog."
"Um. I don't think they do." I replied dumbly.
"Damn. Oh, well. Tell your sis I said 'hi'." He says before walking off and disappearing into the shadows.
"Strange bloke." Spike remarked. He then held up my palm and inspected it. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wrapped it around my wound carefully. "It's not too deep, but we should clean it up and have it bandaged properly after I get you home. Now come on."
"But what about Josh?"
He sighed okay I'll get someone to call an ambulance for him so just stay here and wait till I come back outside.
Half way up to the counter, I abruptly stopped. My brow furrowed and I tried to concentrate. "Dawn?" I said aloud. I looked around but found that she was nowhere in sight. I know she's here-or at least she was here recently. I could sense her presence, just like how I could sense Buffy's whenever she was near. I scanned the area again, no sign of her. There was a slight pang in my stomach and I knew she was in danger. I spotted the small group of teenybopper girls that Dawn hangs around with sometimes. "It's been awhile since Josh went off after Dawn." I was able to hear one of them say over the live band performing; thanks to my heightened sense of hearing. One foot stepped in front of the other and I found myself hastily heading over to the group.
"Uh, can we help you?" one of the girls asked in a stuck up tone.
"Yeah, I'll bet he wants fashion tips I mean hello? That outfit is so mid ninety's" another butted in.
I looked myself over, what the hell's wrong with my clothes-wait I'm not here to get insulted about how I dress from some little girl, I'm here to find out where Dawn is.
"Y'know, out dated clothing aside, you're pretty hot." One of the girls declared.
She stood up from her seat and looked me over. The guy who had been sitting down beside her stood up too and got right up in my face. "Hey what the hell do you think you're doing pal she's mine!"
"Look boy-o, I don't bloody care. I'm looking for Dawn," I snapped back.
"How should I know? Josh went after her after she headed outside-" I was gone before he even gets the chance to finish. I'm already pushing through the crowded building, trying to make my way to the exit.
* * *
'Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god!' I said over and over again. "You-you don't want to do this," I stuttered as I looked into Josh's eyes and I'm hit with a second wave of shock for his pupil's momentarily dilated and became slits-slightly reminiscent of cats' eyes- a low snarl sounded and he grinned malevolently.
"Really? 'Cause I think I do," he declared; his voice had become much deeper and horse. 'Help, somebody!' I yelled inside my head. The fear was so great that I was unable to scream.
"Trust me." A voice sounded in the near distance-an unfamiliar voice-and I noticed the figure was hidden within the shadows, "You really don't want to."
"Piss off pal. Can't you see I'm busy?" he hissed.
But the stranger merely stepped out of the shadows and looked down on me. "Help me!" I scream and he shakes his head.
"Sorry squirt, but it's not my place."
Demon Josh then, grabbed my left wrist and held up my palm. He swiftly ran the blade across my skin and I shuddered in pain. He then sliced his left palm and pressed our hands together. Instantly he let out a most horrid scream and clutched his hand in pain as it burned and smoked.
"Can't say I didn't warn you. She's not an ordinary human."
"Dawn!"
I knew that voice, "Spike!" I looked over to see him speeding towards me; his face changed, rigid and rough skinned as his feral eyes glowed golden with rage. It was like a giant blur and I soon found my self rising up off the ground as the battle between Demon Josh and Spike began.
Spike took a punch to the abdomen. He stumbled back slightly, regained his balance and then kicked Josh in the side of his knee. Josh yelled out and fell down clutching the side of his leg in pain while Spike clutched his head and fell to the ground uttering anguished grunts.
The stranger casually called out, "Oh, did I forget to mention? The boy's not really a demon, he's just being possessed by one- A Melcranakt I believe."
"What!?" I asked taken a back.
While Spike gets up again and complains, "Would've been nice if someone'd told me that before I broke his knee and gave ma-self a mind numbing migraine!" he then rolled back and dodged a downward kick from Josh only to be hit with an elbow to the face. "This is really gonna hurt." Spike declared just before executing an upper cut which propelled demon Josh a good few feet in the air, knocking him completely unconscious.
"Spike!" I called as I ran over to where he's again clutching his head in pain. "Are you okay?"
He recovered somewhat and looked up at me, his face then reverted back to normal and he smiled lightly, "I'll be fine 'bit. Be good as new with in a few hours, one of the upsides to being a vampire." He then wiped the blood that ran from his nose and attempted to get up only to fall over. I gave him a hand and helped him steady himself.
"Is he? You didn't kill him did you?"
"Na'h. He'll be fine- except for the broken leg. and the jaw that I'm sure is dislocated. and he's also probably going to be suffering from a concussion- who the bloody hell are you?" He asked as he directs his attention to the stranger.
"I'm just a wondering demon who directs people on the path they're supposed to follow. Now are you going to finish what you started Chips O'hoi or are you just going to let our little friend go off and posses some other unfortunate kid who crosses its path?" We all looked in Josh's direction to find a small green colored parasite, no bigger than a soft ball come out from inside his bleeding hand and try to escape only to have itself stomped out by the bottom of Spike's leather boot.
"Man but you seem to get into trouble as much s your big sis does." He abruptly stated.
"You know Buffy?"
"Yup. A little bit. Imparted some words of advice just before she'd gone off to stop Angelus from awakening Akathla all those years ago. The name's Whistler," he began. "And I'm not exactly sure what your roll is in the grand scheme of things but I do know that some one will stand by your side, and it's not the Slayer." He turns to leave when Spike called out to him.
"Hey mate. What are you babbling about?"
"I'm just the messenger. Don't ask me what it all means. Now, do you know if they sell hotdogs in there?" Whistler said gesturing towards the Bronze. "Cause I could really go for a hotdog."
"Um. I don't think they do." I replied dumbly.
"Damn. Oh, well. Tell your sis I said 'hi'." He says before walking off and disappearing into the shadows.
"Strange bloke." Spike remarked. He then held up my palm and inspected it. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wrapped it around my wound carefully. "It's not too deep, but we should clean it up and have it bandaged properly after I get you home. Now come on."
"But what about Josh?"
He sighed okay I'll get someone to call an ambulance for him so just stay here and wait till I come back outside.