Going on Faith - Chapter 8
"Look at this!" Willow exclaimed over the gathered evidence as if it were Christmas morning.
"And you guys'll never believe what happened to us," Dawn interrupted. "The Concord had already been towed, so there we were poking around in the bushes, not finding a thing but some tire tracks and broken branches, when this car pulls up. We figured it was the police back for another look around, then out steps this scaly demon guy and a human. Will and I just froze and watched them. Luckily, we were way back in the trees."
"We had our weapons out, just in case," Dawn assured her sister, seeing the frown start to form on Buffy's face and thinking her sister was going to have some serious furrows in her forehead by the time she was thirty if she didn't stop the habitual scowling.
"Anyway, they walked around like they were looking for something. I mean, it was obvious they expected that car to be there. They talked, but we couldn't hear them, then after awhile they gave up and left. Cool, huh? Oooh, and we got the license plate number from their car. Buffy's checking on that right now."
Buffy had indeed been hunched over the computer keyboard hunting and pecking when Xander and Faith arrived. Dawn had been directing her search with the self-satisfaction of a younger sibling showing off superior knowledge, making Xander smile at the pained expression on the Slayer's face. Research was never her forte, especially when it involved using technology, but lately Buffy had been making more of an effort to acquaint herself with the 21st century.
Now, Dawn and Willow grabbed the bloodied board, book, and dog-retrieved bone and scurried into the kitchen where the young witch had a laboratory full of supplies set up at all times. It kind of made the others nervous to eat anything she cooked there, since spell ingredients, chemicals, and foods all jostled for position on her shelves.
There was nothing to do now but wait for Willow and Dawn to work their combination of science and magic to unravel the clues. Faith dropped back onto the couch next to Xander, legs spread wide, and gave a bone cracking stretch and yawn. She let her head fall against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. Time for a late afternoon catnap.
But Buffy had other ideas. Although, Xander and Faith had already told their tale of the Bates motel, she made them repeat it in case there were any details they had missed. Nothing new came from the retelling, and it was obvious Buffy was avoiding her computer work when she started repeating questions. Dawn came back out from the kitchen to check on her progress and to scold.
"All right! I'm on it!" Buffy whined, grabbing the mouse and trying to remember the directions her sister had given her not twenty minutes before.
"Oh, for Pete's sake. Move!" Dawn butted her out of the chair, and soon her fingers were flying over the keyboard, as she continued to talk. "We think the bone is probably from a female or child. It's not only too small, but there are other indicators that it couldn't have come from a human male, especially a six-footer like Macardle was according to his dossier. We're doing a calcium test on a bone chip right now. So..Bingo!" Dawn's eyes glowed as she pressed print and a description of the vehicle matching the license number began to print out.along with the owner's name.
"Cletus Thomas Maxwell. And here's his address. Oh, we are so good!!" Dawn enthused.
"Great! I'll go check it out," Buffy said, eager to escape the computer.
"You'll need a ride. It's too far to walk. If you'd help me buy a car, we wouldn't have to keep depending on our friends for rides all the time," Dawn complained.
"We have Spike's car."
"Like I'd be caught dead in the Monster-Mobile! Buffy, I told you I've saved enough for a beater, all you'd have to help me with is insurance. Come on! This would be better for both of us."
"I told you I'd think about it, and I will, but now is not the time or place for discussion." Buffy tried to keep her voice neutral, but Dawn's rising tone was hitting all the right buttons.
"Even Xander thinks it's a good idea. Don't you Xander? You're sick of giving us rides, right?"
"I - uh. It's not a problem, Dawn. I'm happy to help you guys any time. You know that. On the other hand," he addressed Buffy, "Dawn has a point. It would be good for you to have some reliable transportation of your own."
"I told you," an edge began to creep into Buffy's calm tone, "we have the DeSoto."
"Which I'm not allowed to touch even if I wanted to!!" Dawn wailed. "Besides, Spike spends more time tinkering with the damn thing than driving it. Tell me, what is he doing today?" she added with a smug smirk.
The answer was obvious from the silence. "Discussion over," Buffy proclaimed. "We'll talk about it later. At home!" The 'not in front of our friends' was implied.
No one could say Dawn hadn't changed over the past year, and the way she tactfully switched gears and dropped the subject was proof of her new maturity.
"Anyway, besides talking to this Cletus Maxwell," she continued. "It looks like we need to check for more missing persons - and you know how big the bureau is here in Sunnydale! For that matter, that bone could belong to any passing stranger who stayed at Motel Hell, so it's going to be hard."
"Sounds like we need to go back out there. Find out where Rufus got the bone," Xander said. "We should have looked around right away."
"I told ya we should've questioned the psychos," Faith remarked without opening her eyes. She knocked Xander's knee with her own. "Shoulda listened to me. We could've saved a trip."
"It would look suspicious if you went again. I'll go, pose as a lone traveler, check in and see what happens." Buffy made a prompt and unplanned plan.
"B, you shouldn't go out there alone," Faith interrupted. "You don't know what else, besides the Addams family, is involved in this. At least take your pet vamp along."
Buffy bristled at the challenge to her decision AND the dis of her boyfriend, but let it slide with remarkable restraint. "It's still too light out for him and I'd like to get started. I am able to drive, you know! I just don't have my license. Xander, if you'd just lend me your car.."
"Uh-uh. No way. It's not much, but it's my only transportation. Besides, I agree with Faith, you may need back up." Xander thought for a minute. "Okay. Here's the plan. Faith and I'll get out before we get to the motel. We search in the woods for more bones while you go check out the creepy motel, okay?"
"Meanwhile, I'll take Willow's car, as soon as it's dark, pick up Spike and we'll check out Mr. Cletus," Dawn added.
Willow entered the room, a pair of goggles pushed back up onto her hair, a mixing bowl in the crook of one arm. "Hey, I heard that and thanks for asking! Yes, Dawn, you MAY drive my brand new car, but don't you let that maniac behind the wheel, got it?"
Dawn saluted. "Yes, Mon Capitan. Only Dawn touches the Vroom-Broom."
Just like that, they were off again. Faith sighed as she hauled herself from the comfortable couch and the pleasant tingle of Xander's leg occasionally brushing against her own. It was obvious to her that the whole crew needed Ritalin. She was quickly revising her opinion of young Dawn from clever smart-ass to hyper loudmouth. As she reminded herself again that she was 'grateful to be here' and 'owed these people a big debt', she couldn't help but sentimentally recall the solitude of her prison life.
**********
Xander leaned in the car window, giving Buffy last instructions on the proper care of his vehicle, while Faith paced the side of the road in annoyance, Rufus straining at his new leash.
"Come on, Ace. She's not gonna crash going another half mile down the road. Let's get crackin' before it gets any darker."
"All right. Jeesh!" Xander turned and tossed her a flashlight. Buffy waved and pulled away with a roar and squeal of tires. "This is a bad idea. I know this is a really bad idea." Xander mumbled as he followed Faith into the woods.
Rufus was muzzled to prevent him barking, and he was tossing his head trying to remove the strappy thing from his snout. Faith patted his head and soothed him.
"We'll take if off soon, boy. You just show us where you got your bone, and we can go home again."
Unwrapping the tibia, Xander let the dog get a good sniff, and he was off, the humans following his lead, crashing through the underbrush and catching their clothes on branches and brambles.
Xander had his doubts about the whole plan, not just the Buffy-taking-my- car part. For all they knew, Rufus was tracking a squirrel right now, as he led them on a merry chase through the backwoods, the ground getting boggier by the minute. Then there was the whole plan for meeting up with Buffy back at the motel. How they hell were they supposed to find their way out of this mess again, let alone travel cross country and end up at a specific destination. Too often, Xander felt like a lowly foot soldier on some mad general's campaign. It didn't help to know that this one had been his own plan.
The marched on in silence for about fifteen minutes, when Faith suddenly hissed, "Hey, Xander? You smell something?"
"Other than muddy dirt?" he asked, also lowering his voice.
"Yeah! Like spoiled meat, maybe?"
Just as she said it he caught a whiff - the sweet, cloying smell of rancid whatever mixed with the earthy smell of the forest.
"Oh, yeah." His heart began to race, even faster than it already was from pushing through the brush. That familiar burst of adrenalin pumped through him.
Rufus whined and pulled even harder, Faith's super strength barely keeping him under control. Another minute brought them to a clearing in the woods, and a stench that was now pungent. The ground had been disturbed recently, that was clear. Fresh dirt was turned over in a vague oblong shape. But there were also signs of other excavation, older but still discernable. Many, MANY oblong shapes which screamed "Dead body here."
"Could be pets. Maybe a farm animal graveyard," Xander tried to deny the witness of his eyes.
"Yeah, and Buffy could be a natural blond," Faith quipped absently, poking with her toe at the 'grave' Rufus had led her to. "Damn, we should've brought something to dig with!"
Xander grabbed a thick stick and began poking around in the loose dirt. He felt the branch snag on something and pried the hard object out of the ground. It was another bone, and not a dog, cat, horse or parakeet type bone.
"That one looks freshest," Faith said. "Let's take a look." She found her own stick and the pair was soon stirring up the loose mound that could be considered Watcher-shaped. A few minutes digging and body parts started emerging.
"This...this isn't right," Xander protested, as he turned up a clavicle. "These look new, but there's hardly any flesh on the bones. It's like they were stripped first, then buried."
"Eaten," Faith agreed.
"What?!! I didn't say eaten. Don't SAY that! I only meant...." Xander trailed off, examining the skull he had hooked through one eye socket and pulled free of the earth. Hair still trailed from the scalp. In fact most of the skin, the lips, even the nose were still intact. Only the eyes had been removed.
They both stopped digging simultaneously and just stared at the carnage they had unearthed. Faith was right. It looked like a bucket of Colonel Sander's that had been picked through and discarded, only without the crispy batter and cole slaw on the side.
"Okay," Xander resumed breathing. "Okay. What do we have so far? Creepy motel. Shallow graves. Assorted oddballs, demon or other."
"Possible cannibalism," Faith added.
"And Buffy, going alone into a nest of maniacs."
"Let's go then." Faith pulled Rufus away from sniffing Macardle's? head, and plunged back into the woods in what she hoped was the direction of the motel. The sun was so low now it didn't penetrate the trees, and Faith and Xander turned on their flashlights, keeping the beams low so as not to alert anyone besides themselves who might be in the woods at twilight.
"Do you know where you're going?" Xander asked, keeping close to the shadowy figure in front of him
"What the hell do you think?" she replied. "I'm following the damn dog! If he can't get us out of here, we're in big trou......" There was a loud metallic snap, her words cut off abruptly, and Faith screamed in pain. She disappeared from his view.
"Wha....?" Xander tripped over her prone form, and fell heavily to one knee, half on top of her. Faith was writhing on the ground, clutching at her leg and cursing violently.
"Fuckfuckfuckfuck. Goddamn!!! Get it off me!"
Both of them had dropped their flashlights, and the beams stared off at crazy angles in the dark. Xander retrieved his and trained it on Faith's leg. It was caught in a trap. Blood gushed from her ankle.
"Jesus," he breathed, setting his light down and grabbing the jaws of the trap in both hands. He fought against the hinge and was able to pry it open just long enough for the girl to remove her foot. He let go and it snapped shut.
Faith was grabbing her ankle with both hands now, still mumbling a stream of curses, as blood welled between her fingers and trickled down in a steady stream. Xander, running on instinct, removed his coat, shirt, and undershirt, which he quickly tore into wide strips.
"Let me see," he demanded, prying gently at Faith's shaking hands. He dabbed at the injured limb and more blood quickly obscured the puncture wounds. It was impossible to tell how severe they were, so he gave up and began tightly binding the gashes with the cloth. The material was soon stained red.
By now Faith was shaking all over. Xander tossed his coat around her, shrugged his shirt back on, stood up, buttoning it, and looked around for inspiration. He saw Faith's flashlight, retrieved it and turned it off. He whistled softly for Rufus, but the dog had taken off the moment Faith dropped his leash. Great! Hopefully the animal would go find Buffy and lead her to them - or it would alert the Manson family to their presence, if Faith's scream hadn't already.
With the sun down, it was almost pitch black under the trees. Xander didn't have a clue what direction to head with no light to guide him, and he didn't know if Faith was in any shape to stagger along or if he'd have to carry her. On top of that, it suddenly occurred to him that there could be more backwoods boobytraps, intended to protect the burial ground they had discovered. He would have to probe the ground in front of them with a stick, while dragging Faith along behind. This was not going to be easy.
He hunkered back down next to the Slayer, who was silent now, her jaw clenched in pain and her face pale. A scan of her injury confirmed that the bandages were soaked through.
"You gonna make it?" Xander asked, quietly.
She nodded.
"Think you can walk at all?" He hated to ask it, but didn't know what other option they had.
"Sure," she gritted out and tried to rise.
"Wait," he put a hand on her shoulder and urged her back down. "Just take it easy a minute. I have to think."
She was still shivering, and he wrapped his coat more tightly around her, then impulsively gathered her in his arms and held her close, sharing body heat. His chin rested on the top of her head, and he breathed in the scent of shampoo and girl sweat. Closing his eyes for a second, Xander took comfort in the warm body in his arms while he quickly reviewed his options.
They could stay put and see what time - or Rufus brought, but instead of rescue it might be a death sentence. He could try to make it out with her in tow, dodging a minefield of traps and headed God knew what direction. Or.....he could leave her, leave a trail, and try to find the way to the motel on his own. The last would certainly be the easiest, but a sudden mental picture of coming back and discovering Faith's frozen, bloodless corpse flashed in his mind. None of the plans were looking good.
He shook himself from his despair. If they just kept sitting there, chances were they'd be joining the others in the boneyard. Right or wrong, it was time to make a move.
Faith was so heavily slumped against him, Xander was afraid she had passed out. He shook her carefully.
"Hey. We've got to get moving," he urged. He touched her cool, white face. "I hope your Slayer healing kicks in and works overtime, cause you look like hell."
"Thanks," she grunted. "Help me up."
He rose and pulled her up beside him, leaned her against a tree while he scavenged two large branches, then handed her one to use as a crutch, while he used the other to test for more traps. Sweeping the way ahead with his stick, juggling the light, and supporting Faith, while pushing through heavy underbrush, was a real test of dexterity. Xander felt like frigging Grizzly Adams, as he blindly guided them through the dark wilderness.
********* Dawn steered Willow's new car with reckless abandon through the back streets of Sunnydale, a very cranky vamp riding shotgun. Although he refrained from giving any advice or criticism, his clenched jaw advertised his dissatisfaction. Honestly, how could Red imagine that Dawn's driving was superior to his! She'd ridden with the girl often enough to know better. And while he might tend to speed, he maneuvered with authority, while Dawn gathered speed in time to the velocity of her chattering and was completely unfocussed on the road.
"Cletus? Who names their kid 'Cletus'?" Dawn ruminated, as she abruptly turned right on Elm St.
"Your mum picked 'Buffy'?" Spike pointed out.
Dawn laughed. "You know she's really 'Elizabeth'.....Willll-yam. But 'Cletus'! That's like 'Bubba' or 'Jethro'. Oops. I think I needed to turn again back there."
Turning the car around in a convenience store parking lot, Dawn headed back up the street. She drove a few minutes in silence, and her skill improved noticeably.
"What?" Spike finally interrupted her thoughts. After spending the summer- without-Buffy caring for Dawn, he knew the girl well enough to read her silences. This wasn't a daydreaming about Tim silence, but an 'I have something on my mind but am afraid to bring it up' kind of quiet.
"Just thinking," she answered, uncharacteristically subdued.
"About....?" he prompted. Damn females, and their way of forcing you to cajole the words out of them.
"Buffy. A-and her maybe not being the Slayer anymore." She paused. "Thinking about what that means to us. Don't you?" She looked at Spike curiously.
He shrugged.
"I mean, at first I thought, 'Great! We can finally leave this hellhole, and Buffy'll have a chance to do....whatever it is she would rather do than run around killing things.' Then, I really started thinking about it last night. I'd have to leave Tim and all my friends. I mean, I know I'm going to have to soon anyway when we graduate next year, but still.... Also, we'd be leaving Will and Xander and Anya. I hadn't even thought about that. They're family!" Dawn fell silent again, and Spike waited. "Suddenly it doesn't sound so exciting anymore to move away - to leave Sunnydale."
'Leaving bloody Sunnydale is the least of my worries,' Spike thought bitterly, but he smiled at Dawn, automatically moved into soothing mode. After years of practice with Dru, it was second nature.
"Don't worry yet, Bit. Nothing's set in stone. Could be the Council will have second thoughts, leave Buffy here and put the other Slayer somewhere else. Or Buffy can put them off awhile so you can finish up high school with your mates. She always does what she wants anyway."
"Either way, though, this year or next, everything's gonna change," Dawn said, thoughtfully. "I've waited all this time to be grown up, to be out on my own, and now...well, it's kinda scary, isn't it?"
"You'll do fine," Spike reassured, "And your sister and friends will always be there for you." He mouthed the appropriate platitudes, while thinking, 'Whoever said, 'Change is good.' was full of crap.' As Buffy moved into semi then full retirement, what possible place could he have in her life anymore? It was one thing to be the Slayer's consort, fight by her side and protect her, but Buffy, as a normal girl, would want a normal life. What use could he be to her then?
He sighed, and tried to follow his own advice to Dawn. Don't worry...yet.
Dawn pulled the car up in front of the address from the printout and killed the motor. She looked at the computer sheet then back up at the building. They were parked in front of an industrial looking building with no sign but the street number.
"This can't be right. The guy lives in a warehouse?"
"I think you better drive on," Spike cautioned. "Don't think we can just knock on the front door and say 'hello'."
Dawn restarted the car and cruised up the road, found a parking spot a block away, and soon they were approaching the building on foot from the alley.
"Maybe we could go in an emergency exit," Dawn whispered, tugging at Spike's arm and pointing.
"Probably got an alarm system." He scanned the side of the building until he found what he was looking for. "You see that window up there? I'll boost you up, and you take a peek in."
From the vantage of Spike's shoulders, Dawn could just press her face to the bottom of the dirty window. She smeared the grime around to get a better look and could make out moving shapes inside. After watching a moment, she kicked Spike in the side of the head to get him to let her down.
"I know what they're doing!" she hissed, excitedly. "It's like the movies - a chop shop. They're doing makeovers on stolen cars."
Spike thought for a minute. "You said a demon was with this bloke, right?"
Dawn nodded.
"Cars for demons. Do you know how hard it is to buy from a regular lot when you don't have any id? At least vamps can get fake papers and pass for human. A lot of these demons....well, you've seen 'em."
"So, you're telling me Cletus is doing a valuable service for the demon world by stealing cars, probably killing the owners, and retooling them for his customers. Free enterprise - isn't America great?"
"Come on." Spike nudged her and they headed back up the alley.
"What next?" Dawn asked, as she resumed the driver's seat. She was as enthusiastic and fresh as she had been that morning, researching with Willow, which might have had something to do with the five cups of coffee she'd drunk throughout the day.
"You go back home and get ready for school tomorrow. I'll go to Willie's and try to connect up with this Cletus to buy a car."
to be continued
"Look at this!" Willow exclaimed over the gathered evidence as if it were Christmas morning.
"And you guys'll never believe what happened to us," Dawn interrupted. "The Concord had already been towed, so there we were poking around in the bushes, not finding a thing but some tire tracks and broken branches, when this car pulls up. We figured it was the police back for another look around, then out steps this scaly demon guy and a human. Will and I just froze and watched them. Luckily, we were way back in the trees."
"We had our weapons out, just in case," Dawn assured her sister, seeing the frown start to form on Buffy's face and thinking her sister was going to have some serious furrows in her forehead by the time she was thirty if she didn't stop the habitual scowling.
"Anyway, they walked around like they were looking for something. I mean, it was obvious they expected that car to be there. They talked, but we couldn't hear them, then after awhile they gave up and left. Cool, huh? Oooh, and we got the license plate number from their car. Buffy's checking on that right now."
Buffy had indeed been hunched over the computer keyboard hunting and pecking when Xander and Faith arrived. Dawn had been directing her search with the self-satisfaction of a younger sibling showing off superior knowledge, making Xander smile at the pained expression on the Slayer's face. Research was never her forte, especially when it involved using technology, but lately Buffy had been making more of an effort to acquaint herself with the 21st century.
Now, Dawn and Willow grabbed the bloodied board, book, and dog-retrieved bone and scurried into the kitchen where the young witch had a laboratory full of supplies set up at all times. It kind of made the others nervous to eat anything she cooked there, since spell ingredients, chemicals, and foods all jostled for position on her shelves.
There was nothing to do now but wait for Willow and Dawn to work their combination of science and magic to unravel the clues. Faith dropped back onto the couch next to Xander, legs spread wide, and gave a bone cracking stretch and yawn. She let her head fall against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. Time for a late afternoon catnap.
But Buffy had other ideas. Although, Xander and Faith had already told their tale of the Bates motel, she made them repeat it in case there were any details they had missed. Nothing new came from the retelling, and it was obvious Buffy was avoiding her computer work when she started repeating questions. Dawn came back out from the kitchen to check on her progress and to scold.
"All right! I'm on it!" Buffy whined, grabbing the mouse and trying to remember the directions her sister had given her not twenty minutes before.
"Oh, for Pete's sake. Move!" Dawn butted her out of the chair, and soon her fingers were flying over the keyboard, as she continued to talk. "We think the bone is probably from a female or child. It's not only too small, but there are other indicators that it couldn't have come from a human male, especially a six-footer like Macardle was according to his dossier. We're doing a calcium test on a bone chip right now. So..Bingo!" Dawn's eyes glowed as she pressed print and a description of the vehicle matching the license number began to print out.along with the owner's name.
"Cletus Thomas Maxwell. And here's his address. Oh, we are so good!!" Dawn enthused.
"Great! I'll go check it out," Buffy said, eager to escape the computer.
"You'll need a ride. It's too far to walk. If you'd help me buy a car, we wouldn't have to keep depending on our friends for rides all the time," Dawn complained.
"We have Spike's car."
"Like I'd be caught dead in the Monster-Mobile! Buffy, I told you I've saved enough for a beater, all you'd have to help me with is insurance. Come on! This would be better for both of us."
"I told you I'd think about it, and I will, but now is not the time or place for discussion." Buffy tried to keep her voice neutral, but Dawn's rising tone was hitting all the right buttons.
"Even Xander thinks it's a good idea. Don't you Xander? You're sick of giving us rides, right?"
"I - uh. It's not a problem, Dawn. I'm happy to help you guys any time. You know that. On the other hand," he addressed Buffy, "Dawn has a point. It would be good for you to have some reliable transportation of your own."
"I told you," an edge began to creep into Buffy's calm tone, "we have the DeSoto."
"Which I'm not allowed to touch even if I wanted to!!" Dawn wailed. "Besides, Spike spends more time tinkering with the damn thing than driving it. Tell me, what is he doing today?" she added with a smug smirk.
The answer was obvious from the silence. "Discussion over," Buffy proclaimed. "We'll talk about it later. At home!" The 'not in front of our friends' was implied.
No one could say Dawn hadn't changed over the past year, and the way she tactfully switched gears and dropped the subject was proof of her new maturity.
"Anyway, besides talking to this Cletus Maxwell," she continued. "It looks like we need to check for more missing persons - and you know how big the bureau is here in Sunnydale! For that matter, that bone could belong to any passing stranger who stayed at Motel Hell, so it's going to be hard."
"Sounds like we need to go back out there. Find out where Rufus got the bone," Xander said. "We should have looked around right away."
"I told ya we should've questioned the psychos," Faith remarked without opening her eyes. She knocked Xander's knee with her own. "Shoulda listened to me. We could've saved a trip."
"It would look suspicious if you went again. I'll go, pose as a lone traveler, check in and see what happens." Buffy made a prompt and unplanned plan.
"B, you shouldn't go out there alone," Faith interrupted. "You don't know what else, besides the Addams family, is involved in this. At least take your pet vamp along."
Buffy bristled at the challenge to her decision AND the dis of her boyfriend, but let it slide with remarkable restraint. "It's still too light out for him and I'd like to get started. I am able to drive, you know! I just don't have my license. Xander, if you'd just lend me your car.."
"Uh-uh. No way. It's not much, but it's my only transportation. Besides, I agree with Faith, you may need back up." Xander thought for a minute. "Okay. Here's the plan. Faith and I'll get out before we get to the motel. We search in the woods for more bones while you go check out the creepy motel, okay?"
"Meanwhile, I'll take Willow's car, as soon as it's dark, pick up Spike and we'll check out Mr. Cletus," Dawn added.
Willow entered the room, a pair of goggles pushed back up onto her hair, a mixing bowl in the crook of one arm. "Hey, I heard that and thanks for asking! Yes, Dawn, you MAY drive my brand new car, but don't you let that maniac behind the wheel, got it?"
Dawn saluted. "Yes, Mon Capitan. Only Dawn touches the Vroom-Broom."
Just like that, they were off again. Faith sighed as she hauled herself from the comfortable couch and the pleasant tingle of Xander's leg occasionally brushing against her own. It was obvious to her that the whole crew needed Ritalin. She was quickly revising her opinion of young Dawn from clever smart-ass to hyper loudmouth. As she reminded herself again that she was 'grateful to be here' and 'owed these people a big debt', she couldn't help but sentimentally recall the solitude of her prison life.
**********
Xander leaned in the car window, giving Buffy last instructions on the proper care of his vehicle, while Faith paced the side of the road in annoyance, Rufus straining at his new leash.
"Come on, Ace. She's not gonna crash going another half mile down the road. Let's get crackin' before it gets any darker."
"All right. Jeesh!" Xander turned and tossed her a flashlight. Buffy waved and pulled away with a roar and squeal of tires. "This is a bad idea. I know this is a really bad idea." Xander mumbled as he followed Faith into the woods.
Rufus was muzzled to prevent him barking, and he was tossing his head trying to remove the strappy thing from his snout. Faith patted his head and soothed him.
"We'll take if off soon, boy. You just show us where you got your bone, and we can go home again."
Unwrapping the tibia, Xander let the dog get a good sniff, and he was off, the humans following his lead, crashing through the underbrush and catching their clothes on branches and brambles.
Xander had his doubts about the whole plan, not just the Buffy-taking-my- car part. For all they knew, Rufus was tracking a squirrel right now, as he led them on a merry chase through the backwoods, the ground getting boggier by the minute. Then there was the whole plan for meeting up with Buffy back at the motel. How they hell were they supposed to find their way out of this mess again, let alone travel cross country and end up at a specific destination. Too often, Xander felt like a lowly foot soldier on some mad general's campaign. It didn't help to know that this one had been his own plan.
The marched on in silence for about fifteen minutes, when Faith suddenly hissed, "Hey, Xander? You smell something?"
"Other than muddy dirt?" he asked, also lowering his voice.
"Yeah! Like spoiled meat, maybe?"
Just as she said it he caught a whiff - the sweet, cloying smell of rancid whatever mixed with the earthy smell of the forest.
"Oh, yeah." His heart began to race, even faster than it already was from pushing through the brush. That familiar burst of adrenalin pumped through him.
Rufus whined and pulled even harder, Faith's super strength barely keeping him under control. Another minute brought them to a clearing in the woods, and a stench that was now pungent. The ground had been disturbed recently, that was clear. Fresh dirt was turned over in a vague oblong shape. But there were also signs of other excavation, older but still discernable. Many, MANY oblong shapes which screamed "Dead body here."
"Could be pets. Maybe a farm animal graveyard," Xander tried to deny the witness of his eyes.
"Yeah, and Buffy could be a natural blond," Faith quipped absently, poking with her toe at the 'grave' Rufus had led her to. "Damn, we should've brought something to dig with!"
Xander grabbed a thick stick and began poking around in the loose dirt. He felt the branch snag on something and pried the hard object out of the ground. It was another bone, and not a dog, cat, horse or parakeet type bone.
"That one looks freshest," Faith said. "Let's take a look." She found her own stick and the pair was soon stirring up the loose mound that could be considered Watcher-shaped. A few minutes digging and body parts started emerging.
"This...this isn't right," Xander protested, as he turned up a clavicle. "These look new, but there's hardly any flesh on the bones. It's like they were stripped first, then buried."
"Eaten," Faith agreed.
"What?!! I didn't say eaten. Don't SAY that! I only meant...." Xander trailed off, examining the skull he had hooked through one eye socket and pulled free of the earth. Hair still trailed from the scalp. In fact most of the skin, the lips, even the nose were still intact. Only the eyes had been removed.
They both stopped digging simultaneously and just stared at the carnage they had unearthed. Faith was right. It looked like a bucket of Colonel Sander's that had been picked through and discarded, only without the crispy batter and cole slaw on the side.
"Okay," Xander resumed breathing. "Okay. What do we have so far? Creepy motel. Shallow graves. Assorted oddballs, demon or other."
"Possible cannibalism," Faith added.
"And Buffy, going alone into a nest of maniacs."
"Let's go then." Faith pulled Rufus away from sniffing Macardle's? head, and plunged back into the woods in what she hoped was the direction of the motel. The sun was so low now it didn't penetrate the trees, and Faith and Xander turned on their flashlights, keeping the beams low so as not to alert anyone besides themselves who might be in the woods at twilight.
"Do you know where you're going?" Xander asked, keeping close to the shadowy figure in front of him
"What the hell do you think?" she replied. "I'm following the damn dog! If he can't get us out of here, we're in big trou......" There was a loud metallic snap, her words cut off abruptly, and Faith screamed in pain. She disappeared from his view.
"Wha....?" Xander tripped over her prone form, and fell heavily to one knee, half on top of her. Faith was writhing on the ground, clutching at her leg and cursing violently.
"Fuckfuckfuckfuck. Goddamn!!! Get it off me!"
Both of them had dropped their flashlights, and the beams stared off at crazy angles in the dark. Xander retrieved his and trained it on Faith's leg. It was caught in a trap. Blood gushed from her ankle.
"Jesus," he breathed, setting his light down and grabbing the jaws of the trap in both hands. He fought against the hinge and was able to pry it open just long enough for the girl to remove her foot. He let go and it snapped shut.
Faith was grabbing her ankle with both hands now, still mumbling a stream of curses, as blood welled between her fingers and trickled down in a steady stream. Xander, running on instinct, removed his coat, shirt, and undershirt, which he quickly tore into wide strips.
"Let me see," he demanded, prying gently at Faith's shaking hands. He dabbed at the injured limb and more blood quickly obscured the puncture wounds. It was impossible to tell how severe they were, so he gave up and began tightly binding the gashes with the cloth. The material was soon stained red.
By now Faith was shaking all over. Xander tossed his coat around her, shrugged his shirt back on, stood up, buttoning it, and looked around for inspiration. He saw Faith's flashlight, retrieved it and turned it off. He whistled softly for Rufus, but the dog had taken off the moment Faith dropped his leash. Great! Hopefully the animal would go find Buffy and lead her to them - or it would alert the Manson family to their presence, if Faith's scream hadn't already.
With the sun down, it was almost pitch black under the trees. Xander didn't have a clue what direction to head with no light to guide him, and he didn't know if Faith was in any shape to stagger along or if he'd have to carry her. On top of that, it suddenly occurred to him that there could be more backwoods boobytraps, intended to protect the burial ground they had discovered. He would have to probe the ground in front of them with a stick, while dragging Faith along behind. This was not going to be easy.
He hunkered back down next to the Slayer, who was silent now, her jaw clenched in pain and her face pale. A scan of her injury confirmed that the bandages were soaked through.
"You gonna make it?" Xander asked, quietly.
She nodded.
"Think you can walk at all?" He hated to ask it, but didn't know what other option they had.
"Sure," she gritted out and tried to rise.
"Wait," he put a hand on her shoulder and urged her back down. "Just take it easy a minute. I have to think."
She was still shivering, and he wrapped his coat more tightly around her, then impulsively gathered her in his arms and held her close, sharing body heat. His chin rested on the top of her head, and he breathed in the scent of shampoo and girl sweat. Closing his eyes for a second, Xander took comfort in the warm body in his arms while he quickly reviewed his options.
They could stay put and see what time - or Rufus brought, but instead of rescue it might be a death sentence. He could try to make it out with her in tow, dodging a minefield of traps and headed God knew what direction. Or.....he could leave her, leave a trail, and try to find the way to the motel on his own. The last would certainly be the easiest, but a sudden mental picture of coming back and discovering Faith's frozen, bloodless corpse flashed in his mind. None of the plans were looking good.
He shook himself from his despair. If they just kept sitting there, chances were they'd be joining the others in the boneyard. Right or wrong, it was time to make a move.
Faith was so heavily slumped against him, Xander was afraid she had passed out. He shook her carefully.
"Hey. We've got to get moving," he urged. He touched her cool, white face. "I hope your Slayer healing kicks in and works overtime, cause you look like hell."
"Thanks," she grunted. "Help me up."
He rose and pulled her up beside him, leaned her against a tree while he scavenged two large branches, then handed her one to use as a crutch, while he used the other to test for more traps. Sweeping the way ahead with his stick, juggling the light, and supporting Faith, while pushing through heavy underbrush, was a real test of dexterity. Xander felt like frigging Grizzly Adams, as he blindly guided them through the dark wilderness.
********* Dawn steered Willow's new car with reckless abandon through the back streets of Sunnydale, a very cranky vamp riding shotgun. Although he refrained from giving any advice or criticism, his clenched jaw advertised his dissatisfaction. Honestly, how could Red imagine that Dawn's driving was superior to his! She'd ridden with the girl often enough to know better. And while he might tend to speed, he maneuvered with authority, while Dawn gathered speed in time to the velocity of her chattering and was completely unfocussed on the road.
"Cletus? Who names their kid 'Cletus'?" Dawn ruminated, as she abruptly turned right on Elm St.
"Your mum picked 'Buffy'?" Spike pointed out.
Dawn laughed. "You know she's really 'Elizabeth'.....Willll-yam. But 'Cletus'! That's like 'Bubba' or 'Jethro'. Oops. I think I needed to turn again back there."
Turning the car around in a convenience store parking lot, Dawn headed back up the street. She drove a few minutes in silence, and her skill improved noticeably.
"What?" Spike finally interrupted her thoughts. After spending the summer- without-Buffy caring for Dawn, he knew the girl well enough to read her silences. This wasn't a daydreaming about Tim silence, but an 'I have something on my mind but am afraid to bring it up' kind of quiet.
"Just thinking," she answered, uncharacteristically subdued.
"About....?" he prompted. Damn females, and their way of forcing you to cajole the words out of them.
"Buffy. A-and her maybe not being the Slayer anymore." She paused. "Thinking about what that means to us. Don't you?" She looked at Spike curiously.
He shrugged.
"I mean, at first I thought, 'Great! We can finally leave this hellhole, and Buffy'll have a chance to do....whatever it is she would rather do than run around killing things.' Then, I really started thinking about it last night. I'd have to leave Tim and all my friends. I mean, I know I'm going to have to soon anyway when we graduate next year, but still.... Also, we'd be leaving Will and Xander and Anya. I hadn't even thought about that. They're family!" Dawn fell silent again, and Spike waited. "Suddenly it doesn't sound so exciting anymore to move away - to leave Sunnydale."
'Leaving bloody Sunnydale is the least of my worries,' Spike thought bitterly, but he smiled at Dawn, automatically moved into soothing mode. After years of practice with Dru, it was second nature.
"Don't worry yet, Bit. Nothing's set in stone. Could be the Council will have second thoughts, leave Buffy here and put the other Slayer somewhere else. Or Buffy can put them off awhile so you can finish up high school with your mates. She always does what she wants anyway."
"Either way, though, this year or next, everything's gonna change," Dawn said, thoughtfully. "I've waited all this time to be grown up, to be out on my own, and now...well, it's kinda scary, isn't it?"
"You'll do fine," Spike reassured, "And your sister and friends will always be there for you." He mouthed the appropriate platitudes, while thinking, 'Whoever said, 'Change is good.' was full of crap.' As Buffy moved into semi then full retirement, what possible place could he have in her life anymore? It was one thing to be the Slayer's consort, fight by her side and protect her, but Buffy, as a normal girl, would want a normal life. What use could he be to her then?
He sighed, and tried to follow his own advice to Dawn. Don't worry...yet.
Dawn pulled the car up in front of the address from the printout and killed the motor. She looked at the computer sheet then back up at the building. They were parked in front of an industrial looking building with no sign but the street number.
"This can't be right. The guy lives in a warehouse?"
"I think you better drive on," Spike cautioned. "Don't think we can just knock on the front door and say 'hello'."
Dawn restarted the car and cruised up the road, found a parking spot a block away, and soon they were approaching the building on foot from the alley.
"Maybe we could go in an emergency exit," Dawn whispered, tugging at Spike's arm and pointing.
"Probably got an alarm system." He scanned the side of the building until he found what he was looking for. "You see that window up there? I'll boost you up, and you take a peek in."
From the vantage of Spike's shoulders, Dawn could just press her face to the bottom of the dirty window. She smeared the grime around to get a better look and could make out moving shapes inside. After watching a moment, she kicked Spike in the side of the head to get him to let her down.
"I know what they're doing!" she hissed, excitedly. "It's like the movies - a chop shop. They're doing makeovers on stolen cars."
Spike thought for a minute. "You said a demon was with this bloke, right?"
Dawn nodded.
"Cars for demons. Do you know how hard it is to buy from a regular lot when you don't have any id? At least vamps can get fake papers and pass for human. A lot of these demons....well, you've seen 'em."
"So, you're telling me Cletus is doing a valuable service for the demon world by stealing cars, probably killing the owners, and retooling them for his customers. Free enterprise - isn't America great?"
"Come on." Spike nudged her and they headed back up the alley.
"What next?" Dawn asked, as she resumed the driver's seat. She was as enthusiastic and fresh as she had been that morning, researching with Willow, which might have had something to do with the five cups of coffee she'd drunk throughout the day.
"You go back home and get ready for school tomorrow. I'll go to Willie's and try to connect up with this Cletus to buy a car."
to be continued