A/N: Mmmm..ahhhhhhh.ohhhhhhhhh. I remember the word I'm supposed to say
after so long a break. Hi.
Chapter Nine
"Typical." Dawn quipped moving further into the empty Magic Shop. Sure she couldn't go wondering off doing normal wondering off stuff but everyone else could do screaming wondering off stuff. It just wasn't fair.
"Hello.? Anyone here?" No response.
How was it that she always ended up missing the action just because they saw her as a kid? Hello.seen the end of the world lots hence with the done that got the t-shirt deal, she thought sucking angrily at her slush puppy. It was not like she couldn't look after herself. She was an adult and she'd prove it by helping with the boring research.
Having decided a course of action Dawn swept further into the room towards book central idly looking at the box on the counter before huffing and flopping down into a chair. Suddenly all the hair on her body stood up on end. Turning around to look at the many mysterious scary objects in the room she shook her head.
"Okay stay cool." She berated herself feeling foolish at her childish discomfort of being alone. Picking a book at random she began to read out loud sudden aware of how still the room was. Her voice breaching the air unnaturally.
"Rein in that imagination." She laughed. The sound breaking into a troubled sigh.
Continuing to read she got up one hand holding the book and the other her slush puppy to sit in direct eye line to the escape route door and the box. It was open.
Something scurried past her legs. Jumping she scrambled onto top of the chair throwing the book under the table. Now weaponless she thought about throwing her drink as well. "No way is some evil going to get my juice goodness," she gasped. Seeing a stake lying carelessly across the table she grabbed it tenderly clutching it close to her chest.
Eyes wide she scanned every square inch of the room. Nothing, but there it was again behind her near the training room door. Not a scurrying anymore but a shuffling. As if something was pushing a larger thing out of the way.
Not good. She was trapped and she didn't know what was crawling about.
"Okay what would Buffy do? Find it and kill it."
She grimaced contemplating that line of attack for a moment or two hopping from one foot to another looking nervously about. "Okay that's not for me." She squeaked out, coughing she said more commandingly. "What would Xander do?" she smiled regretfully pleased at the new thought.
"Run and get Buffy. Okay I'm going for option two." She joked to herself laughing weakly.
Slipping off the chair she move slowly backwards her eyes not leaving the site the noise was coming from, she stumbled making for the door. But the noise turned from a shuffle to a rapid patter of Morse code, like rain hitting off of a tin roof. Jumping to the shelves across from the basement door. Figuring that since the bad was out of the box it would be okay to go near it she turned side ways inching her way past the now towering sinister shelves. Objects of every shape and size imaginable a new evil hiding place for anything. Edging onwards she pressed her back hard against the counter wall then the basement door.
Suddenly it pounded causing her to turn jumping away bringing the stake up ready to attack. "It's Carter. Who's there?" a clear female voice shouted.
"It's me. Dawn. What's going on?" she answered hoping that Buffy was down there with them. Impotently she pulled at the door but it wouldn't move.
Immediately Willow voice answered, "We're trapped!!! You need to get Buffy right now!! Get out of here as fast as you can." Crushing any thoughts Dawn had about a quick and speedy rescue.
Turning to leave she was attacked by something hitting at the back of her head, clutching tightly at either side of it. Dropping both her drink and stake in panic she tried to wrestle the creature. Slipping on the sticky liquid she fell backwards hard her head pillowed by a snaky body winding both of them together.
Recovering herself before the creature escaped, crawling around to her face. Pushing both her hands under its body she tried to push it away but it wiggled and turned, it strength unbelievably not correlated with its size, overcoming her until it had turned a full 180 degrees. Its head at her mouth.
Scratching hard at her fragile skin it started to grapple with her lips pulling them far back over clinched teeth. Dawn's whole body jerking in protest to the invasion as it plunged its head into her mouth driving itself past her teeth choking her, burning throat.
~*~
Pushing itself far into its host's body the creature immediately knew something was wrong. Instead of the nirvana of finally being whole again cradled around a warm spinal cord and brain it met pain. A bright green light blinded all its new senses except pain causing a deathly spasm to slam along the length of its new body. Screaming he tried to reject whatever was taking his new life away from him. He'd been trapped in that coffin longer than people could measure time and he was not going back. He'd rather die.
He could feel a great light bathing his skin springing from the edge of his body, washing his entire being in its swirling, burning fury. Bones started to break, withering under flesh and blood, churning its insides into a skin bag of pulped organic matter. His body as well as the hosts were no longer separate but swirling together each still conscious.
Everything started to slow down and the direction of the pulse began to change. Seeking backwards pulling organs, veins and blood back to a new home. Blocking the air supply to newly forming lungs the light converged at his throat. Slowly he became aware with new senses ten times brighter than those of before. Forcing his eyes open everything was so different. A host had never given him this. He could feel the earth echo below him, make out a hundred different colours and was caressed by the soft air that told him so many things. Finally the light stopped. Whatever had happen to him was over and there was only him.
Alone.
He couldn't feel the host. It wasn't because of the suppression.it just weren't there. He was sole master of the flesh. Rolling over he tried to stand up. But everything was different from before. The limbs longer and sleeker sprung with great strength shaking like a newborn lamb. Wanting to stand he took a deep breath blocking his own throat. Coughing he tore at his throat, wreathing to free whatever was blocking it.
Violently hitting his chest several times the hard form in throat breached his mouth falling hard upon the sticky floor with a large thud. Taking several gulping breaths he looked down at it.
An emerald the size of his hand. Picking it up he examined it closely seeing that it wasn't hard all the way through but a swirling light encased. The one he'd seen inside the host but now longer there. The host was gone.
Forcing himself up he wobbled towards the door, when it opened.
~*~
Running flat out all the way Buffy raced for the Magic Box. She should of never have left them alone with the box. Why couldn't she protect them?
Ploughing through the door she stopped dead, stunned. She was looking at herself something as identical as the Buffy-bot but alive.
"Who are you?" she demanded worried that none of the others were around. She stepped forward. "Answer me?"
But it didn't answer standing still except for the slight swaying. With a burst of speed the other Buffy ran at real Buffy forcing her to clutch frantically at the other to stay upright. Grabbed at whatever was around its neck but it was too weak and broke causing her to fall backwards letting the other run through the door. Sitting upright pain ached in Buffy's palm. Wincing, she opened her clinched fist to reveal a gold chain with a name on it slightly embedded into the palm. Pulling it out tenderly she gasped wiping the blood off of the familiar letters.
Dumbfounded Buffy shock her head, "This can't be."
But it was and the proof of which was spinning on the sticky floor beside her. A gleaming emerald shimmering in the light.
The key.
Dawn.
A/N: Admit it. Hasn't everyone wanted to kill Dawn off? I have. Or have I? You'll get the next part in the next two weeks. That's the best I can manage. Anyway enjoy and please review.
Chapter Nine
"Typical." Dawn quipped moving further into the empty Magic Shop. Sure she couldn't go wondering off doing normal wondering off stuff but everyone else could do screaming wondering off stuff. It just wasn't fair.
"Hello.? Anyone here?" No response.
How was it that she always ended up missing the action just because they saw her as a kid? Hello.seen the end of the world lots hence with the done that got the t-shirt deal, she thought sucking angrily at her slush puppy. It was not like she couldn't look after herself. She was an adult and she'd prove it by helping with the boring research.
Having decided a course of action Dawn swept further into the room towards book central idly looking at the box on the counter before huffing and flopping down into a chair. Suddenly all the hair on her body stood up on end. Turning around to look at the many mysterious scary objects in the room she shook her head.
"Okay stay cool." She berated herself feeling foolish at her childish discomfort of being alone. Picking a book at random she began to read out loud sudden aware of how still the room was. Her voice breaching the air unnaturally.
"Rein in that imagination." She laughed. The sound breaking into a troubled sigh.
Continuing to read she got up one hand holding the book and the other her slush puppy to sit in direct eye line to the escape route door and the box. It was open.
Something scurried past her legs. Jumping she scrambled onto top of the chair throwing the book under the table. Now weaponless she thought about throwing her drink as well. "No way is some evil going to get my juice goodness," she gasped. Seeing a stake lying carelessly across the table she grabbed it tenderly clutching it close to her chest.
Eyes wide she scanned every square inch of the room. Nothing, but there it was again behind her near the training room door. Not a scurrying anymore but a shuffling. As if something was pushing a larger thing out of the way.
Not good. She was trapped and she didn't know what was crawling about.
"Okay what would Buffy do? Find it and kill it."
She grimaced contemplating that line of attack for a moment or two hopping from one foot to another looking nervously about. "Okay that's not for me." She squeaked out, coughing she said more commandingly. "What would Xander do?" she smiled regretfully pleased at the new thought.
"Run and get Buffy. Okay I'm going for option two." She joked to herself laughing weakly.
Slipping off the chair she move slowly backwards her eyes not leaving the site the noise was coming from, she stumbled making for the door. But the noise turned from a shuffle to a rapid patter of Morse code, like rain hitting off of a tin roof. Jumping to the shelves across from the basement door. Figuring that since the bad was out of the box it would be okay to go near it she turned side ways inching her way past the now towering sinister shelves. Objects of every shape and size imaginable a new evil hiding place for anything. Edging onwards she pressed her back hard against the counter wall then the basement door.
Suddenly it pounded causing her to turn jumping away bringing the stake up ready to attack. "It's Carter. Who's there?" a clear female voice shouted.
"It's me. Dawn. What's going on?" she answered hoping that Buffy was down there with them. Impotently she pulled at the door but it wouldn't move.
Immediately Willow voice answered, "We're trapped!!! You need to get Buffy right now!! Get out of here as fast as you can." Crushing any thoughts Dawn had about a quick and speedy rescue.
Turning to leave she was attacked by something hitting at the back of her head, clutching tightly at either side of it. Dropping both her drink and stake in panic she tried to wrestle the creature. Slipping on the sticky liquid she fell backwards hard her head pillowed by a snaky body winding both of them together.
Recovering herself before the creature escaped, crawling around to her face. Pushing both her hands under its body she tried to push it away but it wiggled and turned, it strength unbelievably not correlated with its size, overcoming her until it had turned a full 180 degrees. Its head at her mouth.
Scratching hard at her fragile skin it started to grapple with her lips pulling them far back over clinched teeth. Dawn's whole body jerking in protest to the invasion as it plunged its head into her mouth driving itself past her teeth choking her, burning throat.
~*~
Pushing itself far into its host's body the creature immediately knew something was wrong. Instead of the nirvana of finally being whole again cradled around a warm spinal cord and brain it met pain. A bright green light blinded all its new senses except pain causing a deathly spasm to slam along the length of its new body. Screaming he tried to reject whatever was taking his new life away from him. He'd been trapped in that coffin longer than people could measure time and he was not going back. He'd rather die.
He could feel a great light bathing his skin springing from the edge of his body, washing his entire being in its swirling, burning fury. Bones started to break, withering under flesh and blood, churning its insides into a skin bag of pulped organic matter. His body as well as the hosts were no longer separate but swirling together each still conscious.
Everything started to slow down and the direction of the pulse began to change. Seeking backwards pulling organs, veins and blood back to a new home. Blocking the air supply to newly forming lungs the light converged at his throat. Slowly he became aware with new senses ten times brighter than those of before. Forcing his eyes open everything was so different. A host had never given him this. He could feel the earth echo below him, make out a hundred different colours and was caressed by the soft air that told him so many things. Finally the light stopped. Whatever had happen to him was over and there was only him.
Alone.
He couldn't feel the host. It wasn't because of the suppression.it just weren't there. He was sole master of the flesh. Rolling over he tried to stand up. But everything was different from before. The limbs longer and sleeker sprung with great strength shaking like a newborn lamb. Wanting to stand he took a deep breath blocking his own throat. Coughing he tore at his throat, wreathing to free whatever was blocking it.
Violently hitting his chest several times the hard form in throat breached his mouth falling hard upon the sticky floor with a large thud. Taking several gulping breaths he looked down at it.
An emerald the size of his hand. Picking it up he examined it closely seeing that it wasn't hard all the way through but a swirling light encased. The one he'd seen inside the host but now longer there. The host was gone.
Forcing himself up he wobbled towards the door, when it opened.
~*~
Running flat out all the way Buffy raced for the Magic Box. She should of never have left them alone with the box. Why couldn't she protect them?
Ploughing through the door she stopped dead, stunned. She was looking at herself something as identical as the Buffy-bot but alive.
"Who are you?" she demanded worried that none of the others were around. She stepped forward. "Answer me?"
But it didn't answer standing still except for the slight swaying. With a burst of speed the other Buffy ran at real Buffy forcing her to clutch frantically at the other to stay upright. Grabbed at whatever was around its neck but it was too weak and broke causing her to fall backwards letting the other run through the door. Sitting upright pain ached in Buffy's palm. Wincing, she opened her clinched fist to reveal a gold chain with a name on it slightly embedded into the palm. Pulling it out tenderly she gasped wiping the blood off of the familiar letters.
Dumbfounded Buffy shock her head, "This can't be."
But it was and the proof of which was spinning on the sticky floor beside her. A gleaming emerald shimmering in the light.
The key.
Dawn.
A/N: Admit it. Hasn't everyone wanted to kill Dawn off? I have. Or have I? You'll get the next part in the next two weeks. That's the best I can manage. Anyway enjoy and please review.