FOOLS FOR LIFE:
CHAPTER 43: HOW GREAT IS YOUR NEED?
"DAMN!" he cursed and in an angry movement he slammed the door shut. Buffy turned to look at him with alarm on her face. "Spike, no!" she yelled.
"What? We didn't enter the new one......"
"No!" she yelled again. "But there IS no new one, remember! You just shut the same door to the same room, what if that is the whole thing that activates....?"
Before she could finish, a light shone in the middle of the room again. Light that took on a form. Only in outline at first, then in mass and texture, and the new guardian roared. It was at least 7 feet tall, dressed like a gladiator with a face like a lizard. It's teeth were long and many and his skin was like that of a crocodile. It roared, pulled out an axe and charged them.
And they had fought. Again. And it had been harder, but still within their limits. Spike was able to tell pretty early on they would be able to take him in the end. But then suddenly Buffy had cried out in pain, and not because the demon had hit her because she wasn't close enough to it. She had grabbed her belly and doubled over.
Spike had turned to her and only his sharp vampire ears had saved him, hearing the swish of the air as the axe came flying. He barely dodged it and the demon's other hand following suit had been impossible to avoid.
He slammed on the hard marble ground and felt a large booted foot kick him in the ribs so hard he flew through the room, bounced of a pillar and crashed back down again. As the demon advanced, smelling victory, something had snapped.
Things looked more and more desperate, and now he had a thought of Buffy alone and trapped in here after he died. He roared, jumped up and grabbed the demon's arm, biting deep.
It screamed in pain and surprise as that had been an unexpected move. It dropped the axe. Spike reacted immediately and kicked his opponent between it's legs with all of his strength. Now it shrieked more than roared and fell to it's knees.
"Oh, so even demon guardian lizards have family jewels eh?" he yelled and grabbed the demon's axe before it could react. He swung it, spinning a full circle which ended with a clean slice that left the scaled head of the guardian rolling over the floor.
He never saw it's remains disappear, because he had already turned to run to Buffy. He knelt down by her, calling her name. She didn't answer.
He lifted her head up gently. "Buffy, luv, what is it? Say something! Are you hurt?"
She winced in pain. Her voice was weak. "I don't....ah..k-know...it hurts. My insides...ackk...it's like....can't move.."
Her body felt cold, even colder than before. Her stomach felt hard and her face was pale and looked thin. He sensed her heartbeat...
"Oh no...." he whispered.
"What....?" she looked at him but he didn't answer. Then she understood as if she'd read his mind. "Oh...am I .....dying?"
His eyes turned desperate and instantly teared up. "No! You're not! We'll work through this, we'll find a way.."
"No I aahhh..get it...my body...it's dying isn't it? It's....g-going to be really dead. Vampires die before ...t-they become a real vamp...that it?"
He nodded grimly. "I think so."
"Ahh this spell really IS a mess..aoowww...so will I b-be a real undead vamp now? I-instead of a living o-one? O-or....is your ex's stupid....curse..just going to kill me?"
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He didn't know. He just didn't. "Doesn't matter," he said. "It's all going to be gone soon."
She smiled. "Sure....you don't even know what to do.....l-look Spike, if..I die, get out of here. Don't stay here..t'get your head bitten off by guardian no 234 or s-someth-....Aow..just get out a-and tell..Giles...."
"NO!" he roared. "You can bloody well tell him yourself! When you're better! I don't PLAY this game, Slayer! I don't stand still and be teary while you die! I failed you once! Not this time! Never again!!"
She smiled and reached out to touch his cheek. "Heh....k-knew you'd...say that...'s funny....I never..."
"What luv?" he asked frantically as her voice got weaker. She was slipping.
"Never would've thought.....you usd...t'be such ...a sensitive....guy...William."
She smiled as her eyes slowly closed.
"Shold've...know tho'...Thru it all...you still .. are....."
Her body went limp, and he thought he would lose his mind. He bit down a roar and forced himself to focus and check for breathing and a heartbeat. Both were still here. But faint. Her heart was slowing down.
He looked around the room, trying to find something, anything that would solve this. All he could see was the same door, that would just lead to the same room and another fight. He didn't know what to do. He just didn't. And here she lay at his feet. Dying. The one thing he loved, that he would do anything for, and he was powerless.
"DAMN YOU!!!" he roared to no one in particular.
He lunged at the door, banging on it with his fists, kicking it. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?? I AM HERE! I GOT MY BLEEDIN' WISH! AND IT'S SELFLESS!! WHERE IS THAT STUPID STONE!??"
He fell to his knees....at least he'd prevented himself from touching the handle.....another opened door would lead to another fight.....He fell forward, his head banging the marble..............
Then he heard a click.
He looked up and the door slid open. He jumped to his feet, prepared for another attack. But to his surprise, the door revealed a different room. Far smaller.
And in the middle there was a marble standard with a shiny red stone at the top bathing the room in it's crimson glow.
For a moment he just stood there and gawked, not understanding a bit of this. Was it shouting then? Should he have shouted sooner? He thought he had. Had it not been desperate enough before? Then he saw where he had hit the door.
Blood from some of his wounds had stained the door. And as he watched, it disappeared. As if the door absorbed it.
"The blood," he whispered. "That it? Selfless..willing to bleed, willing to die for her....that it? You satisfied now? You bastards.."
He still wasn't sure who he was talking to but it didn't matter.
"It's always the blood...." he muttered.
He turned around and walked over to Buffy. "Come on luv, let's get this over with."
He gently lifted her up and walked towards the door. He looked at the stone and sighed. Then he took a step forward..
And he bounced soundly off the invisible barrier in the doorway.
** **
TBC !
CHAPTER 43: HOW GREAT IS YOUR NEED?
"DAMN!" he cursed and in an angry movement he slammed the door shut. Buffy turned to look at him with alarm on her face. "Spike, no!" she yelled.
"What? We didn't enter the new one......"
"No!" she yelled again. "But there IS no new one, remember! You just shut the same door to the same room, what if that is the whole thing that activates....?"
Before she could finish, a light shone in the middle of the room again. Light that took on a form. Only in outline at first, then in mass and texture, and the new guardian roared. It was at least 7 feet tall, dressed like a gladiator with a face like a lizard. It's teeth were long and many and his skin was like that of a crocodile. It roared, pulled out an axe and charged them.
And they had fought. Again. And it had been harder, but still within their limits. Spike was able to tell pretty early on they would be able to take him in the end. But then suddenly Buffy had cried out in pain, and not because the demon had hit her because she wasn't close enough to it. She had grabbed her belly and doubled over.
Spike had turned to her and only his sharp vampire ears had saved him, hearing the swish of the air as the axe came flying. He barely dodged it and the demon's other hand following suit had been impossible to avoid.
He slammed on the hard marble ground and felt a large booted foot kick him in the ribs so hard he flew through the room, bounced of a pillar and crashed back down again. As the demon advanced, smelling victory, something had snapped.
Things looked more and more desperate, and now he had a thought of Buffy alone and trapped in here after he died. He roared, jumped up and grabbed the demon's arm, biting deep.
It screamed in pain and surprise as that had been an unexpected move. It dropped the axe. Spike reacted immediately and kicked his opponent between it's legs with all of his strength. Now it shrieked more than roared and fell to it's knees.
"Oh, so even demon guardian lizards have family jewels eh?" he yelled and grabbed the demon's axe before it could react. He swung it, spinning a full circle which ended with a clean slice that left the scaled head of the guardian rolling over the floor.
He never saw it's remains disappear, because he had already turned to run to Buffy. He knelt down by her, calling her name. She didn't answer.
He lifted her head up gently. "Buffy, luv, what is it? Say something! Are you hurt?"
She winced in pain. Her voice was weak. "I don't....ah..k-know...it hurts. My insides...ackk...it's like....can't move.."
Her body felt cold, even colder than before. Her stomach felt hard and her face was pale and looked thin. He sensed her heartbeat...
"Oh no...." he whispered.
"What....?" she looked at him but he didn't answer. Then she understood as if she'd read his mind. "Oh...am I .....dying?"
His eyes turned desperate and instantly teared up. "No! You're not! We'll work through this, we'll find a way.."
"No I aahhh..get it...my body...it's dying isn't it? It's....g-going to be really dead. Vampires die before ...t-they become a real vamp...that it?"
He nodded grimly. "I think so."
"Ahh this spell really IS a mess..aoowww...so will I b-be a real undead vamp now? I-instead of a living o-one? O-or....is your ex's stupid....curse..just going to kill me?"
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He didn't know. He just didn't. "Doesn't matter," he said. "It's all going to be gone soon."
She smiled. "Sure....you don't even know what to do.....l-look Spike, if..I die, get out of here. Don't stay here..t'get your head bitten off by guardian no 234 or s-someth-....Aow..just get out a-and tell..Giles...."
"NO!" he roared. "You can bloody well tell him yourself! When you're better! I don't PLAY this game, Slayer! I don't stand still and be teary while you die! I failed you once! Not this time! Never again!!"
She smiled and reached out to touch his cheek. "Heh....k-knew you'd...say that...'s funny....I never..."
"What luv?" he asked frantically as her voice got weaker. She was slipping.
"Never would've thought.....you usd...t'be such ...a sensitive....guy...William."
She smiled as her eyes slowly closed.
"Shold've...know tho'...Thru it all...you still .. are....."
Her body went limp, and he thought he would lose his mind. He bit down a roar and forced himself to focus and check for breathing and a heartbeat. Both were still here. But faint. Her heart was slowing down.
He looked around the room, trying to find something, anything that would solve this. All he could see was the same door, that would just lead to the same room and another fight. He didn't know what to do. He just didn't. And here she lay at his feet. Dying. The one thing he loved, that he would do anything for, and he was powerless.
"DAMN YOU!!!" he roared to no one in particular.
He lunged at the door, banging on it with his fists, kicking it. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?? I AM HERE! I GOT MY BLEEDIN' WISH! AND IT'S SELFLESS!! WHERE IS THAT STUPID STONE!??"
He fell to his knees....at least he'd prevented himself from touching the handle.....another opened door would lead to another fight.....He fell forward, his head banging the marble..............
Then he heard a click.
He looked up and the door slid open. He jumped to his feet, prepared for another attack. But to his surprise, the door revealed a different room. Far smaller.
And in the middle there was a marble standard with a shiny red stone at the top bathing the room in it's crimson glow.
For a moment he just stood there and gawked, not understanding a bit of this. Was it shouting then? Should he have shouted sooner? He thought he had. Had it not been desperate enough before? Then he saw where he had hit the door.
Blood from some of his wounds had stained the door. And as he watched, it disappeared. As if the door absorbed it.
"The blood," he whispered. "That it? Selfless..willing to bleed, willing to die for her....that it? You satisfied now? You bastards.."
He still wasn't sure who he was talking to but it didn't matter.
"It's always the blood...." he muttered.
He turned around and walked over to Buffy. "Come on luv, let's get this over with."
He gently lifted her up and walked towards the door. He looked at the stone and sighed. Then he took a step forward..
And he bounced soundly off the invisible barrier in the doorway.
** **
TBC !
