Buffy was sitting at her kitchen table, head bent over, studying a pile of
papers. She was wondering which bills to pay first with the money Giles had
given her. The house was empty. Giles had gone to the Magic Box to help
Anya, Dawn was in school and Willow and Tara had gone to classes at the
University. She stood up and stretched, then walked over to the fridge to
get a soda. She was happy Giles had given her money, but it wasn't going to
last forever. She was going to have to find a job sooner or later.
As she turned around to go back to her task she jumped backwards as something crashed through the window. She regained her senses from the shock and saw a stout demon standing in front of her. She jumped into action at once and kicked it with all her force. She fell to the ground clutching her ankle seconds later. She felt like she had kicked a stone wall.
Gugsrak laughed then lunged for her. He picked her up and threw her across the room where she landed on the table, it splintered from the force. She moaned and stood back up to try to fight him again. She readied herself to hit it but he shot out and grabbed her by the waist before she had started her punch. His grip felt like a vice around her small waist. She yelped as she felt a rib crack. She had never fought something so strong except Glory. And she had been a god!
Gugsrak lifted Buffy higher in the air then smashed her down into the floor. He hit her hard in the face. Buffy could barely stand to try something else. She got in a weak spin kick as she clambered back to her feet before the demon roared and swatted her again. She flew back into the wall. Her vision was hazy and she could feel the blood dripping from her wounds.
She looked around desperately for a weapon. She began to throw anything near her as Gugsrak approached her slowly, as if savoring the moment she would die. Buffy tried to stand. She would not go out like a beaten woman. She hit him again. The ugly bastard seemed to chuckle. Buffy began to punch him, fist her left hand, then her right, her arms becoming blurry with the speed she hit him. The demon seemed to feel nothing. Gugsrak actually seemed to relish her small fists pummeling his stony stomach.
When it seemed he had tired of the game he raised one massive fist high in the air then began to bring it down for a finishing blow that would crush the small Slayer into a pulp. Buffy cringed as she waited for the impact. It never came. Buffy opened her eyes and saw the demon in front of her moving in very slow motion. She quickly took advantage of this and stumbled around it, going for the door. She saw Willow and Tara standing there.
The were holding hands, mouthing words and concentrating with all their strength on Gugsrak, who was very gradually turning around. Willow gasped for breath as she turned to Buffy. "Run! Run Buffy!" She wheezed out. Buffy hesitated as Willow went back to silently mouthing and then turned and sped from the house.
As she tried to ignore the pain in her ankle she stumbled down the street as quickly as she could. She felt like a coward. She was the Slayer. She had never run from anything. Was she a deserter? She ached everywhere from being thrown across the room. She could feel the blood caking on her brow and knew that if she hadn't run, she would be broken and dead in her own kitchen right now.
****
"Oh my god! Buffy!" Giles blurted out as Buffy stumbled into the Magic Box. Buffy could say nothing and collapsed on the floor. The few customers in the shop looked at the petite blonde on the floor, covered in blood and sweat and decided to leave. This seemed to annoy Anya but she made a wise decision in keeping quiet.
"Buffy what happened?" Giles asked as he picked her up and carried her to the back. Buffy moaned. "Demon..." She muttered as Giles set her on one of the mats in the training room. "Demon? What? Is it dead?" Buffy shook her head. Giles looked very upset as he rushed off to fetch the first-aide kit.
"What do you mean? It's still alive?" Giles took out the supplies and began to administer them to Buffy. "I couldn't touch him Giles, he was so strong. Like rocks...rocks." Giles shook his head. "How did you get out? Where is it?" Buffy gasped in pain as Giles touched the rib. "I ran. Willow, Tara, held him off." Giles' face filled with fear.
"Anya!" he called. Anya came hurrying into the room. "Get me the Huert Demons book. Hurry." Buffy looked shaken. "What? A Hue what?" Giles shushed her. "I'm making an educated guess and looking under rock demons." Buffy was too weak to answer. Anya came back quickly with a large gray book.
"Here Buffy, can you look through this book for me? Tell me which one it is?" Buffy meekly took the book and began to flip the pages. Anya stood on the sidelines, watching nervously. "This one! Gugsrak..." She said as she handed the book to Giles. Her Slayer healing powers were already kicking in and she didn't feel so much pain any longer.
"Gugsrak." Giles read feverishly. His face could not conceal the fear as he looked it over. "Giles? What is it?" Buffy asked, trying to sit up. She couldn't and had to lay back down. Giles swallowed. "Gugsrak is a powerful demon. He cannot be killed." Buffy looked confused. "Every evil thing can be killed, remember the judge? And Glory?" Giles shook his head. "No Buffy, this demon cannot be killed. He will come back, again and again if you manage to incapacitate him." Giles studied the page.
"Usually it takes a week before he comes back. But even getting him to temporarily die is an extremely hard feat." Buffy opened her mouth and closed it. Where had it come from? As if reading her mind Giles answered her. "This demon does not go after things on its own. In fact Gugsrak likes to sleep, not fight. He hibernates in the hills for centuries sometimes. The only way he can be roused is through a very difficult spell."
Buffy shook her head. "Giles who could have done that?" Giles looked down at her. "Perhaps whoever has been terrorizing you these last few weeks?" Buffy's brow furrowed. "No, remember? It was that demon. The one the other night..." Giles thought on this. "Perhaps a scapegoat demon?" Buffy didn't know what to say.
Someone was trying their hardest to get rid of her, and it seemed that perhaps they had found the perfect demon to do it.
As she turned around to go back to her task she jumped backwards as something crashed through the window. She regained her senses from the shock and saw a stout demon standing in front of her. She jumped into action at once and kicked it with all her force. She fell to the ground clutching her ankle seconds later. She felt like she had kicked a stone wall.
Gugsrak laughed then lunged for her. He picked her up and threw her across the room where she landed on the table, it splintered from the force. She moaned and stood back up to try to fight him again. She readied herself to hit it but he shot out and grabbed her by the waist before she had started her punch. His grip felt like a vice around her small waist. She yelped as she felt a rib crack. She had never fought something so strong except Glory. And she had been a god!
Gugsrak lifted Buffy higher in the air then smashed her down into the floor. He hit her hard in the face. Buffy could barely stand to try something else. She got in a weak spin kick as she clambered back to her feet before the demon roared and swatted her again. She flew back into the wall. Her vision was hazy and she could feel the blood dripping from her wounds.
She looked around desperately for a weapon. She began to throw anything near her as Gugsrak approached her slowly, as if savoring the moment she would die. Buffy tried to stand. She would not go out like a beaten woman. She hit him again. The ugly bastard seemed to chuckle. Buffy began to punch him, fist her left hand, then her right, her arms becoming blurry with the speed she hit him. The demon seemed to feel nothing. Gugsrak actually seemed to relish her small fists pummeling his stony stomach.
When it seemed he had tired of the game he raised one massive fist high in the air then began to bring it down for a finishing blow that would crush the small Slayer into a pulp. Buffy cringed as she waited for the impact. It never came. Buffy opened her eyes and saw the demon in front of her moving in very slow motion. She quickly took advantage of this and stumbled around it, going for the door. She saw Willow and Tara standing there.
The were holding hands, mouthing words and concentrating with all their strength on Gugsrak, who was very gradually turning around. Willow gasped for breath as she turned to Buffy. "Run! Run Buffy!" She wheezed out. Buffy hesitated as Willow went back to silently mouthing and then turned and sped from the house.
As she tried to ignore the pain in her ankle she stumbled down the street as quickly as she could. She felt like a coward. She was the Slayer. She had never run from anything. Was she a deserter? She ached everywhere from being thrown across the room. She could feel the blood caking on her brow and knew that if she hadn't run, she would be broken and dead in her own kitchen right now.
****
"Oh my god! Buffy!" Giles blurted out as Buffy stumbled into the Magic Box. Buffy could say nothing and collapsed on the floor. The few customers in the shop looked at the petite blonde on the floor, covered in blood and sweat and decided to leave. This seemed to annoy Anya but she made a wise decision in keeping quiet.
"Buffy what happened?" Giles asked as he picked her up and carried her to the back. Buffy moaned. "Demon..." She muttered as Giles set her on one of the mats in the training room. "Demon? What? Is it dead?" Buffy shook her head. Giles looked very upset as he rushed off to fetch the first-aide kit.
"What do you mean? It's still alive?" Giles took out the supplies and began to administer them to Buffy. "I couldn't touch him Giles, he was so strong. Like rocks...rocks." Giles shook his head. "How did you get out? Where is it?" Buffy gasped in pain as Giles touched the rib. "I ran. Willow, Tara, held him off." Giles' face filled with fear.
"Anya!" he called. Anya came hurrying into the room. "Get me the Huert Demons book. Hurry." Buffy looked shaken. "What? A Hue what?" Giles shushed her. "I'm making an educated guess and looking under rock demons." Buffy was too weak to answer. Anya came back quickly with a large gray book.
"Here Buffy, can you look through this book for me? Tell me which one it is?" Buffy meekly took the book and began to flip the pages. Anya stood on the sidelines, watching nervously. "This one! Gugsrak..." She said as she handed the book to Giles. Her Slayer healing powers were already kicking in and she didn't feel so much pain any longer.
"Gugsrak." Giles read feverishly. His face could not conceal the fear as he looked it over. "Giles? What is it?" Buffy asked, trying to sit up. She couldn't and had to lay back down. Giles swallowed. "Gugsrak is a powerful demon. He cannot be killed." Buffy looked confused. "Every evil thing can be killed, remember the judge? And Glory?" Giles shook his head. "No Buffy, this demon cannot be killed. He will come back, again and again if you manage to incapacitate him." Giles studied the page.
"Usually it takes a week before he comes back. But even getting him to temporarily die is an extremely hard feat." Buffy opened her mouth and closed it. Where had it come from? As if reading her mind Giles answered her. "This demon does not go after things on its own. In fact Gugsrak likes to sleep, not fight. He hibernates in the hills for centuries sometimes. The only way he can be roused is through a very difficult spell."
Buffy shook her head. "Giles who could have done that?" Giles looked down at her. "Perhaps whoever has been terrorizing you these last few weeks?" Buffy's brow furrowed. "No, remember? It was that demon. The one the other night..." Giles thought on this. "Perhaps a scapegoat demon?" Buffy didn't know what to say.
Someone was trying their hardest to get rid of her, and it seemed that perhaps they had found the perfect demon to do it.
