Consciousness

Episode 19

Giles's Apartment:

            No one had even noticed that Buffy had just walked out on them. They were all too busy caught up in their arguments to even notice. Giles was attempting to explain what had been going on. Riley and Angel were arguing back and forth. Xander was explaining to Cordy what had happened to him. And the others were just having their own conversations.

            Meanwhile, Spike decided that he had had enough of these pointless arguments. He had already known that the First Evil had returned; he could feel its presence. And he knew that there was an evil goddess somewhere in this town; he could feel its presence too. He glanced around, looking for Buffy. He wanted to talk to her. Unfortunately, he couldn't find her. That's when he realized that she had gone off somewhere. And with that, he walked out through the door.

            "Well, last year we had this big confrontation with the almighty evil known as the First," Xander began, "Oh I think we're going on year three now."

            "You've been fighting this thing for three years?" Cordy questioned.

            "Unfortunately, yes," Xander replied, "It started messing with us once I came back from an empty void, as Giles likes to call it."

            "You were where?" Cordy asked.

            "It doesn't matter. That was a long time ago," Xander told her, "Last year, some weird preacher guy came to town. He was working for the First. He sent Buffy a message through a potential slayer that he had something of hers. Of course, Buffy went right in without a plan and we got our butts whooped."

            "By a preacher?" Cordy questioned.

            "Yeah," Xander replied, "It was Buffy, Spike, Faith, and I along with several potential slayers. We were getting beaten pretty badly from the beginning of the fight. Caleb, the preacher, had taken out Buffy, Spike, and Faith. When I went to help Buffy, she told me to get everyone out of there."

            Xander was standing in the middle of the wine cellar. He glanced around at the potentials.

            "Let's go!" he shouted, "We're leaving!"

            He turned to go and ran smack into Caleb. Caleb grabbed him by the throat.

            "You're the one that sees everything aren't you?" he questioned, "Well let's see, what we can't do about that?"

            He waved his hand in the air and then jammed his thumb into Xander's left eye. Spike watched from a distance. Xander howled in pain as blood poured from his eye socket. Spike slammed Caleb from behind, releasing his grip around Xander's neck. Buffy rushed over and she and Spike helped Xander out of the cellar.

            "Oh my god," Cordy murmured, "He took your eye."

            "It's not that bad," Xander replied, "Now all my other senses are heightened."

            "Everyone quiet down!" Giles shouted.

            Within a few moments, everyone was silent. He glanced around the room, making sure everyone was there. He didn't realize that both Buffy and Spike had gone off.

            "Those vampires that attacked you in the cemetery, Angel," Giles began, "are called Turok-Han. They are what we would call Neanderthal vampires. They are extremely powerful agents of the First."

            "The First what?" Fred questioned.

            "The First Evil," Giles answered.

            "What's it doing here?" Cordy asked.

            "It wants to destroy the slayer line, killing off all the potential slayers and eventually Faith and Buffy," Giles replied.

            "So wait," Riley said, "What's this other evil being want?"

            "We're not really sure," Giles responded.

            "Well then, why is it here?" Oz asked.

            "Three men in Africa released her from her eternal prison," Angel replied.

            "Eternal prison?" Gunn questioned.

            "At the beginning of time, two entities decided that they were going to create a universe," Angel began, "One the God of Goodness and Righteousness, the other, The Goddess of Evil. They created the universe with their awesome powers. Each ruled over what they had created. The God of Goodness and Righteousness ruled over everything that was good, while the Goddess of Evil looked over everything that was evil. But the Goddess of Evil wanted more; she wanted to destroy everything that was good. He would not let her do so and soon a huge fight began. Worlds were destroyed, but in the end goodness triumphed. And with that, he sealed her in an eternal prison."

            "And those African guys released her?" Xander questioned.

            "Yes," Wesley replied.

            "Well then we need to go find them and make them send her back," Willow said.

            "That would be a little hard," Wesley told her.

            "Why's that?" Faith questioned.

            "They are dead," Wesley replied, "She killed them."

            "Oh well that's just swell," Xander said, sarcastically.

Downtown Hayensville:

            Buffy was nearing Axel's place. She had to get Kennedy back. She didn't want to know what was going on between those two either. The mere thought of it disturbed her greatly. She knew that if they were involved that she couldn't get her and Willow back together. But that wasn't the point. Kennedy shouldn't be out alone during this time.

            Buffy approached the building. She tried glancing in the window, but the curtains were closed. She headed to the door and was just about to open it when someone spoke to her.

            "What are you doing, luv?" he asked.

            Buffy spun around and came face to face with the non-corporeal vampire. He smirked at her.

            "How did you do it?" she questioned.

            "Do what, luv?"

            "How did you come back?"

            "Well, I'm not exactly back completely."

            "You know what I mean."

            "Right. Well I'm not exactly sure. One minute I was standing inside the Hellmouth, burning up and the next minute, I appear in some grand office in front of Angel and his buddies."

            "But how?"
            "I'm not sure. According to Fred, I was trapped inside the amulet. For some reason, someone had found the amulet in the Hellmouth and mailed it to Angel."

            "No one could have found it down there."

            "Why not?"

            "The Hellmouth and all of Sunnydale were destroyed.

            "Oh."

            "Look, I haven't gotten time for this now. I need to get Kennedy out of there."

            "All right. Might as well tag along then."

            "Just stay out of the way."

            Buffy turned the doorknob and walked right in. Spike followed. Buffy gasped at what she saw. Kennedy and Axel were lying on the couch, Kennedy on top of Axel. They were making out. Buffy regained her senses and cleared her throat.

            Both of the jumped and Kennedy nearly fell of the couch. Axel sat up and looked at Buffy.

            "Oh hey Buffy," he said, "I haven't seen you in a few weeks."

            "No you haven't," Buffy replied.

            "Who's the friend?" he asked.

            "That's none of your business," she told him.

            "What's with all the hostility?" he asked.

            "What the hell are you doing with her?"
            "What did it look like we were doing?"

            "She's just a kid," Buffy told him, "She only nineteen. You can't just take advantage of her when she's hurting."

            "She came on to me," he replied.

            Buffy glared at Kennedy. Spike stood behind her, confused at what was going on.

            "You what?"

            "I loved Willow!" Kenney shouted, tears falling from her eyes, "But she left me. She left me right after we shared something special. She left me for the dead bitch!"

            "Let's go, Kennedy," Buffy said, solemnly.

            "No, I'm staying right here with Axel!" she cried.

            "We're leaving," Buffy told her.

            "No!" Kennedy yelled.

            "Let's go, now," Buffy said.     

            "You think that just because you are the slayer that you have power over me!" Kennedy cried, "Well you don't. Now let me live my life the way I want to!"

            "That fact that I'm the slayer has nothing to do with what I just witnessed," Buffy replied, "You can't just go around making out with people because your girlfriend cheated on you. And besides, she wasn't even real. It was the Goddess of Evil. And now she and the First Evil are roaming around town. It's not safe. We need to get back to Giles's."

            "You're her?" Axel asked, "You're the slayer?"

            Buffy attention turned from Kennedy to Axel. He had a very surprised look on his face.

            "I've been searching for her and all this time she's been living in my place," Axel said, "I can't believe you're her."

            Buffy was speechless. She had finally revealed her secret to him. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. And there was no way to cover it up either. Now she had put another life in danger.

            "Uh oh," Spike said, "Looks like the lesbian let the cat out of the bag."

            Suddenly, the front window of the place shattered and the door burst off its hinges. Three Ubervamps came barreling into the apartment, growling. Buffy looked out the window and noticed several more of them.

            "Oh this night just keeps getting better and better. Nothing could make it any worse," Buffy said.

            "I'd hafta disagree with you on that one, pet," Spike said, "Look there."

            Buffy looked further and behind the army of Ubervamps was an army of those demons that Buffy had fought a few nights ago; the one's with the sharp blades as arms.

            "Me and my big mouth," Buffy muttered.

            "Oh my god!" Kennedy exclaimed, "There must be like a hundred of them."

            "I'd say more than that," Spike replied.

            "Its all coming together now," Axel said, "You wanting to protect that guy in the woods, you always going out at night, and those demons that attacked us in the cemetery that night."

            "You know, pet," Spike said, ignoring Axel, "You and Red's lover are on your own on this one. I couldn't harm a fly. Only when I concentrate anyways. But I won't be much of a help."

            Suddenly, Axel's floor began to crack. It split in two. Buffy glanced down and saw it; a seal, like the one back in Sunnydale.

            "I forgot," Buffy said, "Faith told me that this was where the Hellmouth was."

            "Hellmouth? "Axel questioned.

            "Oh this bloody place just seems to get better and better," Spike said to himself.

            "Run!" Buffy yelled.

            Kennedy, Axel, and Buffy turned and ran towards the back of Axel's place. Kennedy kicked open the backdoor, knocking it off its hinges. The Ubervamps and demon came smashing into the building, destroying the entire front. They took chase after the small group.

            They dashed off into the alley. Spike was bringing up the rear. He didn't really have to run. It wasn't like the vampires or demons could harm him. He just wanted to make sure that Buffy was going to be alright.

The Cemetery:

            "Where are we going, Buffy?" Kennedy questioned.

            "I'm not sure," Buffy replied, "I need to find someway to get rid of those things."

            Buffy had led Kennedy and Axel to the cemetery. They had gotten a pretty good lead over the two armies. They were stopping for a short breath. Buffy also knew that Axel and Kennedy needed to rest for a moment.

            "What are those things?" Axel questioned, "They look like vampires."

            "They are vampires," Buffy replied, "I think Giles called them Neanderthal-like vampires."

            "Who's Giles?" Axel asked.

            "It's not important now," Buffy told him, "I'm sure you'll meet him as soon as we get out of this mess."

            Buffy rose to her feet. She knew that they had to keep going. It was only a matter of time before the vampire and demon armies caught up with them. 

            "All right," Buffy said, "Time to get moving."

            Kennedy and Axel rose to their feet again. Buffy started off at a slow jog. Kennedy and Axel started off walking, but soon caught up to her pace. They were soon moving at a fairly quick pace through the cemetery. Within a few moments, they were out of the cemetery and in a different part of town.

            "Where are we?" Kennedy asked.

            "Not sure," Buffy replied, "I've never been here before."

            "We're on the other side of town," Axel informed, "We're near the ocean."

            "Oh well that's just great," Buffy said, "We are going end up trapped."

            "What!" Kennedy exclaimed.

            "She's right," Axel said, "There's no where else to go. We'll be at the beach in a few minutes."

            And Axel was right. Within a few minutes, the three of them were walking on sand. That's when Buffy just stopped. Axel looked confused, but Kennedy knew what was wrong. She walked towards Buffy.

            "Buffy, this is my fault," Kennedy said, "If I hadn't have gone off like that, we wouldn't be in this position."

            Buffy turned to face the young girl. She looked the girl in the eyes. She could tell that Kennedy was being sincere and that she was truly sorry.

            "It's not your fault," Buffy assured, "You didn't know. Someone should have checked up on you sooner."

            "No, Buffy!" Kennedy yelled, "It is my fault!"

            "Don't beat yourself up over this," Buffy told her, "It could have happened with anyone."

            "But it didn't," Kennedy replied, "It happened with me. And now it's going to be my fault that we get killed."

            "You're not going to die," Buffy reassured, "I'm not gonna let you."

            "What?" Kennedy questioned.

            "You two are going to get out of here alive," Buffy informed.

            "What are you talking about?" Kennedy asked.

            "When I die, there is a chance that you will be the next slayer," Buffy began, "Better for you to get away, then for us both to die."

            "Not a very good chance," Kennedy argued.    

            "Think positively!" Buffy exclaimed.

            That's when a loud growl echoed across the beach. It was louder than the roar of the waves. It made Kennedy shake. She was scared to death.

            "Here they come," Buffy said to herself.

            The Ubervamps appeared on the horizon. And behind them were the deadly demons. There must have been hundreds of them. Buffy pulled a stake from the sheath inside her jacket. She stood ready for battle.

            "Run!" she shouted.

            "What?" Axel questioned.

            "Get out of here," Buffy told them, "I'll keep them away from you."

            "I'm staying and fighting," Axel told her.

            "No you aren't!" Buffy yelled, "Go! Get out of here!"

            Kennedy and Axel turned from the slayer. They glanced out over the horizon and saw the armies approaching rapidly.

            "Tell Faith to hold the line!" Buffy called.

            Kennedy turned back towards Buffy and nodded. Then he and Axel ran off down the beach, away from Buffy and from the army. After getting a good distance away, Kennedy turned and glanced back. The army was getting closer to Buffy.

            "Come on," Axel said, "We need to keep going."

            Meanwhile, Buffy stood glancing out at the army. She knew this was it; this was the end for her. She hoped the others could hold the line and save the world without her. The army was approaching rapidly. Within moments, they were within a hundred yards of her.

            They rushed towards her, the Ubervamps first, followed by the demons. Buffy pulled out another stake. The first few vampires reached her. She slammed a stake into the first one. It exploded into dust, which blew away in the ocean breeze. She gave another a sharp front kick, knocking it into two more. All three fell to the sand.

            The second wave of vampires reached her. She knocked around two of them. But another punched her in the side. She stumbled, but stood her ground. She gave it a side kick and quickly followed it up with her stake.

            Two more came at her. They tackled her to the ground. They both began pummeling her. Soon, she was surrounded by several vampires. Within moments, several demons had surrounded her too. Buffy knocked away the vampires, dusting one. She rose to her feet and continued fighting against the impossible odds.

            Three of the demons came at her, the sharp blades glistening in the moonlight. Buffy managed to dodge the first two, but the third sliced her across the stomach. She kicked it in the face, knocking it away. Two Ubervamps lunged towards her. They began punching her across the face. More of the demons began slicing their blades at her.

            Within moments, Buffy had deep cuts all over her body. They were not letting up either. Buffy continued fighting but was quickly becoming exhausted. She couldn't last much longer. But at least she bought Kennedy and Axel some time to get away.

            Suddenly, a demon stabbed its blade into Buffy's back. She gasped in pain. The blade went straight through. The demon pulled its blade out. Buffy fell to her knees in the sand. She dropped her stakes and tried to cover up the wound to stop the bleeding. The demons continued slicing her as she kneeled there. A vampire punched her in the jaw, causing it to crack.

            Buffy gathered all her strength. In one swift move, she grabbed her stakes and rose to her feet in fury. She slashed and stabbed the stakes in lightning-quick movements. Another demon slashed its blade across her stomach.

            Buffy fell to the ground, face first. The demons and vampires weren't finished yet. They were still attacking her. Everything began to get dark for Buffy. This was it; this was the end for her. Her mind began drifting back to everything that had happened to her since she'd become a slayer. Her life was flashing right before her eyes. That's when a vampire kicked her in the head. Everything went black.

            While the fight was going on, Spike appeared in the dunes. He had suddenly disappeared after following Buffy for a short while. He had finally reappeared. He glanced down towards the ocean. He noticed two large armies fighting something. One army was of the Ubervamps. The second was of strange-looking demons. They had blades for arms.

            "So much for being enemies," Spike muttered to himself.

            Spike wondered what they were fighting against. There didn't seem to be anything there. After a few moments, he figured that they must be feeding off of something. He turned away and began walking back towards the town when he heard the two armies moving.

            When he finally turned back, he saw something lying in the sand, face down. He walked slowly towards the corpse. It was obvious that it was human. The body was cut and bruised all over. There was blood everywhere. He continued walking closer.

            Spike gasped at what he saw. He was horrified. There lay the woman that he loved, in the sand. Buffy had been the victim of the two armies. Buffy was dead.

Giles's Apartment:

            Angel and Xander had returned a few hours later. Angel was carrying Buffy's dead body. After Spike had found her body, he rushed back to the apartment to inform everyone of what had happened. Angel and Xander had gone off to retrieve the body.

            Kennedy and Axel arrived at the apartment a little after Spike had. Axel had been introduced to the gang and then Kennedy explained what had happened leading up to the events on the beach. She also gave Faith Buffy's final message.

            The gang was quiet when Angel and Xander returned. Giles was the first to come towards Buffy. Tears were in his eyes as he approached Angel. He brushed Buffy's bloody bangs away from her face. He slowly moved his hands down her cheek.

            Willow approached Giles with a wet rag. She handed it to him and then backed away. She was terribly upset with what had happened. Giles used the rag to wipe away the blood from his slayer's face. After cleaning her face, he began cleaning off her neck.

            As he wiped away the blood from her neck, he thought he felt something. It startled him enough that he dropped the rag on the floor.

            "What's wrong, Giles?" Xander asked.

            Giles didn't answer Xander. He moved his hand up to Buffy's neck once again. He used his two fingers and pressed them to her neck. There was pulse!

            "She's alive," he said.

            "What?" Angel questioned.

            "She has a pulse," Giles told them.

            Everyone in the room looked up towards Giles and Angel. Their spirits lifted when they heard what Giles said.

            "Put her on the bed in the other room," Giles said to Angel.

            Angel left the living room and headed into the bedroom. He laid Buffy down on top of the comforter.

            "Willow, get the first-aid kit," Giles told her.

            Several minutes later, Buffy was cleaned up. Her wounds were dressed and most of the blood was washed away. But she still hadn't woken up. Giles concluded that she was in a coma.

            "How long 'til she comes to?" Faith questioned.

            "I'm not really sure," Giles replied.

            "It could be days," Wesley added, "Weeks even. Or she might not even wake up."

            "Let's hope she does," Faith said.

            "What do we do now?" Oz questioned.

            "You heard what Buffy said," Cordy said.

            "What was that?" Xander asked.

            "Hold the line," Faith said.