Chapter 8
The sun was almost down when I peered in through the boarded up window. It was almost completely dark inside, but there didn't seem to be any sign of movement.
"I think it's safe," I said to the others.
"I think you're delusional," Spike answered sarcastically. "There's no such thing as 'safe' in this scenario, love." I sighed and motioned Charles to give me a hand so I could go in through a broken window.
"Are you sure I don't have to go in first?" Charles asked with a frown, but I shook my head determinedly.
"I'll be fine. Either way, you guys will be right behind me, won't you?" I answered with a smile I hoped was confident.
Charles helped me up so I could hold on to the windowframe while I slipped in as quietly as I could. My feet landed softly on the dusty wooden floor. Even though the sun had been low, my eyes weren't used to the complete and utter darkness anymore, and for a moment I had no idea which way to go.
Finally, I saw a faint light coming from a door on my right, and as I walked closer and peered in through a crack in the woodwork, I spotted Wesley, lying on his chest in the middle of the floor.
My heart stopped for a second. He was in a terrible state, bleeding and unconscious, but at least I could see his chest going up and down faintly. He was still alive. I looked around nervously for any sign of the vampires, but it seemed as though Wesley had been left alone.
I glanced over my shoulder, where the others were slipping in through the window quietly, and pointed to the door. Then, I opened it, very slowly so it wouldn't creak.
The room was a little lighter, and there wasn't a vampire in sight. A smile spreading across my face, I hurried over to Wesley and kneeled next to him.
"Wesley? Wesley, wake up..." I said softly, and turned him over gently.
"Fred..." he said, very faintly, and blinked. A wave of relief washed over me.
"Hey there," I said tenderly and with a smile on my face, "we thought it was about time we came and got you."
"You came back..." Wesley smiled and tried to support himself on his elbows, but fell down again instantly.
"Shh, don't move. Let's get you out of here and to the nearest hospital, okay?" I said. Faith made her way over and we started lifting Wesley onto his feet.
"Faith? What are you doing here?" he said, a surprised look on his battered face. Faith grinned cheekily.
"You know me, always ready to help my fellow man. I don't know, must be some Slayer-Watcher bonding thing, you know?" She smiled and so did Wesley, but he looked over my shoulder and his smile vanished again in an instant when he saw Spike.
"Is that..."
"Spike." The mocking voice of Angelus sounded even colder in the quiet, moldy room.
He looked at Spike and Faith, who were both looking increasingly grim, and smiled.
"Oh goodie, it's a reunion."
I turned around in horror. I realized that he was standing in the doorway in the fraction of a second before he linged at me, his face already revealing his bloodlust. I gasped when he closed a cold hand around my throat and drew me back to face the others.
"Faith... Spike. Been a long time. And hey, isn't it ironic that you two are the good guys in this fight?"
Angelus looked at both of them mockingly. "So, tell me, are you heroes now? Have you forgotten about the thrill of the hunt, the ecstasy of the kill all of a sudden?" the vampire said as he pulled me closer to him and tightened his grip. I gasped in pain.
"Or are you still just a couple of wannabes who can't do anything more than watch me kill the girl?..." he said, menacingly close to my ear.
Faith quickly pulled a stake out of her back pocket. "You can bet it's not gonna be that easy."
Angelus laughed. "I'm thinking it is." He said with a glance at the doorway behind them where Darla and Drusilla stood, looking terribly joyful. Darla smiled at Angel. "Oh, you arranged a picknick –how thoughtful." She said as she turned her face into vampire mode.
Drusilla clapped her hands, but then suddenly paused and tilted her head. "Spike?"
"I know Dru, it came as a shock to me too." Angelus said with a smirk. "But apparently he's a good guy now."
Drusilla walked up to Spike. "I know," she said, "you tried to kill me. That was very naughty of you. Tsk tsk." She claqued her tongue and waved her finger in front of him.
Both women moved into the room, and Gunn and Wesley backed away in a reflex. Faith stayed put, her fist clenched around the pointy stake, and Spike beside her.
"You love the Slayer. Her aura is all around you," Drusilla said softly, waving her hands. Angelus laughed again, releasing his firm grip and tossing me in Darla and Drusilla's direction, who pinned me down.
"Really?" the vampire said cheerfully, slapping Spike on the back. "Well, congratulations buddy. How'd that work our for ya?" But he didn't wait for an answer.
"Well, nevermind. All this talking worked up my appetite. Let's eat, girls," he said. And with a growl he lunged at Faith, kicking the stake right out of her hand...
The sun was almost down when I peered in through the boarded up window. It was almost completely dark inside, but there didn't seem to be any sign of movement.
"I think it's safe," I said to the others.
"I think you're delusional," Spike answered sarcastically. "There's no such thing as 'safe' in this scenario, love." I sighed and motioned Charles to give me a hand so I could go in through a broken window.
"Are you sure I don't have to go in first?" Charles asked with a frown, but I shook my head determinedly.
"I'll be fine. Either way, you guys will be right behind me, won't you?" I answered with a smile I hoped was confident.
Charles helped me up so I could hold on to the windowframe while I slipped in as quietly as I could. My feet landed softly on the dusty wooden floor. Even though the sun had been low, my eyes weren't used to the complete and utter darkness anymore, and for a moment I had no idea which way to go.
Finally, I saw a faint light coming from a door on my right, and as I walked closer and peered in through a crack in the woodwork, I spotted Wesley, lying on his chest in the middle of the floor.
My heart stopped for a second. He was in a terrible state, bleeding and unconscious, but at least I could see his chest going up and down faintly. He was still alive. I looked around nervously for any sign of the vampires, but it seemed as though Wesley had been left alone.
I glanced over my shoulder, where the others were slipping in through the window quietly, and pointed to the door. Then, I opened it, very slowly so it wouldn't creak.
The room was a little lighter, and there wasn't a vampire in sight. A smile spreading across my face, I hurried over to Wesley and kneeled next to him.
"Wesley? Wesley, wake up..." I said softly, and turned him over gently.
"Fred..." he said, very faintly, and blinked. A wave of relief washed over me.
"Hey there," I said tenderly and with a smile on my face, "we thought it was about time we came and got you."
"You came back..." Wesley smiled and tried to support himself on his elbows, but fell down again instantly.
"Shh, don't move. Let's get you out of here and to the nearest hospital, okay?" I said. Faith made her way over and we started lifting Wesley onto his feet.
"Faith? What are you doing here?" he said, a surprised look on his battered face. Faith grinned cheekily.
"You know me, always ready to help my fellow man. I don't know, must be some Slayer-Watcher bonding thing, you know?" She smiled and so did Wesley, but he looked over my shoulder and his smile vanished again in an instant when he saw Spike.
"Is that..."
"Spike." The mocking voice of Angelus sounded even colder in the quiet, moldy room.
He looked at Spike and Faith, who were both looking increasingly grim, and smiled.
"Oh goodie, it's a reunion."
I turned around in horror. I realized that he was standing in the doorway in the fraction of a second before he linged at me, his face already revealing his bloodlust. I gasped when he closed a cold hand around my throat and drew me back to face the others.
"Faith... Spike. Been a long time. And hey, isn't it ironic that you two are the good guys in this fight?"
Angelus looked at both of them mockingly. "So, tell me, are you heroes now? Have you forgotten about the thrill of the hunt, the ecstasy of the kill all of a sudden?" the vampire said as he pulled me closer to him and tightened his grip. I gasped in pain.
"Or are you still just a couple of wannabes who can't do anything more than watch me kill the girl?..." he said, menacingly close to my ear.
Faith quickly pulled a stake out of her back pocket. "You can bet it's not gonna be that easy."
Angelus laughed. "I'm thinking it is." He said with a glance at the doorway behind them where Darla and Drusilla stood, looking terribly joyful. Darla smiled at Angel. "Oh, you arranged a picknick –how thoughtful." She said as she turned her face into vampire mode.
Drusilla clapped her hands, but then suddenly paused and tilted her head. "Spike?"
"I know Dru, it came as a shock to me too." Angelus said with a smirk. "But apparently he's a good guy now."
Drusilla walked up to Spike. "I know," she said, "you tried to kill me. That was very naughty of you. Tsk tsk." She claqued her tongue and waved her finger in front of him.
Both women moved into the room, and Gunn and Wesley backed away in a reflex. Faith stayed put, her fist clenched around the pointy stake, and Spike beside her.
"You love the Slayer. Her aura is all around you," Drusilla said softly, waving her hands. Angelus laughed again, releasing his firm grip and tossing me in Darla and Drusilla's direction, who pinned me down.
"Really?" the vampire said cheerfully, slapping Spike on the back. "Well, congratulations buddy. How'd that work our for ya?" But he didn't wait for an answer.
"Well, nevermind. All this talking worked up my appetite. Let's eat, girls," he said. And with a growl he lunged at Faith, kicking the stake right out of her hand...