Chapter XIII: The monster under the bed.
He's crouched atop a roof top, peering through the distance as the wind blows in his face. He's an eagle. His eyes, keenly attached to the ground for anything that might require his attention. His ears desperately picking out anything that might be dangerous out of the giant den that is Los Angeles at night.
Spike: "Bloody hell." (scoffs)
Illyria: (walks up beside him) "Do you see anything?"
Spike: "Not even a fly."
Illyria walks up to the ledge.
Spike: "Well... at least we have eight more hours before sunrise... it's still early. We might just get lucky."
Spike stands up abruptly on the ledge of the building's roof and looks down at Illyria.
Spike: "C'mon, Robin... the people of Gotham aren't gonna protect themselves."
He jumps off the ledge. Illyria watches as he crashes down on a dumpster and a slight grin crosses her face. She leaps of the building and lands beside it just as Spike is crawling out of it.
Spike: (looks at her grudgingly) "Not one word."
They walk the back alleys of the city for the following hours looking for undead punching bags to release stress. The past few weeks have been rather intense for him. After an embarrassing defeat at the hands of an opponent that he can't even describe, he's been searching frantically for excuses to go out and hunt.
Spike: "Hold on."
Illyria: (stops) "What is it?"
Spike: "Nothing. Just want to sit down for awhile. Want a smoke?"
Illyria: "No. Perhaps it should be best if I go scour the area ahead."
Spike: "Then perhaps it is." (puts the cig in his mouth and lights it)
Illyria: (watching him) "I'll move swiftly, should there be any trouble."
Spike: (sits on a garbage can and reclines against a wall) "No one's stopping you, Blue."
Illyria looks at him then back at the continuing alley. She walks away leaving Spike there. He watches intently as she walks away. As soon as she drops from his gaze the cigarette in his mouth drops to the floor and he starts twisting in pain. He grabs his waist and falls of the garbage can coughing. He lies on the floor for a couple of seconds and then raises his shirt, exposing large bruises all over his chest and waist. He drops his head on the ground where he lies and feels the pain numbing his senses.
He grabs hold of the garbage can in order to lift himself back up, but instead topples it over himself. He turns around and crawls towards a large dumpster, until a large booted foot stomps his hand. He cringes and feels as his whole body is lifted by the two hands.
He looks into their faces, but something's off. There are six of them. All of them are young, white boys with a severe case of the 'gangsta' epidemic. The one holding him let's go of him and spin kicks him against the dumpster. Spike picks himself back up and looks at the cocky faces of his adversaries. He smiles of surprise and stands erect.
Spike: "You're human."
Punk leader: (scoffs) "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
Spike: "That you're way out of your league."
He vamps and lunges at them, knocking three of them into the ground. The other three jump immediately after him and punch him in the back with brass knuckles. He stands abruptly and pushes them back a few feet before they jump right back at him. He grabs the first one and launches him against the dumpster, landing on top. As he turns the other two jump on top of him and hit him just as the other three that were grounded stand up and kick him.
Suddenly one of them is thrown aside. He flies about thirty feet before crashing hard on the ground. The others stop and turn around to find a frail looking cadaver standing in front of them. Paralyzed with fear they're all thrown aside by simple thrusts from her leather-covered hands.
They pick themselves up as fast as they can and they run away from the alley. Illyria turns towards Spike and helps him up. He shoves her hand aside abruptly and sits up, reclining against the nearby dumpster.
Spike: "I'm fine, Queen. Just need a second."
Illyria: "Do you want me to pursue them and inflict further pain to their bodies?"
Spike: (struggling to his feet) "No." (groans) "I don't think they'll be stealing anymore purses from helpless old ladies any time soon."
He looks at her and finds her gaze stuck on him.
Spike: (cont.) "I'm fine... they just caught me by surprise."
Illyria stares at him sharply but doesn't respond. She walks away in the direction the kids ran off. Spike follows. The hours pass and they continue their prowl. Spike attempts to clear the stench of inconformity that covers them like a shroud, by making small-talk and jokes. Illyria remains silent, focused almost entirely on the hunt.
As time moves on the eventually arrive at the docks where they stop.
Spike: (walks over to a pier) "Mind if I grab a smoke?"
Illyria: "You do that too often. It is distracting."
Spike: "Yeah, well, it's relaxing. It's almost as good as se--" (pauses and smiles) "never mind."
Illyria: "We need to keep moving. There are not many hours left till sunrise and I refuse to walk the filth-ridden tunnels again."
Spike: (turns towards her with a cig in his mouth) "Don't worry, Blue, we won't--" (he notices movement in a dark alley behind a warehouse) "Hang on."
He throws the cigarette into the dark waters and runs towards the alley. He grabs his ribs and rubs them slightly, just as he cautiously enters the alley. He walks over to the back of the building and listens to the sounds of what seems to be chanting of some kind. He climbs on top of some boxes and peeks inside to see nearly twenty hooded figures inside.
Illyria: (from behind him) "They're all human."
Spike: (startled) "Bloody hell, Blue..." (whispers) "Ever heard of subtlety?"
Illyria doesn't respond. She stares at him with confusion.
Spike: (cont.) "Forget it." (jumps down from the boxes) "We need to call Wes here."
Illyria suddenly shakes as if she had goose bump. Spike notices but quickly dismisses it. They walk out of the alley and Spike dials on his cell-phone.
Spike: (anxious) "C'mon, c'mon. Pick it up, pick it up... Wes? Yeah... we're at the docks... Looks like they're gonna have a slumber party and I don't mean the kind where they braid their hairs and paint their toe nails... Yeah, we'll wait... Well hurry up then!" (hangs up)
Illyria: (looking at the dark Pacific) "I take it he is on his way."
Spike: "You presume correctly, Majest--"
He's interrupted by cry of pain. They turn around and the smell of fear and pain slams in their faces. They run towards the back and Spike kicks the door down. The light is flickering; blood and gore adorn the floors and walls. They walk in and shock runs across his face, whereas a mixture of anger and precaution crosses hers. They move towards the mutilated corpses when they hear it. The same blood-cry he heard the night it happened.
Spike: (frantically) "Oh, no. Oh God, no."
Spike is paralyzed by fear. His hands shake intensely. He steps back and shoves Illyria, who is desperately trying to decipher where is it coming from. The panting becomes stronger just as it appears under the flickering light of the neon bulbs. Illyria assumes a secure position, but Spike, in his fear, slips on the blood splattered on the floor. Through its mouth it mutters some ancient words that can only mean that they are in for a great battle. It steps forward and they see it. It holds a large Katana shaped sword in his right hand.
Illyria steps back a bit, just as it lunges forward, destroying the flickering light bulb with its sword; shrouding them in darkness.
-- Fin.
He's crouched atop a roof top, peering through the distance as the wind blows in his face. He's an eagle. His eyes, keenly attached to the ground for anything that might require his attention. His ears desperately picking out anything that might be dangerous out of the giant den that is Los Angeles at night.
Spike: "Bloody hell." (scoffs)
Illyria: (walks up beside him) "Do you see anything?"
Spike: "Not even a fly."
Illyria walks up to the ledge.
Spike: "Well... at least we have eight more hours before sunrise... it's still early. We might just get lucky."
Spike stands up abruptly on the ledge of the building's roof and looks down at Illyria.
Spike: "C'mon, Robin... the people of Gotham aren't gonna protect themselves."
He jumps off the ledge. Illyria watches as he crashes down on a dumpster and a slight grin crosses her face. She leaps of the building and lands beside it just as Spike is crawling out of it.
Spike: (looks at her grudgingly) "Not one word."
They walk the back alleys of the city for the following hours looking for undead punching bags to release stress. The past few weeks have been rather intense for him. After an embarrassing defeat at the hands of an opponent that he can't even describe, he's been searching frantically for excuses to go out and hunt.
Spike: "Hold on."
Illyria: (stops) "What is it?"
Spike: "Nothing. Just want to sit down for awhile. Want a smoke?"
Illyria: "No. Perhaps it should be best if I go scour the area ahead."
Spike: "Then perhaps it is." (puts the cig in his mouth and lights it)
Illyria: (watching him) "I'll move swiftly, should there be any trouble."
Spike: (sits on a garbage can and reclines against a wall) "No one's stopping you, Blue."
Illyria looks at him then back at the continuing alley. She walks away leaving Spike there. He watches intently as she walks away. As soon as she drops from his gaze the cigarette in his mouth drops to the floor and he starts twisting in pain. He grabs his waist and falls of the garbage can coughing. He lies on the floor for a couple of seconds and then raises his shirt, exposing large bruises all over his chest and waist. He drops his head on the ground where he lies and feels the pain numbing his senses.
He grabs hold of the garbage can in order to lift himself back up, but instead topples it over himself. He turns around and crawls towards a large dumpster, until a large booted foot stomps his hand. He cringes and feels as his whole body is lifted by the two hands.
He looks into their faces, but something's off. There are six of them. All of them are young, white boys with a severe case of the 'gangsta' epidemic. The one holding him let's go of him and spin kicks him against the dumpster. Spike picks himself back up and looks at the cocky faces of his adversaries. He smiles of surprise and stands erect.
Spike: "You're human."
Punk leader: (scoffs) "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
Spike: "That you're way out of your league."
He vamps and lunges at them, knocking three of them into the ground. The other three jump immediately after him and punch him in the back with brass knuckles. He stands abruptly and pushes them back a few feet before they jump right back at him. He grabs the first one and launches him against the dumpster, landing on top. As he turns the other two jump on top of him and hit him just as the other three that were grounded stand up and kick him.
Suddenly one of them is thrown aside. He flies about thirty feet before crashing hard on the ground. The others stop and turn around to find a frail looking cadaver standing in front of them. Paralyzed with fear they're all thrown aside by simple thrusts from her leather-covered hands.
They pick themselves up as fast as they can and they run away from the alley. Illyria turns towards Spike and helps him up. He shoves her hand aside abruptly and sits up, reclining against the nearby dumpster.
Spike: "I'm fine, Queen. Just need a second."
Illyria: "Do you want me to pursue them and inflict further pain to their bodies?"
Spike: (struggling to his feet) "No." (groans) "I don't think they'll be stealing anymore purses from helpless old ladies any time soon."
He looks at her and finds her gaze stuck on him.
Spike: (cont.) "I'm fine... they just caught me by surprise."
Illyria stares at him sharply but doesn't respond. She walks away in the direction the kids ran off. Spike follows. The hours pass and they continue their prowl. Spike attempts to clear the stench of inconformity that covers them like a shroud, by making small-talk and jokes. Illyria remains silent, focused almost entirely on the hunt.
As time moves on the eventually arrive at the docks where they stop.
Spike: (walks over to a pier) "Mind if I grab a smoke?"
Illyria: "You do that too often. It is distracting."
Spike: "Yeah, well, it's relaxing. It's almost as good as se--" (pauses and smiles) "never mind."
Illyria: "We need to keep moving. There are not many hours left till sunrise and I refuse to walk the filth-ridden tunnels again."
Spike: (turns towards her with a cig in his mouth) "Don't worry, Blue, we won't--" (he notices movement in a dark alley behind a warehouse) "Hang on."
He throws the cigarette into the dark waters and runs towards the alley. He grabs his ribs and rubs them slightly, just as he cautiously enters the alley. He walks over to the back of the building and listens to the sounds of what seems to be chanting of some kind. He climbs on top of some boxes and peeks inside to see nearly twenty hooded figures inside.
Illyria: (from behind him) "They're all human."
Spike: (startled) "Bloody hell, Blue..." (whispers) "Ever heard of subtlety?"
Illyria doesn't respond. She stares at him with confusion.
Spike: (cont.) "Forget it." (jumps down from the boxes) "We need to call Wes here."
Illyria suddenly shakes as if she had goose bump. Spike notices but quickly dismisses it. They walk out of the alley and Spike dials on his cell-phone.
Spike: (anxious) "C'mon, c'mon. Pick it up, pick it up... Wes? Yeah... we're at the docks... Looks like they're gonna have a slumber party and I don't mean the kind where they braid their hairs and paint their toe nails... Yeah, we'll wait... Well hurry up then!" (hangs up)
Illyria: (looking at the dark Pacific) "I take it he is on his way."
Spike: "You presume correctly, Majest--"
He's interrupted by cry of pain. They turn around and the smell of fear and pain slams in their faces. They run towards the back and Spike kicks the door down. The light is flickering; blood and gore adorn the floors and walls. They walk in and shock runs across his face, whereas a mixture of anger and precaution crosses hers. They move towards the mutilated corpses when they hear it. The same blood-cry he heard the night it happened.
Spike: (frantically) "Oh, no. Oh God, no."
Spike is paralyzed by fear. His hands shake intensely. He steps back and shoves Illyria, who is desperately trying to decipher where is it coming from. The panting becomes stronger just as it appears under the flickering light of the neon bulbs. Illyria assumes a secure position, but Spike, in his fear, slips on the blood splattered on the floor. Through its mouth it mutters some ancient words that can only mean that they are in for a great battle. It steps forward and they see it. It holds a large Katana shaped sword in his right hand.
Illyria steps back a bit, just as it lunges forward, destroying the flickering light bulb with its sword; shrouding them in darkness.
-- Fin.