Note: Lots more fighting. I've only written this fic in Wesley and Faith's POV. Just the way it is coming out. Hope that's fine. Please enjoy.
Chapter Nine – A Hit and A Miss
It tried to jump her, but missed. Faith took off for the trees beside the road. Lots of makeshift weapons, plus hey, lot softer than landing on asphalt.
The winged one pulled the arrow out and roared. Faith reached the first trees, swinging herself around one to crunch the fastest one. It went down, but not for long. But she did hear that satisfying crunch.
Before he could gather strength again, she lifted him off the ground with a right uppercut to his jaw. He screamed in pain. Pulling her knife from her boot, she aimed for its head and connected. But as she tried to pull it out to take on the next one, it wouldn't budge. The second one reached out with its long, extremely long arms, making her fly into a tree.
Seeing stars was part of the job. Now there was blood on the back of her head to match the stuff that fell on the front from her face.
This demon was mightily pissed. It swung at her again, but missed when she ducked, slamming into the tree hard. The whole thing shook violently.
"OK, Paul Bunyon, that wasn't nice to the tree. Pick on someone your own size."
It took another swing and barely missed this time. This species might not be very fast, but they sure did pack a punch. Faith's head swam, but she had to keep ahead of it. She got in another jab, but that didn't seem to phase it. This one was much, much tougher than the one she'd just done away with. After another couple of kick-punches, she missed and it finally connected. She'd have to wrap those ribs tonight.
It swung again, taking a couple of branches along with it, right in the face. That gave her the opportunity to regroup. Strategy, strategy. Brute force wouldn't do it. She didn't believe she could punch it into submission. And as its long, muscular arm came around again to take her down, she'd have to be pretty damn crafty to take this one down and his buddy, which had advanced as she fought. Something had to change the odds or she was screwed.
"Did you see that?" Connor piped up from the back.
"What? Didn't see a thing," Dawn answered him, none too sarcastically.
The two had been going at it for a while now. Wesley had tuned them out somewhat. His head ached and his chest didn't feel any better. Maybe the flu. But it felt like someone was using him for a punching bag.
"My eyesight's much better than yours, girl. There's something up there moving."
"Imagination, boy wonder," with emphasis on the boy.
Wesley was having enough problems navigating between wreckage. He didn't need to hear them go at it too. Urgency in the back of his mind drove him on.
"Hey Wesley. Shouldn't you slow down a little, so we can check it out before rushing in," Connor asked.
He started to sweat a little, kind of like he was out of breath from running, or fighting a very large, scaly demon. Instead of the road, that's what he saw. And he knew that's what was up ahead.
"Hang on," he said as he became more aggressive with his driving.
Dawn's eyes widened considerably. "Slow down, Wes," she screamed as a dead, half-eaten cow came into view. "Watch out."
Wesley skidded the vehicle, but he righted it and kept going at breakneck speed.
"Up there on the rise." Connor pointed from the backseat.
Wesley ran down the weapons on his person. Handgun on his side and knife in his boot. He had been well armed today. Something had raised his hackles that morning.
"Wes, hurry," Dawn said beside him. She saw what he saw up ahead. Two large demons, one small human. He grabbed his ribs in pain.
As he slammed on the brakes, the SUV hadn't even come to a stop completely before he had wrenched the door open. Connor wasn't too far behind him.
The largest of the demons was headed right for the human, which was down on the ground. Wesley pulled his knife and ran right for the demon's back.
Don't turn around, don't turn around, he willed it. He felt his body running forward at great speed. Jumping up, he struck the demon from behind with the knife, square in the back. It went down hard, taking Wesley with it. Just like the day before. Add to the bruises. Then it rolled over, Wesley still hanging on. It had to be about two feet taller, and at least two hundred pounds on him.
He grunted in pain as the thing squished him, knocking his breath out. Pushing on it didn't help and it kept flaying around, trying to get to the knife. Dammit all to hell and back, should have hit its head, he surmised.
It rolled again, flinging him off easily. The knife came out in the demon's hand. It growled at him and pounced. Somewhere in the fight, his gun had come out. Where the hell was it?
The first swipe, it missed. Rolling around on the ground was not the best position at the moment. The second blow, he barely managed to move out of the way.
Third time was the charm. The demon connected with his side, which made him scream in pain. Very sharp knife. Then the demon flew through the air, slamming up against a tree.
He knew that having Connor around would pay off. Only it wasn't Connor dripping blood from up above. The sun shone down through the trees, bathing the figure in a delicate light. Almost erethral. The long, black hair hung down in waves, shining in the soft breeze that had picked up slightly since the morning.
Do angels bleed, his brain asked? Do they even exist? His brain was playing tricks on him. Because the figure above him, grinning down was no angel.
"Fuck, he got you good. Hang on."
The figure spun around, connected with the demon's jaw, sending it down. He could hear, rather than see, Connor off in the distance, dispatching the other one.
The demon that his guardian angel was fighting kept going, hitting her on the side. For some reason, he groaned, clutching the wound, fierce pain rolling through his body.
"OK, that's it. I'm taking you down," the woman screamed. And she did just that. Wesley's knife came up and over the demon, stilling it once and for all.
"I'll just stay here and die now," Wesley said to no one in particular.
He heard Dawn screeching from the window of the car. Heard Connor calling to her. The figure stepped over to him again.
"Oh, fuck, Wes. Why'd you have to do that? I had 'em."
Then he passed out.
Faith stood there, looking down at the ex-watcher, wanting to cuss him out for putting himself in danger. But her strength ebbed and she crumbled to her knees. Her head spun around like it would fall off. Must have hit that tree pretty hard, she thought.
Her vision blurred, but she could have sworn that Angel's son had started to run over to her. She didn't get to find out though. Falling forward, she just hoped she didn't hit Wesley's injury. No such luck. She toppled over him, hearing him grunt as she slipped into unconsciousness.
"We need to find a place to stay," Wesley heard Dawn say from the front seat. Blood, and lots of it. All over his front. He felt a bandage over his side, which had helped stop the bleeding. But, oh Lord did it still burn like fire.
"Right over there." Connor was obviously in the front with the other teenager.
Wesley tried to tell Connor to check it out before getting out of the vehicle. Nothing came out but a groan. Lying down on the backseat, all he could see was the cloudy skies outside and the back of Dawn's head.
Something else touched him. Something warm. He moved his hand away from his wound to touch hair. Lots and lots of hair. Someone else was in the back with him.
Then it all came back to him like another punch to the gut.
"Faith," he whispered. She obviously was unconscious because she would never by lying across his legs the way she was now.
Connor climbed back into the vehicle. "Pull around back. It's OK. Checks out."
"Connor," Wesley whispered. It even hurt to talk. Connor turned around when he heard Wesley speak.
"I checked it out. Don't worry. Just sit tight."
Wasn't going anywhere even if he wanted it. Faith hadn't stirred. The car bounced over holes, jarring his wounds, making him cry out.
"Oh God. I'm sorry, Wes. We're almost there."
Connor's face swam before him when the vehicle stopped. "Faith. Get her first. She OK?" His words were slurred from pain.
"Got her, Wes. Just hang on."
Both Connor and Dawn left the vehicle with Faith's body. She was alive, dammit. He had felt her breath against him.
The teenagers hurried back to him. One in one door, on in the other. "Get his shoulders, Connor."
Connor dragged while Dawn picked up his feet.
"That hurts," he groaned out.
"Damn, he's heavier than he looks," Connor pointed out to Dawn.
"A lot taller than you are. Just be careful and don't drop him." Dawn's irritation with the boy was apparent.
The two wrestled him into the house, banging him not once, but twice as they came in the door. Laying him on a bed in a room, Wesley saw Faith next to him. He could see her chest rise and fall. As he tried to lever himself up to take a better look, a wave of nausea hit. He plopped back down with a thunk.
TBC
That's it for today. I know, lots to read. I just wanted to get to the part with Faith. She's so much fun to write. Also, me thinks something is definitely up. Please read and review.