Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow

Previously:

"And secondly," Buffy said, looking at Faith and smiling, "Faith and I just got engaged."

....................

"The earth shall tremble and quake. The sins of this world shall be purged clean and evil shall rise unto a dawn of chaos," Caleb spoke as he looked out over his army.

"Yeah, something like that," Glory said, laughing. "But more importantly, the slayers won't have a clue what hit them."

Chapter Forty-Four:

The sun descended over Sunnydale, huge and orange as it crossed the horizon. Blood red light spilled out over the ground and then the light was gone. Night had taken hold of the earth. Sunnydale was held in a pleasant calm, a peaceful silence. Then the howling began. At first, people thought it was coyotes. But then, the howling grew worse, more terrifying, more intense. It drew closer and closer until they could hear it just outside of their doors. The town blackened as people shut themselves inside and turned off all of the lights. Noises echoed in the dark: scrambling, clawing, and biting. Huddled together in basements and back rooms, they waited for the sun to rise and waited for the monsters to vanish with the dawn.

...........................

One Hour Earlier:

"Would you hurry up already, we're gonna be late," Spike growled, his voice ringing up the stairs. "Bloody women," he muttered to himself as he began pacing back and forth in front of their front door. He, Kennedy, and Kara were supposed to meet the Scooby Gang at Buffy's house for a meeting and dinner in an hour. However, Kara wanted to sweep the cemeteries first and Spike just knew they were going to be late. He smiled though, knowing Dawn would give him a hard time when they arrived. She always looked cute when she was angry with him.

"Get a grip," Kennedy said as she came down the stairs, loading her jacket up with stakes. "We'll get there on time."

"Oh, like always?" Spike said sarcastically. It always seemed that they were late to every Scooby function. Though the Scoobies generally blamed Spike because of his preoccupation with grooming, he had met his match in vanity between Kennedy and Kara. He supposed he shouldn't blame Kara too much; after all, the girl had lived in a future world without shampoo for the majority of her life.

"Don't even try to tell me you don't love it when Dawn gets upset with you and does that strange pouting thing," Kara said, futilely attempting to imitate her aunt. Spike chuckled.

"It's all I live for, pet," he said. "Shall we go?"

"Aw, not getting' any, Spike?" Kennedy mocked as she scurried out of the front door as Spike reached out to grab her. He growled at her and briefly vamped out before regaining his human face and sighing.

"Can you say jailbait, Ken?" Spike called after her in exasperation.

"I don't think she knows words that big," Kara whispered conspiratorially.

After finally leaving the house, they began a quick sweep of the nearest cemeteries. The sun had just set in a flash of blood red and they were hoping to catch the early birds. However, after sweeping two cemeteries and coming up empty handed, none of them felt much like continuing. "Pack it in and head to the slayer's?" Spike asked, twiddling a stake in between his fingers. The night was cool, a light breeze drifting through the trees. It was pleasantly quiet. He could hear the hum of bugs in the grass and it reminded him of summer.

"Might as well. It's totally dead tonight," Kara sighed, sticking her stake back up in her sleeve. The trio turned to leave when a piercing howl suddenly rang out. It chilled them to the bone. The sound held for several long seconds, a plaintiff wail that turned into a bloodthirsty growl.

"What the hell was that?" Kennedy asked, turning to look at Spike and Kara. Spike shrugged nonchalantly. Kennedy paused, studying Kara's face. She had suddenly gone pale. "What is it?"

Spike looked over at Kara, instantly worried. "Kara?"

"Oh shit," Kara whispered, slowly turning around. The howl rang out again and Kara flinched. It was a chorus of death and pain. The final refrain of the end of the world.

"What is it, pet?" Spike asked, laying his hand on her shoulder.

"I know that sound," Kara said slowly, fear steadily taking control of her mind.

"From where?" Kennedy asked, stepping forward and flanking her other side.

"Not from where. From when," Kara said, her eyes fixed, staring at some unknown point in the distance. Spike tried to make out what she was seeing, but there was nothing there.

"From when then?" He asked, slightly exasperated. Kara never shut down; the fact that she had worried him, but they needed to know what they were facing.

"The night the world ended."

.................................

"They're gonna be late again," Dawn whined as she set the table. They had managed to cram enough chairs around it to accommodate everyone, including Spike. Though he didn't have to eat, he seemed to enjoy Joyce's cooking. Either that or he simply ate out of courtesy. Joyce hadn't quite figured out which.

"Yes, but this we have come to expect," Xander said, carrying salad bowls out of the kitchen. Anya trailed behind him with silver wear.

"Technically, time doesn't really exist. It being a human invention and all," Anya added. "So, they can't really be late."

Dawn sighed. "Well, aren't you just a font of useless knowledge?"

"I wouldn't call my expertise in manipulating the stock market particularly useless," she grumbled. "Not when the money starts pouring in." Her face took on a dreamy expression and Xander sighed.

"We've lost her," he said, smiling over at his wife. He couldn't believe that he was a married man. It felt wonderful. Everyday, he thanked Kara for talking some sense into him and stopping him from doing something incredibly stupid. He had already decided to buy her something largely expensive for Christmas, which was rapidly approaching. He wanted to do something special for her. From what he had gathered, she had never had a real Christmas that she could remember. Everyone started dying around her when she was still young and by the time she turned eighteen, the world had ended. This year, he wanted to give her the Christmas his daughter deserved, and so did Anya.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a howl that rang out through the night. Everyone froze in the dining room. The howl lingered on for several long seconds before fading into a growl. Then silence. "Uh, guys? What was that?" Dawn asked.

"Coyote?" Xander said, looking down at Anya. She looked pale. "Anya?"

"That wasn't a coyote," Anya said. Another howl rang out, bringing the rest of the Scooby gang into the dining room.

"What the hell is that?" Faith asked, her ears hurting from the noise. She could tell Buffy was in pain as well. Their slayer hearing picked up the sound at a much deeper level than the others and it pierced right through their skulls.

"I don't know," Buffy said, grabbing her fiancée's hand and holding it tightly. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly very afraid.

"What is it?" Dawn asked again, directing her question to Anya.

"There is only one kind of demon that makes a noise like that," Anya said slowly.

"What kind is that?" Giles asked, genuinely intrigued.

"The kind that comes straight from Hell."

.............................

"Oh."

"My."

"God," Spike, Kara, and Kennedy said nearly in unison. Before them appeared a massive army of demons. They were nearly nine feet tall with scraggly black hair that hung down over their faces, which were caked with blood and dirt. Their skin was a shimmering, translucent shade of black and Kara could see the tissues and muscles quivering underneath. The demons growled, their chapped, cracked lips pulling back to reveal chipped, razor sharp fangs.

"Run," Kara said suddenly. Turning, they took of running. The demons looked at each other for a moment before crying out in a harsh, hideous battle call. Then they charged after them.

"Where the hell are we going?" Spike yelled as they ran, the demons slowly catching up to them.

"Just run," Kara yelled back, looking over her shoulder. She remembered the first moment she saw a demon like the ones chasing them. She had been with Dawn and Spike, living in an old apartment in Chicago. They had been sitting around a fire, just having eaten dinner, when a horrific howl broke out over the night. They got up and looked out the window just in time to see a horde of demons flooding the streets. That was the night the world of man ended and the world of demons began anew.

With their legs pounding into the street, they turned at Buffy's road. "We're almost there," Kennedy said, keeping an eye on the demon army behind them. "I think they're losing ground."

"No, they're just not interested," Kara said. "We're three pitiful, little humans. We're not worth the time. They'll want something more."

"So we'll get Buffy and the others and fight them," Spike said. Slipping into Buffy's back yard, Kara stopped running and sharply turned around to face him.

"No, we won't," she said vehemently.

"What are you talking about? They're demons. You're a slayer. It's your job," Spike argued angrily.

"We don't fight these demons," Kara stated.

"Why not?" Kennedy asked, not liking the idea of ducking out on a fight, but not particularly wanting to face an army.

"We don't fight these demons. Not yet. We'll lose. And then who'll fight the First?" Kara said reasonably. Spike sighed.

"I don't like it," he muttered.

"I never said you had to," Kara replied before turning and running up to Buffy's kitchen door. All of the lights were off inside the house.

"I thought they were supposed to be here," Kennedy remarked.

"They are," Spike said, sniffing the air. "They're hiding in the basement. I can smell them. They're afraid."

"They should be," Kara said, trying to pull the door open. It was locked. She tried to kick it open, but found it blocked. "Shit. They must have dragged something in front of it."

"Basement window," Kennedy said suddenly, running over to the window just peaking out above the grass. Leaning down, she banged on it.

"Could you do that a little less obnoxiously loud, please?" Spike growled. "Alert the entire demon community where we are."

A flashlight beam hit the window and Buffy's face appeared. Prying the window open, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey guys, get in here," she said. Grabbing Kennedy's hand, she helped the potential slayer slink in through the opening. When Kennedy's feet hit the floor of the basement, Spike started climbing in.

"I got you," Spike said, turning around and grabbing Kara's hand. Kara started to climb through the window when she suddenly stopped. All of the hairs on her neck were standing on end and the yard had gotten eerily quiet. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she slowly turned and pried them open. One of the demons was standing not four feet behind her. Slobber was running down its chin and it growled low in its throat. "What are you doing? Come on," Spike said, unaware of the demon standing outside.

"Really not an option right now," Kara whispered, glancing down at Spike. He could see the fear in her eyes and suddenly he understood. He let go of her hand and tried to hoist himself up. Looking down at the crate he was standing on, he set his feet. Then he glanced back up.

"Kara, can you...," he said, but stopped. She had disappeared.

...............................

Kara landed with a hard thump against a tree. "Ow," she muttered to herself. While Spike was adjusting his feet, the demon had sprung forward with far more speed than she remembered they possessed and flung her across the yard. Then it vanished into the shadows. She could hear it growling. The sound was growing steadily louder as it approached, but she couldn't see it. The house wasn't too far away. She urged her body to move forward, but her legs wouldn't take the first steps. She seemed to be rooted in place, frozen with fear. Closing her eyes, she began counting to ten. The growling grew closer.

The demon howled, the sound piercing through her ears and she cried out, dropping to her knees. She was nearly panting and she felt as if something was squeezing the air out of her lungs. Opening her eyes, she looked at the window and felt resolve building within her. Finally, she sprang forward just as the demon dashed out of the shadows at her. With all of her speed, the charged at the window. Diving forward, she burst through the glass, the demon just behind her. But she was slimmer than it and the demon hit the house, its head lodged in the window frame.

Kara hit then ground and rolled, instantly springing to her feet. "Jesus!" Spike yelled. "What happened?"

"Demon threw me into a tree," Kara said. "Kinda hurt."

The demon growled, yanking itself backwards until it fell onto the grass. With an agonized howl, it ran off into the night. "We should cover that," Xander said, warily eyeing the now broken window.

"He's right," Giles said. "Try to find something."

"What're we gonna do?" Buffy said, walking over to Kara. Kara looked over at her mother. Kara's eyes glinted in the dark.

"Wait for the sun to rise," Kara responded.

"And after that?" Faith asked, coming up behind Buffy.

"After that," Kara said sighing, "we see who's left."