Buffy stopped and pulled the headphones down around her neck, staring at a spot on the mountain beside her. "Giles, look." Not waiting for a response she moved toward a small clump of leafy bushes, pushed them aside and vanished.
Giles pulled up abruptly. She was gone. Literally gone. He stared far too long as his mind dragged him back to the summer she disappeared. When he hadn't known where she was…or when…or even if she was coming back. The hammering in his chest brought him back to the present. "Buffy?" He ran to the spot and trampled down the bushes. He didn't know if he was relieved or frightened by what he saw. There in the side of the mountain was a hole.
A hole so small a young child might pass through upright but an adult, never. A few deep breaths squashed his panic even as adrenaline charged through his system. He wanted to shout her name, but instead forced himself into Watcher mode, observing and listening. He strained to hear something, but all was painfully silent. The earth that had swallowed her wasn't groaning now. He knelt down and reached toward the opening. A curtain of cool air hung down dividing his space from what was within. He leaned toward it and called out to her. "Buffy?" There was no response. The chest hammering returned. He called louder and listened.
A subdued but steady voice finally answered, "In here." He swallowed hard to keep the relief from overtaking him and called to her, "Are you all right?" She didn't answer.
It was time to follow her in. Grabbing his water bottle, he dropped the pack on the trail and crawled through the hole into the unknown void that held Buffy.
Emerging into blackness on the other side he froze, again observing and listening. Stillness punctuated the room, stillness of air, stillness of sound, even stillness of breath. He'd been holding his and let it out slowly and quietly so as not to disturb anything. At least until he knew for certain what he was up against. As his eyes adjusted slightly to the dim surroundings he could see the dust he'd kicked up looming in front of him, waiting for a breeze to push it on but there was none. Nothing moved. It smelled as though nothing had moved in here for a long, long time.
"Buffy?" His voice sounded muffled to his own ears and the word hung in the air as though even sound didn't want to move. He called more forcefully. "Buffy?"
"Giles, it's a cave." A wave of excitement carried her words to him. "Did you know this was here?"
He turned again and finally found her, a ghostly figure in the haze. "No, I didn't. It wasn't on the map."
His vision continued to adapt to the shadows and he surveyed the interior. The small entryway hid the truth of the expanse inside. The floor dimensions weren't large but the height was overwhelming. The ceiling vaulted at least 25 feet above his head; he couldn't be precise because of the darkness. It was cool and dry and seemingly barren. Everywhere he looked he saw only brown or gray; all other color sucked from the room by the absence of light. And there was nothing soft or kind about this place. No chirping of birds, no life nestled in the rock, no lush sounds of water flowing, no hushed words of warmth or caring.
He'd always appreciated solitude but this was different. This was isolation. This was nothingness. A tomblike silence surrounded by dead, stale air. His eyes ached to see details through the murkiness but instead all that came to him was the noise made by Buffy's footsteps as she wandered the room. It was the quality of the sound that struck him most, empty, without resonance or depth. He wondered: were remnants of the unheard noises of this cave trapped up above them, rising as heat does, collecting at the summit so far above them to create a quiet cacophony that only those with the ability to ascend would ever hear?
He shifted until he could see her again. She was walking the interior wall, running her fingers along the angles and crevices of the rock, touching and exploring. He saw her stroke a broken vein of gray earth that was inlayed in the wall of brown clay. She was within herself looking almost content as she made contact with the earth's crust. Then he saw her look upward. Was she wondering about the sound too?
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah…this is kind of cool. I mean "neat" kind of cool, although the temperature is perfect too. No AC needed in this little hideout." Her eyes scanned the room as she continued to roam. "It's got walls protecting all sides with just a small entrance point. Sort of like a fortress really. Nothing could get in or out without my knowing. In fact, I could determine what comes and goes." A hint of a self-satisfied smile crossed her face. "Yeah, I think I could get used to this."
Giles relaxed. "Control." The word was out before he thought about it.
"Hmm? What?"
"Control. It would give you almost total control of your surroundings. That's what appeals to you about it."
"Yeah, I guess it does." She craned her neck up. "Not to mention that cathedral ceiling."
He smiled to himself. "No electricity for a chandelier, I'm afraid."
"Xander could figure out a way to wire this place." She laughed but the sound didn't ring true through the room; it hit the wall and fell, followed by fine particles of dust.
The movement drew her eyes downward and she cocked her head as an unbidden hush came over her. All her senses snapped to attention. The hair on the back of her neck pricked the skin. Whether it was Slayer senses or just basic gut intuition, something called to her. She turned slowly, examining the room. The stillness of the enclosure magnified as she scoured the space until finally her eyes landed on him, apprehension in every blink. They shared an acute questioning look. He had sensed it too.
Buffy shuddered, except she didn't, it was the room that shuddered. She looked up and Giles followed her sight line upward. The haze became thicker as dust began filtered down, followed by larger particles of dirt falling on her face. She stepped back and sputtered, swatting at the grimy air in front of her.
The room shuddered again, this time accompanied by a groan. The ground beneath them rumbled, then swayed and finally bucked. Buffy stumbled to keep her balance and shot a look at Giles, angry that something was unsettling her newfound sanctuary.
Giles tried to speak but his voice seized up as he saw a swell of earth roll toward her gaining momentum as it moved. He ran and pushed her to the nearest wall, throwing himself over her.
The fury had begun.