Preludes:
CH 4- Fights and Plots
Riley stared down the creature that had stopped its charge short as the human in front of it hadn't turned and ran like it had expected. The two adversaries faced each other, one eerily quiet and appraising, the other huffing, grunting and slurping.
The Vulcart gave a short bellow and foamy drool splashed the ground. It again rose on its hind legs, trying to intimidate the intruder into leaving. When that failed to work, it returned to its four massive paws and stalked toward the human. It was angry now, and a little scared. The little man should have been running long before now, instead it simply stood there with its metallic blade glinting in a random ray of moonlight.
For his part, Riley was attempting to recall the reports of other teams that had fought this species of demon. His squad had never tangled with one and Walsh's briefings hadn't included the best way to fight the thing.
His reverie was cut short when the creature went to its hind legs, dwarfing him with its size. He took several steps back and his grip on the military knife tightened reflexively. When the thing returned to its four-footed gait and began advancing, Riley took the short leap to jump over its heavy head and onto its back.
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Spike wandered from the market he purchased his cigarettes from on edge. Harmony's offhand mentioning of Xander's blood supply reminded him of how vulnerable he was. One of the alternate Xanders had had a gun trained on him just days ago. And there were no shortage of demons waiting to prey on the humans around town.
Sighing to himself for his foolishness, he decided he needed to make sure Xander was safe. Lighting a smoke on the corner of May Street and 14th, he glanced across the intersection. As traffic cleared, he jogged across the road, trying to ignore the temptations of so many tasty people within biting distance; not that he could do anything, anyway.
Spike hopped the low stone wall leading into 'Heavenly Fields' cemetery. He would, he'd decided, cut across the northern border of the bone-yard and then cross Memorial Park beyond. From there it was a short cruise over to Xander's new flat. He'd check to see that he and the bint were safe there and then he could return to the crypt. No one would need to know that he'd even been there.
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Riley clung to the oily and smelly fur of the Vulcart, his head facing the ass-end of the beast while his legs squeezed the monster's neck in an effort to anchor him. The Vulcart was extremely unhappy with this turn of events and was wildly bucking in a way that a bear never would. Despite its looks, it behaved more like an enraged bull.
As he attempted to get his knife in a position to do some damage, Riley felt himself thrown off the monster's back. He braced himself for a hard hit to the ground and went into an instant roll as soon as he'd felt himself land. Leaping up to his feet, he repositioned the knife once again in his fist and began mirroring the circling moves of the demon.
After another barked roar toward the human, the oily beast charged again. This time it did not stop itself short of its prey and Riley barely had time to leap to the side before being steamrolled over. Even as he felt the air from the beast's close passage, he swung the knife out; catching the animal in its side and dragging the blade along its fur covered hide.
The Vulcart screeched, from pain or simply rage, Riley couldn't be sure. As it went into a lumbering turn to re-charge the human, that human was bracing his self for another leap.
As the demon charged again Riley threw one of his wooden stakes. Despite it smashing the thing atop its triangular head, it barely seemed to notice. The shaggy creature continued in its charge, once again causing the man to leap to one side to avoid being bowled under the mass of its body.
The creature made a second, lumbering turn, and again Riley waited for the attack. The thing half staggered toward him, huffing and puffing like an overweight jogger. Spittle and foam flew from its maw as it shook its head back and forth in agitation.
When it approached almost within striking distance, it took Riley by surprise by rearing on its hind quarters again. This time it reminded Riley of a Grizzly. He tried to take a step back but the Vulcart moved faster than anticipated and Finn found himself being towered over and unable to get out of the way.
As the creature attempted to descend on all fours again right on top of him, the knife fell from his grasp as he grabbed the animal above the forepaws and attempted to hold up its muscular bulk. It was a losing proposition and he could feel himself buckling under the thing's enormous weight.
Bracing himself as best he could, he tried to shift the creature first to the right and then the left, trying to move it enough that he could let it fall to the ground without being under it. It was a no-go and Riley's heart pounded both with exertion and fear. The thing's mass was simply too great to shift it enough away from him to save himself from being ground under.
He grunted, grinding his teeth, an inarticulate yell escaping his grimacing mouth. The Vulcart continued to push against the small man before it, sensing that its adversary would soon be crushed under it, and easy to rip apart with its sharp claws.
As Riley fell to one knee, yelling with the effort to save himself, a powerful surge of chemically induced strength hit him like lightning from the sky. Even as he regained his two feet, his muscles burned and seemingly expanded, like a bodybuilder flexed out for competition.
The Vulcart bellowed in confusion and anger that the man wasn't squashing under its weight. It tried to stretch its great head down enough to bite at the human's head and face with its crushing power, but the angle was all wrong and it wasn't able to reach him.
Another surge of strength coursed through Riley's body and sweat drenched through his clothing. Pain began deep in his chest and he wondered mildly whether he was on his way to a heart attack. His mind was feverishly working on the problem at hand, however. He couldn't hold up this towering force forever, after all, enhanced strength or no.
He saw his biceps from his peripheral vision and noted they were swollen to almost twice their normal size. He felt giddy with power and without another moment's hesitation threw himself backward onto the hard earth.
The Vulcart, as he planned, fell toward him, but he was able to get his legs under it. As the beast fell atop his splayed legs, his feet pushed against the animal's midsection. Although the weight was far more than he could have hoped to press under normal circumstances, Riley was able to lift the demon up and over him, sending it crashing to the ground inches away from his head. With no time wasted, he sprung up, grabbing his fallen blade and crouched behind the splayed animal. Grabbing one arm around the massive neck of the beast he reared back, pulling. In the meantime his other hand slid the knife in front of the Vulcart. In one smooth swipe the knife's fine blade slit into the demon's throat, releasing its dark life's blood out upon the ground.
Riley held on tight to the thing until its death throes finally ended. Then, breathing heavily, he sat on the ground and waited for his chest pains to subside or his heart to give out.
Several minutes later, Riley opened his eyes, realizing he had passed out for a moment. Looking at this biceps and legs revealed that they were the same size they normally were. Muscled and lean, but not massive as he thought they were while battling for his life. He wondered briefly if he imagined it; after all, he'd been under severe life-threatening conditions. As he stood, he wiped his damp sweater sleeve over his sweaty face and then turned toward the thing on the ground.
"Guess you're not going to go poof, huh, fellah? Well, we can't leave you out here like this," Riley sighed. He was so tired, he just wanted to go back to his crappy little apartment and crash. Instead he grabbed a heavy paw and began tugging and yanking until he could get the monster over to the precipice of a large hill leading directly into the thickly treed woods abutting the cemetery grounds.
He let the smelly beast roll down to where the trees would hopefully hide it until insects and decomposition would get rid of it. As he turned to make his way out of the cemetery and homeward, he was brought up short by a smirking thin figure with way too blond a head blocking his way. "Great," he said, his mouth set in a harsh frown.
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Spike walked briskly through the graveyard, watching for any of his fellow vampires. None of them but Harmony were really pleased to see him anymore. Not that he could blame them, of course.
Hearing the heavy grunting of labor somewhere ahead, Spike slowed his approach but altered his path toward the noise. As he came from around another of the ubiquitous mausoleums that lined all of Sunnydale's many cemeteries, he saw the ex-commando struggling with a rank smelling Vulcart.
At first, he hoped that Riley was about to get sliced to ribbons, but very soon it became apparent that the thing was dead. Spike's disappointment was crushing. He watched as the block of cardboard yanked and tugged at the beast. His amusement grew as he noted the amount of effort it was taking Finn to move the carcass.
He walked into the open as Riley finished his task. The great lummox was perspiring freely into the night air and he smelled faintly tangy to the vampire's nose. Spike's brow wrinkled slightly at the beefstick's heavy testosterone-laden scent, but then he put his practiced smirk into place.
"Getting in a little death-dealing then, mate?"
"We're not mates. And what are you doing here, Spike?"
"Why does everyone ask me that? Hullo, vampire here. We tend to wander around after the sun goes down, you know. We've even been heard of stalking around cemeteries. I know it's challenging to read but haven't you seen the movies?"
"Thanks for the info. I feel so much more enlightened." Riley went to walk around the vampire, but he maneuvered into the way again. "You wanna get out of the way, or should I walk through you?"
"Whoa, soldier boy. Not looking to tussle, least ways not while the chip would stop me from tearing your head off your shoulders."
"Uh-huh. Too bad I'm not an Initiative surgeon. I might be tempted to relieve you of that little handicap just so I can finally do away with you."
"You wouldn't stand a chance, muscle-head." Spike pulled a cigarette from his pack and slipped one between his lips. As he dug in his long black jacket for the lighter he said, "So, not spending time with the super-babe again, huh? Interesting."
"She's tired. We've been moving things all day. Not that it's any of your business."
"Maybe I'll nip over there, then. She's not usually too tired to spend time with me. It must just be your lack of personality."
Spike was just lighting the cigarette, smirking at the same time, when he felt a granite-like fist crash into the side of his face. The cigarette went flying from a mouth grown slack with surprise and he crashed heavily into the ground. He looked up to see Riley, a wooden stake wrapped in one fist; the other fist was bleeding from the knuckles slightly.
"I'm not putting up with much more from you, Spike. One of these times real soon you're going to push your luck just a little too far."
As Spike was considering a response, Riley's cell phone went off and he stalked away while digging it out of one of the pockets of his cargo pants. Spike watched him move off; then rubbed the side of his face. He smiled in amusement. Once again he'd gotten hit for his big mouth, but once again, he lived on to insult another day.
Spike continued on his way to check Xander's apartment. He still needed to know that the young man was alright before returning home, even if he wasn't yet ready to talk to him.
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End Ch 4