Animatus II: The Descent

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

"Shit!" Diego yelled, raising his gun as the zombies pulled Mark further inside of the room. They crowded around the wounded soldier, encompassing him inside of a circle, until Diego could no longer see him. He fired several rounds at the zombies, but those that fell were replaced by others. Blood splattered out onto the floor. Diego back away as the zombies began to abandoned the lifeless body of the solider lying in the pool of crimson liquid. When they saw him, their eyes gleamed hungrily. Diego looked down at Mark, popped a single round into his head, and ran. The zombies chased after him. Holding his gun behind him, he fired several shot back into the crowd. One of the shots hit something metal. Diego heard a loud hiss and a pop and then the lights went out.

Chapter Eleven: Reconnection:

Darkness – darkness so complete and whole that it seemed to penetrate down to his very bones. He was surrounded by a darkness that he could feel flowing inky black through his veins. Though his eyes were opened, he could see nothing but a perpetual void stretching before him in a landscape of black. Behind him, he could hear the throaty moaning of the zombies stumbling after him as he ran down the hallway. Gripping his gun tightly in his hands, he flipped on the flashlight attached to the scope. A strong beam of light danced before him, illuminating the floor of the hallway on which he ran for his life. Mark had been killed by the zombies chasing him. Though Diego only had known him for a short time, the other soldier had seemed like a good man. He had not deserved to be killed in such a way.

Diego could sleep easier at night – if he ever had the opportunity to lie in the comfort of his own bed again – knowing that Mark had been spared the worse fate of rising again as a flesh consuming monster. The sound of his heart pounding in his chest resounded in his ears. He feared that it might burst so fast did it pump blood through his veins. The muscles in his legs begged for him to stop, but he knew that if he slowed, the zombies behind him would catch him. He dared not look back, for fear that they would be closer than he imagined. Already, he thought that he could feel their rotten breath tickling his neck; their chipped and broken fingernails scraping against the fabric of his shirt. He shuddered and pressed forward.

However, the corridors only led in one direction and Diego knew that he was leading the zombies straight to the rendezvous point at which he hoped, and feared, that his friends would be waiting. The sudden darkness would have indicated to them that something had gone horribly wrong. He hoped that they were prepared. He had known when he had volunteered for the mission that it would be dangerous, but he never had believed that anyone in his group would perish within the confines of the ruined military compound. Despite the warnings, he had believed that their training would bring them through to the end. Zombies were monsters out of movies, but everyone knew that the good guys always won. Diego was starting to realize that the good guys did not always win and sometimes zombies were very real.

He slowed to a halt once he had reached the rendezvous point upon which the group had agreed. To his dismay and relief, he found no one present at the location. Fear threatened to choke whatever courage still resided in his heart. He wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by the people who he trusted. However, he wanted them to be safe and he knew that confronting a hungry horde of zombies would be the death of them. If he continued running, he knew that he would lead the zombies directly to them. He had to think of a plan and he had to do it quickly. The zombies were closing in on him. Allowing his eyes to scan the walls, he noticed a grate leading to the ventilation system. He moved over to it quickly and banged the grate out of the wall with the butt of his gun. It crashed to the floor with an audible clang.

"Well, if they hadn't figured out what I was doing, they have now," Diego muttered to himself. Gripping the edges of the vent, he hoisted himself into the hole and slid through the opening. As he drew his foot through, he felt hands groping at his shoe. Quickly withdrawing it, he began the arduous task of crawling. The opening disappeared behind him. Moving his gun in front of him, he pointed the flashlight into the darkness. The vent was narrow and hot, but he managed to propel himself forward. Sweat poured down his face. Though he had not studied very carefully the maps of the ventilation system provided by his superiors, he knew that the vents ran parallel to the hallways. Eventually, he would reach the other side of Sublevel Three, where the other labs were located. Hopefully, he would find the rest of his team along the way.

…………………………….

"Bloody hell!" Spike exclaimed when the lights faded to black. He screeched to a halt and Jay collided into him. The soldier and vampire crashed to the floor in a heap. "Get off of me," Spike growled.

"I wouldn't be on you if you hadn't of stopped so suddenly," Jay shot back defensively. Picking himself up, he flipped on the flashlight attached to his gun barrel.

"That's convenient," Spike muttered.

"Always be prepared," Jay replied good-naturedly.

"Boy scout," Spike grumbled.

"I actually wasn't," Jay said. "It's just a good rule of thumb. Besides, would you rather us have to grope our way back to Buffy and Faith in the dark?"

"I can see well enough," Spike countered. "I am a vampire after all. We're meant to thrive in the night."

"Then why did you stop?" Jay asked exasperatedly.

"It caught me off guard, that's all," Spike reasoned. "I hadn't been expecting the lights to shut off."

"Would you like me to turn off the flashlight then?" Jay offered, but Spike quickly shook her head.

"No," he hastily replied. "That's alright. Might as well leave it on. Don't want to lose you in the dark or anything."

"Of course not," Jay muttered and Spike began jogging down the hallway again. Shaking his head, he followed after the bleach blonde vampire.

"You think this is going to work?" Spike after, motioning down to the case he held tightly in his hand.

"The cure, you mean?" Jay asked.

"No, hitting her in the back of the head with the case," Spike rolled his eyes. "Yes, I mean the bloody cure."

"I don't know," Jay replied, ignoring his sarcastic comments. "I hope so."

"Can't say I wouldn't like to see that bitch die," Spike noted. Upon Jay's disapproving glare, he elaborated, "It's unnatural for a vampire to help a Slayer. It just goes against everything in our blood. But she is the only way I'm going to get out of here. Still, can't blame a guy for fantasizing."

"Just don't let Faith hear you say that," Jay warned.

"Which part?" Spike asked humorously.

"All of it," Jay replied. "I get the feeling she might be the jealous type."

"For god sakes," Spike muttered. "I didn't mean fantasizing about the Slayer in that way."

"I know," Jay smirked. "But wouldn't it be a shame if your words were taken slightly out of context?"

"Ponce," Spike mumbled under his breath.

"I don't know what that means," Jay stated, "but I think I take offense to it."

"Good call," Spike grinned.

"You're intolerable, you know that?" Jay growled.

"I know," Spike nodded. "It's all a part of my charm."

"Right," Jay rolled his eyes.

"Why do you think the lights went out?" Spike asked.

Jay shrugged. "Can't be a good sign, whatever happened."

"Nothing like being trapped in the dark deep underground," Spike shuddered. "It's enough to freak anyone out."

"I think I can agree with you on that," Jay admitted. Spike slowed again, but Jay noticed and moved so as not to collide with the vampire. "What is it?" He asked.

"We're here," Spike announced.

"Do you hear that?" Jay asked warily.

"Hear what?" Spike asked, but as soon as the words left his lips, he heard the distinct groaning of zombies in the distance. "Well this day just got worse."

"Did you get it?" Faith asked, rising to her feet when she heard their voices. Buffy reached out for her and the dark haired Slayer looked down, taking the older girl's hand in her own. "It's okay, B. I'm not going anywhere." Moving the flashlight around the room, she stopped when it beamed into Spike's face.

"I got it," Spike nodded. "No thanks to soldier boy here."

"I didn't do anything to you," Jay replied defensively.

"You did point your gun at me," Spike noted.

"Guys!" Faith yelled, silencing them both. "Can we get on with this please?" She asked. In a lower voice, she added, "She doesn't have much time."

"Give me the case," Jay instructed, looking over at Spike. The vampire begrudgingly handed the case over to the soldier. Moving over to Buffy, he knelt down as the dark haired Slayer did the same. Flipping open the lid of the case, he withdrew one of the needles. Buffy whimpered at the sight of it and Faith gathered the blonde girl into her arms.

"It's okay, B. I'm right here with you," she whispered soothingly into her ear as she brushed her hand gently through her hair. "We need to do this though if you're going to get better."

"I'm scared," Buffy admitted in a small whisper.

"I know," Faith said, her voice cracking slightly though she desperately struggled to contain her emotions.

Jay removed one of the vials of the anti-virus from the case and snapped it into place on the syringe. "I'm not sure what this is going to do," he admitted.

"Will it hurt her?" Faith asked concernedly.

"I don't know," Jay shook his head. "Let's just hope this works," he added as he lowered the syringe to Buffy's arm. Buffy closed her eyes when the needle pierced her skin. Faith tightened her grip on the blonde Slayer, watching as Jay pushed the anti-virus through the needle and into the girl's blood stream. He removed the needle gently once he had finished and placed it back in the case. Everyone gathered around Buffy, looking at her expectantly.

"How do you feel?" Spike asked after several silent moments.

"I don't know," Buffy said confusedly. "I don't really…," she trailed off suddenly. Her body went rigid in Faith's arms and she cried out in pain.

"Shit," Faith muttered, holding the older woman closely as her muscles began shuddering rapidly. Buffy's eyes rolled back in her head and the movements stopped. "B?" Faith asked, shaking her slightly, but the other woman did not respond. "Buffy?" She asked more desperately.

"Come on, Slayer," Spike muttered.

"Buffy," Jay called. "Wake up."

"What's happening to her?" Faith asked anxiously.

"She's still breathing," Jay said. "Maybe the virus is working."

"Or maybe it's killing her," Spike commented.

"Shut up," Faith growled. Leaning down, she gently wiped some stray hands of Buffy's hair behind her ear. The Slayer was lying completely still in her arms, as if she had suddenly fallen asleep. If not for the weak rise and fall of her chest, Faith would have thought that her lover had died. The cry of pain Buffy had emitted when the anti-virus had starting traveling through her bloodstream rang clear and agonizing in Faith's ears. She wanted nothing more than to comfort the older Slayer, but she did not know what to do. "B," she whispered softly. "You have to wake up, baby. I need you here with me."

"Look, I don't mean to ruin the moment or anything," Spike cut in, "but those zombies are getting closer." Spike glanced up, peering into the darkness. The moaning he had heard once they had reached Buffy and Faith was echoing louder down the walls. Every cell in his body was screaming at him to run, but his feet remained rooted to the ground. He had struck a bargain with the Slayer and he was not going to turn his back on it.

Faith was about to respond when Buffy's eyes suddenly shot open. She stared up at Faith, her face a blank slate, and then she blinked confusedly. "Faith?" She asked.

Faith exhaled a breath that she had not been aware she was holding and flashed her lover a lopsided grin. "Hey, B," she said warmly. "Thought we lost you there for a second."

"Huh?" Buffy asked, sitting up and rubbing absently the spot on her arm where Jay had injected the anti-virus.

"You screamed, started convulsing, and lost consciousness," Jay explained. "We didn't know what was happening."

"How do you feel?" Faith asked worriedly.

"Okay," Buffy nodded thoughtfully. "I think I'm okay."

"You look better," Spike commented. Faith shot him a look and he grinned at her.

"About the zombies," Jay began.

"Zombies?" Buffy asked, looking around warily. "Where?"

"We don't know," Faith said. "We can hear them."

Buffy shuddered when she noticed the groaning staining the air. "I hate that noise," she muttered. "Help me up?" She asked Faith. The dark haired Slayer rose to her feet and extended her hand for Buffy. The older woman took it and shakily stood.

"You sure you're okay?" Faith asked.

"Yeah," Buffy nodded more confidently. "I can feel it working through me," she said in reference to the cure. "I felt wrong before, like this stain was growing in me."

Faith sighed with relief. Suddenly, she became aware that she could feel Buffy again. When Buffy had become infected with the zombie virus, Faith had been unable to feel her through their Slayer connection. Now, however, she could feel Buffy standing beside her. Though the connection was weak, the dark haired Slayer could feel it growing stronger per second. "We need to find out where those zombies are," Buffy stated. "We've got a flashlight and, Jay, your gun has a light attached to the scope, right?" Jay nodded. "We could be hearing zombies four hallways away. We don't know. But we need to find out."

"What're you suggesting?" Spike asked.

"We're going to do some exploring," Buffy said, her confidence growing as she began to feel stronger. "And we're going to get out of here."