Chapter Six

She was sore.

Her gradually spreading awareness only seemed to extend to the feeling of pain that stung through her limbs and chest. Willow ached like she had just been dropped from a great height onto a very hard surface. Well, no-one had said travelling dimensions would be a comfortable experience.

She blinked her eyes open and turned her head, squinting at her dark surroundings. She was definitely on solid ground now. With a grimace, Willow pulled herself up into an awkward sitting position. When she'd recovered her breath enough, she finally looked clearly at her current location. Her eyes fell on a familiar building and she realised she was lying on the pavement across from the movie theatre downtown. Threatening darkness hung all around her on the empty streets, bearing down with a physical presence. A presence that didn't want her here.

Her eyes widened slightly as they took in the desolation of the buildings she knew so well. Broken and stripped; unkempt and vandalised. Everything was closed and shuttered against the dominating night. There wasn't a soul in sight; all was still and dangerously quiet. Willow wrinkled her nose as the stench of death suddenly assaulted her senses, swept in on a light breeze. It was everywhere.

We're definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

Willow clambered unsteadily to her feet. Well, she had got her wish.

She swallowed, hardly able to believe the fear and menace that seemed to consume the town she had once grown up in; devouring away like a ruthlessly aggressive disease. She had guessed that the world her doppelganger had come from would not be anything in the realm of rainbows and lollipop trees. After all, this was a world where the Master had somehow risen and the vampires ruled Sunnydale with unflinching death and cruelty. Vampires like her and Xander. Willow shivered and pulled her arms around her middle in a small hug.

But nothing had quite prepared her for the reality of facing this world for herself.

A high pitched scream suddenly pierced the night. Willow jumped and spun around, her eyes darting frantically across the shadowed street. She instinctively started to run in the direction of the sound, but faltered after a few steps. This wasn't the Sunnydale she came from. God knew how many vampires she would encounter if she followed the desperate cries. The idea of turning away as someone was being slowly killed made her stomach lurch unpleasantly; Willow didn't think she could do it. But she didn't have Buffy, or even a stake! She wouldn't save them; she would walk right into her own death. An image of Vamp Willow shot through her mind. Her own reflection twisting and reshaping in front of her; the demon's poison swam in soulless mocking eyes, mouth dripping in a grin of sick pleasure. The possibility of running into her highly evil and powerful counter-part was enough to turn Willow's still flowing blood, deathly cold. She didn't have a tranquiliser gun handy this time.

The night was quiet once more in the few seconds it had taken for these scattered thoughts to race through her mind. Willow felt sick; how could she have done nothing? She slumped against the metal grill of a shop front, her fingers gripping numbly through the black diamond gaps; her head spinning. She had to do something. She wanted desperately to be able to save the people here, trapped in this hell. But Willow knew she couldn't do it alone. She needed help.

Voices sounded in the air and she snapped her head to the side as footsteps and cruel laughter echoed in the street. Her heart hammered in her throat. The night was too dangerous; they were hunting. Forcing her shell-shocked body to move, Willow slipped and stumbled along the buildings, sinking into the shadows as she felt her way along in the dark. She had to find people; the people who were fighting the battle in this reality.

Her feet automatically took her in the direction of the high-school. The library. Some things never changed, right?

o0o

The more her senses adjusted to her surroundings, to this strange new world; the more Willow found herself fervently wishing she could block it all out. Yet it continued to slam into her with punishing force, as she began to realise just how much evil had taken root here. Hell was alive and well, and flourishing greedily in the playground of death Sunnydale had become.

She could only imagine it was thanks to years of living as a Slayerette and an absurd amount of luck, that she managed to avoid accidentally running right into the demons that roamed freely and openly about in the night; preying on the unsuspecting or ignorant. It kept her alive on the streets of this Sunnydale; against impossible odds.

Willow had nearly dug through the flesh of her arm from her self-restraining grip, as the closer she got to the centre of town, to their once favourite club, the streets got busier. Horror seized her in a nauseating grasp as she glimpsed packs of youthful vampires feeding on half-dead kids in the middle of the streets, as casually as if they were sharing a smoke.

There's nothing you can do now. Find help. There's nothing you can do now. Find help.

The mantra seared into her mind. Willow flinched away as she saw the glazed eyes staring out blankly from lolling heads – they were already gone. She hid and moved as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself. She was positive she was going to throw up before she made it to the library. Dark clothes, lace and leather clashed against white dead skin.

"I guess vampires really don't need to breathe."

Everywhere; pale faces, amber eyes glinting in unquenchable hunger, ripping teeth and pouring blood. It was too much.

Willow stopped suddenly, hearing soft whimpers in the dark ahead of her. She crept forward and peered round the corner of the shadowed alley. A lone vampire was biting into a petite brown-haired girl, who couldn't be more than fourteen. The pleated skirt and white blouse of her school uniform were battered with dirt and shredded from futile struggle. Willow's stomach churned as the demon drank in heaving gulps; the girl's eyes were wide with terror and tears of pain, unable to even catch her breath to scream. Willow snapped. She couldn't take anymore of this. The vampire was tall, his brute form towered over the girl and Willow knew she definitely couldn't take him in a fight.

However...

The budding witch focused her mind and concentrated on one of the broken crates that lay discarded in the shadows of the surrounding walls. She felt the familiar rush of sparks as the magic flowed up inside her, awaiting her will for instruction. She watched as a large slat of wood broke off the box and levitated just above it. With a deep controlled breath; the rough stake flew through the air in one swift motion. The vampire jerked and growled in angry surprise as he looked down at the splintered wood that had rammed straight through his chest.

At the same moment that he turned to a shower of dust, Willow sprang out from her hiding place and ran to the crying girl. She pulled her to her feet from where she had collapsed and spoke urgently, staring into her wide eyes.

"Are you okay? Look, run home and stay there, alright? Whatever you do - don't stop until you get there!"

The young girl stared at her with fearful confusion, a hand clamped to her bleeding neck. Willow shook her gently but firmly.

"Do you understand?"

The brunette nodded quickly, unable to speak. The witch released her and watched with relief as she spun around and took off, her unsteady steps echoing in the enclosed space.

The weight on Willow's heart lessened a fraction.

o0o

The school looked almost the same as she approached it in the shrouding darkness. Memories flooded Willow as she looked up at the building where she had seen and experienced so much. All the things that had happened here; all those days and nights with her friends; laughing, arguing, living, mourning and fighting together, as a family. Where it had all started.

It felt like coming home. Except...except they weren't going to be there. Willow shook her head and bit back the tears that threatened. This had been her choice.

The front doors were locked. She knew she shouldn't be surprised and began to head round to the car park where the back entry to the library was. A warm breeze tugged at her hair; leaves rustled in the blackness where her footsteps seemed to echo about with an unappreciated clarity. A chill swept through her that had nothing to do with the wind. The school carried the same sense of loss that hung over the rest of the town, making it cold and unwelcoming. She hugged her arms close and picked up her pace.

Willow was crossing the empty car park when she felt them.

"All alone? What a shame. Guess we'll just have to share."

As the menacing purr met her ears, four figures stepped out of the shadows simultaneously and surrounded her in a predatory circle. Willow's luck had finally run out. Uh oh. She stepped back, her hands stretched out defensively as she looked round at the demonic ridged faces. Four to one. She didn't think a floating stake was going to do it this time. Suddenly, one of the vampires moved back, his distorted features twisted in an expression of surprise.

"It's you! Oh, I'm sorry, we're sorry! Forgive us!"

He mumbled frantically, his head bent. Willow blinked. The other vampires looked amongst themselves and shifted uneasily, a few stared at her in disbelief. The light clicked. Her eyes grew wide for a moment. Oh, right! Of course they would see her as she was in this dimension; where Willow was a scary, evil and sadistic vampire and apparently very feared. Even though...well, she wasn't. But they didn't need to know that there were two Willows here now.

Willow drew herself up and prayed her voice wouldn't shake too much. Her disastrous attempt to pull off this same impersonation at the Bronze flashed through her mind, very unhelpfully.

"Yes. It-It is I." Damn it Willow, sound eviler! She forced herself to look each of them in the eye, which caused her to move in an awkward twirl in the circle.

"Sh-Shame on you for your disrespect! Get out of my sight before I decide to do something...something really bad to you! And very painful!"

She nodded sharply in what she hoped was a decisive and commanding way. Her already shaky confidence wavered when they didn't move. She might need another escape plan. A hulking dark-haired vamp, who was clearly the one in charge of his group, stepped forward warily and stared hard at her. Willow forced herself to stand her ground.

"I heard you had died."

Willow spun round; a young skinny vamp that was slightly dwarfed by his long leather duster was looking at her sceptically, eyes narrowed.

Died? Vamp Willow?

"Well...well, you heard wrong. 'Cause, y'know, here I am." She had that sinking feeling again. "N-now you had all better run along, less you suffer...my wrath!"

Oh great, Willow. You're meant to be a big powerful vampire, remember. Try to at least sound like you mean it.

She obviously wasn't any better at playing this whole evil thing, and she didn't even have the outfit this time. Willow turned back as she felt the leader move closer to her again. She swallowed nervously as he looked her up and down. Her erratic heart thumped revealingly loud in her chest. He smiled slowly, showing his gleaming fangs.

"I don't know who you are, but you're no vampire."

Low snarls rippled round the circle. Okay, time for Plan B.

Willow ducked and spun away as they lunged for her. She dodged out of the circle and tumbled into the smallest of the gang, bringing him skidding to the tarmac along with her. A hand closed around her throat, hauling her to her feet. Willow gasped out a scream before the air was choked out of her. She struggled against the body behind her, slamming her elbow back into his groin. She heard a cry of pain as she was dropped to the ground. Two more bodies fell on top of her and strong hands jerked her head to the side. Amongst the inhuman hisses and her own deafening panic-stricken heartbeats, Willow frantically pushed and clawed at their bodies and eventually managed to kick one of the attackers off her. The other pulled her up with him; a furious growl rumbled in her ear, fangs brushed her neck. With a sudden flash of inspiration, Willow grabbed onto his arms that were gripped around her, and yanked hard with a strength she didn't know she had. In a move they had learnt in a gym lesson a long time ago, she flipped the vampire over her shoulder.

Wow, it works! she thought breathlessly. Buffy would have been proud.

She had no time for congratulation though as they kept coming at her. Willow turned and ran towards the library door as fast as she could, but she knew there was no way she could make it with four vamps on her tail. Her mind began whispering an incantation she had memorised a while ago. It was risky but she had no choice. She felt her palms grow hot.

Spinning around mid step, Willow released the light at the two vamps nearest her. She watched with satisfaction and much relief as they screamed and burst into flames. They staggered and burned for a moment before the fire swallowed up their dead bodies, leaving nothing but ash behind. But it wasn't enough. With a blood-thirsty growl, the tallest vampire knocked Willow to the ground. She cried out as her head cracked painfully on the tarmac and spots danced in front of her eyes. The spell had left her too drained to fight with any force and the vampire easily overpowered her, pinning her down. She screwed her eyes shut and braced for the pain - but it didn't come.

Willow heard a struggle above her and suddenly the body was hauled off her. She opened her eyes and blinked at the faintly twinkling stars in night sky directly above. Her head throbbed painfully and sickening darkness swept in. She dimly heard the sounds of combustion, as Willow passed out.

o0o

AN So, Welcome to the Wishverse! Not a fun place. Though I kinda feel like it should have its own opening credits - Buffy style! (My imagination has been having a lot of fun with that idea!)