The beast

Willow and Oz walked along the grey empty hallway they had come to know as their school. This was their first encounter with this new world and immediately knew that this was the place Buffy had described to them. The same grey overtones, the deathly silence, the feeling that you are alone and no matter what you did, or how loud you screamed no one would hear you.

Oz led the way with willow clutching his arm in a death grip, not wanting to let go. Oz looked back and saw that Willow wore an expression of fear on her face. When she realized that he was watching her she tried to change to a more stoic look. However her facial features betrayed her.

"Willow if you want to go back we can. We don't have to do this." Oz said looking at her with an expression of loving care.

"No we have to go through with this. They are depending on us." Willow said as calmly as possible.

"Damn, I thought you would say that we could go back." He said smiling at her trying to relieve the stress.

They continued to where they thought the most logical place for food was, the cafeteria. It was a slow walk. Both of them looking to all of their sides hoping to catch anything that might want to ambush them. Before they left the library Buffy had given them each a weapon, Oz a small axe, Willow, a baseball bat with nails in it. They reached the double doors to the cafeteria and stopped, standing before them.

"I have a bad feeling about this" willow said not looking to oz. She felt that she should never let those double doors out of her sight. Not a second after the last syllable left Willow's mouth, a rat, scurried through their feet and under the doors.

"See, there's nothing to be afraid of. A rat went in there and animals have a sixth sense about these things." Oz said, trying to sound encouraging. Willow nodded and they set out through the double doors.

They opened with a squeak and Willow holding her eyes shut to keep from seeing anything that she might not want too finally opened them to…Nothing. The cafeteria was the same as the hallway they had just entered from. The air was still heavy and the grey still there. If were not for that it would have been a normal cafeteria. They decided to split up.

Willow was searching the perimeter of the room when she came upon a small book, a diary it would seem. She turned to Oz, and noticing that he was busy with they lunch line, set about reading it.

October 21, 1997

Dear diary,

I have come to find that you are my best friend. No one else understands me. I have been through so much and no one will ever take the time to listen to me. All they do is go on about how their lives are so much more important than mine. I will teach them though, by god as my witness I will teach them.

October 23, 1997

Dear diary,

I have come into the acquaintance of a strange man. He calls himself Michael, no last name. He is the only other person besides you diary who will listen to me. We talked about what my dad and the pastor from church said to me right after the death of mom. He said that everything they say is a lie. He says that he is my only friend in the world. He says that there is no life after death, only hell and you should do everything in your power to make things right in your lifetime. I told you that he understands me.

October 26, 1997

Dear diary,

Michael and I met today. He asked me to do something for him. I don't know if I will though. He wants me to hurt people, and not just one, but a lot of people. He says I should take my rage out on all the people at my school. I do hate my school, stupid Sunnydale High. I just don't know if I can do that.

October 29, 1997

Dear diary

I think Michael is mad at me. He keeps on asking why I haven't made a decision yet. He keeps telling me that if I do then he will give me a great surprise. I have thought about it I really have. He also wants me to do something bad to a specific girl in my school. He wants me to do mean things to Buffy. I really like Buffy. First off, she is hot as hell and even though she has now idea what I'm going through, she still is nice to me. Oh what should I do?

November 2, 1997

Dear diary,

Michael told me what the surprise was he would give me if I did what he told me to do! it is the greatest ever. He said that he can bring my mom back from the dead. I have made up my mind. I will do what he wants. Tonight I'm going to kill Buffy and do other things to her that I'm to embarrassed to tell even you diary.

November 4 1997

Willow gasped as she realized that this entry was today's date. She looked to Oz and found that he was still investigating.

Dear diary,

I did it. I found Buffy and took her to the kitchen in school. I tied her up and now she is my slave. I may do with her as I please. Michael said that I should be really cruel to her and do tortuous things to her. I have been oh I have been.

November 4 1997, 10:00am

Her friends have come looking for her. They are right outside I…

The diary suddenly ended as Willow shut the book. She stood confused and bewildered. She had been with Buffy all morning and no one came and got her. Yet the diary was clearly marked today.

In her puzzlement Oz had come to her, reaching out to look at the diary. As soon as he touched it a loud air raid siren went off. It droned on and on getting into a rhythm of high and low pitches. On the third crescendo the world started to go black, an all encompassing black. As it started to get darker Willow could have sworn that she heard the sound of a deep, guttural, growling only to stop when they could no longer see their hands in front of their faces. The air raid siren still sounded, its lonesome wail echoing over the dark halls.

Willow grabbed Oz and held on for dear life. Oz could tell that willow was frightened, he was too. His breathing started to pick up and come in shallow gasps. When the atmosphere had changed completely, the air raid siren pitched up then down one more time finally revving down to nothing.

"I can't see anything." Willow sobbed.

"Don't worry, I have a lighter that might help." said Oz, in between gasps. He reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a lighter, an old Zippo has dad had given him sometime earlier. He opened the cover and struck the flint producing a small ambient glow. He dropped the lighter to the ground with the sight that greeted him.

Looking around the room had changed drastically. The floor that was once tile moments before had been replaced with a chain link mesh. Looking down was useless as under the mesh nothing could be seen but black. The cafeteria that had earlier been filled with chairs was left empty and bare. The lunch line was still there only now it was covered in a thick sheet of rust.

The sight of the walls was enough to make Oz dry heave. They had taken on a coppery color of rust and decay. The crisp paint had peeled off, leaving nothing but the stone underneath. The walls pulsed ever so lightly, as if drawing breath. The windows were left uncovered for the most part. What could be seen of the outside was nothing more than black.

Picking up the lighter, Oz stood, taking in his new surroundings. Willow was still clutching him, sobbing. He did a quick check to see if they both were still ok. He did not want to leave his present spot; fearing one step would send them through the mesh and into oblivion.

After finding it ok to move he started leading willow around while he searched. Up and down the walls they went finding nothing than the slow pulsing of the walls. After outlining the cafeteria and finding nothing he went to the lunch line. He peered over the counter and was frightened to find a boy starring back at him.

The boy got up from his seat on the ground and exited through a back door, into the kitchens.

"Hey, stop. I want to talk to you. Hey stop man!" Oz cried out as he followed him through the doors.

Willow and Oz found themselves in the kitchens. The environment still had the rust color and features as the previous room. They looked around and found things that would normally be found in a horror movie. Whips, bindings and surgical instruments covered in blood. Oz leaned over for a better look and found that they were rusty as well. He slowly backed away from the instruments.

Movement caught his eye as he saw what appeared to be a blond girl being dragged into the freezer. The sight was over in an instant as Oz once again called out for whoever was there to stop. They ran to the freezer to find a teenage boy had just shut the door into what was probably a deep freezer of some sort. As he shut the door he stood with his hands on it leaning over, looking at the ground.

"I didn't want to do it. He made me. He said that I would get to see mom again. I didn't want to hurt her." The boy said blankly.

"Didn't want to hurt who?" Oz asked obviously shaken.

"I gave her to the pyramid head. He took her away. I didn't want to I swear." He said finally showing some emotion.

"Who damnit"

The boy slowly turned his head towards Oz, as if noticing him and willow for the first time.

"You mean you don't know? She was your friend. The whole time I was whipping her she kept saying her friends would come. Well here they are and they don't know who it is I took!"

"Look, just tell me who it is your talking about." Oz said casually

The boy was about to answer when he noticed that Oz was holding his diary. He immediately got infuriated.

"How dare you read my diary? I bet you know all about me now don't you. If you read it then you should know who it is I took."

"What this, no I didn't read it. I found it outside in the cafeteria."

"Still, how dare you touch it? Give it back to me now!"

Oz held out his hand to give the diary back when the boy forcefully grabbed it from him. By this time Willow had calmed down and was no coherent.

"He is talking about Buffy Oz. The person he did those things to was Buffy, or so he claims." Willow said.

"So it was you who read my diary! I will kill you for it!" he cried as he lunged toward the couple with a large knife. They managed to dodge the blow and grabbed their own weapons in hand. He tried again and this time Oz blocked it with his axe. He recovered and was about to strike again when Michael came from around the corner.

"Enough of this, I don't want anyone getting hurt…yet" Michael said with a sneer. He leaned over to the boy and whispered something in his ear. The boy hung his head low and went through the door that he was previously standing in front of. Michael then turned his attention back to Willow and Oz.

"So how do you like it?" he asked.

"Like what, you sick freak."

"Hell of course. It's where you are. In my hell everything you held dear is here it has just been tainted and defiled by my rage!" Michael yelled slamming his fist down the counter.

"Why am I enraged you ask? Well it's easy. I hate the slayer. She isn't dead yet!"

Oz came forward. "Ok I get why you might want to hurt us, but why that kid?"

"Yeah, promising to bring his mother back from the dead." Willow interjected.

"I will keep my promise. You see she is right here. You two can meet her." Michael said smiling.

They heard a noise as if something was being dragged across the floor. Slow and broken up as if whatever was being dragged was heavy. Then came a guttural hissing noise as the source of the sound came into view. A woman's torso was dragging itself around. Its legs were missing and her left arm was mangled clear up to the elbow. Her head hung limply to the side and running ear to ear was a slash across her throat misting blood every time she made a noise.

"Meet Kathleen. You se she is the way she is because she had a bad habit of doing drugs. Week in and week out the cost would grow more and more. Finally she couldn't pay and she owed a lot of people money. This is what happens when you can't support your habit." Michael laughed as he went through the door where the boy had gone.

Willow and Oz were left with this creature. Once it had come fully into view it stopped in front of them. Kathleen's head snapped up and her eyes met theirs in a deathly stare. Willow let out a scream and grabbed Oz, hoping that the creature would go away.

Kathleen hissed once more and thrust herself from the floor up to the ceiling, in a frightening show of speed. Willow and Oz knew what they had to do, they had to fight. Willow picked up her bat and OZ his axe. By the time that they were ready to fight Kathleen had disappeared. Her gasping could still be heard, but she was out of sight.

"Where did she go?" Willow whispered.

"I have no idea, she couldn't have gone far. She has no legs and one good arm."

Before they could continue, Kathleen came swooping down from the ceiling and swung full force into Oz knocking him down. Willow tried to swing at her but she was to slow and missed her. Kathleen went back up into the ceiling and was once more gone.

"OZ!" willow screamed running over to him.

"What happened?" Oz said groggily.

"She came down and hit you. I tried to hit her but I was too slow and I…"

Oz cut her off as he motioned for her to help him up. He bent down to pick his weapon up and then dusted himself off. "I won't let that happen again."

Willow and Oz walked cautiously to the door that Michael and the boy had gone through. Willow almost had her hand on the handle when an ear piercing screech came from over head and Kathleen dropped to eye level.

Willow in turn screamed and withdrew her hand as quickly as possible. Kathleen's head hung limply to her front, with her eyes trained on willow. Her mangled arm hung loosely to her side and she was holding herself with her good one. Then she spoke.

"You can not pass." She wheezed.

"Please, I have to get through. I have to save my friend." Willow pleaded. Oz watched intently. Letting willow talk, making sure that nothing happened.

"I too have lost loved ones."

"Please, let us help you. We can help your son. We can…" before willow could finish Kathleen's head shot straight up. Her eyes glazed over with what looked like tears and her lip puckered up slightly.

"You can help Steven?" she asked weakly.

Both willow and Oz nodded. They realized that she too in some twisted way was a victim of Michael's. "I had to cooperate with that man. I am his slave. He promised that if I served him I could see Steven again. Little did I know I would become this."

"It seems that he is making all sorts of promises." Oz said quietly.

"If you help my son I will let you pass, Michael must be stopped."

Willow and Oz nodded. This would be the easiest promise that they would ever have to fulfill. At their agreement Kathleen let go of her hold and fell to the ground. Oz helped her prop herself against the wall and they started for the door.

Willow had made her way through the door when Kathleen stopped them.

"I have one more request of you." She sputtered, her head rolling on her shoulders. Oz turned to her and nodded. "Kill me, free me from this hell." Oz was taken back. Willow had come back to see what the hold up was and heard her final request.

Oz looked down at Kathleen and then to Willow. He told willow to go on ahead and he would catch up.

Willow knew what was going on. She looked down to Kathleen who was sweetly smiling and willow walked quietly through the door. She could barely hold herself together. Michael was messing with everyone's lives. Willow even doubted that the story that Michael told them about her was true. He probably did that himself.

She went along a little further and then she stopped. The walls were still pulsating and rotting. The hallway was dimly lit and in the distance was nothing but black. The floor was wet ad the taint that was on the walls was seemingly starting to make its way into the floor. This whole world was screwed up and it was all Michael's fault.

Willow started walking again and then from behind her she heard the sound a large blade cutting the air followed immediately by the dull thud of it hitting its target. That sound was more than Willow could take and she broke down and started to sob.

Oz caught up to Willow and noticed that she was crying. He bent down to her and comforted her.

"Is it done, is she free?" she sobbed.

He could only reply with one word. "Yeah."

Willow composed herself and stood up. "We should continue."

Oz nodded and the two made their way into the darkness. Further down the hallway the lights become less and less, the features of their environment less and less distinguishable. Eventually they had only enough light to light their path. Willow's sorrow had been replaced with fear as they went further and further into the dark.

They eventually came to a an opening, a room with one way in and one way out. Oz got a sinking feeling that Michael had gotten them right were he wanted them.

In the middle of the room, Steven was standing over the still form of a female figure. Michael was circling him, seeming to whisper in his ear. Willow and Oz came out into the open and Michael, upon noticing them stopped and looked to them.

"I see you dealt with my obstacle." He sneered.

"You are a cruel man, Michael." Oz stoically said.

"Whatever. You two have reached the end of the line. Can't go any further, only way you can go is back the way you came. Don't think I don't know what you did. You made a promise, a promise that you, sadly won't be able to keep."

"Don't do it Michael, he's an innocent. Leave him alone." Oz said clenching his fists.

"Steven, Would you like to see your mother now?" he asked the boy behind him.

Steven looked up excitedly and ran over to Michael.

"You mean it? I can finally see mom?"

"Yes my dear boy. You can see her in hell!" as he said this he turned on the boy and thrust a dagger into him. The boy's features contorted in pain and confusion before falling to the floor. 'He outlived his usefulness." Michael calmly said.

Willow screamed at the sight of the scene and Oz had to grab her before she did something rash. Michael laughed as he stepped over the boy.

"I told you, you failed. Now you two can come over here and see what it is that you have been chasing after."

Michael stepped out of the way and Oz reluctantly walked to the still form in the middle of the room. His ears pounded, his pulse surged. This was the closest he had ever been to Michael and he didn't like the feeling. He kept walking until he was shoulder to shoulder with Michael.

Michael didn't even bother to acknowledge him. He went about cleaning his finger nails and hummed to himself. Oz crept closer to the still form and the sight that greeted him was nothing that he had expected.

What they thought was a female figure was a beast. It had the body of a lion and seven heads. Every head had at least one horn and the total came to ten. Its chest heaved up and down slowly as if soundly asleep. Oz ran back to willow and clutched her tightly.

Michael noticed that oz had gone back to willow visibly shaken. "You have met the beast. It is much larger I assure you. Why don't we see how you can handle it? It has a rather short temper." Michael then jumped to another story of the room and shot an arrow into the beast. It awoke with a great roar and Willow and Oz new they were screwed.

The beast jumped at them and they managed to get out of the way just in time. Oz grabbed his axe and ran toward the beast. He was knocked back with a swipe of its paw and Oz flew across the room. When he got to his feet he got a better look at it.

It was three times the size of a lion. It still had the body of a lion but it had seven heads in equal proportion to its giant frame. Its tail, where a tuft of fur would be was ablaze with a glowing fire. All the mains of the lions seemed to come together into one large one. It also was a fiery blaze. The fire lit when the beast was awakened.

Oz was shocked back to reality when he realized that Willow was cornered by the behemoth. It was about to lung on her when oz came up from behind it and sunk his axe deep into its haunches. The beast let out a mighty roar, all of its heads in unison, as it wheeled around on Oz.

Willow took this opportunity to run away from the corner and get a better vantage point.

Oz was staring the best down, Trying his best not to show fear. He swung his axe with the hardest blow he could muster and lobbed one of the heads off. The beast then batted him across the room again.

Willow had run to the beast and swung her bat as hard as she could and hit it in a vital spot. The beast went down with a hard crash. It did not kill it but it was severely wounded.

While oz was against the wall he found a gun, a six shot revolver. He didn't know where it came from but at this moment he didn't care. He staggered to his feet and went to the heads of the beast. He shot each head in turn and the beast went silent. His gun was empty. He walked to Willow and they fell into each others arms.

Oz looked up and saw not Michael but a group of what appeared to be monks standing above them. Oz's vision was cloudy and couldn't tell. The figures turned and walked away. The siren sounded again seeming to come through the walls. As it came to it's first crescendo Oz lost consciousness and blacked out.

When he woke up willow was still in his arms. The room they were in was a large storage freezer. Everything looked normal again. The walls were the same. The freezer was well stocked and it was cold. Not everything was normal. The world still had the grey overtones and silence but it was better than what they had come from. Willow came too and they got to their feet.

They walked the way they came. The long black hallway was what turned out to be a three foot walk in freezer. They went through the door on the other side and they were met with the sight of the high school kitchen. There was no sign of Kathleen at all. The stainless steel was polished. The knives and other utensils were neatly placed.

Willow and oz made their way back into the Dinning room. It was the same before the siren had sounded for the first time. All the chairs were in their proper places, even the salt ad pepper shakers were in their respectful places. They looked at each other and without saying a word they knew they had to get back to the library.

The couple took off at a run, through the double doors of the cafeteria, down the hallway and into the library. They burst into the room and there was no one in sight. Buffy, Giles, and Xander all were missing. They looked around and still found no one.

Oz turned to Willow and looked at her. "How long were we gone?"

A/N: all right here it is. I hope you like it. Feel free to review. Also go easy, it's been a while since I have last written anything of length. Thanks.