Chapter 6

Spike had let himself heal for a day, making sure not to lean against the dank dark wall of the underpass to make sure he wouldn't heal on the wall again. Pulling himself off the car was bad enough, this smelly piss soaked room wouldn't be much fun either.

He had kept himself busy, mainly by sleeping, and then taking small walks around the room, his strength a mere slither of the monumental capacity he once had. Also this was the first time he had almost been killed simply by a few men essentially. Admittedly, they were no simple "men" as they were lead by two solid and capable people that didn't seem phased that a tank had come out of nowhere, butchered their friends and then attacked them. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.

"Heal. Get better. Then we'll fight to the death to see who the better freak is"

He ran that line through his mind many times, and the brief glimpse of the man he got in the darkness flashed across his vision every time he went to sleep or closed his eyes for a brief second to think, breathe deeply or simply wince in pain.

Spike shuddered when he replayed the scene in his mind and how he could have so easily killed him where he lay, crippled against the wall but he didn't. And also he knew that it would have been simple enough for him to kill both Zhay and the jockey without breaking a sweat. He swallowed hard, the hairs on the back of his neck rose up.

He looked down at his massive blistered bloody hands.

They were shaking.

He was either scared or excited at the prospect of meeting him again. But he knew the next time they did one of them would die.

"PEEELLLLZZZ!" The Jockey's shrill voice split the tense silence as Spike glanced around the room looking for him, he was running around the barrel, which slowly burnt its life out and the light cast slow moving amber shadows around the room which gave it a sombre and soft undertone. He took a deep breath and picked up the empty bottle of water he had been drinking from.

"Doi!" The Jockey yelped as the bottle careened into the side of its head as it then crashed into the side of his skull, sending his scrambling into the stash of boxes which contained many random bits of junk that he had scavenged.

Newspapers, t-shirts, magazines and empty cans of soda, bottles and other random junk scattered across the floor as he yelped and whined, scuttering around to try and put them back in some sort of order. Spike noticed that he was now wearing a small pendant around his neck, it swung about and glinted in the dim room.

"He said he was a Librarian when he was alive" Spike heard Zhay laugh, as she walked back in the room smiling watching him as she stood relaxed, hands on her hips.

"Can't believe that someone like him was one though huh?" she chuckled again and walked over to where Spike sat, crouched down letting out a loose growl as she handed Spike some more water.

Spike smiled as he saw just how much of her human beauty she had retained, her hood down, her long hair loose around her shoulders the ambiance giving her an almost alien glow in the light.

She was looking at the Jockey, smiling with her eyes half closed, a look of compassion and understanding on her features as he scuttled about the room, focusing on clearing up the mess as well as still saying "Peelz" occasionally.

Spike put up a hand and rested it on Zhay's shoulder, his eyes showing what his voice could not. She looked back at him, smiling and put her tiny hand compared to his on his wrist.

"I'm Okay Spike.." she sighed a tear trickled down from the corner of her eye "I got you and Mr Pharmacist over there.." she grinned sarcastically at the last line then trailing off.

Spike put his hand against her face, a normal man would be cupping her cheek, alas he was cupping her head.

"Thanks Spike." she smiled and moved up and hugged him, purring slightly as she did her best to grip as much of him as she could, squeezing him tight.

Spike felt happy, safe and hopeful as he rested his arm around her, completely surrounding her in his massive frame. After a few minutes he felt the Jockey scamper up his back and sit on his head, giggled as he ruffled Spikes hair..

...then it farted loudly

In the next second he hit the top of the adjacent wall with a shrill yelp, Spike launching him into it. He slid slowly down it like a cartoon character as he hit the ground and slowly fell backwards, his eyes wide open and his mouth slack as he gargled something and then his limbs fell limp.

"There was no need for that..." Zhay said sternly as she slithered out from under his arms "..it was only a sm- GODDAMNIT!" she cupped her hands over her face, gagging as the smell hit her sensitive nose, she moved quickly out of the room and slammed the door, heaving as she did so.

"You deal with it!" Spike heard as she muffled the sound of her throwing up.

Spike looked at the Jockey, he had the most sadistic grin on his face, still lying on his back his screwed up features, his eyes staring back at Spike. He laughed hysterically briefly, then flipped onto his feet, scarpering onto his pile of junk.

Spike smiled. He liked fart jokes but that stunk...stunk BAD.

"I gots something nice..." the Jockey squeaked "Something goooooddd...." He was burying himself in his stash, and Spike worried what he would come out with. He had already found a dozen first aid kits which had helped him get bandaged up. Many many bottles of pain killers and several bottles of liquor and even some drugs.

"Shiny...four..Tasty..shiny..tasty..four.." Spike curbed his interest as the Jockey's tone changed from what seemed like his usual happy, jovial self to a darker, almost malefic side. He disappeared into his now messy pile.

"Is it gone?" Zhay spluttered as she stumbled back in the room, "That damn rat finished shi-"

She cut off as Spike turned to what had made her quiet.

He stood, his head lowered but his eyes fixed on Spike and full of anger and spite, as a toothy evil grin spread across his face.

"Equalizer"