A/N: *Please do not distribute or post this story anywhere without my permission.* Thanks to cookiesarefood for her betaing skills.
Omega Rising
Twelve people and a vampire are assembled in Meyer Sports and Tackle, all of them looking up at her with varying degrees of fear on their faces. Buffy's gaze falls on each of them for a moment before she takes a deep breath and says, "Everything's going to be okay."
Chapter 8: Ground Zero
"Faith?" Buffy gapes, looking at me suspiciously.
From behind me, Angel growls, "Spike?"
The blond vampire standing behind Buffy rolls his eyes heavenward. "The entire bloody world turns to shit and somehow this great poof is still alive?"
"Shut up, Spike," B and Angel both say. Angel nudges past me, meeting Buffy at the doorjamb. He snakes his arms around her waist, and her eyes close as she leans in to him. This makes me feel a little sick to my stomach, and I head back to the bedroom. My discarded jacket lies on the rumpled bed sheets, and I sit down heavily, closing my eyes. Only a few hours ago, Starla was alive in here. Just a little girl, scared and missing her dad. And now she's gone. I know realistically I have to expect this. We're talking about a zombie infestation that's taken over the whole country, if not the world. Not everyone I care about's gonna make it. I know that. I just didn't expect it to feel this bad.
Standing up, I strip the top sheet from the bed and gather it in my arms. In the living room, I cross to the crumpled body on the floor and gently cover her. Before I cover her face, I take a moment to close her little eyes.
When I settle beside Gunn on the sofa, he shoots me a sympathetic look. I don't know him, and I'm not about to start spilling my guts here, so I just fold my arms and lean back, the picture of nonchalance.
Apparently having grown tired of the Buffy and Angel show, Spike enters the room and comes to perch on the arm of the sofa closest to me. "So you're the other slayer," he greets chummily.
"And you're about to be dust if you don't take your eyes off my tits," I reply sourly.
Jerking his head up, he grins in mock apology. "Sorry, love."
"Another vamp with a soul?" Gunn asks me.
"No soul," I explain, "just a chip in his brain that doesn't let him bite people. Courtesy of Uncle Sam."
Spike doesn't appear to mind us talking about him. He's still watching me with a creepy look.
"Something you wanna say?" I ask with a barely concealed threat in my tone.
"Just thinking about the last time we met."
I flinch.
"I believe you said something about riding me at a gallop?" He licks his lips. "A man doesn't forget that sort of thing."
I stand up. I'm starting to get antsy trapped in here with Starla's body. I shoot Spike a dismissive look. "You're not a man and you can forget about it."
"I get it," Spike says agreeably, "did some time, right? I guess you're swinging the other way these days."
"Hopefully the less murderous way," B cuts in as she stomps over the threshold like she owns the place. "And shut up, Spike."
The vampire gives a long-suffering sigh.
"We better get moving," Buffy tells us, "we're seeing more action than usual tonight, and I don't wanna leave the gang unprotected for too long."
We gather up our weapons. Moving through the streets, I walk behind Gunn, trying not to think about the dead little girl. And trying not to care that Buffy hardly even looked at me.
XXXXX
Buffy leads us to the back door of one of the shops on Maple Court. She taps softly three times, and the door swings open. In the darkness of the room, Giles is on guard duty, holding a shotgun firmly in the crook of his arm. "Did you have much luck?" He asks quietly.
"Found some stragglers," Buffy gestures behind her, and the Watcher's surprised gaze goes from Angel, to Gunn, to me.
His eyes linger on my face for a moment before he says, "Right, let's get this door secure then."
I step aside so Buffy and Spike can wedge a heavy desk against the door. Satisfied that it's going to hold, Buffy heads toward the sales floor.
"How many people do you have here?" Angel asks as we walk.
"Nine," Giles responds and the inclines his head toward Spike, "plus him."
The vampire scowls. "This is the thanks I get for risking my life every night with blondie over there?"
"Which you only do because we include the blood bank on our 'to loot' list," Buffy says skeptically. She glances back at Angel. "Welcome to Casa Scooby."
The front window of the store has been boarded over. Sleeping bags are hung across the boards in an attempt to block any light from being seen. A few candles illuminate a small group of people. I'm surprised to see a kid with them. Buffy gestures to the two people closest to us. "These are Barrigan and Andrado." Cops! I try to will myself to calm down; it's not like they can arrest me right now.
Oblivious to my discomfort, Buffy points to an older man with watery blue eyes, "Mr. Noble," and to the red headed woman next to him, "and Simone." "That's Jennie back there," she gestures to the little girl who isn't paying any attention to us.
Angel clears his throat, "Angel, Gunn, and Faith."
"Not to rain on the welcoming committee, Buff," a familiar voice interrupts, "but is it a good idea for her to be here?" I turn my head, catching the nervous look on Xander's face.
"She's here to help," Angel responds immediately, taking a step closer to my side.
"Isn't she supposed to be in prison?" Xander counters. "She wasn't exactly little Miss Helpful last time we saw her." Tara stands next to him, looking uncertain. I automatically glance behind them, looking for the redhead. I don't see her anywhere.
I look to B and I'm surprised to see her looking right back at me. She stares at me so long I have to struggle not to look away, and then she replies, "We can't exactly turn down a strong fighter right now. Not if we want to stay alive."
Xander looks like he wants to say more, but he clenches his jaw and looks away.
Buffy crosses her arms and says, "Let me show you where you can sleep."
XXXXX
Breakfast is a slice of stale bread I personally witnessed Tara cutting mold off of and the finest selection of freeze dried meals that Meyer's Sport and Tackle has to offer. I find an empty aisle of the store to eat in. Just me and the lacrosse sticks. Gunn's been welcomed with open arms by the Sunnydale crew, and I can't pretend it doesn't sting a little. I know we have a history, and I should be letting this roll off my back, but it's grating at my already raw nerves. Giles's nervous ticks when he has to interact with me; the way Buffy's eyes sweep past me without ever landing on my face. Red's girl did manage a small smile when she passed me the bread this morning, so I guess that's something. Being cooped up in this shop is starting to wear on me though. You'd think after months in a cell, I could cope with this, but given that my cellmate wasn't a tiny blonde slayer with anger flowing off her in waves, it was like a beach vacation compared to this.
"Mind some company?" Angel sits down beside me before I can respond. He cradles a mug of blood in his pale hands. He swirls it around like it's tea before taking a small sip.
"No good?" I ask when he grimaces.
"No," Angel's face is strained. "It's just that it's human."
Oh. Buffy mentioned the blood bank, but I hadn't put the pieces together. "You okay with that?"
"Do you mean am I going to be tempted to eat you all later tonight?" Angel smiles gently. "No, I think I can handle it. Desperate times…" He takes another sip before setting his mug on the shelf next to him. "What about you? How are you holding up?"
"Do ya mean am I going to be tempted to kill you all later tonight?"
My friend smirks. "Something like that."
I shrug and pick at the last bit of bread on my plate to keep my hands busy. "Like you said, desperate times. We all gotta do what we gotta do."
His large hand covers both mine, stilling them. "I know how you're feeling, Faith. This is a lot to handle, and it hasn't been that long since you started turning your life around." He squeezes my hands gently. "It's a whole new world. But I know you can handle this."
I want to tell him about the nightmares I still have and the flashbacks I've been getting since the infection broke out, but something holds me back. "You so sure of that?"
Angel pretends not to notice the way my voice wavers. "I've got faith."
A smile breaks over my teeth before I can stop it. "Comedy routine could use a little work."
The sound of a throat clearing makes us both look over. Buffy stands at the entrance to the aisle, her hair tucked into a neat bun. Her gaze is nothing short of murderous, trained on our linked hands. Noticing, Angel drops my hand quickly. "Buffy," he starts to say gently, but she just shakes her head quickly.
"I need to borrow Faith," she bites out, like the idea alone horrifies her.
Me? "Me?"
"Do you see any other Faiths around?" Her voice has a hint of impatience now. "We need more supplies. Spike and I got a little sidetracked last night." She finally forces herself to meet my eyes. I notice hers are red-rimmed and a little swollen. "I'm the only one who goes out during the day. Figured you could help with that."
"Sure," I respond cautiously.
Angel's working his concerned face as he gazes between us. He's obviously as unsure about this as I am, but he settles for warning us to be careful.
"Always," Buffy replies without looking at him. She's clearly still bristling from seeing us together. Even though it's not at all like she thinks. "I'll get our stuff together. Meet me at the back entrance." Without waiting for a response, she turns on her heel and walks away.
"Guess I got plans," I joke, climbing to my feet and extending my hand to help Angel up.
He accepts, and I pull him to his feet. "Be careful out there, Faith, I mean it."
"B's not gonna do anything," I say, thinking that's the true reason behind his caution. "She's not like us."
"I don't think she'd hurt you intentionally," Angel agrees, "I'd just hate to see her… set you back. I know how important Buffy's forgiveness is to you."
I stare back at him without replying.
"That's why you wanted to come with me, isn't it?"
Not exactly, but getting uncomfortably close to things I don't want to talk about with Angel. "I'll be fine," I reassure him, without answering his question.
"Okay," he drops it. "Then I'll see you when you get back."
He takes my breakfast dish with him when he goes. Time to face the music.
XXXXX
"This isn't up for discussion," Buffy's voice reaches my ears from within the storeroom. I'm ready to get this show on the road and headed back to meet her.
"I'm not saying, you know, throw her out to be zombie chow," Xander responds, and I freeze in my tracks. I slink back again the wall, wanting to hear the rest of this conversation. "Just… maybe a little more… not here. With us."
"Xander," Buffy sounds exasperated. "I'm not asking you to trust Faith. I don't trust Faith. But in case you haven't noticed, we've got almost a dozen people trapped in here with very little fresh food and a town full of hungry zombies outside." She pauses, trying to make her voice more soothing. "We don't have a choice; she's a slayer."
"A slayer who murdered people. And worked with the Mayor. And stole your body. And tried to kill me."
In the intervening pause, I imagine Buffy nodding, reconsidering, and then coming out here to kick my ass and throw me to the wolves. I'm surprised when she just responds, "She turned herself in. Angel believes in her."
"So, that's it? Your ex-boyfriend sponsors her in Evil Anonymous, and we just welcome her back and sing Kumbaya around the camping stove?"
"No!" There's a thump as Buffy sets something down hard. "Look, all I'm saying is, right now, I have to believe that she's on our side. I'm not turning down anybody that's going to help us stay alive." She pauses, sniffling a bit. "I couldn't stand it if something happened to one of you guys. Not after Willow—"
"Don't," Xander pleads.
When Buffy speaks again, her voice is soft and strained. "Regardless of my personal feelings, or yours, Faith stays. End of story."
I press my back against the wall as Xander stomps from the storeroom. After he passes, I wait a moment before walking in to meet Buffy.
"You ready?" I ask quietly.
She shoots me a look, and we both know I heard every word of her conversation. "Yep." I catch the backpack she throws my way. "Let's do it."
XXXXX
Somehow the zombies seem less out of place in Sunnydale than they have anywhere else I've been. Here it's almost expected to see dead people stumbling up the streets. It's just like old times, Buffy and me fighting monsters and kicking ass. Except for the part where I can't stop thinking about them as people and feeling sick when I have to take one down. And the part where Buffy hates me. That part's not so different than old times, I guess.
We're wearing large hiking packs that, thanks to our shopping trip, are packed with canned goods, bottled water, and anything else we thought the group needed. I've got a pack of cards and a couple dinky little toys the 7-11 had on the shelf. Figure the kid, Jennie, needs something to entertain her. "We've got one more stop," Buffy's voice barely makes a sound, but I hear her clear as a bell.
I nod, raising my eyebrows in question.
"Hospital," she mutters back. "We're almost out of blood."
"Right."
She leads the way through the destroyed streets. It's obvious that Sunnydale was ground zero for this thing. It seems like no block was left untouched. Bullet holes riddle cars and the siding of many houses. The manicured lawns have cars abandoned on them, and festering dead bodies gaze out at us from their windows. The actual number of dead rushing us is manageable. We're very fast and very strong. Still, it's easy to get overpowered by the sheer number of them pressing in on you, so we move as quickly and quietly as we can. At the next corner, Buffy peers around a hedge, holding her hand up for me to stop. "Big crowd," she whispers.
"You wanna take another way?"
She gnaws on her lip thoughtfully. "This is the quickest." Her eyes dart further up the street we're on, noticing a small gaggle of corpses who've seen us and are proceeding hungrily in our direction. "And I don't wanna be out here too long."
"Alright," I agree, "we makin' a run for it?"
She nods, "Left looks clearer. Let's move."
Following her around the bend, I run straight behind her, trying to skirt the dozen or so zombies mingling in the middle of the street. We take on the first two that close in on us. Mine is a young girl. You can tell she used to be pretty. Her cloudy eyes are wide set, and she looks like she'd have a nice smile if half her lower lip weren't dangling by a scrap of skin. She blinks innocently at me even as her jaw opens and a long moan spills out. Apparently B isn't wasting any time thinking about who her zombie used to be, so I try to do likewise. I kick the girl's kneecaps and she stumbles, landing heavily on her knees.
In one fluid motion, I unsheathe the sword strapped to my pack and swing it over my head, embedding it easily in her skull. The moan warbles for a moment before she goes silent, the weight of her body freeing her from my sword as she slumps to the ground.
"Keep moving!" Buffy shouts at me, already jogging away from her neutralized opponent. The rest of the crowd pursues us, and their noise is bound to draw more. We hustle through the last couple of blocks, ducking behind an abandoned US Mail truck to catch our breath. The hospital is just across the street. From here on out, there's no cover, just us and the dead people milling across the hospital's front lawn. I lean my head against the truck's window and wait for Buffy to make her move.
Letting her set the pace seems like the best way of keeping things civil right now. She's not talking to me much, but at least there haven't been any threats or outbreaks of violence. Buffy takes a step out from the truck, turning to me expectantly. Instead of speaking though, she stifles a small smile.
"What?" I ask, just as a loud thump comes from the window behind me. I jump, letting out a shriek that can only be described at girly.
Buffy has the good grace to cover her chuckle with a cough. The recently deceased mailman inside the truck presses his palms flat against the window, peering out in despair. Poor thing looks like an animal in a zoo. Before I can stop myself, I press a hand against the glass, matching his palm. The zombie launches his mouth toward my hand, conking his head into the window and moaning his displeasure as he reels backward. Embarrassed, I pull my hand back to my side. "You ready to move?" I ask, pretending to adjust the straps to my pack.
"Yeah," Buffy responds, "let's go."
XXXXX
Inside the hospital, the air is stale, and the smell of rot is so strong that I almost retch. Buffy clenches her teeth for a moment, swallows, and says, "You'll get used to it." Trying to breath through my mouth, I follow her through the corridors.
"I was expecting more of them to be in here," I mention once I can breathe more freely.
Buffy shrugs. "We only found the dead when we came," she gestures toward a corpse sprawled on the ground nearby. His head is neatly cleaved in two, and thick globs of black and green bodily fluids have seeped from his torn flesh. "I'm sure there are more, though," she warns before adding softly under her breath, "there always are."
"We're here," B tells me, as we arrive at a set of doors. Aluminum mops are threaded through the handles, and she removes them before pushing through the double doors. The room feels cooler than the hall, and I realize there's a faint electric humming. I lay my hand on the surface of the first large refrigerator. "Still cold."
"The hospital had backup generators for some sections," Buffy informs me as she opens her backpack and starts gently placing bags of blood on top. "No telling how long they're going to last, but for now we've still got supplies."
"You guys checked out the pharmacy?"
"We haven't had time to really search for it." Buffy looks over at me as she zips her bag closed. "It's a good idea though."
My mouth momentarily falls open at her complimenting something I've thought of. I quickly snap my trap shut and zip my pack as well. "Wanna check it out now?"
Buffy agrees, and we re-bar the doors to the blood bank before we head back for the stairwell. "We haven't seen a pharmacy on the first or second floors," she explains. "Let's try the third."
As we step into the darkness of the stairwell, Buffy flicks on her flashlight. A faint moaning is echoing through the space. I think it's above us, although it's hard to tell. Not wasting any time, we head up the stairs. A few bodies block the way, and we're forced to climb over them. The smell is stronger in here. I figure the stairwells weren't air-conditioned much to begin with, so the bodies have been baking longer.
The hallway we step into is mostly clear. Right away I spot a sign for the pharmacy and point it out to B. She nods, gesturing for me to take the left side of the hall while she takes right. We go quietly in the direction the sign suggests, weapons at the ready and alert for danger. I move into the lead slightly, getting ready to take point as we turn down the next corridor. A clatter behind me breaks the silence, and I turn, expecting to see Buffy taking on a zombie.
Instead, she's gazing in a wide window, her ax dropped beside her. Her face is horror-stricken. "What is it?" I ask quietly, picking my way back over to her.
Buffy can't speak, she just points. I get close enough to see inside and oh, God. This was the nursery. I count nine small bodies inside. Five are obviously dead-dead. Their tiny limbs have been torn free, gaping chunks are missing from their torsos. Two lay on the ground with pools of dried blood under their heads. They've been tossed to the floor like trash when the zombies were done gnawing on them. What's worse is that the remaining infants are moving.
Buffy struggles to find words. "We should, we should do something."
All I know is that I don't want to go in that room. "They can't hurt anyone."
"We can't leave them like that," she insists.
I see what she's saying but at the same time, the thought of touching their dead bodies makes me nauseous.
"Fine," Buffy gives me a disdainful look, "you wait here. I'll take care of it."
She slowly picks up her discarded ax and enters the nursery. Buffy carefully steps over the first corpse and makes her way to the nearest crib. I watch as she brings a trembling hand to her face and covers her eyes for a moment. She pulls herself together and then hefts her ax above the crib.
"Wait!" I call, and through the glass Buffy hears me. Her hand stills, ax ready to meet its target.
Entering the room, I trace Buffy's path to the crib. Inside, the baby's arms flail. It's caked in blood, its skin ashen. It lets out a strangled cry. Toothless gums smack hungrily open and closed. It's the most horrible thing I've ever seen, and I have to dig my nails into my palms to keep from losing it.
"We should get this finished," Buffy suggests grimly.
Noticing a stack of mostly clean sheets on the counter, I grab a few. The crib has a small card attached to the outside with neat handwriting. "Tina," I read aloud. "Her name was Tina." Buffy steps backward and gives me space to cover the poor creature with a folded sheet. I unsheathe my sword.
"You don't have to…" Buffy says quickly, but I can see the sadness in her face. I don't want to be doing this. I don't want to be killing any of these people. But it's like Angel said; it's a whole new world. And even if he doesn't quite understand why I came back to Sunnydale, he's right about one thing. I do want to make things right with Buffy. So I'll start here. I can do this much for her.
"S'ok," I tell her. "Why don't you cover the others?"
Buffy accepts the sheets and her fingers brush mine. "Thank you," she whispers, turning away from the crib.
Looking down at the writhing mass beneath the sheet, I take a deep breath. My sword cuts through the air, and I close my eyes just before it makes contact.
XXXXX
"Are you okay?" Buffy finally asks, after we've loaded up all the first aid supplies and useful medications we can carry.
"Five by five," I respond automatically. I'm fine. Of course I'm fine. They were already dead. It was the right thing to do.
Buffy steals a glance at me as we quietly exit the hospital. Pretending not to notice, I lead the way across the grounds. The sun's low in the sky, casting everything in an orange glow.
"Why'd you come back here, Faith?" Buffy's voice is neutral, just a hint of curiosity.
It should be the simplest question in the world. I came for her. Like I always do. The homecoming dance. Shooting Angel. Gunning for her after my coma. My whole life's been about her since we met, and she doesn't even get it. So I shrug and say, "I'm trying to do the right thing."
Buffy seems to accept that, and we walk in silence for a while, sticking close to the lengthening shadows and out of trouble. After a while, she murmurs, "I always thought I'd see you again. I just didn't think it would be like this."
She's thought about seeing me? "What did you think it would be like?"
"I don't know," Buffy's evasive. "I hoped it would be less apocalypse-y." She considers for a moment, then says, "Less stabby."
I guess that's the closest thing I'm getting to an apology for her almost killing me. "Yeah," I dodge the groping arms of a dead woman trapped in her car. "That woulda been nice." In the pen, I thought plenty about seeing Buffy again. I thought about her forgiving me and us slaying together. And okay, I thought about being in her body both literally and figuratively. But mostly I kept it PG13.
When we're at the back entrance to the shop, Buffy knocks softly against the door. "For what it's worth," she turns to me as the sounds of furniture being moved reach our ears. "I'm glad you came."
I'm taken aback and I can't answer for a moment. Finally, I just tell her, "Me too, B."
The door swings open, and Buffy steps through. I take one more glance at the setting sun. I had one of the worst moments of my life today. But somehow, I feel better than I have in months.
"Faith," Gunn pokes his head out the door, "You coming in or what?"
"Yeah," I step inside and close the door behind me.
XXXXX
When I was writing this chapter, my girlfriend looked over at it and said, "Oh my GOD, why are you writing that?" Zombie babies. Had to do it. I hope my dear friend Tina will forgive me for naming one after her. :D
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! :)