Chapter Four: Making a Break
Buffy paced in her padded room as she tried to devise up a plan to find Willow and for the two of them to escape this place. Remembering fully well of the times she had tried to escape on her own and had the two orderlies, Riley and Liam, come crashing down on her, each and everytime. Buffy sighed as she continued to think. This was all too familiar as it reminded her of the time she was being tested by the Watcher's Council and she had her power stripped as they tested her against a mentally-incapacitated Vampire. He wasn't all that incapacitated as he broke free of his restraints and tracked Buffy down and soon kidnapped her mother. That was the worst feeling she could ever remember. Being defenseless, weak, with only limited abilities as any normal human girl could have. Buffy promised herself long ago that she would never allow herself to feel that helpless, again. Now, she was in a similar situation, one where she was without her powers and only had her wits to survive her dangerous, unpredictable, environment.
Tearing off a loose piece of fabric in the room, Buffy carefully used her fingernail on her index finger and grazed the point of the other finger on her other hand. Pressing firmly, she drew blood. Then, using the piece of fabric, she made a crude layout of the hospital; all of the entrances, exits, every place she had been or seen. When she finished she tore off some more of the lining of the wall and wrapped it around her finger to cut off the blood flow and allow healing. Buffy sat down, applying pressure to her finger, and looked at the drawing she had made. She had a goal, now, one that involved someone else other than herself. Getting to Willow was the top priority and there was only one conceivable way of doing it. She had to fully cooperate with "Dr. Spike".
Sitting in Dr. Giles' office, William ran his fingers through his bleach-blonde hair as he waited for Giles to finish looking over William's noted about Miss Summers and Miss Rosenberg. Giles soon smiled, to William's surprise, and looked up from the notes.
"Someone here has been disregarding the rules, I see."
William wasn't sure what he was referring to. "Sir?"
Giles laid the folder down and put his hands together. "It says in your notes that Miss Summers and Miss Rosenberg, for some reason, have knowledge of eachother, personal knowledge. I believe either our orderlies or, most likely, Mr. Harris has been talking about other patients with the patients, themselves. It's quite simple, Dr. Walsh."
William had a lingering doubt, but it did seem reasonable that this was just a matter of some people not following procedures and Hospital policy.
"How do you want me to handle this, doctor?" William asked.
Giles smiled and got up, which William followed in suit, and Giles escorted him to the door. "Have no worries, Dr. Walsh. I'll handle this, personally. You just keep on working with Misses Summers and Rosenberg and I believe you'll be making great progress. I can see from your notes that you've begun to do just that."
William's face brightened and he walked out with a determination.
Dr. Giles watched him go down the hall, on the way to his office, before shutting the door. Then, he looked to his hand against the door. It wasn't human but had reverted to a hairy seven-fingered clawed hand. He smiled and went back to his desk. Opening a drawer, he brought out a small glass that had a hair floating in a blue glowing liquid. Taking a deep gulp, "Giles" drank the entire contents of the drink. Setting the glass down, "Giles" looked at his demonic hand, flexing it. Soon it reverted back to its normal, human looking, form.
Got to be more careful. He thought to himself.
Buffy tucked the rolled piece of fabric in between her cleavage as Riley and Liam came to escort her to Dr. Spike's office. Buffy, as always, followed, obediently, as both men took her arms and led her down the florescent-lighted hallway. Despite knowing fully well that neither of them were the people they represented, Buffy felt a twinge of girlish giddiness for having both of them at her sides. Putting the juvenile thought in the back of her mind and focusing at the task at hand, Buffy stopped in front of Dr. Spike's office as Liam opened the door and Riley guided her through it and inside.
Riley finally let her go and she walked forward and sat herself in front of Dr. Spike's desk, Spike looked rather happy at the moment.
"Good Morning, Anne." He said. Writing some notes on his paper and then brought out a tape recorder.
"Mornin' Spike." Buffy said.
"Its Dr. Walsh, Miss Summers. Please call me by that name, only." He said.
"And Mine's Buffy." Buffy said, smirking. "Anne's my middle name."
Spike turned on the tape recorder and began. "Do you remember what we discussed in our last session?"
Buffy nodded.
"Have you had time to think about what we've discussed?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.
Buffy thought of, instead, of what she could do with Riley and Liam in the room. She quickly got back to the question Dr. Spike posed at her.
"Yes." She answered.
Spike nodded and wrote some notes. "And?"
Buffy took a deep breath, closed her eyes as she spoke. "You make it all seem so simple, so ordinary." She opened her eyes and noticed Spike leaning against the desk, his arms crossed against it.
"That my life, the one I've led, has been nothing but something that I've created to escape from ordinary horrors. That this place, or whatever it is, is a hospital and all the people in, people I've either fought or have fought along side are who they are. All of this is what it is, if what you say is true."
Spike nodded, "It is what it is, Miss Summers."
Buffy smiled. "But here's the thing. Never once have you asked me how I know you're real name, the name not given to you when you were a kid, but a name you've given yourself."
Spike leaned back, smiling ruefully. "How do you think I was given it, then?"
Buffy leaned forward. "By killing people and impaling them on railroad spikes."
Spike's eyes went wide, but the smile remained. "Is that so? So, in your mind, Anne, I'm a murder, is that it?"
"More than that," Buffy said, "You're a vampire, William the bloody."
The smile on Spike's face vanished and it was replaced with a frown.
Buffy smiled all the more she looked over to Liam, "As is he, as are a lot of those you showed me yesterday. So you see, I know for a fact that I'M sane. The question is, are you sure you are?"
Spike sighed, "Says the patient to the doctor."
Buffy shrugged, "Life is what you make it. There are compromises, complications, and there are facts that we have to live with."
"Yet you refuse to accept those facts." Spike said, pointing a finger at her.
From the corner of her eye, Buffy eyed the nightstick that was attached to the side of Riley's side; she looked back to Spike.
"Everything's a fight for survival. For freedom, for sanity, for self-preservation, for looking good for that date, for-" In one quick fluid motion, Buffy jerked her body to the left, reached and grabbed hold of Riley's nightstick, removed it, and swung hard to the right of her, hitting Liam in the face. She then swung back to the left and hit Riley in the stomach as he tried to reach for his stick and now bellowed over. Buffy stood up and hit Liam, who was clutching at his, now, broken nose, and struck him across the head, knocking him on his back.
Spike got up, yelling for her to stop.
Buffy went behind Riley, who was in the process of getting back up, and stepped down, hard, against the back of his right knee, forcing him down on the ground; she brought the nightstick against his throat with force.
Spike removed himself from the desk and was going to the back wall to press the alarm button, when Buffy shouted at him.
"Don't! Not unless you want more carnage on your hands, Spike." Her breathing was hard, as it had taken a lot of energy to do what she had done; her vision was beginning to get spotty.
Spike seemed to get the message as he backed away from the wall and returned to his desk.
"Where do we go from here, Anne?" He asked.
Buffy struggled with Riley as he was trying to pry his nightstick away from his throat, which Buffy continued putting pressure against.
"First," Buffy said, "You'll tell me where they're keeping Will'."
Buffy looked, carefully, out of the door of Spike's office and looked back behind her. She had tied up all three men in snap-ties Liam and Riley had on them, and had knocked all three out. She sighed, she knew that this was the only way and that these men weren't who they were, but still…
Shaking the thought from her head, Buffy turned back to the door and opened it and peered out around, noting that it was safe to proceed forward. Buffy crept out , holding Riley's nightstick close in hand as she walked alongside the wall to the elevator at the far end of the long hallway. She quickly darted into an open room as she heard a nearby door open.
She watched from the side of the door as Xander and Anya walked past, both seemed to be in a heated discussion of Anya telling Xander off and Xander trying to weasel his way into a date with her.
Buffy smiled to herself, yet felt a twinge of sadness as she recalled Anya's death here at Sunnydale, or rather the Sunnydale that once existed. Buffy turned as she heard a voice behind her. She gripped the nightstick firmly and held it in stance as she looked to see who was behind her. There, strapped to a bed, to Buffy's surprise, was Jenny Calendar. Her eyes were watching Buffy, in curiosity and mild-amusement.
Buffy, in an unconscionable response, approached Jenny's bed, slowly.
Jenny seemed to be watching her in complete serenity.
Buffy noticed how there was a gag in Jenny's mouth and she used the nightstick to remove it. Jenny coughed and hacked; she then closed her eyes and licked her lips.
"Miss Calendar?" Buffy asked.
A playful grin spread across Jenny's face. She then rolled her head back and forth and then grinned.
"Jenny?" Buffy asked again.
Jenny took a deep breath and then let out an ear-piercing scream. Her body jerked wildly.
Buffy realized as to why the gag was there in the first place. She put her hand over Jenny's mouth only to retract it when Jenny bot down hard on Buffy's hand; she then resumed her screaming.
Knowing fully well of the attention this was bringing, Buffy took the pillow underneath Jenny's head and pressed it against Jenny's face as she grabbed the mouth gag and put it back in Jenny's mouth, strapping it back in place. Jenny jerked more violently, making small sobs as Buffy quickly left the room. Buffy darted around the corner and into a different room, this one vacated, as some orderlies went into Jenny's room.
Buffy cursed herself for her carelessness and tried to regain her breath as she found herself slumping against the wall with exhaustion. Never before since has she felt this worn out or over exerted. She knew she needed to press on forward, she need to find Willow and find a way for them to get out of here. She had a mission to her herself and her friend.
Taking one last moment, Buffy then looked around the corner of the door for assurance of safe passage. Once she was confident that it was safe to go back out, again, she slowly went back to the side of the wall and made her way to the elevator.
Pressing the up button, Buffy looked around her, tensely, as she felt any sudden arrival could bring her down in a flash. She sighed as the elevator "dinged" and the doors opened. Stepping inside, she found herself face-to-face with Xander.
"What are you-" He began, but Buffy put her hand over his mouth and pushed him to the back of the elevator as the doors closed. She pressed the button for the fourth floor and then let her hand go of his mouth. Xander moved to the corner, looking terrifyingly at Buffy.
"Are…Are you going to kill me?" He said, eyeing her nightstick.
Buffy smiled, "Not today, Xander."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "You know you won't get far. The orderlies will be on you quicker than a cop on a doughnut."
Buffy grinned, "They'll have to catch me, first."
They reached the fourth floor and Buffy turned to Xander. "Are you going to tell them?"
Xander shook his head; "I don't want any part of it. They don't pay me enough."
Buffy smiled and, to Xander's surprise, kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks." She said. She quickly vacated the elevator, hearing behind her Xander stuttering a "you're welcome."
Buffy walked alongside the wall, remembering the way, which Spike told her. In this part of the hospital, the rooms were windowless and it seemed colder than the hallway she had been previously. Buffy clung herself to the wall as a nurse took a deeply scarred man around the corner by his arm.
"Easy there, Adam, no need to work yourself up." She said as Adam was violently shaking and muttering something under his breath.
Buffy stared at this version of the man who nearly killed her. He had partial hair and was hooked up to an IV that he shakily pulled with him as the nurse directed him to another room. He seemed rather sad, confused, and frightened, like a child that was away from home for the first time. Buffy waited until the two of them were fully in the room before proceeding down the hallway.
Willow was situated in a large room at the end of a hallway, where she and several others were strapped to beds. None of the others Buffy recognized, but she hadn't really looked as she went straight for Willow's bed; Willow was sleeping, her eyes darting back and forth underneath her eye lids.
Buffy sat down next to her and looked to the nightstand next to her and saw several pill bottles. Buffy hoped that whatever they had her on had little effect that the two of them could talk. Most of all, Buffy hoped her thoughts were correct and that Will' was who she has always been and that she too was stuck in this hellhole.
Buffy gentle shook Willow's arm, "Will'?"
Willow's eyes opened and she turned her head at Buffy; she smiled. This reminded Buffy too much of Miss Calendar's first response, and she hoped what happened wouldn't repeat itself.
"Mmmm…Buffy, you're here." She said.
Buffy sighed out of relief.
"This is a nice dream…" Willow said, dreamily as she closed her eyes and repositioned her head to go back asleep again.
Buffy shook her arm again. "Oh, no you don't. Don't fall asleep on me, Will'. You're not dreaming."
Willow's eyes then came wide open. "I'm not?"
Buffy shook her head.
Willow then frantically looked around and then back at Buffy. "Y-You're really here, then?"
Buffy nodded, smiling.
"Buffy? How did we get here? What is this place!" She started to jerk her arms, frantically, and her eyes were alive with panic.
Buffy tried to restrain her, fearing that her little outburst would cause attention to the others in the other beds and cause a ruckus that would alert them to others.
"Easy there, Will'. I'll get us out of here, don't worry." Buffy then began to pull at the leather straps, thus releasing her friend who then immediately grabbed Buffy into a fierce hug.
Buffy smiled, "Missed me, huh?"
Willow began sobbing, "Oh, Buffy. This place is so awful. Xander's here, Anya's here, even Spike and Giles. None of them remember me! They've been shocking me, poking me, prodding me, doing all these horrible things and I can't do a thing to stop them! I'm powerless, helpless, and hopeless. I feared you weren't going to come and-"
Buffy patted her friend on the back, "There, there, now." Buffy held her awhile longer as she continued to sob against her shoulder. Once she had regained control of herself, Buffy looked at her. "I'm here now, Will', and between the two of us, I think we'll be able to get out of here, ok?"
Willow nodded.
Buffy helped her out of the bed and found it hard, at first, as Willow was a little wobbly due to having woken up. The two managed to get out of the room and in the hallway, both creeping against the wall.
"So, how do we get out?" Willow asked.
Buffy thought for a moment and then looked to see a fire-escape sign on the stairs door.
"I have an idea." She said, and took Willow by the wrist and took them through the door. The two went down the long stairway down to the bottom, stopping only when another door opened and one of the orderlies stepped inside to smoke a cigarette. Once he had gone back outside, they continued they're decent to the bottom floor and found a door that led outside that was marked "exit".
"Ok," Buffy said, "Here's what we'll do once we've gotten outside; hopefully it's in our world and nowhere else. We'll try to track down Giles, our Giles, and see if we can get back home safely and then we'll bring reinforcements and take this place down, alright?"
Willow nodded and smiled, "I'm happy you found me Buffy. For a minute there I was afraid I was alone and I was going to die."
Buffy smiled, "Not while I'm around. I'm a Slayer, whether they would like me to think I'm am or not."
Willow nodded.
Buffy then turned back to the door.
"Ok, here it goes." She then pressed on the latch and opened the door to reveal not the outside, which she thought it was but instead a pinkish void.
"What the-" Buffy pushed her hand forward, only to have her whole body flung backwards and the door swing shut. Buffy hit the back of the wall hard.
"Buffy!" Willow came rushing towards her and bent down to help bring her back up.
Buffy rubbed the back of her head, groaning. "What the hell."
"Buffy, what's going on? Are we…are we trapped here?" Willow asked in a hushed whisper.
"Ah, there you two are."
Both Buffy and Willow looked up to see Dr. Giles along with Spike and the orderlies, Liam and Riley.
"You gave us quite the run, you two." Giles said, smiling.
To be continued…
A/N: I apologize for having Willow so out of character in the last chapter. I'm still new at writing Buffy fanfics. Well I hope you enjoyed this installment and I hope that the reviews will come in for this chapter so I can go ahead and write the next one. Till then, review, review, and review; I'll be back soon after.
Q-n-P
