Chapter Two – Streets of Fire

The Impala rolled into Sunnydale shortly after the sun had set, just like Dean had planned for. What he hadn't expected was the state that they found the town in. For having only succumbed to demons a week or so before, the town had been thrown into such a state of chaos that any passersby might assume that the town had always been like this. There was no sign of any civil townsfolk left, and Dean likened it to what cities looked like after they had been ravaged by the Croatan virus, which was a rather grim, although apt, comparison. Neither were looking forward to exiting the vehicle, and both were grateful to know that the Impala was basically an arsenal on wheels.

The hundreds of bonfires in the trash cans were the least of the town's problems. There were turned over cars littering the streets, buildings with windows smashed out, and houses burning. Dead were strewn throughout the streets, creating a grisly scene as the Impala moved forwards. The entire town appeared to be blanketed in a layer of smoke, casting it into a darkness that reminded Dean of his time in Purgatory. The streets seemed to be filled with the sounds of people screaming, both from terror and pain. The only other sound present was that of what sounded like hundreds of motorcycles tearing through the night.

Both hunters were awestruck by the pandemonium in Sunnydale. Dean found himself wondering how much of this would happen even with the slayer still living and breathing. Sam again wondered how a town this torn apart hadn't been well known in the hunter community. He knew there was no way that this town had never faced supernatural forces before, not with this magnitude of an infestation. There had to be more to it than just this case, but Sam couldn't place his finger on it. He made a mental note to do some research into the town the next time he had the chance.

The sight of a demonic form carrying a girl over it's shoulder down the street called the Winchesters into action.

"Hey ugly!" Dean yelled as soon as he was out of the car, his shotgun close by his side.

The monster turned to find where the voice had come from, locking it's eyes on Dean. Of all the monsters that the brothers had faced, they were not expected something that looked so…comical? It certainly didn't look like a scary beast hell bent on destruction, even with the horns that curled out of it's green head. It almost looked like something you'd expect to see in an old Scooby Doo re-rerun, not in the middle of the hellmouth. It was laughable, that was, until the beast bared it's fangs. Neither of them knew what to expect while fighting this thing, but they both knew that it couldn't be allowed to carry this poor girl off.

It growled before unceremoniously dropping the girl onto the pavement with a thud and lunging for the brothers. Two pumps from the shotgun slowed it down, but did not drop the beast. Sam took a shot from his handgun, which had been loaded with silver infused bullets. That seemed to do the trick as the beast fell, a smoking hole carved through it's skull. Sam ran towards the girl to check on her, and Dean pumped a couple more shotgun shots into the beast's throat, completely beheading it. Ya know, just to be safe. It was something he had taken to doing ever since Purgatory. Ever since Buffy had been ripped away by the winged bastard that they ended up needing to kill twice. If nothing else, Dean Winchester learned from his mistakes. Especially when it put others in danger.

"How's the girl?" Dean asked as the brothers regrouped at the car.

"Gone. She ran off as soon as I got close. What was that thing?"

Dean shrugged, "dead now, whatever it was. Let's see what else is kickin' around here."

"Uh, Dean? I got a better idea. Running. Now."

Dean turned to look at whatever it was that was causing Sam to panic, his eyes growing wide as soon as he realized what Sam was seeing. Coming up behind them was a gang of monsters, each armed with nailed boards and bats wrapped in barbed wire. Dean wasn't one to run from a fight, but he hadn't been expecting to run into the gang so soon, and he certainly wasn't expecting them to get the drop on him and Sam. It may be out of the ordinary for Dean, but he was quick to agree with Sam on this one. Running was smart. They were here to try to clear the town, not die because of their egos.

The brothers took off running, opting to take the alley routes, eager to lose the pack before they could get too close. They could only hope that the demons didn't know the town too well, otherwise they would have an unfair advantage against the hunters, and that was the last thing they needed. The brothers' run quickly became an obstacle course as they dodged around fires, debris, and corpses that had been left where they dropped. Several shotgun blasts were used to keep the pack behind them at bay, as well as solo monsters that tried to join in the chase. The pace didn't slow down until they were sure that the pack had either given up or lost track of them.

Huffing and puffing Sam turned to face Dean, "Alright. Now what?"

Dean, who was also struggling to catch his breath, shook his head, "I dunno, but we gotta find a way to get these sons of bitches out of here."

"Agreed. I still think we should have put the word out about this place. We could use some help."

"We can do this, Sam. Take down a leader or two and the rest of 'em should run with their tails between their legs."

Sam shot his brother a doubtful look, only to find a similar look on Dean's face. Even Dean didn't believe what he was saying, and that was something that could strike fear into Sam Winchester. He would have suggested leaving the town, declaring it lost, but there were innocents that still lived here. People that needed their help, and that's what they did. Even ignoring that fact, the determined look in Dean's eyes as he had spoken about this case told Sam that there was no way they were walking away. For whatever reason, this place was important to Dean. He may not understand it yet, but Sam had learned to trust his brother. He may not always make the right call, but he did the best he could. Sam would follow his brother to the end of the world, just as he had been doing ever since Dean had come to him at Stanford.

"Okay, we can work with that. A little stealth until we really know what we're up against. Find the ring leaders – "

"And pump them full of holes. Sounds like a plan, Sammy," Dean grinned, giving his brother a pat on the back before slipping his shotgun back into the sling on his own back.

"Works for me," Sam nodded, pulling a knife out of his holster. Stealthy was one thing, but they still needed to defend themselves.

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It had been a couple of hours that they boys had been wandering through the streets and alleys of Sunnydale. Despite the incredible number of demons they had seen, not many had seen them. Which worked out well as they were able to drop a good deal of the ones they did come across, all without being discovered. As many demons and monsters that they had found so far, not one seemed to be a pack leader. In fact, none of them seemed to be with a group at all, but rather stragglers or scavengers. Discouragement started to settle in for the two brothers until they heard the sound of motorcycles revving, and the sound of chains dragging over pavement.

"Now we're talkin'," Dean grinned, quickly dashing off towards the sound, keeping low just in case they ended up in a demon's sightlines.

It was hard to decipher where the sound was coming from as it seemed to be completely surrounding them. The sound echoed and bounced off of walls, and sometimes was completely buried by the sound of a car alarm or someone screaming. Dean found himself wishing to have his slayer companion there with him, using her acute hearing to guide them. It wasn't the first time he had missed her on a hunt, and her skills weren't the only reason. The brothers darted between alleys and streets, doing their best to find the source of the noise. The motorcycle sound was now accompanied by gruff voices, alerting the boys that they must be close to their target. Being careful to remain hidden behind a dumpster at the end of the alleyway, the brothers set their eyes on the source of the sounds that had led them here. They had come to expect the worst in the short time they had spent in Sunnydale, but they weren't sure they were ready for what they found.

In the middle of a wide open street, surrounded by bonfires, they found what could probably qualify as the ugliest biker gang they had ever seen. The faces were gnarled and vicious looking, with fragments of flesh hanging from their bones. Metal rings and hooks pierced their faces with leather bands connecting several of them. Most of them were armed with makeshift weapons, much like what they had seen the pack carrying before. Looking out into the crowd they found that there were more of them than they would have expected. Only a few were on their bikes though, just the ones that were attached to industrial sized chains. A few of them were riding circles around the mob and the rest were standing in a circle, laughing at and taunting whatever was in the center. Neither of the brothers could see, but they could only assume there was a victim in there. The chance existed that it was a demon from another gang, but chances were even better that it was a human victim. Someone that needed their help.

Sam indicated a turned over car that was closer to the gang, hoping for a better vantage point. Dean nodded in silent agreement and the two kept low as they darted towards the car. They still couldn't see what was in the center of the circle, but they could tell that whatever it was, the chains were attached to it. If it was a human victim, it did not bode well for them. Here they could finally make out what the voice had been saying. At least they had finally found a pack leader; it looked as though the demons were waiting for his order, whatever it may be.

The group shifted, seemingly to ready themselves for whatever was about to happen, and more of the unchained bikes were now circling the prey in the middle. The slight shift in position opened up a sightline in between bikes to what was standing in the middle. This time it wasn't a flash of blonde hair holding her own that caught Dean's attention. This time, the blonde had chains wrapped around each of her limbs, leaving her at the mercy of these things. Dean's nightmares flashed behind his eyes as he stood in that street. Here he was, held back from her, and he was most certainly sure he was about to see her die, just as he did each night. The distance was great, and there was no way that the brothers could cross it before the chains were pulled tight. His fear for her far outweighed his shock of seeing Buffy standing in the middle of the circle. Dean's blood ran cold.

"Gentlemen, start your engines! Bye-bye Slayer!"

The motorcycles roared to life, and just as quickly as they started, they lurched forwards, tightening the chains and ripping the small blonde slayer apart. Her limbs were sent flying in several directions, the last of her small body falling to the ground with a sickening thud.

"NO!" Dean screamed, no longer caring if any of the demons knew he was there.

It was a split second between watching Buffy be torn to pieces and Dean yelling, but it felt like a lifetime had already passed. Dean's entire body went numb, his limbs becoming dead weight. His skin prickled and he felt his heart soar up to his throat. He was vaguely aware that he was dashing closer to the carnage as he yelled. Dean didn't feel any sort of control over himself at this point; he felt like he was watching someone else's life. He wished it was someone else's life at this moment; he could feel himself being torn to shreds as well.

It wasn't only Dean's voice that screamed a blood-curdling 'no.' There had been a female's voice mixed in as well, somewhere on the other side of the slaughter. In the midst of the chaos, Dean wouldn't have been able to find the source of the voice if the demon gang hadn't turned to pay attention to it. They didn't pay any attention to Dean, or Sam who was hot on his trail, which did nothing but fuel Dean's anger further. Until he saw what the gang had turned to face. Standing just behind the leather-bound gang was Buffy. Again. She seemed lost, unsure of where she was. She was dishevelled and looked as though she had been rolling through the dirt and soot on the streets. Her black dress was torn, her hands bloodied, and her hair was frizzy. It was a far cry from the Buffy he had gotten to know, but it was definitely her, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Sam was just as confused, seeing a double of the girl they had just seen torn to shreds. Dean's full-tilt run was halted at the sight of her, his jaw hitting the ground.

"Buffy?" His voice was barely audible above the sound of motorcycles revving.

Sam furrowed his brows, "what? Who is that?"

"Another one for the fire boys! Tear it up!"

The blonde's eyes grew wide, a slightly delayed reaction, before she turned on her heels to run.

"Hey! Why don't you leave the lady alone!" Sam called out to the gang.

Dean seemed to be frozen, but Sam wasn't about to let this poor girl suffer the same fate as the first one they saw. The pack leader turned to face the brothers, his face contorting into what Sam could only assume is what would pass for a smile in the gang.

"Now who do we have here? Looks like we got two more to add to the spit!"

Dean didn't shake out of his state until he realized that there were bikes coming straight for them, and for Buffy as well. His shotgun was out of its sling immediately, with two rounds pumped into the leading bike's tire. The bike spiraled out of control, taking down the bike directly behind it. The rest of the bikes, the pack leader included, were tearing after the slayer, and so that is where Dean's attention turned to next.

Buffy had attempted to make a break for the nearest alley mouth, wanting nothing more than to get away from the pack of demons that had just destroyed her double. Her confusion was overwhelming as she didn't know what was chasing her, or how there had been two of her. Their faces were grotesque, with leather straps and metal studs sticking through different spots. Their fangs were bared, dripping with saliva and venom. Her vision was blurred, and she couldn't hear much more than the revving of engines as they closed in on her. Buffy was terrified, and all she knew was that she needed to get away.

Unfortunately for the blonde, her escape was quickly cut off by a bike circling in front of her, driving her back towards the rest of the pack. She tried to dart towards another direction, but had another biker coming straight for her, swinging a chain over his head like a lasso. There was no time to think, her instincts taking over immediately causing her to duck and roll to the side. The chain made contact with the biker that had first halted her escape, and wrapped around his throat with a sick grinding sound as the chain came into contact with itself. Both demons were ripped from their bikes, hitting the ground in a mess of limbs and chains. In any other situation, the slayer would have found herself laughing, but there was no time for that.

Dean, who had seen this encounter, did in fact laugh. He hadn't been in control of the laughter that had risen from his gut, and part of him wondered if it was a nervous reaction more than anything. The moment was short lived, however, as there were still an overwhelming number of demons circling the three of them. Dean couldn't help but be reminded of the battle at the base of the mountain in Purgatory. Completely outnumbered and surrounded. If they could win that one, with only one knife between the two of them, they could win now. There was three of them, and this time Sam and Dean were equipped to take down a small army. Which was probably best, because that is what they were facing.

There was no time for the brothers to reach the slayer, who was currently having a showdown with the pack leader, as several bikes started to circle them effectively cutting off any route of escape. They hadn't recognized the Winchester brothers to begin with, and now Sam and Dean were going to show them how much of a mistake that was. A chain from the first bike that came at them had fallen to the ground, which Dean quickly grabbed to use to their advantage. As Sam began shooting at the tires of the bikes, hoping to knock a few of them out of the game, Dean raised the chain and swung it like he had seen the bikers doing. It took a lot of work, and every ounce of strength that the hunter had, but he managed to get some momentum behind it. The chain was flung out to the side, wrapping around the horns of one of the riders. Not an ideal shot, but it was enough to be able to rip the biker free from his ride, leaving the bike to tumble to the side. To avoid a fiery crash the rest of the riders were forced to break formation, allowing the brothers to get out of the closed off circle. Dean took the opportunity to dash off to join the slayer in her fight, and Sam was hot on his heels once again.

Buffy was standing in front of the pack leader, eyes flitting around from side to side as though she couldn't focus on anything. She couldn't hear a word he was saying to her, but quickly understood the situation as the back of his hand came into contact with her face with such a force that her head snapped to the side, drawing blood from her lip. She was stunned, but still didn't respond. Dean was watching with intense curiosity as he was trying to break free from the circle of bikers that had again found them. Another fist flew towards Buffy, but her hand came up to meet the assault before it came even close to making contact with her this time. Dean remembered being held in that grip, and he knew that this demon wasn't going anywhere now. The blonde's free hand quickly flew up and struck the biker in the face, and she followed through with a spinning roundhouse kick to the pack leader's throat. The demon staggered back, and Buffy delivered a strong scissor kick, snapping the monster's head backwards, effectively snapping his neck. He was dead long before his body hit the pavement in front of her.

"She killed him!" One of the bikers surrounding the hunter's screamed out, pointing towards the slayer and the corpse, "the slayer fucking killed him!"

The bikers hadn't even flinched at the gunshots the boys had dealt out, but seeing their leader dead was apparently enough to frighten them. The bikes quickly snapped into a straight line and tore down the street, leaving the three humans standing alone in a circle of death and flames. The new found silence was nearly deafening, and Dean found himself again in a state of shock. Standing less than ten feet away from him was a girl that he had fought beside for a lifetime. A girl whose grave he had visited only a month earlier. A girl who he had just been ripped into pieces right in front of his eyes. And yet, here she was, so close he could hear her ragged breaths as she geared down from the fight. It was Buffy.

"Buffy?" He asked again, "is that really you?"

Her eyes snapped to his, but it was as though she was looking straight through him, her gaze not focusing on anything. Her brows furrowed, and as he took a step forward she shrunk back from him. Dean stopped, understanding that she was frightened.

"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. It's me, Dean. Buffy, it's me," Dean again tried to move closer, taking much smaller steps this time.

Although he was full of questions, Sam watched silently. He didn't know how Dean knew this girl, and he didn't understand the way she was behaving, but he knew that there was no way he was going to get any answers right now. There was a missing piece or two, but that would have to wait. Rather than interfere with whatever it was his brother was doing, Sam turned to watch their surroundings. The gang may have run off, but there were others lurking in the town, and the last thing they needed right now was to be caught off guard by another set of monsters.

Buffy finally seemed to focus in on Dean, a look of understanding crossing her face. Dean grinned and took a full step towards her before realizing what she was focusing on. All she could make out was his shotgun. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she took two shuffling steps back before taking off down the alley that was behind her.

"No! Buffy!" Dean yelled after her, "fuck!"

Dean cast a quick side glance to his brother before taking off after the blonde slayer. They ran as fast as they could, but even their long strides were no match for the speed of a slayer, especially a frightened one. They had given chase only moments after she had run away, but they had lost sight of her almost immediately. Once they reached the end of the alleyway it was impossible to figure out which direction she had opted to take, and splitting up was not an option that was partial to their survival. The disappointment was evident on Dean's face as he cussed again, kicking a nearby trash can over.

"Dean, who was that?" Sam finally had an opportunity to speak.

Dean knew he couldn't pretend this was just about a case he had heard about, not anymore. He was going to have to tell him about Buffy. He knew this day would come eventually, but he had hoped it would be when he pulled her out of Purgatory, not finding her in the middle of a warzone.

"Not now, Sammy. We have to find her."

That was the answer he was expecting. It seemed to be the only answer he had been able to get out of Dean since he returned from Purgatory. The sound of gunshots and more engines revving discouraged any argument Sam may have had. Dean was right, now was not the time for this. They had to move, and they had people to protect. Information about the mysterious girl would have to wait.

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With no trace of tact, Anya asked the obvious question, "what's wrong with her?"

"Nothing! She's-she's in shock," Willow's voice taking on a defensive tone.

"Her hands are bleeding…her fingers," the worry obvious in Tara's voice.

"Oh, she's filthy," this time a sadness was present in Anya's voice.

The entire time they spoke, Buffy remained crouched in the corner of the alley. Her hands grasping at her head, trying to make herself as small as she could be. Her friends stared down at her, keeping their distance. It was as though she couldn't see them, couldn't hear them. If she could, Buffy showed no sign of recognition. She looked terrified.

"Oh no," realization sunk in for Xander.

"What?" Willow turned to Xander.

"No…how could we – so stupid!" A quiet rage filled Xander's eyes now, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed.

"Our spell. Our resurrection spell worked like a magic charm. We brought you back to life, Buffy," his gaze shifted from the blonde to Willow, "right where we left her."

The realization that Xander had come to now washed over the rest of the group, the horror truly setting in.

Tears filled Willow's eyes as she gasped, "Oh god…"

"In her coffin." Xander finished, the pain obvious in his voice.

Tara finished the revelation, "she had to…dig out of her own grave…"

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The brothers walked back towards the Impala, passing by where the carnage had started, where they had found the chained up blonde. Dean bee-lined for the car, but Sam hung back, wanting to take a look at the remains. Upon closer inspection Sam's suspicions were confirmed. The gang hadn't torn apart a human but rather what appeared to be some sort of robot. A very well put together robot for sure, but a robot nonetheless. This town was getting weirder by the minute, and so was this supposed case. Sam had far more questions than he did answers, and it was frustrating to be left in the dark.

"Dean, that thing was a robot," Sam puffed as he caught up to his brother.

"What?" Dean asked, looking at his brother over the roof of the Impala.

Sam nodded, "Yeah. I took a look, it's an electronic, wired, being. Know anything about it?"

Dean shot him an incredulous look, "No, what makes you think I would?"

"Well you obviously knew more about this 'case' than you let on. Just trying to get all the information, Dean."

Dean shot him his famous 'drop the fucking topic, Sammy' look and opened the driver's door.

"Get in the car. Now."

Sam sighed, but obeyed his brother's order. It was funny, Sam spent most of his life doing everything he could to disobey their father, and now as an adult he found himself falling in line more often than he would have ever expected. He couldn't explain it, but when it came to Dean, it never felt like he was barking orders.

Dean didn't know what direction he was going to drive in, but he knew he had to start driving. That was Buffy, there was no doubt in his mind. He didn't know how, but she was back. She was back, and wandering around lost. She had no idea where she was, and possibly even who she was. She could defend herself, that they had seen, but he had no idea if she could handle herself if an entire gang found her like they had found that robot. His stomach turned at the idea of the same fate befalling the real Buffy. His foot pressed harder into his pedal, making the Impala groan under the strain.

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Dawn fought back tears, "Buffy? Buffy. You...you...you're really here," The tears were free-flowing now, "You're alive, and you're home. You're home."

She didn't know how it had happened, she didn't know where she had come from, but her sister was home. She was here, in her arms, living and breathing. Her hair was filled with soil and grass. Her dress was torn, and she had blood on her face and hands. She had been through a lot and it would take some time for her to adjust, but none of that mattered right now. Nothing else mattered. Buffy was here, with her. She was alive and she was home.