Disclaimer: All Buffy or Angel characters were created by Joss Whedon. Not me.
Author's Note: So, it's been a long time. But well, since I've posted the last chapter I had to study for my exams and they took pretty much the whole May. After that, there were other things to take care of that you probably won't even care about. Oh, someone asked a question about Spike's message at the end of the last chapter - that's pretty much explained in here, I hope. And I changed the location of Rain's death in the last chapter, been looking at the map of Los Angeles and it didn't add up. That's the other thing, I've been going over the story, episodes of Angel and trying to connect the dots to complete the picture and yeah, got the rest of the story mapped out.
Chapter Nineteen: I'm Not Your Hero
''You know,'' Connor began after he and Spike laid Rain's body next to Katie's. ''I can't even remember how old they were. I know they told me... and I can't even remember. Their last names, I don't think we even asked that.''
It was a little past noon and they, along with Lorne and Amy were out here for the last two hours. A short distance from them, Anthis was already burning her brother's body. Spike followed Connor's line of sight. ''He was as bad as they get, but still family.'' He sighed. ''We didn't have time to get overly friendly. Lucky as they were, they lasted for so long.''
''How you figure?'' Connor asked and watched as Lorne and Amy just finished cutting down the last of branches. Good thing they borrowed some tools from the local fire department.
''They were young, strong and healthy. If one of them had some sort of condition that had to be treated in hospital, that's it. Think about all these old people. They were dead from the start.''
''Somehow that didn't make me feel better.'' He remarked.
''So that's it, huh?'' Lorne approached them, a little out of breath as Amy placed the last of the wood to their pyre, which in fact was a wooden table. They just added a lot more of it. ''Do you know if they had any family?''
''Katie's didn't want anything to do with her.'' He slowly recalled. ''Rain's... they're out there somewhere. In the dark about, you know, them.''
''We're all set.'' Amy said as she joined them.
''Right.'' Spike murmured and bent down to pick up a canister full of fuel they hijacked from the fire trucks. Connor did the same. Together they began to pour it over the bodies.
''At least we know that the spell is no longer active.'' Anthis said from just beside Amy, who jumped slightly in surprise. The way she moved without any noise sometimes freaked her out.
''The zombie one?'' She asked.
''Yes. They would've rose already.''
''Thank God for that.'' Lorne said under his breath. None of them wanted to see Rain or Katie hungry for blood. Spike threw his canister away.
''So, uh... anyone want to say... something?'' He searched his pockets for a lighter.
''Like what? Sorry?'' Amy raised her chin. In the morning, when Spike revealed what happened, she was the one who yelled the loudest.
''Suppose that wouldn't do.'' Vampire said and, having found the lighter and the cigarettes, lit one up.
''Just do it.'' Connor looked at him. ''The only thing we can do for them is to find that fucker.''
Spike looked at all of them and when no one said anything more, he turned to the pyre. He raised his zippo and, licking his lips, threw the lighter onto the table. Thanks to all the fuel, the flames immediately burst high. He took few steps back to stand with the rest.
''Let's go.'' Anthis spoke after few moments. Amy nodded her head absently.
''Let's stop at a bar, shall we?'' Lorne said after he turned away from the flames. They murmured their agreement.
''You coming?'' Connor hesitated, as Spike didn't move a muscle. ''Yeah.''
They followed the group a short distance away. ''Look, I want you to have it.'' Vampire began after a while. He held out his hand and placed something in Connor's. Boy looked at it, confused. ''It's a memory card. From the camera.'' Spike clarified. ''I, uh, recorded a little message at the end. For Buffy you know. Just in case I don't make it out.''
''Why-''
''Give it to you? Way I figure your chances are better than mine. And even if you die, this won't turn to dust. Meaning someone can always pick it up later.'' Spike shrugged.
''Thanks.'' Connor said sarcastically.
They were just about to round the corner when he turned for the last time. He noticed a sign.
Echo Park
***B***B***
Angel waited patiently for the blood to warm up in a microwave. He tried to sort out his memories, but still some didn't fit, which convinced him that he missed few altogether. He couldn't remember the first thing after the battle. Meeting Spike and capturing Illyria? Getting The Scythe? And didn't he see Buffy or something?
He sighed and noticed that his blood was ready. Angel drank a little, savoring the taste. Human. Something that he was not accustomed to. Still, if Spike could bear it, then damn it to hell if Angel couldn't.
''So, what's up?'' Gunn asked from the door. Before getting the blood, he told Gunn to get Illyria. Vampire sat down, while Illyria moved to the couch.
''Yeah, uh, I wanted to talk.'' Angel cleared his throat. ''Have any of you ever heard of something like this?''
''Meaning?'' Gunn leaned back.
''This. Los Angeles. Something this big and there wasn't ever some sort of prophecy about it?'' He sat down across from Gunn. ''I think we can all agree, that whatever happens, it's gonna change the world. It already has. The Scythe – Slayer's Holy Grail is corrupted. The one slayer that has it has gone rogue... again. Isn't there something that can tell us how to,'' He took a deep breath. ''Fix it?''
''Not to my knowledge.'' Illyria said.
''Yeah, man.'' Gunn joined her. ''I've got my share of weird things stuffed into my head, but nothing like this. Even if someone expected this, it sure as hell weren't The Senior Partners.''
''Damn it.'' Angel said under his breath.
''You're looking for a way to save her.'' Illyria noticed. ''I don't think there is one.''
''There has to be. There is always a way.''
''This isn't like forcing a soul down Angelus' throat.'' Gunn stated. ''Faith already has one. We can't throw a demon out of her, because she isn't possessed. What she's doing is all her. We'd have to basically cleanse her soul and that is something we're simply not capable of doing.''
Angel's head shot up at that. ''But it is possible?''
''Not in Los Angeles.'' Gunn shook his head.
''So we restrain her. Capture her, get the barrier down and then cure her.'' He said, hope sparkling in his eyes.
''Even if,'' Illyria started slowly. ''It's uh, snowballs chance in... hell,'' Both Gunn and Angel stared at her with slightly weird expressions on their faces. ''That it will succeed. You can't simply vaporize the problem, only shift it.''
''Say what?''
''She means that you can't make it disappear, only move it onto another person.'' Gunn explained. ''And do you know anyone suicidal enough to actually agree to that? Or do you plan to grab someone off the streets and force it on him? We're out of options.''
''We can't be.'' Angel said stubbornly.
''What is actually your plan, huh?'' Taller vampire wondered. ''If this was anyone else out there, you wouldn't even think twice 'bout taking him out.''
''Maybe.'' He sighed. ''Probably.''
''So you see. What we need to do is-''
''What about The Scythe?'' Angel interrupted Gunn. ''That's what's controlling her. Can't we simply fix it and then it would go away? Get Willow to spell it back to the good side. She's the one who used it to create the slayers, isn't she, like connected to it or something?''
''That could work,'' Illyria started slowly. ''If Faith was simply influenced by it, as you said. But she accepted it. Faith took it deep into her heart and it won't let go. You keep running from the issue, but it will catch up to you. She chose to do this, to save you. All you can do now is save her in return.''
Angel looked down. Younger Faith walking up to the older. ''You sure 'bout this sis?''
''Yeah. Go. And kill that bastard.''
That was the moment she embraced the darkness in her. ''…And sorry if I failed you.''
''I will save you.''
He looked up. ''How... do we want to do this?'' It was almost physically painful to force the words out.
''Wait, so you're on board?'' Gunn asked, evidently surprised. ''Just like that?''
Angel nodded his head, not looking at them.
''Charles, you do have something very powerful... on you.'' Illyria walked closer to him. ''Am I correct?''
Gunn locked eyes with her, suddenly uneasy. ''How do you know?'' He reached to the back of his pants and produced a blade. Angel looked at it warily.
''I can feel the power it's emanating.'' She took a closer look. ''Why do you have it? That blade belongs to-''
''Wolfram & Hart.'' Gunn said. ''They gave it to me to kill Adrian's summoner. Danar thought that if given enough power, it could kill Adrian.'' He frowned. ''What, we want to use it on Faith?''
''No. No, I don't think that it will be necessary. She can be defeated by normal means.'' Illyria slowly picked the knife up. ''This however... it really is powerful.''
''Can you use it to power yourself up?'' Angel asked.
''No.'' She denied. ''There is no way I can extract the energy. But...'' She inspected the handle and ran her fingers along the edge.
''What?'' Gunn joined Angel in earnest staring.
''I strongly believe that if released, the energy will be enough to destroy the barrier. At least a part of it.''
Vampires looked at each other, then back at Illyria. ''Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's go.''
''We wait for the rest to come back and then we go. Regroup with Buffy and capture Faith.'' Angel agreed with Gunn.
''I'm afraid it is not that simple.'' Goddess stated. ''This, combined with the blast that is likely to occur due to destroying the barrier will most definitely annihilate us. Everything in the immediate area.''
''Fuck.'' Gunn said under his breath. ''That's uh, pretty much a suicide mission?''
''Yes.''
''So what's the use of it?'' Angel asked patiently. ''There is surely something we can do with this, right?''
''Does it matter? Even if we take care of Faith, then we're still trapped here. Unless you want to be the one to go all kamikaze for us.'' Gunn said, clearly frustrated.
At the mention of Faith, Illyria's eyes lit up. ''That's not necessarily true.''
''Huh?''
''I am nearly certain that, at full power, I can do this.'' She said.
''We kill Faith, you get your power back and get us the hell out of here. That about right?'' Gunn sighed.
''No. I can't draw energy from a dead body. I need her alive long enough for me to get it back.''
Angel closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair. ''Wonderful. Why can't something ever be simple?''
''Do you know who provided the power to this blade?'' Illyria asked Gunn.
''I think it was like four or five different demons. You'd have to ask Danar, he's the one who ordered it. Why?'' Gunn asked in return.
''We should speak with him.'' She stated. ''Find out exactly who and what kind of power was used. With four different sorcerers it is impossible to tell what will be the damage upon releasing the energy.''
''But you just said-'' Angel started.
''I didn't know it was combined. Understand this, that blade might be a time bomb. If the energies inside are affecting each other, they might spontaneously combust. Any minute. We need to know.'' Illyria said, leaving no room for arguments.
''Yeah, Danar's gonna be happy as hell when he sees me.'' Gunn murmured. ''When do we leave?''
''Now.'' She poked her head back in.
''Huh?''
''We can't wait.'' Illyria said flatly.
''What about the rest?'' Angel asked.
''Tell them we had to go.'' Gunn replied. ''If we're not back in... three hours, you can come looking.''
***B***B***
Opening her eyes Faith felt strangely calm. Confident. She rose from the bed, in an apartment she couldn't clearly remember even getting into. Quickly she found The Scythe with her eyes and walked around the place. Fairly nice. A little above the medium pay grade. Slayer looked out of the window and yes, she was still near the demon's nest. Judging by the sun, it was well into the day. Leaning her forehead against the glass, Faith recalled her dream. Buffy. How everything suddenly clicked for her. Sunnydale and it's aftermath. Los Angeles. Demon's monologue on the slayers and the confirmation by Buffy. This is why she was here. The reason for all of this. Sighing, she went to the kitchen and raided the cupboards for something to eat.
Ten minutes later she was sitting at the table, going through her second can of some meat she didn't dare try to identify. It tasted awful, however the four pack she found with it somehow kept her spirits up. She moved onto her third can and noticed that her right hand, holding the spoon, was shaking. Not much, just enough to be noticable and irritate her. She flexed her fingers, took a swing of her beer and returned to the task. Halfway through, she threw the spoon down and leaned back, watching the can darkly. She felt restless as she snapped her fingers to keep her hands occupied. Faith could hear her own heart beating in the utter silence and the rhythm was definitely too fast. Too erratic. She downed the beer and, at the moment finding it her worst enemy, hurled it across the room. The sound it made as it crashed into the wall and shattered to dozens of pieces left her partially satisfied. Faith shot up and turned the whole table over, the things resting on it flying in every possible direction, making a whole song of noises as each thing hit a different surface. She grabbed the chair she was previously sitting on and threw it out of the window.
Breathing a little heavier, she stormed into the living room and kicked at the TV which, registering at the back of her mind, was a flat one. Faith took a deep breath, attempting to calm down. She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. Another deep breath and she opened her eyes, staring at the olive colored wall. In three strides she got to it and put her fist through, stopping in the middle of her forearm. Only then did she let out a shaky breath, feeling herself calming down. Brunette grunted as she retracted her hand.
''The fuck was that?'' She muttered to herself and went back to the kitchen. She noticed the mayhem. Just as she was about to head to the bedroom, something caught her eye. Miraculously one of the bottles didn't break, instead falling on the soft carpet. With a smile she picked it up, opened and took a big swing.
And then one more thing came to her. The smell. Something in the apartment smelled really, really bad. Something among the lines of a rotting corpse or a gutted demon. She checked every room in the place, yet came up with no explanation. Nothing. If there was no dead owner in here, then what the hell... She stopped abruptly. And looked down on herself. The smell was coming from her. She was covered in blood, both demon and her own as well as some kind of ooze. Faith experienced a sudden desire to throw up, but quickly drank the rest of her beer and grabbed The Scythe. She needed a bath. And a change of clothes. Now.
***B***B***
Angel stared at the city through the window. He considered opening it, but decided against it after contemplating the outcome. From what he learned, this place was hidden, but did opening the window and sticking his head out somehow compromise the protecting charms? He didn't want to risk it, not before getting more information. He knew the chances of Faith somehow sensing him were minimal. She wasn't gifted in magic by any means. Still, better safe than sorry.
He heard footsteps.
''I'm telling you, we should blow something else up, draw attention.'' Spike said, opening the doors, apparently arguing with someone. ''That's the best bet at finding her.''
''Yeah, and every demon who might be interested.'' Amy snapped.
''I'm not sure they would come.'' Connor joined the conversation, closing the door behind Lorne. ''They'd be too scared to poke their heads out.''
Anthis briefly met Angel's eyes and walked past him into the apartment. Lorne shook his head and went to the kitchen.
''You want to take that chance?''
''What are we fighting about?'' Angel asked. Three heads turned to him.
''Spike thinks that the best way of drawing Faith out is to send another smoke signal. Ergo blow a gas station up, because that worked so great for us the last time.'' Amy said. ''Rain barely survived this and when Faith came back she was a psycho.''
''Yeah, well this time we'll be prepared.'' Spike countered. ''And I'm not forcing you to be there, am I?''
As they stared at each other, Angel cocked his head to look into the kitchen, where Lorne drank some water from the tap.
''Where is everyone?'' A voice behind him asked. Anthis apparently had time to search through the rooms.
Everyone present focused their attention on him. ''Gunn and Illyria, they uh, went to Danar. The demon that Gunn stayed with before you guys brought him here.'' He explained. ''They need his advice.''
''Just the two of them? What the hell is so important that they couldn't wait for us?'' Spike asked ridiculously.
''How long since they left?'' Amy interrupted.
''Ten, maybe fifteen minutes.'' Angel answered. Slayer turned to leave, but Connor stepped in her way. ''What are you doing?''
''What does it look like? I'm going with them.'' She said strongly.
''What? No.''
''I won't stay a minute longer in this place than I have to.'' Amy stated. This time, no one tried to stop her as she opened the door and walked out.
''Should someone go after her?'' Lorne asked after a moment. He coughed, took a drink and spit it back out into the sink. Angel noticed the worried frown on his face.
''She will be fine.'' Anthis commented. ''I've set various traps that would alert me to any unwanted presence in the immediate area. A slayer is very unlikely to be detected, and the only thing roaming the streets right now is Faith. The chances of them meeting are very slim.''
''Faith is a slayer.'' Connor noticed.
''She is not pure.'' Anthis answered.
''So basically we're just gonna wait until they come back?'' Spike asked. Angel confirmed it with a nod. Then, Spike produced a bottle of Jack Daniels, seemingly out of nowhere.
''You're gonna drink in this situation?'' Angel looked at him ridiculously.
''Who says I'll be alone?'' Spike said and went to get glasses. Angel narrowed his eyes at Lorne, but he seemed innocent. Anthis was pretty much out of the question. He turned his eyes to his son. Connor looked at him apologetically, shrugged and took out a second bottle from inside his jacket.
''You're not drinking with my son!'' Angel all but yelled at Spike.
''Hey, I'm an adult.'' Connor protested.
''No you're not.'' Vampire looked at his son sharply.
''I am, in many countries.'' Connor mumbled under his breath.
''Cut the kid some slack, will you old man?'' Spike intervened. ''After all we've been through, after all he's been through, the last thing you get to bitch about is a bottle of booze. Have one yourself, instead of brooding in the corner like you always do. 'Sides, I'm just teaching my nephew the fine art of drinking. Something long overdue and that's your damn fault.''
Angel looked at him strangely. ''Nephew?''
Spike tried to work the bloodline in his head. ''Whatever.'' He eventually said and poured five glasses. ''Come on, we won't get plastered. What's the worst thing that could happen?''
''But he hasn't even been drinking yet!'' This time Angel protested, as he knew the tide was turning against him. Spike just chuckled. ''Right, son?'' Vampire turned to him, only to see Connor looking back at him sheepishly.
''What century do you live in, mate? I'm sure he's been getting plastered all over.'' Spike grabbed his glass. ''Now, what do you do if you can't beat someone? C'mon, you can tell us what chased Chuck out of here.''
Angel sighed and joined them.
***B***B***
''How do you think we'll beat her?'' Gunn asked, stepping over a destroyed light post. ''Not only she's powered up by The Scythe, but she's also full of you.''
''I don't think it matters.'' Illyria said after a while. ''I'm not sure Faith is even aware of that.''
''What if she is? Then we're dealing with Obelix who, on top of that, is on magic potion and that is not a good combination for us.''
''Who?'' Illyria looked at him curiously.
''Someone really, really strong.'' Gunn eventually said.
''Even if Faith knows that there is something more in her, she wouldn't know how to access it, channel the power for her use.'' She explained. ''Adrian knew perfectly well what he was dealing with and he couldn't find out how to make the most of it. I wouldn't worry about that.''
''One for us, then.'' Gunn stopped and turned around. ''Do you hear that?''
Illyria cocked her head to the side and stared down the street. ''What is that noise?''
''I'm not sure. Come on, take cover.'' He hid behind a truck, while Illyria used a dumpster.
Soon he could hear soft intakes of breath quickly coming to him, along with a noise that somehow reminded him of a...
As the source of the noise passed him Gunn kicked out. Something metal hit the ground, along with a body.
A pained curse caught his ears as he tried to identify the object. ''A bike?''
''What the hell man?'' Amy complained from the ground. Thanks to her quick instincts, she managed to roll onto her back, so the damage she suffered was minimal.
''What are you doing here?'' Illyria asked.
''Went for a ride.'' Slayer said sarcastically. Goddess offered her a hand and she took it. ''Couldn't you warn me or something next time?''
''You're lucky I didn't cut you in half.'' Vampire said. ''Seriously?'' He looked down on the bicycle.
''What? It sure as hell beat running after you. And it's rather quiet.'' Amy explained.
''Huh.'' Gunn raised his eyebrow. ''Maybe you're onto something.''
''Why did you come alone? You know the dangers out here.'' Illyria noticed.
''Yeah, so maybe let's keep going before something sees us. Or someone.'' Girl said.
***B***B***
Faith walked through the streets with a bag full of new clothes slung over her shoulder. Surprisingly it wasn't full of dark leathers. Instead, she opted for loose, baggy clothes that would allow her to stretch better. Leather was classy, but fighting in those tight pants was sometimes a real pain in the ass. Literally. She kept the heavy boots, they didn't really bother her, as much as they actually helped. Getting your face or balls hit by that kind of boot can really do much damage. Along with that she had a matching underwear, she really spend five good minutes contemplating whether to take a bra. In the end she did, as she didn't want her bouncing tits distracting her. Well, they could distract someone else too, but she was more concerned about her effectiveness than luck or someone's failures. To complete the look, she chose a shirt from men's side of the store and a hoodie. Well, that look certainly wouldn't win her any awards. Like anywhere. Never.
So now she looked for a place to clean up. She tried to think of something else than a cold shower somewhere, but nothing came to her mind. And Faith was getting desperate, because the smell radiating off her was awful. She was sure, were this a comic book, everything she passed would die, be it a person or a plant.
She stopped with a heavy sigh. Brunette stood like that, just staring ahead without doing anything. Good five minutes later she shrugged, spit on the ground and took the first step when she felt a gust of wind and a brochure hit her face. She groaned and was about to throw it away when something caught her eyes. Los Angeles City College. Quickly she scanned the letters, before fixing on one of the points. Outside Pool. At least she could go for a swim. Quickly, she looked for the address and, with a smile, raised her head. She was standing right next to it.
***B***B***
''Judging by the description Spike and Connor gave us, I can only assume that the killer was one of Adrian's generals.'' Illyria answered Amy's question. ''It is the only possibility that makes sense. And I did see him, it fits.''
''Can you find him?'' Slayer asked, walking two steps behind her. ''And are you really, really sure?''
''No, I can't find him.'' Illyria said slowly. ''And yes, I am certain. Everything we learned is a part of a bigger picture. Or coincidence, if you will.''
''What do you mean?'' Gunn focused on the back of her head.
''Three of Adrian's generals are dead. That we know. The other two was the old man, and a big one, similar to the one we slayed. Although, their absence during the skirmish with Adrian is surprising.'' She explained.
''Wait, one of his guys was a big, overly steroid-friendly gym-goer kind of a guy?'' Vampire narrowed his eyes.
''Why?'' Amy turned to him.
''Because I am pretty sure I took him down.'' He said. ''The summoner had a bodyguard. Think it was him.''
''It certainly is possible. Yes, it probably was him. Adrian wouldn't risk leaving someone that important unattended.'' Goddess mused. ''So we eliminated everyone except one. Spike and Connor encountered him and a group of Danar's demons, most likely. You said Danar sent five groups, from which three did not come back, correct?''
''Yeah.'' Gunn nodded.
''The fight was probably between one of them and Adrian's loyalists who were going into hiding, led by the old man. He's the one who took charge. It also explains why Spike and Connor could not kill him. We've seen the abilities they possess.'' Illyria looked down the street. They were near the place they originally grabbed Gunn. ''Now consider this, what are the chances that three separate groups of individuals will meet one another in a city of this size, especially when none of them were looking?''
''What are you saying?'' Amy said after few moments. ''We're like what, strung along like puppets? Something is playing us? Is it like, destiny?''
''I do not know.''
As Illyria and Amy continued their conversation, Gunn paid special attention to his surroundings, expecting some better protection. After all, shouldn't they be worried that someone snagged him right from underneath their noses?
He focused on the can of paint, the same that they used to draw him out. Right next to it, he could see shards of broken glass, along with a half destroyed chair. He most definitely didn't remember this. Gunn looked up and yes, there was a broken window two stories up. It was fine when he left, wasn't it? He shook his head, thinking he was just overly paranoid, but the feeling in his stomach stayed.
''Something's wrong.'' He called to the females, stopping Amy in the middle of a sentence.
''Huh?''
''I'm not sure.''
Illyria looked around, her eyes focused. ''I agree. Previously when we were here, Anthis spotted the guards. Now the posts are empty.''
''Maybe they moved?'' Amy tried.
''We need to know.''
Gunn reached for his axe. ''Okay then.''
They reached the entrance undisturbed. Right at the top of the stairs, a foul stench hit them. ''I think I'm gonna puke.'' Amy turned her head away. ''You seriously stayed in that place?''
''It didn't smell that bad.'' Gunn swallowed. Only Illyria seemed unaffected and descended down the stairs.
''You're lucky we found you.'' She called as they followed. Soon Gunn saw what she meant.
The whole floor was covered in blood and bodies.
''Adrian's leftovers or Faith?'' Amy asked, a hand covering her mouth. She already felt a bad taste at the back of her throat.
''I don't see any human bodies, so I'd say Faith.'' Gunn carefully stepped over one.
Meanwhile Illyria picked one body up and looked at the wound that covered it's chest. The she slid her palm into it.
Gunn heard a cough from behind and turned just in time to see the contents of Amy's stomach land on the floor. He quickly averted his eyes. ''You okay?''
''Peachy.'' She grumbled.
''It was Faith.'' Illyria announced and dropped the body. She noticed Amy's discomfort and looked for something to wipe the blood off her hand.
''Everything you saw in here and that bothers you?'' She asked.
''No. Not at all.'' Slayer reached the cola machine nearby and ripped half of it away, looking for something to drink.
''Think there are any survivors?'' Vampire looked at Illyria, who, not finding anything, wiped her hand on her pants.
''No, but we make sure either way.''
***B***B***
''Is it time yet?'' Connor asked.
''No, it's been just over two hours since they left.'' Angel judged.
''How did you know that?''
''You know I did live in times where watches were not so popular.'' He said. ''We had to pay special attention to the sun. Or moon.''
''Oh.''
They drank their way through one bottle, which for five people was practically nothing, but Angel insisted they leave the next one unopened. They all agreed, eventually. Angel fidgeted uncomfortably.
''So, uh...''
Connor looked at him strangely. ''What?''
''How,'' Vampire started, but changed his mind. ''Are you?'' He finished lamely.
''Really?''
''What?'' He asked, taken aback. ''Can't a father ask... that question?'' God, was this awkward.
''Sure. But we both know that's not really what you want to know.'' Connor narrowed his eyes.
''Yeah. Yes, you're right. It's just I, uh...''
''Am I interrupting?'' Spike asked from the doorway.
''As a matter of fact, yeah.'' Angel didn't even turn to face him. ''What do you want?''
''We're thinking about heading out.''
''What? It's too soon.''
''Yeah, who cares? I'm bored.''
''Do we take anything special with us?'' Connor asked.
''Us?'' Angel stared at him. ''Now way in hell you're going.''
''Yeah, as if you can stop me.'' Connor snapped. ''Who will if I don't? Spike and Anthis can't go by themselves and Lorne is not a fighter.''
''I'm going. You're staying here.'' Angel stated and stood up. Connor looked to Spike for help. He just rolled his eyes.
''No offence mate, but you ain't in no bloody condition to fight.''
''I can do just fine.''
Spike shrugged and as Angel tried to pass him, quickly jabbed him in the ribs. Latter vampire caught the wall for support and groaned in pain.
''Yeah, not so much. Give yourself a day or two more old man.'' Spike clapped him on the shoulder and turned to Connor. ''Coming?''
***B***B***
Gunn looked down onto the rails. ''Yeah,'' He sighed. ''That's Danar.''
''So what do we do now with this thing?'' Amy ran her hand through her hair. ''You said it's a potential bomb. Now we have no way of knowing.''
''We can either take the risk and keep it or store it somewhere.'' He turned to leave.
''We should go back.'' Illyria said.
''Ugh, so basically we're left with nothing.''
''Life.''
They marched in silence until the surface. Once there, Gunn turned right.
''Not the same way?'' Amy looked at him curiously.
''We shouldn't take the same path more than once, which we already did. Something could be waiting for us.'' He explained.
''Oh. Suit yourself.''
They walked for few minutes when Illyria suddenly stopped and looked intensively to her left.
''What?'' Gunn asked and stood next to her, looking in the same direction. ''Anything out there?''
''Stay here.'' She said and moved.
''What the hell?'' Amy caught her arm and spun Illyria around. ''We're not splitting up. Look, forget this... whatever shit you see down there and let's go home.''
Illyria exchanged looks with Gunn.
''Then we're going with you.'' He said.
''No.'' She replied strongly. ''If this is some sort of a trap, you can't be there. That blade cannot get into Faith's or anyone else's possession. Protect it. Stay here, preferably hide and wait for me to come back. If I won't be back here in ten minutes, go.'' She instructed.
''If this is a trap, you shouldn't walk into it at all.'' Amy protested.
Gunn sighed. ''If we don't check that out now, we might find another surprise down the way and this time Illyria might not sense it.''
''Fucking great.''
''Go. We'll find a place to cover.''
Illyria nodded and walked away.
''So where do you want to go, huh? We're pretty much exposed here and if we're being watched, it won't matter where we go. None of these places offer enough space to outrun anyone.'' Amy folded her arms across her chest and looked around with a criticizing eye.
Gunn licked his lips and spun in a circle, before his eyes landed on something. He smirked. ''I can think of one thing.''
Amy followed his line of sight. ''College? Seriously?''
''You wanted space. Come on.'' He trotted down the street.
***B***B***
Anthis released her arrow. It hit the target and a body fell down.
''They're still around? Spike said, surprised at the sight of a zombie.
''Guess no one really cares anymore.'' Connor shrugged. Anthis took the arrow out and wiped on the person's clothes, before sliding it back into her quiver.
''You know, I can't believe I'm about to say that, but these streets actually seem more friendly. Now that there's no one on them.'' Vampire commented.
''What do you mean?'' Anthis asked, surprised.
''Well you know, people are,'' He searched for the right word. In the end, he couldn't decide on one. ''Slimy bastards, looking out only for themselves, ready to stab you in the back at the first chance. Not all of them of course, but a bloody big part. And cities like this, they really lure that kind. I bet you couldn't cross two blocks at night without some accident.''
''You sound like you're glad that over ten million people are dead.'' Connor noticed.
''I won't lose any sleep over them.'' Spike said. ''Most of them.'' He added under his breath. ''Besides, you know how it is. Three people is a tragedy. Ten million's a statistic, nothing more.''
''You people really are an astounding race.'' Anthis shook her head. ''To display such little concern over your own kind.''
''Tell that to your brother.'' Spike snorted. Anthis' look hardened. ''My bad.'' He raised his hand in surrender. ''Anyway, that's how we roll. The less you care the better off you are. If I had to cry over every little tragedy I'd go nuts. Like probably half of the planet.''
''So you don't care?''
''I care. Sometimes.'' Spike fished out a cigarette and a new lighter he got from the bar earlier. ''Point is, I've seen it all already. There's only so much different scenarios that can play themselves out before something is due to repeat itself.''
''You say it's repetitive, therefore not moving?'' Connor asked.
''Pretty much. How many people do you have to kill before it stops having an impact? That you won't even blink? Ten, hundred? One day you just won't care anymore.''
''Maybe you're right.'' Boy agreed.
''It's a wonder you survived this long.'' Anthis commented. ''If you continue this path, your society will crumble.''
''At this rate it's gonna be a pleasant change.'' Spike took a drag. ''So, judging by your expression and obvious distaste, I take it things are different in your neck of the woods?''
''Quite. If my people felt this way, why even bother?''
''We can't all be pretty and noble elves, Sylvanas.'' Vampire rolled his eyes and Connor let out a short laugh.
''What?'' She looked at him. ''I am not an elf.''
''It's a character in a... nevermind.'' Spike smirked.
''When the hell did you even get time to play games?'' Connor asked ridiculously. ''From what I got, you were pretty busy for the past... years.''
''Oh you know, in between big battles.'' He said. ''Or just plain 'ole relaxing with a beer.''
***B***B***
''We should've stayed outside.'' Amy hissed as she and Gunn marched through the college halls.
''I told you I heard something.'' He whispered.
''Don't you watch horror movies? It's never a good idea to investigate.'' She argued.
''Shh.'' Gunn opened the doors to the basement. He looked down the stairs and listened. Amy sighed, but stood next to him.
''I don't,'' She started, but heard something. Yeah, there was something down there and it sounded just like... ''Rats? Dude, it's a basement, of course there are rats.''
Gunn immediately took a step back. ''You had to say that?''
''Gotta hand it to you though, you've got a bad ass hearing.'' Amy continued.
''I'm pretty sure that's not what I heard.'' He said slowly, backing away. ''Let's go.''
They moved maybe ten steps and Gunn stopped, alarmed.
''What?'' Amy walked to him.
''There's another pair of footsteps.'' He whispered. And he was right, for after Amy stood still, a loud noise of heavy soles hitting the marble floor could still be heard. Due to walls echoing it, it was impossible to place the direction they were coming from. Suddenly they stopped.
Gunn exchanged looks with Amy and they resumed their walking and yes, the third pair joined them. They stopped and the third person took one more step, before doing the same.
''That is one creepy shit.'' Amy murmured, barely audible.
''I say we make a run for it, maybe get to Illyria.'' Gunn whispered back.
''I told you, we should've never walked in here.'' Slayer drawled, but nodded her head.
Gunn held three fingers up. Two. One.
A second after their start, the third person joined them. They ran through the maze of the hallways and Amy discovered with horror that Gunn outran her. He was getting farther and farther away.
She noticed, in the corner of her eye, that a figure ran at her from the hallway to her right, but she was absolutely past doing anything to avoid it. She felt as if a ton of bricks slammed into her and Amy crashed through the glass window, which reached about three feet off the ground, to a classroom. Her shoulder and head went right through it, but her hips painfully caught the wall and she tumbled over it, hitting the floor face first. Slayer groaned in pain and could already feel blood on her arms and head.
Gunn stopped, his feet making a unpleasant noise as he slid on the floor and finally came to a halt. In the place where Amy should be stood Faith and only the broken glass told him where the former went.
''Fuck.'' He breathed the word out like a prayer. Faith looked into the class, which she just now noticed was an art class, given by the easels and brushes that occupied it. Younger slayer wouldn't get up for a moment.
''You're probably thinking whether or not to run.'' She announced, turning back to Gunn. ''Well, it won't do you any good. I'll catch up.''
Apparently that was out of the window. He gripped his axe tighter.
''Gotta ask something first, though.'' She said, walking closer. ''A, how the hell did you find me and B, where's the rest of the circus?''
Gunn looked at her strangely. ''You mean you didn't track us?''
''Nope.'' She played with The Scythe. ''So that means, you didn't expect me here. So you're not prepared. So there's just the two of you.'' Faith stopped and smirked. ''Sweet. Guess it was fate. Keep 'em coming sweetheart.'' She called out and rushed at the vampire. Slayer hoped to just cut Gunn down, but he was no novice to axe fighting himself. He swiftly avoided the blade then jumped back when she tried to jam the wooden end into him. Vampire brought his own onto her, but Faith parried it.
He could hear glass scraping across the floor, which meant Amy was getting to her feet.
Faith attacked again, but he blocked The Scythe and punched her in the face with his free hand. She quickly punched him back and followed with a kick to the chest that send him stumbling into a wall.
He ducked the next swing and rammed his head into her stomach, bringing them both across the hallway and hitting the lockers on the other side. While unable to maneuver his axe, he managed to hit her a couple of times in the ribs, before she brought her elbow down onto his back and he fell to his knees. She hit him again and Gunn landed on his back. Faith raised The Scythe, but Amy jumped at her and brought them both down.
Gunn crawled to the fighting women, Faith was on top, repeatedly punching Amy in the face, whose attempts to block didn't do much. He swung his axe at Faith, who must've somehow sensed it, because she dropped down on Amy, face to face. She kicked out and Gunn fell back. This gave Amy enough time to push Faith off her and punch. Older slayer intercepted the next one, grabbing Amy's wrist, along with a fistful of hair and slammed her face into the wall. She reared it back to do it again when Gunn grabbed her from behind and tore her away, letting the young girl crumble down, her face bloody.
He threw her down onto the ground, grabbed his axe and attacked. Faith however, had enough time to grab her own weapon.
''This fight's getting me all hot and bothered, y'know.'' She panted as they tried to cut one another down. ''And you are kind of cute,'' She pushed him back. ''But unfortunately for you, there are these things like dignity,'' He evaded her blow and struck his own. ''And self-respect, that Angel seared into my brain.'' Her back hit the wall after Gunn kicked her. ''Damn shame. Would be a wicked ride.'' She breathed out, some of her still wet hair falling around her face, escaping the ponytail she put up.
They clashed again, but this time vampire did some move that Faith didn't recognize, some kind of twist-twirl and her Scythe was ripped away from her grip and landed behind Gunn. Now she had to get through him to get it and he had the advantage.
''He really should consider a career in counseling.'' She said conversationally, backing away and searching for a solution. ''I mean really,'' She jumped back to avoid Gunn's blade. ''I was suicidal when I searched him out. And look at me now.'' Faith grabbed Gunn's axe and they wrestled for it. ''He got me to focus on my goals,'' She won the fight and threw it away. Gunn grabbed her shoulders and head butted, but she rammed her knee into his stomach. ''My attitude. Everything.''
In the blink of an eye, as she prepared to punch him again, Gunn reached into his pocket and produced a switchblade. As her hand got closer, he stabbed her right through the palm. Her eyes widened comically, probably from both shock and rage, a strangled cry escaping her throat and she instictively took a step back. Faith grabbed the blade and slid it out of her hand, looking at Gunn in fury, but he was already coming at her with another knife. She had next to no time to avoid it, barely just backed away. But it was enough, as instead of slicing through her face, it was just the tip that reached her. The cut it made started at the left side of her forehead, went through the eyebrow, cheek, the corner of her lips and ended at the chin. It didn't get to register, because immediately following that, she stabbed him in the neck with the switchblade.
Gunn gasped and choked with blood, falling to the ground.
''Ahhh!'' Faith yelled out in pain, for the wound started to burn her. It felt like acid, a living fire burning through her flesh. She focused on The Scythe and crawled to it, using the opportunity because Gunn just now pulled the switchblade from his neck. She grabbed it with her left, undamaged hand and stood up.
Amy, apparently back to the land of conscious and good enough to fight, helped Gunn up. He gave her the switchblade. They glared at Faith, who met their gaze.
''Come on.'' Amy said, hanging onto the remains of her bravery. ''What are you waiting for? Let's do this! Come on!''
Gunn changed into his vampire features and hissed.
Faith licked the blood off her lips.
***B***B***
Illyria looked at the store in front of her. She was way past the ten minutes mark. Even running back now would not do much good.
Cautiously, she walked in. It was a normal store, with clothes. And things. She looked around, intrigued. Something did lure her in here, but what? She examined the counter, but found nothing. She moved deeper in, walking between stacks of clothes. Only then did she notice that some of them were thrown onto the floor and not in a 'I'm running for my life' fashion. It reminded her more of a movie Fred saw once, where some woman picked clothes and, finding them unattractive, threw them unceremoniously over her shoulder. Strange. Illyria felt a sudden rush of sadness, a sort of melancholy fall over her. She scanned the walls and walked with a purpose to a fitting room. Once there, she fixed her gaze on the mirror. Fred. The shell. The woman her Qwa'ha Xahn fell in love with. The worthy one. She raised her blue hand. Then it began to disappear, her form morphing into the one of Fred. She didn't consider this when she briefly lost her powers.
She touched her own cheek, feeling the warmth. Illyria looked at it in surprise. She didn't expect that. In this form she was practically human. It was... unprecedented. New. She walked back to the main part of the store. Again, she tried to find the thing that brought her here. The pull she felt, she couldn't explain that now. It was gone, the moment she became Fred. She let the blue take over and the feeling came back. She couldn't explain it. Unsettling. She wanted to go even farther away. Illyria took the first two steps to get out of the store and stopped, shaking her head. Goddess closed her eyes and resumed the appearance of Fred. Gone. It was not a random trap she felt.
Something caught her eye. Blood. She walked closer to it, to the section with bags. She dipped two fingers into it, finding it still not fully dry. She placed her fingers onto her tongue. Demon, she decided. Illyria all but ran out of the store, eager to get back to her companions. One more thing stopped her. She couldn't change back into her form and like this she was next to defenseless. Her eyes searched for a weapon. She grabbed a metal rod protruding from the back window of a car.
With a troubled breath, she trotted back.
***B***B***
Amy picked herself up painfully from the floor, taking out the switchblade out of her thigh. She could see Gunn and Faith wrestling for the knife, The Scythe laying on the floor. Using the wall as a support, she got to the pair just when Faith knocked the knife away, the blade clattering down the stairs. Faith pushed Gunn away and turned to Amy, who just send a punch her way. Older slayer answered with her own, their fists meeting halfway. Amy heard bones breaking in her hand and she yelled out in pain, clutching it. Faith then struck her again and she fell down, tears escaping her eyes. She barely felt two of her teeth falling out of her mouth and her cheekbone breaking.
Faith quickly picked up The Scythe and faced Gunn, who was weaponless.
''You don't look so hot.'' He said, trying to buy themselves some time, hoping for Amy to get back up. But to be honest, he couldn't keep up for much longer.
''Stalling won't change anything.'' Faith countered, letting blood escape her mouth and travel down the chin. Truth to be told, the three of them were bloody, messy and sweaty. Faith's right hand was covered in blood, her face scarred and she could already feel the bruises that were to come. Half of Gunn's torso was also bloody, courtesy of the neck wound. But it was probably Amy who got the worst part of the deal. She had a broken nose, a cut on the eyebrow, one eye swelling shut, an open wound on the side of her head, broken hand, probably a messed up hip and a stab wound in her leg. They might as well pose as people who got caught in Spanish Inquisition.
''At the end of the day, I will win.'' She continued.
Gunn let out a short, pained laugh. ''There's no such simple thing as winning.''
Faith looked back at Amy. She didn't seem to be an immediate threat. ''Then how would you call this?''
''Life issues of poor little Faith.'' He coughed. ''Who couldn't cope with the real world and took the easier way out. It's easier to just let all this rage, this desire, to consume you than to fight it, huh? Just go with the flow. Trust me, I'd know.'' He took a step back as Faith neared him. ''Been fightin' it since this all started. Maybe even before. You think I'm not pissed at Angel? At the world, because they'd rather shut us out, pretend we didn't exist than hear us out? I am, Faith. I am. But that's not how life works. Sometimes you have to take a step back. Look at the bigger picture. That's how you do your part. You don't take the whole cake, you don't try to come out on top. We did that and look what happened.'' He looked at her tiredly. Sometime through his speech she stopped and actually listened.
''I am focusing on the bigger picture.'' Faith said, turning The Scythe around, facing Gunn with the wooden end. ''This, this is all part of the bigger plan. That's what you don't get.'' She shook her head. ''That's what you don't get. This is, uh, a downward spiral... we're on right now. And it started with Sunnydale. So I'll just... I'll clean the mess we made. All those slayers. Demons. There'll be no more of them. No more. So that maybe the world has a chance to live. Maybe people, normal people can live without fear. All we ever do is talk, it's meaningless!'' She raised her voice. ''We need to do something! Survival of the Fittest! So if I can, I'll kill them all!'' She all but yelled the last part. ''Starting with you.'' Faith charged at Gunn, aiming The Scythe at his heart. They both fell down, she on top, fighting for control. Gunn managed to keep The Scythe centimeters above his chest, but Faith was still pushing it down.
His arms shook with effort, yet it was still coming down. He locked eyes with Faith when he felt it on his chest. ''Said goodbye yet?'' She spit out through gritted teeth, her voice strained. She managed to stand up.
''Don't need... to.'' He still fought. ''We'll see... each other again.''
Faith raised her leg and kicked The Scythe down, ramming it into Gunn's chest and piercing his heart. A soundless scream escaped his throat as he disintegrated to dust. She stood above his remains, panting heavily. She heard a gasp from behind her and turned. Amy, still on the floor, watched her with wide eyes.
''That's right, slayer. It's your turn.'' Faith picked The Scythe up with small difficulty. ''Get up.'' She said, walking to Amy. Her lower lip trembling, she complied.
''You're so tough, huh? Would you still be so without that?'' She nodded her head at The Scythe, her voice cracking.
''What, you want it?'' Faith asked and threw it at Amy, who instinctively caught the weapon. A second later she screamed out in pain and let go of it, as it burned her hand. ''I don't need anything to kill you.''
Brunette walked to Amy, easily evaded the punch the latter directed at her and send an uppercut to her chin. Amy fell down, her back hitting the floor and knocking the breath out of her.
''How much do you think a slayer can take?'' Faith asked curiously. Amy laid still, arms spread out, trying, and failing, to catch her breath. ''Me and B never really got around to that. C'mon, get up. You're embarrassing yourself.''
''Fuck you.'' She got out.
Faith grabbed her by the neck, picked up and slammed into the wall. ''You should show me some respect.'' She squeezed while sending few knees to her ribs. She let go of her neck, elbowing Amy in the side of her head. She hit the floor like a bag of old rags. Faith kicked her in the stomach, again and again while all Amy could do was try to curl up into herself.
''P-please...'' She choked out, barely audible. She let go of all of her dignity. She just wanted to see her family again. She didn't want to die in this place, far from home. All alone.
''Please... what?'' Faith too, had to take a pause while speaking, but due to different reasons. She was out of breath.
''D-d... nt.'' Amy could not focus on anything anymore. All she saw was a blurry, red picture. Her cheeks were covered in both blood and tears. All the hits she took to the stomach worked too. Weakly, she rolled to the side and let herself throw up, but all she felt was blood escaping her mouth.
''Don't kill you?'' Faith sighed, looking down at the pathetic mess the teenager presented. That's what they all were, right? Just teenage girls, enslaved by life and powers they didn't want. Playing in a sandbox, imagining things they couldn't even begin to understand. And when life knocked on their doors, they backed out. ''Take it like a slayer. A honorauble death. Goin' down fighting. Part of the job.'' She kneeled over Amy and picked her up.
''No... such... thin'...'' She slurred, choking on her own blood.''Jus'... death.''
''Guess that didn't cross your mind when you signed up, huh?'' Faith asked. She struck her down. ''Thought you'd be a hero, huh?'' She pounded the slayer, who'd gone still. ''That parents would tell their kids fucking bedtime stories about you? No! All the things this life brings is pain! Hate! Misery!'' She stopped, exhausted. ''That's all.'' She said in a soft, calm tone. ''Nothing more. Never expect more.''
One dead eye stared back up at her.
***B***B***
Illyria got back to their parting point, breathing a little heavier. She stood there for a minute, looking around and faintly expecting Gunn and Amy to walk out of somewhere. When that didn't happen, she ran a hand through her hair, a movement she observed number of times from people around her. Well, it looked like she was on her own. All she had to do is walk back. Simple task. Preferably danger-free. She moved silently down the street, grasping the rod tightly in her hand.
She noticed a movement ahead of her and when she paid closer attention, she drew a silent breath. Faith stumbled out of some building, bloodied and obviously tired. Illyria crouched behind a car, hoping to stay undetected. Beaten or not, Faith's punch was probably much stronger than her own and she could not shift back. She risked another glance. Faith tensed. Her head turned in different directions, before she turned around. Illyria dropped down, breathing silently and much too fast for her liking. Since when did she even need to breath? Her hand was shaking, either from fear or adrenaline, but she didn't notice that. After a minute or two, she dared take another peek. Clear. Still, she didn't move from her spot for another three, biding her time. Eventually she rose, her eyes looking at the street. On her toes, she hopped the rest of the way to the place from which Faith emerged. Illyria only hoped she would not find Gunn and Amy there.
***B***B***
''Lorne?'' Angel called out quietly, finding him in kitchen, sipping whiskey from a glass.
''Yeah, uh, what is it?'' He shook his head slightly, focusing on the vampire.
Angel sat down across from the demon. ''I... I need to know. I mean, did you...''
A look of understanding passed through Lorne's face. ''Kill Lindsey?'' He asked, a little bitter. ''Yeah. He's gone, boss.''
''I know this wasn't easy for you,'' Angel started, tentatively. ''But there was no other way.''
''We'll never know now, will we?'' Lorne leaned forward and tried to hide his grimace of pain.
''What's wrong?'' He asked.
''Nothing. Just a little sore, Angelcakes.''
''Don't lie to me.'' Vampire said. ''I've been watching you. Coughing up blood? Yeah, I smelled that. Something is wrong and I want you to tell me what.''
''I...'' Lorne pursed his lips. ''I don't know. But it's been going on for a while now. Ever since Lindsey. I'm not alright.''
Angel swallowed. Would Lorne be the next one to pay the price for his mistakes?
''Tell me.''
***B***B***
''Seriously, how is it that all you demons know english?'' Connor asked.
''What makes you think that we know only one of your languages?'' Anthis asked back.
''You know more?'' He was surprised.
''Oui.''
Connor nodded his head with a smile.
''We're close.'' Anthis announced.
''Shouldn't we pass them already?'' Spike asked, walking behind them.
''Not necessarily. I took a different route.'' Huntress said.
''Why?'' Connor wondered.
''It is not wise to use the same one over and over again. It gives your enemies a pattern.'' She explained.
''Constant vigilance, huh?'' Boy said to himself.
''Wait.'' Spike called out, slowing down. They turned to him, Anthis' hand immediately reaching for an arrow. ''Can you smell that?''
''Blood.'' Connor murmured. ''A lot of it.''
They focused on the building on the left of them. Los Angeles City College.
As one, the three of them moved forward. Spike nodded at the door. They went inside.
Two pair of footsteps echoed off the floor, only Anthis managed to move completely soundless. Connor motioned at the stairs. They moved up and stopped at the top of it. They looked at each other and Anthis nodded. She drew on her bow and jumped onto the hallway, Spike and Connor a second behind her. They saw the back of a figure, crouching over another. The hallway was destroyed, blood smeared all over floor and the walls, some of the lockers were dented, they could also see shards of glass a little distance away. They moved forward, slowing as the figure turned to them. Illyria stood up with a heavy sigh. None of them really registered her appearance as Fred, for they focused on the other person.
''What the fuck?'' Spike breathed out, standing beside the Goddess. There were simply no words for what he was seeing. Back in the day, as William The Bloody, he did and saw many horrible things. But seeing Amy, looking like this...
''What happened?'' Anthis asked quietly.
''Faith. She must've found them.'' Illyria said.
''Gunn?'' Connor looked at her. Illyria let her eyes travel to a pile of dust.
''Fuck!'' He threw his arms up in frustration.
Spike turned to the locker and put his fist right through one with a cry of rage. ''Bloody fucking hell.'' He said, retracting it.
''Did you find what you were looking for?'' Anthis stared at the switchblade, laying in the pool of blood.
Illyria took out a knife, which she found at the bottom of the stairs, from inside her jacket. ''No. They were already dead.''
The four of them stared down at Amy's broken form. Spike kneeled down and closed her one, not swollen eye.
They've lost two more people and gained nothing.
***B***B***
I would be honoured to know that someone is still hanging onto the story. Hope to see you soon.