Flo was a seventeen year old photography student. Night time street photography was her favourite, usually photographing people, but this time she wanted to do something different. That's why she was breaking into the construction site in the dead of night. For art. Besides, it wasn't hard. There were no security guards and no cameras that she could see. The street wasn't particularly well lit so no one would see her from the nearby houses and report her for breaking and entering.
The bare bones of what she assumed would become high-rise apartment building rose above a tall fence of temporary wooden panels painted deep blue with the construction company's name and logo printed on them. She paused and adjusted her heavy backpack across her shoulders as she prepared to climb over the boards. Inside she had stuffed her camera and a torch. Precious equipment.
She took a few steps back from the fence, bounced on her toes, then ran forwards and leaped as high as she could, arms stretched upwards and fingers grasping. She caught hold of the top of the fence and pulled upwards, green Converse slipping against the glossy paintwork. The rubber soles squeaked loudly as she scrabbled for purchase. Finally she hauled herself up and over, and dropped down onto uneven ground. She turned towards the building, pausing by the fence to unsling her backpack from one shoulder. She unzipped the main pouch and rummaged inside for her torch, pulled it out and clicked it on. A bright white cone of light swept the site, penetrating the gloom around her. It revealed several skips filled with debris, a couple of wheelbarrows and earth packed hard by hundreds of footprints and the treads of heavy duty machines. The building loomed straight ahead surrounded by scaffolding and plastic sheeting that rippled in the wind and rustled loudly. An orange plastic waste disposal chute ran from the very top of the scaffolding down to the bottom and into a metal skip. As her beam passed the edge of the scaffolding she could just about make out the shape of the metal containers that made up the site manager's 'office' and storage.
Flo reached into her bag and took out her camera, hanging it around her neck from the strap, then zipped up her backpack and returned it to both shoulders. She decided to get a few shots of the surrounding site before moving into the building.
She entered through a large rectangular hole in the side of the building that she assumed would one day become a set of double doors. Inside was bare concrete flooring and bare walls. Above her wires and cables sprouted from the ceiling, presumably waiting to be wired up to lights. There was a heavy smell of plaster and dust in the air that irritated her nose. She took a few photos, then decided to head back outside and climb the ladders and ramps of the scaffolding to the top to see what views that offered.
It took her a while, climbing ladders while making sure her camera was safe from bumping into the rungs, and she felt hot by the time she reached the top level and turned to face the city.
It wasn't so high that she could see for miles, but it was high enough that she could roughly see the grid lay out of lights twinkling in the distance. The wind felt harsher, too, making the scaffolding creak, the tough plastic sheeting whipping against the metal poles with a faint ringing noise. She peeked over the side, straight down at the ground and swallowed hard. It was a long way down…The drop made her feel dizzy. The guys working up here must be nuts. She would want safety lines securing her to the railings.
She made her way inside and decided to get some shots through the empty windows of the views over the city. She was inspecting her latest photograph in the panel on the back of her camera when she became aware of a strange smell. Like…rubbish rotting or…maybe off meat? She wrinkled her nose in disgust wondering if it was coming from the remains of a workman's lunch left behind, or the wind lifting a scent from the city below. A cold shiver ran the length of her spine and crawled across her scalp. The unmistakable feeling that something was wrong…her brain trying to warn her of something it couldn't yet comprehend. Flo let her camera drop against her chest and scooped up her torch from where she had set it down on the floor to free up both hands. She clicked it on and whirled around, sweeping the gloom behind herself. Nothing was there.
It was late, and she was tired. She had been here long enough. She should head home, get some sleep. Her sleep deprived brain was obviously playing tricks on her. She clicked off the torch and turned back to face the window and screamed. Where before there had been nothing, there now stood some…thing that towered above her. Pale silver eyes burned bright in the darkness, glaring down at her from a relatively human face. It was gaunt, like the photos shown in school of world war two prison camp victims, but Flo didn't for one second doubt the strength in those wiry limbs.
Cracked lips pulled back from stained brown teeth, chipped and broken and razor sharp. The torch in Flo's hand slipped from nerveless fingers and clattered loudly onto the concrete floor. The glass cracked and splintered as it rolled away and came to a halt with a bump against one wall. She took a step backwards. The creature slowly hunched down, arms spreading out from its body. Rags clung to its emaciated form. Clothes that might once have been a cotton T-shirt and jeans, but were now rotting on the frame they used to adorn. She saw on one forearm the faded ink of a tribal tattoo.
She screamed as the monster sprang at her. One hand swiped and blood spattered the wall, and the scream was instantly cut off.
Xander had parked his car in the usual spot on an empty road by the construction site and sat inside a moment swapping his trainers for steel toe-capped boots. He threw open the door and got out before then strapping on his tool belt and grabbing his bright blue plastic hard hat from the passenger seat. It was a cold morning, still dark due to the early hour. The street lights were still on. He slammed the car door shut and locked the vehicle, then made his way onto the site to find he was one of the first there. Ross, a burly young builder with a thick brown beard that picked up all the plaster dust while he worked waved at him as he saw Xander and hurried over. He was in a good mood. Not only was it Friday, but he had a date that night and was pretty optimistic about it. The look on Ross' face suggested that mood was probably about to be ruined.
"Xander, glad you're here." Ross said. "I just got here myself. Someone mentioned seeing lights from up top late last night."
"Lights?" Xander frowned at his colleague, who nodded.
"One of the residents across the street said so while I was parking up. Should we check it out?" He asked. Xander sighed and started towards the scaffolding, motioning for Ross to follow.
"I knew we should have hired security." He grumbled, hoping the resident had been mistaken and that he wouldn't find graffiti spray painted across the walls of the building, or some other kind of vandalism.
They climbed the ladders to the top level of scaffolding. Despite the cool morning air Xander found himself overheating by the time he stood on the rough wooden platform at the top of the building. He tipped his hardhat back and wiped his forearm across his forehead to try and dry off some of the sweat that beaded there. It made his scalp itch beneath the plastic straps of his hat.
Behind him the sky was just starting to lighten, casting a soft grey light across the opening of the apartment in front of him. Looking down he saw a thin trickle of red creeping across the floor of the doorway, crimson in stark contrast with the pale concrete. He could smell it too. Thick and salty and metallic. A sense of unease settled over him.
"Anything?" Ross asked, reaching the top of the ladder behind him. He paused to catch his breath by the railings.
"Stay here." Xander answered and stepped forwards, pausing just before the doorway. He took a deep breath, wished he hadn't as he caught a lungful of what he hoped wasn't the scent of blood, and stepped through.
His breath caught in his throat. Even in the semi darkness it was a scene from a nightmare. He felt his stomach heave, grit his teeth and swallowed the urge to vomit. Spots danced in his vision and he began to breathe again, shallowly through his mouth.
"Oh jeez…" It was one person, he was relatively sure. But whoever it was…well…was everywhere.
He turned and rushed back outside, straight to the railings. He grabbed hold of one to steady himself and took several deep breaths, trying to settle his stomach. He could feel that bacon sandwich just churning away…Oh, God, why did he have to have a bacon sandwich…?
"Uh…You okay?" Ross asked him nervously. Xander vigorously shook his head, holding the metal pole so tightly his knuckles had turned white.
"You have to call the police." He said. "There's a…body." He swallowed hard. Ross' eyebrows crawled up into his hairline.
"What…?" He asked slowly. Xander glanced up at him and watched as the colour drained from his friend's face, as he fully understood Xander's words, and realized Xander spoke the truth.
Xander looked back down at the site below him, dimly aware of Ross moving away and pulling his mobile phone from the pocket of his baggy, paint-stained jeans.
Animal attack.
The word came to him suddenly, as he tried to block the grisly visuals from his mind. The police would tell the public it was an animal attack. What was such an animal doing at the top of a tower block under construction? What was a…currently unidentifiable person doing at the top of a tower block under construction?
Xander squeezed his eyes shut tight. Buffy would have questions…Questions he would need to know the answers to. He swallowed hard, opened his eyes. Feeling somewhat numb he turned back to the doorway and stepped mechanically through. Taking slow, deep breaths through his mouth he glanced around the room, eyes staying clear of the…mess in the middle. He could feel his pulse throbbing in his head, racing erratically as he tried to fight down the rising panic.
He saw a torch against one wall, a broken camera with a torn strap against another, splashes of blood against walls and…deep scours in the concrete. Like claw marks. Animalistic, yes, but, in his experience, probably demonic in origin. The whole room smelt of a horrible mixture of blood and death. Did corpses rot that fast? He wasn't sure, but it was fast cutting down the length of time he could spend surveying the scene. In the blood spatters surrounding the…remains he saw smears like footprints, but they weren't human. More like some kind of…paw print? About the size of his hand.
He glanced quickly down at the corpse, then quickly turned away. Yup. Definitely torn apart. That was enough Sherlock Holmes-ing for the day. He turned away and went back outside just as Ross finished his phone call and turned to face Xander.
"Cops will be here soon." He said. "Forensics are going to steal our shoes."
"Thank God it's Friday." Xander muttered.
The police arrived and seized control of the construction site immediately, sealing it off until further notice. A forensics team turned up in full crime scene suits and face masks, lugging heavy bags of equipment, and were soon combing the entire area. A coroner's van was parked outside the area amongst several police cars.
Xander spent most of the morning giving the police a statement. When he was eventually released he was sent on his way with no shoes and holding a card with the investigating officer's name on it, in case he remembered anything important…
He sighed and pocketed the card, then barrelled his way through the journalists that had accumulated around the police tape barrier blocking off the site and sprinted to his car. Safe inside the vehicle he pulled on his trainers and tossed aside his hard hat and tool belt. He should head home. Eat lunch, try to unwind. He would need to speak to Buffy and Giles later about the incident. Until then, he could do with a hot shower and a stiff drink. He turned the keys in the ignition and pulled away from the curb, heading home and trying not to think about what he had seen at the top of that tower.
Xander had been right about Buffy having a load of questions to ask him about what he had seen. As if he hadn't been grilled enough by the police! At least she hadn't rephrased the same questions a billion times to try and trip him up.
"If you don't mind, Buff, I think I'm gunna go hurl now." He told his friend, perched on the very edge of her sofa. Buffy smiled at him apologetically.
"Sorry, it does sound pretty grisly." She said. The smell of Tara frying chicken in the kitchen wasn't helping to settle his stomach at all. Willow was in there with her. He could hear them chatting. They had had normal days, no supernatural nasties leaving gross surprises behind for them. "Want me to grab you a glass of water?"
"No, I'm okay." Xander said, smiling faintly at Buffy. "Just… Don't make me tell it all again to Giles. I want to forget I ever saw it. I don't think I ever will, but I want to."
"I'll fill Giles in, don't worry." Buffy said. "And the others. I'll make sure they don't ask for all the gory details."
"You know, I heard about it on the radio!" Dawn piped up, bounding in from where she had been hovering just outside the kitchen, eavesdropping on them both.
"Were you listening in?" Buffy demanded. Dawn faltered on her way over to join them on the sofa.
"No…" She answered cagily.
"Right…" Buffy muttered, leaning back on the sofa with her arms folded over her chest. Dawn sandwiched herself between them both.
"Anyway. It was on the radio at work, and the cops are telling people it was a wild animal attack. Not saying what animal, and really, who's going to believe that some huge animal climbed the top of a tower to maul someone to death and eat them?" She rolled her eyes at the apparent stupidity. Xander swallowed hard and Buffy patted his knee sympathetically.
"I'm guessing you won't be staying for dinner?" She asked playfully.
"I think I'll pass." He replied.
Xander and Mona had arranged to meet at a late night coffee shop. Here they could actually talk and get to know each other, which wouldn't really be possible if they went to the cinema without the risk of being thrown out for disturbing the movie, and there was none of the awkwardness of watching each other eat food at a restaurant. Plus, if she turned out to be some kind of demon then there were plenty of witnesses around in the well-lit shop to dissuade her from attacking him, and the police station and hospital were nearby. All in all, Xander was pretty pleased with the place he had chosen for their first date.
It was late, so not too busy. A radio played softly from behind the counter where a couple of baristas cleaned the surfaces and machinery between serving customers. He could smell the warm scent of coffee beans and sugary cakes. The place had a relaxed air to it, soothing first date jitters. Or…That could be regular caffeine jitters. He had turned up early and was already halfway through his first coffee.
He had balanced the balls of his feet on the metal foot rest of the tall chair he sat in, but one kept slipping off as he jiggled his leg frantically, his subconscious working off those jitters. He would definitely have to swap to hot cocoa for his next drink. Hopefully if he placed the order for both of them Mona wouldn't notice…
He sat up poker straight as he saw Mona pass by the glass front of the coffee shop on her way to the door. She looked pretty much the same as she had at the party-black clothes, fair skin, long black hair…kind of Goth. As she shoved open the heavy door and entered her eyes homed in on him instantly and she smiled and waved, rushing over to dump her bag beside the empty chair opposite Xander.
"Hi! Sorry I'm late, work was murder." She rolled her eyes as she shrugged out of her heavy black coat.
"Oh, I know how you feel…" Xander said with a wry smile. "What can I get you?" He asked, standing up with his mug in one hand.
"Americano, please." She said, taking her seat. "Black. Like my soul!" She grinned up at him and Xander had to laugh.
"Coming right up!" He turned away and hurried to the bar, ordering her Americano and a hot cocoa for himself. He finished his own coffee and put the empty mug on the counter to be cleared away, then glanced back over his shoulder at Mona to find her watching him intensely, chin on fist. He shot back a goofy grin and quickly turned back to the counter to pay as his drinks were made, kicking himself mentally. His stomach was tying itself in knots. He was on a date. An actual date. His first since…well…since Sunnydale was above ground. Had it always been this hard? To act smooth rather than geeky? Well, for him, yes. After all, he was an enormous geek.
He thanked the barista as the drinks were set on the counter in front of him, picked up the mugs and carefully carried them over to the table.
"Thanks, what did you get?" She asked curiously as she took her mug from him, able to smell something…sweet and bitter.
"Um…Coffee." Xander answered vaguely, pulling his mug closer to himself as he sat down, all but hugging it to him.
"Smells like mocha." She said. "A good choice."
"Yes. Yes it is." Xander said, and she gave him a knowing smile. He cleared his throat. "Well, you know, I'd normally go for a double espresso but then I'll be up all night so…" He shrugged. "Mocha." Nice save, X-man, nice save.
"Of course." She said. "I don't intend to sleep for a while yet, so I'm good." She lifted her black coffee and sipped, dark eyes on his as she did so. Xander gulped.
The date went well, he felt. They had both been relaxed around each other, chatting, joking, laughing (she had even laughed at some of his jokes which was a first). He had insisted on buying the drinks all evening, proving to her, he hoped, that he was a gentleman, and thus escaping her noticing he was drinking hot cocoa… She had refused his offer of muffins and snacks so he suspected she was on a diet and filed away that knowledge for later in the hope of racking up some brownie points in the 'I was paying attention' department.
They parted ways just after eleven, Mona even kissing his cheek before climbing into a taxi and heading home. Her lips felt cool against his skin and left behind a smudge of dark lipstick.
Xander smiled and waved until the vehicle turned the corner, then began the short walk home to his apartment. He stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and let his feet carry him as he mulled over the evening.
Currently he didn't really feel like entering into a relationship, serious or no. Wounds were still open and needed to heal fully well before he could start seeing someone with a clear conscience. That said they had agreed to meet up again at some point in the near future, and he fully intended to keep texting her. He liked her and she liked him, and that's all that was important at the moment.
It was nice to have a friend outside of the usual group. No weirdness. Uncomplicated.
He smiled to himself as he withdrew his keys from his trouser pocket. It had been a nice ending to what had started out as a terrible day.