Chapter 11 Seven
A/N: Chapter 11, by now it would be the halfway mark in my books but not this one. We still have 17 chapters left meaning it's not over, we're just seeing the start of this. What happens next? So here's my Valentine's Day post for all of you, happy reading.
I am the last man stand survivor
I am the last man home.
I'll be the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
I am the last man stand survivor
I am the last man home.
I'll be the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
You're all alone sitting in the corner,
You've got a killer stare.
Who's messing round with you in the corner?
He better say his prayers.
You found yourself a new sensation
But baby it's a jungle out there
The one's you counted on are all but gone
Baby it's a jungle out there.
I am the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
I am the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
I wish you would try and look
a little more excited,
Let me stay, let me cause I'm coming anyway
I am the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
I am the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
I am the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
I am the last man stand survivor
I'll be the last man home.
You found yourself a new sensation
But baby it's a jungle out there
The one's you counted on are all but gone
Baby it's a jungle out there.
Last Man Standing by People in Planes
The night wasn't over not by a long shot. The group killed what zombies they found but were there more? The team walked the quiet streets looking. In the distance you could hear sirens of emergency vehicles. The town was somewhat trashed after the attack. But the team knew there were bigger problems coming with this demon that brings death.
"Ok, so now what?" Buffy asked looking to Angel and he looked to her. What do you do now?
"Hit the books, it's all connected." Doyle suggested. The team will be up the rest of the night, which it was now four in the morning. School will be canceled in the morning as this would be considered a town emergency, too many people died. And then there's the clean up.
Angel raced inside the mansion followed by his team. Willow chanted something as a quick spell to be sure that nothing evil was here. The team never stopped walking as they disarmed themselves heading to the study. One thing did happen it did stop raining. Angel reached for four bibles all different versions and Buffy grabbed the Latin version. Willow grabbed some pagan books. They were dumping the books that appear to have relevance on the table.
The sun had risen a while ago. Angel was standing in the living room with the TV on looking at the local news. The mansion was quiet now. The TV was on low volume as some of the people were asleep in the study and den. The local news anchor was reporting about last night's attack and no one knew what to make of it. The amount of people who died that weren't already dead added up to forty, forty more than Angel liked.
The amount of graves that were being looked into that have been churned up were one hundred. One hundred zombies rose last night. As Angel continued to stand there Buffy came over to him and handed him a cup of coffee.
"Thanks," Angel took it and sipped it.
"You need to get some sleep," She stated looking at him. He then looked back to her.
"You too," He added. Dawn was in the den on the small recliner asleep. Xander and Anya were in the den asleep with their heads on the table well Xander's head was on the table while Anya was resting against him. Doyle was on some chairs lined up so he could lay flat. Cordelia was awake still reading and taking notes but she wasn't going to be able to stay up for long. Willow was also up in the den reading one the small sofa.
In the living room Angel slowly sat down on the couch while Buffy continued to stand there and looked to him. Angel not only looked tired but there was something else.
"I'm sorry you saw her again." Buffy knew what Angel was thinking. Angel didn't look up to her he was just staring off into the earth. Angel thought about it. Something raised his mom up from the dead. That was so disturbing to him. Something brought her back into a monster and he had to put her down. It made him angry and pissed. What made it worse is the fact that Dawn saw their mom like that.
Buffy then sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. It unnerved Buffy to see Jenny again. "You think that everyone that rose,"
"Yeah," Angel answered before she could finish. "People we couldn't save, people who died here," Angel leaned back into the couch and Buffy followed cuddling closer to him.
"You get the feeling it's like…like that what happened was to mock us?" Buffy asked and it occurred to Angel, yeah it was. Was this a slap to the team's face saying these are the people you couldn't save?
Nothing happened during the day. The team slept, read, slept, ate and so on. The town was getting back in order from the mess of last night. The team however had to find out about this demon that was awaken and why it portrays itself as an angel.
"It's a demon, they lie it's what demons do." Anya explained to the group as they all sat in the study. "The Angel of Death is a myth. Same with the Grim Reaper."
"Do you take joy in ruining cool stories?" Xander asked his ex-lover and she looked to him and shrugged.
"People gave death a name. Demons and monsters kill but death is death." Anya finished and everyone seemed…somewhat ok with it.
"At least I can kill it." That gave Angel some comfort.
"So, because we are now at the end of days," Doyle started off with a casual tone. "What does this demon mean? Besides being a demon and messing things up." Everyone wanted an answer but there wasn't one. It must have a purpose though just then the doorbell went off. No one got up and they just stared at each other. Who in the world could that be? But still no one got up as they all just continued to look at each other. Then the bell rang again.
"Really?" Buffy asked as she stood up to get it. Buffy headed to the front and opened it seeing RJ standing there. "RJ? Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, uh," The teen boy seemed a little nervous. "Dawn here?" Buffy nodded and left to get her while RJ waited. He looked around still on guard from last night. Just then he saw Dawn walking towards him. The two looked at each other and it was awkward to say the least.
"About, about last night," Dawn had no idea where to start.
"Are you a superhero?" RJ asked and Dawn's eyes widen a little bit. She never considered herself as a superhero, her brother and Buffy maybe but not her.
"Uh…hunter." Dawn corrected him and he nodded but he was still confused.
"You hunt?" RJ was trying to get this all sorted out and she nodded.
"You know, demons, vampires, sometimes ghost and werewolves." Dawn answered but she felt like the more she went on the worse she was making it. "It's…it's the family business, hunting stuff, saving people."
"Right," RJ was still confused and Dawn knew she had to explain all this but how?
Inside the team was still wondering what to do next. Of course it would be to find this demon and kill it. It would be nice to find out where it was, where it came from and most importantly who summoned it. This new end of the world ordeal that was happening seemed like a mess. The team didn't have anything to go on, there didn't seem to be a pattern at all. But this was just the start and it was going to get worse. They had to see everything that was happening was not an isolated event but all connected.
"So, let's," Cordelia stood up and brought out the whiteboard and started to write. She started with the Rise of the Witnesses. She continued to write all the major events that have happened. Now that they could see it maybe they can connect the dots. But before that started Dawn came stomping in.
"Well, RJ will never speak to me again." Dawn started and they looked to her. "It's not everyday you find out about the supernatural. Oh yes, demons and vampires are real have a great day." She was frustrated. "He saw me fight last night and now it's ruined." She should know better that a normal life in this business is asking a lot. "I mean," She then looked to Angel and Buffy. "You two hit off and then same with you two." She turned her attention to Cordelia and Doyle.
"Dawn," Angel had to get her to refocus but that wasn't going to happen right this second.
"But nope, not me. I like a regular human," Dawn sounded disappointed as she continued on. "And this regular human has never seen a vampire."
"Dawn," Angel snapped her out of it and she glared at her brother. "I'm sorry, ok, maybe he'll come around. You know it's hard for someone to comprehend all this. Give him time." Angel had to get Dawn to refocus. Maybe RJ will never talk to her again. Maybe he'll come around, who knows. But the typical teenage love life was not important right now. Dawn nodded knowing the team needs her so she sat down and looked at the whiteboard.
"Ok," Cordelia started up again. "This all connects…right?" The team was confused on this one. All of it seemed isolated, different events. So do you tackle each one separately? The new demon is something they can take care of right now. Maybe they can trap it? Make it talk? So first they have to find it. Angel continued to stare at the board, looking at all the events since the start of the school year. It all adds up but how?
The slayer was in town by himself. The day would be ending in a few hours. The days were shorter with it being Fall. One thing he picked up on is that this Fall season it was much cooler than the last six ones. It could be nothing but being the slayer you never over look the small things. Angel decided to walk the streets, feel for anything that shouldn't be here.
The people of the town were still cleaning up. It always amazed him how this town can see such horrible things and yet move on. As he walked in the cloudy and cool day the Sunnydale Catholic Church came up to his right and the slayer decided to see if there was a certain priest. But before the slayer made halfway up the steps he turned away. Michael wasn't there not now at least. So Angel continued to walk around until he found the place where all of this started.
Angel looked to the empty high school. Every time he comes here he just wants to burn it to the ground. That graduation night when the school blew up all the students and graduates who made it watched it burned together. There was a weight that was lifted for all of them. But it was like the weight came back and it was stronger and angrier. It was going to take more than just blowing this place up to keep the evil at bay.
At the mansion Buffy and Dawn were sparring and Dawn was on a warpath. But Buffy can manage an angry teen though.
"It's like just because I hunt vampires doesn't mean I'm not normal." Dawn continue to rant as Buffy listened to the horrors of being a teen. "I can make time for the undead and the living right?" Buffy wanted to say yes but it's hard to have a relationship outside of this realm of demon hunting.
"So, he's not taking this well?" Buffy asked and Dawn's eyes widen.
"Duh, but its not a big deal. Look at you and Angel." The teen pointed out.
"It's more complicated than that. I've been a vampire a long time. Angel's the slayer, we both know about the supernatural. Cordelia is human but she was brought into this so when meeting Doyle it wasn't the biggest shock. That goes for Anya and Xander and Willow and Oz." Buffy finished hoping Dawn understood. RJ hasn't really been exposed to the supernatural. Maybe in small ways but not on a nightly bases. What happened last night was a shock for RJ and a lot of people. You don't just brush it off and keep moving when it's never happened.
"Give him time then?" Dawn asked and Buffy nodded. That's the best she could do, give him time and space.
The town was a quiet for now as night settled in. The team checked out the cemeteries to make sure the dead were asleep. But one thing that was undead was walking around. Right now he was busy as he continued to level the earth. He was about five feet into the ground, one more foot to go. He takes a quick break to check his progress and then sees his victim was on the ground. She was dead, her body pale and lifeless. He drained her of any blood she had left. He starts to dig some more while humming.
But he wasn't just humming this tune. Something else in the shadows was humming with him as he smiled looking at Spike.
At the mansion Angel walked down to the basement and looked around. It was dark so he reached for a light switch and it lit the place up just enough. Just then the slayer jumped as Buffy brushed passed him.
"He's not here?" She asked.
"No, and please don't do that." Angel answered and pleaded.
"What, you afraid of the dark now?" Buffy asked poking some fun at Angel as she looked around the basement.
"Where is he?" Angel walked in a further and Buffy shrugged.
"I don't know, not his keeper." Meaning she wouldn't know. "More worried about this demon walking around than Spike though." Buffy paced the basement a little bit. She then faced Angel again. "What?"
"Nothing," Angel answered but Buffy knew better.
"You have a something face." Buffy added and Angel walked closer to her and pulled her in for a hug. Buffy wasn't going to refuse a hug from him but she knew when he did this something was on his mind. "What's going on?" She asked and she heard the slayer sigh. He didn't answer right away just pulled her closer to him. "We'll figure this out." She assured him and then Angel pulled away.
"I can't lose you." Angel somewhat blurted out and that threw Buffy for a moment.
"What?" She was a little confused and wasn't expecting that at all.
"I've lost you three times now, I won't do it again." Angel sounded like he was reminiscing a little. And with all that's been happening and his dream he might be feeling beside himself.
"You won't." Buffy assured him. "I started this with you and I'll finish it with you, ok?" Angel nodded. "I'm back." Angel just pulled her in for another hug but the sweet moment ended with someone clearing their throat. Angel and Buffy looked up seeing Spike standing there.
"You have your own room to whisper sweet nothings." The vampire was saying to get out in a nice way. The couple started to leave holding hands and left the vampire alone. But as Buffy walked passed him she met his eyes and hers widen. She smelt something, it was faint on his breath but it was there. Spike's eyes followed Buffy until she left.
The mansion was quiet as Buffy sat in the study. Everyone was gone at the moment except the vampire. She had put all the books aside except one and stared at the title. The Revelation of Saint John the Apostle. The group has read parts of it but not the whole thing. It's the smaller of the books in the bible but one of the scarier ones. It spells out the end. Buffy had her pad and paper and it was time to read all twenty-two chapters and the epilog as a whole.
Angel was at his desk putting together the grade sheets for the week. But a shadow caught his attention and he looked up seeing Dawn there. She looked upset and Angel was trying to think what he might have done wrong.
"RJ isn't saying anything to me." Dawn started off and Angel sighed and nodded. Bigger things were happening besides boys. But then again Angel had to realize that Dawn is still a teenage girl. She cares about teenage girls things like hair, makeup, fashion and boys. She can fight the supernatural and kick a demon back to Hell and that makes him forget that she is still a teenager.
"I'm…sorry…" Angel wasn't sure how to answer this. He needs his mom or Buffy to do this. Dawn sat down and sighed.
"It's not your fault." Dawn seemed sincere and Angel was taken back by it. "You think…you think he'll ever get over it?"
"Maybe, some accept it but that's it." Angel was being honest and he could see Dawn understood.
"Stupid zombies." Dawn muttered. Angel did feel for her though.
Not much happened during the day and the usual vampires were killed on patrol. It can be either good or disconcerting depending on how you view it. But for now the mansion closed up shop for the night to get some much needed sleep.
'She stopped running and looked around. This had to be a bad dream but why wasn't she waking up? But lucky for her she was just a few feet from her apartment. She reached for her keys as she ran up the stoop and started to shake as she unlocked the front door. Finally she got in and shut the door behind her and continued to run up the stairs to her level. She ran down the hall unlocked her unit door and locked it again behind her. Maybe it was just a mugger. She looked through the peephole and saw nothing. The girl relaxed and deiced to relax her nerves further and headed to the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer. Next she went to listen to her messages as she sipped her beer. The first message was from her mother saying how she never calls. But as she listened to her nagging mother there was a huge crash coming from the apartment.
The young girl turned around and couldn't move as fear gripped her. She saw a shadow moving in her insides screamed to run but she couldn't move. The shadow rounded the corner and a hood figure stood there.
"Take whatever you want." The girl hoped this person just wanted to rob her. The hooded figure got closer and then the girl threw the beer bottle at it but it didn't stop the unwelcomed visitor. The girl took off running as the hooded figure grabbed her and threw her down to the ground. It took out a knife and slammed down the knife to the girl. She let out a blood-curling scream but with a second blow the girl was quiet.
The hood figure stood up and removed it's hood. Spike then took out a cigarette, lit it up and took a long drag.'
Angel shot up in bed in s sweat and looked around. The room was for the most part dark except a candle or two that hasn't gone out yet. Angel went to reach out to Buffy but that side of the bed was empty but the doors to the balcony were opened. Angel threw the blanket off of him and grabbed a pair of sweats and headed outside.
Outside Buffy looked on facing the woods. The night was cool and calm but Buffy had to fight not to shake. She just woke up moments ago from a nightmare but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her shoulder.
"You ok?" Angel asked and she nodded. He knew she was lying but for now he'll ignore it. Buffy hasn't been sleeping well either, tossing and turning. It had to be the up and coming end. As a vampire she can sense things before they happen.
"You had another nightmare." Buffy stated and Angel nodded. "Want to talk about it?"
"Just another girl." Angel answered. He wasn't sure if he should alarm Buffy that he saw Spike kill a person. It could be a few things. It could be a premonition that Spike might actually kill someone. It could be his own fears and doubts about Spike or just truly a nightmare. Whatever it was Angel wanted to shake it off for now. Buffy remained in Angel's arms but she replayed her own nightmares in her head.
Spike was leaning against the wall of a store smoking. He had a few more hours before he had to be back. If Angel and the team found he was sneaking out at night he would be in trouble. But he had to get away. As he sat there smoking he heard a scream. Spike followed the scream to it's source and saw a young girl getting mugged.
"Hey!" Spike called out and the two men looked up. "Leave the lady alone." The two men laughed at Spike.
"What are you going to do about it Billy Idol?" One man asked and Spike shrugged and out of nowhere slugged the man. The second man didn't even bother in helping his partner out and ran away. The first man wobbled to his feet and limped off.
"Wow, thank you," The young woman was grateful to Spike as she grabbed her purse and walked over to Spike. "How can I thank you?"
"Get me some food." Spike answered and she nodded with a smile.
"Of course," She was about to walk away when Spike grabbed her and pulled her to him. She looked up and saw Spike's vampire's face and screamed. Spike grabbed the woman's hair yanking her head to one side exposing her neck and sunk his fangs into it. The woman screamed in pain and fear but the screams started to fade.
"That's my solider." A voice applauded Spike and he looked up. It was Buffy standing there.
Spike felt himself hit the wall and he was disorientated as he looked around. Angel was standing there with a small light on in the basement.
"Did you kill her?" Angel demanded and Spike was still waking up.
"What?" Spike asked.
"Cut the shit!" Angel wasn't having it. "Did you kill her?" He asked again. "Did you turn her?"
"What are you talking about?" Spike stood up. "Chip remember?" He reminded the slayer. "Besides why are you accusing me of something any other vampire could do out there." Spike got defensive. "Got a soul now too." He added. "You'd think I'd go to the underworld to get a soul and bloody it back up again? I can barely live with myself right now with everything I've done."
Angel wasn't sure about this. Spike could be telling the truth. Maybe it was just a dream and another vampire. But his slayer defenses we on red alert right now. "This chip, I didn't want it but this soul…I got it for her. Now you might not like it especially now that you two are back together. But I haven't done anything." Spike started to pace. "Yeah I sneak out at night only to get away. I saw the girl that died. She was getting mugged and I stopped it."
"Then what?" Angel prodded for answers. Spike was about to answer but then couldn't.
"I don't know." He sounded confused and that didn't sit well with Angel. Angel then got closer to Spike.
"Stay down here," Angel started. "These people are my family not yours. If you hurt them in anyway I will kill you. As far as I'm concern I'm only keeping you alive to be the live bait for the end." Angel then left.
"I say we waste him right now." Xander spoke up. Angel, Buffy, Doyle, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn and Cordelia were sitting around in the study.
"We need to make sure he didn't. Innocent until proven guilty right?" Dawn asked.
"Then how do we know if it was him?" Cordelia asked.
"Neck trauma," Anya spoke up. And that was a start. Dawn opened up her computer to look up the recent death but she found something else.
"Eight people are missing." Dawn looked around and everyone looked to her. "Eight people in two nights." That made it worse.
"Spike killed eight people in two nights?" Doyle didn't like how this was going.
"I don't know," Dawn was reading the article.
"We need to refocus," Angel realized too much was going on. "We got a powerful demon out there, we had zombies and now Spike might have fallen off the wagon." The list was getting longer and longer.
"Well, there are no bodies, they're just gone. The one thing they have in common is that they are young girls." Dawn finished and Angel looked over to her. It meant she was no longer allowed to be with Spike alone or at all for that matter. "What do we do?"
"I kill him, can't risk it." Angel answered and everyone nodded in agreement.
The mansion was dark as Angel waited. He heard a faint sound and hid behind a wall seeing Spike leave. It was time to follow the vampire and see where Spike goes at night.
Spike walked the streets but he's an old vampire. He might have a soul but he knows and he knows when he's being stalked. So Spike led Angel out to a quieter place. Spike led the slayer to the back of the Bronze and waited for Angel.
"Why are you killing people?" Angel asked into the night.
"If I did, I don't remember." Spike answered and then came from the shadows. "I wouldn't do it just to kill." The two stared at each other. "I don't want to be a monster anymore but…" Angel heard something in Spike's voice. "I see things Angel. Something's out there and I don't know what it is." Angel then got closer to Spike. "It feels like I'm not in control anymore like getting this soul has made everything worse."
"I saw you in a dream Spike. You stabbed a girl with a smile. How can I let you walk away?" Angel asked and then Spike got right in front of Angel and then got to his knees and held out his arms in a surrender mode.
"End it then, please. Do it, take the pain away, take the visions away." Spike begged and Angel even saw a tear form. Angel wanted to grab the stake and kill Spike but he's seen this before. "I'm not good person Angel. I've killed so many people. It's not the demon that needs to be killed it's the man. Please, do it."
'"I'm not strong Angel, I never was and I'm tired of pretending that I am!" She had tears coming down her face. "Its not the demon in me that needs to be killed, it's the person, the human,"'
"Do it!" Spike yelled and Angel took a step back.
"No," Angel declared and Spike looked shocked at the slayers response. "No," Angel stood there for a moment. "Something is out there and it's after us."
"Why is it doing this?" Spike asked as he sounded afraid.
"I don't know." Angel then got closer to Spike and squatted down to his level. "If you want to die then step out into the sun, but I won't do it. I won't kill an innocent person. If you're meant burn, then burn." Angel then stood up and started to leave. Spike remained on his knees for a moment as he watched Angel leave. He slowly rose to his feet and followed the slayer out.
From the shadows though something watched. It was a man well a man's body that has been high jacked.
"He's going to ruin it." The man seemed to whine until Angel came from the shadows.
"You're doing just fine Cruciate. The first seal has been broken, it has begun." Angel stated. "Keep working."
"What about Buffy?" Cruciate asked looking to his leader.
"Buffy, she isn't one of us, Spike however, he'll do. We make our move soon, it's almost time." Angel stated and Cruciate nodded.
Spike was locked in the basement while the team discussed what happened. Right now they couldn't deny or confirm what Spike has or hasn't done.
"You think he's being controlled?" Doyle asked as Angel explained what had happened. "To what end though?"
"A distraction." Buffy answered looking around. "Noticed we're getting a million and one things tossed at us but none really seem to make any connections?" She asked.
"Spike's a distraction?" Dawn sounded confused.
"Or the thing that's wanted." Xander added.
"Or a little bit of both." Willow jumped in. "But are you sure we can keep him here? He's killed people."
"You keep me here." Buffy reminded them as she looked around. "I've killed tons of people."
"Yeah but," Cordelia then paused realizing Spike was just like Buffy now. "Wait a minute, I have an idea," Something made a light bulb go off in Cordelia's head. "What if it's Buffy they want?"
"What?" Anya asked.
"This happened before, Buffy was seeing things and she went to kill herself. What if Spike is seeing it now?" Cordelia just made a good point.
"The Big Bad?" Xander asked and Cordelia nodded.
"The zombies and the fake Angel of Death is the distraction and Buffy has sworn evil off but Spike is still recovering from a soul. He's very weak." Cordelia finished.
"You are so hot." Doyle commented with a smile and Cordelia smiled back at him.
"Ok," Angel liked where this was going. "We need to keep Spike safe for one. But what are we being distracted from?" That was the question.
Giles was sitting at a table with books open as he took notes. He seemed a little frazzled and then jumped when the phone went off. He was in a little hotel room and reached for the phone.
"Ripper?" A voice asked.
"Rein," Giles knew the voice.
"Are you alone?" Ethan asked.
"Yes," Giles answered but he heard a panic tone to Ethan's voice. "Are you ok?"
"Listen Rupert, not a lot of time left. And what I'm about to say to you will sign my life away." Ethan kept going. "I was able to channel into the nether world but I've been followed. You need to get to Angel after I tell you this."
"What about the Council?" Giles asked.
"The Council is going to be lost, they mean nothing anymore. I need you to contact every Watcher that hasn't died and get their potential and get to Sunnydale. Get the word out, all potentials need to go to Sunnydale." Ethan said as he looked over his shoulder as he was in a phone booth. "Also seven seals, it's the seven seals Rupert, they're being broken, it's the ultimate end the one we've always fear." Giles sat in silence as he listened. Ethan then looked over his shoulder. "Listen Rupert, I might have been a pain in the ass but I never wanted this. You were always a good man. I hope Angel is ready for this."
"Ethan, where are you?" Giles knew something was about to happen by the sound of Ethan's voice.
"Get to Sunnydale fast. I wish we could have had one last drink together. You were always like a brother to me." Ethan went on.
"Where are you?" Just then Giles heard Ethan hang up the phone. Giles slammed the phone down and looked around the hotel room and sat there for a moment and then got up and started to pack.
Ethan stepped out of the phone booth and looked around. He felt it; something was following him. Ethan started to walk and just as he passed an alley something grabbed him and pulled him in. It was a cloaked figure and it went to stab Ethan. Ethan stopped the knife hitting his chest by a mere inch. He managed to kick his attacker away but another grabbed Ethan and held him at bay.
"Angel will stop this." Ethan warned the men. He closed his eyes as he felt a sharp pain his chest. He prayed this would be quick and in the end he hoped he made a difference.
Spike was now in the living room and was tied down. It was the only place in the mansion that at some point everyone walks through. So at some point they will see Spike. Angel was home for the day and wasn't going to work. Dawn was going to school though and Willow was going to go to class to think about other things. Buffy sat in the study while Angel was on the phone.
"I've tried every number and I can't get a hold of him." Angel spoke into the phone.
"Mister O'Brien the Watcher's Council does not track people down to them going to the bathroom. Ever since Mister Giles left his post in Sunnydale we have to have lost contact." It was Quentin on the other line.
"Look, I don't have time for this. You have ways of finding him so do it." Angel demanded.
"We could try," Quentin started not sounding to interested.
"Look, I hate the Council and I hate you. But right now we have serious issues going on right here with the Hell Mouth. I need you smart asses in the books and I need my Watcher. Once we figure this out then we can go back to hating each other and you can go back to drinking your tea and crumpets." Angel finished.
"We'll get back to you with any new information." Quentin stated.
"Thank you." Angel then hung up the phone. Quentin then looked to the head of Council men and woman as they sat there.
"We're running out of time." He stated to them.
Buffy walked into the living room as Spike sat in the chair shaking and had his vampire face on. She left the living room and walked over to Angel and he looked to her.
"He's going through withdraw, he needs to eat though." Buffy informed the slayer.
"Have Willow stop by the butcher shop on her way home." Angel stated as he paced the study.
Andrew rolled over on the dirty floor and sat up quickly. He was in the school basement and around him were death bodies. He started to tear up in fear and then saw blood on him.
"Oh, god, not again," Andrew got up but fell back down in fear and weakness. He managed to get back up and saw the window he crawled in from and ran to it.
Willow left the butcher shop with her groceries and headed out. As she walked someone ran into her causing her to drop her stuff. But it was the person she ran into that made her stop. Andrew saw Willow and started to run faster and she followed him. He ran down an alley but it was a dead end.
"Please! Please don't kill me!" Andrew begged.
"I'm not," Willow assured him.
"I didn't kill Oz it was Warren even though the bullet was meant for Angel." Andrew continued to defend himself.
"Not helping." Willow caught him off. "Why were you running," Then when she saw Andrew covered in dirt and blood it only made her want to question him further. "What happened?"
Angel and Buffy heard someone coming into the mansion.
"Angel! Buffy!" It was Willow and the two went to greet her but when the met up they got a small shock.
"I thought you were told to leave town and never coming back." Angel folded his arms across his chest.
"You don't scare me slayer." Andrew bluffed, he was actually terrified of Angel.
"Why do I smell blood?" Buffy asked.
"I won't answer, I am protected and you can't not harm me." Andrew blabbed on but Buffy walked right up to him and with two fingers hit him hard in the chest causing him to lose some breath. Angel had to smirk just a little.
"This can't be good." Angel muttered. Andrew isn't evil but he isn't smart either so he can be dangerous. Angel walked over to Andrew and squatted down as Andrew was trying to catch his breath. "Alright nerd, you got options, the easy one or the hard on. This can be easy if you tell us what you know right now."
"And…and the hard one?" Andrew asked still catching his breath.
"I let Buffy eat you." Angel answered and Buffy smiled. It was only a bluff but Andrew will believe it's true.
"I don't know what's going on." Andrew defended himself. "I…I came here and then I woke up."
"With dirt and blood on you?" Willow asked.
"I don't know." Andrew stated. It seemed like this was the same thing with Spike.
Andrew and Spike were in the living room tied up side by side while the rest of the team talked. So far they had nothing to go on. Andrew would glimpse at Spike and look away. Spike seemed to be focus on the ground just staring at it.
"So, we're empty handed once again." Angel stood up from the table and paced. "All we know is that Spike is tormented and Andrew lost conscious for a few days."
"I guess." Dawn didn't like this. "The missing eight, what if we know where they were taken?" She asked.
"Like a ritual?" Doyle asked and Dawn nodded.
"Spike is just the hand, it's something else." Buffy jumped in. "He goes into like a trans and that's it."
"Possession," Willow defined.
"Yeah but Spike is a demon though, can demons possess other demons?" Cordelia asked.
"Maybe not possession maybe just a trans some how, powerful magic. But Andrew could have been possessed." Angel went on. "So, they are working for something and being controlled." Everyone seemed to agree on that.
"So, let's exorcise Andrew to be sure the demon isn't there and then Spike we keep him hogged tied." Xander laid out the plan and they all seemed to still agree with it. Just then the lights shut off and everyone stood up as the windows smashed opened. Everyone formed up to take on the shadows. They had no weapons just their hands. Spike saw a shadow come for him and he went to kick it away. Andrew just cried as the shadow grabbed Spike.
The team fought them off as best as they could in the dark. Just then Angel heard Spike call for help. They were here for Spike. Whatever the plan was Angel needed to stop it. Angel kicked down one of the cloaked men and ran towards the living room. Spike was gone and Andrew was knocked out. Angel ran to the broken window and jumped threw it into the night. Spike was nowhere to be seen.
Angel ran back into the mansion to help his team fight off the rest of the intruders. He wanted to keep one alive if possible. Some of the cloaked men ran off. The rest were dead. Angel then saw one trying to flee but Angel tackled him down.
"He will rise." The cloaked man warned Angel and then took out a knife but it wasn't for Angel and the cloaked man stabbed himself. Angel stared at the dead figure and his eyes widen as he got a closer look. He's seen these men before, he's seen them four years ago. Just then Buffy ran to Angel.
"Angel? Angel they took Spike." Buffy informed the slayer what he already knew. "Angel?" Then he looked to Buffy.
A group of men and women were working frantically as they were in a room.
"They've taken all our files and wipe out our records." One man was explaining to Quentin. "We've lost contact in Munich, Switzerland and Rome. And we have casualties confirmations coming in as far away as China." Quentin nodded and then cleared his throat as he walked through the room. His staff that was there looked to him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our fears have been confirmed. The First Evil has declared an all out war on this institution and it's people. It's time now we strike; it's time now to find the slayer. We are going to America. It's time we pay a visit to the Hell Mouth and give the slayer everything he needs to win this." Quentin looked around to the Council. "My friends, these are they times that define us. Proverbs 24-6, for by wise council thou shalt make thy war: and in a multitude of councilors there is safety."
On the outside of the building as people were walking minding their daily tasks an explosion rocked the streets and the building began to crumble.
Spike stirred away and looked down seeing the earth under him. But in the earth he saw an upside down pentagram with symbols in it and ram's head carved inside it.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Spike heard a voice and it was Buffy, well it looked like Buffy. "Had Andrew dig it up." Spike looked down seeing that his chest had been carved up and his blood started to drip onto this gold evil pentagram. "Blood opens it like everything else." Spike looked to the fake Buffy. "I wanted Buffy, needed a vampire with a soul. But then I realized…you have a soul. Either one would do. But now Spike you get to see a real vampire and you get to say you raised your first ancestor, that's one up from your sire right?"
Just then Spike looked down and saw the seal open and something coming out from it. The Buffy look alike smiled as something was rising. "I'm getting tired of waiting so I want to stir things up a little for the slayer." A grey monster came out. It had long sharp claws, nearly hairless, the vampire face with longer teeth, more sinister than the vampire you know today. "Angel has beaten everything I given him and died twice but not this time." The First in Buffy's form said smiling looking to an ancient evil. "It's about to get fun."
Yup it's about to get real fun I say. What do you guys think? Of course more to come.
I have a sneak peek here of the next chapter and one in the forum. Also in the forum there's a special announcement that I hope you will all like. So you have that there. As always thank you all for reading and commenting on this series and all my other stories, you readers are awesome.
Chapter 12 The Potential Army
Spike began to come around but felt this burning sensation coming from his back. As his vision cleared he realized he was being dragged across the ground. He could see shadows dragging him and part of him hoped that they would kill him. The shadows stopped and Spike looked over seeing the newly risen vampire, the original vampire. But that's not all he saw. Drusilla came out along with a demon and a man.
"Hello Spike," Drusilla greeted him.
"Go on, kill me." Spike sounded winded.
"Oh, I can but that would be too easy." Then Drusilla morphed back into Buffy. "You seem to like this image. But no Spike, you're not going to die, not yet." Then the man grabbed the demon that called itself the Angel of Death and slit it's throat while the old vampire drank the dripping blood. "It's going to need human blood but first, it needs a boost."
Buffy in the form of the First circled Spike as the uber vampire drank the demon. The man just stood there. "Been busy but I need to move faster, get the slayer off my back." The First then looked down to Spike. "I didn't want to hurt you," It then kneeled down to the grown. "I wanted Buffy, I wanted her since the beginning. Her blood alone would have given me everything. So glad I kept her here on earth instead of killing her. Of course Buffy has sworn loyalty to the slayer. But I got lucky, I found another vampire with a soul who happens to be blonde. It's my lucky day."
Spike wanted to hit the First but he had no energy to do so. "Cruciate," The man then stepped forwards and Spike's eyes narrowed to the demon that tortured Buffy back in Hell. "When the full moon rises we can open the next seal." The man nodded and then they both looked to Spike. "Get him out." The First walked away as the Bringers dragged Spike away.