Chapter 84: Fear Itself
In Buffy's room at the Manor Xander is carving a pumpkin. "I dunno, I was going for ferocious scary, but it's coming out more dryly sardonic."
Willow and Oz are also carving pumpkins.
"It does appear to be mocking you with its eye-holes." Willow says/
"Yet its nose-hole seems sad and full of self-loathing." Oz says.
"What do you think, Buff?" Xander asks.
Buffy is pensive, lying on her side. Her hand is feeling around in the bowl of pumpkin pulp. "Just thinking about the life of a pumpkin. Grow up in the sun, happily entwined with others… Then somebody comes along, cuts you open and rips your guts out." She pulls out a handful. The others warily share a look.
"O-kay. And on that happy note… Got a treat for tomorrow night's second annual Halloween screening, people…" He grabs video box, "Prepare to have your spines tingled and your gooses bumped by the terrifying…" He reads box spine, "Fantasia?!"
"You know, maybe it's 'cause of all the horrific things we've seen, but hippos wearing tutus just don't unnerve me like they used to." Oz says.
"Phantasm! This was supposed to be Phantasm. Stupid video store." Xander says.
"But anyway I thought we were doing the Alpha Delt thing." Willow says.
"What thing?" Xander asks.
"The scary house? It sounds a little lame. I think I have to make an appearance at the club anyways. Piper always has a little Halloween party there." Buffy says.
"It actually borders on fun. You have to go through the whole scary house maze to get to the party and it's usually worth getting to. Those guys go all out." Oz says.
"As witnessed last Friday." Buffy says.
"Yeah…" Willow says.
"Yeah? What? There's a party?" Xander asks.
"Didn't we tell you?" Willow asks.
"It's cool. You guys have a little college thing. Hey, fine by me. I got better things to do than tag along to some fraternity-" Xander says, defensively.
"You can come." Willow says, smilng.
"'kay." Xander says. "But only because I lied about having better things to do."
"A blast will be had by all." Oz says.
Buffy lays back, "Guys I think I'd like to turn in."
"Now? The night's…" Xander says and he checks his watch. "Okay, a little mature, but still…"
"I'm sleepy. But you guys have fun. I'll go sleep in Phoebe's room. She's out with Cole tonight anyways." Buffy says.
"You sure?" Willow asks.
"Yeah I'm sure." She turns and heads out the door.
The others share a concerned look.
"Sad Buffy." Xander says.
Willow nods, "She didn't even touch her pumpkin. It's a freak with no face."
"Our girl's still suffering from a little post-Parker depression." Oz says.
Xander nods, "Bailing on the Buff. Does anyone else wanna smack that guy? A show of hands."
"I'm going to go talk to Piper. Why don't you guys get everything together and we'll head out." Willow says.
The next day at Payson's P4 Buffy and Willow are at the bar getting drinks.
"I've got the basics down: levitation, charms, glamours… I just feel like I've plateaued, wicca-wise." Willow says.
Piper shakes her head, "Willow, you can't plateau. Your powers will continue to grow and expand. Look at Buffy and I. Our powers have expanded and we had to change and adapt to them."
Willow sighs, "But you guys don't do transmutation, conjuring… Bringing forth something from nothing…"
Buffy shakes her head, "Actually one of us did try conjuring."
"Who?" Willow asks.
"Prue." Piper says. "She was trying to do an animal conjuration spell at one point."
"Wow! Really?" Willow asks.
Buffy nods, "Really. Seriously though, you shouldn't try and do more than you can handle right now."
Oz joins them, overhearing.
"I don't know. Then again, what's college for if not experimenting? Maybe I can handle it. I'll know when I've reached my limit." Willow says.
"Wine coolers?" Oz asks.
"Magic." Buffy and Piper says.
"Oh. You didn't encourage her, did you?" Oz asks.
"Where's supportive boyfriend guy?" Willow asks.
"Picking up your dry-cleaning. But he told me to tell you he's afraid you're going to get hurt." Oz says.
Buffy shakes her head, "As long as she practices her magic with Piper, Phoebe or I. She'll be fine, Oz."
Oz nods, "I know, Buffy. But I'm not gonna lie about the fact that I worry. I know what it's like to have power you can't control. Every time I start to wolf out I touch something deep dark… it's not fun. But whatever Willow decides, I'll back her play."
There is a hugely moment between them. Buffy smiles. "See? Concerned boy is sweet boy."
"I know. I kinda like him worrying anyway…" Willow says.
Piper nods, "I have to agree, concerned tells you that he loves you."
As they talk, Buffy hears laughter. She turns to see Parker, entering the club with a few friends, having a good time. Nothing weighing heavy on that conscience.
Buffy, anxious and uncomfortable, turns to Piper, Willow and Oz. "I think I'm going to head out." She turns and heads and towards the back entrance.
Piper frowns as she looks over at Parker, "Be right back." She walks around the bar and over to Parker, "Mr. Abrams."
Parker looks at Piper, "Ms. Halliwell."
"I believe I asked you not to come in the club again." Piper says.
"I thought you just wanted me to give Payson some space." Parker says.
"Out." Piper says. She turns to a bouncer. "Ernie would you show Mr. Abrams to the door."
Willow follows Buffy out the back door, "Buffy, don't let jerky Parker chase you away…"
"He isn't. Just don't want to deal right now. Taking a little holiday from dealing, happily vacationing in the land of not coping." Buffy says.
"Know what? You're gonna feel better after the party tonight. Maybe you'll even meet someone." Willow says.
"Willow, I don't want to meet someone. I've reached my quota on someone's. Anyway, I think I should probably patrol." Buffy says.
"Tonight? But, it's Halloween." Willow says.
"Do I need to remind you of my last two Halloweens? The first one we all turned into our costumes. The second one the Triad sent Cole back in time to wipe out my entire family line." Buffy says. "I'll double-check with Giles, but I'm pretty sure he'll want me on active Slayer duty. He doesn't really care about the whole "Halloween" thing. Tell Piper I'll be see her at home after classes."
Later at Giles apartment Buffy's on the front porch as the door opens revealing Giels, holding a bowl of candy, and wearing a huge sombrero. "Happy Hal-lo, Buffy."
"Oh... My... Goddess." Buffy says, mortified.
"It's a sombrero." Giles says.
"And it's on your head." Buffy says.
"It seemed festive. Come in." Giles says and moves a side to let Buffy enter.
Buffy sees some cheap Halloween decorations in his foyer. She looks at him and he holds out the bowl.
"Candy?" Giles asks.
"Giles, what is going on here? You hate Halloween." Buffy says.
"I've never said any such thing. As my watcher duties took precedence, I simply hadn't taken the time to embrace its inherent charms. Until now. Look!" Giles says as he turns on his shaking Frankenstein doll. The doll immediately starts to dance as music emanates from it.
"It's alive!" Giles says as Buffy stares. "Heh heh… see how he… shakes…" He turns it off. "Right, is there something you wanted?"
"Thinking I should patrol tonight. Maybe stake out the cemetery, or some of the more inviting-" Buffy says. "Could you please take that off?"
Giles complies and takes off the sombrero. "I see. Is there some specific danger you're sensing?"
"No. But then we were caught off guard when your pal Ethan turned everyone into their costumes. Then last year the Triad sending Cole back in time to wipe out my entire family before were even born." Buffy says.
Giles nods, "True. But what happened then was anomalous. Creatures of the night shy away from Halloween. They find it all much too crass."
"Hard to believe." Buffy says.
"I promise you, there's little chance of any supernatural activity tonight." Giles says.
Buffy looks disappointed.
Later Post-class. Riley confers with Professor Walsh at the podium. As a few students straggle out, Buffy enters, tentatively.
"Excuse me, Professor Walsh…" Buffy says as Riley and Professor Walsh look over. "I came to pick up today's assignment. I wasn't able to get to class because of some personal-"
"Right." Professor Walsh says looking Buffy over. "I count four limbs, a head, no visible scarring so I assume your personal issue was not a life threatening accident of any kind and am therefore uninterested. You got problems, solve them on your own time." She gathers some papers, and moves to the exit. "Miss another class and you're out." She's gone.
"She means it, you know." Riley says.
Buffy nods, "Yeah, I got the impression she wasn't saying it to make me laugh. But she also knows it a hollow threat. She and I both know she can't kick me out of a class I am paying for."
Riley nods, "Well you have a point there. Still you've got to be aware your work's taken a little downturn lately. I can't remember the last time I saw your hand up."
"Does stretching count?" Buffy asks, jokingly.
Riley smiles slightly. "Things get pretty intense freshman year, as I dimly recall. Too much fun? Or not enough."
"Both, actually." Buffy says.
Riley nods, "Well, you just gotta keep your priorities. Professor Walsh is worth your time."
"I'll do this stuff tonight." Buffy says.
"It's Halloween. You're not gonna dress up and party?" Riley asks.
Buffy sighs, "I might make an appearance at Payson's P4. Kinda have to you know, owner and all. But other than that I just have a lot of –"
Riley nods, "Look, I may be out of line here; it's not my business, but you seem like the kind of person who makes things hard on themselves. Halloween ain't a night for responsibility. It's when the ghosts and goblins come out."
Buffy shakes her head, "That's actually a misnomer –"
"Well, I didn't mean real ones. But there's some good scary fun to be had on campus tonight." Riley says.
"What are you doing?" Buffy asks.
"I'm gonna sit here and grade papers." Riley says.
Buffy laughs, "Scary."
"Very." Riley says.
"Well, thanks for the pep talk… coach." Buffy says.
"Don't make fun. I worked long and hard to get this pompous." Riley says.
Buffy shakes her head, "No. I mean it."
"Welcome." Riley says.
That afternoon Buffy is at the Manor watching Piper rummage though some boxes.
"I know I kept that cape somewhere." Piper says. "You sure you want to do Little Red Riding Hood? I wish I still had my Glinda costume. But last I saw it was somewhere in the 1600's."
"Yeah I'm sure." Buffy says. "Something simple. I'm not really in the mood to overly dress up this year. Anyways I know what you mean about the costumes last year. I would have loved to have gotten my Xena costume back. I wonder what they did with them after we left."
"Probably, burn them. They couldn't let people see them now could they." Piper says. "Ah here we are." She holds up a red, hooded cape. "Try it on let's make sure it fits.
Buffy puts it on. "It's good. You know I actually wore a Little Red Riding Hood costume about 5 or 6 years ago. Back before my mom and dad got divorced. He always took me out trick or treating."
"I bet that was a pain. Twelve years old and you couldn't go trick-or-treating by yourself." Piper says.
Buffy nods, "Yeah but he wanted to keep me safe. Though sometimes I wonder if he really wanted the candy. I should call him. I haven't talked to him in a while now."
Later Buffy, in her full "Red-Riding Hood" attire and carrying a basket, waiting at a street corner as she hears the squeals of excited, young, Trick-or-treaters, making their way down the street.
"Hey, Red." Xander says, wearing a classic black tuxedo, joins her. "Whatcha got in that basket, little girl?"
"Weapons." Buffy says.
"Oh." Xander says.
"Just in case. Like the tux, Xander." Buffy says.
"Bond. James Bond. Insurance, you know - in case we all turn into our costumes again, I'm going for cool secret agent guy." Xander says.
"Hate to break it to you, but you'll probably end up cool head waiter guy." Buffy says.
"As long as I'm cool and I wield some kind of power." Xander says.
Willow and Oz arrive. She's dressed as "Joan of Arc." Oz appears to be in his street clothes.
"Will… Medieval Will." Buffy says.
"Hail, ye olde…varletty… thou." Willow says. "I'm Joan of Arc. I figured we had a lot in common, seeing as how I was almost burned at the stake. Plus she had that close relationship with God."
"And you are… ?" Xander says as Oz places a sticky tag on his chest. A single word is written on it in black magic marker: God. "Of course." They start walking up the street. "Wish I'd thought of that before I put my deposit down. I could've been God."
"Blasphemer." Oz says.
As they come to another corner, which goes off into a slightly wooded area, they almost collide with two commandos, night-goggled and ski-masked. The two groups stare at each other for a moment.
"Like your outfits. Very stealthy." Buffy says.
The commandos look at each other, then drip back into the shadows.
"What were they supposed to be?" Willow asks.
Oz shrugs, "NATO?"
"Oh, yeah. I invited Anya to join us, but she's having some trouble finding a scary costume, so she's going to meet us there." Xander says.
"Perfect. Everybody's got a date but third-wheel Buffy." Buffy says.
"Buffy, you're not a third-wheel." Willow says.
"Technically speaking, you're a fifth wheel." Xander says.
Willow elbows Xander, then takes Buffy's arm. "We're gonna have the best time."
Buffy's eyes go wide remembering the incident with Cupid. And how the night she had met him both her and Phoebe were third and fourth wheels. "Will you're not Cupid in disguise are you?"
Willow looks at Buffy and then shakes her head, "No why?"
"You just brought up a memory of a couple years ago." Buffy says.
Finally they arrive at the Frat House.
"Let the horrors begin…" Oz says.
As the others enter, Buffy glances down at her feet. The welcome mat reads: HELL COME. "Cute."
They slowly make their way in. Except for the pre-recorded spooky noises, it's quiet. Cobwebs abound; as do animal bone mobiles. Lit candelabras cast long shadows across the walls and a fire burns in the fireplace.
"The joint's not jumpin'. Where is everybody?" Xander says.
Oz indicates a large canvas draped in front of the staircase. Attached is a sign: STAIRS OUT! DETOUR, with an arrow pointing down a hallway. "Follow the signs." They move to the right, entering a hall.
They cross toward the hallway, taking in all the "spooky" props, including a creepy dummy's head.
Buffy smiles at the hokiness. "Terrifying. If I were Abbott and Costello, this would be fairly traumatic."
"Ew! Cobweb." Willow says as she is caught in a cobweb, waves it off her. "That part was realistic."
"Well, frat boys not obsessive with the cleaning. That might not be decoration per se." Oz says.
Out of the darkness… A skeleton races toward them. Freaked, Xander staggers back just as it suddenly comes to a stop at the end of its track. "I wasn't scared. I was in the spirit."
"We'll all back you up on that story, Xander. Even if they question us separately –" Willow says.
Everyone else notices the tarantula crawling on Willow's shoulder before she does. Their various reactions cause her to look and scream and shoo it off her. It scuttles away. She spins and dances in full spaz attack, looking to see if there are more on her.
"Is it gone? Are there more? Is it off?" Willow says.
"It's gone." Oz says.
"You're clean." Buffy says.
"Okay, that is NOT sanitary." Willow says.
"Why don't we get to the party part of the party." Buffy says.
Willow nods, "Yeah. Are you sure they're off me?"
They turn a corner as Oz looks puzzled. "I thought this led…" He can't remember exactly. The group keeps moving till Buffy stops. Kneels. Touches the carpet.
"What is it?" Xander asks.
Buffy looks at her hand. "Blood." She sniffs it, "Real blood."
"Okay, actual creeps have been given. Bravo frat boys –" Xander says.
"Shh. Do you hear that? Sounds like squeaking." Buffy says.
"It's these rented shoes. Patent leather. I asked the guy to break them in for me-" Xander says.
"No. I hear it, too. Something else. Something like…" Willow says and she slowly looks up. They all do. Hanging about three feet above their heads are a cluster of bats.
A moment of silence, and the bats descend. Everyone swats at them, trying to beat them away. One flies into Buffy's hair, she pulls it off and throws it to the ground as the rest fly off. Oz looks at the downed bat, then picks it up.
"Oz, don't. It might be-" Willow says.
"Rubber. It's made of rubber." Oz says.
They all share a look.
"What the hell's going on?" Buffy asks.
"Look, maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's just a neat trick. Something done with wires or-" Xander says.
Amidst the pre-recorded noises, a booming voice bellows, "REELEEEASE MEEE!"
Everyone looks around, then at each other.
"Or it might be something else." Xander says.
They come into the foyer from the opposite side they left from, stop to look. The staircase is gone. Only wall.
"Where's the stairs?" Xander asks.
"Where's the door?" Willow asks.
"This is the way we came in, right? We just went in a circle." Buffy says.
The spooky sound effects shut off to everyone's relief.
"Goddess, thank you." Buffy says.
Oz is standing on a chair by a speaker - its wires torn out. "You're welcome."
"Hey, I have a neat idea. Let's get out of here." Willow says.
"And you were so anxious for me to come." Buffy says.
"I'm serious, Buffy. We don't know what we're dealing with." Willow says.
"My turn, did anyone hear that?" Xander asks.
"Well, once I start dealing with it, I'll get a good idea what it is I'm dealing…" Buffy says as she cocks an ear. "Do you hear something?"
"Like I said." Xander says as they hear a faint hissing. Buffy searches for its source. "Sounds like a hissing."
"It's like a "sss" noise." Buffy says.
"Thought the word "hissing" kinda covered that nicely." Xander says, annoyed.
Buffy comes to a door and opens it. Inside, sits…
Chaz, cowering in a fetal position, rocking back and forth. "… I'm s-sorry, I d-didn't know… didn't know, I'm s-so sorry…"
"Chaz. What's happening?" Oz says.
"It…" Chaz says.
"What is it?" Buffy asks.
"It's alive…" Chaz says.
"Chaz, what's alive? What happened here?" Buffy asks.
"He's in shock." Xander says.
"All right, we get him out of here." Buffy says as she stands. A skeleton is right behind her, knife raised. It stabs her in the back. "AAHHGH!"
"Buffy!" Willow says.
Buffy turns as it raises the knife again and slams the heel of her hand into its face. It staggers back. She kicks it viciously in the face and it falls in a heap landing as the same crappy plastic skeleton they encountered before.
Buffy pulls off her cape.
"Let me see." Xander says as he moves to her, but Oz gets there first, examines the cut in her back.
"I think the cape got most of it." Buffy says.
"Could need stitches." Oz says. "We need a bandage or something."
Suddenly they hear blood curdling screams. They look around, but they can't tell from which direction.
Chaz grabs the door and shuts himself back in the closet. They all turn at the slam.
"Cowering in the closet is starting to seem like a reasonable plan." Oz says.
"What closet?" Buffy asks.
They all look. There is just wall where the door was.
Buffy reaches down and opens her basket. Pulls out a crossbow. "I'm gonna find my way upstairs, see if there's people there. You guys find a way out of the house and use it."
"You're telling us to run away? And leave you behind?" Willow asks.
"We need help. We need Piper, Phoebe, Paige, even Giles." Buffy says.
"No way, Buffy." Willow says.
"Will, I'm telling you-" Buffy says.
"Telling me? You're TELLING me?-" Willow says.
"I can't do my job if I'm worrying about each of your safety-" Buffy says.
"It's not your decision-" Willow says.
"Gotta disagree with you there-" Buffy says.
Willow nods, "Of course, you do-"
"Let's all take a breath. Buffy, maybe we-" Xander says.
"Being the Slayer and a Charmed One doesn't automatically make you
the boss. You're as lost as the rest of us-" Willow says.
"So what are we talking about?" Oz asks.
"It's a simple incantation. A guiding spell. For travelers when they become lost or disoriented." Willow says.
"And how's it work?" Buffy asks.
Willow hesitates, then… "It conjures an emissary from the beyond that… lights the way."
"Willow let's be honest. Your still learning. Have you tried this spell before?" Buffy says.
"Well no." Willow says.
"That means there is about a fifty-fifty shot of it working." Buffy says.
Willow shakes her head and takes off down the long hall, beginning to take off her costume. Buffy follows, as do the others.
"What?" Buffy asks.
Willow turns back to her, angry. "I'm not your sidekick."
Then continues on. Oz goes after her. "Will, hang on."
Buffy stands, dejected and irked.
Xander comes over to her. "Well, that was a bunch of laughs. Look, Buff, we're all tired and a little on edge. Maybe Willow's overreacting. I'm sure part of it's 'cause of how you've been pushing-away girl lately. But now's not the time to let that stuff tear us apart." Buffy looks in his direction. "What I'm saying is, I'm still with you. Right by your side, all the-"
"Xander?!" Buffy says, her eyes darting around.
"Funny. Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of inappropriate humor." Xander says.
"Xander! Where are you?" Buffy calls out.
"Okay, cut it out, Buffy! Skit over. I'm right here." Xander says as he begins to grow worried. "Here! BUFFY!"
Buffy walks right past him, muttering. "This is so typical of him."
"Typical?" Xander asks.
"Xander?" Buffy calls out as she enters another hallway, momentarily out of Xander's sight.
Later Buffy is walking down a short hall when she hears a scream. "Willow?!"
Another scream, which seems to Buffy to be coming from a room down the hall. She sprints to the door, goes through and comes out at the top of a staircase that is no longer there. She falls hitting the ground hard and dropping her crossbow. Winded and hurting, she becomes vaguely aware of something next to her and looks over at a plastic novelty gravestone.
Unnerved, Buffy looks around her and discovers she's in a dimly lit room with concrete walls. She sees there are other novelty gravestones. "Basement. I'm in the basement."
She gasps as a raspy voice from the shadows adds, "All alone."
Still on the ground, Buffy looks around toward the shadows, wincing in pain as she does, but sees nothing. "Who's there?"
Dead Josh steps shakily out of the shadows, head at an unpleasant angle. Corpse colored, with a bruise around his neck. "They all ran away from you. They always will. Open your heart to someone and…" He laughs, raspingly. Buffy says nothing, just glares at him, the truth of it stinging. "But don't fret, little girl. You're not alone…" Hands shoot up out of the ground all around her. "… anymore."
Hands grab Buffy, pinning her down as zombies pull themselves out of their "graves". She struggles with them, tries to get up, but can't break free. She tries to flame out but nothing happens.
She screams in frustration and terror, still battling the zombie onslaught. All five of them are out of their graves now, piling on her, trying to pull her limbs off, bite her. She pushes them off long enough to get to her feet.
"No matter how hard you fight, you just end up in the same place." Dead Josh says. She's tiring as they keep coming back for more. They won't stay down. "I don't see why you bother."
She gets knocked down. Looks and sees a small door in the dark under the entrance. Crawls to it as the zombies grab at her heels. The space gets more and more cramped, darker and darker, but she makes it to the door and tries to open it, throws her weight into forcing it open as she tumbles in, kicking the door shut behind her. She is wild eyed, breathing hard, at her wit's end. She looks around her, sees pockets of pale, terrified students, cowering in corners, hiding behind overturned tables, shaking, rocking back and forth, mad with fear.
"The Goat Room." Buffy says as she sees Oz, crouched on the floor, his head buried in his hands. "Oz?"
Willow bursts in from another door, slamming it shut behind her. She's hysterical, slapping and scratching at her body. Buffy goes and tries to hold her, but Willow resists.
"Get them off me! Get them off!" Willow says.
"Will." Oz says.
Buffy looks up to see Oz taking Willow's arm. She looks at him, shaking, eyes, unblinking.
"C-couldn't… get them… off. F-f-fireflies. T-too many! And they flew… in my mouth… And my eyes… and I… couldn't breathe and…" Willow says, terrified.
"It's okay. We're okay." Oz says.
"We're not okay. We have to get out of here." Buffy says.
"I'd offer my opinion, but you jerks aren't going to hear it anyway. Not that "didn't go to college boy" is worth listening to, might as well just hang out with my new best friend, "Bleeding Dummy Head" for all you dorks care." Xander says off in a corner.
Buffy crosses to him and gives him a sharp shove. "What is wrong with you?"
"Y-you heard that? You can see me?" Xander says, shocked. "Good. Oh God, that's good."
"The house separated us. It wanted to scare us." Oz says.
"But we… we got away." Willow says.
Buffy shakes her head, "No, it brought us here. We got so scared we ended up… here. Why here?" She looks down at the floor. The others follow suit.
They look at a symbol that has been painted on the floor.
"I saw them painting it. They were copying it out of…" Oz says scanning the room. "That." He crosses to the occult book, lying atop a table.
Willow looks at the opened page. She studies the page for a moment. "I think this is Gaelic."
Buffy shakes her head, "Why is no one working on translations for the old spell books. I hate trying to cast something in a language I don't speak. Will, can you translate?"
"REEELEEEASE MEEE!"
BAM! BAM! BAM! Loud banging and pounding fills the room coming from all around them. Things scurry within the walls, scratch at the doors.
"Will. Give me something." Buffy says.
"Okay. Um um um, the icon's called the Mark of Gachnar. I think this is a summoning spell for something called…" Willow says as she hesitates as she struggles to translate.
"Gachnar?" Xandar asks.
Willow nods, "Yes! Somehow the beginning of the spell was accidentally triggered. Gachnar's trying to manifest itself. To come into being."
"How?" Buffy asks.
"It feeds on… fear." Willow says.
"Our fears are manifesting. We're feeding it. We have to stop." Buffy says.
"Well if we close our eyes and say it's all just a dream it'll stab us to death. These things are real." Xander says.
Buffy tries to think. "It's feeding on us… if we can get everyone out…"
The bolted doors suddenly slam, nearly buckle as something behind them tries to get in.
"Great plan! Let's go!" Xander says as he runs over and yanks open the other door, revealing a chainsaw wielding maniac!
Xander screams, then looks closer. "Giles? Look, it's Giles! With a chainsaw."
Anya enters behind Giles and runs to Xander. "Xander."
"Glad you could make it…" Xander says.
Giles nods, "The walls closed up behind us." He crosses to Willow, takes the book. "Gachnar, of course. Its presence infects the reality of the house, but it hasn't achieved full manifestation. We can't allow it to come into being."
"But… if it did, I could fight…" Buffy says.
"Buffy, this is Gachnar." Giles says and he shows her an illustration. Her eyes widen in horror.
"Okay, let's shut it down." Buffy says.
"Whatever we're doing, let's do it fast." Xander says.
"I have it: The summoning spell for Gachnar can be shut down in one of two ways. Destroying the Mark of Gachnar…"
Without warning, Buffy gets down on one knee, punches through the floor, and pries up the splintered floorboards, bisecting the icon, destroying it.
The sounds abruptly stop. Buffy smiles smugly, pleased with herself.
Giles' tone becomes quite peevish. "… is not one of them and will, in fact, immediately bring forth the Fear Demon, itself." He looks at the desecrated symbol and glares at Buffy.
A deep rumbling begins…
"Look!" Willow says
They turn and step back.
Gachnar rises out of the floor no bigger than a cockroach. Suddenly, it hesitates and looks high above him.
"This… is Gachnar?" Buffy asks.
"Big overture, little show." Xander says.
Gachnar rants and shakes his fist. "I am the Dark Lord of nightmares, the bringer of terror… Tremble before me! Fear me!"
"He's so cute." Willow says.
"Who's a little fear demon? C'mon, who's a lit-tle fear demon?" Xander says, baby-talk.
"Don't taunt the fear demon." Giles says.
"Why? Can he hurt me?" Xander asks.
Giles shakes his head, "No, it's just… tacky. Be that as it may, Buffy, when it comes to slaying…"
"Size doesn't matter?" Buffy asks.
"They're all going to abandon you, you know." Gachnar says.
"Yeah, yeah." Buffy says as she brings her foot down, squashing Gachnar.
Later at Payson's P4 the gang's all there, even Giles. Though Giles is looking through the book that they took from the frat house.
Buffy takes a sip of hot chocolate, "This is much better. There is no problem that cannot be solved by chocolate."
Xander looks at Anya.
"What?" Anya asks.
"That's your scary costume?" Xander asks.
"Bunnies frighten me." Anya says.
"Oh, bloody Hell - The inscription!" Giles says.
"What's the matter?" Buffy asks.
"I should have translated –" Giles says showing Buffy the book. "The Gaelic inscription under the illustration of Gachnar."
"I still say these old spells and rituals need to be translated. I hate trying to cast something I don't know the language. What's it say?" Buffy says.
"Actual size." Giles says.