"The Pack"
Based on the Episode Written by Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer
The following story is copyright © 2021 by Mark Moore.
At the Sunnydale Zoo, Buffy was walking along a path by herself. She and her class were on a trip. She noticed Kyle DuFours and his gang ahead of her. She was passingly familiar with them.
Kyle smiled. "Oh, look. It's Buffy and all her friends."
Buffy smiled back at him. "That's a witty."
"Do you ever wonder why nobody cool wants to hang out with you?" Tor Hauer asked her.
"Just thankful."
"Were you this popular at your old school? Before you got kicked out?" Rhonda Kelley, a girl with short, dark brown hair asked her.
The group laughed, and they continued on their way, leaving Buffy standing there alone.
"Careful! She might beat you up!" Tor called as they left.
Buffy walked over to the elephants and was reading the plaque when Tara came running up.
"Hey! Buffy! You missed it!" Tara told her.
"Missed what?" Buffy asked her.
Tara grinned in excitement. "I just saw the zebras fucking! It was like the Heimlich - with stripes!"
"And I missed it. Yet somehow I'll find the courage to live on." Buffy began walking.
Tara walked alongside her. "Where were you?"
"Uh, I was looking at the fishes."
"Was it cool?"
"It was fishes."
Tara stared at her, not satisfied.
Buffy finally smiled. "They were pretty."
Tara grinned.
They went to the Hyena House. It was closed, but Kyle, his gang, and another boy named Lance Lincoln ducked underneath the tape. Buffy and Tara saw them go in.
"What are Kyle and his buds doing with Lance?" Tara asked.
"Dunno. What is it with those guys?" Buffy asked her.
"They're obnoxious. Professionally."
"Should I extract Lance?" Buffy asked her.
Tara thought about it. "Nah."
"You don't think we should follow?" Buffy asked her.
Tara shook her head. "Kyle and those guys are assholes, but they're all talk. Mostly."
"Why don't we-"
"Yeah, why don't we?" Tara agreed.
They ducked under the tape and started in but were caught in the act by a zookeeper.
"Oh, hold it, hold it, are you blind, or are you just illiterate?" he asked them. "Because hyenas are very quick to prey on the weak."
Buffy looked at him nervously. "Oh, w-we were just gonna take-"
"You're not going in there. Anyone that does is in a world of trouble."
Tara shook her head. "No - No one's going in there."
She and Buffy came back out.
"Why is it off limits?" Buffy asked the zookeeper.
"It's a quarantine. These hyenas just came in from Africa, so keep out. Even if they call your name."
Buffy was confused. "What are you talking about?"
"The Masai tribesmen told me that hyenas are capable of understanding human speech. They follow humans around by day, learning their names. At night, when the campfire dies, they call out to a person. Once they separate him, the pack devours them."
Buffy smiled, uncomfortable. "Lovely."
That evening, Buffy and Tara went to hang out at the Bronze. They came from the bar. Tara had a glass of Pepsi. Buffy had a glass of Pepsi and a croissant. They made their way over to an empty table and sat down.
Tara noticed Lance. "Lance!"
He walked over to them, checking out a girl on the way. She stared after him.
He came up to Buffy and Tara's table. "Girls!"
"Boy!" Buffy replied.
He saw Buffy's croissant. "Hungry!" He tore a piece off and ate it.
Buffy stared at him in anger but didn't say anything.
"Lance, you still want me to help you with geometry tomorrow?" Tara asked him.
Lance took a swig of Buffy's drink. She fumed.
Tara felt uncomfortable. "We can work after class..."
Lance gave Tara a thumbs-up signal. "Yeah." He looked at Buffy. "What is this shit?"
"Well, it was my buttery croissant."
"Man, I need some food! Birds live on this!"
Buffy and Tara looked at each other and then at Lance.
He looked back and forth at them. "What?"
"What's up with you?" Buffy asked him.
"Is something wrong?" Tara asked him.
Lance looked at Tara. "I'm just...restless." He looked up and scanned the area a bit, and then he leaned toward Buffy and sniffed her hair.
"Okay, now what?" Buffy asked him, weirded out.
"You took a bath."
"Yeah, I-I often do. I'm actually known for it."
"That's okay."
Tara and Buffy exchanged another look.
Buffy looked at Lance. "And the weird behavior award goes to..."
Lance saw Kyle and the others come in.
Buffy saw them, too. "Oh, great. It's the winged monkeys."
Kyle and company came over to them. Lance stared back at them. Kyle stopped at their table, and he and Lance stared each other down.
They went around to another table that was occupied.
Kyle looked at the boy at the table. "Y'know, I don't understand why you're sitting at our table."
"Yeah, shouldn't you be hovering over the football stadium with 'Goodyear' written on you?" Rhonda asked him.
They all laughed. Lance was watching and laughed also as he turned back to Buffy. Buffy didn't think it was funny and stared coldly at him.
Lance stopped laughing. "Kid's fat."
"You're an asshole." Buffy stood up and looked at Tara. "Wanna head to karate class?"
"Sure." Tara finished her drink and stood up.
In the dojo, Buffy and Tara were wearing protective gear and sparring. Buffy did a roundhouse kick, followed by a high punch and a swinging middle punch. Tara successfully blocked them all and then countered with the same moves, which Buffy blocked. Buffy continued, doing a full spin and finishing with a backhand punch. She did a full-spinning jumping high-wheel kick followed by a right-middle punch, a high roundhouse kick, and a front snap kick. Then she jumped high and did a twin straddle kick. Tara had difficulty blocking all of the moves. Buffy landed back on her feet and moved in to attack again.
Tara suddenly jumped back. "I yield."
Buffy stopped short. She and Tara bowed to each other while maintaining eye contact.
Tara smiled at her. "You're very good."
Buffy smiled teasingly. "Well, that last roundhouse was kinda sloppy. Are you sure you don't wanna do it again?"
Tara laughed. "Fuck no."
Buffy laughed, too. The two of them went and put their gear away.
"So, after class, do you wanna come home with me?" Buffy asked Tara.
Tara smiled seductively. "Ooh, baby."
Buffy playfully punched Tara's arm. "I mean to talk with my mom."
Tara nodded. "Sure."
Buffy and Tara came into the house through the living room. Tara closed and locked the door behind her.
"Mom?" Buffy called.
"I'm in the kitchen."
Buffy and Tara walked into the kitchen.
Joyce was just setting a dinner for two of baked chicken legs and mashed potatoes with gravy on the table.
Joyce looked up. "Hi, Tara."
Tara smiled. "Hi, Mrs. Summers."
"How was karate class?" Joyce asked them.
"It was fine." Buffy sat at the table and picked up her fork. "Hey, can Tara join us for dinner?"
"Sure. I made enough." Joyce set an extra plate and fork for Tara next to Buffy.
Tara sat down. Her mouth watered as her meal was set before her. "Thank you."
Joyce smiled at her and then sat down. The three of them started eating.
Buffy felt a bit nervous. "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
Buffy hesitated. Then she swallowed. "There's something that I need to tell you."
"You slay werewolves as well."
"No." Buffy paused and thought about it. "Well, not yet. But that's not it. I'm..." She froze.
"Yes?" Joyce asked.
Buffy looked to Tara for guidance. Tara smiled and nodded.
Buffy looked at her mom and stared into her eyes. "I'm gay."
Joyce was surprised. "Oh."
"And, um..." Buffy took Tara's hand in her own. "Tara's my girlfriend."
Joyce didn't say anything for a while. Buffy and Tara waited - but not in such paralyzing fear that they didn't eat.
Finally, Joyce smiled. "I'm happy for you two."
Buffy smiled. "Awww, this is such a beautiful moment."
Joyce looked at Tara. "I have a feeling that you'll be a calming, stabilizing influence on Buffy."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "And the moment's passed."
The next morning, at school, Buffy heard a commotion in the halls. Soon, she saw what was going on. A small pig was running around. The students in the hall were startled and tried to get away.
Mr. Flutie chased the pig. "Look out! It's gotten loose!"
Buffy reacted quickly to catch the pig and picked him up.
"Lordy, Herbert!" Mr. Flutie exclaimed. "Gave Mr. Flutie quite a scare, didn't he? Students, I'd like you all to meet Herbert, our new mascot for the Sunnydale High Razorbacks!"
The students all clapped.
Buffy smiled as she looked at Herbert. "He's so cute!"
"He's not cute. No! He's a fierce Razorback!" Mr. Flutie declared.
The students all clapped again.
Buffy studied Herbert. "He doesn't look mean, Mr. Flutie."
"He's mean; he's ready for action! See?" Mr. Flutie indicated Herbert's helmet with foam tusks. "Here are the tusks." He gestured at a piece of serrated green foam tied to Herbert's back. "The scary Razorback!"
Buffy nodded. "You're right. He's a fine mascot and will engender school spirit."
"Uh, he better. Costs a fortune to feed him." Mr. Flutie looked at Herbert. "All right, let's get you back into your cage."
Herbert squealed when Buffy wanted to hand him to Mr. Flutie.
Mr. Flutie pointed behind himself. "This way."
Outside, Tara was helping Lance with his geometry.
"I'm not getting this."
"It's simple, really. See, 'The bisector of a vertex is the line that divides the angle at that vertex into two equal parts.'"
"It's like a big blur, all these numbers and angles."
"It's the same stuff from last week. You had it down then."
"Why do I need to learn this?" he asked her.
"'Cause otherwise you'll flunk math?"
"Explain the part where that's bad." Lance rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"You remember: you fail math, you flunk out of school, you end up being the guy at the pizza place that sweeps the floor and says 'Hey, kids, where's the cool parties this weekend?' We've been through this."
Lance rubbed his right temple.
"Do you have a headache?" Tara asked him.
"Yeah, and I think I know what's causing it." He threw his geometry book into the trash. "Ah! That's better; it goes right to the source of the pain."
"Lance-"
"Look, forget it, okay? I don't get it. I won't ever." He got up. "I don't care." He threw his math notebook into Tara's lap and left in a huff.
Tara watched Lance go, concerned.
Buffy followed Mr. Flutie to the faculty room with Herbert in her arms. They stopped outside.
"See, the problem is you kids today have no school spirit. Hold on, let me get his outfit off." Mr. Flutie removed Herbert's outfit. "Today, it's all gangs and drugs and those movies on Showtime with the nudity."
Buffy gave him a look.
"I don't have cable; I only heard. When I was your age, we cared about the school's reputation and the football team's record, all that stuff! Of course, when I was your age, I was surrounded by old guys telling me how much better things were when they were my age." He went into the faculty room.
Buffy looked at Herbert. "Yeah!"
Lance came into the hall from outside. Herbert squealed and reacted to his presence as he walked by. Buffy was confused as she watched Lance pass. She tried to keep Herbert from jumping out of her arms.
Later, in the gym, Buffy, Tara, and various other students were gathered.
Coach Herrold walked over to them. "All right, it's raining; all regular gym classes have been postponed, so you know what that means." He held up a large rubber ball. "Dodgeball! Now, for those of you that may have forgotten, the rules are as follows: you dodge."
He tossed the ball to Buffy. He blew his whistle, and the two groups moved back from center court. He whistled again, and the ball throwing commenced. Lance nailed his first victim. Buffy and the gang members easily dodged the balls. Lance nailed another victim. Buffy threw a ball and hit her mark. Lance threw again and nailed Tara hard on the back. She gave him a hurt and confused look as she walked off the court. Tara sat down, crossed her arms, and kept looking at him.
A few seconds later, just the gang and Lance were left on one side, Buffy on the other. The gang looked at her, and then they each threw their ball at her hard. Buffy rapidly knocked each of the balls away, surprising everyone - including herself. She stared at the gang. They stared back. She watched as they left.
"God, this game is brutal. I love it!" Coach Herrold exclaimed.
Later, in a hallway, Tara was waiting for Lance and went up to him when he came from the other hall with the gang.
"Lance, what's wrong with you?" Tara asked him.
He looked at the others briefly and pulled Tara aside. "I guess you've noticed that I've been different around you lately."
"Yes."
Buffy came around the corner to her locker and saw them. She worked the combination.
"I've, um, I've decided to drop geometry. So I won't be needing your math help anymore. Which means I won't have to look at your pasty face again."
He and the others laughed. Tara turned and left without a word.
Buffy watched her quickly walk by. "Tara-"
"I'm fine. I just need a minute."
Buffy slammed her locker and approached Lance with her arms crossed. He stopped laughing.
"You gonna say something to me?" Buffy asked him.
Lance just looked at her and started laughing again more loudly. He went back to the gang, and they left.
Buffy went after Tara, who had gone into the girls' restroom. Buffy entered and found Tara standing in front of a mirror and gripping the sink. It seemed to Buffy that Tara was more angry than sad.
Tara saw Buffy's reflection in the mirror and sighed. "After everything that I've done for him. After all of the hours of my life that I've devoted to helping him. If this isn't the biggest 'Fuck you', I don't know what is."
Buffy came up behind Tara and hugged her around the waist. "Fuck him. Don't give him another thought."
Tara took a few deep breaths. She began to feel calmer in Buffy's arms. She leaned her head back.
Buffy left a trail of soft kisses on Tara's neck. "Besides, I love your pasty skin. I find it sexy."
"Really?" Tara asked her.
Buffy arrived at Tara's mouth. "Really."
Buffy kissed Tara on the lips. Tara released her grip on the sink, and her hands went to rub Buffy's legs. Tara parted her lips, and Buffy slipped her tongue into Tara's mouth. They lazily french-kissed for a while.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Cordelia walked into the restroom. Buffy pulled away from Tara.
Cordelia gave them a glance and then went to the mirror next to them to check her reflection. "Little tip for ya: ya might wanna use a stall to minimize the chance of anyone seeing you."
Buffy and Tara looked at each other, embarrassed.
Buffy cleared her throat. "Anyway, I think something's wrong with him. There's no explanation why he's hanging out with the dode patrol. Something's going on. Something weird." She headed for the restroom door.
"What're you gonna do?" Tara asked her.
"Talk to the expert on weird."
Soon, in the library. Giles was going about his work, and Buffy was following him as they talked.
"Lance has taken to teasing the less fortunate?" Giles asked her.
"Uh-huh."
"And...there's been a noticeable change in both clothing and demeanor?"
"Yes."
"And, well, otherwise all his spare time is spent lounging about with imbeciles?"
"It's bad, isn't it?" Buffy asked him.
"It's devastating. He's turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Course, you'll have to kill him."
"Giles, I'm serious."
"So am I. Except for the part about killing him. Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. He will, however, get over it."
Buffy was exasperated. "I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me. There is something supernatural at work here." She grabbed some books. "Get your books! Look stuff up!"
Giles took the books. "Look under what?"
"I don't know." Buffy sighed. "That's your department."
"The evidence that you've presented me with is sketchy at best."
"He scared the pig."
Giles gave her a look.
"Well, he did..."
"Buffy, boys can be cruel. They tease; they - they - they prey on the weak. I-I-It's natural teen behavior pattern."
"What did you just say?" Buffy asked him.
"Um, they tease."
"They prey on the weak. I've heard that somewhere bef..." Buffy suddenly remembered. "Lance has been acting totally wiggy ever since we went to the zoo. Him and Kyle and all those guys, they went into the hyena cage. Oh, God, that laugh..."
"You're saying that, uh, Lance is becoming a hyena."
"I don't know. Or been possessed by one? Not just Lance; all of them."
"Well, I-I-I've cer-certainly never heard of, uh..."
Tara came into the library. "Herbert! They found him."
"The pig?" Buffy asked her.
Tara nodded. "Dead. And also eaten. Principal Flutie's freaking out."
Buffy looked at Giles. "Testosterone, huh?"
Giles headed toward his office.
"What're you gonna do?" Tara asked him.
"Get my books. Look stuff up."
Tara was sitting at the table, researching. Buffy was sitting on the stairs behind her with a book.
"Wow! Apparently, Noah rejected the hyenas from the Ark, because he thought they were an evil, impure mixture of dogs and cats." Buffy paused and thought for a moment. "Wait, then how are hyenas still around?"
"Because the flood story, like most of the Bible, is bullshit." Tara shrugged. "Anyway, hyenas aren't well liked."
"They do seem to be the schmoes of the animal kingdom." Buffy stood up and came over to Tara.
"Why couldn't Lance be possessed by a puppy or - or some ducks?" Tara asked.
"That's assuming 'possession' is the right word."
Giles came over from the cage. "Oh, I'll say it is. The Masai of the Serengeti have spoken of animal possession for - for generations. I...I should have remembered that."
"So how does it work?" Buffy asked him.
"Well, apparently there's a - a sect of animal worshipers known as Primals. They believe that humanity, uh, consciousness, uh, the soul, is a - is a perversion, a dilution of spirit. Uh, to them, the animal state is holy. They are able, through trans-possession, to - to, um, draw the spirit of certain animals into themselves."
"And then they started acting like hyenas."
"Well, only the most predatory of animals are - are of interest to the Primals, so, uh, yes, yes, that would fit, yes."
"So...what happens to the person once the spirit's in them?" Buffy asked him.
"If it goes unchecked..." Giles handed Buffy a book open to a certain page.
Buffy took one look and slammed the book shut. "I gotta find Lance." She quickly left the library.
Tara picked up the book and opened it to the bookmark. There was a drawing of people with limbs bitten off, heads missing, and other massive injuries.
Buffy came into the faculty room and looked around. She inspected Herbert's cage, which had been mangled.
Buffy sighed. "They are strong."
She stepped on something that crunched and crouched down to the floor. She found parts of Herbert: some vertebrae and other bones. She picked up a rib.
Buffy got back up and turned around, only to be startled by Lance. "Lance."
She tried to evade him, but he was quick to match her movement.
Buffy sighed. "This is ridiculous. We need to talk."
She faked him out and jumped on him, knocking him down with her on top, holding down his arms.
Lance smiled. "Been waitin' for you to jump my bones."
Lance growled and rolled Buffy over onto her back, so he was on top and had her arms pinned down.
Buffy struggled. "Get off of me."
"Is that what you really want?" Lance asked her.
Buffy continued struggling.
"We both know what you really want. You want danger, don't cha? You like your men dangerous."
"I don't like men at all. I'm gay."
"I can fix that."
Buffy was disgusted with him. "You're in trouble, Lance. You are infected with some hyena thing; it's like a demonic possession!"
"Dangerous and mean, right? Well, guess who just got mean."
Buffy threw him off her and quickly got up to face him. He got up, too, and began to approach her as she backed away.
"Look, Lance, I don't wanna hurt you-"
He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against the vending machine. "Now, do you wanna hurt me?"
Buffy struggled, but the possessed Lance was too strong.
"Come on, I like it when you're scared."
She continued struggling.
Lance sniffed her. "The more I scare you, the better you smell."
He moved in and kissed her roughly on the neck.
Buffy shoved him off her and got into a fighting stance. "That does it, you punk-ass motherfucker!"
In the library, Tara was watching footage of feeding hyenas on the PC. She looked up when she heard the door open and stopped the playback. She saw Buffy dragging Lance into the library and went over to them.
"Hurry up. We gotta get him locked up somehow before he comes to."
"Oh, my Goddess, Lance!" Tara looked at Buffy. "What happened?"
"I hit him."
"With what?"
"A desk."
Tara opened the cage door, and Buffy dragged him in.
"He tried his hand at felony sexual assault."
Tara looked at her girlfriend in shock. "Oh, Buffy, are you okay?!"
"Yeah."
They arranged Lance on the floor of the cage.
Buffy locked the cage. "There, that oughta hold him. Where's Giles?"
"He got called to some teachers' meeting. What are we gonna do? I mean...how do we get Lance back?"
Giles came into the library.
Buffy looked at him. "Right now, I'm a little more worried about what the rest of the pack are up to."
"The rest of the pack were spotted outside Herbert the mascot's cage. They were sent to the principal's office."
Tara looked at him. "Good! That'll show 'em."
Giles was silent.
"Did it show 'em?" Tara asked him.
Giles sighed but remained silent, searching for what to say.
"They didn't hurt him, did they?" Buffy asked him, worried.
"They, uh, ate him."
Tara had to sit down. She and Buffy couldn't believe what they just heard.
"They ate Principal Flutie?" Buffy asked.
"Ate him up?" Tara asked.
"The, uh, official theory is that wild dogs got into his office somehow. There was no one at the scene."
"But Lance didn't." Tara looked at Buffy. "He - He was with you."
Giles saw Lance in the cage. "Oh! Uh, well, that's a small mercy."
"Giles, how do we stop this? How do you trans-possess someone?" Buffy asked.
"I-I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces. Um, the accounts of the Primals and their methods are a bit thin on the ground. There is some talk of a-a-a predatory act, but the exact ritual is - is, um..." Giles picked up a book. "The Malleus Maleficarum deals in particulars of demonic possession, which...may apply..." He looked through a few pages. "Yes, one - one should be able to transfer the spirits to another human."
"Oh, that's great. Any volunteers?" Buffy asked him.
"Oh. Good point."
"What we need to do is put the hyena back in the hyena."
"B-But until we know more, uh-"
"Betcha that zookeeper could tell us. Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas, because they were sick."
Giles nodded. "We should talk to him."
"Okay." Buffy started to go but stopped. "Oh, wait, somebody's gotta watch Lance."
Tara stood up. "I will."
"Tara, are you sure?" Buffy asked her. "If he wakes up-"
Tara held her hand out for the keys. "I'll be all right. Go."
After a moment's hesitation, Buffy gave Tara the keys to the cage, kissed her on the lips, and grabbed her coat. She looked at Giles. "C'mon."
Tara watched them leave then looked over at Lance in the cage. She slipped the keys into her pocket.
Later, Tara was watching the hyena video again.
"Tara."
Tara stopped the video and turned to look at Lance. "How are you feeling?"
"Like somebody hit me with a desk." He looked around. "What am I doin' here?"
Tara got up and went toward the cage. She didn't say anything. She focused on his aura.
"You guys got me locked up now." Lance stood up.
Tara stared stone-faced at him. "'Cause you're sick. Buffy said you tried to rape her."
Lance was silent for a moment. "Tara, I know there's something wrong with me. I think it's gettin' worse. But I can't just stand around waitin' for Buffy to decide it's time to punch me out again." He sighed. "Look, I want you to help me."
"I am helping you."
Lance sighed. "You're doing what you're told."
"Buffy's trying to help you, too. You know that. Or Lance does."
"Yeah, Buffy's so selfless. Well, if I'm so dangerous, how come she left you alone with me?"
"I told her to."
"Why?"
"'Cause I know you better than she does, and I wanted to be here to see if...you were still you."
"You know I am. Look at me." He paused and stared at her. "Looook."
Tara turned and walked away from him without a word.
Lance banged on the cage. "Let me out! Let me out!"
"The students have been possessed by the hyenas?" the zookeeper asked.
Giles nodded. "Yes."
"Are you sure?"
Buffy nodded. "We're really, really sure."
"Y-You don't seem enormously surprised by this."
"The zoo imported those hyenas from Africa. There was something strange about them from day one. I did some homework. That particular breed is very rare. Totally vicious. Historically, they were worshiped by these guys-"
"Primals."
"Yeah! Creepy guys! Now, they had rituals for taking the hyena spirits, but I-I don't see how that coulda happened to your kids."
"Uh, we don't know exactly how the ritual works. We know that it involves a, um, um, predatory act and some kind of symbol."
"Predatory act? Of course. That makes sense. Where did you read that?" the zookeeper asked.
"Do you have Sherman Jeffries' work on - on cults and on-"
"Boys?" Buffy interrupted.
Giles briefly looked at her. "Sorry."
The zookeeper looked at Giles. "Look, I think we may have enough information, so that together we could pull off a reverse trans-possession."
"What do we do?" Buffy asked him.
"We've gotta get those possessed students over to the hyena cage right away! I'll meet you there. We can begin the rituals."
Buffy thought about it. "W-Well, we can guarantee one of them, but there are four more, and we have no idea where they are."
"No, I wouldn't worry about that. After hyenas feed and rest, they will track the missing member of their pack until they find him. They should come right to you."
Buffy was suddenly very worried. "Tara!"
In the library, Tara was watching the hyena video again.
Lance paced in the cage. "Tara-"
"I'm not listening."
"Taaaraaa..."
Tara ignored the call.
"Taaaraaa..."
Tara turned to the cage. "Lance, shut up!"
"Taaaraaa..."
Tara looked up at the window where the sound was coming from, saw Kyle, and started. Kyle and another member of his gang, a blonde girl named Heidi Barrie, kicked in the windows. Tara got up and ran from the library.
In the hall, Tara stopped at the intersection. She ran to a door and tried it, but it was locked. She ran to another door on the other side of the hall and found it open. She went in and closed the door behind her.
Inside the classroom, Tara hid under the teacher's desk.
She heard the door open. She stayed quiet under the desk. When she heard the door close, she came out from under the desk. She looked toward the door, saw Lance, and screamed as she jumped back against the window blinds. Lance growled and leaped over the desk at her. She ran around the desk to get away and tipped over a student desk to block Lance's way. He came after her and tripped over the desk.
Tara ran toward the door but was met by Heidi. Buffy came up behind Heidi and hit her on the back with a fire extinguisher, knocking her down and out. Tara came out of the room and ran over to Giles. Lance got up and rushed Buffy. She kicked him, and he fell in the hall outside the classroom. Buffy discarded the extinguisher. The other three pack members appeared at the end of the hall.
"Run!" Giles yelled.
The pack members came running. Giles and Tara ran back into the classroom, and Buffy followed, closing and locking the door behind her. The pack pounded on the door but couldn't get in and soon left.
Buffy listened. "I think they're going."
Tara looked at her. "They could be faking it."
"No, they're hungry. They'll be looking for somebody weak. I'm really sorry, Tara. I didn't know they were gonna come after Lance."
"It's okay."
Giles looked at them. "We must lead them back to the zoo, if we're going to stop this."
"And before their next meal." Buffy sighed. "Guess that's my job."
"Well, individually, they're almost as strong as you. As a group, they're-"
"They're tough, but I think they're getting stupider. You guys go to the zoo, and I will bring them to you." Buffy opened the door and left the classroom.
Buffy followed the pack to a family's house, where she saw them attacking a family that was inside a Jeep, which was parked in the driveway. Buffy came running up, grabbed Rhonda, and threw her off the hood to the ground. She climbed to the roof and did an in-to-out axe kick, knocking Kyle off. She looked down at Lance's feet sticking out of the window.
"Joey!" the mother called.
"Didn't your mom teach you?" Buffy asked Lance. "Don't play with your food."
Lance crawled out and looked up at her. The pack gathered around him and looked up at her.
Buffy straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "C'mon. You know what you want."
She turned, jumped off the car, and started running down the street. The pack gave chase.
Giles and Tara arrived at the Hyena House at a run.
"The pathway to the Hyena House. Where's the zookeeper?" Tara asked Giles.
"Uh, he must be inside. I-I'll go in and prepare things. You just warn, uh, us when you hear Buffy and the others approaching."
He ran in. Tara turned around to watch and wait.
Giles ducked under the tape and came into the main area. "Doctor? Uh...zookeeper?"
He heard a door close and was startled by the zookeeper, who was all made up.
"Oh!" Giles exclaimed. "Oh, of course, the, uh, Masai ceremonial garb. Yes. Very good. Are you, uh, otherwise prepared for the trans-possession?"
The zookeeper nodded. "Almost."
Giles noticed the markings on the floor. "Oh, right! The, uh, sacred circle. Yes, you'd need that to, um..." He paused and thought about that. "This would be here when...when the children first came. Why would you..." He figured it out and sighed. "How terribly frustrating for you that a bunch of schoolchildren could accomplish what you could not."
"It bothered me. But the power will be mine."
Giles tried to get away, but the zookeeper hit him in the gut with his stick and again on the back, knocking him out.
Later, outside the Hyena House, Tara heard Buffy and the pack coming and ran in.
"They're almost here! Giles! Giles!" Tara saw the zookeeper. "Where are the hyenas for the trans-possession?"
"They're right here in the feeding area."
Tara ran to see the hyenas.
He stopped her. "Stay back! They haven't been fed."
"Where's Giles?" Tara asked him.
"He's...laying in wait."
"They're almost here. Shouldn't you bring the hyenas out?"
"When the time is right. I'm gonna need your help." He tried to bind her wrists.
Tara pulled her hands away. "What are you doing?"
"They're right behind me!" Buffy called from outside.
"Buffy!" Tara called.
The zookeeper took Tara and positioned her in front of him. "Here."
"What is this?" Tara asked him.
"A predatory act, remember?" He held a knife to her throat.
"Uh, right." Tara elbowed him in the ribs and ran away.
Buffy came running in but stopped short when she saw Tara running toward her.
"Buffy, it's a trap!" Tara warned.
Lance grabbed Buffy from behind, and they fell to the floor. The others came in and got on top of her, too.
"Yu Ba Ya Sa Na!" the zookeeper chanted.
The pack looked up at him, and their eyes all flashed green. Then the zookeeper's eyes flashed green. He turned to Tara and growled. He dropped the knife and moved in to bite her.
"Tara!" Buffy knocked the pack off her, got up, and punched the zookeeper.
Kyle and his gang saw the fight and began to crawl away on their asses. The zookeeper charged Buffy, but she knocked him back down. He charged her again, but Tara tossed him over onto his back. He got up and tried again. Buffy got under him, and she and Tara threw him up and into the hyena pit. He tried to climb out but was dragged back down by the hyenas. Kyle and his gang got up and scrambled away.
Buffy and Tara ran to the pit to see if they could save the zookeeper, but they were too late. They looked away in disgust. Tara vomited onto the floor, and Buffy soon followed.
Buffy wiped her lips clean with the back of her hand. She looked at Tara. "Are you okay?"
Tara looked at Buffy weakly, vomit still dripping from her lips. "I don't know. I've never, y'know, killed anyone before. Not a living person, I mean."
"We weren't the ones that killed him."
"True, but do you think we're maybe...culpable?" Tara asked her.
Buffy thought about that for a moment. "What's the alternative?"
Tara stared at her in silence for a moment and then finally nodded.
Giles came out of the back room. "Uh, did I miss anything?"
Buffy looked at him. "Yes. Consider yourself lucky."
At school, the next morning, Buffy walked into the library before her first class in order to check in with Giles. She was surprised to see Kyle, Rhonda, Tor, and Heidi sitting at the table. Giles was standing near them.
"Oh. Am I interrupting?" Buffy asked.
"No, it's quite all right." Giles adjusted his glasses. "I had asked them to come in. We're discussing what had occurred yesterday."
"I see." Buffy walked over to them. "How much do you remember?"
Heidi stared at Buffy. "All of it."
Buffy took a moment to process that. "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you earlier."
Rhonda looked at her. "Well, you did what you could, and we appreciate that."
"Well, I'm a Vampire Slayer. Hyenas are kinda new to me."
Giles looked to the heavens in exasperation. "I had left that detail out, Buffy."
"Sorry." Buffy sat on the edge of the table. "What's gonna happen to them?"
"Well, they won't face any criminal charges - unless they confess, but they've all agreed they're going to try to live with it."
Buffy looked at them. "It wasn't your fault." She looked at Giles. "Right?"
Giles hesitated. "As far as I can tell, they're not at fault."
Buffy didn't quite believe him. She wondered where human culpability in this matter began.
Heidi stared down at the table. "Sure feels like we are, though."
"It will take time, but I'm hopeful that they can make a bit of a recovery."
Rhonda stared dead ahead. "I'd just be satisfied, if the nightmares stopped."
Buffy tried to imagine what they were going through. She looked at Giles. "What about Lance?"
"I met with him briefly, but he didn't seem interested in talking."
Later in the day, Buffy and Tara were walking across the quad, holding hands.
"I heard the vice-principal's taking over 'til they can find a replacement."
Buffy looked at Tara. "It shouldn't be too hard to find a new principal. Unless they ask what happened to the last one."
They started to climb the stairs. They came across Lance at the top. The three of them paused awkwardly.
Finally, Lance grinned. "Hey, Tara, Buffy, what's up?"
"Really? Is that how you're gonna play it?" Buffy asked him, disgusted.
Lance stared at her in confusion.
Tara gave him a dark look. "We know there's no memory loss."
Lance looked at them with a pained expression. "I'm so sorry." He looked at Buffy. "Especially for what I almost did to you."
"You mean rape me?" Buffy asked him bluntly.
"Uh, yeah."
"Well, it wasn't really you, but you did just pretend you'd forgotten about it."
Lance nodded. "I know."
Buffy stared at him. "And I never can."
Lance stared at her in silence for a moment and then nodded and walked away, ashamed. The girls stood in silence for a moment.
Buffy finally looked at Tara. "C'mon. We're gonna be late."