Chapter 8


Flashes of nameless faces swirled in a mad blur of colours and emotions. Young girls. So many of them tainted with bruises marring their skin. The images flickered too fast for Buffy to even try to inspect them closer. Her breathing quickened, as she was suddenly hurtled forward, pain exploding in her knees upon the impact with the cold ground.


Staggering to stand up, she peered into the darkness surrounding her. The chilly air on the bare skin of her arms and legs made her shiver, and Buffy ground her teeth together in order to stop them from chattering. Couldn’t her subconscious dress her up in more appropriate attire for this weather? Something other than the t-shirt she’d gone to sleep in--and where was she anyway?


The wind wheezed past the bare limbs of scattered trees, making an owl hoot in protest. Headstones stuck up unevenly from the ground, and Buffy’s stomach lurched at the eerie stillness settling all around her. No sunny beach for Buffy.


Muffled voices and the unmistakable sounds of a fight carried to her from a distance. Should she go and investigate?


Rubbing her arms to ward off the chill, Buffy set out towards the sounds of scuffle. She certainly didn’t like these way-too-real details her mind had conjured up, but what else was there to do but wait until she woke up?


A girl flew through the air from behind a large mausoleum, and Buffy almost jumped out of her skin at the violent motion. The girl groaned and sat up with obvious difficulty as she cradled her misshaped leg. Buffy felt as if she were intruding on something she shouldn’t see, but that was ridiculous.


As she got closer, she noticed the deep gash running across the girl’s cheek, her leg broken. The sight of it made Buffy sick and she questioned her own sanity, but it was something else that made the blood in her veins run cold. It was the laugh. That amused almost giddy laughter of someone that should be locked up in an asylum far, far away.


The slender form of a young woman floated from behind the mausoleum with an unnatural grace. The woman’s hands slithered down her old fashioned dress as she slowly stalked towards the fallen prey with a coy smile on her face, her raven locks shimmering under the moonlight. Buffy had to admit she was disturbingly beautiful.


Another woman, a blonde that exuded power, strode close behind with an annoyed expression.


“This is starting to bore me, Dru. Just finish her off already,” the blonde said.


“She’d make such a good dolly,” Dru answered with a gleeful clap of her hands and then she frowned. “But she must die.”


The fallen girl stared at them in confusion and anger as she said something in a language Buffy couldn’t understand. French, maybe?


“Why did we bother looking for her anyway? The bitch made me break my nail,” said the blonde and Buffy felt an irresistible urge to slap her.


“The moon told me it was important. She has to die so the sun can come up and burn the Black Knight to ashes.”


Now Buffy was pretty sure Dru wasn’t all there in her head, and the woman’s companion seemed to agree as she rolled her eyes. Buffy’s legs seemed frozen in place, refusing to take a step forward. The girl stood up with a grunt, resolution written all over her face as she tried to ignore her broken leg. She looked ready to pass out from her numerous injuries, and Buffy had the horrific realization she was going to witness a murder.


There was nothing she could do to stop it as the crazy woman swayed towards the girl like a cobra ready to strike. Then Dru stopped and stared at the girl, and Buffy frowned in confusion as the girl’s face became blank before she started to sway along with Dru’s movements. There was a blur of motion and the girl fell limply to the ground, her head twisted at an awkward angle, her eyes empty of life.


Before Buffy could cry out, Dru suddenly stood in front of her, her madness seeping from her gaze. “You can’t escape.”


Dru’s face blurred, transforming into the stern one of the headmistress, and Buffy found herself standing in the middle of Miss Bennett’s office. The headmistress stared at the desk, and Buffy followed her gaze to notice scattered sheets of paper on the surface. Leaning forward to get a closer look, Buffy noticed one of the papers was the one signed by her mother on the first day of school.


A drop of crimson splashed on the paper and spread as blood continued to drop on it. Lifting her hand to her nose, Buffy’s fingers came away red just before a powerful jolt of energy shot through her system. Her panicked stare jerked up to meet the headmistress’ empty sockets as her skin and flesh gave way to reveal the corpse beneath.


With a scream, Buffy woke up.


********


“Buffy!” William yelled frantically for the second time as he shook her shoulders. He’d woken up to feel her shivering against him, so he’d drawn her closer and rubbed her arms in effort to warm her up. It hadn’t been long before she started gasping and thrashing, almost tumbling out of the bed.


When the blood came poring out of her nose, William started to become really scared and tried to rouse her, but she would have none of it. He kept shaking her. She screamed before her eyes snapped open to glance wildly around.


“Thank God.” He hugged her in relief as they lay on their sides. “I was terrified when you wouldn’t wake up.”


“William?” Her brow furrowed as she fought to calm down her breathing. “What…”


“You’re bleeding.” William tilted her head backwards as he pressed her to lie on her back. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”


Buffy lifted her fingers to her nose and her stomach clenched when she encountered wetness. The events of her dream kept replaying in her head on repeat, over and over again until she squeezed her eyes shut to ward them off. It didn’t feel like a dream should. It didn’t linger and taunt her, true meaning veiled by the details stubbornly drifting away. Instead, the faces, the chill, the scrap of paper with her mother’s signature were burned on the back of her eyelids.


None of it made any sense. Nor did the breathless restlessness stretching her insides. The feel of energy zapping along her nerves, something within her coiling and spreading to…


William brushed her hair to the side and Buffy almost jumped up in surprise. She’d never heard him coming back. He pressed a wet cloth against her skin, cleaning the blood away.


“I had a nightmare,” Buffy said and struggled to catch his gaze in the darkness.


“I figured. Wanna talk about it?”


“I… it was… strange. There was this girl and then they… killed her. And Miss Bennett… she was all with being dead but alive at the same time and than I started bleeding…”


“It was just a bad dream. ‘S alright now.” William went to the bathroom to wring out the towel and came back. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her forehead and gasped. “Buffy, you’re burning up.”


“What?” Buffy asked, frowning in confusion.


“I think you have a fever,” he said in a concerned tone.


“I feel fine.” Buffy sat up and tried to stand up when her knees buckled and she crumpled to the floor. Her whole body trembled as William rushed to her side and swept her into his arms to deposit her back on the bed. The moment of weakness was gone in an instant and her heart pounded against her ribcage with alarming speed. “William… what’s happening to me?”


She could hear slight panic in his voice though she couldn’t make out the words as her blood pounded loudly through her veins. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. Then it all stopped.


She felt the same and still… There was something different. Her whole body itched with a sudden need to run. To hunt.


William was currently in the middle of yanking on his pants and she looked on in confusion. “Where are you going?”


“Not me. We. You need to see a nurse.”


“No! I’m fine. It’s… I’m fine. I think it must have been just some weird reaction to the school cafeteria food. Hey, maybe I’m being punished by some higher power for stealing those strawberries.”


“Buffy…”


She stood up and walked over to him, prying his hands off the pants’ top button. “Stop worrying.”


He snorted. “Like that would ever happen. I still think we should go.”


“I’m not even hot anymore.” She pouted and lifted his hand to press it against her cheek. “See?”


He let out a sigh and drew her into his embrace, trembling against her. “You scared me. And… I think you’re still very hot.”


“Are you teasing me and complimenting me at the same time?”


“Yeah.” He smiled ruefully and leaned away enough to be able to look at her. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re not lying to me just so I won’t make you go, are you?”


“I’m all with the okayness. I promise. Now take off your pants,” she said with a grin.


William chuckled and arched an eyebrow. “Someone is awfully eager about divesting me of my kit.”


“I have no idea what kit is, but if it means you’ll be wearing less, then yup… that’s what I’m trying to do.”


“Naughty.”


“That’s me. Now stop staring at me and give me a kiss, would you?”


William grinned and encircled her small waist to pull her closer as he leaned down and kissed her. She could feel him smile against her lips and couldn’t help but do the same, reveling in his shivers as her hands caressed his naked back. There was nothing in the world that could make her forget everything other than William’s sweet taste, the tantalizing slide of his tongue as it met hers and the way his muscles shifted beneath his skin as she stroked it.


Her knees hit the mattress and Buffy dropped down, pulling William on top of her with a satisfied sigh. His hand trailed down to caress her outer thigh as she scooted high enough to be able to stretch out. While William nipped at her throat, she seized the opportunity to rake her fingers through his messy curls.


“I love your hair,” she said.


“I look like a ponce,” he muttered into her neck.


“Hey! Would I have a ponce for a boyfriend?”


She loved how utterly flustered he looked right then. It was one thing to think badly of himself, but when it came to her…


“No,” he said begrudgingly. “But-”


“There will be no buts… none of that kind anyway,” she said with a grin and reached down to squeeze the tight muscle of his buttocks. He glanced up at her with wild eyes and reddened cheeks, as if he couldn’t believe she just did that. As if he hadn’t make her come just a couple of hours ago.


“You really must be feeling better,” he said and overcame his moment of shyness, grinning at her more seductively than he probably realized. Now it was her turn to blush.


“Uh huh.”


“That was very articulate of you, pet.”


She pouted.


“God, I still can’t believe you’re here… with me like this,” he said with the reverent tone in his voice. “Do you realize how beautiful you are?”


How was it possible that William could bare his soul with a mere glance? “I’m just… me.”


“Wouldn’t want anything else.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her.


The feel of him above her, surrounded by his scent and tasting his lips was enough to get her brain muddled. So lost they were in each other, they didn’t hear the door creaking open. They never saw the disfigured creatures sneaking towards them until it was too late, and all Buffy could do was gasp as William was ripped away from her embrace. All that was left was coldness before her world went black.


TBC