Gods And Monsters

Chapter Sixty-seven:

Cobwebs hung from the ceiling cornices, and every available surface was coated in a thick layer of dust. The air reeked of decay and mildew. The walls and roof of the crypt were solid stone, the floor a large slab of poured cement. Tombs lined both sides of the space and a pitiful set-up of cheap furnishings were strewn about the middle. At first glance, it appeared to be an abandoned squatter residence.

"A vampire is an animal. Sometimes they run in packs, sometimes alone. Who can tell us where we are?" Buffy asked, leading the group further into the burial structure.

"It's a nest." Rona answered observantly,

"How can you tell?" Buffy handed her flashlight to Spike.

"Only a vamp could live like this." Kennedy commented.

"Some, yeah." Spike joined in, feeling the need to clarify her generalisation. "As a group, we're not known for our tasteful decor, but in all fairness to the race," he glanced about the space disapprovingly, "this place is seriously lacking in style."

"Thank you, Spike." Buffy intervened, in an effort to prevent the lesson from derailing.

"I'm merely saying..."

"He has a point. Vampires can live anywhere. Any way they want. Taste, fashion, living conditions— they can vary. The animal inside, always the same."

Her statement brought a frown to Spike's face.

"Where'd you live?" Molly questioned him, curious.

"What, you mean before?"

She nodded.

"A crypt, actually. But nicer. A bit more— I don't know if 'posh' is the right word, but it was more like—"

"Comfy." Hel interjected absentmindedly.

"Excuse me?" Kennedy scoffed, gawking at her. "When did you find it comfy?"

Her skin flushing with a flash of embarrassment, Hel cleared her throat. "Well, I—"

"Moving on." Buffy interrupted. "You want to stay alive, you have to spot and identify a nest on sight. Look around, all of you. Look for signs that just last night maybe a dozen, two dozen, vampires were right where we're standing. Go ahead."

Reluctantly, the four girls spread out to inspect the crypt.

Spike leaned over to whisper in Hel's ear, "Work, work, work. This little excursion was just in danger of being interesting."

Hel glanced sidelong at him, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Buffy, I think we found something."

Returning their focus to the matter at hand, Hel and Spike observed from a short distance as Buffy joined the grouping of girls.

Molly stared at their discover with her mouth agape. "It's a body."

Buffy knelt on the cement floor, tugged on the corpse's shoulder, then backed away. "It's not a body. It's leftovers."

The once-motionless body stirred. Lifting his head, he glowered at Buffy over his shoulder through narrowed yellow eyes.

Buffy shot to her feet, deflecting the vampire's first blow. "No one's safe. Not here, not ever. See this guy?"

"B-but he was dead a minute ago." Kennedy stammered.

"That was a minute ago. Now—" Buffy landed a solid punch in his face, forcing him to stagger back a few feet.

"Hey!" The vampire exclaimed, outraged.

"He's the enemy." Buffy stated, finishing her sentence just in the nick of time.

Taking a defensive stance as he lunged at her, she kicked him square in the chest and sent him reeling backward. Closing the gap between them in three brisk strides, she struck him upside the head. He was knocked to the floor, rolling across the room.

Armed with her wooden stake, she stalked after him. "You can't think too much. Reacting's better. Could be the difference between staying alive and that other thing."

He leapt upright and Buffy swung another punch his way, her knuckles slamming into his nose. She dropped her stake, electing for hand-to-hand combat instead.

Kennedy took a step forward, itching to participate, but Spike held her back.

"The question is never 'what do you think?' It's always 'what do you know?' You gotta know it. If you don't, if you make one mistake..."

Buffy hit him again, with enough power to land him flat on his back, atop a stone tomb. He tried to kick her, but her reflexes were quicker. She grabbed onto his foot, preventing his rebuttal, and punched him in the face. She shoved his leg, flipping him off the tomb lid.

"It takes just one vampire to kill you. So, you've got to know you can take him. Know your environment. Know what's around you, and know how to use it. In the hands of a Slayer, everything is a potential weapon— if you know how to see it. Where you're fighting, you have to know yourself; your brain, your body. Know how to stay calm, centred. Every move is important, every blow's got to be part of your plan. 'Cause you make that one mistake, and it's over. You're not the Slayer. You're not potential. You're dead. What do you know? Right now, the only thing you know for sure is that you got me."

Buffy retrieved her stake from the floor as her opponent leapt towards her and swung a kick in the direction of her head. She ducked, avoiding his foot, and blocked his fists as he came at her. Finally, she gripped him by his shoulders and hurled him to the end of the crypt farthest from her position by the door.

Without warning, she dropped her stake. It hit the floor with the soft, echoing clunk of wood against pavement.

Hel and Spike swung open each side of the hefty double doors, allowing Buffy to make her dramatic exit. They then followed her lead and locked the Potentials inside with the vampire.

In spite of herself, Hel began to giggle the second they stepped outside.

Spike regarded her with a combination of surprise and amusement, a perplexed smile on his lips. "What's so funny?"

"Did you see the looks on their faces?" She blurted, grinning. "Priceless!"

His smile grew as he enjoyed the expression of pure joy on her face, the corners of his slate-blue eyes crinkling.