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SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE

The next day Spike woke to the sounds of the door being opened.

“Dru,” he thought, then “Crap.” as he realised it was Johnny and Merl coming down into the basement.

“Morning, Spike,” said Johnny.

Spike, as usual, didn’t speak. He just vamped his features and snarled at him.

“See what I have to put up with, Merl?” said Johnny, “What can you do about it?”

“Well, we could do this,” said Merl, light dancing from his fingers.

Spike suddenly found himself flung backwards against the wall, feet not touching the ground.

“But that’s not much use and won’t last very long,” said Merl, parting his hands.

Spike fell to the floor in a bone crunching heap. He growled even more ferociously.

“How about this?” Merl joined his hands and once again light flew from the sorcerer towards where Spike still lay prone.

Spike’s features immediately de-vamped and he looked around the room in wonder. He extended a hand as if to touch something they couldn’t see.

“Shiny,” he said, smiling.

“What have you done?” asked Johnny, watching as Spike stood up and was looking around himself. He was watching things they couldn’t see floating in the air near him, touching them, giggling and ducking his head as if to avoid something hitting him.

“Vampire hallucinogenic drug imprinted straight into the brain,” said Merl.

“Looks fun,” said Johnny.

“Don’t get any ideas, Johnny, its effects will last at least a couple of days and for every good trip there’ll be a bad one. It will keep him too busy to worry about you. If you want to shorten those chains now’s the time to do it whilst he’s in a ‘happy’.”

Johnny went towards Spike, still with trepidation. He needn’t have worried because Spike didn’t seem to notice him. His eyes were unfocussed and filled with sights only he could see, and he was still trying to catch the invisible things with his hands. Johnny looked back at Merl.

“Do we need to bother now? I mean if we keep him doped up it won’t matter.”

“The chains are so long, Johnny, that if he had a bad trip he’s got enough slack to damage himself. I’ve seen vampires under the influence pull chains around their own necks so tightly they’ve dusted themselves.”

“Christ! Can’t have him doing that! Do you think we can get him over there?” He nodded to the wall opposite where there were some shackles hanging.

“Yes, but quickly! We don’t know how long this ‘happy’ is going to last.”

They both went over to Spike and untethered him. He stood docilely as they did, and when he was loose they guided him over to the other side of the room. He went willingly, laughing and ducking occasionally.

“Shiny! Do you see the shiny?” he said to Johnny, his blue eyes unfocussed still.

“Yeah sure, I can see the shiny,” said Johnny. It was starting to creep him out.

They got Spike to the other side of the room and soon he was fastened tightly to the wall, his hands secured at shoulder height with no movement allowed. His legs were fastened by a length of chain about eighteen inches long running from ankle to ankle and fastened halfway along its length to the wall, leaving him with just a few inches of slack.

“Spike won’t be as comfortable now,” thought Johnny. But he’d feel a whole lot better when the drug wore off knowing that Spike was fastened so securely. All he had to do was make sure Spike stayed alive - it didn’t matter whether he was comfortable or not.”

No way was Johnny going to lose the opportunity to live the perfect life - immortal, vampiric strength but able to go out in the daylight like a human. He planned to take up acting again. That’s why he’d come to LA.

“No one ages in LA!” he thought with a grin.

Spike was still chuckling and stretching his fingers out as they left the basement.

Oooooooooooo

A scream rent the air making Drusilla jump as she tried to put the key in the lock of the basement door. Another came, then another.

“Drusilla!” She jumped this time at the sound of Johnny’s voice behind her. “What are you doing?” he demanded.

“Spike. Something must be getting Spike. If he dies I can’t go out in the sun.”

The screams were continuous now with barely a gap between them.

“It’s alright, Dru, there’s no one down there with him. It’s just in his head.”

“Like my pixies?” she asked.

“A bit like that but not as friendly.” Johnny grinned at the thought.

The screams cut off and the silence was deafening.

“Better take a look.”

Johnny took the key from Dru, opened the door and went down into the basement. Spike was writhing in his chains, unable to move his hands and feet, but his whole body was bucking against his restraints, vampire face showing in his distress. Eyes peered off to his left, widening in fear at the hallucination he was seeing. The screaming had been replaced by a repetitive barely audible ‘NoNoNoNoNo’.

“Spike.” Dru ran to him, and as she touched his face he turned towards her and screamed, pulling his face as far away from her as he could.

Dru stepped back, starting to make a mewling sound. She backed up until she was next to Johnny.

“What is it, Princess?” said Johnny.

“Spike hasn’t got pixies. He’s got monsters, big greedy monsters.” She began to cry.

Johnny put his arms around her and led her out of the basement. He glanced back at Spike who was still desperately trying to get away.

“Damn, that Merl’s good. Worth every penny of the fortune I pay him.”

Ooooooooooo

Spike stood there exhausted, feeling battered and bruised all over his body, although the only marks on him were where the shackles had chafed his ankles and wrists. He was panting hard. A vampire doesn’t need air to exist but since it’s a demon inhabiting a human body, the body still responds as it would if it were still human. When stressed or exerted in any way its breathing rate increased even though it had no reason to.

He was lucid, still looking around the basement fearfully. Where had they gone? Were they real? No, not real - just in his head. He shook his head, trying to clear the strange thoughts in his mind.

His head lolled back, eyes once more losing their focus, and then he smiled. The ‘shinys’ were back, he liked the ‘shinys’.

To be continued……….





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