Chapter 1:
Spike rocks back and forth in Xander’s recliner causing it to make a repetitive squeaking noise. Spike knows he’s annoying Xander who’s sitting on his worn sofa next to Anya and is finding great pleasure watching the young dark haired man try to ignore him. Xander attempts to pay attention to the TV, but with the noise from the chair is failing to, Anya however is flipping through one of Xander’s comic books and seems unaware of any disturbance in the room what so ever. Xander continues to try to disregard Spike but his creative way of curing his boredom is slowly pushing Xander over the edge. Finally he just can’t take it anymore.
“Will you stop that already?” Xander shouts loudly to the bleached blonde vampire beside him.
“Oh, I’m sorry am I bothering you,” Spike says, his words drenched in sarcasm, “Let’s get out there and fight something already, the sun set a half hour ago, what are we waiting around here for?”
“We’re, as in Anya and I, are waiting for Willow to go to a movie, you can leave anytime you want… why are you still here anyway?”
“Haven’t found a place yet, it’s only been a day since you’ve all stopped tying me up after all.”
“So, what kind of place are you looking for?” Anya asks setting the comic aside as she suddenly takes interest in their conversation.
“I don't know… maybe a crypt some place, you know… dark and dank, but not as dark and dank as this.”
“It is rather depressing down here isn’t it?”
“Hey!” Xander protests.
“Well it is hunny.”
“What’s that there?” Spike says with an interested look across his face.
“Alright that’s enough with commenting on…” Xander begins to say.
“Not the basement you ninny, on the telly… look.”
Xander grabs the remote and turns the volume up on the television as he; Anya and Spike lean in close to watch the screen. Looks of concern cross their faces and their eyes bulge wide from the images before them. Then Buffy and Willow walk in. They make their way down the stairs causing them to creak with every step and move toward the couch where Xander and Anya are sitting.
“Hey Xan…” Willow starts to say.
“Shh,” comes from all three of those glued to the TV without even glancing up to see who’s arrived. Instantly Buffy and Willow find themselves interested in what they’re watching and move around to the sofa to watch it with them.
The gang sits in awe as they watch and listen to the news report across the screen. “Breaking news, All Sunnydale residents especially University Sunnydale students are advised to remain in their homes. It appears that a large group of possible gang members are assaulting people all across town,” Images of human-like assailants attacking and biting people flash across the screen, blood splatter and bleeding wounds are a common theme among every image they see. As Buffy watches she’s glad that her mother is out of town this week. “These attackers seem to be most highly concentrated near the University Sunnydale campus,” More images of groups of the human-like creatures ganging up on people, “These men and women are considered to be extremely dangerous, again you are all advised to stay in your homes and lock your doors… do not let anyone in.” Buffy grabs the remote and turns down the volume.
“We need to get back to campus,” Buffy says standing up.
“Whoa slow down there Buffster,” Xander says.
“Did you not hear that middle-aged balding man on TV, because I’m pretty sure the words extremely dangerous, and stay inside, were used, to me that doesn’t say that it’s safe to go out and play,” Anya says.
“You guys, this is obviously some kind of demon attack, we need to get to the source of this,” Buffy responds.
“I’m with the slayer on this one, let’s get out there and kill something,” Spike chimes in with enthusiasm.
“Maybe Anya has a point Buffy… there were a lot of them on TV,” Willow says with a little worry in her voice.
“That’s exactly my point… whatever these demons are they’re growing in number, we need to stop this before it gets out of control.”
“Right… for justice, and for… the safety of puppies… and Christmas, come on, lets go,” Spike says moving to stand next to Buffy and making a gesture to leave.
“Hey, now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go, just that we should have a plan first… we can’t just rush in there guns-a-blazing,” Xander says.
“Why not?” Spike asks, but is ignored by the group.
“Right, you’re right, so what… hit the books first?” Buffy asks and Spike sighs in frustration.
“Giles is out of town, remember?” Willow says, “Oh, but I do have some of his books back at our dorm… I was cross referencing them with some books in the library for a term paper on ancient religions.”
“Good, we’ll go back to our room, figure this out and then I slay.”
“Again I want to remind you of the small balding TV man and how campus is ground zero, I say we go running in the other direction… fast,” Anya says.
--
Anya had lost the argument. She now sits uncomfortably with her arms crossed in the passenger seat of Xander’s car, she thinks about jumping out and running down the street as fast as she can a few times over, but in the end decides against it. Xander clicks his seat belt into place as Buffy scoots in next to Willow followed by Spike in the back. Buffy gives Spike a bit of an annoyed look, but he is offering a helping hand so she decides not to say anything. After all the doors are shut Xander starts the car and heads in the direction of The University of Sunnydale California.
“Remind me again why Captain Peroxide is tagging along?” Xander asks with annoyance as he glances in his rearview mirror to see Spike’s lack of reflection.
“Because if the campus is really crawling with as many of these things as they said on TV then we’re gonna need his help… besides, he’s already in the car,” Buffy replies mostly just to avoid a fight.
“If Spike wants to fight these things so bad why don’t we just let him do it and then the rest of us can run in the other direction?” Anya asks only to receive steely glares from everyone in the car. “Alright fine, but when we all end up dead don’t blame me.”
--
There are too many of them, far too many, Riley thinks as he finds himself with no possible way to get back to the elevator and quickly running out of ammunition. As Riley shoots at the onslaught of blood thirsty infected humans he starts to think of other ways to escape. It’s become clear that the Initiative doesn’t have control of this situation. He needs the slayer; because if he can’t reach the fail-all soon the government is going to be stepping in and then running away from these creatures is going to be the last of everyone’s problems. Riley makes his way to the back of the Initiative where he knows there is a hatch that lets out into the woods near campus. He picks up another gun that’s lying on the ground as he runs. Riley nears the hatch and he simply hopes that things will be better out there then they are in the lab.
--
As campus comes into view the strange assailants from the news broadcast can be seen meandering around and for the first time Buffy starts to get the impression that they’re not demons. They just look dead. There aren’t too many of them, just enough for it to be impossible for them to go unnoticed. The scoobies, and Spike, stare out their windows with bewilderment as Xander drives slowly to a parking spot that’s as close to Buffy and Willow’s dorm as possible. As the gang observes the creatures outside their windows they see that they’re rather slow moving and don’t appear to be very intelligent, however they all know that the truth is they have no idea of what they’re up against, or how to stop it.
“It’s like Dawn of the Dead out here,” Xander says absentmindedly completely unaware of just how right he is.
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