The excitement of the battle was quickly going away as Spike and I fled from that scene. Spike and I retreated from the fight, and were beginning to get further and further away from the heart of Sunnydale. The darkness of the outskirts of Sunnydale was not a pleasant thing. You never know what is hanging out in this darkness. An eeriness clouded my mind as I looked at my surroundings. Darkness, forest, and road, is all there was. As we were running past this desolate area, I found myself questioning the alliance that I had just formed with Spike. First of all, you never know what he’s capable of. He wouldn’t hesitate for a second to go against that promise in order to better himself.
My thoughts subsided as Spike and I neared our destination. In front of us stood a tall building. We were still in Sunnydale, but far from any human life. The road that we were running on, ended at this building. As we neared the front entrance, the building looked vacant. Buuuuut, that probably isn’t the case!
Spike then broke the silence and said, “it’d be a good idea for me to let you know that this contact of mine, well, he doesn’t take to kindly to the heroes, mate. He knows who you are Angel, so don’t try to hide by going all evil or something. You’ll just get us both into trouble. And let me do the talking.”
All I could do was smile at Spike. For God’s sake, I’m his sire! I don’t take to kindly to orders. But, I obliged and let him walk into the building first. As we walked into this three story building, I looked around, so that I could see where I was. And how to, if I needed to, escape. But, as we walked in the door slammed shut. The first place that I looked was at Spike. He responded, “Hey Angel, I have to go through this all the time. Relax.”
Yeah right, I said to myself. Then, we heard it. “You’ve come back Spike. And you’ve brought him with you.”
Spike, with a little anxiety in his throat began to respond, but the voice cut him off, “Who said you could speak. You’ve come here in haste. While bringing attention to my quiet dwelling. I sense that there is something different about you Spike. Something that makes you weak. I sense that you realized this, thus the reason for this visit.”
I tried to talk but even before I could open my lips to form a statement, the voice laughed, “Ha, ha, ha, ha! I find it funny that you think you are calling the shots Angel.” The voice echoed. Then it appeared behind me. But I didn’t know it until it spoke, and I jumped away from it and turned around. There he was. A little creature. It was very dark in this building so I couldn’t make out his face. Then he angrily spoke out again, “How dare you bring him here Spike. You know that he’s unwanted here. You know that he’s not to be trusted. I will tell you what you want to hear so you can take the vampire with a soul far from me.”
It’s about time I thought to myself. Finally the creature replied, “Spike, you aren’t who you think you are. The ‘Big Bad’ as you call yourself is no longer the case.”
The look of shock surfaced on Spike’s pale face. He couldn’t respond so I began to, but once again I couldn’t. The creature who was now standing in front of me, viciously and angrily yelled out, “Shut up you fool. You were once the most feared and respected vampire roaming this earth. Though it wasn’t your fault to have this blassed curse placed upon you, it’s your fault for killing your own kind, and aiding that damn slayer. Damn you Angel, for bringing shame to the darkness from which you came.”
The angry little creature was right in my face when he yelled at me. There had to be a reason why this thing was so upset with me, other than the facts which he stated. But, this was not the time nor place to go into it. So, I remained quiet and let the creature begin again.
“Spike,” the creature said as he disappeared and then reappeared next to Spike. “You were careless. You came back to Sunnydale with the same old vendetta of killing the slayer. Then you were captured and paid the price. In your carelessness you suffer the ultimate price. You’ve been castrated Spike. You’ve been implemented with a chip. No longer are you able to partake in the fun of your duties. Pain will arise every time you attempt to drain the blood of a human. You’re useless to the cause. You’re just like you’re sire. You’re both pathetic.”
Spike began roaming around the inside of this building repeating to himself under his breath, “It’s not true. It can’t be true. It’s not true, It can’t be true.”
By now, I was so reserved. I didn’t want to piss this thing off, for I had no idea what it’s capable of doing. The creature looked at me and said, “That’s a good boy Angel. You’re right you don’t know.”
The creature was reading my thoughts, and that was disconcerting. But, still I didn’t say anything. I just looked around the room trying to plan my escape.
Finally the creature, spoke out for the last time, I have a dilemma here. I can see the future, and it doesn’t please me. Spike will fight beside the slayer because of this damn chip in your head. He will fall in love with her and that will lead to his demise. So the dilemma is this, soul I allow him to die then. If I do that, he will kill many of my comrades. But if I kill him now, then his and my suffering will end now. So you see my predicament you two.”
There was no time for silence. Only time for action. I knew that my fate would be one in the same as Spike’s if I just stayed and did nothing. So, I quickly ran over to Spike. To the surprise of them both, I displayed my game face. My pearly white vampire fangs were evident, as I firmly planted them on the neck of this creature. The creature’s confidence was drained, for he didn’t expect this. Before he was dead, he quietly whispered to me, “All of what I said was true Angel. But, now, as I fall into my afterlife, I see your future clearly. And I love to deliver bad news. The love of your life will choose him. Because of this the pain will be too much to bear. You’ll fall into the arms of another.”
The creature died before he could finish his comments. I dropped it’s body to the floor and stepped back in shock. The doors and windows opened, but I didn’t realize it. Everything seemed to be in slow motion after the creature relayed his last words. Spike walked over to me, looked at me and awoke me from my shock. He said, “Pretty good contact huh Angel?”
