Title: Raining Blood
Author: TrinityLast
Email: trinitylast@wambtac.com
Rating: Uhmm...PG?
Pairing: Technically Cast, but mostly Buffy.
Improv: Tori Amos Song Title Challenge
Disclaimer: (to the tune of "Black Socks.") Not mine, and it never will be. If you want to sue me, you’re not very bright. All you’ll get is some books and an old wind-up lantern that longer lights.
Author’s Notes: Depressing. Don’t read if you want a feel-good story.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

TWO AM

Buffy grabbed a flashlight and left the Magic Box. The sounds of screaming filled the air, but she didn’t pay any attention. There wasn’t anything she could do about it now. Since the Hellmouth had forced it’s way open three months ago, they’d gotten used to life on top of it. The idea now was containment. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, nothing was wrong. Nothing had happened. Mostly because the reign of terror was still limited to Sunnydale.

They intended to keep it that way.

Buffy picked her way through several ‘crushes’ which were simply piled up cars that had been, at some point that night, ambushed and overrun by vampires. It had to have been tonight. Last night’s had already been cleaned up.

She finally got to the beach and was about to go down the steps towards the ocean when she was grabbed from behind. She elbowed her assailant without even looking and flipped him over, staking him. He didn’t turn to dust, which meant he was human, but after the first week in this Hell on Earth, such things had become common. If they attacked, you killed. The man had already had a knife out and Buffy took it, along with any other weapons she could find, which came out to another switchblade and a few stakes. After moving the body out into the road to avoid the vampire mobs that would come for it, she headed back to the stairway and walked down to the sand level.

There were three caves along the shore line that would do for what the Slayer had in mind, but only one that wasn’t, by listening, currently occupied by feeding vamps. Buffy didn’t even consider going in and taking out one of the nests alone. She’d already learned that you could no longer take on a nest like that without backup. At this point, there were likely to be close to twenty in a pack.

Going into the empty cave, Buffy dropped her backpack in the sand and opened it, scattering the packets of smelling salts along the cave entrance. The salts would keep any hungry vampires away because the smell was too strong for their supernatural senses. She finished and walked into the cave until she hit solid rock. Sitting on the floor against the back wall, she assumed a meditative position and turned off her flashlight.

She closed her eyes and started chanting in an odd language. The words came out smoothly, as if she had done this many times before, and as a matter of fact she had. The continued to chant until she felt an energy building and could see the light of the blue sparks flying around the cave through her closed eyes. She opened her eyes and continued to chant but this time in a different language. Her eyes turned coal black and her hair flew about her face.

As the energy reached it’s apex, Buffy’s mind wandered to the redheaded witch that should have been doing this instead of her. But Willow wouldn’t be doing anymore spells. She wouldn’t be doing anything anymore. She’d been killed by a vampire mob in a crush the fifth week into this Hell.

The energy started to subside and Buffy heard a crack of lightning out above the sea. She stood and walked calmly to the edge of the cave and looked out.

The sky above the ocean was swirling with color. Buffy calculated that unless she wanted to be caught out in the storm she needed to leave now.

Being caught in the storm was not an option.

She quickly gathered her things together and ran for the steps. Once at street level she kept running until she got to her apartment. It *had* been Giles, but after he was killed and Dawn was killed it was silly for Buffy to stay in that big house. All the equipment she needed was at Giles, and it was smaller, easier to defend against demon attacks.

THREE AM

Buffy got inside and slammed the door, just as the first torrent started to fall. Somewhere upstairs she heard a voice ask who it was.

"It’s me, Xander! Where’s Anya?"

The boy came down the stair and shook his head. He’d been crying. Buffy crossed the room to hold him. "What happened?"

"Crush."

They stood there together for a few minutes before Xander pulled away, sniffing. Buffy watched him head for what used to be the guest room, and where he and Anya had been living since their apartment building was burned down. With Anya gone, that left only Buffy and Xander. Spike was killed the first week in, trying to save one of Dawn’s friends from a demon gang.

So, this was it. Brother and sister, or as close as either was ever going to get, fighting alone.

Buffy walked to the window and stared out at the sky. The storm had helped, she wasn’t hearing any screams. It was the only time the vamps stopped killing.

Buffy closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the rain on the roof. Rain had always been nice to listen to, but she couldn’t enjoy it anymore. Not when it was raining like this.

Not when it was raining blood.

END

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