Spike After Fall #1

Plot

Spike is caught up in a fight against a few dinosaur-like demons who have a small, chubby boy in their grip.

Spike takes stock of the situation: demons everywhere, exploiting the humans. The humans, in turn, are frozen. And him? He is doing his bloody best to put himself between the humans and the demons. It does not always work. Right now, for example.

One of the creatures has grabbed him. It is pretty angry that Spike hit him (her, it???) with an iron chain. Spike replies that the guy can’t be from around here, because here that is the usual greeting ritual. Which would also explain why the demon did not greet him the same way. But now that they have cleared that up…

With its lizard tongue the creature has fished a hidden sword out of Spike’s coat. Spike looks at it. That? Oh, that came with the coat, he explains.

These demons are better opponents than the last losers he dealt with, he thinks, as the demon grabs him again.

The demon is quite pleased. Now they have a nice present for the lords – the little fat kid and the vampire. One of his demon buddies only thinks the vampire talks too much.

Well, it could also be that he is still a little worn out from the last opponent, Spike thinks on.

Meanwhile the demons decide that Spike doesn’t need his tongue – they could cut it out. Then the leader notices that one of them, named Nata, is missing.

“Here,” says Illyria, who has appeared, holding up the dead demon.

Luckily he is not alone on his mission, Spike thinks on.

Illyria explains to the remaining demons that they should be grateful. Nata was weak, so the group is now stronger. Which she promptly changes again by killing two more of the creatures. Illyria makes short work of more of the demons, while Spike gets his sword back and chokes the demon leader with his own tongue – he should be grateful that his buddies at least died quickly and were not strangled. He asks Illyria to leave him the fun. Of course she can’t resist and stabs the demon anyway. Fine, Spike sighs.

Illyria has meanwhile grabbed the little boy by the throat; he is crying. They should end his existence, she says.

She is great in a brawl, but she just can’t do interpersonal interaction. Spike would have gone round the bend weeks ago if he had only her to talk to, he thinks. But as he said, he is not alone.

He pulls the boy away from Illyria. He asks what her problem is. To be clear: 1. crisis averted and uninvited visitors eliminated, and 2. – with that Spike turns, holding the little one, to a whole group of humans and demons in a kind of amusement park – would anyone here like a child?

A few hours later:

Spike and a man named Jeremy – whom Spike keeps calling Jerry, which Jeremy does not like at all – fetch supplies from one of the amusement park’s storerooms. Jeremy is sick to death of this stuff. Spike even understands that, but at least it is edible and pretty well suited to surviving the apocalypse. Jeremy should stop whining and fire up the grill instead; it is getting late.

How does he even know how late it is, when it is always every time of day at once? They have been up a while, so it is late, there! He hereby declares official Pacific Spike Time, and it is 9:15, got it?

Spike and Jeremy take the stuff back out to the others. He announces that today they will dine like tourists.

He really did not ask for any of this, he reflects. He was happy with the lone-man situation. After all, the last time he was part of a team it ended in a fight to the death. Well, not his death, of course; he is already dead. But the whole rest of the city. And where did it all end? In hell.

Then he found Fred. But basically that was just painful again, because Fred kept turning out to be Illyria.

So he grabbed his primordial goddess and looked for a safe place. A few humans joined them. That quickly became more, and finally too many.

The demons started their terror, but he could not fight them all. So he had to pick his fights – or rather, he had to clean up after Illyria when she picked hers. And she threw herself into, or provoked, a lot of fights. Once, for example, they were looking for a safe place for themselves and the humans and ended up at a demon’s. Spike’s options: offer some kind of payment, or intimidation. Illyria found a third option: simply take what you want by force.

Spike chats with Jeremy while trying to light a cigarette again – only the lighter refuses to work.

More and more demons are turning up, so they should soon look for somewhere else.

Spike is fed up with the lighter and so gets a light from someone, when he hears Fred’s voice. He turns round and sees her with the little boy they rescued. She is Fred again, smiling at the little one and talking to him while she gives him candy floss.

Spike grabs her arm and pulls her along. She does not understand what this is about; the little one was scared. Yes, lots of people here are, Spike replies curtly. Then he shouts out who is responsible for the child.

A couple comes forward – not that they volunteered. Spike more or less forced the boy on them, but they are happy… Nice of them. So, they are responsible for him, and above all that means keeping him away from her – he points at Fred! He grabs the man by the collar and asks whether they understand each other. Yes. Good; if he sees the little one with Illyria again, they are out of here – him, the missus and junior. Spike promises he will drop them off at the most demon-infested spot in L.A., smeared with gravy and with a bloody apple in their mouths!

Having made that clear, Spike pulls Fred/Illyria along with him; she does not understand anything. She should not worry about it, is all Spike says, and then calls for Jeremy.

A few minutes later:

A completely confused Fred sits in a corner. She looks at a wound on her stomach that has been bandaged. Spike is next door with Jeremy. They are talking. Apparently Jeremy is supposed to get one of the amusement park’s rides going. Jeremy is not entirely happy about it – for one thing it was not planned for now but for midnight (Spike Time), and for another the controls are harder to figure out than the previous ones, which she has already taken apart.

Spike looks over at Fred. Damn, she is noticing something, he says quietly, and urges Jeremy to work fast. Jeremy manages it, and a loud noise rings out as one of the rides is switched on.

A ride with a giant duck on the roof is activated, and at the same moment the duck awakens to demonic life. Fred senses it and turns into Illyria.

Spike and Jeremy come back to the others. That should keep her busy for a few hours, Spike hopes. Once she has finished off the monster, Jeremy should take her to the ghost train.

Why? Jeremy does not understand. He is grateful to Spike for everything he has done for him, for rescuing him from the werewolves – but why does he insist that Fred/Illyria be the evil goddess?

Spike thinks for a moment. He never wanted to say this, but… Then he slaps Jeremy in the face. Jeremy is angry and asks what that was for. He felt that, right? Sure, Jeremy replies. Okay, then he should hit Spike now. Jeremy doesn’t want to. Spike does, though – he should just see it as poetic justice. Okay, says Jeremy, but before he can hit him, Spike slaps him again. Jeremy is angry and wants to know what this is about. Spike explains: it hurts Jeremy because he is human; it doesn’t hurt him because he is such a terribly evil vampire. That is what he actually wanted to prove, but he changed his mind at the last moment, and he apologises for that.

Spike turns away. He explains to Jeremy that it is better if Illyria stays Illyria for now, so she survives.

Jeremy has seen how Spike looks at her. Oh, has he? Not like that, Jeremy makes clear – but that it breaks Spike’s heart every time she loses control and becomes Fred. At first he thought it was because Spike likes women who can kick his ass – and by the way, he still thinks so – but that is not the reason, he thinks.

Jeremy explains that he knows about matters of the heart, even if Spike may not think so. For one thing he always read his sister’s Cosmopolitan, and for another, on the day L.A. went to hell, he and his girl had an anniversary. She lives in San Diego and he wanted to drive down… he should have left a few hours earlier, he reflects wistfully, looking at a ring he has taken out of his pocket.

Spike does not quite understand what Jeremy is getting at. It is not like that with Fred and him. But he is not entirely wrong either. Um, what does Jeremy expect now – an apology for the slaps, a hug, or a drink together, Spike wonders back and forth. Jeremy actually expects Spike to say something, but Spike just stares at him.

A few teenagers come over wanting to talk to Spike, rescuing him from the situation. He tells Jeremy to grab some weapons, get a few people and take care of everyone’s safety.

The young people press Spike. They absolutely want to use one of the 4D rides in the amusement park. Spike curtly refuses, but they still won’t give up and get pretty rude too. Annoyed, Spike wonders whether Angel had to deal with stuff like this, or Buffy. The kids keep nagging: no new movies for months, no internet, and the TV only shows that “awful show about the witch sisters”; the demon attacks are quite fun, but they are never allowed to join in, so Spike should stop making such a fuss!

Spike explains that a ride would make noise, noise draws attention to them, but if they are so bored they can go and play with Illyria; she will finish them off, in 4D if they like.

Spike goes to the underground car park to a motorbike. Meanwhile a few of the dinosaur demons watch him from a hiding place. As soon as he is gone, they plan to kill the men and take the women as tribute. One of the demons draws a dagger and wants to kill Spike. They are attacked and killed by a woman/demoness – no cutting in line, she explains. Another demoness has meanwhile taken care of the other dinosaur demon.

Spike is out on his motorbike. He has to find a new hiding place for the people and wonders where they could go. He has heard the Westwood lord is a weakling; maybe he could… And by the way: what is it with the constantly jammed streets? Where are people trying to go? After all, there is a creepy barrier that keeps everything in and out.

Spike rides towards downtown L.A.

Spike comes back to his problem: well, Silverlake is supposed to be something like the promised land, but he promised a friend (Lorne, that is) to stay away. He does not want to burden him with his problems either.

Spike has arrived at Wolfram & Hart. He would love to dump everything here: problems, heavy artillery, angry witches and a dozen boy bands – preferably in the lobby, and then watch them beg for mercy.

But anyway. This should be the safest place right now. Loads of power in there, and if any building could survive all this, it is clearly this one – well, after all, the trip to hell started from here.

Spike tries to light a cigarette and again the lighter fails. Isn’t this supposed to be the place of fire and brimstone? Surely it must be possible to get one bloody… flame, he was going to say, and he is about to get a big one. He is hit by the dragon’s fire. The dragon hisses at Spike. He stands facing the creature and then asks how it is doing…

At the amusement park, meanwhile, the kids are nagging Jeremy. He reminds them what Spike said on the subject. And what do they want from him anyway? He has no say – Spike can’t even remember his name. But that still does not mean the rides get switched on.

Suddenly Jeremy looks past the teenagers in alarm. He tells everyone to get inside quickly. At first the kids do not understand, but then they see what Jeremy is looking at.

In the middle of the amusement park the future Spikettes have appeared.

They tell the “vampire’s followers” that they will either submit to them or die.

At first the kids are unsure, then thrilled – this is a hundred thousand times more exciting than that 4D dinosaur ride.