~*~*~*~
“Mom!” Buffy kneeled down next to her mother’s prone body and shook her shoulders, trying to revive her. “Oh my god, mom, wake up!” Buffy sobbed as she ran her hands over Joyce’s face, covering them with blood.
Buffy shot her head up to glare in Parker’s direction, but her tears made it hard for her to see. “Help me, you bastard! Get help!”
Parker looked dazed and stared down at them wide-eyed.
Buffy got up and stormed over to Parker, gripping him by the collar with her blood-covered hands. “Get help now before I kill you,” she ground out as angry tears slid down her face.
He looked horrified as everything seemed to snap back to reality. “Buffy, I didn’t see her, you have to believe me,” he pleaded. Looking down at Joyce’s body, he used a shaky hand to fish out his cell phone and dial 911.
Buffy was back at her mother’s side, clinging onto the tiny shred of hope that she was alive. She pressed her palm against the open gash on Joyce’s head, trying to stop the continuous flow of blood that was seeping out onto the road. She whimpered as the sight of her mother’s empty eyes stared back at her. Hearing a slam, she looked up to see that Parker had gotten back into his car, and was fumbling with the keys.
“You fucking asshole! Don’t you dare leave us here!” she yelled furiously. But he was already screeching in reverse and in the next moment, he sped off past them, leaving Joyce for dead.
Buffy started gagging on deep breaths of air, unable to calm her racing heart or the sick taste that crept up into her mouth. She choked out sobs, and knowing that her mother was already dead, she admitted defeat as her own body slumped down to the ground.
~
When her eyes fluttered open, she felt a sharp pain lance through the left side of her face. Her hands were tied behind her back and a gag was stuffed into her mouth, making her choke on the fabric. For a few moments, she had forgotten what had happened, until the memory flooded back and hit her like a train.
Her heart began to race and her eyes darted around in a panic as she realized she was stuck in a tiny space of complete darkness. Whatever it was, they were moving, and realization dawned on her. They had stuffed her in the trunk of a car. Screaming into her gag, she kicked against the inner walls of the trunk and thrashed in protest.
A muffled yell reached her ears, “Shut the fuck up if you ever want to get out!”
She immediately stopped her movements, forcing herself to remain still as her breathing became labored. She pressed her eyes closed and just wished it would all go away. ‘Let it be a dream,’ Buffy pleaded to herself.
After what seemed like forever, the car came to a stop and she heard doors opening. The trunk of the car opened abruptly, and she blinked to adjust her eyes from the utter darkness of her space.
“Well, well, well,” a man said as he came up to inspect their new arrival. “Drusilla, looks like you got yourself a little bumpkin. Where’d you get her?”
“The bad girl spied on us,” she replied with a creepy look. “I think Angelus will be pleased.”
“Lindsay! Get your ass over here and help us out, man!” someone yelled from the other direction. Buffy watched all of this with observant eyes, seeing the man leave to go help elsewhere.
Suddenly, Drusilla reached forward and put a bruising grip on Buffy’s shoulder, yanking her out of the trunk carelessly. She pulled Buffy close so that she could look squarely into her eyes. “If you so much as try anything, he’ll make it much more painful than it’s already going to be.”
Buffy shot her a defiant look and lifted her chin, but didn’t make a move or a sound. She let this ‘Drusilla’ lead her forward harshly, taking that moment to observe her surroundings.
It looked like a dark warehouse that was grey all over. The car had come in from a ramp that was leading up. There were no windows, and Buffy figured they might be underground. Drusilla yanked her forward harder, and Buffy shot her a cold glare. They walked toward large double doors, and one of the other guys reached to unlock it. When it opened, Buffy saw that there were huge stairs leading down.
“Hurry up!” Drusilla barked at the others as they took hold of Buffy’s arms which were still tied behind her back. Buffy could hear the loud clamors and shouts of the people below.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was face to face with dozens of people. She tried to control her fear and look defiant, but the intense looks at their new intruder made her shiver. They were all seated at tables scattered around the big open space, and she glanced around to see numerous hallways branching off from the main room. The dim lights of the cheap lamps gave it an eerie feeling and she shuddered from the cold.
She mumbled against her gag at Drusilla, trying to speak. Drusilla teased her as she put her hands up to her ear and pretended she couldn’t hear. “What did you say? Speak up,” she giggled.
“Drusilla! Where the hell have you been?” a voice boomed. A man stepped forward and from the way he walked and the crowd parted, she knew he was the leader. Buffy looked up at him with trepidation in her eyes. He spotted her and his angry mood melted into a sick smile.
“And who did you bring back?” Angelus asked, as he reached out to run his finger along her cheek. She pulled her head back away from his touch and he quickly reached out to slap her harshly against the face. She screamed out against the cloth as her head flew back in pain. “Don’t make it harder on yourself,” he whispered evilly with a chilling smile.
“She saw me off someone,” Drusilla replied at ease.
Angelus looked annoyed. “Dru. How many times do I have to tell you NOT to kill everyone we rob. Do you know how many people are out to get us?”
“But he was ugly,” she defended.
He sighed. “I don’t know what to do with you sometimes.”
“Mmmm, I do,” she purred as she leaned into him. He looked at her possessively and grabbed her closer by the waist, giving her a bruising kiss. She plastered herself against him, giving him a big open-mouthed kiss. Buffy turned away to hide from the sickening display.
Angelus flung Drusilla back after a moment, as if she was disposable. Drusilla didn’t seem to mind as she wiped her lips. He came back over to Buffy, and pulled the gag out of her mouth.
Buffy coughed as she tried to adjust her mouth and ignore the soreness she felt.
Angelus grabbed her roughly by the chin and leaned in before demanding, “What’s your name?”
She looked up at him with fiery eyes and refused to speak, fuming.
“Unless you want some permanent scars on that pretty little face of yours, you’ll answer me when I speak to you,” he ground out.
“Buffy,” she spit out, chest heaving from a combination of fear and adrenaline.
The men and women in the background burst into laughter at her name. “Buffy, huh?” Angelus asked. “You must be from the valley with a name like that.”
He looked at the two men who held her and ordered, “Just tie her up against the wall or something. I’ll play with her later.”
His words sent a flood of fear through her and above all, a sickening feeling. ‘What are they going to do to me?’ she panicked to herself. Before she could open her mouth to yell or scream, Angelus stuffed the cloth back into her mouth, and she thrashed against her suppressors unsuccessfully as they tied her down.
“Cordy! Come watch the new girl,” Angelus ordered. A curvy brunette walked over and Angelus slapped her ass in passing.
She shot him a look that no one else, but Buffy, saw. Buffy glared at Cordelia, wondering what this woman was going to do.
“Relax, Barbie. I’m not the one you should be afraid of,” she said as she saw the look on Buffy’s face. “Boy, are you ever going to regret the day you bumped into the likes of us,” she added as she took a seat near her and started looking at her nails.
Suddenly, the door flew open and a big group bound down the steps. Angelus looked up and rolled his eyes, “Great. The pain-in-the-ass is back!”
Buffy looked up where Angelus was looking, and saw a bleached-blonde man in a leather coat. From her side view, she could see he had sharp cheekbones, but that’s all she saw.
“Thanks for the welcome home, big poofter,” Spike said as he slapped Angelus harshly on the back. Angelus shot him a warning glare, but Spike just rolled his eyes and brought out a cigarette, starting to light it.
He took a puff before exhaling and asking, “So how much are we betting today?”
Angelus looked haughty at this remark and replied, “Well, seeing as I’ve won this entire week, I’ll let you set the stakes.”
Buffy looked confused at this exchange and shot Cordy a look as she mumbled against her gag. Without looking up, Cordy replied, “They’re both the leaders. The gang is split into two sides. Unfortunately, you landed on Angelus’s side like I did.”
She pondered these words, still confused at why a gang split into two sides was still one gang.
“You got lucky. I’m going to kick your ass today,” Spike gave him a matter-of-fact smirk.
“Yea whatever, bleached-wonder. What’ll it be?”
“20 grand,” Spike replied.
Angelus laughed. “That’s it? How about we up the stakes again? Play what we did last time.”
Spike raised his brow and straightened up at the challenge. “For who?”
“Faith,” Angelus replied with a smile.
“Hey! Are you two going to keep trading me back and forth? A girl gets confused with so much action!” Faith said as she stepped up to the two leaders who were staring each other down.
“And who do you want in exchange?” Angelus asked, ignoring Faith.
“Drusilla,” Spike replied evenly.
“No.”
“What’s the matter? Afraid you’re going to lose?” Spike challenged with a smirk.
“If you want to stake best fighters, then I want Illyria,” Angelus knew Spike wouldn’t agree. Illyria just stood in back next to Wesley, watching the exchange with expressionless eyes.
“Fine. Cordelia or Doyle for Faith,” Spike replied.
“You have got to be kidding me? I’m way better than Cordelia!” Faith exclaimed.
Cordelia shot up in her chair and glared at her. “Don’t start with me, butch girl.”
Spike turned to look at Cordelia, and for the first time, noticed the blonde tied to the wall with a gag in her mouth. He turned back to Angelus with an annoyed expression. “I thought we said no more members.”
“Hey, it was a mistake. Drusilla brought her in,” Angelus replied with a shrug. “Some valley barbie.”
Spike turned his head to the side in question. He walked over to Buffy slowly, a perusing look in his eyes. Her dress was smudged with dirt and her golden hair was disheveled. She looked like she had a rough time.
As he walked toward her, she could see his face more clearly. His sharp cheekbones were complimented by his penetrating blue eyes. He had a smirk on his face that made her shiver and feel violated. He moved slowly and she could see his muscles rippling underneath his duster. Her heartbeat began to pick up and she struggled to remain calm and resistant.
As he stalked closer to her, he could see the defiant fire in her eyes. Chuckling, he reached out to take out the gag, and she choked in relief.
“What’s your name?”
She looked up at him with a glare, and he raised his brow at her lack of response. He took another step until he was right in front of her, inches away. With a flick of his wrists, he swished out a small knife and poked her in the stomach with it. Leaning forward into her ear, he whispered, “I said, what is your name?”
At the feel of the tip of the blade prodding her dress over her stomach, she tensed and didn’t dare move. In a small voice that lacked of her previous defiance, she said, “I-it’s Buffy.”
He moved his head back and smirked, closing the blade and putting it away.
Angel came up behind him. “Spitfire, isn’t she?”
“Yea…,” Spike replied as he perused her body appreciatively. Buffy went back to her cold glares, fuming at the way they were treating her.
“What the hell do you people want from me?” she demanded.
Everyone in the room laughed at her brazen attitude, standing there with her hands tied behind her back but refusing to give in.
“Tell you what, Angelus. Cordelia and Barbie for Faith,” Spike decided.
“Hey! You just said Cordelia or Doyle for Faith. You can’t add another person,” Angelus exclaimed. “If we’re exchanging toys too, then I want Harmony.”
“Deal,” Spike replied.
“Spike!!” Harmony exclaimed. “How can you trade me?” She came up to him and plastered herself against him, running her hands across his chest seductively.
“Sorry Harm.” He pushed her back and he took off his duster, while everyone backed away from Angelus and Spike. They circled each other, ready to fight.
“What?! They’re fighting for women??” Buffy exclaimed in disbelief.
Cordelia looked at her and answered, “Well, it’s women this time. They usually bet to get better members regardless, but you seem to be an exception.”
“What do you mean?” Buffy asked, frustrated.
“Well, it’s obvious Spike didn’t trade you for your adept gang skills, since you have none.”
Buffy looked horrified as the idea settled into her. They were trading her around like some whore. She shut her eyes in disgust as she saw her fate laid out before her. ‘I have to get out of here,’ she told herself with determination.
~*~*~*~
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!