Aug. 16th: Drift Away, Ch. 4: Slayage
Title: Drift Away, Ch. 4: Slayage
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / The Walking Dead
Rating: Gen / Teen
Word Count: 1,628
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: S03.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and the TWD 'verse belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.
Summary: Buffy kills off a herd and then has her weekly phone update with the Scoobies.
Author's Note: Written for Day 16 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Blah.
A month after leaving their temporary little semi-safe haven they had found a new one. It was in a built-up area with enough mostly untouched houses for it to be worth staying for a while. By Buffy's estimation, it was mid-October and cold enough to warrant living in houses rather than whatever happened to look semi-okay.
Luckily Georgia wasn't one of the states that got a heavy snowfall in the winter, so it could've been worse, but she would still have preferred one of the warmer states. Even if that most likely meant more mobile walkers.
It hadn't been entirely safe though, there was a herd heading straight for the small village they were in, and unless there was a loud distraction in another direction they would be there in a few hours. Both Andrea and Michonne were aware of it, even if their eyesight wasn't good enough to make them out yet. It caused tension and low, hissing debates as to what they were going to do about it.
There were no cars in the area so they couldn't get into one and drive away. There were no motorcycles, bikes, or even electric scooters. They could try to walk or they could hide somewhere in the house, either in the basement or in the attic.
Buffy wanted to go out there and kill the undead as her instinct kept telling her to do, but she was worried her two companions would try and 'help' her. And that was likely to get them dead. It didn't matter to them that she had told them she was faster and stronger than normal people, it didn't matter that they had seen her fight and kill the walking corpses. Both of them, but especially Andrea kept trying to join. It was annoying.
"If I go out there and kill as many as possible and then try to lead the rest away from here, are you two going to stay inside the house?"
As expected, Andrea protested immediately and then went into a coughing fit half-way through.
"You can't go out there, Andrea," Michonne interjected. "You're too sick. You'll get us killed trying to protect you."
"Exactly," Buffy acknowledged. "You need to stay in the house, and Michonne will protect you if they manage to get in."
The dark-skinned woman gave Buffy a look showing she didn't entirely agree but conceded the point.
"I'll leave right now, and you two barricade yourself in the basement. Stay quiet, and I'll be back after nightfall."
The other blonde tried to argue some more, but Michonne somehow managed to make her back down. Buffy hadn't managed to figure out how to do that yet. She left and as soon as she was out of sight she felt a sense of calm pass through her. It had been easier than she had expected, but then she had the feeling Michonne didn't particularly like her.
Andrea wanted to be in charge, but she always hid behind one of them, and it wasn't just because she was sick. The three of them probably weren't a good mix without someone else to be a mediator, but most people avoided other people, and even if you got into a group it didn't mean they trusted you.
She walked faster as she could feel her body react to the anticipation of finally getting a good fight. Walkers weren't abnormally strong, but they were relentless, and they normally stayed in groups. That meant even more danger for normal people, but for a Slayer who only wanted to burn off excess energy, it was perfect. Or, perhaps not perfect, but without any of her usual pray available, it would have to do.
The herd was medium-sized but they had sprawled out over a large area. Still, Buffy's voice carried out to most of them as she said "Here, corpses, corpses! Here corpses, corpses! Permanent death is near!" in a loud voice.
Loads groans greeted her and she grinned. Finally! She ran into the herd, swinging the Scythe and lobbing two heads off in quick succession. The next one met the pointed end while the fourth had half its head sliced off. The next half hour was spent kicking, hitting, and jumping over and around the undead while effectively using her favorite weapon. Despite this, she deliberately drew out the fight.
These particular walkers had only been dead for a month or two, and with the colder weather, they didn't decompose as fast as those who had been around since the early summer. It meant they were faster and more intact than the older ones. They were also more intelligent and had better muscle memory. Put together that meant they were much more dangerous and a better workout for Buffy, who used it to her advantage.
Still, she ran out of undead much sooner than she had hoped, but at least she knew the other two women were safe for another day, and the herd wouldn't kill anyone else. It was good to know she was still saving people, even if it wasn't as effective as it had been before.
Fighting the walkers had helped with her stir-craziness though, and with a little luck, it would work for a few days. Running around the area at top speed only did so much for her, but it was the best she could do during the circumstance. She needed to find a bigger group so she wouldn't be so closely watched.
Before she had left to cut down the herd she had put on a slim running belt bag under her clothes, and she had placed her water bottle, a little food, and her phone into it. Today was the day for the weekly group chat with her friends. Removing the phone from its hiding place she saw she still had an hour and a half, so she went hunting for a different kind of prey. More specifically the kind they could eat for dinner.
A half-grown deer lost its head to the Scythe about an hour later, and she field stripped it. The second group she had joined included a couple of hunters, and she had gotten them to teach her. They had been good people, but they had been spooked by her speed, and that had been it. She was no longer a member of the group, but an enemy.
The phone rang when she was almost done, and she ended up placing it between her head and shoulder so she could finish. It was more than a little inconvenient, but she needed to complete her task before someone or something smelled the blood and came nosing around.
"Hi everyone!" She said cheerfully when she had established contact. "What's the sitch with you guys?"
"We are still far enough away from the cities and tightly populated areas to not have noticed any large herds, but smaller ones will come by now and then. The younger Slayers draw straws over who gets to kill them." Giles reported in from their base in England, where he had been spending most of his time, even before the world fell apart.
"Kansas is still overrun," Faith reported. "But the group I've been with for the last few weeks have gotten over their shock and have accepted me. Slayer skills and all. "
"That's great. Has anyone of them shown any specific abilities in fighting, cooking, or have any medical know-how?"
"Fighting, yes. Kinda. They're more of the 'let's shoot it' kind, but they know how to brawl and they love knives, so yeah. Not a complete loss. Also, a couple who's into slow dining or whatever the fuck it's called. They grow their own food, and it's good. No doctors or nurses."
"Lucky you," Buffy said a little enviously. "Andrea is still sick, and I don't think Michonne knows much more than me about cooking so we're still winging it." She paused as she looked down on her most recent kill. "I've gotten better at the hunting for dinner thing and I'm bringing back a small deer."
"Can you chance a fire?" Giles asked concerned.
"Yes. The house we're in has one of those big fireplaces and we've done a little creative building so we can cook in there. It works, but we're not staying here much longer, so we should be fine."
They all went around and gave their updates, with or without commentary from the rest until it was Xander's turn. He simply said, "I've been bitten."
Buffy inhaled sharply. "Any chance of amputating it?"
"It's on the upper part of the shoulder, and I kinda need that part of me, so that's a no, Buffster."
"Why didn't you open with that? We wasted time on the reports instead of talking with you!" Dawn was upset, they all were, and she had a good point.
"I. Um, I wanted a normal conversation, not a Xander pity-party. It's okay, it'll be quick since its so close to the brain. Jenny has promised to destroy my brain and burn my corpse before I reanimate. I won't be eating anyone."
He was right. They spent nearly an hour saying their goodbyes before he faded out and Andrew informed them Xander was unconscious. He disconnected from the group chat, and the rest of them did the same shortly after.
Buffy's eyes prickled but she couldn't afford to cry. She was in a forest with who-knew-what, and the two women back at the house didn't know about the phone. Grieving had to be put on hold, and a flare of anger ran down her spine but she pushed it away. It was of no use to her without something to kill.
Her sister and Giles were still alive, but for how long?
Author: 3am_moonlight (MirroredIllusions on TtH)
Crossover: BtVS / The Walking Dead
Rating: Gen / Teen
Word Count: 1,628
Timeline: BtVS: Post-Chosen & TWD: S03.
Disclaimer: The Buffyverse belongs to Joss Whedon and the TWD 'verse belongs to rich people with expensive lawyers.
Summary: Buffy kills off a herd and then has her weekly phone update with the Scoobies.
Author's Note: Written for Day 16 of the 2020 August Fic-A-Day.
A/N: Blah.
A month after leaving their temporary little semi-safe haven they had found a new one. It was in a built-up area with enough mostly untouched houses for it to be worth staying for a while. By Buffy's estimation, it was mid-October and cold enough to warrant living in houses rather than whatever happened to look semi-okay.
Luckily Georgia wasn't one of the states that got a heavy snowfall in the winter, so it could've been worse, but she would still have preferred one of the warmer states. Even if that most likely meant more mobile walkers.
It hadn't been entirely safe though, there was a herd heading straight for the small village they were in, and unless there was a loud distraction in another direction they would be there in a few hours. Both Andrea and Michonne were aware of it, even if their eyesight wasn't good enough to make them out yet. It caused tension and low, hissing debates as to what they were going to do about it.
There were no cars in the area so they couldn't get into one and drive away. There were no motorcycles, bikes, or even electric scooters. They could try to walk or they could hide somewhere in the house, either in the basement or in the attic.
Buffy wanted to go out there and kill the undead as her instinct kept telling her to do, but she was worried her two companions would try and 'help' her. And that was likely to get them dead. It didn't matter to them that she had told them she was faster and stronger than normal people, it didn't matter that they had seen her fight and kill the walking corpses. Both of them, but especially Andrea kept trying to join. It was annoying.
"If I go out there and kill as many as possible and then try to lead the rest away from here, are you two going to stay inside the house?"
As expected, Andrea protested immediately and then went into a coughing fit half-way through.
"You can't go out there, Andrea," Michonne interjected. "You're too sick. You'll get us killed trying to protect you."
"Exactly," Buffy acknowledged. "You need to stay in the house, and Michonne will protect you if they manage to get in."
The dark-skinned woman gave Buffy a look showing she didn't entirely agree but conceded the point.
"I'll leave right now, and you two barricade yourself in the basement. Stay quiet, and I'll be back after nightfall."
The other blonde tried to argue some more, but Michonne somehow managed to make her back down. Buffy hadn't managed to figure out how to do that yet. She left and as soon as she was out of sight she felt a sense of calm pass through her. It had been easier than she had expected, but then she had the feeling Michonne didn't particularly like her.
Andrea wanted to be in charge, but she always hid behind one of them, and it wasn't just because she was sick. The three of them probably weren't a good mix without someone else to be a mediator, but most people avoided other people, and even if you got into a group it didn't mean they trusted you.
She walked faster as she could feel her body react to the anticipation of finally getting a good fight. Walkers weren't abnormally strong, but they were relentless, and they normally stayed in groups. That meant even more danger for normal people, but for a Slayer who only wanted to burn off excess energy, it was perfect. Or, perhaps not perfect, but without any of her usual pray available, it would have to do.
The herd was medium-sized but they had sprawled out over a large area. Still, Buffy's voice carried out to most of them as she said "Here, corpses, corpses! Here corpses, corpses! Permanent death is near!" in a loud voice.
Loads groans greeted her and she grinned. Finally! She ran into the herd, swinging the Scythe and lobbing two heads off in quick succession. The next one met the pointed end while the fourth had half its head sliced off. The next half hour was spent kicking, hitting, and jumping over and around the undead while effectively using her favorite weapon. Despite this, she deliberately drew out the fight.
These particular walkers had only been dead for a month or two, and with the colder weather, they didn't decompose as fast as those who had been around since the early summer. It meant they were faster and more intact than the older ones. They were also more intelligent and had better muscle memory. Put together that meant they were much more dangerous and a better workout for Buffy, who used it to her advantage.
Still, she ran out of undead much sooner than she had hoped, but at least she knew the other two women were safe for another day, and the herd wouldn't kill anyone else. It was good to know she was still saving people, even if it wasn't as effective as it had been before.
Fighting the walkers had helped with her stir-craziness though, and with a little luck, it would work for a few days. Running around the area at top speed only did so much for her, but it was the best she could do during the circumstance. She needed to find a bigger group so she wouldn't be so closely watched.
Before she had left to cut down the herd she had put on a slim running belt bag under her clothes, and she had placed her water bottle, a little food, and her phone into it. Today was the day for the weekly group chat with her friends. Removing the phone from its hiding place she saw she still had an hour and a half, so she went hunting for a different kind of prey. More specifically the kind they could eat for dinner.
A half-grown deer lost its head to the Scythe about an hour later, and she field stripped it. The second group she had joined included a couple of hunters, and she had gotten them to teach her. They had been good people, but they had been spooked by her speed, and that had been it. She was no longer a member of the group, but an enemy.
The phone rang when she was almost done, and she ended up placing it between her head and shoulder so she could finish. It was more than a little inconvenient, but she needed to complete her task before someone or something smelled the blood and came nosing around.
"Hi everyone!" She said cheerfully when she had established contact. "What's the sitch with you guys?"
"We are still far enough away from the cities and tightly populated areas to not have noticed any large herds, but smaller ones will come by now and then. The younger Slayers draw straws over who gets to kill them." Giles reported in from their base in England, where he had been spending most of his time, even before the world fell apart.
"Kansas is still overrun," Faith reported. "But the group I've been with for the last few weeks have gotten over their shock and have accepted me. Slayer skills and all. "
"That's great. Has anyone of them shown any specific abilities in fighting, cooking, or have any medical know-how?"
"Fighting, yes. Kinda. They're more of the 'let's shoot it' kind, but they know how to brawl and they love knives, so yeah. Not a complete loss. Also, a couple who's into slow dining or whatever the fuck it's called. They grow their own food, and it's good. No doctors or nurses."
"Lucky you," Buffy said a little enviously. "Andrea is still sick, and I don't think Michonne knows much more than me about cooking so we're still winging it." She paused as she looked down on her most recent kill. "I've gotten better at the hunting for dinner thing and I'm bringing back a small deer."
"Can you chance a fire?" Giles asked concerned.
"Yes. The house we're in has one of those big fireplaces and we've done a little creative building so we can cook in there. It works, but we're not staying here much longer, so we should be fine."
They all went around and gave their updates, with or without commentary from the rest until it was Xander's turn. He simply said, "I've been bitten."
Buffy inhaled sharply. "Any chance of amputating it?"
"It's on the upper part of the shoulder, and I kinda need that part of me, so that's a no, Buffster."
"Why didn't you open with that? We wasted time on the reports instead of talking with you!" Dawn was upset, they all were, and she had a good point.
"I. Um, I wanted a normal conversation, not a Xander pity-party. It's okay, it'll be quick since its so close to the brain. Jenny has promised to destroy my brain and burn my corpse before I reanimate. I won't be eating anyone."
He was right. They spent nearly an hour saying their goodbyes before he faded out and Andrew informed them Xander was unconscious. He disconnected from the group chat, and the rest of them did the same shortly after.
Buffy's eyes prickled but she couldn't afford to cry. She was in a forest with who-knew-what, and the two women back at the house didn't know about the phone. Grieving had to be put on hold, and a flare of anger ran down her spine but she pushed it away. It was of no use to her without something to kill.
Her sister and Giles were still alive, but for how long?