Out of the Sun
Rating: PG13
Notes: I've had major block. this was to get my creative juices flowing.
First thing i've written in about six months or so. so be nice. Buffy's
P.O.V
I never knew that hell could be such a real, corporeal thing in anyone's life. Afterlife, maybe. But I stand here, the sun fading into oblivion on the horizon, my eyes still wandering over the death, the destruction, the debris of what Sunnydale used to be, and I knew that hell was a very real thing.
I could try and forget, to hide away from the thought that someone, somewhere, was alive in that town when it crumbled below the surface, swallowed up by the earth as if it'd just opened up its mouth and gulped it in one swift breath. But I knew it was just a lie. I could still hear them calling out for help, as house after house fell like dominos. The sounds of them washed over what was left of the town, and I realised in that second that I would be able to hear their screams, echoing through my mind until I died.
Slowly, the sounds of life that still surrounded me came back into my mind, people moaning in pain, cries of shock and talking, shouting. It was almost like what a field hospital should sound like. Of course, being from Sunnydale, the school bus was naturally filled with all the medical supplies we needed. You never quite knew when someone would need stitching up when you went outside.
Wood was gone, lying at the side of the road with someone's jacket covering his face, a couple of slayers were moving more bodies to rest next to his, so many people dying, so much blood. I wondered if I'd ever be able to wipe it all off.
I turned my eyes back to the crater and took a deep breath in, tasting jasmine and wet earth in the air. It smelt like new life, like the world was actually breathing out its own personal smell as it started to heal the scar that Sunnydale had left behind. And I smiled. It was finally over. All the fighting, all the blood shed, it was over for me. Done. Normal joe here.
And yet.. and yet there was still that thread, pulling on the inside of me. A pulse of life so deep and enthralling that I could practically taste it. One that beat to the rhythm the mortal world was creating. Maybe it could be over, and finished for some. But for me the fight would never be over. But this time it'd be my choice.
If I stayed fighting, and hunting the night, it would be my own free will that led me to do it. I would die now, in a battle that I had walked into, knowing that I didn't have to because someone else would pick up the slack my space had left behind.
"Deep?" faith's husky voice rolled through my mind like honey, bringing another smile to my lips.
"Very deep." I nodded as she came to stand next to me, our eyes once again trailing over all that was left behind. We could never rebuild Sunnydale, and regain what was now lost. But that didn't mean we couldn't start all over again.
"Do you recon, that sometimes, history can be buried just like that?" I saw her nod towards the crater with her head, as she pushed her hands deeply inside her pockets. The sight of her, unshielded and free from almost everything made my breath catch in the back of my throat. I think, if I could, I would simply breathe in her entire presence. Take it all inside of me and keep it there forever. Then no matter what, she'd always be there. And maybe I wouldn't be so afraid to take what she'd offered me so many years ago.
"I recon I'm cookies." She chuckled deep in her throat, causing a shiver to worm down my spine.
"Does that mean I can eat you?" I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes and smirked at her, down right evilly.
"You never know. Depends on how much you spend on the date." I turned away from the remains of Sunnydale, turning my back on all that history, all that pain and all that blood, and looked upon the faces of those still here, still alive, still ever willing to fight the good fight. She started coughing, banging her fist against her chest heavily. "Don't choke kiddo. Don't wanna loose you before we've even started, now do I?"
I grinned at her, winked, and then started to walk towards the new slayers. The new world in which we'd been thrust into. Maybe the world was now waiting for us, maybe it was all new and shiny and fresh. But what's any kind of world, without a little passion in it?
"Hey! B! You can't just say something like that and walk away!" I turned, walking backwards and smiled at her. She was stood on the holes edge, her arms open wide in a gesture of questioning and a shocked expression gracing her face.
"Why not?"
"Because… because.. oh fuck it. Just because." She shrugged off her shock and jogged to catch up with me. I watched her as she came, taking in the appearance of her raven hair and almost black eyes. In the way she carried herself and the calmness that now covered her like a warming blanket.
Oh yeah, the future was gonna be so much fun.
