The Crow: Vengence
Part 1 - Prologue
by: Miss Witch
Rated R for violence and gore
Email: Miss Witch
Summary: Sometimes a soul has unfinished business and can't rest until vengeance is achieved.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Buffyverse or the Crow comic series. I don't pretend to own them. If I could, I'd pretend I didn't own this story either.
Spoilers: Takes places sometime after Hush, Maggie Walsh isn't dead, and Adam's not in the picture.
Distribution: The Usual Suspects - Dword, Gabi, Dee, Trinity Last. You want it? Just ask.
Feedback: Does the word "Duh!" mean anything to you?
Author's Notes: [ ] means thoughts.
Author's Notes 2/Warnings: Dear gentle readers, if you've read any of my stuff before, you know that usually I write happy, fluffy stories. This is not one of those stories. This is a dark, dark fic filled with death and despair. I'm not kidding. There is only 1 chapter where someone doesn't die. I made myself cry people!!! Consider yourselves warned.
Warning: The following story contains:
Character deaths - in spades
Angst - oozing from every word
Blood, torture and gore - it ain't pretty
Riley - the bastard
"I believe there's a place where the restless souls wander. Burdened by the weight of their own sadness they cannot enter heaven. And so they wait, trapped between this world and the next, endlessly searching for a way to rid themselves of their pain - in the hope that somehow, some day, they will be reunited with the ones they Love."
--- quote from "The Crow: City of Angels"
Part 1 - Prologue
The attack was unexpected, swift and merciless. The gang was gathered at the Magic Box to research, in good spirits despite the daunting pile of books they had to read through. The first soldier burst into the store just as Buffy slid a hand over Giles' shoulder, leaning over him to point at a picture as they'd researched the demon she'd battled the night before.
The commandos' attack had been planned. Troops streamed in through the back door, even as they burst through the front. Bullets fired into the ceiling as they stormed the store sent a rain of plaster over the gang's heads. None of the soldiers were wearing masks. He wanted Buffy to know exactly who was responsible for this.
Riley's face was contorted in cruel glee as he stepped to the front of his troops. He hadn't taken the risk to be the first one in, wisely so, as Willow managed to send axes and knives from the wall flying through the air, killing several of the first in. The gang fought hard against the attack, but the sheer numbers of their attackers soon overwhelmed them.
Anya was the first to die. Graham cornered her behind the counter, easily disarming her of her baseball bat as she swung at him wildly. Her chest heaving, Anya faced him bravely, showing none of the fear she must've felt as Graham raised the gun to his shoulder.
"The only good demon is a dead demon." he said, pulling the trigger and sending a single bullet through Anya's skull. Buffy whirled in horror at the sound, just in time to see Anya jerk backwards, her blood staining the wall behind her.
Insane with grief, Xander charged at the solider, yelling angrily, an axe held high over his head. But the axe was no match for Graham's machine gun, and Xander was cut down before he'd even been close to striking range. His momentum carried his body forward, sliding to a stop just an arm's reach from Anya's still form.
Willow and Tara were the next to die. Buffy could swear she heard Forrest laughing as the bullets pierced their bodies. Shock and pain filled Willow's face as she caught the crumpling Tara in her arms. Willow appeared too stunned to notice the blood that poured from her own body until a final bullet pierced her heart. Willow stared at Forrest for an endless moment before falling silently to the floor.
Frantic, Buffy rushed across the room, leaping over the bodies of her friends, and tried to wrestle the gun from Forrest's hands. She could feel the hands of the soldiers grabbing at her, trying to subdue her. Screaming in frustration, Buffy fought fiercely against them, but she was grossly outnumbered. Soldiers piled on top of her, all struggling to restrain the furious Slayer.
A gun butt to the back of her head brought Buffy to her knees. She shook her head to clear it, but they hit her again. The second blow to her temple knocked her to the floor. Buffy saw the savage kick from a booted foot coming just before it rendered her unconscious.
When Buffy regained consciousness a short while later, she found herself securely chained to one of the chairs that had been around the tarot table. Riley slapped her, evidently not for the first time as she lifted her head. Blood trickled from Buffy's mouth as her head jerked from the blow.
"Glad you're finally awake." Riley said casually as he'd stood in front of her, his face in hers. "You're missing all the fun." He stepped to the side, revealing Giles chained to a chair across from her. Giles' body leaned forward, his arms bound behind him keeping him in the chair. Giles was covered in blood, and there was no doubt in Buffy's mind that it was his own. She could able to see the cuts and welts that ran along his skin, staining what remained of his white shirt, red. Riley grabbed a handful of Giles' hair, yanking his head upright.
"God, no." Buffy cried out in horror at her first glimpse of Giles' face. Riley had merciless in his assault on her Watcher. Bruises, purple and red, bloomed on Giles' cheek, one eye swollen shut. Yet Buffy could see the defiance that continued to gleam in the one green eye that Giles still had the use of.
"So, you prefer this old man to me?" Riley demanded angrily, slamming his fist across Giles' jaw. Giles didn't make a sound as his head snapped sideways, much to Riley's annoyance. Instead, Giles spat blood on Riley's boots insolently. Enraged, Riley spun to face Buffy.
"Just remember," he told Buffy. "This is all your fault. You could've had me. But no, you decided that you'd rather be with him." With a cold smile, Riley turned back to Giles.
Riley tortured Giles for hours, trying to break him, trying to force him to cry out. Forced to watch, Buffy broke first, sobbing loudly as Riley slowly snapped Giles' fingers, one by one. Behind her the commandos laughed, forcing her face forward when she tried to look away from Giles' pain. Giles bore the pain stoically, never uttering any sound louder than a grunt. He kept his eyes focused on Buffy's, even as Riley began slicing into his back with a knife.
"Stop!" Buffy screamed, as Giles' blood pooled on the floor by the chair. "God, please stop!!" she begged, unable to watch anymore. Riley swung around to face Buffy, his face incredulous.
"You want me to stop?" he asked in surprise, as if he couldn't imagine why she was so upset. Buffy nodded, tears streaming down her face. Riley shrugged.
"Fine. I'll stop." he said casually. Swiftly, Riley slashed the knife across Giles' throat in one smooth movement. Blood spurted from Giles' neck, splattering on Riley and on the floor around the chair.
"NO!" Buffy screamed, struggling against her chains. Wide-eyed, Buffy watched in disbelief and horror as the light in Giles' eyes began to fade.
"I love you, Buffy." Giles choked out, blood trickling from his lips. It was the last thing he'd ever say. Buffy could only stare as Giles' head dropped forward, and he exhaled one last time.
"There." Riley said, laughing as he wiped his knife clean on his pants. "I stopped."
A blinding rage came over Buffy. Screaming in outrage and pain, Buffy struggled against her chains, her wrists bloody from her previous attempts at escape. Ignoring the pain as the chains ripped through her skin, Buffy fought her way free. She threw herself at Riley, struggling for his knife.
Riley grunted under Buffy's wild attack, howling as her knee slammed into his groin. He was barely able to protect himself, blocking as many blows as he could as she swung wildly.
Rage and hate filled Buffy as she pounded her fists into Riley's face. With one cut of a knife, he had taken away the one man she'd ever really loved, destroying a love she'd only just realized. Buffy kicked and bit savagely as she felt hands start to drag her away from Riley. Using her Slayer strength, Buffy shook off the soldiers and lunged toward her ex-boyfriend once more, her bloody hands straining for his throat. Riley danced backwards in an attempt to evade her reach.
"Kill her!" Riley shouted at his men as he kicked at Buffy to keep her at bay.
The first hail of bullets brought Buffy to her knees before she reached Riley. Looking down, she saw blood pouring from her stomach, thick and black. Still, Buffy crawled determinedly forward, her body jerking as the soldiers fired on her again.
Laying on the floor, gasping for breath, Buffy knew that the battle was over, and that she'd lost. She could feel her life ebbing away from her, as sure as the blood flowed from her wounds. Knowing that there was no hope for her, Buffy decided on one final act of defiance before she died. Fixing her eyes on her goal, Buffy struggled on, ignoring the harsh laughter and taunts that filled her ears.
The soldiers jeered as Buffy dragged herself over the floor, her blood leaving a wide trail behind her. Riley watched with disgust, angry that even as she died, Buffy still preferred Giles' dead body to him. Crawling painfully forward, Buffy nearly wept with relief as her hand finally touched Giles' shoe. She called on every ounce of her remaining strength and pulled herself up to her knees, using Giles' chilling body to steady her. Weeping with pain and sorrow, Buffy wrapped her arms around her gentle Watcher's waist. Dropping her head into Giles' lap, Buffy breathed her last breath, her eyes open to face death.