10.) Bad Dreams: The Circus
by Mooncalf
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer and related characters are owned by Joss Whedon, WB and Mutant Enemy. I can only take credit for the new main characters I have created and various other vampire minions which may wander into my stories. I created them, so they are mine. Don't sue as this is just pure fanfic.

*****Chapter Three – The Circus*****

In the library Giles and Eve were looking through some books; The Black Chronicles, the sacred White Chronicles (Giles thought that since they’d opened it once they may as well keep it open) and various Watcher Diaries. They were trying to find a way to kill the demon, or at least trap him. Willow, Xander and Cordelia came in; they were all silent. They were followed in by Pierce and Oz, also in silence, and then the shouting started.

‘For God’s sake Buffy, get these vampires out of here!’ Yelled Xander in a fury. He pulled a stake and a bottle of holy water from his pocket and waved them in the air. ‘I can’t stand the filthy, blood-sucking sons of bitches…they’re like tick people!’ He turned towards Eve who was sitting quietly in a chair.

‘Especially your screwed up whore of a sister!’ He screamed at her, pulling a face of disgust.

‘Now, wait a minute…’ Said Eve, standing up.

‘Calm down guys.’ Said Buffy trying not to get stressed out; she had enough to deal with concerning the demon, and her worries about Angel and Esme.

‘Speaking of Esme,’ said Willow, ‘she’s a werewolf just like Oz…Oz, the guy that tried to eat me!’

‘Oh just drop it Will!’ Oz snapped.

‘I’m telling you Cordy, I had nothing to do with what happened to Bonnie and Heidi, okay?’ Yelled Pierce.

‘Oh don’t lie to me, I know what happened…’ Said Cordelia.

‘God damn vampires!’ Yelled Xander. Buffy stood protectively in front of Seth and the others.

‘…I saw it in my dream!’ Cordelia finished.

‘What? What dream?’ Giles asked.

‘Can it, Giles!’ Willow snapped. Giles looked offended for a moment; then he decided that enough was enough. He then climbed onto a chair, and onto a table, he stood in the middle of it and waved his arms, shouting at them all.

‘For heaven’s sake, stop this!’ They all stared at him in surprise. ‘I don’t know what is going on, but I know I don’t like it. You’re fighting with each other for no reason, why? I’ll tell you why, because someone has been changing your dreams, making you believe the worst things about each other…he’s done the same to these people.’ He pointed at the vampires. ‘Now they need our help, and we need there’s. If we can put our quarrels behind us we can band together and defeat this demon.’

‘He’s right.’ Said Buffy. ‘We need to get together on this one, Dechorrus has got to be stopped, now.’

‘And how exactly do you propose to stop me, slayer?’ Said Dechorrus, appearing suddenly behind them. They all turned round in surprise and stared at him. Giles stumbled down from his temporary platform.

‘What can you do to me, if you can’t see me?’ He disappeared again, but his voice could still be heard.

‘I’ll get you all sometime, I’ll get inside your heads…in your minds…speak to you through your dreams. And eventually, it’ll destroy you all.’ He laughed loudly; then the sound trailed off.

‘Has he gone?’ Whispered Charlie, looking round the room for any sign of him.

‘I think so.’ Buffy whispered back, also looking.

‘Right, Eve and I have a plan, if we could all just head for your circus tent.’ Said Giles.

‘Sure.’ Said Seth. Giles grabbed a small book of demons and they all headed out of the door.

**********

At the camp everyone from the circus was still running round insanely or fighting with each other for no apparent reason. It was chaos.

‘Wow.’ Buffy breathed. ‘It’s even worse here.’

‘Tortured souls.’ Said Giles. ‘More ammunition for Dechorrus.’ Buffy nodded. ‘Now, we need to use most of your performance equipment if you don’t mind.’

‘Of course.’ Said Seth ‘Anything to catch a demon, but how can we if we can’t see him.’

‘Well, we found out that he becomes permanently visible when he comes into contact with water…’

‘Ah, “The Magicians Tank of Death”!’ Said Seth, beginning to understand.

‘Well, not much of an illusion when you don’t need the oxygen, but yes.’ Seth Frowned. ‘We’ll also need the trapeze’s, the trampoline’s and, erm…do you perhaps have a cannon?’

Buffy had a feeling that this was going to be a very elaborate and extremely pointless trap…but Giles insisted it would work, Eve didn’t look too sure anymore, but Giles’ enthusiasm was enough.

**********

Later, at the circus, everyone outside the tent was still running around, but by now many of them had dusted each other, be-headed each other and even set each other on fire...only the lucky ones were mortally wounded and running in insane circles.

Inside the main tent Buffy and Seth were standing alone in the middle of the ring, Seth was in his Ring Masters costume, and Buffy was in her regular clothes. Seth wore black leather with dark purple and blue patches of silk and satin, they looked like rags. Buffy wondered what the point of the costume was. What the hell, just go with it. No one else could be seen anywhere. Then Dechorrus made his entrance, he had decided to leave the Anointed one behind for a change. He materialised in front of them, with a smirk on his face.

‘Well, well, well, back for more? Haven’t you had enough punishment for one night?’

‘The night’s still young.’ Said Buffy defiantly.

‘Indeed it is, so let the games begin.’ Buffy noticed for the first time how tightly his coat was done up.

She nodded towards her left, at the signal Sven ran towards Dechorrus wielding a whip. The demon simply laughed and unbuttoned his coat, as Sven reached him he opened the coat. Instead of the body that Buffy had expected he exposed a dark black void. Sven fell to his knees at the demon’s feet; he began pleading for his life. Then a strange dark blue glow came from the void; it grew in intensity until it almost blinded them.

Sven covered his eyes in fear and Buffy and Seth crouched, shielding their faces. The glow began to slowly pull Sven into the void; he lay on his stomach trying to pull away from the void. Seth lay on his stomach also and stretched a hand towards Sven. He couldn’t reach far enough and so called out for Sven to extend the whip, Sven did as he was told and Seth took a tight hold on the whip. Dechorrus began laughing like a maniac as Sven was sucked further in, screaming for his life. Seth was now being pulled along the floor with Sven.

‘Slayer, help me!’ He said in desperation.

Buffy lay beside him and took hold of the whip, but the pull from the void was too strong for both of them. After one last terrified scream Sven disappeared forever.

Seth sat back and stared horrified at Dechorrus as he closed his coat and grinned mercilessly at them.

‘Plan B! Plan B!’ Buffy yelled.

Dechorrus rolled his eyes, expecting another attack. Instead Pierce, Xander, Oz, Cordelia and Willow pushed a large water tank on wheels out of the shadows. Before Dechorrus knew what was happening the tank, having been shattered by a heavy kick from Pierce, exploded and covered him in water. He screamed in a shrill voice and tried to run away from them, realising that now he had no-where to hide.

Before he had gone two steps Charlie swooped down from the roof of the tent on a trapeze and grabbed him by the arms, carrying him high into the air. He swung him towards where Tecumseh was waiting on the trampoline then he dropped him onto the tramp and left him bouncing. Tecumseh bounced him across the tramp by punching him repeatedly; eventually he fell off of the other side of the tramp and straight into the barrel of the cannon.

He looked a little dazed as he tried to pull himself out, then the barrel was raised into firing position. Mary-Beth was fired from the cannon and pushed him with her on the way out. Mary-Beth landed safely on the ground, did a forward roll and stood up. Dechorrus landed at Buffy’s feet, Buffy stared down at him and grinned.

‘Is this your nightmare?’ She asked and laughed. Dechorrus looked up at her with hatred in his hollow face; he gradually got to his feet. ‘Do you give up?’ Asked Buffy.

‘No, I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve.’ He said and began to unbutton his coat again. The black void came into view, Buffy looked afraid and froze. She had held a vain hope that the water would stop him using his powers too…but that kind of stuff only worked in superhero comics, didn’t it? She couldn’t move to kill him.

‘Buffy! Look out!’ Eve yelled. She ran towards the demon and stood between him and Buffy, the void began to glow. Buffy was still frozen with fear.

‘Buffy…the knife Buffy…do it now!’ Said Eve worriedly. Once again the glow became intense, the dark blue light blinded them. Giles ran forward a few steps but the light became too much, he could no longer see Buffy, Eve or Dechorrus.

‘Buffy…do something…now!’ He staggered backwards.

‘Buffy…’ Eve cried. ‘Help me!’

Suddenly the light disappeared, when Giles looked again Dechorrus had gone…so had Eve. Buffy stared in shock; everyone else came out of hiding and carefully approached them. Giles fell to his knees where Dechorrus and Eve had been standing.

‘No! Not another one!’ He cried.

Then he turned to Buffy. ‘You let her die Buffy!’

Buffy knelt beside him, still in shock and cradled him in her arms. ‘You let her die.’ He whimpered quietly.



This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=19257