The Wind Beyond the Walls of the Mind: Chapter 25 - part 1 - I am of the past
by Gaius Petronius
The Wind Beyond the Walls of the Mind

Chapter 25 - part 1
"I am of the past . . ."

by Gaius Petronius

Disclaimer:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters that appear on the show are the exclusive property of Joss Whedon, the WB and Mutant Enemy, Inc. This story can be read on its own or as a sequel to H. P. Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark" from which the Ancient Ones, the Shining Trapezohedron and the character of Robert Blake are derived.

Content Note: This part is rated PG-13 for violence and some raunchy language.

* * * * * *

Moments after the explosion of the Initiative that sent Xander's truck careening into the lampost, the entire facade of the old brick front warehouse collapsed, completely blocking the street. All power to the street lamps and the city failed with the destruction of the power plant. Every few moments, a lone car drove down the street, met the obstruction of the building wreckage, turned around and drove back up the way it came. A half dozen people gathered around the collapsed building and began working through the debris as they searched for anyone trapped inside.

No one paid attention to the wreck of Xander's truck across the street only a few yards beyond the mound of shattered bricks. The front end of the truck was crumpled and the windshield shattered as the light pole Xander hit snapped off and came down, punching in the roof of the cab. For a few minutes, there was no movement from inside. Then on the passenger side, someone rattled the door handle and weakly beat on the window.

"Help! Help! Somebody!" Tara cried faintly from the cab.

Suddenly, a loud hissing noise and a pungent odor emanated from the warehouse ruins. The group around the wrecked building scattered as several people yelled.

"Gas! Everybody get back! There's a gas leak!" someone shouted in a panic.

For a moment, it seemed as if the very street held its breath. Then an explosion ripped through the warehouse as the leaking gas line ignited, bringing much of the remaining structure still standing toppling down, burying several of the bystanders. Shattered bricks flew across the street, smashing the rear and side windows of Xander's truck where he, Willow and Tara were trapped. Glass on buildings shattered up and down the block and, in front of the collapsed warehouse, a flaming jet of natural gas shot in a violent fountain skyward. The glow from the flames matched the red glare of the sky.

Inside the truck, Tara pounded wildly on the jammed door.

"HELP! SOMEBODY!"

The few remaining people fled. Several bodies lay scattered about the mounds of broken bricks. The warehouse was now fully engulfed and the fire spread both to neighboring buildings as well as cars parked out front. The heat from the blaze rose rapidly, and the flames threatened to leap the street, igniting more structures and even Xander's truck. Sparks showered down on the truck box and crushed cab. Tara yanked at the door, and her cries became screams of desperation.

"SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP!"

At the far end of the street around the corner, MacDuffie raced into view. He stopped, quickly scanned in both directions, and immediately spotted the crippled truck. With the ancient short sword still firmly clutched in his hand, he broke into a mad sprint up the avenue towards the fire. As he reached the vehicle, he brushed off the cinders that fell on his shoulders.

"WILLOW! It's MacDuffie!" he shouted as he pulled on the jammed door to no avail.

"It's Tara!" Tara screamed from inside, "Willow's here with me."

"I'm okay . . . I'm fine. Xander?" Willow's voice spoke weakly from the crushed cab. Xander only groaned.

Second by second, the fire drew closer and, at the same time, the crimson cast in the sky intensified. MacDuffie could feel the heat now starting to sear his face. Suddenly a screech from the sky, like the cry of an evil bird of prey, echoed down the street, heralding the search over head of Nyarlethotep.

"All of you slide away from the passenger side door!" MacDuffie yelled urgently.

He rammed the point of the short sword into an open space near the crushed cab roof where the door joint was bent away from the body of the cab. He jimmied the sword down the joint until it reached the point next to the latch. Then, using the sword as a pry bar, the Guardian bore down with all his strength on the ancient weapon's handle.

At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, the fittings of the lock began to give under the pressure and a rending groan of bending sheet metal issued from the door. Again, MacDuffie applied all his strength to the lever and the groan intensified culminating in a sharp metallic snap as the latch and the plastic fittings inside the lock failed and the door sprang free. The ancient blade now sported several more fresh notches.

The Guardian swung the truck door wide open on its damaged hinges amidst the sound of scraping metal. He looked nervously up the street past the fire in the direction from which the cry of the Haunter emanated. Tara quickly slid out of the truck. She turned and pulled Willow, who wobbled on her feet. Tara and MacDuffie then both reached in and dragged Xander out. Blood pouring from a cut on his face, he plopped to the pavement and sat stunned. Every second, the screams overhead in the clouds grew louder.

"I think he hit the windshield," Willow said as she knelt beside Xander and brushed the bloodstained hair off his forehead.

"Alexandros, can you stand?" The old Guardian said, casting a worried glance over his shoulder, "It's imperative that you all get out of here now!"

Xander nodded his head and staggered to his feet. Suddenly the piercing scream echoed down the street from beyond the collapsed flaming warehouse. Past the smoke and fire, the three lobed burning eye at the end of the giant serpent's neck swept around the corner at second story level. It's enormous wings beat up a wind fouled by an acrid stench which caused the group to gasp for breath.

"We're out of time! Run, Lassie!" MacDuffie shouted at Willow, "RUN!"

For a second, Willow didn't move but only stared at him in horror.

"No! We're not leaving you!" she suddenly blurted out.

"Uh, Willow, . . . " Xander stammered as he stared at the advancing form of the Haunter of the Dark, "Maybe running isn't such a bad idea!"

"NO!" she screamed despite what she could now clearly see both in the present and immediate future.

"YES!" MacDuffie shouted back at her as he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Listen to me, Lassie! I know Rupert said we were supposed to have a little chat, but things have gone a tad beyond that now! I know I've been a poor teacher but look into your heart . . ."

Willow stared directly into the old Guardian's eyes.

"You, Tara and Alexandros must help Faith!" he whispered.

"What?" she exclaimed

"You all must get back to the shop . . . and help Faith. She's the one!"

"I don't understand?" Willow stammered, "What about Buffy? . . . and you!"

"What you do at this moment in time will determine the direction of all future actions that will culminate in the final salvation of the world," MacDuffie explained rapidly, "But, as for me . . . what do you see?"

Willow didn't answer but only stared back with despair mounting on her face.

"Of course . . . you see it, just as I do!" he said urgently, "There is no place for me in that new world. I am of the past as was my father and all the Guardians before me, and my fate is sealed here at this moment so that you and the future will have a chance! You know the old wisdom that says sometimes you must give up that which you love in order to save it! It is to all of you, now, each with your own powers, that the role of the Guardians must fall."

Willow, sobbing, struggled to shake her head but couldn't.

"Go, Lassie . . . I beg you!" he whispered, barely heard over the screaming of Nyarlethotep.

Behind them, the Haunter swept down the street and surged into the blazing jet from the ruptured gas line. It halted, reveling and bathing itself in the shooting red flames.

Tara and Xander pulled at Willow's shoulder, and she stumbled backwards away from MacDuffie as her friends tried to lead her away down the street. She kept looking back at the old shopkeeper who's form was now a dark silhouette in the blaze roaring up behind him. Tara and Xander, dragging Willow along, broke into a run. They reached an intersection where Willow would move no further. All three took shelter at the corner of a building and stared back at the lone figure of MacDuffie standing as the last line of defense between them and the Haunter of the Dark.

MacDuffie turned, directly facing the towering nightmare as it beat its wings in the flames from the shooting gas.

"We meet again, Guardian . . . " the disembodied voice growled, "Only this time you have no Slayer or light machines to save you."

"Be gone, Servus Damnatorum!" the Guardian replied firmly, "Return to the eternal darkness of Shaggai!"

"Brave words as always," it replied, "And, as always, words alone. The Ancient Ones haven't feasted on the soul of a Guardian in centuries. Your agonized spirit will make a tasty banquet and the Guardian's knowledge and powers a stirring repast."

"That's a meal the Ancient Ones will choke on first!" MacDuffie replied with rising fury.

"And after we have fed on you," it continued, "Next will be those two miserable Wiccans . . ."

Willow's eyes widened in horror. Xander nudged her shoulder.

"See! Running is good!" he whispered to her.

Suddenly, Willow yanked away from Tara and Xander's grasp. Her eyes blazed with an anger her friends had never seen. She marched back up the street, followed by Xander and Tara, yelling at the Haunter of the Dark. Nyarlethotep immediately turned its attention to the advancing three.

"If it's a Wiccan you want, here I am!" she yelled, drawing the Haunter's attention.

"NO, Lassie!" MacDuffie screamed.

MacDuffie, grasping his sword firmly by the hilt with both hands, raised it in defiance before him. The flat side of the blade faced directly at the Haunter. The ancient short weapon now glowed with a bright yellow light that pierced the oppressive red haze. Sensing a more present threat, the three lobed burning eye released a blazing glob of plasma at MacDuffie. The plasma struck the yellow glow surrounding the sword and spattered off in all directions, the fragments lighting fires wherever they landed

Staggered by the force of the plasma blast, the Guardian dropped to one knee, the yellow glowing shield around his weapon now reduced by half. Willow, Tara and Xander halted and stood frozen to the spot.

Again, Nyarlethotep fired a blast of blazing red liquid at MacDuffie and again, it splattered off the yellow shield of light emanating from the sword. The Guardian collapsed to both knees and bent forward with one hand supporting him off the pavement. He was now barely able to hold the sword upright in front of him with the other remaining free hand. The yellow glow shielding him dimmed quickly, flickered and then finally winked out.

The snake like neck of Nyarlethotep arched upwards as if ready to administer the final blow. Suddenly, with what appeared to be his last remaining ounce of strength, MacDuffie spun on both knees as he pitched the sword backwards though the air behind him. The weapon sailed down the street to land almost directly at Xander's feet. He quickly stooped, grasped the sword with both hands and lifted it up in front of them.

As if re-energized, the short dented weapon blazed anew with the yellow light, casting a shield all around Xander, Willow and Tara. Seeing he had accomplished his final objective, MacDuffie bowed his head. The Haunter of the Dark released a third blast of red plasma at the now defenseless old man. Trailing flames behind it, the deadly missile seemed to travel in slow motion towards its objective. Willow screamed out in anger and despair as Tara held her back.

"NO! . . . NO!"

The blazing ball of fire enveloped the Guardian. For a moment it appeared as if his kneeling form were nothing more than the shadow of humanity in its final moments before the end of the world. Then, that too was gone, swallowed up by the crimson fire. Willow wept wildly through her screams.

"NO! . . . NO! . . ."

Suddenly, Tara shook Willow and pointed at the spot where the ball of plasma burst moments before.

"Willow, look!" she yelled.

Willow focused her eyes on the spot where Tara pointed. There amidst the curling flames, a small wisp of yellow light, like a tiny scrap of tattered silk flapping bravely in a hurricane wind, darted out of the fires in front of Nyarlethotep. As if sensing their prey was escaping, the flames licked wildly in the direction of the light, but the little shape of yellow illumination was too quick. It sped down the street, paused for a fleeting moment high above Willow, Tara and Xander, and then soared over the surrounding buildings and disappeared into the night sky.

". . . Willow, he got away! . . . " Tara whispered, "His soul got away!"

Willow, still sobbing and her face bathed in tears, managed to smile in relief.

"Come on! We gotta do the same!" Xander urged fearfully.

Suddenly, Nyarlethotep lurched forward and fired a plasma burst at the three of them. Both Wiccans screamed as Tara wrapped her arms protectively around Willow. At the last second, Xander instinctively raised the sword in front of him the same way MacDuffie had moments earlier. The plasma struck the yellow light of the blade shielding them and splattered off in all directions. Xander swayed from the impact of the blast, then braced his feet on the ground in preparation for another attack.

"HOLY SHIT!" he yelled as the flames flew all around them.

Suddenly, without warning, bright arcs of what appeared to be lightning crackled and leaped from concealed positions among the burning buildings. The Haunter swayed with the impact of each jolt. It spun wildly, not knowing in which direction to return fire. A camouflaged figure darted out from one of the buildings and corralled Xander, Tara and Willow. The soldier pulled them into the shadow of a building and forced them all to crouch down.

"Riley!" Willow shouted in surprise.

"Listen up quick!" he shouted as everyone huddled against the concealing walls of the building, "The squads are gonna try to hold it here as long as we can! Then we'll fall back block by block! You guys get down to the shop and help Buffy with whatever she has to do!"

"But, Riley . . ." Willow protested.

At the same time, the Haunter fired a burst of plasma into the darkness where an Initiative commando was shooting an alpha particle beam. In the surge of flames, the particle beam suddenly ceased.

"No Time! Run, NOW!" Riley yelled.

Xander, Willow and Tara broke away in a mad scramble down the street. In a few seconds, they turned the corner at the intersection and disappeared from Riley's view. Riley quickly returned his attention to Nyarlethotep.

"Beta Squad, this is Alpha Leader!" he shouted into his headset, "Three civilians are passing through your block!"

The voice of Forrest crackled back over the earphones.

"I see them Alpha Leader!"

"Hold your position!" Riley ordered, "Do not advance! Hold your position until Alpha Squad falls back!"

"Understood, sir!" Forrest replied coolly.

A charge of alpha particles leaped up the street across from Riley's position and slammed into the Ancient One. Spinning in fury, the three lobed burning eye fired a burst of plasma, but the missile missed its target. The lone commando, having fired his burst, disappeared from sight, slipping down an alley between two buildings as the fireball exploded against the brick front of one of the structures. Globs of fire splattered in Riley's direction, and he dropped flat to the street.

"Son of A BITCH!" he exclaimed as he hit the pavement hard.

"That you, Alpha Leader?" sounded the cheery voice of Graham over the headset, "Hey, Riley! What's it like up there?"

Riley, who was still flat on the pavement, quickly glanced at all the advancing fires around him. He dead panned into his headset.

". . . hot . . . Don't be so cocky, Gamma Leader! You gotta cover Beta Squad's ass as they fall back."

Another camouflaged commando stepped out from between two buildings and halted by Riley's side. He aimed his rifle at the Haunter of the Dark but as he pulled the trigger nothing happened. He tried to fire again but with the same result. Suddenly his weapon emitted over and over a two toned high pitched screaming sound, like the miniature wail of an ambulance siren.

"Steve! What's happening?!" Riley yelled at the commando.

"It's jammed, sir!" the soldier shouted as he started to panic, "She won't fire and the alpha generator keeps charging!"

The three lobed burning eye of Nyarlethotep swung in the direction of Riley and Steve. Its neck arched back as it prepared to release another plasma burst at the two soldiers. Riley jumped to his feet and snatched the rifle from the frightened soldier. For a second he fiddled with the rifle's controls, then yanked the connecting wires from the generating pack and pitched the rifle so that it landed in the street less than a dozen yards in front of Nyarlethotep.

"Alpha Squad! Weapons malfunction!" Riley screamed into his headset, "HIT THE DECK! COVER YOUR EYES!"

As Riley and Steve dropped to the pavement, the malfunctioning rifle exploded. There was no blasting roar from the disintegrating rifle but rather a loud electrical pop followed by the outward rush of wind from the concussion. However, the overloading rifle upon detonation emitted a blinding flash of light so intense it illuminated the entire street bright as day.

Nyarlethotep emitted a hideous scream and the three lobed eye on the end of the serpent's neck twisted away and buried itself in its monstrous black wings. For a few moments, the creature's physical form wavered, like a drifting television signal, growing snowy and without substance. It vanished for less that three seconds but then rematerialized in a burst of red plasma.

"Did you see that!" Riley shouted in amazement at the speechless Initiative soldier.

"You did it, Steve!" Riley continued excitedly and then shouted into his headset, "All Squads, this is Alpha Leader! Listen up! We got something here! Two men from each squad with fully charged packs are to fall back and take cross fire positions in front of the magic shop in block E375! They are not to fire on our bogey! Repeat, they are to keep their packs fully charged and prepared to set to overload! We finally found a way to fight this thing, guys! Any other soldiers with discharged weapons are to rendezvous at the shop as well and assist the civilians there as needed!"

"Got it, sir!" Forrest's voice crackled over the headset.

"My men are on the way right now!" Graham answered almost immediately as well.

Back up the street, Nyarlethotep had completely rematerialized. It swayed back and forth getting its bearings. Slowly it arched its neck up to the sky as if drinking in the dark crimson clouds barrel rolling overhead.

"Alpha Squad, this is Alpha Leader," Riley said calmly with the first hope he had felt all evening, "Fall back now. This sucker looks pissed!"

Riley and Steve turned and ran down the street towards the intersection where Xander, Tara and Willow had disappeared earlier. Suddenly, Nyarlethotep released plasma bursts wildly in all directions, virtually incinerating the entire block.

"Sorry about my rifle, sir!" Steve shouted to Riley as they both dashed for the corner at the intersection.

"It's okay!" Riley answered over the rising din.

"But I fucked it up real bad! Maggie said those thing cost . . ."

"WILL YOU SHUT UP AND RUN YA DUMB SONNAVUBITCH!"

Riley and Steve rounded the corner just as a plasma burst exploded only yards behind them.

* * * * * * *


This story archived at: The Slayer\'s Fanfic Archive
The Slayer\\\\\\\\'s FanFic Archive - http://www.slayerfanfic.com/viewstory.php?sid=3983