Title: Death Sealed IX

Author: Caliadragon

Fandom: Buffy

Catagory: AU

Pairings: None really

Archive: Any list I send it to, those with previous permission and my archive.

Warnings: Character Death, Torture

AN: Set not long after the First has been defeated. Faith is a vamp. The LA crew is in Sunnydale. Spike is souled, but not chipped. He still has moments of dementia.

Summary: The next of Xander's torturer's is hunted.

Thanks to Edi for the beta.

Death Sealed IX
by Caliadragon

Beneath the moon
Blood flows like
a demented god's boon
Vengeance is come
Celebrate evil's ruin


Mike Thomas glanced around him furtively. He was terrified and running for his life. In the last few days two of his friends had gone missing, and were probably dead. This evening, as he was leaving his job at the electric company, he found a note under the windshield wiper of his car. He shuddered as he remembered what it said and moved faster.


\\Flashback//

Mike scowled when he saw the plain white paper on his car. With a sense of irritation he yanked it from under the windshield wiper. He started to throw it away, but a strange compulsion filled him and he turned it over and read the words with growing fear and horror.

Michael Thomas:

You have been found guilty of rape and have been found responsible for the death of our friend, Xander Harris. For your crimes against both him and his mother you will suffer. You thought our friends' prey. Now you will be the prey. Run if you dare, but know we will find you and you will die at our hands. Just as your friends Anthony Harris and Jack Harlow did. With pain and shame.

It was signed simply Vengeance. Mike had jumped into his car and driven home. Taking only enough time to snarl at his lousy excuse for a lover and pack up a few things. He was getting out of town as soon as possible. With any luck the people after him would take out their frustrations on Trevor and not bother to look for him.

Only those plans hadn't come to fruition. As he left his house he realized that his tires had been slashed and so he had taken Trevor's car. By then it was dark and he was sweating fearfully.

Before he had gone a hundred yards a surge of energy bolted through the car and it stuttered to a stop. He had seen two women standing in the road and watched in horror as they joined hands and threw a huge ball of power at the car. In terror he had jumped out and run. Their laughter had followed him into the night.

As he ran he became aware of the sounds of pursuit. It sounded like he was being hunted by a pack of wild animals. Eerie laughter and snarls had echoed in the night and Mike knew he was being herded away from any source of help that might come to him.

He heard a long, mournful howl rip through the air and whimperd in fear as he felt primal terror. Unable to run any further, he fell to his knees and looked around him. He was in the middle of a field. Shapes made their way from the surrounding trees and headed straight for him. He was shocked to see that his tormentors were all kids. As they got closer he could see that they all carried weapons. Bats, swords, and knives were all clutched in their hands. One girl led a large dog, but Mike was terrified to see human intelligence in its eyes. As well as pure hatred.

The girl's face shifted and he whimpered as he looked into amber eyes. "Well, looks like Ozzy led us to some fun."

Mike shrieked in pain as they began to rain blows upon him, and yards away a group of fledges ran for their lives. Everyone in the demon community had heard about what had happened to the Slayer's mortal friend and they were all terrified that, once the humans were dead, they would turn to the demon world with their terrifying vengeance.

Faith laughed and let her demon to the fore as she became her own weapon, raining blows and death on the man who had hurt her friend.

They all stopped the beating when the man lost consciousness. Kyle looked over at the pack then to his lover, Larry. "Let's finish it and leave him for the carrion eaters," Larry said. Faith nodded and released Oz. With a howl of triumph, the werewolf surged forward and, with a snap of inhuman teeth, he severed the man's spine, then turned and ripped out his throat.

As one, the hunters turned and left the body where it lay crumpled. No one looked back or cared to. In their minds and hearts justice had been done. None of them noticed the silent figure of death seize the shade that had once been Mike Thomas and pull him from his body. Nor did they hear the gods' laugh over what fate lay in store for the spirit. Hades had another soul for punishment.
_____________


Xander sat in his apartment with his lover at his side. He had buried his father today. There had been no pomp and barely any ceremony. They had laid him to rest, then had left him there without a backward glance.

His mother was settled into the guest room at Willow's apartment and the house was on the market. Neither of them ever wanted to return to that horrid place. They had taken all that they wanted and either sold or given away what was left. They had learned from their father's lawyer that he had saved everything he had ever taken from either of them. The inheritance left by Xander's grandfather to the two of them was intact and all of it was now theirs. Xander had already decided that he was giving up the apartment. It had too many windows and not enough room for his lover or his mother. Giles had found a house not far from Buffy and Willow, and Xander had purchased it. They would be moving in in a week.

For now, he was curled up against his lover and was safe. Xander didn't think about the three men still left alive or the fact that his friends were hunting one of them as he and Spike sat there. He couldn't, it hurt too badly and reminded him of what he had been through.

Instead, he thought of the life ahead of him and the love he had found in his friends and in Spike. He thought about the fact that he could now rest, knowing that his mother would never be hurt by his father again. That thought alone got him through and gave him peace.



The End For Now