From: buffywntrs@aol.com (BuffyWntrs)
Date: 19 Feb 1998 16:33:11 EST
Present
She was loafing. At least, to the casual eye, that is what is seemed. With a bare leg thrown up over the arm of the over-stuffed chair, Buffy chewed on the end of her ponytail, staring into the fire that flickered and danced in the wall of her sitting room. At her elbow was a small, ornately sculpted wooden stand, darkly fitting in to the rest of the room. It was the kind of room that one would imagine fat businessmen lounging in, smoking
cigars and sipping cognac. Instead, it held one small woman drinking Coke and snarfing an occasional Oreo. Brow furrowed, Buffy thought. Although a few might argue the contrary, it was not that difficult for her. The difficulty lay in understanding where these thoughts were leading her.
Almost a month ago, she left the realm for a short period of time. Something had called her, almost crooned to her, whispering and singing thoughts of home. It was like an abandoned lover that tried to seduce her back. Buffy was happy in RhyDin, and justified her lengthy stay by the sheer volume of undead that prowled the nighttime streets. She had met true friends, not to mention her lover. But the pull proved to be too strong to resist,
and she had bailed, quickly, with hardly a word to anyone, not knowing when or if she would return. And she had not spoken, to a soul, of what had transpired during the time she was away.
She appreciated the respect for her privacy. A part of her had stiffened for the bombardment of questions she was sure would greet her upon return to the realm. Astonishingly, a few deft words had put everyone's curiousity to rest. To say she was thankful was a severe understatement. But alone, at night, in her empty house, Buffy's thoughts turned to that fortnight again and again. And again.
Flashback
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From: buffywntrs@aol.com (BuffyWntrs)
Date: 19 Feb 1998 16:51:37 EST
Mid-January, 1998, by the calendar of Earth.
She wore travelling clothes. They were not much different from her normal clothes. In fact, her only concession to the journey was a scarf hastily wrapped about her neck. Buffy shrugged on her jacket, stepped into her sneakers, and shouldered her pack. She had no idea what the weather was like back home. Summer, spring, fall, winter... she did not even know if time had flowed the same. Her mother may be dead. Her friends, gone. Nuclear
war. Armageddon. She snapped her gum, banishing inane and depressing thoughts. She would find out shortly. The letter to the Shaman was on it's way, apologies for things past, and promises for things to come. If there was a time for them, to come.
Buffy sketched her latest knowledge in the air 'front of her, the air parting with a shimmering, and a light tinkling sound, like chimes being softly rung. Through a slightly pinkish haze, she could see a sign. 'Mall'. With a grin, she stepped through the portal, letting it close softly behind her, content in her confidence that the house would be well taken care of in her absence.
As the portal closed, her hair began to crawl over her scalp as she took a good look around. Mall it was, yes, but it was deserted. A ruin. Broken bottles and bedraggled pieces of paper were strewn across the parking lot, which was empty with the exception of a single abandoned car. It was a dirty white Volkswagen. She didn't recognize it. Her gaze turned to the building itself, a sprawling complex that used to house JC Penney's, Sears,
Belk's, Blockbuster music, the Gap, Cacique, and many other stores, including her favorites, the shoe stores. One can never have enough pink sneakers. Now, Penney's sign hung tilted at an angle, on the verge of crashing onto the pedestrian crossing below. Sears had no sign, just metal pins jutting out from the crumbling brickwork. Less than a year after she had left, and maybe Armageddon wasn't such a farfetched idea, after all.
Buffy began to walk, silently, towards the mall, partly in shock. She chewed her gum rapidly, looking around in astonishment. It was dusk, the sun having passed beyond the Californian horizon only minutes before she arrived. The usual feeling of dread began to creep over her. As she passed the dirty Bug, movement erupted from the far side of the mall, the figures distorted through the grimy windshield. Crouching, she peeked around the
fender of the car, to see a familiar scene. A young woman, black hair streaming behind her, tears of fright on her cheeks, running in terror from three men. Buffy assumed, from the goosebumps she was scrubbing on her arms, that vampires were trying to feed. At dusk, with the sun barely down. In the open, at the mall, three monsters were chasing prey across what should be a crowded parking lot. Her mind refused to examine this too closely,
reverting instead to instinct. Buffy stepped from behind the car, stake dropping into her hand, and darted for the group.
Date: 19 Feb 1998 16:51:37 EST
Mid-January, 1998, by the calendar of Earth.
She wore travelling clothes. They were not much different from her normal clothes. In fact, her only concession to the journey was a scarf hastily wrapped about her neck. Buffy shrugged on her jacket, stepped into her sneakers, and shouldered her pack. She had no idea what the weather was like back home. Summer, spring, fall, winter... she did not even know if time had flowed the same. Her mother may be dead. Her friends, gone. Nuclear
war. Armageddon. She snapped her gum, banishing inane and depressing thoughts. She would find out shortly. The letter to the Shaman was on it's way, apologies for things past, and promises for things to come. If there was a time for them, to come.
Buffy sketched her latest knowledge in the air 'front of her, the air parting with a shimmering, and a light tinkling sound, like chimes being softly rung. Through a slightly pinkish haze, she could see a sign. 'Mall'. With a grin, she stepped through the portal, letting it close softly behind her, content in her confidence that the house would be well taken care of in her absence.
As the portal closed, her hair began to crawl over her scalp as she took a good look around. Mall it was, yes, but it was deserted. A ruin. Broken bottles and bedraggled pieces of paper were strewn across the parking lot, which was empty with the exception of a single abandoned car. It was a dirty white Volkswagen. She didn't recognize it. Her gaze turned to the building itself, a sprawling complex that used to house JC Penney's, Sears,
Belk's, Blockbuster music, the Gap, Cacique, and many other stores, including her favorites, the shoe stores. One can never have enough pink sneakers. Now, Penney's sign hung tilted at an angle, on the verge of crashing onto the pedestrian crossing below. Sears had no sign, just metal pins jutting out from the crumbling brickwork. Less than a year after she had left, and maybe Armageddon wasn't such a farfetched idea, after all.
Buffy began to walk, silently, towards the mall, partly in shock. She chewed her gum rapidly, looking around in astonishment. It was dusk, the sun having passed beyond the Californian horizon only minutes before she arrived. The usual feeling of dread began to creep over her. As she passed the dirty Bug, movement erupted from the far side of the mall, the figures distorted through the grimy windshield. Crouching, she peeked around the
fender of the car, to see a familiar scene. A young woman, black hair streaming behind her, tears of fright on her cheeks, running in terror from three men. Buffy assumed, from the goosebumps she was scrubbing on her arms, that vampires were trying to feed. At dusk, with the sun barely down. In the open, at the mall, three monsters were chasing prey across what should be a crowded parking lot. Her mind refused to examine this too closely,
reverting instead to instinct. Buffy stepped from behind the car, stake dropping into her hand, and darted for the group.