Voracity, Chapter 5

Warnings: Character Death

 Chapter 5

After Finn, Miller, and Gates threw the Yokk and Foi sub-terrestrials in together, they sat back to observe how the two demons interacted. They were surprised to see that the two species hissed at each other in a feral manner before retreating to opposite sides of the room.

Miller leaned forward, switched on the microphone linked to the cell, and he started to speak. “Tell us why you don’t like each other.”

The big, ugly Yokk sneered towards the speaker. His gravelly growl echoed through the quiet cell. “Not like doesn’t even cover what we feel for each other. I’d safely say that loathe does not cover the depth of our feelings for each other.”

“So there is no chance of your species crossbreeding?”

The petite Foi female’s face had a disgusted grimace on it. “That is physically impossible between us.” She pointed towards the Yokk male and herself. “It is also monumentally stupid. A Yokk-Foi spawn, bred between a male Yokk and a female Foi, is … Well, if the legend is real.” She trailed off with a shudder.

Finn spoke into the microphone. “Tell us the legend.” When the demons appeared reluctant he reached over to push a button. After watching the Yokk and Foi writhe on the cell floor for thirty seconds, Finn released the switch.

“Talk or the pain happens again.”

The male Yokk dragged himself to his feet. He shook off the pain with a grumble. “Fine, human sack of meat, I’ll tell you.”

“Don’t!” the Foi hissed. “They are not worthy.”

The Yokk tilted his head in agreement. “They’ve done something stupid,” he said in his native tongue.

The Foi shrugged before she retreated to her side of the cell. She knew the Yokk male was probably right. Humans were such idiots. “Whatever.” She waved her hand in dismissal.

“Tell us now.” Finn’s finger hovered over the pain button.

The Yokk turned towards the speaker. “Several millennia ago, the Yokk and Foi lived peacefully in their own dimension.”

Miller put his hand over the microphone. “There’s other dimensions?” His only answer was shrugged shoulders.

“Then one day a Yokk named Ramerix and a Foi named Juli’axa fell in love. They mated as is custom for both our species. Their offspring destroyed our dimension in their quest for power. Nothing could destroy them, though many tried. Only a few members of our species escaped.”

“There’s lots of power in this dimension,” the Foi muttered softly. “Nuclear fusion, several Hellmouths, and magic are but a few of the things it’ll go after. Besides every Foi knows it’s the Yokks that destroyed paradise.”

The Yokk sneered at the small fairy like demon. “No, the Yokk know it’s the Foi’s fault paradise was lost.”

The Initiative soldiers lost interest in the fighting demons. They each were lost in their own speculation.

“What did Walsh make exactly?” Gates whispered. “I don’t want to go looking for this thing.”

Finn shook his head. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter what we want, Gates. We need to catch it soon before the civilians figure out we had anything to do with it.”

“You saw the tapes,” Miller replied in a quiet voice. “How can we stop something that takes away what makes you live? It killed Adam, and he was made to be indestructible.”

Finn and Gates just stared at their squad leader. They each hoped the colonel could come up with a viable plan to capture the creation.

Then the earth rumbled, throwing every person – human and demon – in the Initiative facility to the ground.

~~~

Under the abandoned high school the earthquake created a deep rift in the basement floor directly beneath the library. Mist curled up out of the hole.

~~~

“Power,” the humanly created Yokk-Foi whispered. “I smell power.” It rose from the creature it was feeding on. Higher and higher, it ascended with its black tendrils twitching and seeking until it found two separate sources of the much coveted power.

The Yokk-Foi hovered while it tried to choose which source was to be consumed first. After a while it started to drift towards downtown Sunnydale. Those that it swept by felt a cold sense of dread spread through their body despite the unusual October warmth. Most hurried away from the area where the feelings were most prevalent. Many chalked it up to being ‘that time of the year’, completely unaware of the danger that had just passed them by.

After all, Halloween was just six short days away, and everyone knew how weird that night could be in Sunnydale.

~~~

Terra Mater looked down at the cowering humans at her feet. She had Tara’s memories of how they treated those around them, and she was less than pleased. An evil hyena demon hovered over both Xander and Willow. This was a demonic possession they had both embraced wholly and gratefully, wanting power for themselves.

“You have been judged,” Terra Mater’s voice was as great as a thunderous waterfall. “Willow Danielle Rosenberg, you have been found lacking.”

“Tara, baby,” Willow whimpered. “Please forgive me.”

“She’s a dirty demon now,” Xander sneered. “You don’t need her forgiveness.”

Anya laughed while she shook her head. “She is no demon, Xander. She is a goddess.” She turned to Terra Mater. “If you should ever need me, do not hesitate to call for me.” She blinked out of sight.

Terra Mater gave a peaceful smile. “Anyanka will make an excellent priestess. Now, I must go seek out those who need my help the most.” She raised her hands, and in a pillar of great light, she too disappeared.

“Tara,” Willow cried out piteously. “Come back to me.”

Xander scrambled to his feet. He latched a hand on Willow’s arm, and he jerked her to her feet. “Quit that blubbering, Willow. We’ll fix them both. Anya and Tara will regret the day they crossed us.” He pushed her towards the bookcase that held Giles’ most magical texts. “Find something that will help us.”

Willow brushed the tears from her face while she stumbled to the shelves. She picked out a large, leather bound tome and crossed the room to the table. Willow was so intent on reading the book she failed to see the black tendril that curled into the room from under the front door.

Xander stared off into space thinking about what he was going to do to Anya once he got his hands around her dirty, disgusting demon neck. He flexed his hands into fists over and over as he fell further and further into the fantasy. Xander didn’t even notice the inky viscous cloud that surrounded him until it was too late. He opened his mouth to get Willow’s attention, but he found that no sound penetrated out of the vapor.

The first power to leave Xander’s body was the hyena demon, leaving the young man acutely aware of the things he had done to Buffy and others in the past few years. Before he could feel too guilty though, what made Xander himself was sucked out too. He fell sideways on the couch with a slight thump.

“Witch,” the Yokk-Foi whispered when it moved towards the red haired woman at the table. “So much potential and so much power in one little fragile body.” It surrounded the mortal quickly and efficiently.

Willow struggled to no avail against the entity that surrounded her. The hyena infection slipped out of her body with no effort, but the magical drain was almost painful in comparison. She tried to use the magic against the creature that attacked her. However, the more magic she used, the more magic it absorbed. Soon, that portion of Willow’s power burned out, leaving only her soul left for the Yokk-Foi to consume. In a matter of seconds, the red head slumped in her chair dead, not a mark anywhere on her body.

The Yokk-Foi turned its attention towards the other power source. It thought that the witch was the source it had sensed before, not realizing that it had missed meeting up with a goddess capable of defeating it with a thought just seconds before. The Yokk-Foi, drunk on the triple dose of power from Willow, meandered towards the abandoned high school.

~~~

“I should get up to check out that earthquake,” Buffy said in a lazy tone. She cuddled against Spike’s body and didn’t feel like moving. “Last time we had one, the Master escaped from his lair and I died.”

Spike laughed when Buffy didn’t move. “I know the feelin’, pet. I really should toddle off to call the Committee, but I’m much too comfortable.”

The sudden appearance of a woman in the Slayer’s bedroom startled both Buffy and Spike. Buffy clutched the sheet to her breast while Spike growled at the intruder.

“Arise, warriors,” Terra Mater said. “The Hellmouth is open.”

 

Originally posted at http://seasonal-spuffy.livejournal.com/404826.html