425 - Hecatomb - Serious Ninja Moves? Not So Much - dragonyphoenix - BtVS

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Title: Serious Ninja Moves? Not So Much
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 425 - hecatomb
Rating: PG
Summary: How was Giles able to get that librarian gig in the middle of the semester?

“Can you buy how dead it was at the Bronze tonight? Hello, zombies have a better nightlife. Hold up a min. I think I smeared my lipstick.”

Harmony forced out a cheerful “okay” as Nicole flipped her compact open and stared critically into the tiny mirror. Without a mirror of her own to stare into, Harmony tried to ignore how the alley, narrow as it was, vanished into shadows at its edges, hiding the factories that loomed above them. They were too close to the Bronze or maybe not close enough. Just one block further and they'd have made it to Main Street where they'd be surrounded by bright lights. Just a few blocks back and they'd be outside the Bronze where the floodlights created a sense of, um, safety? Warmth? Harmony wasn't sure but it was something missing in this shadow-edged alley.

“Could you hurry up please?” died on Harmony's lips. She'd only just gotten the girls to stop ragging on her for that time she'd admitted that the alleys creeped her out. Still, she couldn't stand there and say nothing. Maybe if she started talking Nicole would finish up and start moving. “And what was up with that band? Adrian Belew and the Bears?”

Nicole purposefully brushed a finger along the top edge of her lips. “I think my grandfather has that album.”

“And you like it?”

The snap shutting Nicole's compact sounded loudly in the chill air. “Are you mental? Grandpa music.”

“Oh.” At least Nicole was moving again.

Clip – clip – clip.

Harmony jumped at the noise. “What was that?”

“You tripping over those barges on your feet?”

Harmony stared down at her shoes. They'd seemed cute in the store. That was the last time, absolutely the last time, she was going shopping with her mother.

Clip – clip – clip.

“Are … are you sure you didn't hear anything?”

“Hear what?”

“Uh, it sort of sounded like a baton tapping against the floor?”

“Oh, right, because that's likely. What is your sitch?”

Clip – clip – clip.

Nicole's head moved toward the sound. “I hear nothing. Are you back on that squicked by the alleys zone again?”

“No! No. I just thought … I just thought I heard something.”

“Well, let's not stop here all night.” Nicole started moving, walking faster than before. “I have to do something with these nails. They're an absolute fright.”

“They look, perhaps, as if you'd dug yourself out of a grave?” The voice came from ahead of them. When Nicole stopped short, Harmony bumped into her but Nicole didn't say anything.

“Nicole?” Harmony hated how her voice trembled but she couldn't stop it. “That wasn't you, was it?”

“Oh, right, because I suddenly took up smoking for the past fifty years.”

Clip – clip – clip. “One night out far too late, one tiny mistake, and the hecatomb of Sunnydale students is suddenly explained.”

“Heck of what?” Harmony asked.

“Tombs, I think he said tombs.” Nicole stepped closer to Harmony.

Clip. The sound was ahead of them. Clip. And then behind. Clip. And then off to the left on the far side of Nicole.

Harmony put her hand in Nicole's. “Maybe we should get moving. Only one more block to Main Street, right?”

Clip. Nicole's hand flew out of Harmony's grasp. The hand, fingers splayed wide, stretched back toward Harmony as Nicole vanished into the shadows. Harmony was left with an image of Nicole's eyes wide with fright and a gloved hand clamped over Nicole's mouth. “Oh God, that's totally gonna smear her lipstick.” Harmony slapped a hand over her own mouth and waited. The alley was silent, as silent as the grave she heard in her head. She opened her mouth to call out but couldn't speak. It was like she'd forgotten how to make a sound. She took a step toward the end of the alley. Nothing happened. She took another.

Clip.

Harmony stopped. Nicole stumbled out of the shadows. There was something at her neck, a smear of red, like lipstick, and two red marks. “A hickey?” Harmony heard herself shouting but she couldn’t help it. “You scared me senseless over a hickey? What, did you run into Jimmy back at the Bronze, because you could have said …”

Nicole held out her hand. It was red all over. How had she gotten that much lipstick …

Clip – clip – clip.

A man stepped out of the darkness, behind Nicole, and wrapped an arm around her. She slumped against him so heavily that he almost seemed to be holding her up. Harmony took in his suit jacket – an unfashionable gray, and was that tweed? – and his hair tinged with gray. “Nicole,” she said with growing horror. “Please tell me that … that isn't who gave you the hickeys. He's so, he's so old.”

As he raised his arms out to either side, Nicole fell to the ground. “Nic?”

Harmony felt herself being shoved backward and then slammed into the brick wall behind her. A hand, the man's hand, was at her throat. “Those who misinterpret history are doomed to repeat it.”

“I … I know you.” What was she saying? She wouldn't know anyone this old, but he did look familiar, something about … “Books?” Harmony screamed as his eyes turned yellow and his face got seriously ugly, full of gross bumps.

“Do you know me now?”

Oh God, his teeth were so sharp. A hand grabbed at the man's shoulder and Harmony fell forward, hitting the ground hard. The old, ugly man was on the ground but further into the alley. Another man, a bigger man, was standing over him. He turned to look over his shoulder, “Run.”

Hey, he was kind of cute. “But I've got this long walk, see, and Nicole, well, I don't think she can walk and I can't carry her by myself.”

His face got ugly too, all bumpy, and his eyes, yellow. “Run,” he shouted again.

Harmony didn't stop running until she was surrounded by houses, warm and safe houses, on both sides of the street. “Oh God, I am in so much trouble. Nic's mother is so going to blame me, and it's just not fair. If Nic wants to run off with some creepy old guy, how am I supposed to stop her? Oh, I know, I'll just say we didn't leave together. No, wait. Cordy saw us.” She moaned. “This so isn't fair. Nic's uncle teaches tae … uh, karate or something. I mean, I know she's never taken any classes but I'm sure she's picked up something, through like osmosis or something. How was I supposed to stop her when she's got serious ninja moves?”