Chapter 1

 

 

 

“Buffy, I need you and Spike to do a mission for the Council,” Giles announced.  “There is an issue in a town called Ferris Springs, Minnesota, that needs special consideration.”

 

 

 

Riley leapt to his feet.  “What?  No!  Buffy is not going anywhere with that …“  He gestured wildly at Spike.  “… thing.”

 

 

 

“Oi, watch your mouth, Cardboard!”

 

 

 

“The Council asked for our strongest ally to go with Buffy.  That is not you.”  Giles took off his glasses to polish.  “Quite clearly, that is going to be Spike.”

 

 

 

Only Spike heard the Watcher mutter ‘Not you’ under his breath.  It appeared his fellow Brit wasn’t too happy with the soldier boy.

 

 

 

“Riley, please sit down and shut up,” Buffy huffed.  “This must be very serious.  The Council has never asked me to go check out another location ever before.  The Hellmouth will be unprotected.”

 

 

 

Spike frowned.  “I’m fairly sure there isn’t any Hellmouths in Minnesota.  Cleveland is the only other one on this continent.”

 

 

 

“That is true, and Cleveland is not as active as ours,” Giles replied.  “People have been disappearing in the Ferris Springs vicinity.  The Council sent a wet works team in to investigate two weeks ago.  They have since lost all communication with them.”

 

 

 

“Okay, so are we driving or flying?” Buffy asked.

 

 

 

“You will be taking a private plane, piloted by a Watcher employee, directly from our airport to the Ferris Springs airport.  I do believe there will be a refueling at Denver.  You will be allowed to stay on the plane until such a time that Spike can safely leave.  There is a Watcher waiting for you with all of the available information gathered by the missing team.” 

 

 

 

Spike shrugged in a nonchalant manner.  “I don’t work for free.”

 

 

 

Giles took two envelopes out of his pocket.  He handed one to Spike and one to Buffy.  “I told them that.”

 

 

 

Buffy peeked inside her envelope.  Her eyes widened in shock.  “Is this number correct?”

 

 

 

Spike hurried to check his envelope.  He was just as surprised as Buffy.  He never expected that much money from the Council of Wankers.  He was a vampire, not their prized Slayer.

 

 

 

“It is,” Giles replied with a nod.  “I procured $100,000 for you, Buffy, and another $20,000 for Spike.  It wasn’t easy.  I had to call in several markers to get it.”

 

 

 

“Oh, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.”  Buffy leapt to her feet, and she threw her arms around Giles.  “Mom needs some more tests that the insurance won’t pay for and we didn’t know how we were going to pay for them.”

 

 

 

Riley started to splutter.  “I am going with you.  There is no way you are going anywhere with him alone.”

 

 

 

“Nothing is going to happen.  Spike is a consummate professional,” Buffy replied.

 

 

 

Spike snorted under his breath.  Buffy was laying it on thick today.  Maybe she wasn’t as happy with Captain Cardboard as everyone thought she was.

 

 

 

“Why do you need him when you have me?  I can go with you and protect you.”  Riley’s tone of voice bordered on whining.

 

 

 

“Bloody Hell!”  The exclamation fell from Giles’ lips in a loud shout.  “You’re a grown man.  Quit whining like a five year old.”

 

 

 

“Well, I’m going with them, and you can’t stop me!”

 

 

 

Spike shoved his envelope into his pocket and vowed to himself to put it somewhere safe before they left for Minnesota. “Well, don’t expect me to share my earnin’s with you.”

 

 

 

“Too right,” Buffy said.  “I agree with Spike on this subject.”  She smiled at Spike while she patted his arm.

 

 

 

Riley pointed his finger at Buffy, and screamed, “You said you would like to date him!”

 

 

 

Spike and Giles both stared at Buffy in astonishment, but she just shrugged.  “Once you go vamp …”

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

By the time they arrived at Ferris Springs, Buffy was completely disgusted with Riley’s alternating whiny and self-righteous attitude and was ignoring him.  Spike found the whole situation hilarious, but he, very wisely for a change, kept his mouth closed.  Riley had threatened him with a plastic stake.

 

 

 

Spike kept the whole plastic stake thing to himself.  For now.  It looked like Riley was giving himself enough rope to hang himself without any help from Spike.  In the meantime he’d just sit back and watch the floor show.

 

 

 

When they disembarked from the plane, the waiting Watcher had an audio file waiting for Buffy about the disappearances they were investigating.  As they waited for sunset, they listened to the tape.

 

 

 

“This is John Flesher.  My team and I were tasked to investigate Ferris Springs, Minnesota.  I am the only one left.  Herman Raimen disappeared the first night we were here.  He went out to smoke a cigarette and never came back.

 

 

 

Myles O’Brien and I questioned the owners of the Newkirk Family motel we are staying in; Kevin Newkirk and his wife Kitty.  They said they never saw Herman leave the hotel.  I cannot tell if they were lying or not.  We found no trace of Herman, not even a cigarette butt outside.  As we are the only guest currently residing in the motel, there was no one else to question.

 

 

 

For the next two days we searched for Herman while we investigated the tourist disappearances.  Everyone was fully cooperative; they just didn’t seem to know anything.  Then, we finally got a lead.  There was a supposed ritual to happen at a nearby local farm.  It was touted at the annual Ferris Springs Fall Bonfire.

 

 

 

Myles and I headed out to the farm.  The night was incredibly foggy.  I haven’t seen fog like this since my boyhood on the moors.  After we parked our rental car, we approached the farm on foot.  Myles was sure he could hear someone calling his name, and he thought it sounded like Hillary Langston, a young woman we met the day before.  He went to check it out.

 

 

 

I went to stand by the fire.  I’m not sure what they were burning, but I’m certain it was a hallucinogenic.  I started to see things in the fog and the smoke; strange creatures that looked women, but had long claws dripping with blood.  Their mouths were also crimson with blood.   They wore animal skulls on their head.  To my knowledge there are no pagan holidays that occur at this time.

 

 

 

I decided to search for Myles, but I was disorientated.  The last thing I remember was meeting up with Phoebe Latterly.  I woke up alone in my motel room.  Myles never came back.”

 

 

 

There was a knocking sound in the background of the tape.

 

 

 

Flesher called out to whoever was at the door.  “Just a minute.”  His footsteps crossed the room and the sound of the door unlocking could be heard.  “What the hell?  No … No … Argh.”  Flesher’s last screams echoed through the private office, followed by the motel door slamming closed.  The tape continued on for a few more seconds before it switched off.

 

 

 

Buffy sat back in her seat, and she turned to Spike.  “So, that give you any ideas?”

 

 

 

“Women with bloody claws, and bloody mouths, and animal skulls? Could be anything.  People are downright loony tunes,” Spike scoffed.   “You should get Rupes right on the research, pet.”

 

 

 

Buffy pointed at Spike.  “You’re right.”  She went to call Giles.

 

 

 

While Buffy was busy on the phone, Spike rewound the tape to write down the names of the people that were mentioned by Flesher.

 

 

 

“What are you doing?” Riley demanded to know.  “Did you recognize the description of one of your friends?”

 

 

 

“Yeah, sure.  I hang out in the fog with creepy bints that wear animal bones.  Every Tuesday.  Just another day in good old Sunnyhell,” Spike scoffed.  When Buffy turned back to them, he rolled his eyes at her.  “Mental, that one.”

 

 

 

Riley slowly rose to his feet.

 

 

 

“Sit down, and shut up, Riley.  The only demon Spike cavorts with in the fog is Clem, and they’re usually searching for kittens, not people.”  Buffy glared at Riley for a moment.  “We have reservations at the same motel that Flesher stayed at …”

 

 

 

Spike looked down at the paper he was holding.  “The Newkirk Family Motel according to Flesher.  It’s owned by Kevin and Kitty Newkirk.”

 

 

 

“That’s the place.  Let me go check to see if it dark enough for you, then, we’ll get the show on the road.”  Buffy exited the plane to go check the sunlight.

 

 

 

Riley glared at Spike.  “I am going to solve this mystery with Buffy.  You better stay out of my way.”

 

 

 

Spike wanted to scoff, but instead he just spoke in a mild manner.  “Whatever, mate.” 

 

 

 

Spike wasn’t scared of the plastic stake.  After all, he’d learned to enjoy torture under Drusilla’s cruel hand.  It was a real stake that kept him from being too mouthy.  There was still too much to do and enjoy in the world; like figuring out a way to make the Slayer love him.

 

 

 

Buffy came back to the plane to indicate that it was dark outside and time to go.   There was a rental SUV waiting for them outside the hangar.  They watched the plane take off to go fuel the vehicle in a town two counties over.

 

 

 

Buffy threw the car keys to Spike.  “Go ahead and drive.  I’ve got shotgun.  Riley, sit in the back.”

 

 

 

Riley looked like he was about to protest, but Buffy threw up a hand.

 

 

 

“I’m in charge here, not you.  I’m the Council’s choice to do this.  Spike is the Council’s choice to do this.  You just came along because you can’t handle not knowing every little thing I do.”  Buffy got into the passenger side of the SUV.

 

 

 

Spike shrugged.  “Whatever, mate.  You heard the Slayer.” 

 

 

 

“Whatever, mate, Riley scoffed.  He wrenched the back door of the SUV open and slammed himself inside.  He crossed his arms and stared out the side window with a mulish look on his face.       

 

 

 

Spike got in the driver’s seat.  The drive to the motel was silent and tense.  Buffy stared out into the growing darkness while Riley fumed in the back seat.

 

 

 

“There are plenty of people out and about,” Buffy stated.  “Whatever is going on isn’t making the locals scared.”

 

 

 

“People are always out and about in Sunnyhell.  Even after an announcement of a gas leak or gang on PCP is given.”  Spike glanced out his own window.  “Could be part of that whole denial thing going on here.”

 

 

 

“Or they’re all in on it,” Buffy said.

 

 

 

“It’s probably just one or two people in on whatever the hell is going on.  You two are just way too paranoid.”  Riley rolled his eyes.    

 

 

 

Silence fell in the SUV again.  Both Spike and Buffy thought to themselves that maybe they weren’t being paranoid enough.

 

 

 

After Buffy checked the three of them into the motel, she went to check out their rooms as the Council had specifically requested the rooms that the other team had stayed in, while Spike talked to Kevin and Kitty.  Riley went outside to the phone booth.  He’d told Spike and Buffy that he wanted to check in with his parents, but he was really calling Colonel McNamara and Forrest Gates.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

THE HORROR ENDING

 

 

 

Riley stepped out of the phone booth.  A dense fog had settled down onto the town, and he could barely see anything.  There were a few shadowy figures brushing past him on the sidewalk.

 

 

 

“Riley.  Riley Finn.”

 

 

 

It sounded just like Buffy.  His name was called again, and it sounded like it came from his left.  Riley drifted in that direction until his name was called from a different direction.  He just ambled along, following the sound of the voice, not noticing that he was nowhere near the motel anymore.

 

 

 

A shadowy figure swooped in on the disorientated young man, but before he could scream or defend himself, his head was removed from his body by sharp teeth.  Then, his heart was dug out of his chest cavity with long pointed nails.  Another shadowy figure joined the first one.

 

 

 

Slurping noises quietly echoed through the fog.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

Spike wrinkled his nose.  Kevin and Kitty Newkirk smelled of old blood.

 

 

 

It was rotten and nasty to his keen senses.

 

 

 

Spike was sure he knew what was going on in Ferris Springs, Minnesota.  He’d only run into creatures like this once in his life as a vampire, but he remembered with clarity how they smelled.

 

 

 

Wendigos.

 

 

 

Ferris Springs was a whole town full of wendigos. 

 

 

 

Spike knew he needed to warn Buffy about what he’d discovered.   He turned to go towards the stairs, but a heavy object to the back of his head stalled his plans.

 

 

 

“What the hell, Kevin?” Kitty blurted out.

 

 

 

“He knows what we are, sweetie,” Kevin replied.  “Don’t you know a vampire when you smell one?”  He pulled out a syringe and jabbed it in Spike’s neck.

 

 

 

A man stomped into the motel. 

 

 

 

“Malcolm Ferris, quit abusing my doors,” Kitty protested.  What do you want?”

 

 

 

“I need to talk to you about Hillary and Phoebe,” Malcolm growled.  “They are going to jeopardize everything we’ve built here if they don’t control themselves.”

 

 

 

“This vampire checked in with a couple of humans.”  Kevin gestured towards Spike.  “He’ll be easy enough to get rid of.  Nobody will notice a little more dust.”

 

 

 

“That must be the man that Hillary and Phoebe just got finished eating.  We’ll have to dispose of the female too.  Get it done, you two.  Use the gas on her, and we’ll eat the evidence.”  Malcolm stomped back out the way he came.

 

 

 

Spike realized with an impending sense of doom that he was going to die right there on the motel floor without ever getting to tell Buffy that he loved her. 

 

 

 

“I’ll stake this one.  You get the girl gassed and ready for eating.  After this, we need to lay low for a few years,” Kevin told Kitty.  He gave his wife an evil smirk.  “It shouldn’t take much to talk Malcolm into having one last feast with Hill and Phoebe as the main course.”

 

 

 

“Okay, that’s what we’ll do.”  Kitty went to do what her husband asked of her.

 

 

 

Kevin looked down at Spike.  “Sorry about this, buddy.  I’m sure in different circumstances we could have been the best of friends.”

 

 

 

Spike could do nothing to stop his impending doom.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

Buffy looked around the motel room.  All of the Watcher’s wet works team’s things were scattered around the room.  Unfortunately it told her nothing new.

 

 

 

Hopefully, Spike would have better luck. 

 

 

 

Buffy went to the window.  She noticed that Riley had left the phone booth, but instead of coming inside the motel, he had wandered off down the street.  Otherwise he’d already be harassing her about Spike’s involvement in the case.

 

 

 

He was nowhere in sight.

 

 

 

What the heck?

 

 

 

Idiot.

 

 

 

A near silent hiss interrupted Buffy’s thought process.  Before she could figure out what was going on, a swift acting gas filled the room.  She fell to the floor unconscious.  Her last thought was on Spike and how she hoped he escaped to tell Giles what happened.

 

 

 

The wendigos of Ferris Springs dined fine that night. 

 

 

 

The next morning they were in for a big surprise.  The town was quarantined by the United States military and a covert British group.  They were all rounded up and sent off to a facility that specialized in supernatural beings.

 

 

 

Ferris Springs, Minnesota, became a ghost town legend among other supernatural communities.

 

 

 

Don’t bring attention to yourselves.

 

 

 

There’s always someone who will notice and make you disappear.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

THE HAPPY ENDING, FOR SPIKE AND BUFFY ANYWAY

 

 

 

Riley stepped out of the phone booth.  A dense fog had settled down onto the town, and he could barely see anything.  There were a few shadowy figures brushing past him on the sidewalk.

 

 

 

“Riley.  Riley Finn.”

 

 

 

It sounded just like Buffy.  His name was called again, and it sounded like it came from his left.  Riley drifted in that direction until his name was called from a different direction.  He just ambled along, following the sound of the voice, not noticing that he was nowhere near the motel anymore.

 

 

 

A shadowy figure swooped in on the disorientated young man, but before he could scream or defend himself, his head was removed from his body by sharp teeth.  Then, his heart was dug out of his chest cavity with long pointed nails.  Another shadowy figure joined the first one.

 

 

 

Slurping noises quietly echoed through the fog.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

Spike wrinkled his nose.  Kevin and Kitty Newkirk smelled of old blood.

 

 

 

It was rotten and nasty to his keen senses.

 

 

 

Spike was sure he knew what was going on in Ferris Springs, Minnesota.  He’d only run into creatures like this once in his life as a vampire, but he remembered with clarity how they smelled.

 

 

 

Wendigos.

 

 

 

Ferris Springs was a whole town full of wendigos. 

 

 

 

Spike knew he needed to warn Buffy about what he’d discovered.   When he was on the stairs, a man slammed in the front door.  Spike decided to eavesdrop.  Maybe he’d learn something more about the wendigos.

 

 

 

“Malcolm Ferris, quit abusing my doors,” Kitty protested.  What do you want?”

 

 

 

“I need to talk to you about Hillary and Phoebe,” Malcolm growled to Kevin and Kitty.  “They are going to jeopardize everything we’ve built here if they don’t control themselves.”

 

 

 

“What do you mean?” Kitty asked.

 

 

 

Malcolm grunted.  “They just ate another flippin’ tourist.  This has got to stop.”

 

 

 

“We’ll have to lay low for a few years,” Kevin replied.  “We have to get rid of Hillary and Phoebe.  One last feast.”

 

 

 

“Yeah, but didn’t this last tourist check in with a couple of friends?” Kitty asked.  “We’ll have to do something about them.”

 

 

 

“We’ll convince them that their friend left town,” Kevin replied.  “We don’t need any more disappearances.”

 

 

 

Spike quietly slipped up the stairs to inform Buffy of what he’d found out.

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

 

 

 

Buffy looked around the motel room.  All of the Watcher’s wet works team’s things were scattered around the room.  Unfortunately it told her nothing new.

 

 

 

Hopefully, Spike would have better luck. 

 

 

 

Buffy went to the window.  She noticed that Riley had left the phone booth, but instead of coming inside the motel, he had wandered off down the street.  Otherwise he’d already be harassing her about Spike’s involvement in the case.

 

 

 

He was nowhere in sight.

 

 

 

What the heck?

 

 

 

Idiot.

 

 

 

Spike slipped into the room.  “I know what’s goin’ on around here, Slayer,” he said as soon as the door was closed behind him.  “It’s wendigos, and I think they ate Captain Cardboard.  I was eavesdroppin’ downstairs.”

 

 

 

“Riley wandered off, didn’t he?”  Buffy shook her head.  “Idiot.  What else did you hear?”

 

 

 

Spike relayed the conversation he’d overheard.  “They say they will lay low for a few years.”

 

 

 

“Not good enough,” Buffy replied.  “I can’t let them do that.  They have to be eliminated.”

 

 

 

“They might not all be wendigos,” Spike replied.  “Not that I care, but I can’t hurt anyone human.”

 

 

 

“Can you tell which ones are the wendigos?” Buffy asked.

 

 

 

“Sure.”

 

 

 

“Do you think you can kill them?”  Buffy went over to the duffel bags that the Watchers had provided them, and she started to pull out weapons that she’d need.

 

 

 

“One way to find out,” Spike replied.  He slipped back out of the room.

 

 

 

Buffy took a sobering breath.  More than just the wendigos needed to be eliminated.  The whole town was sure to attract more attention.  It needed to go. 

 

 

 

How did one get rid of a whole town?

 

 

 

“Town bad, fire pretty,” Buffy muttered to herself.  She glanced around the room. 

 

 

 

By coincidence, there were oil lamps scattered around the room for those winter nights when the power wasn’t the most reliable.  Buffy emptied the fuel onto the bed.

 

 

 

Spike opened the door of the room.  “Yep, they ain’t human enough to register in my noggin.”  He tapped his forehead.

 

 

 

“Light this.”  Buffy indicated the bed.  “Time to light up the sky.”

 

 

 

By morning, Ferris Springs was charred rubble, and the wendigos were no more.  Spike and Buffy were on their way back to Sunnydale with a Watcher approved alibi.  Colonel McNamara wasn’t happy to hear about Riley’s demise, but the problem had already been taken care of by Buffy.  His ‘ashes’ were returned to his parents.

 

 

 

Ferris Springs, Minnesota, became a charred ghost town legend among other supernatural communities.

 

 

 

Don’t bring attention to yourselves.

 

 

 

The Slayer might notice and make you disappear.