Hell 2.0, or Spike Makes a Friend.

[rudolphofvamps]

[ he was carrying his sword and an axe today, plus some stakes for good measure. not that there were many vamps left out here. a serial killer had to be easy to spot, right?

spike climbed off cordy, but nothing for miles smelt human.. he was starting to get nervous, brian could hack up girls but could he really hold his own here? he took a deep, albeit unneeded breath and kept his senses keen, cordy watching his back ]

Comments

[acrotomophile]

Hey, Florida is a great state, [ he says mildly. ] Its solve rate for murders is 20%. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Isn't the murder rate itself somethin' like 200% out that way? Worse than LA.

[acrotomophile]

A balmy twenty for every hundred thousand people, if you want the real statistic. I know the national average is seven - can't speak for L.A.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

That doesn't sound nearly high enough. Take it you're talking measures to close the gap?

[acrotomophile]

Me on my lonesome can't do all that much, [he says modestly,] not statistics wise.

And I don't you're a vampire and all, down with the offhand killing to survive, but I thought you were good. This seriously doesn't bother you?

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Not down with.. offhand killing at all, mate. But I'm really not in any position to judge. Killed more people than you'll ever have opportunity to.

[acrotomophile]

Oh, really? Remind me not to get into a pissing contest here. Between you and the guy that took over the White House, everyone's showing me up.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[ snorts ] Bloody got that right, mate. Sure you'd do me one up if you had centuries to kill.

[acrotomophile]

Now why would I want that? Being a vampire sounds like a drag - no offense. I'd just miss the beaches something fierce.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Oh, no doubt about that, is a drag, mate. Can't say as I miss the beach, what with this delicate skin of mine.

[acrotomophile]

[he snorts] Delicate, sure. But there must be some perks, aside from the Dorian Gray thing.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

I heal fast, for one. Can only kill a vampire a few ways, but I got that super strength goin' for me too. Course, most vampires get the luxury of bein' guilt free. Once you put the soul back in, no such luck.

[acrotomophile]

Is that how it works? [he asks, more genuinely interested now.] That's interesting. So a soul acts like a conscience.

I wonder if there'd be any difference if I lost mine.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[ he tilts his head ]

Maybe not, huh?

[acrotomophile]

What defines a sociopath? [rolling his eyes] It's beyond me. Everyone has their own internal standards, their own bias. It's not something that affects me.

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Don't really see anything wrong with that, be honest. Makes things simpler, probably.

[acrotomophile]

[he can't help it - he starts laughing]

You're a singular kind of guy, Spike. I like you. So are we gonna kill some demons or what?

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. [ Spike flashes a smile, rounding the corner - they're hidden by a half demolished building. A gang of suspiciously human-looking creatures is gathered there. But some have extra limbs or strange-colored eyes. Antennae, or bumpy skin. Some, more disturbing still, are indistinguishable from an actual human. Only Spike knows the difference. ]

See them? Been trying to find these guys for weeks.

[acrotomophile]

What's been keeping you? Am I just a lucky charm or something?

[ Brian hauls his bag up and zips it open. ] Okay, wait, I need your opinion. Garrote or knife?

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Must be.

Knife, mate. ..Who still carries a garrote? I'm almost impressed.

[acrotomophile]

Only almost? I'll have to try harder.

You'd be amazed what's useful post-mortem. Or maybe you wouldn't, what do I know. [He pulls a barely-legal sheathed hunting knife out and sticks it through his belt, zipping the bag closed again and swinging it around to hang behind him. Ordinarily he wouldn't work with weapons at all, preferring to leave the body untouched, but this is a different world, and demons, and Spike had said to. Brian wanted to make a new friend and all.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

[ Spike steps out, making himself known without revealing Brian right away. Though he knows full well human is an unmistakable smell. Especially down here. ]

Well, well, what've we got here?

[ the demon lot seems to tighten up a bit, wide eyes going wider in surprise, maybe fear.

"...Spike..." is the only word that can be made out between them. ]

That's right, former king of Beverly Hills. All bloody hail.

[ one snickers, but Spike glares and the smirk drops from his fishface ]

Didn't think you'd mind, but I brought a friend. [ motions for Brian to come out of hiding, rushing at the previously snickering demon, not checking Brian's reaction. No hesitance, the sword goes in, bluegreen blood slicking his boots and the street below. Spike straightens up and turns to the others. Some are already trying to beat feet, but he doesn't really intend to let them get away. ]

[acrotomophile]

[The color of the blood is new, but Brian's filed that away, lets his honest reactions become needless background noise. He makes some quick deductions on how they'll expect him, a human, to react, based on what he sees and what Spike's told him, and as one demon turns to run past him he affects wide-eyed fear.

As he'd expected, it sees him as temptingly easy prey and veers sharply to grab him. Brian lets him get close, and then side-steps, not fast enough to entirely avoid him. His left hand comes up as he moves, driving the knife into the demon's gut and slicing up hard until it meets rib cage.] I might not know everyone's anatomy, [he says coolly, a hint of amusement on his face as it gasps in pain, shivering down onto its knees,] but a stomach wound is a stomach wound.

[It is a fight, so he can't stay preoccupied here, grandstanding or no. Brian uses one hand to brace the thing and hauls his knife out of him, turquoise blood of a strange consistency drenching his knife and hand and the pavement. The demon collapses to its knees in it, still in shock as its guts spill out.]

[rudolphofvamps.livejournal.com]

Nice work, mate! [ Spike calls across the carnage, getting distracted for almost one second too long, but he's grinning as he beheads the second one - like a knife through butter ]

Watch it, [ he manages to call out, the wounded fishman grabbing at Brian's leg ] This would be a lot easier if you all just dropped dead, huh? [ Spike grits his teeth, chopping up another demon before managing to slide closer to Brian in case he needs help ]

[acrotomophile]

[Brian's not doing perfectly, but he'd be damned if he needed help when he was trying to show what a cool cucumber he was. He'd been in just enough fights to know that if you couldn't out-power your opponent, you could out-vicious them, and intimidate them that way. That in mind, he used his free foot to kick the fishman sharply in the face, then reached down and plunged his knife deep into its eye, until the blade of it scraped against bone.

He certainly wasn't taking out as many as Spike was, but he liked to think he was making an impression. Leaving the knife there, he straightened up and said,] Anyone else?