Work Text:
Three Left '1'
By Mera
Anya
The *again* ex-vengeance demon sighed as she tried to clean blood out of yet another blouse. She was attacked earlier that night and was saved yet again by Buffy. She bit back a sob as she threw the ruined shirt into the trash. Anya hated this. Hated feeling so helpless. And worse, this time around she had to go through it alone. She knew she still had friends in the Scoobies but it wasn't like before. They were Xander's friends and only hers by default when she and the brunet boy were together. But they weren't together anymore. She knew she was still welcomed by them, but it wasn't the same anymore.
"Hmm, now that's a shame."
She stopped in her track. Holding her breath she turned around.
"Halfrek!" Anya screeched when she saw the owner of the voice. "But... but D'Hoffryn... I saw...."
"Me dying?" Halfrek cocked her head and blinked. "Oh! You mean burning up and dying in agony because Daddy wanted to punish his 'precious' Anyanka and I was caught in the cross fire? Is that it Anyanka?" The demon tilted her head to the other side.
Anya blinked at the tears that had formed in her eyes causing her vision to become bleary. The sight of her long time friend burning up from the inside blinded her and the sound her screams still rang in her ears. And the smell. God the smell. She had been waking up during the quiet nights with cold sweat all over her body panting for fresh air, one that didn't have the smell of burning flesh in it.
"I didn't want that to happen!" Anya said pleading to her dead friend wanting to distract her mind from that even if it meant talking to the object of her guilt filled nightmares. She didn't stop to wonder how could *that* happen since they were in Sunnydale.
"Heh," Halfrek shrugged. "But it did, didn't it? That's all that matters. I'm dead because you succumbed to pitiful human emotions... I'm disappointed in you Anyanka."
Anya shook her head denying the accusation or trying to. "No," she choked. "I didn't want that to happen... not to you, honest! It was supposed to be me!!" She clutched her hands to her chest. Her body shook with the force of her screams, just as the exchange shook her to the core of her soul. She lowered her head and silently wept.
Anya's sobs stopped when she heard laughter. She looked up to see the vengeance- justice demon's body shaking from laughter. "Truly, Anyanka, these few years as a human had truly taken their toll on you."
Anya looked confused which caused the other woman to look at her with something akin to disgust. "You actually expected D'Hoffryn to let you go that easily? You should've known the price of betraying him." She glared at her looking at her up and down before scrunching her nose. "Should've known that staying friends with you would kill me... I mean what was I thinking?! I must've spent too much time around humans I was becoming as pathetic as you. No wonder you don't have any friends."
Anya felt the tears begin to run down her face but she was too lost in her misery to care. That or she was too busy holding her hands over her ears trying to silence the voice. Her head was shaking in denial. Her eyes widened, tears continued to stream down her cheeks as the woman's body right in front her began developing scabs of red and black and skin looked as if it was melting off. That didn't stop it from talking.
"They will leave you... you're not one of them." The figure approached her and she started inching back, her body shaking in fear, horrified, at both the sight and the words. "You're a killer, you'll never be one of them, he knew that, that's why he left you." She knew she was cornered as she felt her back hit the wall. "They won't protect you when the time comes. He will leave you to *rot*!"
The recently turned brunet felt her knees buckle as she fell boneless to the ground, her eyes unseeing.
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