the deep moans round with many voices

A while ago I posted the first piece of a behind-the-scenes fic for season 4 of BtVS, mostly about a new vampire learning the ropes of unlife while the Sunnydale underground is in chaos. Two major players -- the Order of Aurelius and the Mayor -- are gone, and the Initiative has moved into town. So what's it like to live in the Sunnydale night during that year?

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Chapter Two
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The gang, or family, lived in a series of tunnels and basements under the storage lockers out on the edge of town. It was a nice set-up -- running water tapped from the nearby pipes, and electricity run down from the main offices. Fang had a deal with the company; they kept other humans off our backs and didn't ask questions, and we kept other supernatural trouble away. Which, y'know, kept insurance premiums down. Good times all around.

Todd walked me in that first night when the place was mostly empty, everyone out hunting. The only ones left were Jaycee, a tall black woman who waved us through as we came down the tunnels, and Oliver Flaherty, an older guy who was keeping an eye on the snacks. Oliver didn't hunt much in the time I knew him, 'cause it's kind of hard for a vamp who looks like a senior citizen to fit in at the best hunting grounds. But he was plenty good in a fight.

Todd helped me set up a bed down one of the dead-end sleeping tunnels, and then we hung out with Oliver until the rest of the gang got back. At first I was a little freaked to see humans chained up in a basement, covered with bite marks, but Oliver showed me the ropes.

"Vampires are predators," he said, "and as such we must coexist with our prey. However, humans, unlike other animals, have the potential to destroy us if they suspect our existence, so we're forced to maintain a low profile. If too many people vanish in a short time, those remaining become suspicious and frightened, which leaves us in danger of discovery or of starvation if they refuse to venture out at night.

"Therefore, it's most effective to keep a few as an emergency food source, particularly since we don't need to worry about paying for their food." He smiled at that.

I liked Oliver. He was a little pedantic, yeah, but I grew up around college professors so I'm used to that. He told me once he taught anthropology before he was turned, which, y'know, did not surprise me at all.

He and Todd showed me a few ways to intimidate the snacks without causing too much damage, where the toilet was, and where we kept the human food -- most of the refrigerator was filled with beer and some bagged blood, but the bottom shelf was for food and the freezer was stuffed with microwave dinners.

We settled down to play cards, and they were in the middle of teaching me five card draw when the rest of the gang trickled back into the lair.

First were a man and woman, looking about twenty-five to thirty. He was kind of beefy, wearing ripped jeans, a wife-beater, and a leather jacket -- he also had an eyebrow piercing and a tongue piercing, which, y'know, is trying just a little too hard to be cool. The woman was more straightforward -- short dark hair, black jeans, boots, and totally giving off don't-mess-with-me vibes. I liked her right off.

Behind them were a teenage Asian guy who was pretty cute and giving me a once-over, a grungy college guy who was hanging back talking with Jaycee, and a thirty-something woman who looked bored with the whole thing.

"Welcome back, Master," Todd said, stepping forward and addressing the almost-cool guy. So that was Fang. Yeah, he looked like a guy who'd call himself Fang. "Welcome, Mistress Julianna." The dark-haired woman nodded perfunctorily and smiled at me.

"So this is our new fledgling, hmm?" she said. "Introduce us, Todd."

Todd waved his hand at me. "Mistress Julianna, this is Anna, our newest fledgling. She killed with no difficulty, and her demon and bloodlust are well anchored."

He turned to me and pointed out the other gang members. "Fang is the Master of our clan, and Julianna is our Mistress, as well as your sire. These are your new family: Murchison," -- the bored woman, who nodded once -- "Scuzz," -- the grungy guy, who gave a tiny wave -- "and Danny Woo," -- the cute guy, who grinned at me.

"And that's enough formality for tonight," Julianna said, clapping her hands. "Kick back, people. Hunting's done."

"If you need a snack, feel free," Fang added. "We've set up a meeting with Tyler's clan tomorrow night, and I need you all at full strength. You'll come too," he added, looking directly at me for the first time. "You're no use yet, but an extra body is good for intimidation. Remember that."

So we broke up, and I went back to the poker game with Todd and Oliver. Jaycee joined us, having passed off the watch to Scuzz, and she dragged a reluctant Murchison over to the table.

Murchison, of course, cleaned us all out.

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There's another vignette associated with this story, The Vampire and Her Family, written for a 15minuteficlets word.