Backfire - Spander Files

Then his cheek exploded again when a fist came at him from his right side.
Xander’s head flew hard to the left and he met Spike’s gold eyes before he turned
back to face his abuser.
Angel stood by the bed, his right hand balled into a fist and a look of utter calm on
his face.
“What the fu-” Xander was cut off when the fist connected with his eye. The rest of
his body finally shook off the sleep and he scrambled to a sitting position. “Now,
wait! Just hold on a second.” He held his hands out in front of him, trying to stop
time so he could figure it out. “What’s happening here? What happened? Angel?”
“You awake?” Angel responded.
“What’s with the hitting?”
“Just wanted to make sure you were awake for this.”
“For what?! What’s up with you? Why is Spike chained up?”
Angel’s fist flew forward again. Xander tried to dodge it, but he wasn’t fast enough.
But instead of landing on his face, the fist opened up and a hand closed around
Xander’s throat. Pressure was on Xander’s windpipe immediately. He tried to gasp
but no air got through. Xander’s hands flew up to latch around Angel’s wrist,
pulling with all his might to get the hand away and being very unsuccessful.
Angel was looking at Spike. The elder vampire began talking in even cold tones.
Xander didn’t recognize the beast choking him. The long buried fear began to
bubble up like searing lava.
“I was impressed at first,” Angel was telling a still thrashing Spike. “Involving the
poor tortured soul in your little melodrama. But I gotta tell ya, it got boring real
quick. I kept waiting for you to end it. Yet the boy kept breathing. Day after day
after day.” The cockiness in Angel’s voice as he punctuated each word was grating.
Like the vampire was bored with the world. “Sure he was a good fuck, but I’ve got
better things to do.”