•••

Doyle stopped briefly to let Xander and Spike catch up to him. The ghostly man saw the vampire's distress, so he took up position on his right side, leaving Xander to flank the blonde's left. They continued down the path, picking their way though what quickly became a dark, twisted forest with no clear route.

A high, cracking screech made all three men jump. Xander took Spike into his arms, even as Doyle's ever-watchful eyes scanned the skies.

"Harpies," He said, grimacing. Xander followed Doyle's gaze, taking in the fearsome sight.

"Will they attack us?" Xander inquired, seeing sharp and bloody claws.

Doyle shook his head. "No. They're here to punish everyone in the second ring--where we are now. It lasts until we hit sand." The half-demon reached over, drawing Spike out. "It's ok, Spike. They won't do anything to you."

Spike glanced up at the sky. Fearsome creatures circled overhead, oily black wings fluttering in an unseen breeze. Gory, gruesome human faces contrasted with avian bodies, creating a truly heart-rending picture. "They're building a nest," He commented, pointing at a huge pile of tree branches some distance off.

"Helps with their work," Doyle replied cryptically. Ever more of the keening wails floated through the woods, so he urged them on.

It didn't take long for Xander's curiosity to get the better of him. He kept hearing these cries--ones that weren't the harpies--but he couldn't see anyone. The woods were thick and imposing, but abandoned.

Doyle caught Xander's gaze just before the boy spoke. "You want to know who's screaming?" He asked. "Break off a leaf or two from one of these trees."

Spike frowned in confusion as Xander reached out. As soon as the slick black leaf was in his palm, blood began to well out of the wounded branch.

"Damn it, that hurt!"

Both Spike and Xander jumped back. Thick, rich blood dripped down onto the ground as the tree continued to bleed. "What the hell did you do that for? Are you some kind of sadist, getting off on torture? I'm a person, you know, and I thought that a human like you would be a little more fucking sympathetic!"

Xander's eyes darted from the leaf in his hand to the tree. He backed up to bump against Spike, who held him firmly.

"Calm down," Doyle told the tree. "He didn't know who you were, that's all. Now that you're bleeding, though..." He shifted back, because the blood was getting pretty messy. "Why don't you tell them who you are? They might be able to find someone who knew you up above."

Spike reached for Doyle, dragging him close. "That tree is *bleeding*," He hissed frantically.

"I'm the guy who watched over my best bud Freddy, made sure he didn't fall in love or leave me alone. He didn't trust nobody but me, ya know? But then this bitch, she got in good with him when I wasn't looking and then everyone hated me 'coz she told them I was funny that way. She told him I was trying to steal his dough, but I wasn't! I loved Freddy; I'd never hurt him!"

Doyle saw that Xander and Spike had gotten caught up in the story, so when the tree fell silent, he urged them on. "Look, now's your chance. Talk to him while he's still bleeding; one he's stopped its all over."

Xander nodded and swallowed. "Does Freddy know how much you love him? And how did you end up here?"

"I wrote him a letter, so I hope he does," The tree answered. "As to how I got here, well... This is where Minos sends those of us who took matters into our own hands, if you get my drift. He finds a suicide, he tosses it over here. Wherever we land, we put down roots. If it weren't for the harpies, we'd look like regular trees, but they do a fucking godawful pruning job. Bonzai from hell, eh?"

Spike was about to ask the tree one more question when a loud roar echoed through the woods. A pack of dogs raced through the woods, tearing and dragging corpses with them. As they passed, each dog reached out and bit branches off various trees, causing a cacophony of pitiful wails--the sounds Xander had heard earlier.

Doyle led Xander and Spike to an enclave of trees, somewhat away from the massacre. The three men watched as the dogs tore their victims to shreds, rending them limb from limb. Once the dogs were gone, Doyle drew them over to what was left of the bodies.

"Ford!" Xander gasped, staring down at the still-recognizable face. "He's..."

"Spike?" Doyle murmured, concerned by the horrified expression on the vampire's face. "What is it?"

Spike pointed a shaking finger at the other victim. Xander and Doyle turned to it, studying the face briefly before recognition hit.

"But Angel's not dead!" Xander exclaimed. His eyes refused to change what they saw, however. He let Spike hug him tightly, knowing that the sight of the blonde's Sire had to be intensely disturbing.

"It's not Angel," Doyle said, coming around to hold the two men. "It's Liam."

"Liam?" Xander asked. "Who's that?"

"Angel, before he was turned," Spike whispered.

"But I thought he got his soul back," Xander questioned, extremely confused.

"He did," Doyle replied. "But Liam the person was a squanderer, and he died. This is where he stays." He took one last look at the young man below him before urging his charges along towards the burning sands.