Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. Johnny Cash wrote "Ghost Riders In The Sky"

(This is a prequel to a story I'm working on that doesn't have a title yet. Due to regulations I wasn't previously aware of, the lyrics that I put in are now removed.)

Xander sighed as he camped out on a lonely ridge. Thanks to a little research by Giles and Willow, they'd figured out how to create a spell in a twenty foot radius around a person that would simulate a home. It had received a one hundred percent success rate over the six months they tested it. It wasn't good in battle conditions, but great for sleeping outdoors occasionally. With the magical alarm system combined with it, he was guaranteed not to be caught by surprise.

Of course, Giles also said that the area he was in was devoid of vampires. Even the town had a zero vampire attack problem. Hence one of the reasons why he was here. Someone had to find out why. Who knew, they might be able to duplicate it elsewhere.

As he lay back on the air mattress, he heard something weird. It was coming from the strange storm clouds that had been in the sky for a few hours. He blinked.

"Hoofbeats?"

Then he sat up in alarm as he saw several giant animals with glowing red eyes. They looked like cattle, but nothing he'd ever seen before. They ran through the clouds and up one big one.

"Wha…" he said as a hot breeze blowed past him, smelling of brimstone.

Then he saw horses with dark riders chasing the herd from behind. And a distant cry was heard.

(Chorus of Ghost Riders In The Sky is heard)

Xander blinked as he took note of their gaunt faces and blurry eyes that one could not quite see. With shirts all soaked with what looked like sweat, they were riding hard after what he had seen. As they rode above and by in endless wave, he saw flames shooting out of the horses noses.

Then one rider spoke his name.

"Be thankful your place is guaranteed. Or else you'd be up here forever, chasing the Devil's herd in these endless skies."

As they rode by, and started to fade from sight, he recognized some faces that gave him food for thought that night.

For on a big black stallion, with flames wreathing it's head, was the Master Vampire who would have killed them all if Buffy had not been resuscitated. The other faces he could not see, but knew that he had faced them at one point.

As they faded away, he heard the mournful cry.

(Chorus of Ghost Riders In The Sky is heard)

Xander stared for a second, then shook his head. "I should've gone to the hotel instead."