Buffy had been fully prepared to take a look around the castle herself, but she was actually glad that a large group had volunteered to go along once they passed through the forest and came out inside the castle's courtyard. A part of her brain was still entirely too focused on Xander and the fact that she felt horrible about turning him down to come with them, but she didn't want him getting hurt. She'd allowed him to be part of Willow's rescue, and that had been dangerous enough. One look around told Buffy that this definitely wasn't anything like they'd dealt with before.
"Okay, is it just me, or...are those zombies?" she whispered to those around her as they stood at the edge of the forest, facing the looming castle.