𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛[𝙳.𝚆]

087

"A vision?"

"Yes." Sam answers, rubbing his forehead. "I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling." He says slowly.

"Alright, and you think it's gonna happen to this woman you met because?" John presses.

"Because these things happen exactly the way I see them."

"You would know if you were there." I mumble under my breath so they don't hear it.

"It started out as nightmares, and then he started having them while he was awake." Dean explains, getting up and walking over to where I leaned against the counter so he can get another cup of coffee. Him and John haven't slept in hours so I don't blame him.

"Yeah. It's like—I don't know. It's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get."

"Alright, when were you gonna tell me about this?" John asks, sounding fed up. Dean puts the coffee pot down and looks at him.

"We didn't know what it meant."

"Alright, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone, and you call me." John says sternly. I stare at him incredulously for a moment before scoffing.

"Call you? Are you kidding me?" Dean asks, walking back over to him slowly. "Dad, I called you from Lawrence, alright? Sam called you when I was dying. I mean, getting you on the phone—I got a better chance of winning the lottery." I look down at my feet sadly at the memory of that day.

It was one of the worst days of my life, and I've had some pretty bad ones. Seeing Dean slowly slip away from my grasp in that hospital bed—it still hurts to think back to it. Subconsciously, I reach up and grab a hold of my necklace. I never took it off, even after I left Sam and Dean.

I guess the thing really worked.

"Your right. Although I'm not real crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry."

"You damn well better be. We had to fix Dean ourselves, no thanks to you." I speak up coldly, leaning off the sink. John looks down guiltily.

"Look, guys, visions of no visions, the fact is, we know the demon is coming tonight. And this family's gonna go through the same hell we went through." Sam tells us.

"No they're not. No one is...ever again." John says before Sam's phone starts ringing. Sam picks it up and stares at it curiously before answering it.

"Hello?" Dean comes back next to me and bumps me lightly with his shoulder. I look up at him confused to see him giving me a small thankful smile. I give a small smile back, brows furrowed in confusion as to what I did to deserve a smile from him. "Meg." Sam states quietly. Dean and I snap our gazes away from each other and look at Sam with wide eyes, straightening up our spines. "Last time I saw you, you fell out of a window." Sam says into the phone. I move towards the chair across from Sam and the table and sit down quickly.
"Just your feelings? That was a 7-story stop." Sam glances at me then looks to his dad after a moment. "My dad. I don't know where my dad is." Sam lies through his ass and it's clear Meg doesn't believe it for a second by the way his face falls in defeat.

John walks over and holds out his hand to which Sam gives it to him reluctantly. John holds it for a second, trying to delay the conversation as long as possible, before slowly bringing it up to his ear.

"This is John."

What's said on the other end is anything but good after that. Another one of the Winchester's hunter buddies, Caleb, dies by Meg's hands and she threatens to kill the others if John doesn't hand over the gun by tonight. How they found out about the gun is beyond me. I don't think those two vampires we let live just ran off to gossip with demons, but who knows what monsters think.

"So, you think Meg is a demon?" Sam asks after John gets off the phone with Meg.

"Either that or she's possessed by one. It doesn't really matter." John answers. That fact alone just increases my urge to stab her in the neck. Too bad it wouldn't do much good.

"What do we do?" Dean asks.

"I'm going to Lincoln."

"What?"

"Are you joking?!" I exasperate, standing abruptly.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die. Our friends die."

"Dad, the demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family. That gun is all we got. You can't just hand it over." Sam tells him.

"Who said anything about handing it over? Look, besides us and a couple vampires, no one's really seen the gun. No one knows what it looks like."

"So what, you're just gonna pick up a ringer at a pawn shop?" Dean asks.

"Antique store." John shrugs. I scoff at him.

"You're gonna give Meg a decoy and pray she falls for it? Come on, John, don't be an idiot."

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference." I look at him, stunned.

Is he seriously being serious?

"Yeah, but for how long? What happens when she figures it out?" Dean cuts in.

"I just—I just need to buy a few hours, that's all." John says quietly.

"You mean for Dean, Jennifer, and me." Sam states. John doesn't say anything to deny it. "You want us to stay here...and kill this demon by ourselves?" Sam asks, his voice hoarse.

"No, Sam. I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school. I want—I want Dean to have a home." John turns away from us, walking over towards the window. "I want Mary alive." He rasps, trying to keep his tears in. I had never thought John was capable of being sentimental let alone able to produce tears. Judging by Sam and Dean's expressions, they thought the same way. "I just..." I look back to John as he turns back around to us. "I just want this to be over." I give him a sympathetic look and nod slowly.

"Alright, John. This is a stupid plan, but alright."

Dean and I head over to a nearby pawn shop/antique store to grab the closest thing to colt we can find. While Dean's looking around, I drift to the other side of the store—the jewelry section—and something immediately catches my eye. Several small silver coin bracelets that have two hands linking their pinkies together is displayed on a t-stand that sits on the counter of the glass display.

"Is there anything you're interested in looking at today, ma'am?" An elderly man with fading white hair and a sweater vest asks me. I look behind me to locate where Dean is and catch him scanning the small selection of antique guns. We didn't have a lot of time, so we had to move quickly. I turn back around and smile.

"Uh, yes, I was hoping I can get a better look at those bracelets over there." I point over to the t-stand. He smiles widely.

"Ah, yes! The promise bracelets. They are handmade here at the store, very delicate. Looking to give something to a special someone?" He asks, going to grab the stand.

"Uh, more like someones. Plural." He nods and sets the stand in front of me. Leaning on the other side of the glass countertop, he starts pointing to them.

"I was told that you buy them in pairs. One for you, and one for that special someone. It is meant to signify your promise to wear it as a reminder of how lucky you are to have that person in your life. And before you put them on, you must make a wish. Supposedly, when the bracelet breaks into two, that means your wish has come true."

"Interesting." I hum, grazing my fingers over the charm. It was really just a black rope that connected on either side of the silver coin with the linked pinkies. They were simple, delicate as he said, and most definitely not suitable for a hunter.
"You got any necklaces that go with them?" He nods with raised bushy brows. "I'll take two of each."