Saving Grace

I Know What You Did Last Summer -- Voices

~*****~

I don't know when it started up again. The voices. Scratching at the back of my head constantly, a hum rattling in my head as I went about my life. But here recently, I could hear someone clearly, calling for help, somehow distant, yet right behind my ear.

My vision snaps back to the road as the wheel is turned sharply. "Lottie!" Dean snaps, his hand grasping the wheel tightly. I blink rapidly and readjust my grasp on the wheel. "What's the matter with you lately?"

I shake my head. "It's nothing." I say softly. I sigh when I notice a bar just down the road. "Here-- I-I'll just pull in here. Get some shut eye."

Dean gazes at me. "You sure you don't want a drink? Bobby's looking after Mary right now, we're still looking for a case. You could use it."

I shake my head. "No, I..." The voices kick up a notch. "No, I need the rest. But thank you. Go have fun." I say to him before turning into the parking lot. "Up and at'em Sam!" I call.

By the time they're in the bar, I'm reeling with the voices cracking in my skull. "Shit--" I grumble, my hands palming at my eyes. "Stop-- Stop talking--" I say desperately. The voices continue, ringing wildly, louder and louder, begging me to listen. "I said stop!" I shout and they cease for just a moment before coming back full blast. I reach into the glovebox and tug out the box of sleeping pills. I popped two and sprawled out in the backseat, my hands curling over my forehead.

The ringing started dying down with my consciousness. Soon enough, I was dozing off, into utter, and complete silence.

When I woke back up, the Impala was on the road, and Sam and Dean were speaking lowly. I was glad for the small talk, but my head started buzzing again. I fought back the groan of irritation before sitting up and leaning over the seat. "We got a case?"

"Yeah, possibly." Sam says.

"You'll never guess who Sam got a visit from, Lottie. Hell, she even gave us a lead." Dean said in an almost too friendly tone. Before I could ask who, Dean was already speaking. "Little Miss Ruby herself."

I grimace. "Are you serious? Is this even a real lead she's given?"

"The person checks out, Dean," Sam expresses.

"Doesn't mean the case is real." Dean snaps. "This hospital's a three-day drive."

"We've driven further for less, Dean." Sam responds. Dean shakes his head as I flop back into the backseat, my hand idle rubbing at my head. "You got something to say, say it."

"Oh, I'm saying it, this sucks." Dean retorts.

"You're not pissed we're going after the girl, you're pissed Ruby threw us the tip." Sam mentioned.

"Right, 'cause as far as you're concerned, the hell-bitch is practically family." Dean snorts. "Yeah, boy, something major must have happened while I was downstairs, 'cause I come back and then, and you're BFF with a demon?"

"I told you, Dean, she helped me go after Lilith." Sam says.

"Well, thanks for the thumbnail. Real vivid." Dean scoffed. "You wanna fill in a little detail?"

"Sure, Dean, let's trade stories. You first. How was Hell? Don't spare the details." Sam shot back.

I woulda been glad for the uncomfortable silence, had my head been completely silent. I heaved a soft sigh as I peered out the window.

~*****~

The voices only got stronger in the hospital. "Of course, I wanna help anyway I can." I snap my gaze back to the woman we'd been speaking with.

"The orderly has no recollection of Anna's escape?" Sam asks.

"Apparently, she knocked him unconscious. The blow caused some amnesia." She sighed. "He doesn't even remember coming into her room."

"That's a hell of a right hook to knock out a guy that's got eighty pounds on her." Dean comments.

"We think she may have planned this, waited behind the door." The doctor said.

"Right, you mentioned Anna's illness was recent." Sam mentioned as we follow after her.

"Two months ago, she was happy." The doctor explains. "Well adjusted, journalism major. Lots of friends, bright future."

"So, what happened? She just flipped?" Dean asks.

"Well, that's the tragedy of schizophrenia." The doctor stated. "Within weeks, Anna was overtaken by delusions."

"What kind of delusions?" I ask.

"She thought demons were everywhere," The doctor said as she handed me Anna's journal. I hum as I flip it open. The images make me pause. "It's not uncommon for our patients to believe that monsters are real."

"Well, that's just batty," Dean states as I continue to flip through. From the raising of the witness, to Samhain, the book was filled with all the seals that have been broken so far. "That's revelations."

"Since when does the Book of Revelations have jack-o-lanterns?" The doctor asked.

"It's a, uh, its a little known translation." Dean retorts.

"Ah, well, Anna's father was a church deacon. When she became ill, her paranoia took on religious overtones. She was convinced the devil was about to rise up and end the world." The doctor continued to explain. "I hope you find her. It's dangerous for her to be out there alone right now."

I snap the journal shut when I see a rough sketch of the symbols that have appeared over my body. "Mind if we keep this?" I question softly.

The doctor nods. "No, go ahead." She gazes at her watch. "I must apologize, I have somewhere to be." I give her a tight lipped smile and nod to the boys.

~*****~

The Milton house felt eerily familiar as we approached the steps. Dean knocked on the door as I gazed around. "Maybe they're not home?" Dean hummed.

"Both cars in the driveway." Sam answered.

My gut tightens for a moment and I try to door knob. I nod my head at the door and step inside. The smell immediately hits me. I groan and step into the living room. Both of Anna's parents are dead on the floor. "Demons were here..." I mention as I approach the bodies. "I can taste the sulfur on the back of my tongue. Whatever the deal is with this Anna girl--"

"They want her. They're not screwing around." Dean grunts. "All right, so I'm Girl Interrupted and I know the score of the apocalypse, just busted out of the nut box. Possibly using superpowers, by the way." Dean keeps going as I move around the house. "Where do I go?"

"The church..." I mention as I gaze at a picture of her on one of the end tables.

"Church?" Sam asks.

I nod. "Yeah, they were sketched out in her journal. Her father was a deacon, remember?" I tug out the journal from my jacket and flip open the book. The sketch matched the picture almost perfectly. "Come on, we need to move fast."

I don't say why. How do I explain I'm hearing voices, pleading for help? How do I explain that this girl is somehow connecting directly to my mind? If anyone, I deserved to be locked up in the nut box. I head out of the house, not bothering to check in Sam or Dean are following.