Dawson's Daughter | {BOOK 1}

61|Djinn Hunting

I rummaged through the drawers in the kitchen, trying to find some real silver to use against the Djinn from the warehouse. I realized that the only way to escape this version of reality and get back to my own world was to hunt it down and kill it. While I was digging around, a figure tried to attack me from behind. I easily deflected, throwing the figure to the floor. It was Dean.

"That was so easy, I'm embarrassed for you," I scoffed.

"Ellie? What are you doing?"

"Making myself a midnight snack. Why don't you head back up to bed. I'll join you in a minute."

I turned back to grab the silver from the drawer.

"Eleanor Willow Winchester, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell has gotten into you," Dean said angrily.

"Dean, I'm sorry. I love you, and this life we have together, it's a dream come true. But I can't just pretend like everything is okay anymore. I gotta do this. People's lives depend on it."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ellie?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Hey, tell my dad I love him, okay?"

I made for the door, heading outside. I climbed into the Impala, starting the engine, and then just sat there, thinking for a moment. While I was sitting there, the passenger side door opened and Dean slid into the seat.

"Get out of the car," I demanded.

"I'm going with you," he insisted.

"You're just going to slow me down."

"Tough."

"This is dangerous and you could get hurt," I tried to reason with him.

"Yeah, and so could you, Ellie."

"Dean-"

"Look, whatever stupid thing you're about to do, you're not doing it alone. And that's that."

"I don't understand," I furrowed my eyebrows. "Why are you doing this?"

"Well, for one because it's my car you're taking right now, but also because I promised your father I'd look after you no matter what."

"Idiot," I mumbled. "Alrighty, then."

I threw the Impala in reverse, backing out of the driveway and heading out of Lawrence to the warehouse where the Real Dean and I had faced the Djinn in the first place.

"What's in the bag?" Dean asked, gesturing to the bag on the seat in between us.

"Nothing," I dismissed him.

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, nothing."

"Oh really?"

He grabbed the bag off the seat, opening it up.

"You really don't want to do that," I warned him.

He ignored me, pulling out a container of blood.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"Blood," I replied bluntly.

"Yeah, I can see it's blood, Ellie! What the hell is it doing in here?"

"You don't really wanna know."

"No, I- I really do wanna know. I really, really, do."

"Yeah, well, you're going to find out sooner or later," I sighed. "I needed a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood."

"You needed a sliver knife dipped in lamb's blood, why?"

"Because there's this creature. A djinn. And I have to hunt it."

"Okay, um... stop the car," Dean told me.

"I know how it sounds," I looked over at him and then back at the road.

"Great. Just... stop the car."

"It's the truth, Dean. Alright, there are things out there in the dark. There- there- there are bad things. There are nightmare things. And people have to be saved, and if we don't save them, nobody will."

"Look, I wanna help you, alright? I- I really do, but you're having some sort of psychotic breakdown, so, I... just..."

"I wish," I mumbled.

Dean picked up his phone and started dialing a number. I rolled down my window, grabbed his phone out out his hand, and threw it out before rolling the window back up.

"What the hell was that, Eleanor? That was my phone!"

"I'm not going to the rubber room, Dean. And we got work to do."

"What? I was just trying to help you out, Ellie. I don't, I don't want you to get yourself hurt."

"Look, I get that it's your job to protect me, or whatever, but if I do this right, it won't just save me, it'll save you, too."

"What are you talking about?"

"You went after the djinn with me, Dean. Well, not this you. The you from my world. And I think you're in a dream world like this one. I've got to save us both. So how about you just sit tight and try not to get us both killed."

When we got to the warehouse where the djinn was, Dean was asleep in the passenger seat. I shined my flashlight in his face, forcing him awake with a start.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," I chuckled. "Illinois."

"And you think there's something in there?"

"I know there is."

As we crept through the warehouse, Dean kept trying to convince me that there was nothing here, and that we should just go. When we got to the backroom, there were several corpses hanging like how Dean had been in the closet before. On the far end of the room, also hanging, was Dean himself.

"Okay, that's trippy," Fake Dean whispered behind me.

I approached my Dean, reaching up to caress his face. He began to moan and whimper at my touch.

"Ellie, what's going on?" Fake Dean demanded.

"Shh," I shushed him, pulling him behind some crates.

The djinn came into the room, making his way over to the Real Dean, who was talking.

"Ellie? Sammy? Mom? Where's my mom? What are you doing to me?"

My eyes widened as the djinn's eyes glowed bright blue, and more blue flared across Dean's cheek as it stroked him.

"Sleep... Sleep..." the djinn urged.

Dean's head fell forward, eyes still open as he went limp once more. The djinn rested his head against Dean's arm, eyes closed as he breathed heavily for a moment. And then he grabbed the blood bag that was hooked up to Real Dean and started to drink from it. Beside me, Fake Dean gagged in disgust. The djinn heard, coming toward our hiding place, but I moved us just in time, holding a hand over Fake Dean's mouth to keep him quiet. Once the djinn left, we came back out of hiding.

"This is real?" Fake Dean asked me. "You're not crazy?"

I didn't respond, heading over to the Real Dean.

"He didn't know where he was," I whispered, caressing his face again. "He thought his mom was still alive."

"My mom is alive," Fake Dean said. "I don't know who this clone guy is..."

"He's my Dean. You're not real... This is all in my head. I'm like him. Somewhere in here, I must be strung up, too."