Lightning Crashes 𖤐 Sam Winchester

Chapter Two

"I AM ASTRA."

Sam inhaled as his eyebrows knitted together. "Astra, that's. . . That's a really nice name. Um. . ."

The woman shifted uncomfortably on the couch and hugged herself.

"Listen, I know you're scared, but you're safe here, all right? That man who tried to attack you was just some low-life drunk. But you don't have to be scared of me."

He stared at her for a moment,until the woman nodded.

"Okay," he began. "Astra, you appeared to have been shooting off electricity from your hands— like lightning. Do you know what you are?"

Astra stared down at her burned hands. "I don't remember anything."

Sam leaned forward on his elbows. "You don't remember what happened?"
"No, I don't remember anything." Her voice cracked. "I don't remember who I am or where I came from."

She looked up at Sam as her hands began to shake. "What's wrong with me?"

The man clenched his jaw. "Nothing is wrong with you, Okay? It's just. . . You have some type of power— had. . . And I want to help you figure it out."

She appeared sad and confused as more tears spilled down her face. "Why do you want to help me?"

"Because I've been in your shoes before." Sam responded. "At a time when I needed help. And I don't want you to get hurt or hurt anyone."

Astra stood to her feet, which she immediately regretted. Her body ached all over, causing her to wince as she collapsed. Sam reached out and grabbed ahold of her arms, catching her before she could hit the ground. He waited for any type of response at the physical contact, but there was nothing.

"Take it easy, take it easy, here, come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

Sam helped the girl through the house and into the bathroom before helping her sit on the closed lid on the toilet. The man watched as she held her hands to her head, her eyes closed.

"It hurts," she said to Sam, shaking her head. "It hurts so bad."

He wetted a cold rag and began wiping her hands carefully. "What hurts, Astra?"

"My head."

He inhaled. "Okay. Can you look at me for a sec?"

Sam reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out before turning on the flashlight. Astra lifted her head and opened her eyes, and Sam's blood ran cold.

Her eyes glowed mysteriously; like cackling energy. He could see the flowing lines of electricity as they flowed through her irises, but as she stared up at him, the color faded instantly, like her own power had gone out. He waited and her face softened, but her eyebrows knitted together.

"It's gone. The pain is gone." She said to him.
"Okay, that's good, right? We need to get these burns treated, they're not bad, but you don't want to get an infection."

Astra watched as the man before her began to rummage through the cabinet, pulling out different things that she didn't know. Sam held a tube of ointment in his hand.

"This will help keep your skin moist, but the ointment will help keep the burns clean." He told her. Sam grabbed a q-tip and began blotting the burns as carefully as possible. There was a slight sting here and there due to the pressure of the q-tip, but as the ointment coated the wound, it only brought relief.

"What is that?" Astra asked, staring at the tube on the sink beside them.

"Ointment." He replied. "It helps with most wounds; boils, cuts, burns."

He grabbed the gauze wrap and began wrapping her hand. Astra watched as the white thin material went over her hand several times before he stuck it in place.

"Um, Astra, do you remember anything about yourself? Maybe what year you were born, or maybe even your parents?"

The woman shook her head. "I remember my name."

Sam inhaled. "All right. Well, we can figure it out later, okay? You should get some rest. I'll grab you some new clothes you can crash in. You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

Astra stood to her feet and examined herself in the body-length mirror. Her clothes were torn and covered in grime. Her jeans were poked with several holes and tears, and her t-shirt was stained with blood and dirt.

"You can shower in the morning after you let those burns heal a bit over night." Sam mentioned. She watched as he exited the bathroom and walked directly into the room across the hall. Astra followed him inside, watching as the tall man began digging through his dresser drawers.

"Uh, here you go." Sam said, handing her a pair of clothes. "They should hopefully be good enough until we can get you some. I can throw yours in the wash."

Astra stared at the folded shirt in her hands as she ran her hands over the soft material. She looked up at Sam, who immediately cleared his throat.

"Right. I'll let you. . ."

He passed her and exited the room.

Astra pulled her shirt off over her head and walked towards the mirror. Her skin was scarred and bruised, and her skin practically stuck to her bones. She looked famished. Like she hadn't eaten in weeks.

Her body ached as she ran her hand down her torso, including her perked breasts. She was dangerously skinny.

The woman unbuttoned her jeans and unzipped them before kicking them off. She pulled the clean shirt over her head, allowing it to fall like a curtain. It was a dress on her— it was huge compared to her much smaller frame. Sam was a tall man.

Astra exited the bedroom and noticed Sam in the kitchen. He stopped what he was doing as he caught her eyes, looking her over.

"Sorry, it's pretty big." He chuckled.
"Don't apologize, Sam. It's comfortable." She said, pulling the sides outward. Sam smiled politely.

"I figured you'd uh, you'd want to eat? I can make you some food. Or we can just go out to eat. Honestly, I haven't done any grocery shopping yet. I just moved in a week ago."

A warmth spread through her stomach as she looked up at Sam. "Sam, you've already done so much for me. I—I can't stay in your home."

"No, it's okay. Seriously." His face softened and his shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm not really used to the whole "being alone" thing, I wouldn't mind the company."

Astra hugged herself. "What if I'm a bad person? I hurt that man."

Sam leaned against the counter. "You hurt that man because he was touching you and assaulting you. I would've done the same thing. And besides, whatever power you had, you're free of it now. And maybe we can find out what it was, and who you are."

Astra swallowed. "Where do we even start?"