The Runt of the Litter

You've Spent One Afternoon in My Complicated Eternity

Note: hey my loves <3

sorry to have disappeared for, like, a month. i've been working on this chapter for most of that time, but the chronic illness thing is still kicking my ass (i guess that's why they call it chronic, huh)

anyway, i've truly missed you all. and i wanna say thank you for all the super sweet comments and messages <3

this chapter is for @gkjnrtg, who asked to see Anna's run-in with CPS, and @welgej9007, who wanted to see Sam or Dean's perspective of Anna getting badly hurt on a hunt. i hope you both like the update <3 thanks for being so kind!

Anna is fourteen.

You've Spent One Afternoon in My Complicated Eternity

Anna's fingers were cold as she accepted the handgun from him. Dean held onto the barrel for an extra moment, and he watched her fingers go still against the grip.

Behind his sister, the clouds were gray and low, threatening rain at any minute.

"Safety on until I give you the word," he said.

Anna's eyes were wide, not with fear or even innocence. She was giving him her full attention. But it made her look young.

The gun's exterior reflected the sun's white light as Dean let go of the firearm, trying not to appear begrudging. The clouds were thick, parting what looked to be only a few inches to let the sun's pale beam shine through.

Dean watched Anna remove and replace the magazine, check that the safety was on, and finally tuck it in the back of her jeans.

"No funny business out there," he said sternly. "Keep your eye on the target."

"I know," Anna said seriously.

Dean put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "This should be quick. But if something goes wrong, you know what to do."

Anna nodded, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her forest-green cargo jacket. Her breath formed a thin cloud in the air as she recited, "Fall back, keep my gun ready, and shoot first, ask questions later."

"Otherwise?"

"Run," she said, her expression dubious.

Dean didn't make any insistence. But he held her gaze another minute. She would run if she had to. She'd done it before. He just wished she didn't always look so disdainful about it. Anna was only fourteen years old.

If they were to meet any other fourteen year old on a hunt like this, step one– before even killing the monster– would be to get the kid out of the room.

"I got it, Dean," Anna said firmly.

She looked small beneath his eyes, but Dean regarded her with trust. "Okay. Lock and load," he said and pulled out his own gun.

()()()

The blood between his fingers was such a deep shade of red, it looked almost black. It was thick, running slowly like corn syrup over the backs of his hands.

Dean raised his head, and the whole world seemed to be moving in slow motion.

The setting sun in the sky appeared crooked, and the rotting corpses around them gave the landscape a video-game-like atmosphere.

"Sam!" he shouted, and it all clicked back into place.

Sam's footsteps pounded heavily across the cement floor until he hit his knees, sending dust up into the air. "I got it," he said. "How bad is it?"