DEAD SOULS | twd x spn

02 | monsters are real

THE LAST THING Lottie remembered about John Winchester was his face─the way that his eyes seemed to gloss over as he rested a hand on her shoulder and told her to look out for her little brother Sammy. She hadn't known what he'd done at the time, that she would soon find him on the floor of an empty hospital room, Sam kneeling beside him, screaming for help. She still hated herself for failing to realise what he was up to, for not believing the lengths he would go to to save his eldest son. John Winchester was not a bad man─an obsessed bastard, sure, but never truly bad. He was a grieving husband, a man tormented by the darkness, by the evil that was determined to put him down.

As Lottie followed Negan through the woods, her brothers close behind, she wondered if there might be any similarities between Negan and her father, other than their appearance, of course. Negan looked older than her father. He was colder too. She wondered if this might've been what her father would've become had he lived to be Negan's age. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

"Hey, are you okay?" Dean whispered behind her, gently tugging the sleeve of her jacket.

"I'll be better once we find out what the hell is going on."

"So, it has just occurred to me that we have been walking a fair few minutes, and I never even asked your names," Negan spoke up, turning to look back at everyone a moment, his bat still swinging at his side.

"I'm Lottie. These are my brothers, Sam and Dean."

"So, Lottie, Sam and Dean..." Negan began. "What were you doin' out here in the woods?"

Lottie thought that was a bit of a stupid question, considering he had literally seen them being attacked just moments ago. "I think it's pretty clear we were trying not to get killed by those walking corpses."

"Walkers," Negan corrected. "They're called walkers. Or, that's what we call 'em anyway."

"Is the entire world like this?" Lottie asked.

"Like what?"

"Dead."

Negan stopped then, spinning around to face them, his brows knitted together in confusion. "Have you all been living under a fucking rock these last few years? Cuz if I didn't know any better, I'd say you don't know what the fuck is going on."

"We...don't," Lottie said, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

"Holy crap! You really don't, do you? This isn't an act, is it? You lot have no idea what's happening."

Lottie shook her head. She could feel Dean step closer to her from behind, no doubt already having his hand hovering over his gun.

"Who the hell are you?" Negan questioned, although it sounded more like a demand than a question.

"We're hunters," Dean simply said. He was standing right beside her now, ready to fight if needed. "We're not exactly from around here."

"Hunters," Negan repeated. "And what is it you hunt, exactly?"

"Monsters," Dean answered. "You know, anything supernatural: ghosts, vamps, demons."

"How stupid do you think I am?"

"What?"

"Look, I can believe in the flesh eating zombies walking around, because we are literally living it. But all that supernatural crap? No, that shit ain't real and you know it. So I'll ask again, who are you?"

"We're hunters," Dean said again.

Negan sighed, pointing towards Lottie. "You. Get over here."

Lottie moved to step forward, but Dean quickly flew his hand out in front of her.

"Don't," he pleaded, shaking his head.

"It's gonna be fine, Dean," she assured him, stepping towards Negan. "We'll be fine."

"That's right." Negan smirked. "Now...who are you?"

"We're the Winchesters. And we hunt monsters." Lottie couldn't help the proud smile that played at her lips as she said that, because it was the truth, a truth that this asshole was too small-minded to even consider. She and her brothers saved people. She would never lie about that. "I really hate to break it to you Negan, but monsters are real."

"Alright, how about this?" Negan turned to look in Dean's direction before Lottie felt him turn her around, his hands closing around her throat as he pulled her back against his chest. "If you don't tell me who you are right now, I might just see it fit to kill her."

"And what a damn shame it would be," he added, leaning close enough for his beard to scrape her face. "Cuz she's actually kinda pretty."

Dean had his gun out in seconds, aiming it at Negan as he yelled at him to let her go. "We're telling you the damn truth, you son of a bitch!"

But Negan just laughed, his fingers digging into Lottie's neck. "Go on, fire that gun. Just know that if you do, you are screwing us all over. Cuz the second that thing goes off, we become a target for every walker in the area."

"I can take a few zombies," Dean said, still aiming the gun at Negan. "Let her go."

"Goddamn, you are such an asshole. If you don't drop that gun right now, I will crush her throat. Do you hear me? Cuz I have had enough of pricks like you thinking they're in charge around here."

"Dean," Lottie choked. "Don't...please."

"Listen to your sister, Dean. After all, she seems to be the only one with any sense here."

Dean still refused to back down, but when Negan began to squeeze Lottie's throat tighter, he finally dropped the gun. And then Negan just...let go.

"Was that so hard?" Negan grinned, bending down to pick up the gun. "Now that you know who's in charge, I'll ask again. Who are you?"

"We already told you, dumbass," Dean growled. "We're freaking hunters."

"God damn!" Negan exclaimed. "You really are serious. Shit, I thought you were lying to me. I am so sorry about that misunderstanding."

He pushed Lottie back in the direction of her brothers then, and Dean's hands immediately flew up to her neck, checking for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine," she assured him, shoving him off. "I'm okay."

"Now that we've got that over with," Negan said. "We can keep on going."

"Where are we going?" Lottie asked.

"The Sanctuary."