You Found Me |Sam Winchester| [2015 Wattys Winner]

8. Hideout

8. Hideout

I took a mental tally. Including Ellen, Sam, Dean, and myself, there was a total of fourteen in this church.

"This is Sam and Dean and their friend Dakota," Ellen announced to the frightened people. "They're hunters. Here to help."

"You guys hip to this whole demon thing?" asked the man who just let us in.

"Yeah," Dean responded. "Are you?"

"My wife's eyes turned black," said the man wearing glasses. His hair was peppered with gray, and his eyes—for some reason—made me squirm. "She came at me with a brick. Kind of makes you embrace the paranormal." The man brought his right hand to his chin. I couldn't help but stare at the plain ring on one of his fingers.

Dean turned to Ellen. "All right, catch us up."

"I doubt I know much more than you," she told us. "Rufus called. Said he was in town investigating omens. All of a sudden, the whole town was possessed. Me and Jo were nearby—"

"You're hunting with Jo?"

"Yeah, for a while now." Ellen said this softly. "We got here, and the place—well, the place was like you see it. Couldn't find Rufus, then me and Jo got separated. I was out looking when I found you."

"Sorry, who's Jo?" I asked innocently.

"My daughter. She's about your age."

I nodded in understanding.

"Don't worry, we'll find her," Dean assured the hunter mother.

"Either way, these people can't just sit here," Sam said.

I observed the small group. The man with the glasses kept turning his ring. The pregnant lady fidgeted. How frightened these people were. I wonder how sane they are.

"We got to get them out now," Sam suggested.

"No, it's not that easy," Ellen told him. "I've been trying. We already made a run for it once."

"What happened?" I asked, leaning the gun against my side.

"There used to be twenty of us."

I plopped in a few extra people. I pictured children, elderly folk not standing a chance against demons. I kept my breaths controlled through my nose.

"Well, there's three of us now—" Dean said. I cleared my throat. "Three and a half."

"You can't count me as half a person!" I protested.

"You're a hunter but you're not. Do you want me to lower it to a quarter?"

"Knock it off," Ellen said calmly. "You don't know what it's like out there. Demons are everywhere. We won't be able to cover everybody."

"What if we get everyone guns?" Sam asked.

"What, are you gonna arm up baby bump over here?" Dean retorted.

"More salt we can fire at once, more demons we can keep away."

I shrugged at Sam's theory. Sounded like it could work out.

"There's a sporting goods store we passed on Main on the way in. I bet they got guns," Dean theorized. The brothers dropped their bags.