Maddison Winchester: Journal 7 {Supernatural} (Editing)

2 Hello, Cruel World: Part 3

We were almost back to Bobby's when Dean finally broke the silence. "Look, when we get back to Bobby's—"

"It's okay, Dean, I'm good. No white rabbits." Sam chuckled slightly. "I'm not seeing anything."

Dean nodded. "Okay. Baby steps." He gave Sam a small smile, which was returned, and then his attention shifted back to the road. "Oh no..."

Looking out the front window, I spotted smoke spiraling up from Bobby's.

Dean hit the gas, screeching down Bobby's driveway. His house was now just a smoldering shell of what it used to be, just charred and smoking. Panic surged through me, my heart racing, my breathing quickening. We had left Nate there, and Bobby was supposed to be home by now.

We scrambled out of the car, sprinting towards the remains of the front door, where the warmth still radiated from the wreckage.

"I'm goin' in to check for Bobby or Nate. I'll be right back," Dean declared, disappearing through the crumbling door frame.

My mind spiraled into thoughts of worst-case scenarios, and a surge of emotions overwhelmed me. "Nate was in there," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. I hunched over, hands on my knees, struggling to catch my breath.

Sam turned to me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Hey, hey..." He gently made me stand upright.

"We left him here... we left him..." I choked out, starting to hyperventilate.

He cupped my face with his hands, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Look at me. You don't know he's in there, okay?"

"I was so awful to him..." I confessed, tears still flowing. "He just wanted to help me."

Sam pulled me into a firm, comforting hug. "Okay, alright, it's gonna be okay," he reassured, rubbing my back. Then, Dean reappeared, holding a blackened journal.

"Any sign of them?" Sam asked, still holding me.

Dean shook his head, held up the journal, and tossed it aside. I pulled away from Sam, wiping the tears from my eyes. Dean walked by and brushed his hand through my hair as he did. We followed behind him to the garage.

Dean shook his head and sighed. "That place was torched. Somebody knew what they were doing."

"You think they were back there?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. Let's split up and look for them, okay?"

The three of us split apart, searching different sections of the junkyard.

"Nate! Bobby!" I shouted as I walked past the heaps of beat-up cars. I pulled out my phone and called Nate, but it kept ringing until it finally went to voicemail.

"Hey, this is Nate Harvelle. Leave your name and number, and I'll get back to you."

I let out a sigh, shaking my head. "Nate, damn it, please tell me you are not in that pile of ashes." I sniffled as tears rolled down my cheeks. "I need you to call me, please... call me and tell me you're alive." I hung up and continued searching. "Nate! Bobby!"

My phone started ringing, and I immediately pulled it out. Looking at the caller ID, I quickly answered it. "Nate!"

"Maddi, I had to bail. I took my car and left. Are you guys there now?" Nate asked.

Relief washed over me, and I wiped away my tears. "Yeah, yeah, we're looking for you and Bobby."

"Did you find him?" Nate asked.

"No," I said.

"Okay, I'm on my way back now. Meet me out front. I'll be there in a few minutes," he said before hanging up.