REVOKE ▸ d. winchester [1] ✔

Chapter 12

Dean's POV

The only noise that can be heard for the minutes I sit with Jackie is the snapping and crackling of burning wood. Jackie still sits leaning into me, unmoving, her head on my shoulder.

"Jackie," I whisper. I hate to do this but we need to get out of here. If we were any other person other than a hunter, we could stay, but as a rule, we stay off the radar. We leave no connections behind.

"Jackie." I move her gently off my shoulder and as she lifts her head up, I can see her tear stained face in the dim light of the fire that still burns strongly. My heart cringes at the sight of seeing her so broken.

"Hey, we gotta get out of here. People are going to start coming... we can't be here, okay?"

Jackie doesn't refuse as I help her up, but still keep an arm around her to support her.

"Okay," she says quietly. "I gotta.. I gotta grab something. Before we go." She heads off slowly towards a run down barn back behind the house.

She slides out of my grip as she goes to slide open the heavy barn door. Struggling with the latch, she lets he arms fall by her side and leans her head on the door. She literally looks physically and emotionally drained.

I reach for her and move her off the door so I could open it. I can still hear ragged breaths escape from her, but she pushes forward and walks though the door anyway.

She heads straight for the far end of the barn, to where the wall is covered from top to bottom with an assortment of weapons. She doesn't touch any of that, though. Instead, she begins kicking at the hay that lies spread out across the floor. I don't ask what she is doing, since I get my own answer at the sight of a wooden latch hidden beneath the straw.

She reaches down and unlatches it, then pulls up the covering to a pit in the ground. Inside, there is an assortment of books and documents, but the only item Jackie seems concerned about is a black, metal box, looking like some sort of chest. She lifts it out and heavily places it on the ground. Giving the remaining items in the pit one last glance over, she lets the cover shut close, then recovers it with a pile of straw.

Standing up, she goes to pick up the black box but both of our attentions are caught by a scratching that comes from the side of the barn. We both turn, and just as I go to reach for a gun that sits on a wooden table along the wall of numerous weapons, I stop at Jackie's quick intake of air.

"Zeke."

She runs over to the dog who comes limping out of the shadows, and collapses down onto her knees, hugging Zeke while examining him to make sure he's okay.

From where I stand, I can clearly see a huge gash on his leg, and he looks as if he's covered in ash.

Zeke lets out a continuous whine. Whether its from missing Jackie and being excited to see her or from the pain in his leg, it sets me on edge at the thought that now this dog is all Jackie has. He and whatever is inside this box.

I hear Jackie whisper things to Zeke, but I don't understand since it seems to be all in German. But I also hear something that gets my heart racing even faster than what its been at ever since I drove up to house.

A high pitched wailing can faintly be heard in the distance through the still open barn door. Jackie and I meet eyes, knowing we need to get out of here, and quickly.

She stands up, leaving Zeke with his tail between his legs and ears down. She reaches below the wooden table that holds weapons and grabs a black duffle bag that she immediately starts filling with her valuable archery equipment which could probably never be replaced.