Outside These Walls [Destiel]

Chapter 13

Dean cast his gaze to the guard standing at the doorway as he deftly worked the cloth through the loop of the other fabric, pulling the scratchy material tight and knotting it again before pulling at Mills undershirt, ripping another strip off and beginning to tie again.

It had taken a few days with the guards keeping a close eye on him and Castiel, but with the help of Shadson and Mills, they had gathered around twenty prisoners for the escape, gathering all the clothes and bedsheets that they could get their hands on. It hadn't been a hard process to explain the knotting process for them, and although most of the soldiers didn't understand why they needed makeshift rope, or how they were going to get out in the first place, they put their faith in Dean.

It had been surprising for Dean for the others to rely on him so strongly, especially since coming to the camp, he had caused nothing but trouble. Castiel had commented on how it felt almost natural to follow his lead, but Dean pushed that away right then and there. He was not a good person to follow. He was just a man who had a plan in an otherwise hopeless situation.

"You really think this will work?" Mills asked, working on the other end of the rope and looking at Dean with dark eyes. Dean casted her only a small glance before looking back down at the finished knot in his hands, his eyes moving to the sleeping Castiel on the other bed. Shadson had gone to loosen the planks of the other cabins, while Dean and Mills had finished the last rope they had. They only had three with them, but hopefully the soldiers would have been able to rummage up more.

"Not at all," He replied, standing and pushing the rope against the shadow of the bed and lying down, a movement that made it clear that he didn't want to talk until it was time to go. Nevertheless, Mills just stared at him for a moment before sitting across on the other bed, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Why do you seem so guilty every time you look at him?" Mills asked, making Dean tense just slightly before he turned away from her, his eyes finding the wall. His gaze subconsciously slid down until he found Castiel again, his heart fluttering in his chest at the strength, yet innocence the man seemed to possess when he was asleep.

"Is it because Sam is there while you're here? Does Castiel remind you of Sam?" Mills asked softly, making Dean furrow his brows and sit up, his eyes widening in alarm as he looked at the woman.

"H-how do you know about Sam?" Dean asked warily, looking at the sympathetic woman. She only sighed, rubbing her hand through her frazzled hair.

"I figured you hadn't remembered me," She stated, giving him a small, sad smile, "I was the sheriff for Sioux Falls. We met quite a bit when you would come over to Bobby's. Then again, that was years ago."

"You know Bobby?" Dean asked, his expression incredulous as Mills nodded, leaning back on her arms and shaking her head, dislodging the hair that was stuck to her face.

"Of course. He always kept me updated on the two of you after I joined the army. You joining the army as well, Sam becoming mute, John's arrest...Sam's letters not going through," She said softly, as if she were trying to guide Dean as if he were a child. Dean swallowed thickly, shaking his head and looking away.

"I didn't want to look at them," Dean said, his voice feeling so much harder to push through. Since when did breathing seem like such a hard task? "I don't deserve to have Sam as a brother. I can't pretend that everything is okay when...for what I did to him..."