Strings Attached

Chapter 65

"Dean."

Hendrickson smiles — an actual, honest-to-god smile, as if the thought of killing an innocent high school student is thrilling to him. It likely is; the man is a sociopath, a psychopath. He points to gun at Dean, his finger on the trigger.

Castiel looks up at Dean and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Dean whispers as a single tear slides down his cheek. "It's okay."

And Hendrickson pulls the trigger.

Castiel pushes Dean out of the way as the gun sounds, and though the moment only lasts a split second, it seems to drag on for ages. He feels the bullet pierce through his chest, the pain increasing exponentially with each passing moment. He feels the blood pour out of his body, soaking his shirt. He thinks he hears people yelling, people moving and rushing towards him, but he can't tell exactly what's happening around him. His eyes are on one person. Hendrickson.

Castiel feels his eyelids drooping, his legs wanting to give out. The floor looks oddly inviting at the moment. But Castiel pushes past the desire to lie down and give in. He walks up to Hendrickson, every step sending agonizing pain through his leg. Hendrickson aims the gun at Castiel, but he's out of bullets. He used his three.

He reaches for his pocket, but Castiel pulls the gun from his hand. It's Castiel who takes the bullet from the man, and it's Castiel that loads the gun. His vision starts to become fuzzy, blurry. The world has a red tint to it, becoming more opaque with every passing second. He can barely see.

But he's still partially aware of his surroundings. He can see Hendrickson standing in front of him, and he can feel the gun in his hand. That's all Castiel needs right now. The smirk on Hendrickson's face is all Castiel needs to see to know that this is what he has to do. What he wants to do. He aims the gun at the man's head.

"Do it," Hendrickson hisses. "Kill me. Then you'll truly be like me. Once you get a taste of the blood, you want more. You'll always want more, and it will only get worse and worse. It's like a drug, and it's all too easy to get addicted to the high of the thrill it gives you. Come on, Castiel. Kill me. Kill me! Once you do, you'll never be able to go back."

Castiel takes a deep breath and steadies the gun, pointing it at the man's head. His hand shakes, and he's unable to hold it still. Castiel doesn't care. He doesn't need precision as he stands this close to the man. He finger rests on the trigger, itching to move, to pull this trigger and end it for good.

Castiel shoots.

And he kills Hendrickson.

Castiel watches Hendrickson's lifeless body hit the ground. The man is dead; dead because of Castiel. Castiel just took a life, a human life. But he can't find it in him to care. His legs give out, and no sooner does he hit the floor when his world is enveloped in darkness. Beautiful, blissful darkness.