Warping to Destiny - A Supernatural FanFiction

Chapter 60 - Training Blind

CHAPTER 60

Sam's POV

I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about what was going to happen here. Neither of us has ever had any formal kind of training so we didn't know what to expect.

Okay," Maria said, "First things first. We need to find out how good you already are. I brought you each one of our special blindfolds, and midsection padding. You won't be falling on the mats, they interfere with the training, so you'll be falling on the floor. Or more accurately, being thrown on the floor. Or against the wall. You get the drift. Put these on and let's see what you can already do."

Dean looked as apprehensive as I felt but we did as she asked. Maggie was putting on one of the midsection things too. Then Maria moved us to stand where she wanted us. "Now," she said, "Maggie is going to come at you from various angles. If she gets to you she's going to throw you. If you are aware of her and can stop her, you get to throw her. Got it?"

We nodded.

"What you have to learn here is what blind people learn, but you have to do it much more quickly. Stopping yourself from getting hurt is often a good way to jump start your brain. You're going to have to learn to hear a feather drop, feel the difference in the air when it does. Ready?"

We nodded again. Ten minutes later, Maria called a halt. Maggie had thrown both of us around the room four or five times already. I heard her whisper, "Sorry Dean," on the last one.

They helped us back up and stood us in position again. "Well, you did a little better than I thought you would."

"Better?" Dean exclaimed. "We didn't do shit!"

"Oh, on the contrary," said Maria. "I was watching you very carefully. It's true you weren't quick enough to stop the attacks. Yet. But you often indicated that you knew the attack was coming before it hit you, and from the right direction. Just not soon enough. Everything you've already been through has given you more innate capabilities than you even realize right now."

She put something in our hands, then, some sort of gun. "These guns shoot plastic bullets," she said. "There are 20 rounds in each one. Maggie and I are going to walk around, approaching you, backing away, approaching again. We are not going to touch you. When you think you know where one of us is, shoot us."

We played that game until our guns were empty. We each totaled up two hits. Maria said, "Take off your blindfolds."

Maggie was standing not two feet behind Dean. He hadn't been aware of her.

"Son-of-a-Bitch," Dean said, obviously unhappy.

"Well, that should give you an idea of where you are and what you need to do. If we had been these invisible foes of yours, you'd already be dead! This is serious business. And I'm going to work you hard. I won't have my daughters left alone to grieve this soon, you got that?"

Dean and I looked at each other. I think the danger of what we might have to face finally hit us both just then.

"Okay then, the next time you put on these blindfolds, you are not to take them off unless I tell you to, and I won't be doing that unless there's a point to be made. You need to train your other senses to take up the slack from your loss of vision. That takes time. Pretend you're blind. For all intents and purposes, you will be. From time to time, out of the blue, one of us will attack you blindly. Feel free to do what you must to defend yourselves. Any questions?"

"Are you saying keep them on all the time, even after we're done here?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. It won't be easy. You'll get frustrated, angry even. That's better than getting dead. Most people I train in this never have to actually use it. Apparently there's no question that you will. If you intend to survive, you have no choice. In the words of the immortal Yoda, 'There is no try, there is only do!'"

We both had to smile at that. "So, are we all on the same page?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," we both answered.

While she had been talking, Maggie had reloaded the guns and brought them back to us.

"Okay then," she said, rubbing her hands together, "blindfolds back on. What we're going to do now is drop different things on the floor. If you hear the drop, shoot at it."

Katie's POV

The boys had been training for most of the morning while I was going through the papers from Eric. I had translated the one about the inhabitants, and was looking at one of the Ancient  tomes in the new language. It seemed to be a series of small, unrelated prophesies, none of which appeared to be relevant, kind of like our own Nostradamus predictions. Until I read one that made my blood run cold. I retranslated it three times, making sure I was getting it right.

"Oh my God," I whispered to myself. What should I do? Should I tell the others? Was this even about us? I really needed to get some advice from someone, anyone, but there was no one I could talk to, no one else who could give me advice on this. I sat there staring at it for a long time, finally realizing that I was staring at it through tears.

Eventually I decided that Mom might be the one who could help me decide. I picked up my translation and headed for the workout room. I opened the door slowly so as not to interrupt anything I shouldn't. They were doing the drop and shoot exercise, and I managed to catch Mom's eye, and waved her to me.

"I'll be right back," she said. "Maggie, keep them going."

She slipped out the door and asked me what was wrong. I showed her the translation. "What should I do, Mom? Should I tell the others?"

She thought for a very long time. Then she said, "I think you have to. The boys have a right to know, and you can't handle this alone."

I sighed deeply and nodded, and we went back in the room.

"Take a break boys," Mom said. "Masks off."

They took off their blindfolds and looked at me. Sam came over to me quickly and took my arms in his hands. "Katie, what's wrong? What is it?"

I had to try several times to find my voice. Everyone was gathered around me. Dean was holding his arm around Maggie. "I translated something from a book of unrelated prophesies," I said. "Most of them meant nothing to me. But then I read this one. It might not pertain to what's going on, but, somehow, I think it does." I read…

'In the third age shall come two mighty warriors from a distant land, and they shall succeed where others have not, though at a great cost. And though one shall weep, many shall rejoice, and statues shall be raised in remembrance thereof.'