75%

18

We were out the door in twenty after tracking Dean's cell phone.

"But he said hometown, why didn't we just go to Lawrence or my place?" I asked after we had gotten on the road and Sam had cooled down a bit.

"He said honetown, with an n. Whoever had a gun to his head wants us at the 'hometown' they assumed we would think of so substituting the different letters we just triangulate the cell signal and go there." Sam explained as we swerved down the freeway and around other cars.

"I love it when you talk code to me." I joked leaning my head on his shoulder and looking up at him with my best innocent look.

He let out a breathy tense half laugh and shook his head in amusement.

"Hey, don't get too uptight. This is Dean we're talking about. He'll manage till we get there. Now if they had me then you would have a reason to worry but Dean can stall." I tried soothing him, rubbing his back in circles and keeping my own voice calm even though I was a little more than anxious. When we both ran out of things to say the car ride continued in silence that wasn't necssarily comfortable but no one was angry so I would take it. I kept rubbing his back until we pulled up to a little town that was perfectly positioned on the highway to be a major stopping point even after the giant interstate went up.

Every window on Main Street was dark except for an old style barber shop with the mechanical swirling pole out front. How eerie. There were two men on a park bench across the street dressed far too warm for the air outside and one more leaning against the building itself.

Sam slowed to a near stop as we came closer, "There might be more than demons in there so bring a gun and a blade okay?"

I nodded as he parked about a block away and we hopped out to gear up.

"Stay behind me and keep an eye over your shoulder and whatever you do don't get caught. I don't care if they grab me and kill Dean, you can't get caught. Do you hear me?" Sam instructed slamming the trunk of the classic camaro on his first 'don't get caught' for extra effect. He could have killed at theater. Hey no! Focus!

"Okay." I breathed in excitement as he turned to go but before he could take too many steps I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to me standing high up on my tippy toes to give him a short sweet and to the point kiss.

"I love you. Don't do anything stupid like sacrifice yourself so I have to break my promise okay?" I murmured as we began walking to the barber shop.

He looped his pinky around mine for a second in what I hoped was a 'will do' kind of gesture and not a 'see you on the flip side'.

We kept our weapons concealed as we walked up to the man leaning on the building, he didn't pay us any attention but something about him was off. He didn't move a muscle, not so much as a twitch or rise and fall of the chest. When we got closer we could almost see his face under the hood that was drawn up on his head.

"Oh! Lovely." Sam groaned crinkling his nose in disgust.

I barely held back a gag when I caught a glimpse of his face. The guy shouldn't have been moving to say the least. The skin of his face was rotting to the point of peeling off the bone in some places and others were oozing... Let's not go there.

"You kill things for a living and this disgusts you?" I asked following him through the door and pulling my gun.

"I kill bad things. There's still some human decency involved." He grumbled as we explored the 'floor' of the shop.

Every hair on my neck was standing up on edge as we alluminated the nooks and crannies of the barber shop systematically. No matter how much training the boys have given me I still get all manners of horrified when we search through dark buildings.

Other than pretty cool looking chairs there was nothing. Finally we heard a muffled yell of 'DONT YOU FUCKING DARE' coming from the door labeled break room. Sam motioned for me to stay up against the wall while he kicked it in. He got the door open and part of the way in when I heard a gunshot. I wasn't sure whose it was because, like the idiot I am, I had my eyes closed.

Sam stayed perfectly still and from my angle I could see no blood. But that doesn't mean my mind didn't imagine setting up a hunter's funeral and trying to figure out what to do with myself without him. I could feel myself beginning to hyperventilate and my knees beginning to give out while scenes of me and Sam getting old and buying a house and getting married and watching little kids run around in a big yard and sitting on the hood of Baby flashed through my head.

"Sam you better not have just gotten shot." I whispered trying to keep the waiver out of my voice.

"Not me." He whispered back taking as step into the room without a glance my direction. I sighed in relief and whipped around the corner gun out to find a red headed woman whose hair was obviously from the bottle with fifties style eyeliner and a pretty cute black leather jacket standing over Dean who was staring wide eyed at someone else's body on the ground. I didn't recognize the person but Sam must have because he looked like he was seeing red.

"Evening Sam. I see you brought your special friend. Thanks for that." The redhead smiled and flicked her wrist at me. When nothing happened she tried again with a bigger motion but I was still in the same spot. I took the liberty to empty a clip into her chest which did pretty much nothing as I assumed it would, but it gave Sam the opportunity to slash the ropes binding Dean.

"You little bitch! That HURT!" Redhead screeched sweeping her entire arm in a wide arc slamming Sam and Dean against the wall but still leaving me unaffected.

"I'm sorry who are you?" I asked slightly because I thought it would piss her off and also out of pure confusion.

"Abbadon. I'm going to kill you and used you to rule the earth. Nice to meet you. Now BOW!" She screeched making a pulling motion with her hand.

I felt a small tug downwards in the pit of my stomach but that was it.

"I think you should let the boys go." I suggested smugly taking a step towards her even though I really wanted to run the other direction.

"Make me." Abbadon let out a trill of a laugh.

I stepped within arms reach of her and pressed my palm to her forehead. There was a blinding flash of light and she fell to the floor but instead of dying she started breathing like she was recovering from a twelve mile sprint.

The boys had been released and were picking up the person on the floor when another light flashed behind Abbadon's eyes causing her to scream making the lights pop and electrical wiring spark.

"Ehvs let's go!" Sam urged grabbing my arm and pulling me back to the car.

I hopped in the back seat and took over Dean's job of applying pressure to the man's wound. He was a scrawny little guy dressed similarly to Dean and wearing a silver bullet around his neck. His eyes were fluttering as if he was trying to keep himself awake as Dean floored the accelerator following the little blue "H" signs.

"Who are you?" Scrawny asked with slightly slurred speech.

"Evelynn, who are you?" I answered as I ran my fingers through his hair the way my mom used to when I was little and had the flu or hurt myself.

"Sir Garth. At your service m'lady." He grinned halfheartedly, the smile just barely reaching his eyes.

"Oh! Hey thanks for the tat wolf boy! It works pretty well!" I said with a smile ignoring Sam and Dean's worried glances.

"Welcome. Someone's got to tell these idjts what to do." Garth wheezed, his breathing becoming more labored.

"Dean how far away are we?" I asked trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

"I'm not going to die, don't worry Evelynn." Garth comforted me with a goofy smile.

"You better not." I ordered.

"Here." Dean announced as we pulled up to the emergency bay and handed Garth over to the doctors.