Secrets in the Hunt (Book 2)

Carry On My Wayward Son

I frown at Sam, frustrated that he won't let me take a turn with the binoculars.
     "It's the little girl. Her face is awful." Dean says suddenly and I grimace. Killing demons was never fun, since they look human. Killing a demon in a little girl's body? That's gonna be traumatic.
      "Alright then. Let's go, we're wasting time." Sam says, starting to walk to the door. Dean stops him, grabbing his arm.
      "Wait!" He orders and Sam frowns.
      "For what? For it to kill the rest of them?" Sam asks angrily.
      "Yeah, and us too if we're not careful." Dean says, letting go of Sam and nodding towards the window. I walk over and glance out.
     "See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine PM?" He says, pointing out the odd sight. I've never seen a mailman out so late. "And Mr Rogers over there." Dean adds, pointing out a house where I can see a figure sitting in a chair.
      "So, what? They're all demons?" I ask, and Dean nods.
      "Ok, fine. We – we – we – we, we ninja pass those guys, sneak in." Sam suggests.
      "Then what? Give a "Columbian necktie" to a ten year old girl, come on!" Dean argues, frowning.
      "Look, Dean, I know it's awful." Sam says and I scoff.
      "You think?" Dean asks, still frowning.
      "This isn't just about saving you, Dean. This is about saving everybody." Sam insists and I glance back at the house where Lilith was possessing a little girl. I sigh, knowing Sam's right. Even if it is going to be super traumatic.
      "She's gotta be stopped son." Bobby adds.
      "Oh damn it." Dean says, knowing Bobby and Sam are right.
      "So what's the plan?" I ask, and Dean frowns for a moment, thinking.
      "Sam and I are going to take out the mailman and Mr. Rogers. Bobby, can you figure out a way to get into the sprinkler system? Get some holy water in there?" Dean suggests and Bobby nods. I just frown, crossing my arms.
      "And what do I do?" I ask, not liking that he left me out of the plan.
      "You follow Bobby." Dean says and I shake my head rapidly.
      "There's no way I'm leaving you, Dean." I argue and he frowns.
     "You're going with Bobby, Victoria. It's the best way to make sure you don't get hurt." He insists and I shake my head again.
      "Nice try. I'm staying with you and Sam." I insist. Dean looks to Sam for backup, but Sam just shrugs. I grin. Score 1 for Tori.
      "Fine." Dean grumbles, heading for the door. I follow him, grinning since I got my way. "You and Sam stay here, I'm gonna get the mailman to follow me." Dean says, and I nod, taking a defensive stance next to Sam. Dean walks away, and Bobby walks the other way in search of a well or water pump. Sam and I don't have to wait long until Dean runs past us, the demon mailman on his tail. Sam whips out Ruby's knife and stabs the demon through the gut. Dean covers his mouth so that he can't scream, and the demon's eyes glow a little before a puff of smoke comes out. Dean helps me move the body so that it's right next to the house. We rush across the street so that we can take out Mr. Rogers. We stand in his yard for a minute, all of us quiet. Dean raises an eyebrow at me expectantly and I huff before rushing up and ding dong ditching the demon. Demonic Mr. Rogers walks onto the porch, his eyes turning black when he notices me standing at the bottom of his porch. He rushes after me and I lead him straight to Sam, the whole killing process repeating. Sam yanks the knife out of the demon's stomach, wiping the blood off on his jacket. I grimace. That's gonna be a bitch to get out. Dean and I pull the body to the side of the house so that it's less noticeable. Dean starts jogging around the house and I follow quickly. I freeze as Ruby shoves him up against the fence with a snarl.
      "I'd like my knife back, please. Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone." She threatens. I stay quiet, watching Sam silently walk over and put the knife to her throat.
      "He doesn't have it. Take it easy." He instructs, pulling her away from Dean.
      "How the hell did you get out?" I ask, crossing my arms as I glare at her.
      "What you and your brothers don't know about me could fill a book." She snarks.
      "Whoa." Dean says and I raise an eyebrow.
      "What?" Ruby snaps.
      "Nothing. I just – I couldn't see you before, but you're one ugly broad." Dean says, glancing down to avoid looking at her face for too long. I snort.
      "Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself." Ruby says.
      "You'll get it when this is over." Sam says quietly.
      "It's already over. I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down. Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die too." Ruby says and I narrow my eyes at her. Does she like my brother?
      "Try and stop me, and I'll kill you. Bitch." Sam says.
      "Hit me with your best shot, baby." Ruby counters and I gag.
      "Can we save the flirting for a time when we're not trying to keep Dean from dying please?" I ask with a scowl.
      "Guys!" Dean snaps, and I turn to him, following his gaze. My jaw drops when I notice all of the people looking at us. Is everyone in this damn neighborhood a demon?
     "So much for the element of surprise." Dean says.
      "Go. Go. Run. Run!" Sam commands, shoving the gate open. I run right behind him, the sound of people chasing us echoing in my ears. We run up onto the porch of Lilith's house and Sam instantly starts on picking the lock.
      "What the hell is taking Bobby?" Dean asks, and my eyes widen when I realize the number of people rushing towards us.
      "Shit." I mutter.
     "I'm trying." Sam says, the panic clear in his voice as he struggles to open the door. Just as a demon makes it onto the lawn, the sprinklers turn on and she screams in pain. Another demon stumbles into the water, also screaming and stumbling around. I glance back at Sam, sighing in relief as he shoves the door open. Dean laughs at the demons before following me into the house. I frown at the body on the floor.
     "You think Lilith knows we're here?" Dean asks.
      "Probably." Ruby replies. She's such an optimist. Sam leads the way around the house, Ruby's knife held out in front of him. Dean shushing makes me whirl around, eyes wide when I see his hand over a man's mouth.
      "We're here to help. Ok? I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?" Dean says and the man nods.
      "Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asks and the man shakes his head.
      "It's not... it's not her anymore." He stammers out.
     "Where is she?" I ask, and he turns to me.
     "Upstairs. In her bedroom." He says and I nod.
      "Okay, okay, okay. Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?" Dean directs and the man frowns, shaking his head.
      "Not without my wife." He says.
      "Yes without your wife." Dean insists and the man keeps shaking his head.
      "No-" He tries to argue, but Dean cuts him off by punching him in the face, effectively knocking him out. He nods to Sam, and Sam heads up the stairs, Ruby following right behind. Dean carries the man over to the basement and I go to the kitchen to grab salt. I falter when I see the old man's body still at the table. I shiver, finding the salt and rushing back towards the basement. Dean nods at me before heading up the stairs and I open the salt to start making the line. A scream from upstairs makes me whirl around and run, freezing at the doorway for the bedroom.
      "It's not in the girl anymore." Dean says and my eyes widen. That could've been really bad.
     "Mommy!" The little girl cries, sobbing onto her mom's shoulder.
      "Mommy's here. Mommy's here. It's okay." The woman reassures her.
      "Let's go downstairs." I say, and the woman frowns before nodding, picking up the little girl and letting her wrap her arms around her neck. I gesture for Dean to lead the way and he does.
     "Alright, no matter what you hear. You, your husband and your daughter stay in the basement." He directs and the woman nods before walking through the door to the basement. Dean and I follow her, and I grab the salt that I ditched by the door earlier when I hear the screams. The woman gasps when she sees her husband on the floor, knocked out.
      "He's just sleeping." I say, not wanting to scare the little girl. The woman frowns at me and I shrug, making a line of salt at the door. I follow Dean back up the stairs into the regular part of the house, both of us silent. Where did Lilith go? Dean and I follow Sam's voice into a living room, hearing part of his conversation with Ruby.
      "What do you need me to do?" He asks, and Dean grabs Sam, tugging him back.
      "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dean asks, and Sam shrugs him off.
     "Just shut up for a second." He says, turning to Ruby. "Ruby!"
      "You had your chance. You can't just flip a switch. We needed time." Ruby says, and the clock right behind her makes my stomach drop. I walk closer to Sam so that I can see the clock better. Oh god. Please don't let that clock be right. Please don't let that clock be right.
      "Well, there's gotta be something. There's gotta be some way, whatever it is, I'll do it." Sam insists and Dean grabs him again. "Don't, Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!" He yells.
     "Yes, you are!" Dean yells and my breath catches in my throat. We can't lose. We didn't lose, we can't. "Yes you are." Dean repeats, calmer this time.
      "Dean-" I start, feeling like my throat is closing up.
      "I'm sorry. I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not gonna save me. It's only gonna kill one of you." Dean says, and the tears that had been building up all night finally break free as I feel my heart break.
      "Then, what am I supposed to do? What are we supposed to do?" Sam asks, suddenly clutching onto my hand. I glance at him, and my heart breaks even more when I see the tears on his face.
      "Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Take care of Tori, Sam. Both of you remember what Dad taught you... okay?" Dean says and I nod rapidly. "And remember what I taught you." He adds and a choked sob escapes without my permission. I let go of Sam and fling my arms around Dean, begging whoever is in charge of the universe to stop. Just let my brother stay. I feel a hand on my back, gently patting my back as I sob into Dean. The clock starts to chime and suddenly I can't breathe. I try and try to catch my breath, but it's starting to feel impossible. I see Ruby's mouth move, and I step back from Dean, seeing his mouth move as well. I desperately try to take a breath so that I can hear, but suddenly, someone has a hold of my hand and we're running. We all run into a room that looks like an office and Dean slams the doors shut, Sam and Ruby standing against them as Dean pulls out a bag and starts pouring out dust in a line in front of the door. Sam and Ruby step back, and as I watch Dean begin to pour the dust by the windows, I'm suddenly able to catch my breath. I gasp for a minute, trying to fill my lungs completely with air. My hands shake as I look between my brothers.
      "Give me the knife, maybe I can fight it off." Ruby demands, and I glance over at her, frowning.
     "What?" Sam asks.
      "Come on! That dust won't last forever." She insists and Sam pulls the knife out. Just as he starts to hand it to her, Dean yells.
      "Wait!"
      "You wanna die?" Ruby asks, glaring at Dean.
      "Sam, that's not Ruby. It's not Ruby!" Dean yells. Sam tries to stab her, but suddenly we're all thrown back. I hiss in shock as I'm pinned against the wall, unable to move.
      "How long you been in her?" Dean asks from his spot on the table.
      "Not long." Lilith says, her voice childlike compared to Ruby's normal tone. "But I like it. It's all grown up and pretty." She adds, her eyes completely white.
      "And where's Ruby?" Sam asks from next to me.
      "She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away." She says and my blood runs cold. We're all going to die.
      "You know, I should have seen it before... but you all look alike to me." Dean snarks. Lilith snaps her head to Sam and walks towards him slowly. I struggle to move, desperately wanting to be able to help my brothers get away from her.
      "Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time." She says, grabbing his face and forcing him to kiss her. I scowl at her. What the hell is her problem? "Your lips are soft."
      "Right, so you have me. Let my brother and sister go." Sam says, and I shake my head.
      "No, Sam." I say.
      "Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't." She says, smirking at Sam.
      "So, is this your big plan, huh? Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?" Dean asks and she smirks, walking away from Sam.
      "I don't have to answer to puppy chow." She says. "Sic 'em boy." She opens the door and all I hear are growls and snarls as Dean is suddenly ripped off the table. He screams in pain as slash marks start appearing on his body.
      "Stop!" I beg, tears running down my face as I try to get off the wall so that I can help Dean. Dean struggles, screaming in pain as more slashes cover his chest. I sob, screaming as I watch my brother being killed.
      "Stop it!" Sam screams, his voice breaking. Blood gushes out of the wounds on Dean's chest and I scream again. "No, no, no." Sam moans, and my world stops as I look at Dean, his screaming stopped as he stares at the ceiling blankly. Lilith smirks and turns to Sam, and I scream, begging her not to hurt him as a white light fills the room. The light is gone as soon as it came and Lilith looks at Sam, shock clear on her face. Sam stands up, slowly walking towards her.
      "Back." She insists, but Sam keeps walking. "I said back." She demands, her voice shaky.
      "I don't think so." Sam says, picking up Ruby's knife from the ground so that he can stab her. She screams and a flume of black smoke tears out of her mouth, escaping up the air vent. I look to Dean, my breath catching in my throat when I realize the worst has happened.
      "Dean." I manage to say, stepping forward and falling to my knees. I know my heart is still in my body, I know that because I'm still sitting next to one brother as he holds the other in his arms, rocking back and forth and crying. But I can't feel my heart, I can't feel it beating or anything else there. I look between Sam and Dean, the despair ripping out of my mouth in the form of broken sobs. They say that people can die of a broken heart and I know that must be true because right now, I don't know how I'm going to be able to stand from the floor, let alone walk out of this house without Dean walking beside me. How am I supposed to wake up every day, knowing this is a world that took my big brother away from me? How do people do that? How do people live, when their rock is gone? I move so that I can hold Dean's hand, another sob ripping its way out of my throat when I realize his hands are already getting cold.
      "Wake up, Dean." I beg, squeezing his hand as tight as I can. "Come on Dean, come on wake up. Please just wake up, I need you." I beg, shaking as I continue to sob. I jump when I feel arms wrap around me. I glance up, expecting Sam, but see Bobby instead.
      "I've gotcha kid." He whispers, holding me while I hold Dean's hand.
      "He's gone." My voice barely comes out, not wanting to say that sentence. My brother's gone. He's gone. He's gone.
***
Ouch. Um, that's all I have to say for that. Two more chapters until the end of the book! As always, please comment and vote!