Castiel's Humans

Chapter 16: Run

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My heart was thundering and I felt my chest heave with a raw pain, my ribs hurt, my body ached like I had been torn and cut. Its screams chased me from behind me and I stumbled over a loose root frantic with fear I pushed myself up with bleeding hands and kept running. I had to keep running. Then suddenly I was free of the forest and was hit with rolling green hills turned silver in the cast of the moonlight. I jumped a mile high and screamed as it suddenly appeared in the shadows of the forest, its eyes red with rage and blood. “Next time Mickila. Jacob has friends everywhere.” And then it vanished. It disappeared. I backed away in disbelief and turned around sharply not sure if it would appear behind me. The empty rolling hills remained empty, still silvery in the light. I started to run, turning around to look at the forest once again but nothing was there. Another cruel joke before it appears? I thought with a shiver. I stumbled a few more steps before I was hit with a blinding white light and the sound of screeching tires. Instinct rushed through me and I jumped back before searching for something to attack with, I hadn’t even noticed I’d stumbled onto the main road. Moments later, if not seconds I felt arms around me as I started coughing. Frantically I pushed them away until I couldn’t fight it and a voice shushed me.

“Mickila,” he said sounding concerned as he pushed away my sticky matts of hair coated in blood. Reluctantly I looked up to meet his bright blue eyes, I was nervous of what he was going to say next even though the sight of him made me relax. I tried to let the situation slow down so I could focus on the fine points like the crease of Castiel’s brow or Dean’s dirty boots, fresh leaves sticking to the soles.

“Its…” my voice caught in my throat and I ducked my head, realising how stupid I must have looked. I focused on my hands as I forced myself to be okay, to be logical and fierce. I couldn’t look like a fool in front of an Angel and the Winchesters. “It said ‘Next time,” I say feeling the strength in my voice return and with it a false sense of surety. Castiel’s gaze meet mine and I felt my heart rate increase once again. “He said Jacob has friends everywhere,” I continued and he dropped his head.

“I feared this,” Castiel said and I pulled away from his grip on me.

“You knew?” I accused with pain. My heart wrenched as I watched him try explaining himself with a look. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” I begged, “You know you could tell me anything.”

“Who’s this son of a bitch,” Dean demanded and I looked up to see him standing protectively over the two of us with his demon slaying dagger in hand. I smiled despite myself and he gave a warm, short and small smile of relief back.

“An abomination,” Castiel stated and my back tensed like I felt a breath of air tickle down my spine. It was almost as if Jacob was here, tormenting me lingering, tasteless touches or the smell of cheap alcohol and static.

“So… some half cast demon with a-“

“You’re nearly correct,” Castiel interrupted. He took hold of my bloody hands as if just realising them, “Did it hurt you?”

“I…” I stammered, confused for a moment. It must have, what else could explain the blood staining my body, my stomach, my hands and the bruises on the side of my face that I could feel pushing hard against my jaw. “I can’t remember.”

“Lift up your shirt,” Dean said. I opened my mouth at him and went to snap some short remark when he continued, “Whatever the son of the bitch was he said he pulled your fingernails off, removed your guts and cut your vocal cords. Seeing as the last isn’t true…” he left the last hanging in the air.

I stood up on my shaky legs and looked at the bottom of my ripped shirt where the belt of my jeans hung loose from where sharp talons had ripped down to the flesh. I pulled up my shirt to just above my bra and watched in fear at Dean’s response, however bad the damage I was nearly certain I could gauge it by whatever Dean would do after. “How bad?” I dared feeling a lump in my throat when he didn’t move his eyes away.

Castiel’s hand touched mine before he touched my stomach making me supress a shudder. He looked into my eyes and I felt a rush hit me like a spotlight on an escapee. A candle in the dark pushed away the pain and my body was released from the chains. “In other words it’s not that bad,” Sam’s voice said sarcastically. I pushed myself closer to Castiel and felt his breath hit my collarbone and his large hands still on my stomach making me twitch with urge. A flush of warmth kissed my stomach and cheeks and I hid my face in his chest. Soulless Sam was too much like Jacob and Castiel was such a sweet release of the pain.

“Dude,” I heard Dean hiss and when I looked up he was still watching us.

“I have to go now,” Castiel said wrapping his arms around me briefly. “Don’t wonder off again, please,” he begged.

“I won’t,” I reply truly but I still couldn’t add an ‘I promise’ to the end.

He removed himself from me and looked at the others, his gaze resting on Dean as they exchanged silent words before he took one last look at me and then disappeared. “Convenient he’s restored his healing powers isn’t it,” Sam observed.

“Shut up,” I snapped angrily at Sam watching him smiling, amused.

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“So how do we kill it? What is it?” I asked sitting in the darkness of the backseat. Despite the proximity of the two large and dangerous men in front of me I still felt the shaking in my hands and the nervous adrenalin pulse through my veins.

“It’s some type of a vengeful spirit,” Sam said without doubt. “It cuts off the victim’s feet and electrocutes them because Thomas Davenport’s son was killed when he snuck onto the track to test run it without permission. It crashed and the metal clean cut through his ankles,” Sam continued and I pulled a face.

“Not the most pleasant ways to die,” I commented.

“Yeah well it isn’t the son who’s doing the haunting, it’s the father.”

“Plot twist,” I added.

“The father got so angered that no one took his son’s death seriously that by the time he died he had enough anger to hold him back from going on,” Dean said looking through the rear view mirror at me like I should pick up some unsaid words and meanings behind it. I brushed it off and looked out the window.

“Thomas Davenport was from Dartmoor wasn’t he?” I asked.

“Apparently.”

“How’d you get rid of him?” I asked.

“Generally salt and burn,” Sam said.

“But when is it ever that easy?” Dean retorted.

“Like tonight could get any harder,” I muttered running a rag through my bloody hair and cringed at the clumps of gooey red substance, it couldn’t possibly be my blood, I think to myself.

“You’re staying here,” Dean stated. “I’m not babysitting you after that incident; you’ve gotten yourself into too much trouble already.”

“What!” I growled. “You promised Castiel you’d-“

“Don’t think you can sly talk your way out of it,” Dean said we pulled up at an old looking, classic barn that must have gone back hundreds of years. He quickly reached over and handcuffed me to the seat in front of me. I glared at him as he waved the keys in front of my reach and said, “No wondering off.”

“I’ll tear the car inside out,” I warned.

He paused momentarily to evaluate the threat and then shook his head, “You appreciate style too much,” he said before disappearing out the car with Sam leaving me in the dark.

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