The Life of a Hunter

Chapter 1

November 2, 1983
 "Mommy!" The four year old girl calls out in the middle of the night. "Mommy!" 

She hears a pair of feet shuffling to the bedroom the girl shares with her twin. Moments later, a blonde woman appears in the doorway, smiling tiredly at her daughter. "What's wrong baby?" She asks quietly. 

"I had a bad dream." The little girl says. "Can you lay with me for a little bit?" The woman smiles and walks over to the bed, her daughter shuffling over some so she can get in. "Mommy, do you believe in monsters?" The child asks innocently, staring up at her mother with wide green eyes, her blonde hair falling in her face. Mary chuckles and brushes the hair out of her daughters face. 

"I don't." She answers. "And neither should you." She places a kiss to her daughters forehead. 

"Mommy, don't leave me." Nakota says after a minute. "Please don't leave me."

"I could never leave you, my sweet baby girl." Mary tells her. "Now, go to sleep before you wake your brother." The girl nods as she curls into her mother's side, laying her head on the woman's chest. 

"Can you sing to me?" The girl asks after a minute. Mary smiles as she runs her hand through her daughter's long hair. 

"What song?" She asks. The girl smiles, not needing to think. 

"The river song." She says excitedly. Mary shushes her gently, reminding her not to wake Dean. 

"Alright, close your eyes, love." Mary instructs. Nakota closes her eyes and smiles as her mother continuously runs her hand through her hair as she sings. 

Hush now, my baby

Be still love, don't cry.

Sleep like you're rocked by the stream.

Sleep and remember my lullaby.

And I'll be with you when you dream.

Nakota barely heard the last words of the first verse, her mother's sweet and soft voice putting her to sleep quickly. Mary stops singing halfway through the song, carefully untangling herself from her sleeping daughter. She pulls the blankets up to the little girl's chin before placing a kiss to her forehead, turning around and doing the same to her oldest child before going back to bed.

Two hours later, Nakota is awoken again. This time, from her mother calling out for her younger brother. Nakota sits up when she hears a scream and looks to her right to see her twin sitting up as well. A few moments of silence pass before they hear anything else, this time, it's the sound of their father screaming for his wife. 

The twins dart out of their beds and run down the hall to their baby brother's nursery. Nakota stops in the doorway, feeling the heat from the fire. She looks up and sees her mother on the ceiling, a growing red patch on her stomach. She doesn't register her little brother's cries or her father telling Dean to take them both outside as she stares up at her mother. 

"Kody!" John yells, gripping his daughter's shoulders, breaking her out of the trance she was in. She looks at him with wide, fearful eyes brimming with tears. "Go with your brothers and don't look back! Now! Go!" She nods and runs out of the room, just a few paces behind her twin who was carrying Sam. The children are halfway to the road when they're scooped up by their father, who carries them away from the house just as the nursery window explodes. 

Nakota sits up, gasping for breath, still feeling the heat of the flames on her face. She brings her hand up and shakily pushes her hair away from her face, grimacing when she feels the layer of sweat on her skin. She leaves her hand in her hair as she rests her elbow on her knee, bringing her leg up to her chest. She takes a few deep breaths, trying to remind herself that it was just a dream.