Chronicles of Absolution: Long Live Blood Feuds

Chapter 1

1882, Tug River, West Virginia side

The Tug River was a long standing boundary and a sort of natural border between Kentucky and West Virginia. The invisible fence that barely was holding back the tide and it wasn't exactly holding up well. In fact hostilities had gone up and it seemed that everything was riding on whether or not a man lived or died.

Looking into the woods, the rider sat on her black horse and sighed. Bloodshed seemed to be in fashion having come back from the west and dealing with Dodge City and some mining town in Pima County called Tombstone. You would think that after the war, people's appetites for blood would be sated but it seemed that when principles of honor or justice were on the line, there was one rule pretty much.

Unfortunately it seemed that this incident was not usual according to the usual sources and some rather unusual ones. After all there were still a few that lived for the rush and they would do what they could to get the results. Then there were the few specialty beings that just fed on emotions and the like. The lucky part was that nothing that could be explained logically was running around… yet. That always was a distinct possibility given the climate of things.

A whoosh of a horse sounded and the rider turned to see who it was. There was no need for alarm since she knew who it was riding up. It was a pain in the ass literally to be out here but they really couldn't afford to get too well known amongst the folks just yet. Such a thing was bound to blow up in their faces literally given what just happened. The rider came alongside the waiting party and said, "You're earlier than expected."

"Well the possibility of hunting while trying to assuage a situation was just too good to pass up." The sarcasm was easily discernible in her tone of voice as she adjusted her position on the horse. The horse made a slight rumble as it adjusted its position as if to echo the sentiments of its rider as it pawed the dirt.

"You're the best one for this job. That mess in Dodge City was defining."

"If you count the fact that a chupracaba was the thing sucking prize cattle dry then it was defining since it nearly had owners and cowboys going at each other and that was on top of the drunken brawls with paychecks."

"Still, you are the best and this has some markings of a potential demon act."

"Characteristics are the markings. Anything defining, except the illogical and quarrelsome nonsense over a pig?" The rider looked at her contact with a look as she adjusted the brim of her hat.

"We have a dead man and one that seemed to be liked by everyone."

"Ellison Hatfield," the rider replied. "He's not dead yet but I suspect that might be the case. If it happens, then blood will be spilled on both sides. The nature of feuds."

"Well I got something that might help. I found sulfur at the Election Day meeting. Fresh too. It may be as you suspected when you came to town."

The rider nodded and turned her horse towards the crossing. The Election day grounds were in Kentucky that year. It was not a good time to be going back and forth if you were a part or associated with either of the two families. Outsiders were at risk too if they were forced to take a side. Nighttime was the best time to check something like this out anyway.

Once across the river, the rider made way until the grounds were reached. The area was long abandoned in terms of going home. The structures would be taken down probably in the morning so it gave a bit of perspective to the rider as she jumped down from her horse in the middle of the grounds and looked around. The sounds of the forest were in full force with the sounds of night.

Walking around the rider looked around and could visualize what happened before making a systematic search. If there was something that contributed to this, she could find it and it wouldn't be the most obvious. This search called for someone of her specialty and she got to it, looking at everything and anything.

At first there was nothing unusual. That was until she came to where the liquor barrels were. She could smell the corn liquor and whiskey that had been spilled on the ground and even the trace lingering elements of food hung in the air. It nothing to cover up the unmistakable stench that she was so familiar with. It was sticking out like a sore thumb at least to her senses and there was a large patch of it.

Kneeling she rubbed her finger in the yellow powder took a bit on her fingers. With a tentative lick, she tasted it and smelled it. She made a face as she spat out the bit that she tasted. Still kneeling she looked around and found the place where Ellison had been stabbed and shot. She had a clear view of everything that went down and that was after whoever it was that stirred up trouble.

She stood up and walked to where it went down. She found more traces of the yellow powder along the ground. She frowned as she examined it. It was the most unusual sight and it was disconcerting. Something didn't feel right and she scanned the terrain while her hand went to her gun on her belt just in case.

It came out of nowhere when the body hit from behind. They grappled her on the back and tried to strangle her. Her reaction was to throw the intruder off and pulled out her gun. She was ready for the attack and let off a shot. That was when several more made their appearance. Looking around, she was surrounded and they pulled out knives. She looked around as they grinned at her and the eyes were pitch black. She grinned back and the night was filled with shouts and gunshots.

Present Day

Nighttime by the Tug fork still carried a bunch of memories of times gone past. Some of it was a bunch of ghost stories made up based on the legend of what happened there. There wasn't a day when kids went around and played history alive with the embellishments that accompanied such reenactments.

Sally Connors thought they were innocent children's games and the embellishments of the two men that made the area a major tourist attraction and a place down in history. Still she had respect for what had happened and most of the townsfolk talked as if they had lived it. She had just moved to Pikeville in West Virginia and would often come down to the Tug fork to think and just enjoy the outdoors.

"Thought I'd find you out here. I've been waiting Sally."

Sally looked in the direction the voice came and smiled, "You know me well Anders. I'm surprised you came. Thought your daddy would have stopped you."

Anders grinned, "Daddy likes you Sally. He's just wary about outsiders."

"But I'm not. My family's had property here for decades."

"Yeah but you went away to college and all," Anders pointed out as he wrapped his arms around Sally's waist. He gave her a kiss to the lips.

"You did too Anders."

"But I came back and decided to work."

"On your side of the river," Sally teased. She laughed a little as she looked at the river. "Do you remember when we used to play here? You would keep trying to put bugs in my hair."

"Only because I was five and thought that was the only way to get a girl to like him," Anders replied with a slight smile. "But you were the tomboy and could through a rock better than any of my kin."

"Only way to impress a boy wasn't with pretty manners." Sally smiled as she started walking.

Anders joined walking with her. They walked along the river bank and just enjoyed the company. It had been that way the last couple of months since Sally came back to her home in West Virginia. He hadn't seen her in years but they used to run together even though it had been discouraged because they were from opposite sides of the river.

"Andy, seriously, how is your daddy?"

Anders made a slight face, "He's good. He misses Mama and he did feel bad for what he said to you."

Sally nodded at that. "I know how your daddy is. And to be honest… I understand where he is coming from. Things do go a long way."

"But he does want to see you," Anders countered. "He asked about you when he heard you came home. So… maybe you can come over for dinner and you can bring that old hen that used to boss you around."

"Aunt Lacey?" Sally started laughing and gave a mock swat to Anders' shoulder. She couldn't help it.

"Just to be proper. We have Ella Mae but I don't want your family saying that we aren't proper," Anders replied with a firm look. It wasn't severe but it made clear of what his family wasn't going to budge on.

"And Mama said that you were a very proper boy," Sally replied equally solemn. She smiled, "I'd like to come over. I expect that an invitation will be sent?"

Anders replied with a smile, "Most assuredly." He then bent to kiss Sally on the lips.

Sally accepted it and enjoyed it. Suddenly Anders was yanked away and he got a hard punch to the face and she saw her brother David saying, "You keep your hands off my sister."

Sally shouted, "Davey, stop it."

"You know his family," David pointed out.

"Davey," Anders started to placate the other man. He put his hand on the shoulder and got another punch and ended up face to face with a gun.

"Now you get back on your side and tell your Pa that he's a thieving liar," David replied as he pointed his gun.

"Davey, stop it," Sally replied in a firm voice. "Andy's daddy ain't done nothing. That thing with the broken saddle was an accident."

"No it ain't." David pointed his gun at Anders.

A shot rang out and everyone jumped. Sally looked around and saw smoke from across the river. She then turned and saw a blossom of red on her brother's shoulder. Anders was shouting at whoever it was that shot the rifle while she checked out her brother. Another shot rang out and she ducked when the dirt exploded near her.

Off in the shadows a lone figure was watching the scene. He couldn't help but smile. He had led the Connors boys there with rumors and a bit drunk. Now that the shots had been fired and the blood had started to flow… The figure's eyes flickered to the most unnatural color ever; they were black with no pupil and it was grinning. It was a little thing but it would escalate, just like before. And just like before blood would run again and it was only a matter of time. The figure couldn't help but chuckle low as it listened to the screams and shouts for a doctor.

The roadside bar was easy pickings for hustling money. The pool table was game as well as the darts. There was also the chance of a drinking contest if one was daring enough. Most of the people in there were willing to get it on and they didn't tolerate cheating and things were a matter of honor if it was a very grave offense. It was a good place to hustle but Sam had apprehensions since he hadn't failed to notice that a couple of the potential marks looked like they had either a gun or a knife hidden under the jackets and to be honest it seemed like it was the norm for a rural bar.

The main excitement was around a small table as the barkeep brought four shots of whiskey and set them on the table. It was littered with empty shot glasses upturned and they made two collective piles belonging to their respective drinkers. One was a burly man dressed in flannel, jeans and a thick jacket. His face was flushed from the drink and his hair was a bit stringy and he was bragging loudly in a Kentucky drawl that he was still going strong and that he could hold his drink.

Sitting across from him with her hands folded like she was posing for a picture was Angela. She was just smiling a dopey smile but from where Sam and Dean were sitting they could tell that smile hid more than what the people were seeing. She sat there like she was high on something as the next two rounds were set in front of them and she looked at her opponent with a bemused expression.

They needed money and Dean and Sam both were reluctant to asking her about her money. It was a pride thing and she got that. Plus she liked to pretend it didn't exist and they were cool with that especially since it sort of had them wide eyed after she rebuilt her baby Deanna. They stopped at this dive since it was the first one they had seen and while bar food was not exactly exciting for the gastrointestinal effect it was the best place to hustle money and maybe get away with parting the mark from his money without any hardship.

It was different when they came in and it meant a serious change to the usual lineup in terms of how they were going to play the hustle. They could still play pool but it was evident that something else was going to be needed that was highly respected. It was dropped into their laps when big and burly decided to be cute and hit on Angela. Sam was in his usual element and ready to dish it out on the guy but Angela held him back and proposed the drinking contest.

The rules were fairly simple. First one to fall passed out drunk was the loser. The winner collected the pot. Sam had to be the worrywart and say that it was not really a good idea. His reasoning was that because she couldn't get drunk and there was the suspicion that she might be cheating that could start something. Dean could see the point in that but still thought it was weak. The most obvious was that his little brother was inclined to think that no one should be messing with her because she was spoken for. It never got old but it was trying since it could start a fight and be trouble.

Angela ended up saying with a coy smile, "This isn't my first rodeo. I know what I'm doing."

So now they were down to the next set of shots. There was about twenty or so glasses empty for each of them and Angela looked like she was participating in a chess match with Bobby. Burly was up first and he took one of the two shots that was his and brought it up. He was able to down it and the crowd cheered for him as he slammed the glass upside down on the table.

Angela moved her fingers delicately towards hers. She brought the glass up slowly and made it look like she was drinking tea before downing the drink. She may not get drunk but the rush to the head was something that wasn't an excluding factor. She paused and pressed the glass to her forehead and took a breath. There were moans of disappointment since they thought she was going under but she snapped her eyes open and shouted, "Hold on. I ain't done."

Cheers erupted like crazy when she slammed her upside down glass with a decisive thump on the table. She was smirking at burly and it emerged into a toothy grin. It said that she was challenging him to try and beat that and that she could go on all night. She glanced at Sam and Dean with the same smirk.

Burly accepted the challenge and got his second round. His hand was trembling since he had drunk quite a bit before they started this and it was easy to see he was drunk with the glassy eyed look he was giving. Still he managed to bring a trembling hand with the shot to his mouth and down it. He smiled at his achievement and his friends were cheering but it was too soon. He slumped over and hit the deck with a thud.

Angela stood up grinning amidst the cheers of those rooting for her. She held up her final shot and downed it and slammed the glass down to show that she was still standing. She collected her winnings and pocketed them within her jacket and grabbed the bottle of beer that had been left behind while everyone went back to what they were doing. She made her way over to where Sam and Dean were waiting and said, "See? Told ya I know what I'm doing."

"You're crazy you know that?" Dean replied with a grin on his face.

Angela held up the beer bottle and took a swig, "Been called worse, Dean." She put the bottle to her head to feel the coolness. "And stupid and crazy are mild."

"Hangover?" Sam asked in a tone like a parent would when they want to have the kid confess.

"No. Whiskey can hit hard but not hung over." Angela gave a grin at Sam and wagged a finger at him telling him that she knew what he was up to. "So I think we're set for money. I think there's a bed and breakfast down the road… unless you want me to go another round."

"Now I know you're crazy," Dean said as he finished his drink.

"No way," Sam said after Dean.

"Don't think you two can boss me on how much to drink," Angela warned playfully. She was done though and finished the bottle of beer and set it on the counter. "But I'm done anyway. We should go."

They made their way out of the tavern and towards the Impala which was parked a bit away. Sasha was asleep in the back seat since dogs really weren't allowed and they didn't want to risk an incident where she could bite someone. Cerebus had gone back to Bobby, actually he had been summoned by the grizzled hunter since he was needed on a job so there was plenty of room for their usual drives.

"I don't think you ever drank that much in all the time you've been with us," Dean commented.

"I drank plenty. I'm a private drinker," Angela admitted as she rotated her shoulders. "Most of the time I go overboard with certain kinds of injuries, like…"

"Hypothermia," Sam interjected.

"Exactly," Angela replied after shooting a look at Sam. "It dulls things but not incapacitates. You really want to do that, spike my drink with a drug or soda." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's not a big deal. Besides back in the day it was better to drink alcohol than water. Louis Pasteur hadn't come along yet and alcohol was healthier than water."

"My kind of time," Dean commented.

"Come see me after you try corn liquor," Angela shot back. "That was something else."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," Dean replied with a knowing smile. Things had seemed better. They joked like they used to and even when he made a comment about monsters she took it in a stride. "You attack rotgut while you were at it?"

"You kidding me?" Angela looked at Dean like he was crazy. "That stuff will ruin your liver. Specialty moonshine is the thing and that goes into old family recipes. I do know a recipe for good beer that is just as potent as Guinness."

"Nice," Dean commented. "Francis here could use a little hair on his chest."

"I think I'll stick to beer," Sam replied.

"So you were just faking it when you said that you liked it," Angela rounded on Sam with a look that generally meant that the target was in trouble. She had shot a look at Dean to indicate that she was messing with his brother.

"No," Sam replied feeling a bit defensive. "It's good stuff and isn't it the same? Why are we even talking about it?"

Angela was laughing by the time Sam finished. Mostly she was shaking in silent laughter especially at the face that he shot at her. "No reason at all Sam," she replied with a smile. "Chalk it up to the whiskey talking." She shrugged her shoulders like she didn't have a clue.

Dean was laughing a bit since he noticed the faint ghost of a smile on Sam's face. No doubt she could make his brother smile. "Yeah it probably is. We need to sober you up since you'll hate yourself in the morning if you keep going."

"Maybe you're right but I never can resist," Angela replied and gave a cheek pinch to Dean while still laughing. At the same time she ruffled Sam's hair and both feigned an injured look from it. She couldn't help but laugh at them.

They all started laughing and continued towards the Impala. They were stopped when a gravelly voice shouted, "So ya refused to have a little fun with me but yer willing to go with those two?"

It was sobering to hear it and the last thing Angela wanted was a fight. She gripped the sleeves of both their jackets and held onto them like they were leashes. She murmured, "Don't."

"Think I'm good enough to drink under but not screw."

Sam tried to move but he was held back by Angela's grip on his jacket. He shot a look at her and even Dean was shooting a look. She gave a slight shake of her head. She had seen what they were packing and this guy didn't look like the kind to play fair.

"Slut."

Sam had it and jerked free and turned towards burly. "What did you say?"

"Ya heard me boy. That bitch ain't nothing but a slut."

Sam would have started forward but was held back by his brother. Dean had managed to catch up with Sam before it went out of hand and stop his little brother from biting off more than he could chew. He muttered, "Come on Sam. Let it go. He's drunk."

Sam would have argued but he had twisted around and saw Angela staring at him. She was giving not the puppy eyes but a silent plea to just let it be. He didn't want to let it go though. In his mind that was a step too far and it didn't matter if the guy was drunk. She was not that and to hear it was an insult and it pissed him off. Still that look she gave him made him pause. He nodded and held up his hands stating that he wasn't going to fight his brother. "Alright Dean."

They started walking back, ignoring the jeering made at them for being pussies and wimps for not fighting. One of them taunted about them having any sense of honor. Burly was pissed because they backed down and refused to fight. He pulled out a knife and was prepared to throw it.

It was a shock to see the hilt of a knife sticking out of his hand. Burly gripped his hand, shocked at what had happened and then looked in the direction the knife had come from. He grimaced in pain as Angela walked forward with cool look that clearly showed that he was pissed. She said, "You speak of honor and it's the code in these here parts but the greatest sin to honor is to stab a man in the back in the middle of a fight."

The group that had gathered with burly took a look at Angela and saw a totally different person. They were all too willing to leave when she told them to leave after asking for her knife back in the most polite fashion. She stood there holding it and looking at it until they left. She turned to see both boys looking at her in surprise but she thought she saw something else but it was quickly gone and gave no indication. She walked to the car and said, "Let's get out of here."

A/N: Welcome to the newest episode and we kick it off with something going on and Angie showing off killer moves. Let's see where it heads on Long Live Blood Feuds...