After the End of Days
Summary:
It's been a year since the world crumbled at our feet. Many people died when the battle between Lucifer and Michael happened, as the scripture stated, a third of the human population was wiped off the face of the Earth, followed closely by a third of sea life, vegetation and animals. Major metropolitan cities were hit first, those left in the wake of The End traveling to find companionship, food and clean water sources. The large depletion of the population forced many dark creatures, creatures thought to be nothing more than myths and legends told to scare people, to come into the open, feeding on the flesh of what had become a near-endangered species.
Of course, in trying times, people learn what to fear and what to accept. For instance, you'd think vampires, werewolves, demons and other dark creatures would be the one's worth fearing most. Unfortunately, people learned quick that it was other humans they had to fear. Humans desperate are often most dangerous. Accepting that the world was no longer what it had once been, it was harder on some more than others to accept such a drastic change. Humanity no longer existed as it once had. Laws and rules are quickly broken as people fight for the will to live, without hunger or thirst, without fear of creatures or other people looking for a quick meal. It wasn't unheard of that some people grew so desperate they resorted to cannibalistic tendencies.
Some of us managed to find companionship, a sense of camaraderie, even in the desolation. Some people search for whoever remains behind. Some people grouped together with people they know and trust, in order to deal with the harsh conditions. My make-shift family is no different. We trust and rely on each other, each assigned certain duties, and to be honest, we are keen to trust strangers.
Even if they managed to save the life of one of my own.
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.
Author's Note:
This story is an AU after season five. This is a 'what if' scenario following the idea that the battle between Lucifer and Michael had actually happened. Don't worry, this story will contain Sam in it, as Castiel still pulls him from the Pit, but he isn't completely 'Soul-less Sam', but his soul carries scars from being Lucifer's vessel, which causes flashbacks.
This story is most likely going to be a Dean/OC/Cas and a Sam/OC (a different OC) fic. It will be centered around character development and conflicts that people go through during trying times.
Chapter One
Due Away With Fear
'One of us had to step up, take charge, and I knew I had to be the one to live without fear.'
It had only been a stroke of luck, that we had found a cabin, hidden in the depth of woods and off the beaten path. After the world around us fell apart, people dying or simply disappearing, we immediately grouped together, collecting various weapons, food stores and gallon jugs of drinkable water. We all set off, looking for a place to call our own, hoping to get away from the chaos rioting around us as fear gripped the hearts of every human across the continental U.S.
Coming across the abandoned cabin, from what appeared to be some kind of summer camp housing, we immediately set out to rig up traps keeping would-be attackers from sneaking up on us. It took a few months for the house to finally come together, the lake a couple miles down river a perfect reservoir of clean water, and unfortunately the surrounding woods harbored little-to-no edible vegetation.
Some were put to work, setting up a garden to harvest produce. Those with knowledge in technology rigged the few vehicles they acquired to run on solar-powered energy, rather than gasoline, as gasoline quickly became obsolete. The few children our group acquired were put on duty to clean up and were trained on how to use weapons if the need ever rose. We all tried to keep the kids as unaware of the outside world as we could, but somethings can't be helped. Those of us remaining were put on hunting and retrieval, we hunted for what animals we could find and if supplies ran low, we would pull a three day retrieval operation, traveling to one of the nearby cities to gather whatever we need. It was during hunts and supply runs when we would lose some of our own.
As the months progressed and more than just humans began attacking us on our supply runs, we realized we that we had to be careful, more careful than we first thought. To keep the deaths of our group to a minimum, we decided that only five of us would head out to get supplies. The majority of the time, the five that go out consists of Matt, Paul, Theo, Kay and myself. Matt and Paul both grew up hunting deer and such that it helped to have their understanding of weapons (although, after months, it was second nature to carry weapons on your person at all times). Theo, mysterious as he is, is quite efficient when it comes to fighting, and he seems to possess a high tolerance for pain and often was the only one to return without a scratch on him (the lucky bastard that he is). Kay, a childhood friend of mine, had grown up studying occult. Honestly, I didn't understand the appeal, but she swore up and down (even back then) that occult creature were as real as we are. I wish I had believed her, we probably would have been more prepared during the first months.
Me? I'm no one special. I studied martial arts when I was younger (while Kay busied herself with books on folklore and mythological creatures) so I am a decent fighter, capable of holding my own. The fact that my entire family had been massacred right before my very eyes, something seemed to just click. Perhaps it is constantly being on edge, keeping an eye out for danger. Maybe my quick judgment calls and decisions made people just...fall in line. Whatever the case, I found myself somehow appointed leadership over our camp. Not that I am the best candidate (I would have voted for Theo). I never viewed myself as a person to lead people. I never really enjoyed having people rely on me for guidance (my sense of morale has always been a bit on the grey side). Hell, even in school, I opted to have someone else take point on group projects.
Although, Theo says I have a natural ability (a gift as he calls it) to assess a situation and come up with a quick plan. He says I was blessed at birth with the traits a leader must possess.
"Hey," My thoughts push back into the back of my mind as I look up, Kay's hazel-brown eyes looking back at me, a gleam of concern and curiosity, "Matt and Paul have everything ready for us to head out."
I nod mutely, dropping my heavy, boot-clad feet from the table top. Shrugging on my black, well-worn, duster jacket (Kay wearing one in similar condition), I step over to one of the drawers, pulling a pack of cigarettes we managed to horde from an abandoned convenient store. Slipping the pack into one of my pockets, I grab my shades off of the desk before following Kay out of the room. Exiting the cabin, I instantly pull my shades over my eyes as the sudden sunlight flashes before me. Out of habit, my gaze moves over the entire encampment, women busy tending to the garden with the two youngest girls in tow, men chopping wood and preserving meats for the winter ahead of us. It may not seem like much, but a small flicker of affection tugs within me as I observe the people making up my psuedo-family.
"Jack!"
My attention turns from inspecting the camp toward the tall, lean-muscled Theo. His mess of blonde hair stands in nearly every direction and despite the situation we find ourselves in, his light blue eyes gleam with exuberance. The grin on his face has often reinforced my self-assured appointment of being the camp leader. If his hair was any darker and his eyes more grey than blue, I would swear he was my brother. Sadly, I know it is impossible, but the sentiment remains.
"Everything ready to go, Theo?" I ask, walking down the small series of wooden steps, heading to the two vehicles packed up and ready for the supply run.
"Aye, Jackie-dear. We are good to go slicing and dicing our way through town," Theo says, his ever-present grin making me inwardly question his sanity.
Then again, sanity varies upon perspective. Shaking my head, I give Paul and Matt a hand gesture as Theo climbs into the truck with them. At the sound of Classic Rock music filling the air before the squealing of tires spinning too fast too soon, I shake my head at the antics of men. Honestly, they get too much enjoyment out of killing things. Climbing into the driver's seat of the beat-up, 69' Mustang, I wait for Kay to shut her door before racing after the three idiots.
"Did Mary let you know we need more hygienic items?" Kay's voice inquires, breaking the silence between us.
As much as we both enjoy our music, much like the guys, we have a habit of talking. It kept my sanity from jumping the proverbial fence and it kept Kay from getting twitchy (she has a habit of getting hyper-aware of situations as her imagination runs wild with her thoughts). To be honest, if Kay hadn't always been there, I most likely would have lost it with all the pressure.
"Yeah," I say, nodding distractedly, quickly glancing at her from the corner of my eye, "You and I have the list for food, hygienic products and we need to see if we can find batteries. The guys are going to try and acquire some more weapons and ammo."
"Hey, Jack," I hum in acknowledgment, "Do you ever get scared?"
"In the beginning," I pause, having never really talked about my feelings since accepting the role I had been forced with, "I was. At first, it was the fear of the unknown. Then it was the fear of failing all of you. Unfortunately, as time passed, I just stopped fearing it all. Why are you asking me this?"
"I miss the old you," Kay admits, "I miss seeing you laugh, or smile, or go on a freak-out rampage. I sometimes wish it hadn't been you."
"One of us had to step up, take charge, and I knew I had to be the one to live without fear," I reply, turning to give her a small, half-smile, "Being in the position that I am, and during this day and age, I can't afford to react to the idea of fear."
"Do you think things will ever go back to the way it was before all of this?" Kay questions with a soft sigh.
"Even if life does manage to go back to what it was, the things we've had to do, the things we've seen, would haunt us for the rest of our lives," I admit, seeing the dark gleam in Kay's gaze before I turn my attention back to the road, "I do know, the only thing we've got going for us, is us."
My words seem to cause the forlorn gleam to leave her hazel gaze and the small squeezing sensation around my chest cavity. Silence falls between us again as we see the distant buildings marking our destination. Locating the truck, I park behind it and we climb out of the car. The guys approach us, Matt placing down a map of the city. For a short amount of time, we all study the map, Kay and I paying attention to the blue marker 'x's', while the guys focus on the red ones.
"What's the plan, Jack?" Paul asks, his question causing all eyes to turn on me.
"It's simple. You guys, start here," I point to the red 'x' furthest away from our rendezvous point, "and work your way back to here. Kay and I will head over in this direction. This mission should take no longer than thirty minutes, since the town is small. Sync your watches now," Each of us inspect our wrist watches to make sure we all have the same time, "If one of the teams makes it to the rendezvous point at the marked time, wait only ten minutes if you can. If you are being followed, you guys are to get out immediately."
It sounds cruel, to leave someone behind, but when it comes to a matter of self-preservation, it doesn't appear that cruel anymore. The days of moral obligation has long since passed, as we fight, kill, and steal in order to survive. It may have been wrong at some point in time, but a moment of hesitation is the moment someone should expect to take their last breath. A hard, bitter fact to swallow, but a lesson that is expected.
I hiss inwardly as I follow Kay's retreating figure, stumbling around the corner of an alley, my shoulder bumping against the corner of a building. Ignoring the flare of dull pain, most likely yet another bruise to add to my ever-growing collection, my hands work to remove the empty magazine from the pistol. Tossing it to the ground without much thought, I stagger around another corner as I dig around for another clip.
"Jack, behind you!"
Reacting on instinct alone, I turn on heel as my secondary hand slaps the clip in place, the trigger finger of my right hand pulling back on the trigger. A year ago, I would have vomited over the idea of causing someone's brains to splatter against a wall, but seeing blood and grey matter coat the horde of people behind us, I feel only a sense of regret that I had not noticed their presence before hand. Unloading a few more rounds to try and slow them down, I turn my attention back to Kay's retreating form.
Catching up to her, I grab her by the back of her jacket and yank her through a nearby doorway, clapping a hand around her mouth to keep her labored breathing muffled. As five sets of footsteps pass by the doorway, shouts of splitting up, I give another minute of silence before dropping my hand from Kay's mouth.
"I need you to get back to the rendezvous point," I command, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Wait? I thought we were going to get Matt back?" Kay questions, as both her and Matt had a sibling relationship, and I can see the heartbreak at the thought of losing him in her eyes.
Squeezing my grip on her shoulder, I give her a pointed glare, "I am going to see where they have him. You, you need to get back to camp."
"I can't leave you out here alone!" Kay hisses, trying not to raise her voice.
As gentle as possible, I firmly shove her back against the adjacent wall, hoping the command shows in my gaze, "They most likely took Matt to get coordinates to our camp. They won't kill him until they get what they want. I can't save him if I am worried about you."
Kay's fury fades into a somber understanding, "You promise you will come back. I don't want you to save him if it means risking your life."
"I may be reckless, but I am not stupid," I amend, earning a stifled laugh in return, "Kay, if something does happen, make sure Theo keeps to his promise."
"What promise?"
"He'll know which one I speak of," I say, not bothering to elaborate as I gently pull her away from the wall.
Kay gives a small grin, "Alright. Since I'm faster than you, I will try to drag them away from this area."
Giving her a mocking salute, I fight down the small bout of worry as she takes off. Waiting until I am sure I am safe, I check the clip of the gun once more before stepping deeper into the shadows of the alley. Finding an old fire escape, I climb up to the rooftop of the building. As the majority of the buildings are close together and not that high from the ground, I begin to free-run my way through town, keeping an ear out for any voices. As I get further from the rendezvous point, I begin to hear the sound of skin-meeting-skin and taunting voices. Skidding to a halt, I make sure to keep to the shadows as I peer over the edge of the building.
Seeing the familiar mess of auburn hair surrounded by four men, I take the moment to check if he has any series injuries. Even from this distance, I can tell his breathing is labored, most likely due to the blood coating his shirt, but from this distance I am unable to tell where his injury is. Pulling my second pistol, I carefully aim both guns to two of the four men beating on Matt's haggard form. Two cracks fills the air, blood coating Matt's face as the man in front of him drops to his knees, the bullet tearing through his back. The second bullet pierces through the side of another man's head, his body crumbling quick. As the remaining two men raise their weapons, I quickly pull the triggers of my guns once more, letting bullets fly through the air.
As the bodies of the remaining two men drop to the ground, I carefully scope the surrounding area before dropping to the ground level. Groaning as the tingle from the landing travels up my legs, I stumble toward Matt as he struggles to climb to his feet. Before his body hits the ground as his knees buckle, I duck and hook his arm around my shoulders, helping him stand upright.
"You broke your own rule," Matt coughs out, his bottom lip split open and coated red with blood.
I snort, readjusting my grip on him as I begin to guide him through the dark alley ways, "Yeah, well, we all know I refuse to let someone die on my watch if I can help it."
Silently, we continue weaving our way through town by alley ways. The burning sensations along my shoulders and legs from excessive weight is ignored as I press forward, my determination cemented in my personality. Turning down another alley, I feel Matt's knees completely give out, my grip on him failing as his body crumbles to the ground. Instantly turning around, I kneel in front of him, checking over his wounds. Shrugging off my jacket, I grip the bottom half of my t-shirt as I pull my butterfly knife from the side of my boot and quickly slice through the fabric. Ripping the bottom half of my shirt off, I quickly tear it into long strips before dressing the bullet hole along the right side of his stomach. Quickly looking it over, I thank whatever deity exists that it seems to have missed major organs and arteries.
"Come on, Matty. We need to get-"
A crack sounds from behind us and I hiss as the heat from a bullet grazes across my arm, ripping another hole into my jacket. Quickly using what little strength I have left I drag Matt back around a corner, pushing him further into the shadows. Using the moment of coverage, I quickly exchange the magazines in my pistols and click the safety off of each. Standing up from my crouched position, I pause as a fingers grip my pant leg.
"Don't..." Matt coughs out, trying to keep me here, "Take yourself and get out of here. They need you."
I tug my leg from his grip, "Sorry, Matty, but if there's a chance we can get out of this alive, I'm not leaving you behind."
Inhaling deeply, I push away all other thought as I duck behind a dumpster for cover, catching sight of six men standing at the mouth of the alley. Crackles fill the air as bullets fly. The chaos leaves a ringing in the air as I duck and take aim when possible. More tears mark my jacket as close-calls as I watch bodies crumble, one-by-one. An intense, burning pain scorches through my right shoulder as a bullet manages to hit and I grunt as I feel the hot metal exit and fly behind me. Using the moment of the man needing to reload, I stand and take aim. A hollow void encompasses my insides as I watch the final body drop, becoming yet another corpse to add to the ever-growing amount.
Staggering back over to Matt, I lean against the wall and slide down to sit next to him. Keeping one of my guns at the ready, I rest my head on his shoulder as my other hand clamps tightly at my profusely bleeding wound. Thankful that it seems to be over, I glance over as a rustle sounds, Matt moving in a way that causes me to lift my head from his shoulder. As he pulls his shirt over his head, exposing the bruised, scarred expanse of his torso, I blink as he hands the piece of clothing to me. Giving him a weak, half-smile, I quickly wrap my shoulder in the make-shift bandage, biting down on one end as I tie it off.
"Thanks, Matty."
"Don't ment-"
I clap a hand over his mouth, feeling him hiss as my palm brushing along his injured lip. Motioning for him to keep quiet, I tap at my ear to signal him to listen, as rushed footsteps approach the mouth of the alley.
"The gunshots came from here," a husky voice states, the footsteps slowing down, most likely at the sight of the cooling corpses littering the ground.
As the steps sound closer, I lift my gun from the ground and rest the but against the top of my thigh, waiting for them to pass by the dumpster. As a foot passes by the dumpster, I pull the trigger, but the click signaling an empty clip causes me to freeze. Looking up, I meet a pair of stern moss-green eyes, the determined gleam fading to worry and surprise.
"Hey, are you two okay?" a second masculine voice asks as a taller man steps out from behind the green-eyed man.
"Come any closer, and I'll rip your throats out with my bare hands," I hiss out through clenched teeth.
"We aren't going to hurt you. We have a first aid kit and it looks like you and your friend could use it," the tallest of the two men states.
"C-Can't...t-trust...an-any-one," Matt murmurs out, his words becoming slurred from the loss of blood.
A heavy sense of weariness begins to creep through my body and I fight to keep my eyes open, hell bent on protecting my friend. Knowing that I won't be able to get Matt back to the rendezvous point, I blink the fuzzy sensations away as I look back up at the two men standing, unsure of what to do. Hazel-brown eyes gleam with worry as moss-green eyes seem to be conflicted in what to do.
"If I feel either of you will screw us over, I won't stop in hunting you down," I hiss out, my own words slurring together.
The tallest of the two kneels down to lift the barely-conscious Matt as the shortest one helps pull me to my feet. Stumbling, I glare at my weak legs as strong arms hooks under my own to hold me upright. After being lead to a rundown motel by the two strangers, I struggle to keep myself aware of my surroundings as I am forced to sit down on the old, spring mattress. Immediately looking over to Matt as the tallest of the two lays his (recently) unconscious form, I flinch instinctively as fingers brush along the wound.
"Sorry," the husky voice murmurs, my eyes shifting up to the green-eyed man as he unties the cloth around my arm. "I'm Dean."
"Jack," I respond curtly, earning a cocked eyebrow, "Why are you helping us?"
"Figured if you and your friend did all of that damage," Dean states, referring to the horde of dead bodies, "You guys were only trying to defend yourselves." I grunt, unsure of how to respond. "This is going to need some stitches."
My gaze immediately turns to focus on Matt, the protective instincts to stand by family causing me to watch as Dean's companion stitches the wound on Matt's side. Even as the needle pierces the tender flesh around the wound, the thread slipping through and a tug following to close the wound, my thoughts travel. Who is this Dean? Who's his friend? Why did they help us? In this day and age, helping strangers is a quick way to your downfall.
"Hey! Woah! Come on, stay with me here!"
The husky voice drifts through the haze of shadows and, despite my instincts to stay awake, I feel my entire being pulled into the void of darkness.
Random here! It's been awhile since I've written anything and for some reason this story won't leave me alone, so here is the beginning to a new story. Please, let me know what you think.