So this Chapter 1. I know I have another Supernatural story going but this one was in my head too. :) Sorry for grammar mistakes and all that. Comment if you like!
-GlockenBlume
Chapter 1: Deadbeat Dad
"Kate?"
The word was small and whispered but it was the only noise that needed to be made. Within seconds I was rising from the motel bed and crossing over to the one placed right next to mine. I clicked on the lamplight as I sat down, and peered down at my eight-year-old brother Jared.
"What's wrong buddy?" I asked him softly my right hand already brushing his soft curls from his face. "You sick or something?"
"I had another nightmare." My brother mumbled lifted his thin body so he could dig his head in my stomach. "He took you Kate!"
I smiled reassuringly feeling instant relief. A nightmare was something I could take care of no problem. "He's not going to get me Jared. He's not going to get and he's not going to get you. I take care of us right? Right?"
"Right." Jared agreed in a muffled voice. I wrapped my arms tight around him since I could still he was shaking and I started humming his favorite lullaby. At moments like this I felt way older than my eighteen years, and it scared me a bit. I was all that Jared had left though and he was all I had in the world. I would take care of him even if that meant facing all the threats this messed up world spat at us.
"Go back to sleep, Jared." I whispered gently laying him back down on his pillow, "I'll stay right here. I promise."
"Okay Kate." Jared agreed rather sullenly and in mere minutes he was slipping back into the world of dreams…or in my brother's case nightmares.
Once I was sure Jared was really asleep I moved across the room to the little table we had. As quietly as I could I started up our laptop and rattled through my many emails hoping to hear word back from our friends. Like the last three days I've done this, all emails were completely void of replies. Jared and I were completely on our own. Expect we weren't.
I just knew that Karen was watching over us. She was good for that. I just knew she was watching over Jared and I. She was the best foster mom I ever got, and she really accepted me into the family. She taught me everything I needed to know about a hunter's world and she made promise to look out for Jared. That was a little over a year ago, and Jared and I have been struggling ever sense. I've picked up Karen's little hobby, but I only ever hunted the supernatural when they messed with Jared and I. I'll do anything in the world to protect my brother.
Beyond that, I just had this nagging feeling we were being followed. Call it paranoia but I swear I've seen the same black Impala five times in the last two days. Where they just going our way or where they really following us? The idea sent shivers up and down my spine. It didn't help that while I was doing the final checks on the salt lines, and locking the doors I could have sworn I saw the same black Impala pulling into this crappy motel's parking lot.
I looked over at Jared making sure he was still asleep before I slowly walked back over towards the window. Not even touching the curtain I leaned in close to try and peek through it but no dice. I wasn't going to move it though, no way.
I knew there would be no more sleeping for me tonight so I moved back towards my laptop and checked my emails again. Zilch. In a moment of uncommon anger I kicked my foot against the wall next to me snapping my eyes to Jared at the rather loud thud it made. I sighed in relief when Jared didn't even flinch. The boy needed all the hours of sleep he could rack up.
I woke Jared up at 5 a.m. feeling a deep sense of urgency to leave unnoticed. I had already packed up our backpacks and had his clothes: blue jeans, a blue striped t-shirt, and a dark navy hoodie laid out on my bed for him. While he changed and brushed his teeth, I grabbed my black leather jacket and pulled it on tugging my long wavy brown hair out of the collar to fall down my back.
I smiled at Jared's sleepy expression as he walked out of the bathroom now completely dressed. "Ready to hit the road bro?" I asked him with fake excitement, "Once we got on the road I'll find us some IHOP. Sound good?"
Jared's tried face broke into a wide smile, and grabbed his backpack from his bed. "Yay! Pancakes!" He squealed loudly probably waking up our neighbors next door. The thought had my stomach tightening and I grabbed his small hand in my own and shuffled us out the door and towards the beat up pickup truck I inherited from Karen.
I helped Jared up into the high seat and buckled him in before rushing around to the driver's side. I froze mid-way when I spotted the black Impala parked right next to us. For a second I debated popping the tires or other malicious ways of making sure it never drove again. In the end, I decided it would be best to get as much distant between us and this black Impala as I could.
I continued my stride towards the driver's side, and as I hauled myself up onto the seat I could have sworn I saw a curtain flash close. Grumbling under my breath I started up the truck cringing at how loud the engine is, and backed out quickly.
"Kate?"
Jared's voice was unsure and I cursed at myself. My mood had to be scaring the poor kid.
"Yeah honey?" I asked already knowing what he wanted.
"Are you okay?"
"Of course!" I answered confidently, "Just hungry for some pancakes. How about you?"
"YES!" Jared yelled, "I'm going to get chocolate chip pancakes and bacon and…" I smiled as Jared rattled on and on as I pushed our truck as far away from this one- road town as I could.
We were seated near the back the IHOP as close to the Exit sign as I could get us. I smiled as Jared slurped loudly at this third glass of chocolate milk. I know I probably should have stopped the chocolate intake about two glasses ago, but what the hell right? Jared's life wasn't like other kids with fortified cereal and a white picketed fenced house. Heck, it was a good day when we reached the normal three meals a day lately. So now when I had enough money I wasn't going to deny him something as simple as chocolate milk.
"Kate?"
I looked down at Jared chuckling at the slight milk mustache he was sporting.
"What's up kiddo?" I asked him immediately doing a 360 for anything that might be worrying him. The room we were siting it was relatively empty expect one other family with two small kids, and two men on the other side of the room.
"I gotta pee!" Jared exclaimed loudly wiggling in his seat. I laughed at the little scene he was making and rose from the seat before extending my hands towards him.
"I bet you do." I agreed eyeing the three empty glasses of chocolate milk, "Alright lets go."
Jared grabbed my hand before hopping of the booth, and I guided him towards the bathroom. I was pushing open the girl's bathroom door when he pulled hard on my hand.
"I don't want to go in the girl's bathroom Kate! That's gross!" Jared cried it outrage. Inwardly, I counted to ten in my head before I spoke. We have this little argument every day now. Apparently at the last school he'd been to he'd learned how uncool it is to go in the girl's bathroom.
"You need to stay with me though." I said just like I always do, "and I can't go in the men's restroom." I started to pull on him again, but stopped when Jared still wouldn't budge. "Jared." I warned in a slightly angry voice.
The boy swallowed nervously before lifting his big, brown eyes up to my face. "I can't go in the girl's bathroom Kate! I can't!"
A chuckle sounding from behind us had Jared fleeing into my arms and me spinning around to glare at our intruder. It was one of the men from before, and if he was shocked by our reaction he didn't show it. Actually, all I saw was amusement on his face.
"Got a problem?" I snapped at the man happily brushing my irritation for my brother off on this man. He stalked towards us and Jared curled closer into my side. He was a very brave kid but he didn't do well with strangers.
"Just enjoying the show." He said shrugging calmly, "You know… I could take him to bathroom." I straightened my shoulders at the questioned. Yeah, the only way this man would be separating Jared from me is over my dead body. The stranger seemed to read my thoughts because he held his hands up. "Or not. It was just a suggestion."
"Yeah…" I spoke warily, "Okay." I took advantage that Jared was still plastered to my side, and I pushed us into the girl's bathroom. It took a couple minutes of talking but soon Jared had taken care of business, washed his hands, and we were heading back to our booth. I spotted the man sitting back at his booth with his friend. He nodded at m when we met eye contact.
Our food came then and I nibbled on my egg breakfast nervously while Jared basically vacuumed up his pancakes.
"Aren't you hungry Kate?" Jared asked worriedly when his plate was completely empty. I looked down at my still full plate and smiled at my brother.
"Not really kiddo. You want my bacon?" I asked pushing the plate closer to him. That was all the convincing he needed before gobbling that up too. I could tell he was heading towards a growth spurt and sometime soon he'd be taller than me.
Once he was completely done I took us to the front and paid. I noticed the men where right behind us the whole time, but I decided to believe it was because they finished too and nothing else. After that I got us back in the truck before pulling back onto the highway.
I didn't notice the black Impala parked on the other side of the building.
Three hours later I was stopping for gas, and honestly I was getting just as restless as Jared. I really had no game plan to speak off and it was starting to annoy me. I emailed every freaking friend of Karen's that I could think of. Since the day she died I've been trying everyone and anyone searching for one person to stay with! While Karen was alive we moved around a lot because of the hunt, and I didn't want to do that to Jared. I don't know what I was hoping for, but I just wanted to give Jared a normal white picket fence life. At driving all around the USA with his sister with no permanent address was not that.
"Stay close." I ordered Jared as I filled up the tank. Jared gave me an annoyed expression but stayed in my line of sight as he stretched his legs.
"A dog!" Jared exclaimed happily and I peeked at him. A red truck was parked next to us with a big bulldog hanging out the front window. The dog's owner must have been inside getting food or something. "Hi dog!"
"Don't touch Jared!" I called while turning to put the gas pump up. Jared loved dogs and soon as I got us a real home I planned on getting him a puppy. A little Golden Retriever just like he asked for at Christmas last year.
"HEY!" A voice growled causing all my defensives to rise. "What you doing near my truck you little punk?"
In seconds, I was by Jared's side as she struggled to explain himself.
"I was just looking at your dog. I wasn't causing harm honest mister!" He whispered flashing his best puppy dog eyes. They didn't do a thing about the angry, smelly man in front of us.
"If you put one single scratch on my truck…" The man plowed on while inspecting is pride and joy.
"He didn't touch your truck." I snapped pulling Jared close to me, "He didn't do anything so I suggest you quit threatening my brother."
That had the man turning to glare at me now. As smoothly as I could I transferred Jared from my side to my back so I could be between him and this idiot.
"You think your tough girl?" He asked leaning till he was in all up in my face. His breath reeked of Tabaco and other unidentifiable smells.
I rolled my eyes and kept my eyes trained on this asshole. "Just get back in your car buddy." I told him a voice I reserved for a grumpy Jared, "No reason to start any trouble here."
The man's smirk grew even wider like he'd just won or something. "Scared sugar?" He asked me in what could only be his 'seductive' tone. It sounded like he was gargling cats to me. He looked around the lot. "You all alone here?"
I sighed and back away slowly from the tool. I really didn't want to cause a scene here and have some surveillance camera picking it up.
"Get in the truck Jared." I said softly as I kept backing us up. "Hurry now."
"Now wait a second…" The man reached for me and I reacted immediately. I smashed my knee up between his legs with all my might…once and then again.
"Don't touch me!" I growled with disgust.
The man roared up at her still clutching his privates. "Why you little b…"
"Watch your mouth!" A male voice roared from behind me. I spun around to be face to face with the man from IHOP. He was pissed.
I stumbled out of the way as he literally lunged forward, and I grabbed Jared's shoulders to keep him out of the way. The man was in the still injured idiot's face in seconds and I had to strain my ears to hear his deep, dangerous voice cut. "Go away. Now. Or else."
The fool listened and limped over to the driver's seat of his truck and in seconds he was squealing out of the lot. I felt bad for his dog. I hate to have him for an owner.
The man turned to face us and I noticed his friend moving up behind him. They both wore similar expressions of annoyance so I clutched Jared closer to me. I nearly screamed when I noticed the black Impala parked right in front of my truck.
"Who are you freaks?" I snapped trying not to sound scared, "Why have you been following us? What do you want?" I was sure I was probably hurting Jared with the grip I now had on his shoulders. These guys weren't getting my brother if that's what they wanted. I'd kill them.
The man who'd helped us earlier spoke up. "My name's Dean." He pointed to the taller man behind him, "That's my little brother Sam." He searched my eyes for a second before peering down at Jared. "I'm the boy's dad."
What?
"Like hell you are!" I erupted loudly.
"Kate you said we can't use that word." Jared irrupted oh so innocently.
Ugh, kill me now.
