Chapter 1
It was that time of day between daylight and darkness when the world seems more make believe than real. Wisps of fog danced among the trees as Riley walked down the lonely road in the Nebraska boondocks. She thought of the dark places she had been in and shivered as cold fingers ran down her back. She had not seen a car for hours and could see a storm brewing on the horizon. She pulled her coat tighter around her small body and turned up the collar against the cool breeze now blowing down the road.
If this wind got any worse, there might be a problem. Taking this side road was not one of her better ideas, but what was done was done. She tried to stay off busy roads for fear the wrong people would find her; she was not going back ever again and would do what she needed to stay off their radar. With head down, she trudged slowly onward.
spn
Sam traced their route on the map one more time as his older brother complained. "Are you sure you haven't gotten us lost?"
"For the fourth time, no, this will drop us back onto Interstate 80."
"You do realize we haven't seen another car in over an hour now."
"So not many people use this road, no traffic for us." he said folding up the map. "Looks like we may run into a storm up ahead." Sam watched out the windshield as dark, rain laden clouds drew ever closer.
"You think." Dean answered as lightening bounced in the sky ahead of them. "Man what a light show."
Both watched out the window as lightening bounced from cloud to cloud and rumbling of thunder could be heard in the distance.
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Riley had stopped to pull a poncho out of her backpack and slipped it over her head. She could see the rain up ahead and wanted to keep as much of her body dry as possible. The poncho engulfed her small frame hanging below her knees and swished around her legs as she started walking again.
Quarter size drops of rain started to darken the blacktop as she entered the edge of the storm. Sheets of cold rain drops were being blown sideways into to her causing her to wobble as she pushed onward. She hunched her shoulders and tilted her head down to keep it off her face. Darkness seemed to engulfed her in a matter of minutes, so she focused on following the white line beneath her feet.
The storm was intensifying the farther she walked down the almost invisible road. She decided it might be better to seek shelter under some thick branches of a tall tree just off the road until the storm let up. Running toward the trees, she failed to see a half buried branch and tripped over it hitting her head on a partly exposed rock. A soft moan escaped her lips as blackness overtook her mind. Riley lay there as the wind blew the poncho up off her body waving it like a flag. Her clothes were soaked from the pounding rain in a matter of seconds.
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"Damn this rain." Dean fussed. "Can't see five feet in front of me."
Sam was gazing out the side window as a long streak of lightening breached the sky making the night into day. He saw something out of the corner of his eye blowing around just off the side of the road. "Dean stop now!" he cried out turning in his seat to try and fix on the spot again.
"What the hell!" he exclaimed slamming on the breaks as he tried to control the car on the wet pavement. "Are you crazy?"
"I saw something back there, back up slowly until I tell you to stop." he urged turning on the spot light and shining it into the darkness along the side of the road. Dean put the car in reverse and began to back up slowly letting Sam look out into the woods.
"Stop." he finally said grabbing a flashlight out of the glove box and getting out of the car.
"Hey! It's pouring rain." Dean complained watching his brother head off into the darkness.
Sam made his way into the brush and caught sight of the object again. He saw the shoes first and then legs as the poncho covered them back up. He knelt by the body, turned it over and checked for a pulse. He found a weak one and shone his light onto the face seeing blood mixed with rain running down the face of a kid.
"Find anything." Dean yelled out the window.
"I found the body of a kid." he called back picking up the small body and carrying it back to the car. He opened the back door and laid the body on the seat. "Give me the keys, want to get a blanket." he said wiggling his fingers impatiently.
"Ok." he huffed turning off the car and tossing the keys. Sam went around to the back of the car, opened the trunk and grabbed a blanket. He tossed the keys back to Dean and proceeded to slip the poncho off and wrap the body in the blanket. Sam could feel the cold rain pounding his back and running from his jacket down into his pants. He shook himself like a wet dog before getting back into the car.
"Oh you're so cleaning this up." Dean said solemnly as water dripped off of Sam's long hair. He frowned at his big brother as he wiped rain out of his eyes.
"The kid's hurt. Looks like head wound."
"Let's find somewhere dry and we'll check him out."
"Right, we're about a hour from 80 so there should be some place we can stop for the night." Sam shivered as he turned the heat on full blast and aimed the vents at himself.
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Dean sped down the road as Sam tried to keep his teeth from chattering. He glanced back at the body laying in the back seat wondering why a kid would be out in this weather.
"Why would someone be hiking in this rain?"
"Well for one thing there's no traffic on this road so he couldn't get a ride."
"Who would even start down this road anyway?"
"Maybe you can ask him when he wakes up."
spn
It was forty minutes later when Dean spotted a motel sign in the distance.
"There, it's about time." he grumbled. "I'll be glad to get out of this monsoon."
"I just want some dry clothes." Sam commented pulling his wet shirt away from his chest. "I'm wet already, so I'll go get us a room."
"See if they have a cot we can use for the kid."
"Good idea." he said making a run for the office.
Dean drummed on the steering wheel as he waited for Sam. He jumped as lightening struck behind the motel followed by a roll of thunder that shook the car.
"Sonovabitch." he muttered. "That was too close."
Sam motioned for Dean to pull around to the side of the building as he ran for the room. He stopped in front of a door and opened it. Dean pulled into a parking space in front of the room and killed the engine. Jumping out, he popped the trunk and grabbed their bags before making a dash for the room. Sam came back out and got the kid carrying him into the room.
"They're going to bring a cot down shortly." Sam said laying the body on one of the beds.
"I think the storm must be right on top of us." Dean commented as another bolt of lightening struck and thunder shook the motel. He draped his wet coat over a chair and glanced around the dimly lit room. His thoughts were disturbed by pounding on their door.
"Must be the cot."
"You ordered a cot?" a young guy asked shivering in the dampness of the rain.
"Yeah thanks." Sam said handing him a couple of bucks. He set it up in the corner out of the way and gathered up the sheets to make the bed, adding a blanket from the closet.
Dean stood by the bed and looked down into the pale face of a young kid. He sat down on the bed and examined her head. The gash was ugly but not as bad as he thought. He pulled the hat off and watched a long auburn braid fall out. Total shock consumed Dean's face as his brows drew together.
"Here's a wash cloth, do you think it needs stitches?" Sam asked handing him a wet cloth and looking down to see the braid. "Crap! It's a girl." Sam squeaked.
"No joke, what gave it away?" Dean said unsure what to do next. "I'll clean the wound and see how it looks, we may be able to use steri strips on her." Dean decided after the shock wore off. He took the wash cloth to wipe her forehead gently removing the blood. A small trickle ran from the wound and he wiped it away. Sam found the steri strips and pulled several off so Dean could apply them to her forehead. "Give me some antibiotics and gauze."
"Here." Sam replied handing the items to Dean from their first aid kit. He expertly closed the wound and covered it with gauze for protection. That done, now the next step.
"We need to get these wet clothes off her and be sure there are no other injuries." Dean said opening the blanket so he could get to her clothes. He unbuttoned the jacket and slipped her arms out of the sleeves throwing it to the floor. He pulled two pairs of pants and four shirts off her until he was down to a tank top and yoga pants. Dean looked at the pile of clothes in the floor and at Sam who just shrugged shaking his head with a don't have a clue look.
"Grab a tee shirt out of my bag and a towel, we need to get the rest of her damp clothes off."
Sam did as ordered coming back with the towel and tee shirt.
"Her tank top is dry enough, so lets slip on my shirt and take off her pants." Dean ordered Sam as he worked on getting the tee shirt over her head. "Damnit." he muttered as he tried to hold her limp body and put her arms thru the sleeves.
"Dean really language?"
"Hey, she's out." he argued pulling the tee shirt down. It was way too big, but at least it was dry and warm. "I'll hold her up and you peel those pants off."
"What, no-no you're kidding right?"
"No, they're damp, now do it." he commanded as he lifted her up so Sam could pull the pants off. He closed his eyes and carefully put his hands in the waistband and tried to pull them down but they didn't come over her hips.
"They won't come…." he started then noticed the pants had a drawstring.
"What's the problem?" Dean asked shifting the body to see what Sam was doing.
"There's a knot, hold on a minute." he fussed finally getting it undone and getting them over her hips. "Man how do women get these things on?"
"I don't even want to know." he answered. "Check her pack to see if she has any, you know any dry under thingies." Sam snickered as he sat her pack on the bed and pulled a zip lock bag out with clean socks, underwear and tank. He pulled out the socks and underwear from the bag. Dean was holding her limp body up against his as Sam slipped them on her.
Dean carried the girl to the cot and gently laid her down. He pulled the sheet and blanket over her tucking them tightly around her small body. He paused for a second thinking back on all the times he used to put Sam to bed when they were little.
"I'm going to take a quick shower." Sam said pulling some dry clothes out of his bag. "How about some heat?"
"Pansy." Dean said changing the thermostat. "Don't use all the hot water either." he added. Dean made coffee as he waited for his turn in the bathroom. He sipped the hot liquid and watched the girl sleep. She was way to young to be on her own. He couldn't quiet describe the feeling that was deep down in his subconscious, but there was something different about her. Something he just couldn't put his finger on.
"Your turn." Sam said as he came out of the bathroom drying his hair with the towel. "What's this?" he asked picking up a knife off the table.
"You won't believe it, but she had them in the side pockets of her pack." Dean said holding up another similar knife.
"Double crap, but why all those clothes?"
"I haven't a clue unless she's trying to hide from someone. Check the rest of her bag and see if she has any id."
"Right." Sam said taking her pack. He pulled out a couple of maps, compass, a couple of power bars, a bottle of water, a paperback book and a first aid kit. "I don't see anything."
"Who the hell is this kid and what was she doing out there alone in the middle of no where?"
"I would guess the knives were for protection, but from what or who?"
A/N: This is my first FF story, I have started going through to make corrections and extend some of the chapters. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review.
NC