CARRY ON WAYWARD ROAD
THE WEB WE WEAVE
CHAPTER 1
"HMMM." said Dean.
"Hmmph." replied Sam.
The boys stood at the edge of the grass where it met the sand. They were looking out over the white sandy beach and seemingly endless water that faded into the sky. The water was a deep blue with small white waves moving back and forth leaving ripples in their paths.
The sky was clear, the sun shining down, threatening to leave soon, to give the sky to the moon. Birds flying around overhead. Everything seemed quiet except the cawing of the birds and the splashing of the waves. The whole scenario started making the boys feel a little uncomfortable. The silence had gotten long.
"Well, Sammy boy, we made it to the beach."
Dean couldn't help but sound proud of himself for keeping his promise.
"Yeah, yeah we did." Sam was questioning why he chose the beach.
"soooo…." Dean wasn't sure what they were doing there either.
"Soo, what do we do now?"
"I don't know Sammy, maybe get a picnic blanket? Or a beach view room and hug it out till morning?" Dean replied getting a much-deserved elbow to his side from Sam as Dean gently laid his head on Sam's shoulder to show the love and affection he was joking about.
"Jerk." Sam replied as he took a few steps back and leaned on the car.
"Bitch." Dean followed. The boys stayed there, admiring the sight, taking in the breathes of fresh air and the small fleeting moment free of stress and worry.
"Well, Sammy." Dean said, looking up to the sky seeing the sun was closer to leaving than when they first arrived. "How about we find a bed to sleep in for the night?"
Sam nodded his head, agreeing with his brother. "Sounds good to me."
They weren't in a town, wasn't even sure where the closest town was. Dean had pulled over somewhere, in the middle of nowhere to fulfill his promise to Sam to go see the beach. This wasn't a vacation destination, but it was an ocean with sand, so he figured it was close enough.
After investigating the area, Dean noticed an old shack, possibly a hunting cabin or an old home that's been abandoned, left to fall apart. Surrounded by thick trees in the middle of the woods, it was top notch ocean view, except for the overgrowth ground surrounding it. The boys decided that looked like a good place to them.
Parking Baby outside the shack, the boys gathered their bags and forced open the door. The dust flew everywhere, causing them to cough and choke a little. Inside was an old couch, looks like it had been sitting there for as long as they've been alive. The material on it was torn and weak from the years of abandonment. An old coffee table sat in front of it, must have had a couple inches of dust on it, cobwebs filled the spaces between the legs.
In the kitchen there was an old round table, half of it broken off, with 2 old wooden chairs. One of the chairs was missing it's back. The cupboards were beginning to rot. The sink had already fallen through, to the floor.
There was a bathroom, but it wasn't usable, old stagnate water sitting in the tub, it had dripped in there from the leak in the roof when it rains. The toilet, they weren't sure what was in it, but it appeared to be black and solid. The sink was half hanging on and half falling through the rotting of the floor. After looking at the bathroom Dean pulled the door, hanging by one hinge, closed.
"Gross!" Not much grossed Dean out, but that bathroom managed to do the job. Sam agreed.
There was one small bedroom. It had an old metal bed, the kind with spindles on the headboard and footboard. An old mattress laying on it, the sheets and blankets remained on the bed but they were so dirty and worn that you could barely tell they were there. There were a couple pillows, one of them looking like a mouse, or another animal, used it for a bed, the other, the cover was beginning to tear from being weathered. The mattress much the same.
An old dresser that had started to rot sat in the room. Out of curiosity, Dean opened the drawers, finding old clothing from what looked like a hunter, or maybe a farmer? All belonging to a man, no woman's clothes were found, not that he could see a woman wanting to live in this place.
Back in the kitchen, dishes were still in the rotting cabinets. The curtains that hung from the windows worn and torn, much like everything else in that house. Dean's curiosity always seems to get him in trouble. He made the worst stink face and started to gag when he opened the fridge. He wasn't expecting anything they could eat but he also wasn't expecting rotted food and meat with mold and mildew.
"Hey, Sam!" Dean shouting loud enough he could hear him. "Why don't you come smell this?"
"And, why would I do that Dean?" Sam asked, knowing his brother was up to no good, but walked into the kitchen where his brother stood anyhow.
"Dude, it smells as bad as you do!" Dean said with a chuckle as he pushed his shoulder into his brother's.
He walked past him to see if the couch had any comfort to it. It wasn't too bad. He had slept on worse. Beside the couch was an old chair. It was made of plaid material with wooden arms. The wood and cloth covering the chair was rotting away. Dean had stretched out over the couch so Sam sat in the chair. He had to agree with Dean. It wasn't the best but he'd been on worse.
"You can take the bed Sammy." Dean suggested as he was making himself comfortable on the couch.
They had drove for 2 days straight. Dean insisted on driving till they got to their destination. He'd promised his little brother they would see the ocean and they had already made enough detours. He wasn't going to let anything else stop him from keeping his promise to Sam.
Both boys, completely exhausted, ready to pass out. Sam didn't want to move. He was fine where he was at. But, Dean insisted he try to stretch out on the bed since they had been cramped in the car for so long.
Dean felt like he had been run over by a truck. Every muscle in his body ached. His head was hurting, starting to feel lightheaded from exhaustion. He was still recovering from the emotional rollercoaster of the past few… hell, he doesn't even know how long it's been. He was finally starting to feel like himself again. His only concern was sleep. He was afraid if he slept the nightmares would return.
He wouldn't let Sam know, but one reason he drove straight through was because he was afraid of the nightmares he has been having. He didn't want to stop to sleep, he didn't want to worry his brother any more than he already had. He was okay, he knew he was, or at least he would be. He may have hit a deep, depressing moment in his life, but nothing keeps Dean down. He's stronger than anything that tries to hold him down, especially with his little brother by his side. There's nothing they can't conquer together.
He looked over and noticed Sam had fallen asleep on the chair. He didn't look very comfortable. Dean didn't wanna wake him, but he did. He gently woke his sleeping brother, just enough to let him help sleep walk over to the couch. He placed a pillow they kept in their trunk under Sam's head, and covered him with a blanket. Sam didn't even wake enough to notice. He was worn out.
He had been on the same emotional rollercoaster that Dean was on. Sam may not have been the one who was in a dark place, but he rode the ride with his brother, right there, in the front passenger seat. He made sure he kept him together when he was falling apart. He kept his brother safe. They kept each other safe. Dean, still feeling a little 'off', not quiet back to himself, completely, didn't want to leave Sam, he wasn't sure why, maybe he still needed to know that someone was there, that someone cared, either way, he moved the dusty coffee table back a few feet.
Under it, the floor, had an old rug that had long rotted away, leaving scattered pieces of it as a memory. The floorboards, uneven, splinting and breaking. Dean laid on the floor beside the couch, his pillow under his head, covered with his blanket. He didn't dare take his boots or pants off, not in this place. He laid in the darkness, listening to the sounds of the outdoors. The silence filled with crickets and tree frogs, an owl occasionally making its presence known.
Since Dean had started down his dark road, this is the first time he can remember lying down without being drunk first. 'Maybe that will help?' he thought to himself, as he pushed away the anxiety that was rising in him. Sam's light breathing, close enough Dean could hear it, was welcomed as he found it a comfort. He was satisfied with his brother being comfortable and content. He knew they both needed sleep, but Dean couldn't seem to let himself go. He tried. He even had his gun under his pillow, where he always kept it, just in case.
Nothing was after them, nothing was going to attack them. It was calm, and peaceful. A feeling Dean wasn't too familiar with. As he laid there, he eventually allowed the darkness of the night to take over. He allowed his body to relax. The aches and pains of his body being so tight for so long had gotten to him, it felt good to relax, finally. Felt good to close his eyes, without them stinging from tears. Without the headache of the booze ringing through his brain.
He knew it wasn't over yet, he could still feel it, inside. But for now, he was going to try to make tonight work. He needed his sleep. He needed good, restful sleep. He was going to get up, he was going to go to the other room, just in case. Just in case he had a nightmare, he didn't want to wake Sammy with it, but his body had relaxed and refused to move. Plus, he still had this need to feel his brother's closeness. He needed his protection, to feel safe.
He knew he could fight anything that came his way, that wasn't the problem. Physically Dean was still able to protect his little brother, and himself. It was more of the emotional protection he was needing. Something that was new to Dean. Something he didn't completely understand. He just knew what he felt, he didn't have to understand it.
Truth is, Sam understood it, and he knew exactly what his big brother needed. And, that was enough for Dean. That's how they've always been, what one brother lacked, or was weak at, or didn't understand, the other brother had it covered. They made a great team. He realized, at that moment, no matter what crap may have been placed on them, no matter what crap they may face in the future, he was thankful.
He was thankful for his brother and he was thankful for his dad. He may have thought he resented his dad for pushing Sammy on him, but it made them closer. Because of the way they were raised, because of their dad, Dean and Sam were as close as two brothers could be, they would always have someone looking out for them, always have a shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with. They would always have a best friend.
A small smile creeped across Dean's face with that thought as his body and mind began to give way to the night and before he knew it he was drifting away, drifting into a sweet relief of sleep.