From the Shadows
Chapter One: Paranoia
This is the next story in my Demon Blood AU. Please see my bio so you can read the stories in the correct order. Enjoy!
Joanna Beth Harvelle slammed out the door of the Roadhouse, rucksack slung over one shoulder as she headed for an old Toyota pick-up that had belonged to her father before his death. Her mother's voice was still ringing in her ears.
"You are not goin' Hunting while you live under this roof!"
"Then I'm gone, Mom, and you can't stop me."
And she didn't.
Yeah, it had been stupid of her to go and get herself nabbed by the ghost haunting that apartment complex over in Philadelphia, and yes, it was only her mother's determination and knowledge that had saved both their asses (but not either of those other girls), but now that she'd gotten a taste for it, Jo just couldn't stop herself from wanting to Hunt. She'd been the freak with the knife collection when she'd tried going to college, and she was the pretty girl who knew too much in her mother's bar. She'd had enough of trying to be something she wasn't.
Even better, Jo already had a case lined up over in Baltimore. A lawyer named Anthony Giles had died in his locked office, throat slit. His office was clean, and the security cameras had failed to capture the assailant. That meant someone had tampered with the tapes, or it was some kind of spirit. Either way, she was checking this one out.
"Sorry, Mom," she whispered before gunning the engine and pulling away.
"It's infected."
Sam sighed and leaned back in his chair. They were currently staying in a tiny motel just outside of Ilchester, Maryland. "We robbing a pharmacy tonight, then?" he asked.
"I'm going," Dean said, stepping back from Sam and dropping onto the nearest bed. "You're staying here, kiddo."
Sam couldn't help the scowl that crossed his face, even though he knew it would be better if Dean went alone. Dean's emotions told him he understood and he was sorry, but it was what it was.
Dean stood after a moment had passed and grabbed his jacket. "I'm gonna find food, and you're gonna sit there and do nothing to aggravate that arm of yours in any way, got it?"
"Yes, Dean," Sam intoned with a roll of his eyes. "Don't get distracted by anything with legs."
Dean gave Sam a light cuff to the back of his head and then he left. Sam stayed where he was, slumped in his seat and staring at nothing.
This sucked.
After some length of time, Sam's eyes were drawn to the research he had pulled up. The man they were looking for was named Fredric Lehne. He had once been a priest at St. Mary's convent, only a few minutes drive from where they were, and he had been possessed by Azazel, who disemboweled eight nuns inside the chapel. The once-Father was now located inside the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Baltimore and was considered one of the calmer patients.
The only thing that made him crazy was that he continued to insist that it had been demonic possession responsible for the death of those nuns, and not him. Dean had come across this information when helping their father try to track down everywhere Azazel had been between 1972 and 1983 in an attempt to find where he'd been holding Sam during his time in captivity. Amazingly, Lehne was still alive, so Sam and Dean hoped they could get in to see him and find out if there was anything else he remembered from the possession. This was the only way they had found so far to try and determine what Azazel's end game could be.
Sam's cell phone started ringing, and he picked it up, stared at the screen for a moment and then pressed the talk button. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sam? It's Ellen."
"Oh, hey," Sam said. "How are you? Dean told me you went to save Jo over in Philadelphia a few days ago."
"Yeah," Ellen sighed, "and then Jo decided she wanted to keep Hunting and ran off earlier this afternoon. Ash told me that Gordon was tracking you and that Scott kid?"
"Yeah, he was," Sam said.
"So, what happened?"
Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair before remembering he wasn't supposed to move his left arm around at all. "Well," he said, dropping his arm to his lap, "Gordon was tracking us both, but there was a succubus in town along with one of the demons that I met back in L.A. and it got crazy complicated and ended with Gordon in jail along with Gerald Humphrey and his nephew, Thomas."
"Wait," Ellen said, "Hunter Gerry? In jail?"
"Well, he and Thomas managed to get out, but Gordon's still behind bars since the cops found evidence that he'd been tracking both Scott Carey and me along with his impressive arsenal."
"Wow," Ellen said after a moment. "I think you and Dean are gonna have to stop by sometime and give me the whole story."
"Yeah," Sam said.
"Anyway," Ellen continued after a moment, "the main reason I called is because I think Jo's headed to Baltimore to work a case. You boys anywhere near there?"
Sam frowned. "As it just so happens, we are," he said, sitting up straighter and opening his laptop. "Any idea what the case is?"
"Man had his throat slit in his office a couple days back," Ellen answered. "There's no prints or witnesses, and the security cameras didn't catch anyone, which could mean tampering or a spirit."
"Huh," Sam said. "Well, I don't think that has anything to do with why we're here, but I guess I could take a look into it."
"What are you two out there for?" asked Ellen. "You didn't find another kid, did you?"
"No," Sam said, "it's got more to do with Azazel." It wasn't something he really wanted to talk about. "Anyway, did you want us to keep an eye out for Jo or something?"
"Please," Ellen said. "I can't stop her from doing what she wants, but I can't stop from worrying about her, either. It really would mean a lot."
"All right," said Sam, "I'll let Dean know and we'll keep our eyes peeled."
"Thank you," said Ellen. "And Sam? You take care of yourself, you hear?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sam said with a smile. He ended the call and pulled up his web browser. Throat slitting was usually a demon's M.O., but he got the feeling that this was something else entirely. He resettled into his seat and began his latest bout of research.
Scott Carey was bored. He didn't mean to be, but celebrating Ryan Fulmer's nineteenth birthday mere days after his life had changed irrevocably seemed so mundane after everything.
He kept his gloved hands folded close to his chest as he watched other boys and girls around Ryan's age have a fun time socializing while they drank punch and ate pizza from his spot against the wall. It was so normal, everything Scott had ever known until he'd developed the ability to electrocute people, fry their insides until they were dead.
If it hadn't been for Sam and Dean Winchester, Scott was pretty sure he would have remained to total recluse who got stabbed to death by an insane Gordon Walker. As it was, life in general was just… different. Sharper. Bigger, broader, whatever. It was different, and so was he.
"You've changed." Scott blinked and focused on the blonde girl standing in front of him.
"Oh, hey Callie," he said, meeting her green eyes. "How are you?"
"I'm good," Callie Parker answered. "Mind telling me what happened to you?"
Scott raised his eyebrows. "What makes you so sure I'm a changed man?" he asked.
Callie shrugged, turning so she was leaning against the wall, as well. "You're quieter," she said after a moment. "I wouldn't say you were an extrovert a year ago, but you seem more cautious when you're not lost in your own thoughts. Plus, gloves in early September? It's not officially fall just yet."
Scott glanced down at his hands. "Fashion statement," was all he said, and Callie gave a soft chuckle.
"Still got the same sense of humor," she said. "But seriously, though, you all but disappeared these last few months. Why come out of the woodwork now?"
"Why not?" Scott shot back. "Big showdown in the middle of the street that makes sense to no one but the people involved can't be a life-changing experience?"
"So you were there that night last week," Callie said, giving him a shrewd look. "No one really seems to know what happened."
"Yeah," Scott said.
Callie stared at him for another long moment. "You're not gonna tell me?"
Scott sighed. The fact of the matter was that, after everything he'd been through, he was wary of trusting others. What if Callie was possessed by another demon? Sam and Dean had left, and he didn't know Thomas Humphrey well enough to just pick up the phone and start asking questions. He had Sam's number, too, but he wasn't about to go calling him just because he was feeling scared and paranoid about everything and everyone.
"My life was saved that night," he finally said. "That's the most important thing."
"You mean from that psychopath the police arrested?" Callie asked.
Scott nodded. "He was planning to kill me," he said, "and well… It's still pretty confusing to me, but the guy was caught and he won't be getting outta jail anytime soon." He looked down at Callie and smiled. "If it hadn't been for the events of that night, I'd probably be dead now."
Callie looked at him. "That's all I'm gonna get outta you, isn't it."
"Yep." Scott managed a grin and looked away. "Want some pizza?"
Callie grinned back. "Thought you'd never ask."
The rest of the party was more enjoyable, though Scott still maintained physical distance out of habit. Regardless, he found he was able to relax for the first time in almost a year. The world was different now, but he could still live a fairly normal life, right?
It wasn't until he was walking back across the street to his house that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Scott paused by the front door, key in the lock, and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place, but the sudden wariness was something he now knew better than to ignore.
Someone was watching him, and he didn't like it.
Sam was still awake when Dean returned from the hunt for food and medicine. He rolled his eyes, dropping Sam's food and meds next to his laptop and glanced at the screen, fully expecting to see something about the other special children or maybe something on that convent they were going to visit in a couple days.
"Who's Anthony Giles?"
Sam glanced up from the bag of take-out. "Huh? Oh, he's a defense lawyer in Baltimore."
"A dead lawyer," Dean said, frowning at the laptop display. "Why're you lookin' at that?"
"Ellen called," Sam answered, grabbing the container of antibiotics with his right hand, left clenched in his lap. The trembling must've taken over it, again. "Said she found Jo and finished the job, but that Jo found something out here and took off again. I told her we'd keep an eye out for her."
Dean nodded slightly, reading over the article. "Sounds fine," he said, glancing down at Sam's left arm just in time to see his clenched fist relax. "Now eat up and take those pills. We've got a trip to make to that state hospital in the afternoon and I want you to at least try and get some sleep tonight. It was a bitch getting that interview set up so we need to be as focused as possible."
Sam nodded silently and started eating. Feeling satisfied, Dean turned on the TV and started channel surfing, pausing on the CW to scowl at the current show playing before moving on. Smallville had too much drama and never enough action for him. Why couldn't there be a cool show about Batman?
About an hour later, Sam was struggling to keep his eyes open and Dean smiled to himself as he rejoiced in the power of the antibiotics he'd procured for Sam. These particular ones caused drowsiness, and it looked like they were gonna knock Sam out real good.
"Okay, Sasquatch," Dean finally, heaving himself off the bed and walking over to his little brother. "I think it's time you hit the hay."
"Don' wanna," Sam slurred petulantly, and Dean was vividly reminded of a nine-year-old Sammy with the flu. It was almost too cute to think about.
"I know," Dean said, pulling Sam to his feet, "but I'm the big brother and I say it's bedtime. C'mon."
He helped Sam get ready for bed and even tucked him in. "M'not a kid, Dean," Sam sighed as he shifted into a more comfortable position.
"Yeah," Dean said quietly, "I know. Sleep well, little brother."
It was the first time in months that Sam slept the whole night through, suffering from only one mild nightmare that Dean was able to soothe away before Sam could wake up. It was the best sleep Dean had had in a while, too, and while he knew he should feel guilty for essentially drugging Sam, he couldn't. Not when they both needed this.
Dean's dreams were filled with happy memories of the times John had been their dad and Sam had been small and innocent, looking up to Dean with trust and love-filled eyes that didn't know the turmoil of the future that lay ahead.
Ava Wilson tried, she really did, but she couldn't stop herself from flinching when Brady touched her shoulder to get her attention.
"Okay," Brady said after a moment, moving into her line of vision, "that's it. Ava, we really need to talk."
Ava tried to smile innocently. "About what?"
The look Brady gave her reminded her an awful lot of her mother when she tried to lie about staying out late. Good thing her parents still lived down in Palm Beach.
"About whatever happened to you last week," Brady said, sitting down next to Ava at the kitchen table. After the events in Lafayette, Indiana, Ava had moved in with her fiancé, Brady Walker. It was something they'd been contemplating for a while now, so it wasn't a huge shocker to Brady when she made the choice to move into the house he was renting. However, it was more than obvious to her that he was bothered by the sudden paranoia.
The fact of the matter was that Ava was bothered by it, too. She watched as Brady ran a hand through his black hair and bit his lip, almost as though he wasn't entirely certain where to start. Ava bit her lip, as well. Would he believe her if she told him the truth? Or would he call her crazy and try to have her committed?
"Why'd you cancel that dinner?" Brady finally asked. "It was so sudden."
Ava sighed and looked away. "You know how I started having nightmares about a year ago?" she asked, and Brady frowned, but nodded. "Nightmares that I couldn't really remember? Well, last week, I had one that was so realistic I almost thought it was really happening." After a moment, she forced herself to meet Brady's brown eyes. "It was like I was really there, watching this black guy kill some kid named Scott Carey because he was different."
"Different how?" Brady asked.
"Scott could electrocute people with one touch of his hand," Ava said, "and this black guy killed him for it." She dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling. "I couldn't help it, I was curious to know if the grocery store I saw was real, if the street name was real… And it was."
Brady blinked. "What?"
"The scene of my nightmare actually exists in Lafayette, Indiana," Ava said, watching Brady sadly. "And there's a guy named Scott Carey who lives in that city."
Brady didn't say anything for a long moment. "It was… a vision?"
Ava sighed and nodded. "I didn't want to believe it, but something in me didn't want to take the chance that I'd witnessed a murder before it could happen, so I cancelled on you and drove out to Lafayette. That's where I met Sam and Dean Winchester. Sam's the guy you saw with the uh… the blood on him," she added. "Dean was the one with the short hair, and Scott was the other kid with the curly-ish hair."
Brady was silent again. "You really had a vision?" he asked softly.
Ava nodded again and explained everything that had happened, everything she'd been told. Brady took it all in with very few questions.
"I know I seem really paranoid right now," Ava said, winding down, "and you're right. I'm freaked out that someone like Gordon could find me and try to kill me like Scott, or that another demon could possess someone I care about like Karena…" She shook her head and huffed out a laugh. "I don't know how to stop it," she told Brady, finally meeting his eyes. "I don't know how to live my life the way I used to when I half-expect my own shadow to try and do me in."
"Ava," Brady finally said, "it's okay. This all sounds so…"
"Crazy?" Ava suggested.
"Yeah," Brady said with a small smile, "but this Gordon never heard more than your first name, right? That means any fucked-up friends he might have, they have no idea where to find you. And as for demons…" He trailed off and shook his head. "I guess we learn to take the same precautions this Sam and Dean take. I've always wanted to learn Latin," he added with a small grin.
Ava smiled and pulled Brady close. "That's why I love you," she whispered before kissing him. "Just, be patient with me, okay? I think it's cool to know what's really out there, but I've been paranoid about it, too, and it could take me awhile to come to terms with that."
"I can live with that," Brady whispered before pulling Ava into another kiss. She forgot about her paranoia for the rest of the night after that.
TBC...