It was dark. And raining. And his clothes stuck to him as he pounded through the mud.
"Here, fugly, fugly, fugly." He shone his torch around himself in a wide arc. Water dripped off the barrel of his shotgun.
The air whistled and he jumped aside just as a claw came out of the darkness and slit the bark from a tree he had been standing near. He fired off into the night and the creature gave a bark of annoyance as the shot found purchase.
And then it turned and charged out of the trees. Straight for him.
He swore, backing away.
It was as ugly as sin, with huge, slobbery jaws and spring-loaded legs. It took a swing at him and once again he ducked out of its reach.
"Where the hell are you, Sam?" He bellowed. As he backed away, he was aware of the gaping chasm behind him, the ground giving way to emptiness.
Fine. I'll do it myself.
"Come and get me then, bitch!" He cried. "Come and get some lean meat!"
It took another swing at him, which he successfully blocked. He thought he was holding his own okay until the creature drove its free fist into his stomach and he doubled up, gasping.
Two hands. They always have two hands unless you cut one off. Remember that.
"Get down!"
In his soggy, pained and slightly fuzzy state he didn't think twice about obeying the voice, and dropped to his knees. A silver-tipped crossbow bolt sailed over his head and into the monster's chest.
It screamed and stepped back further toward the cliff edge.
Dean felt a small thrill of triumph as it started pinwheeling on the edge. He climbed to his feet and lined up a shot that would carry it into the canyon where it would make a satisfying splat as it hit the bottom.
"Stay down, you idiot!" The girl screamed.
It was then that the creature dug a claw into the rock shelf and pulled itself up. Swinging up, it raked the gun from Dean's hands. He stumbled back, losing his footing.
A streak of auburn leapt past him and he caught a glimpse of a pale female face underneath a dark hoodie.
And then something hard and pointed impacted with the side of his head and he was gone.
There was a girl sitting on the edge of the bed with a book when he finally blinked awake.
He coughed.
"Ah. Sleeping Beauty has risen." She peered at him from under a short fringe. "How do you feel?"
"Like I've just been run over by a truck." He whispered. "Who are you?"
"I think I should be asking you that." Dangling between her fingers was a small amulet on a cord. "It's yours." She dropped it into his hand and his fingers curled around it. "So are those. I didn't know at first you were a hunter. Thought you looked too pretty for it."
He craned his head to look at the table. On top of the scarred surface was a shotgun, a handgun, and three small knives. He sat up. "Where are my clothes?"
"In the wash." She said. "By the smell, you've been in those same jeans for weeks."
He smiled.
"Who are you?" She asked again. He thought that she deserved an honest answer. After all, he was naked in her bed, his ears still ringing, assorted weapons in his clothes, and no idea why. And she didn't mind.
So he tried to be honest.
"I… don't know."
She looked into his face and encountered only complete sincerity. "Oh. Kay." Her voice was kept carefully devoid of any emotion. He looked awkward as he bunched his fists into the blankets. "Amnesia."
"Say what?"
"Nothing." She marked her book and set it aside. "What do you remember last?"
He thought about it. "I think I was running." He said. "Chasing something or being chased. Something. And that's about it."
"And you don't remember anything before that? Friends? Family?"
"No."
She nodded. "Alright."
He looked up at her. "I'm sorry."
"I'm going out." She said. "When I'm back I'll take you to a hospital. They can help you more there. Laundry's through there. I've thrown your stuff into the dryer."
"Thank you." He said quietly. "What's your name?"
"Rosalini. Gabby Rosalini."
He heard the roar of an engine and then everything was quiet once more. Getting up, he stretched. His head still ached, but it wasn't as ear-splitting as before. Bundling his clothes out of the dryer, he noticed a battered phone among 'his' things. As he watched it, it began to ring.
Sam calling.
He pressed 'receive'. "Dean, where the hell are you?" An angry voice exploded over the line. "I've been trying to get you for days. Say something!" He hung up almost as quickly.
"Sorry, wrong number, pal."
After he dressed, he slipped the phone into his pocket and stared at the knives and guns. There had to be a good reason he'd been carrying them. Wasn't there? He tried to think but his mind hit a blank.
He opened the door and stepped out onto a small balcony. He didn't really intend to do what that Gabby told him, considering that as soon as she was back she was just going to pawn him off onto some government official, but at that very moment there didn't seen anything better to do.
"Amnesia. I don't remember having amnesia. Duh. Of course I don't remember having amnesia." But maybe it could be fun.
The night was calm and still.
He closed his eyes and suddenly he could feel the flames, smell the decay and taste his own blood in his mouth. A dark-haired man was bending over him, his eyes wide and fearful. "I'm gonna get you back, I promise. I promise!"
His eyes snapped open. "That was fun." He commented aloud. "I wonder what that was supposed to be? And I wonder why I'm talking to myself? Hell, I must have bumped something going down."
Something roared out in anger, causing him to jump back in surprise. And that was when he realised that it came from the direction that the girl Gabby had gone.
It was close now. She could smell it. Smell the decay and the blood.
"I got you now." She hissed. Five years and she was always off when she performed the charm. Now this time she had it in her sights.
Then growling grew louder and louder and Gabby gripped the axe she was holding firmly. She'd bought it at the hardware store down the street, and she'd walked down the road with it balanced on her shoulder. The local sheriff didn't even look at her twice.
She ran down the path, splashing in the puddles. Closer, closer…
Here.
There was a breeze that lifted her hair as the demon sliced through the air toward her. Gabby spun, swinging the axe.
It sliced into something, and a piece dropped off to the ground. She didn't stop to see what it was and turned and ran into the park. She could hear it pounding the ground behind her and suddenly the noises peeled off.
Gabby stopped. Something was wrong. "Come out." She said. "I know you're there."
"Ah, Gabrielle. Must you take the fun out of everything?"
She scowled as a woman stepped out from behind the swings. She tossed back her long, dark hair as three men joined her from the darkness. As Gabby watched, their faces seemingly began to melt.
And she said the only word she could think of that summed the situation up perfectly. "Fuck."
"Gabrielle, Gabrielle, Gabrielle." The vampire woman smiled, showing a row of razor-sharp fangs. "When are you going to realise that you lot aren't going to win this?"
She twirled the axe, springing on the balls of her feet. "Bring it on." She said.
"Take her down." The woman ordered coldly.
Gabby spun, catching one in the neck and sending him careening into another. The third pounded from behind, and she brought her elbow crashing up into his jaw, breaking the tips off several teeth.
Clip of silver bullets. Salt. Lighter. Stake. Never leave home without 'em. REMEMBER the stake. Vampires are NOT extinct. Let's say that all together, class.
She swung the axe again, but did not have the strength in her arms to completely sever the head. The blade stuck in the neck bone, the creature still pawing pathetically at the handle. Gabby threw all her weight onto it and the bone snapped.
One.
She threw the axe in a downwards-slicing arch.
But one of the others grabbed the head. The jolt ran across her arm at the sudden stop. It has sliced through several fingers but he didn't notice.
He grinned at her, bearing wickedly shaped canines. "Been a long time since I tasted a hunter. Nice lean meat and no fat and ice running through their blood."
"Well." Gabby said. "Sorry to disappoint."
The vampire was still holding the axe in a firm grip above her head, so she swung up on the handle and kicked him in the stomach.
"Bitch!" He yelped, stumbling backwards.
"Get her. She's only a human." The female demanded.
"Yeah. I'm only a stupid human. What's your excuse?" Gabby jeered. It was then that someone grabbed her neck from behind, jerking her back.
"Are you scared yet?" The third vampire whispered in her ear. The female battered the axe from her hands as Gabby twisted feebly in his grasp.
"Got you now, honey." She inched closer to her, mouth hanging open. "Dinner time."
As she was three steps away from the hunter, the air whistled and the vampire woman jerked to a halt. As Gabby and the two other vampires stared, she dropped to her knees and fell face forward.
There was a crossbow bolt sticking up from her back. A clean shot to the heart.
Two.
"Looks like we got two for the price of one." The one holding her neck growled. "Go check it out."
The second ran into the trees and all was silent for an interminable minute.
"You know." Gabby started conversationally. "You probably shouldn't have done that."
"Bite your tongue or I'll bite your neck." He said testily.
She narrowed her eyes and took a step backwards, mashing his toes under the heel of her boot. His grip slackened on her neck and she threw off his arm.
"You've got a lot to learn-"
"Female wretch!"
"-about defenceless-"
She clapped him sharply on either side of the neck, causing him to curse and step away from her.
"-girls!" She lowered her centre of gravity before twirling and delivering a sturdy roundhouse kick to the stomach. As he collapsed to the ground, she seized either side of his head and brought her knee smashing up into his face. "That's from me."
"You think this is over, girl?" The vampire spat out blood and bits of his own teeth. "You have no idea what you're up against."
"No." Gabby said coldly. "I know exactly what I'm up against."
She brought the axe crashing down.
Three.
"Kid!" She shouted. "Kid, can you hear me?" She hacked away plants with her axe. "Kid!" She could hear laboured breathing in front of her and she peered through the bushes.
"Kid?"
He was sitting sprawled on the grass, a hand to his bloody forehead. "Are you alright?" She took hold of his chin and angled his head up to the light.
"It's just a scratch." He sounded dazed.
"You could have concussion. Come on, then." She took hold of his hands and helped him to his feet. "Where is it?"
"Over there." He indicated vaguely with his hand. She swept aside a creeper to behold the beheaded body of the last vampire.
Four.
"That was a vampire." He sounded as if he really didn't believe it himself.
"Yep. You really are out of it, aren't you?" She bent to retrieve her crossbow and the knife. "I'd like to know who you are, kid."
He bowed his head, still looking mournful. She silently sized him up.
"Looks like we'll be spending more time together until you figure out what to do with yourself. What do I call you?" She watched as his forehead crinkled in thought.
"John." He said finally. "Call me John."