Blood coated Jo's hands. "Mom, no!" She begged weakly, tears and blood smeared her face. That Hell bitch Meg had just released some Hell-hounds on them in the deserted streets of Cartharge Missouri. Dean had fallen and like the love sick fool she was, she stopped running to help. If she had known that her mother would end up shielding her from one of those fucking hounds... Well she didn't know what she would do.
"Jo, this may be the last chance you get to do as you're told, dammit." Ellen gasped for air. She lifted a shaky hand to push one of Jo's golden strands behind her ear, leaving it streaked with red. "I love you, baby girl."
Jo couldn't stand it, the ache in her heart to large, to loud, burning a hole through her chest. "No!" She screamed, holding onto her mother's hand with all the strength she had.
"Dean," Ellen nodded toward her daughter, "Get out of here."
Dean pursed his lips, giving Ellen one last nod, then grabbed Jo by the waist and dragged her kicking and screaming out the back of the store.
"Sam!" Sam heard Dean yell from the roof, signaling him.
"It's now or never, darlin'," Ellen choked.
Sam nodded, looking down at his shoes, "I'm so sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about," Ellen said, "Now, hurry."
He pulled the chains off the door and ran like hell.
Ellen waited till she could feel the mutts breathe on her cheek to press the button. "Go to Hell."
If Dean hadn't of been holding her up, keeping her moving, Jo would have stayed to watch that building burn, hoping beyond a child's hopeless prayer that her mother would walk out of there, that she would return to her, that she would be okay.
That didn't happen. And the colt didn't work.