Thank you so so much for the support on the first chapter! I was so surprised and happy to see 21 reviews. Thank you all so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!
A very important note that I accidentally forgot to add to the first chapter: I want to give big thanks to my beta and great friend Gabi (gabi2305) for betaing this story for me and for helping me out with ideas and encouraging me along! :)
"No." Sam shook his head at Dean's depressing comment. "We'll be okay. We'll find a way out."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "What got into you? You were always so 'doom and gloom' and now you think we can just prance on out of here fine?"
"Well, if you'd like to prance, go on ahead but I was thinking more like run for our lives." Sam smirked. "But yeah, we can make it. I know we can. We made it this far didn't we?"
"What about our lack of food and water?"
"We can find water easily. There's rivers and streams all around here. We can find pans and boil it using your demony-fire hand thing. And I'm sure we'll find animals to hunt and be able to find plants we can eat. It shouldn't be a problem."
"And us being separated from everyone else?" Dean questioned.
"We had a meeting spot. We'll get there."
"With no car?"
Sam sighed. "Dean…we'll figure it out. We'll walk. They'll wait for us. Since when are you so negative?"
Dean wouldn't look at him. "I'm just sick and tired of us not catching a damn break. I knew that the hotel wasn't safe enough but I let myself think we'd be fine and dandy, at least for a bit longer."
Sam glanced down at his lap. "I thought that too. None of us could have predicted this." He brought his gaze back on his brother. "But we'll find some place better. We'll find somewhere in the mountains that's good and hidden. No demons or monsters or Croats will be able to find us. We can build a life there."
Dean shrugged his good shoulder. "If we're that lucky," he mumbled.
Sam paused at what he was going to say and studied Dean's attitude and posture. He was slouched over and scowling, avoiding Sam's gaze. He was clenching his fists in what Sam knew was frustration. When Dean reached up and began clutching his amulet with a look of distress on his face, Sam knew that whatever was wrong…it had to do with their relationship.
His mind was still a little foggy and he struggled to remember what had happened in the dream that may have made Dean feel agitated. He had a memory of Dean appearing and telling him what was going on…maybe he had to just think back a little further…
As soon as Sam remembered the other Dean in his dream, it became crystal clear on what was bothering his brother.
"Dean…you're in this mood because of my dream, right?" Sam figured he should just put it all on the table.
"What?" Dean spluttered, putting on his 'angry demon' face that would fail to hide his true emotions from Sam. "What the hell? No! A guy can't be pissed because everything is going wrong?"
"It's not this stuff that is bothering you. Sure, it doesn't make you happy that we're separated and without food, but that would never cause you to sit and mope. You promised me you would be truthful with me Dean…"
"Sam I…"
"Don't go back on that promise Dean. Don't you do that to me."
Dean gritted his teeth, glaring at Sam. He punched the couch once before looking away. "You're an ass, you know that?"
Sam smiled with that statement; he knew Dean had given in. Now, he just had to fix it. "Yeah but I'm your ass."
Dean made a face. "Dude, that did not sound right."
Although Dean was agreeing to talk to Sam, he was still finding ways to deflect and delay the conversation. Sam couldn't let him get away with that.
"Dean...is it bothering you that I dreamt about you as a human?" Sam asked gently but firmly.
Dean tensed, of course, but he didn't get angry. "It wasn't that. I don't care that you dream about human me. You knew me longer that way so it would be weird if you didn't."
"Then what's the problem?"
Dean clenched his teeth but once he opened his mouth, everything began flowing out quickly. Sam had to struggle to keep up with what he was saying. "It's like I told you in the dream...that you were taken to a safe place and that safe place was with the human version of me."
"Dean I...you honestly think I felt safer with that version of you, seriously?" So this is what Dean was thinking? Sam couldn't believe it. When he didn't get any response, he continued. "I...I didn't even remember you turned into a demon in my dream. I had short term memory loss and thought I was years back in time."
"You remembered Aiden," Dean pointed out, referring to the kid with the football that had been in his dream.
"No, not really. I didn't even remember who he was. He appeared as just some kid..."
"But he was still there. Demon me could have still been there even if you couldn't really remember."
"Yes, you could have," Sam agreed. "But I was taken to a safe memory of something that I could remember at the time. Don't you remember that lake? I mean, it didn't happen exactly like that, but we went fishing, we relaxed. We had fun."
Dean finally looked over at him. "Yeah, I remember. It was before Azazel killed you and I made the deal..."
"Exactly," Sam interrupted. "It was simpler times. I was taken to a time where we didn't have much to worry about. I mean...not that it's either of our faults, but when have we had an extended time to relax and feel completely safe after you came back as a demon?" Sam winced after he spoke, hoping Dean wouldn't take it the wrong way.
For once, he was lucky. Dean smirked a bit. "Yeah, having to worry about Lilith and Alastair...then the Croats...then Alastair again...and now this..."
"Me dreaming about that has nothing to do with me not feeling safe with you now. It doesn't matter which version of you I've got...I've always felt safest with you. Hell, I feel better being with you now than I ever have before."
Dean cocked an eyebrow. "Because of my amazing demon powers that can protect you from everything?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "No, asshole. Because of us. How we are now. We're closer than we've ever been. We understand each other more. I'm just...I'm happy with you Dean, okay?"
Dean looked away, nodded and then glanced back at his younger brother. "Okay. I get ya' Sammy."
"Really?" This was a pleasant surprise and Sam didn't want to get his hopes up.
"Yes, really. What, do you want me to complain some more?"
"No, I'm just..."
"I trust you Sammy. I mean, even your amnesia-ridden self didn't run away from the disgusting disfigured demon in your dream, so that's gotta mean something."
"That's right." Sam lifted up his leg and kicked Dean in the side. "And you're not disgusting, you're just a little hard on the eyes..."
Sam laughed when his brother punched him in return, happy to see Dean grinning and taking the joke for what it was.
"Thanks bitch."
"You're welcome, jerk."
Now that things were good between them, Sam felt himself relaxing and concentrating on their situation.
"Do you think the Croats will leave the area?" he asked his brother, refraining himself from asking about the slinged arm that Dean was rubbing.
"I think they'll end up scattering after a while, hopefully. I guess we'll just have to make a run for it when it starts getting clear. We need to get food and water as soon as possible."
"Okay, But what about..." Sam paused to look around the dark room. It was empty of anyone but he and Dean. "You said Freddie's brother was here...he saved us?"
"Oh yeah, I told him to scram when..." Dean's mouth suddenly stopped moving, but his voice continued, at least in Sam's head. When I had to give you the blood and shit. Should probably tell him to come out now before he gets too suspicious.
Can we trust him? Sam asked in response. He was glad for their telepathy and needed to remember to use it more in situations where he wanted a conversation with Dean to be heard by just them alone.
I don't know yet. I have my suspicions. Like why the hell he just hung around here for so long. I'll watch him closely once he's interacting with us and decide.
Sam didn't want Dean jumping to conclusions about people and assuming everyone was out to get them. But his brother was hardly ever wrong. He was right about feeling something was wrong with Hayley from the moment they met her. And he had trusted Sadie was a good person and leader even though she had annoyed him at first.
Okay, he told his brother. Tell him to come out.
"Vince, get your ass out here!" Dean bellowed.
Sam heard the man stumble over something and possibly fall. "Oh geeze, have you been scaring that poor guy?"
"Poor guy? His brother is the one that shot me! Or did you forget how pissed you were after that happened?"
"Of course I was but this isn't Freddie. Vince didn't hurt you." Sam quickly shut up and changed the subject once he saw Vince walk into the room. "Hey, Vince. How are you?"
Vince appeared to relax once he heard Sam speak. As much as their group accepted Dean, it was obvious that other people wouldn't be comfortable around him. That thought twisted something inside Sam's gut, but he pushed it away. They would find Bobby, Sadie, Carl and the others. They would continue building the life that they had started.
They just had to get past this….very large obstacle.
"Sam." Vince smiled a little. "I'm glad you're awake, how are you feeling?"
Sam noticed Dean roll his eyes at the simple talk going on. He couldn't blame his brother, it was really awkward. What were you supposed to say to a guy whose sibling tried to kill them all?
"I'm feeling a lot better," Sam decided to say. "Thank you for rescuing us."
Vince looked nervously toward Dean before nodding at Sam. "Yeah, of course."
The trepidation Vince obviously felt toward Dean began to bother Sam. He forgot how much he hated people looking at his brother this way.
"Dean isn't going to hurt you Vince," Sam told the man, hoping that his words would have Vince relaxing some.
"Not unless you give me a reason to." Dean continued to narrow his eyes at the man.
"I won't! I swear!" Vince held his hands up in defense.
"We'll be out of your way as soon as it's clear enough. But thank you for letting us stay here for the night." Sam felt bad for the man, but he couldn't allow him to join them. Dean would never allow for it, and Sam also felt weary about letting someone new travel along with them after what happened with Hayley. They couldn't take the risk in case Vince betrayed them. And they certainly couldn't lead him to their group if he was dangerous.
They just didn't know. They couldn't trust him.
From the dejected look on Vince's face, Sam knew that the man had expected to join them on the way to meet their friends. Before Sam could try and apologize, Vince nodded. "Yeah, of course. Leave whenever you want. No rush."
With that, Vince turned around and went back into the bedroom.
The hell was that about? Dean's voice filtered through Sam's thoughts.
He's upset Dean. He's probably been lonely. It's understandable, but we can't risk bringing him along.
Damn right we can't. Dean sounded stubborn. We leave as soon as we can Sammy, something smells off to me and I don't like it.
Sam couldn't help but agree. He had expected Vince to maybe argue with them or plead his point in order to try and travel with them. It was odd that he hadn't.
Or maybe he was just being paranoid.
Nevertheless, it wasn't like Vince could hurt them. Dean was practically invincible and Vince would know if he even tried to touch Sam, the demon would kill him.
"Get some sleep, we're gonna need it tomorrow," Dean told him, grabbing some blankets and a pillow and lying on the floor next to his brother. Sam didn't fail to notice the knife Dean slipped under his pillow.
Sam settled down on the couch, closing his eyes. They had a long journey ahead of them and it was only beginning.
Dean was usually a deep sleeper, but being a hunter he was always attuned to the slightest offsetting noise. Tonight, he had slept with one eye open, dancing on the edge of consciousness, so it wasn't shocking that about an hour later, a very muffled shuffling caused his eyes to snap open.
It was extremely quiet, so soft that Dean may have not heard it normally. He focused in, hand ready on his knife and prepared to use his powers. If this man chose to lay even a single finger on his Sammy...
Dean reached over stealthily and firmly tugged on his brother's hand that was hanging off the edge of the couch.
Two seconds later, he saw Sam's eyes open and noticed his body tense.
Thank goodness Sam had been able to distinguish that Dean's tugging had meant something was wrong and became aware quickly. Maybe Sam had been sleeping lightly as well.
Dean? Sam's voice entered Dean's thoughts, sounding worried but alert.
Shh. Listen. I think it's Vince.
Dean saw Sam quickly reach for his own knife and both brothers were completely silent as they listened intently.
If Vince came any closer to them, Dean would jump up and have a knife to his throat in seconds.
But Vince didn't get any closer. Dean heard something that sounded like an object being picked up off the ground. There was some shifting and a nearly muffled grunt. Then the footsteps…started getting quieter.
He wasn't walking toward them. He was walking away. And it seemed like the direction he was heading in was…
Is he going to the door?
Sam's thoughts matched Dean's and he knew he couldn't waste any time.
He sprang up, Sam doing the same. Vince had his back turned and didn't hear them. In the dim moonlight that shone through the dirty windows, Dean could see that the man's hand was reaching for the doorknob, and on his shoulders, were two backpacks and one duffle.
Those didn't belong to Vince.
Dean teleported the ten feet so he was directly behind Vince and grabbed onto his shoulder with his good hand, forcefully spinning the man around and slamming him into the wall.
Vince yelped, obviously startled and his eyes grew wide in fear as he looked between Dean and Sam, who had moved to stand next to his brother, knife in hand and aimed at Vince's throat.
"I was…I was just going to go out there and take some of the Croats out so it would be easier for you guys in the morning! I swear!"
"Oh, and you were just going to borrow all three of our bags while you were out there, yeah? Because it's so much easier to kill some Croats with three bags thrown over your shoulders." Dean kept his voice dark, but low, almost a growl. He pressed his arm against Vince's windpipe with a sneer.
Vince gasped and startled struggling desperately, his eyes wild with fear. Huh. Dean had assumed that Vince had been acting this entire time, pretending to be scared of him so he wouldn't be expected to steal from them. But the young man obviously was extremely afraid of Dean, and yet…he had still tried to take all of their stuff.
"Why did you do it Vince? Why pretend like you wanted to save us only to steal from us?" Sam asked, his voice no longer holding the friendly tone it had earlier. "You knew that you wouldn't stand a chance getting away from us."
"I didn't…I didn't pretend to save you! I did want you to live!" The man was just able to gasp the words out through Dean's chokehold.
"Yeah, because taking all our supplies will really ensure that we live."
"I was hoping you would let me come with you!" Vince coughed. "But when I realized you guys had no intention of doing that…I knew I was screwed. I'm out of supplies, I have no more food. If you guys left me alone, I'd die. So I figured the only chance I had was to take your stuff and run."
"And then condemn us to death?" Sam asked, bringing the knife closer.
"No! Not…I wasn't thinking like that. I figured I needed the supplies more than you. You guys stood a better chance without them than me."
Dean laughed, loud and short. "Sorry to break it to you buddy, but all you'd have would be our clothes and weapons that you probably don't know how to use. Our food and water bag got snatched away by a Croat."
Vince's face fell, understanding that he was doomed no matter what. "I'm sorry, I…"
Dean didn't let him finish. He brought his hand up, making a fist, and punched Vince in the side of the head.
If a human had done it, it probably would have only left a bruise and some dizziness. But with Dean's demonic strength, Vince was knocked unconscious immediately.
Dean raised his foot, aiming for Vince's neck to get rid of the stupid asshole when Sam grabbed his arm.
"Dean, don't."
"What do you mean don't? He stole from us! If he got away we'd be screwed."
"But it wasn't like he tried to hurt or kill us. Tell me, does he deserve to die?"
"Hell yes he does!"
Sam crossed his arms as he looked down at Dean.
"What! Don't give me that look. It's not like I'm saying some innocent person deserves it. Bobby doesn't. Sadie doesn't. None of our people do. But him..." Dean kicked Vince in the side. "He betrayed us. Anyone that hurts you..."
"He didn't hurt me," Sam pointed out.
"But you would have gotten hurt if he took the stuff. Without our supplies, you know how screwed we'd be? And he knew it..." Dean lifted his foot again.
"Let's just let him stay here and take his chances. He probably won't make it and will turn into a Croat."
"And that's better? Letting another Croat roam around? I can't take the chance of him coming after us Sammy. I can't. I need to protect you."
Sam sighed. "I get your point Dean, I do. But do you really think he'd be able to catch up to us and hurt us? You saw how scared he was of you. He was desperate to join a group and we turned him down. So he decided to take what he could and flee."
Dean pointed a finger at Sam "You're defending him?"
"Of course not!" Sam seemed offended. "I knew we couldn't take him along. It would be too big of a risk. But I can see why he stole from us. He felt abandoned after he did end up saving us twice, from his own brother and from the Croats. We can at least repay him by not killing him."
Dean placed his foot back down on the floor. "You're willing to take that risk?"
"He won't come after us. Not after how we threatened him and knocked him out. He's too afraid. And maybe...I think even if he was braver, he would still respect us for not killing him and leave us alone."
Dean folded his good arm over his slinged one. He couldn't deny that Sam had a point, but that didn't mean he had to like it.
"Trust me on this Dean, please. Like I trusted you when you said something might be up with him."
"Fine," Dean hissed. He kicked Vince's head once more, looking up at his brother when Sam complained. "For extra precaution." He smirked.
Dean caught Sam rolling his eyes, but he didn't scold him any further.
"Now," Dean grinned, feeling giddy. "Let's go through his stuff and see if there's anything useful."
Sam made sure, as much as he could anyway, that Dean didn't take anything that they didn't absolutely need. Even though he was pissed at Vince, he still felt bad for the man and didn't want to leave him with absolutely nothing when he was already struggling.
Luckily, Vince had been telling the truth and didn't have much with him at all, except for some medical supplies, which Dean took most of. He was pretty sure the only other thing Dean took was a sword, but his brother's theft skills were so stealthy, Sam couldn't be sure.
"We leave in the morning if it's clear?" Sam asked.
Dean peered out the back window, which faced the north, the direction they had to go. "I say we leave right now. It looks pretty clear."
"But it's so dark, shouldn't we..."
"It's dark for the Croats too. They might have good smell and hearing but it seems they still rely on their sight a lot. We just gotta keep quiet. We'll stand a better chance of not being spotted when one of their senses is dulled." Dean glanced down at his watch. "We only have an hour and a half until sunrise. We should be able to make it somewhere safe by then and we can rest up."
They got their three remaining bags ready, with Dean putting on the backpack and slinging a duffle over his shoulder, despite only having one working arm. Sam wanted to complain, but he knew Dean could handle it. Dean with one arm could carry two bags easier than Sam at full strength. He wouldn't get weighed down or exhausted.
They both pulled out their machetes, knowing that it was their only defense against the Croats. They still kept guns tucked into their jeans in case they ran into anything else. Sam felt like it was too soon to be moving, but he knew they had to. He just wasn't used to being on the run, which was funny, because before the virus, all they had done was travel on the road.
It was funny how content he had gotten with staying in one place. And not just him, but Dean as well.
Hopefully, they'd be able to find a secure home base soon.
"Alright, ready?" Dean turned to face Sam, his hand on the doorknob.
"Yeah." Sam shifted the duffle on his shoulder. "Let's go."
"Okay, and stick close to me. I don't need you wandering off to save someone or something and getting eaten."
"Same to you," Sam shot back.
Dean rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else as he opened the door.
They took off into the night, running as quickly but stealthily as they could. Sam could see Croats all around them, but in the distance. They slowly sauntered about, searching for something to attack.
Croats were weird; they weren't typical zombie-like creatures. Sure, they would bite at someone and start eating at them, but as soon as their victim was dead, or managed to get away, they would immediately go to attack another. They didn't stay and eat all the flesh off of the corpses, which made them even more dangerous. It wasn't hunger that drove them, but some kind of demonic rage, mixed with whatever the demons had cooked up to create the virus. The bodies didn't rot either, since there was a dormant soul trapped inside, which caused the Croats have full human strength.
Sam looked away from the Croats to the east that he had been staring at and focused back in front of him, making sure to keep pace with Dean and stay at his brother's side. He knew Dean could run faster, but Sam, while stronger on the demon blood, was still human. He would get tired if he tried to run at Dean's speed for long. So it was Dean who had to match Sam's stride. Hopefully it would be quick enough for them to avoid being spotted, but at least Dean could teleport them short distances if they were in immediate danger.
After a half hour, trees started appearing and began to get denser, leading Sam to figure out they would be entering a large forest soon. This was exactly where he hoped they would end up. Being in a heavily wooded area would offer them more protection with all the tress. But it also meant that more Croats could be lurking about, hidden. It would also be harder to find shelter now that they were running away from the farmhouses and towns. Sam glanced at his brother, hoping to get his attention.
Let's keep going through here, Dean said. I think less of them hang out in forests since there's only really animals in these areas. They don't care to kill animals, only people.
Sam relaxed upon hearing Dean's voice. The telepathy was still such a new concept to him, and he had forgotten about it yet again. This would come in very useful while they needed to be quiet while on the run.
Luckily, Sam remembered just in time. He saw something dark out of the corner of his eye and he raised his machete.
Dean! To your right!
Dean stopped, spun around, and sent his machete sliding down, slicing right through a Croat's neck in one slick motion. It was almost graceful, and all done with one working arm.
Dean didn't pause after he killed the monster. He grabbed onto Sam's sleeve and kept running.
I thought you said they didn't come into the forests! Sam scolded his brother through their telepathy as they continued to run.
We're just on the edge of it. There's a bunch of farms to our right and maybe a small town, they're lurking around the area. Once we go further in, we shouldn't see any. Let's switch it up a little, start going north-west slightly.
Sam followed his brother's lead and soon, they had to start dodging trees and running through thick bushes. He figured they were lucky that they changed from their pajamas into jeans before they left. Their legs would have gotten torn up by branches if they had the thin material on...or at least Sam's would have.
They kept at it until they spotted a deer to their left. The creature quickly sprinted away once it noticed them, but it didn't matter.
The deer was important because it meant they were deep into the forest. The brothers had learned this important information from some of the survivors they rescued back at Bobby's. Deer and other skittish animals didn't tend to wander out of the forests and woods like they used to before the Croats. Even though Croats didn't go after the animals, most were terrified of the monsters. Whether it was because they could smell the demonic virus or because of the erratic and threatening nature of the Croats, Sam couldn't be sure.
Or maybe it wasn't completely because of the Croats. Maybe it was because of the demons as well and because of all of the violence going on. The terror and panic that took control of the world probably frightened the animals and caused them to hide away in a place they knew was safe. They probably wouldn't venture out of the protection of the forests for quite some time.
Dean stopped running and Sam slowed to a stop next to him. The older brother held out a hand, signaling for Sam to stay quiet and listen.
They stood there for a few minutes, looking all around them and intently listening for anything out of the ordinary.
The only sounds they heard were that of nature.
"Good," Dean spoke, still keeping his voice quiet. "We can slow down. Let's continue to hike and try to find some water. You have any idea where we might be, geek boy?"
Sam dug in his back pocket where he had crammed his maps. He knelt down and spread them out over the ground, pulling out his flashlight and turning it on.
He studied the map for a few minutes while Dean kept watch. It was tough trying to guess how far they had been able to drive before the crash, and where exactly they ended up at the farmhouse.
"I know we're in Minnesota. We have to be if we were heading north. The hotel was just on the border of Iowa. There's not too many forests out here unless you go way further north, so we have to be...somewhere along the Minnesota River."
"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't see any river," Dean grumbled.
"It's here, the forest runs along it." Sam folded up the maps and placed them back inside his pockets. "We just have to listen and keep going further north. If we do, there's no way we can miss it."
"Alright then, I'll take your word for it." Dean looked down at his watch. It had a built-in compass and didn't even need batteries, being charged by natural and artificial light. They both had one and Sam had been proud and impressed by his brother for thinking of the idea.
"Gonna need to find things that don't run on batteries. They'll run out sooner or later," Dean had told him when the world began to fall apart. He'd stolen these from a fancy watch shop just before things had gotten really bad.
"This way." Dean pointed in the direction that must be north.
They continued on, the world growing brighter as dawn approached. They made their way through some clearings, but there were no Croats to be found. Sam felt himself relaxing but didn't bring his guard down. He had to stay aware. In this world, the most unthinkable circumstances could happen at any time.
"Look." Dean nudged Sam's shoulder and he followed his brother's line of vision. In the distance was a dirt road that was heading north-east.
"Think it's safe to travel on?" he asked.
Dean nodded. "It doesn't look like it was probably used much back when the world was fully populated. Look at the grass growing on it, no car has been down here in months."
"That doesn't mean people couldn't be walking it," Sam reminded him.
"True, but I doubt many people would walk this way knowing that it leads to a river they have to cross. They'd find some main road with a bridge to cross it."
"Alright, let's go."
They followed the dirt road for ten minutes before they spotted a cabin off to the right; it was built right next to a man-made pond.
"Should we check it out?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head. "Not yet. First let's see how far the river is from here and then we can shack up in the cabin if it's safe. We'd get better water from the river than from the stagnant water in the pond."
The brothers stealthily walked past the cabin, looking for any signs of life nearby.
There were none. Two minutes later, the dirt road ended...right at the river.
"Yahtzee!" Dean cheered. "We've got water and shelter." He raised his hand to give his little brother a high-five."
Sam rolled his eyes but ended up returning the gesture. It did feel nice to finally have some good news. At least they wouldn't be going around thirsty and could catch some sleep.
They walked down to the wide river, Sam thinking about how lucky they had been in the past to have the water tank at Bobby's and the one at the hotel as well. With Ruby's witchcraft, it had been charmed to never run out of fresh water and now...
Now the water wasn't fresh. They were out in the wild with water that could carry multiple different kinds of bacteria and diseases. Including...
"Dean stop!" Sam reached out and smacked his brother's hands, which had been cupped with water, ready to take a drink.
"What the hell Sam? I think there's way more than enough for the both of us."
"Stop joking around. This water...Dean, remember what I said back at the farmhouse? It may be fresher than the pond water but it still needs to be purified."
Dean paused. "Oh. Yeah. I'll purify some for you. But I'll be fine."
"No!" Sam hissed. "Are you forgetting the disease that inflicted the whole world? The one that you're not immune to anymore? What if there's Croat blood or something in this river that infected all the water?"
Dean seemed thoughtful, considering Sam's words. "I don't know. This is running water Sammy. It's not like the disease would still be floating in it like it would in a pond with nowhere to go."
"But what if there was a Croat that had just been killed further up the water?" Sam pointed to the east, where the water was flowing from. "We could get unlucky and drink from it just as the disease is travelling through it."
Dean sighed. "Fine, fine. But it's not like it's the outbreak of the disease and there's a bunch of Croats being killed and dumped into rivers or shit."
"It never hurts being safe."
Dean didn't argue with that.
Purifying the water was going to be easy as hell. Dean didn't exactly share his brother's worries about the disease being carried in the river, but it wasn't like they would have to waste any resources by purifying it.
He scooped up a bunch of water using some pots he stole from Vince's hideout. Sam didn't even scold him for it and actually looked impressed that Dean had thought to grab them. The older brother had figured that they would need something to collect water in and had taken them along with a few mugs and tumblers he saw lying around.
Carrying the water back, Dean used his powers to float several pots through the air in order to save multiple trips back to the lake. On Sam's request, they hid behind some tress to stalk out the cabin in case it was inhabited. Dean could only take so long of that crap before got impatient and teleported himself inside.
The house was clear of any inhabitants, just as he had thought.
With that, they brought the water in and Dean went to work. The two-story cabin wasn't anything special but seemed cozy and had been kept up nicely. Dean didn't waste much time looking around after he found what he needed. There was a fireplace in the living room with piles of wood stored next to it. He threw some logs down and floated one of the pots over it.
Sam walked over and raised an eyebrow. "Dean...what..."
Dean focused on the logs and set them on fire, then looked up at his brother with a grin.
By the surprised look on Sam's face, he had clearly forgotten his earlier suggestion about Dean purifying the water with his demon powers. "Well...I guess that will work." He shrugged, trying to down play how cool he thought it was.
"Don't try and act like you're not amazed at how awesome I am little brother." Dean laughed when Sam huffed. "Now bring over those other pots. I gotta stay over here and concentrate on keeping them floating."
It didn't take too long to get the pots boiling and Dean had them bubble over the fire for five minutes each before deciding that the water was probably clean. Sam went through the shelves, finding that there was a decent amount of packaged food.
Dean set the pots down to cool and made the fire extinguish. He walked over to the table where Sam had sorted out the food. "Whattaya got?"
"Well, there wasn't much in the fridge beside some warm beer that we can take along. The cupboards weren't filled either but the good news is that the cans of soup are good and we can still eat the stale cereal and crackers."
"Sounds like this was just someone's vacation home that they didn't really keep stocked," Dean pondered.
"Yeah, and they either didn't think to stay here when things got bad or they didn't make it."
"My vote's on that they ended up a Croat's chew toy." Dean grinned.
"How optimistic. What a nice visual." Sam rolled his eyes and then got serious. "At least they left some food here. It should last us a week if we ration..."
"Uh, uh." Dean shook his head. "No rationing. Or at least not for you. I can function pretty damn well with less food, but you...you need to keep up your strength. We gotta stay alert out there and you can't be passing out from not eating enough."
Sam folded his arms. "Okay, so let's say we go with your idea. We both eat a healthy amount. Then we run out of food in a few days. What if we don't find another place that has nonperishable food before then?"
Dean sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace. "We hunt, duh."
Sam sighed and Dean understood. He knew Sam would be uncomfortable with killing animals. They never had to hunt before this. They had stored enough food before the virus got bad and then collected a good amount after. At the hotel, Sadie had the cows and chickens that would provide milk and eggs and also her own stash of food. He was sure someone hunted occasionally for them, but the brothers never had.
"Don't give me that look." Dean folded his good arm against his slinged one. "We're hunters. We hunted down monsters on a daily basis and now we hunt down Croats. I think we can handle some animals. Hell, back at Vince's base you even brought up that we would have to hunt animals!"
"I know. It's just that I hoped we could find food before resorted to that. We always hunted monsters. Not innocent animals."
"It's the circle of life Sammy."
"I know, I know. We need to do it to survive." Sam sighed. "It's just hard for me."
"The animals kill each other for survival, now we're just doing the same thing. Hey..." Dean walked over to Sam and punched his shoulder. "You know how easy this will be with my powers? I can make it real quick for them too. Just snap their necks..." He motioned his hand out to demonstrate how he could perform the action using his mind.
Sam looked a little uncomfortable but nodded. "Okay, yeah. We should find some animals before we leave."
"I'm thinking we stay here for today, rest up. In the evening we can go out and hunt. Shouldn't be too hard to find some with the deer I saw on the way here. Then we stay here most of the day tomorrow and do the same. If we found enough grub, then we can store it and leave by nightfall."
Sam considered this for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, sounds good. Hey, we can fish too and you can use your powers to get them easily."
"Good idea. There you go Samantha." Dean hit his brother over the head. "Now how about we get this placed sealed up? I'm sure they have some rocksalt around here somewhere..."
There was rocksalt. It made sense being that they were in Minnesota where the snow was heavy and frequent in the winter. Putting salt lines at the bottom of windows and doors was always a simple task they had completed. But in a two story cabin with windows galore, it was a lot more time consuming.
They couldn't just pour the salt directly, since it was a very large bag and too much salt would end up spilling out at one time and get wasted. They had to grab the salt and spread it out instead.
Dean had tried to help, grabbing handfuls of rocksalt and ignoring the burning pain in his palms. Sam hated it of course, but Dean assured him a little stinging wouldn't bother him.
He got through five windows before the salt he placed down was more red than white. Sam had forced him to stop after that, and Dean wasn't going to complain. It felt like someone stabbed his hands with a hundred tiny knives.
Sam finished the job on his own a half hour later and they finally dragged their bodies up the stairs to the biggest bedroom. After nearly 8 hours of being in constant fear of danger, Dean finally allowed himself to relax. They were in a forest away from any Croats. They had water and would get food. They had shelter and were protected from rouge demons and any angry spirits because of their salt lines.
This was a positive and hopefully would help recharge them enough to set out soon and try to find their group...or what was left of it...if they were lucky...
Dean brushed those thoughts off. No use in thinking of that right now.
Sam collapsed on the bed first, plopping down on his stomach and ignoring the dust that floated up from the mattress.
His little brother had handled the crappy situation they were in better than Dean expected. He had even been more positive than Dean. Sam really was adjusting to the new world just like he had adjusted to Dean becoming a demon those years ago.
His brother was really fucking awesome. Dean wished he could tell him that, but of course he would never be able to. It was too cheesy and his big brother and demon pride would stop him no matter what.
But Sam had been trying so hard and doing so well, Dean should be able to do something for him. He noticed that in Sam's dream, he seemed to crave the touch and affection that human Dean had showed him. The older brother believed Sam when he said he felt comfortable and safe with any version of Dean, but obviously, some part of Sam longed for aspects of his human self.
Sam craved physical touch, just little things; Dean figured it made him feel wanted. As awkward as Dean would feel doing stuff like that, he could do it for Sam. He was already trying by punching Sam on the shoulder or whacking him on the head earlier. Dean hadn't missed the small smile that creeped onto his brother's face afterward.
Dean could try and adjust to showing Sam he cared in that way. Even though it was unnatural to him, it shouldn't be too hard. His brother deserved it.
So before Sam fell asleep, Dean reached over and ruffled his hair.
"Get some sleep sasquatch, we have another fun filled apocalypse day tomorrow that we have to survive."
He laughed when Sam flipped him the finger.
Thanks for reading! On Sunday I will be going to SPN Toronto Con, so this chapter was a little shorter than usual because I wanted to get it out before then. I hope everyone enjoys the episode tonight! And if you are interested feel free to follow me on my tumblr - hugitoutwinchesters.
Did everyone disappear after he first chapter and stop reading? Please leave a review if you have the time. I want to know people are still reading after the first chapter and what you guys liked or would want to see. I want to know if anyone is still around and is going to continue to read this. Hearing from you guys is what keeps me going and gives me the confidence to still write.