Hurry Tara!
"I can't go any faster!" I growl, slamming on the breaks enough to make the sharp turn onto a dirt road. My hands are shaking on the steering wheel, my body filled with adrenaline.
Stop, they're in the woods to your right!
"Understood." I slam on the breaks, grab my gun, and bust out of my car, the engine still running. I race into the woods, the moonlight filtering through the tree branches, leaving patterns on the leaf strewn forest floor.
"Sam!" I hear someone yell, and then the pop of gunshot echoes through the woods.
Ahead of me I see two men running, and close behind them, a huge wolf.
A werewolf.
Since the men are coming right towards me, I stop running. I really only have one chance to do this, I think, my grip on my gun tight. I don't carry around more than a few silver bullets at a time, and I recently just used up most of the ones I had. I only have one left. One shot, for Castiel. I have to make it.
The two guys get closer, running as fast as they can, the werewolf right at their heels. It's a grotesque creature, its eyes glowing like spotlights, and its jaw wide open, revealing huge fangs. I plant my feet and bring up my gun.
"Get DOWN!" I scream.
Miraculously, the men see me and dive to the ground. The werewolf, just as I'd hoped, is running too fast to stop and goes flying over their heads, right into my sights.
With a crack from my rifle, my lone silver bullet flies through the night and the monster jerks to the left as it hits the ground.
But it doesn't go still, it writhes as its appendages shrink and fur and blood begins oozing all over it.
Shit. I grimace.
I missed its heart. It's turning back into its human form.
I walk up to it as it starts to take the form of a man and load my rifle with a regular bullet. As I place the barrel of my gun to the creatures head, I see the two men out of the corner of my eye get up. Good, it doesn't look like they're too hurt.
I begin to squeeze the trigger.
Suddenly, in a quick snap of motion, it raises up halfway and its razor-like claw's scrabble up my legs. "Fuck!" I scream, pulling away and trying to kick it off. I fire.
BAM
The creature stops squirming and it falls back to the ground. Its body not a man, not a wolf, just… "Disgusting." I say, limping away from its body and grimacing with pain. I drop my gun and wrap my hands around my leg. Damn it, it sliced me to ribbons. But I managed to save the two guys. I turn to look at them. "You guys okay?"
The taller one nods as he leans over to catch his breath. "Yeah, are you?"
"My leg hurts like hell, but I'll live."
The shorter one squints at me warily, then takes off his jacket and strips off a shirt. "Who are you?"
"Name's Tara."
The guy nods and walks over to me, offering his shirt. I take it and tie it tightly around my thigh as a kind of tourniquet to slow the bleeding. "I'm Dean and that's my brother Sam." He says.
"So you guys civilians or hunters? I'm inclined to believe the former seeing as you two almost got yourselves eaten."
Dean frowns angrily. "You're one to talk, you let it claw you." He spits, his voice deep and commanding.
I squint back at him. "I just saved your butts."
"And why exactly did you? I wasn't aware of any hunters living in this area." Dean asks, crossing his arms.
"I don't live here." I say, still leaning over. "Castiel sent me."
The brothers both blink at me, shocked.
"Castiel. The angel sent you?" Sam asks incredulously.
I pull my dark hair from my face. "Yeah."
Sam raises an eyebrow. "So…you're an angel?"
"No." I shake my head. "Just a hunter like you."
Dean picks up a bag off the ground and shoulders it, then wrinkles up his face at the carcass. "Can we take this tea party elsewhere? That thing reeks."
"My car's this way." I motion towards the way I came.
"Our car's that way, way back on Seger's Lane." Sam says jutting a thumb in the direction behind him. "But I think you need to go to a hospital."
"No way, I'm fine."
"No you're not, you're bleeding out." Dean says, shaking his head at my leg. "You need bandages. How far is your car?"
"Not far."
"Here's what we're gonna do, Sam will help you to your car and I'll go back to the Impala and come around and meet you, and we'll talk it all out."
"I…" I grate my teeth, uncomfortable with accepting help from strangers, especially when I was supposed to come and help them. But my leg hurts like hell, and I can't very well limp back to my car. "Alright." I pick back up my gun and attempt to straighten up.
Sam comes over, a sympathetic smile on his face, as Dean turns and leaves. "Here, just put your arm around my shoulder." He says kindly, helping me to stand.
"So Castiel appeared to you and sent you to help us?" He asks as we walk through the woods. I'm lucky I'm so tall, or he'd have to stoop like crazy to support me.
"Well, I didn't meet him, I heard him." I look up at him. "He must really like you guys, he was yelling at me the whole way here."
"Heard him?" Sam stares at me. "You mean you can hear angels?"
"Yup, in my head. I was rolling down 74 just going back home from a hunt when he called. You guys are lucky I made it in time."
His eyebrows climb his forehead as he looks off, impressed. "That's pretty amazing. I've never heard of someone who could hear them."
I don't say anything.
"Are they saying anything now?" He asks.
I lift my eyes to the sky as we make our painfully slow journey to my car. The moon shines down on me, the stars bright and cold, and the only sound I hear is our crunching footsteps. I lower my head. "No, nothing right now."
He nods.
"So you and your brother got caught flat-footed with a werewolf, huh?"
"Yeah, thanks for your help."
"No problem."
We finally make it to my car, the engine running, lights on, and it's making that dinging sound because I left the drivers door open. "As you can see I was in a hurry." I say lightly. Sam helps me sit sideways in the seat, my legs hanging out. "There's some bandages in the trunk."
Sam fishes them out, crouches down and pulls out a knife. I try my best to mask the pain as he cuts my torn jeans from my leg.
"So what were you hunting before you came this way?" He looks up. "If you don't mind me asking."
I swallow and open my mouth to answer, but then I hear the sound of air under wings. I jerk my head up and pull out my gun. "Sam!" I hiss. There's some dude standing a few yards behind Sam, wearing a trench coat and tie.
Sam whips his head around, knife in hand, but then his stance relaxes. "Cas? What are you doing here?" He asks.
"I came to be sure that everything was all right." The man says, approaching us, his voice deep and commanding.
"Who the hell is this?" I ask Sam, eyes wide.
He gives me a weird look. "It's…Castiel."
What? I look up at the guy. He just peers back, his face stern as if he's examining me. "Hello, Tara."
I gulp, eyes wide. Castiel, in the flesh? Damn, he's hot. Or rather, his vessel is.
He puts a hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'll take care of her leg." Sam nods and pulls away as Castiel leans forward and places his fingers on my calf. A searing pain goes through my body and I wince. When I open my eyes, my leg is healed, my white skin glowing in the moonlight.
"Thank you for your help." He says, pulling away.
"Wha…but if you…I don't understand. Why didn't you just come and help them yourself?"
"I couldn't, I was in the middle of something."
I scowl. I came flying down here like a bat out of hell and put myself in danger for some dude who could have poofed down here and done it himself? What a load of bull!
"Where's Dean?" Castiel asks Sam.
"He's coming, he's just bringing the car around. What's up?"
"We have to talk."
Just then Dean comes riding up. Castiel turns to me. "Thank you for your help, Tara. You services are no longer required."
I guess that's my cue to leave. I snort, then pull my legs in and shut my door. I hate being told what to do. Even if it's by an angel. Don't do anything stupid, Tara. You don't know what they're all involved in. I shove my foot to the clutch and shift into reverse. As I pull away, I see Dean get out and begin conversing seriously with Castiel and Sam. Whatever, time to get back to my life.