Thank you for all the follows and for the reviews! Without any further comments, here is the official first chapter!
The town was silent except for the sound of crunching leaves and debris caused by the feet of the three people that wandered the empty streets.
Dean and Sam Winchester kept lookout, between them was a young boy, probably 6 or 7, who would occasionally sniffle and hug his stuffed dog to his chest.
They found the boy alone, huddled under a turned over table in one of the small local coffee shops while they were out in town looking for more supplies and possibly, survivors who could be trusted and taken back to Bobby's.
Dean would kill for some coffee right now. And pie. Damn, how he missed pie.
The boy and his mother got separated a few days ago, from what Dean could make out of his high pitched snotty crying. They had gone out to try and find food and ran into some Croats, mother got bit by one and left him. Father had apparently been killed by demons, explaining why the kid turned frantic when he saw Dean's black eyes.
Again, this was only what Dean assumed from the choked out, simple story the kid gave them. It had taken a lot of coaxing but they were eventually able to convince the kid that Dean wasn't a bad demon.
At least the twerp had stopped crying. For the time being, that was. Dean had learned to appreciate the little things. Sort of.
As long as he had his baby brother by his side though healthy and happy, well as happy as he could possibly be given the situation, Dean was good.
"Dean."
Speaking of Sammy...
The younger brother grabbed Dean's jacket to stop him and pointed at a group of disabled cars to their left.
Something was moving. And groaning. A Croat, at least one, hopefully not more.
Dean pulled out his gun and so did Sam, they went to aim for an easy kill...
And then the Croat woman jumped out, sprinting towards them. She was a young one, her body not deteriorating yet, she looked normal if it wasn't for the crazy look on her face and the blood all over her body, most of which was not hers.
Unfortunately, she was also quick and her brain wasn't as fried yet as she actually attempted to dodge their bullets, which hit her in the arms and legs, not slowing her down in the slightest.
And then the little boy took off. He dropped his stuffed dog and ran with his arms wide open. "Mommy!" he cried.
Well, shit.
Sam dropped his gun and went after the kid so quickly that Dean hardly had time to realize his brother left his side. Dean ran after, but Sam had already grabbed the struggling little boy when the Croat jumped on them both.
"Sammy!" Dean screamed. In the tussle Sam had managed to push the little boy out. He was a foot or two away from the fight, crying hysterically.
Dean didn't pay him a second glance.
He reached for the Croat, not wanting to shoot because Sam was tangled up with it, the thing howled, snapping and biting his arms. Not that it mattered, it wasn't like demons could get infected, but it was still disgusting.
Once he had a firm grip on the Croat's collar, he reached out with his powers and pushed Sam out of the way. He then flung the infected woman on the ground, her head cracking against the pavement from his inhuman strength.
"Bye bye bitch," Dean growled as he emptied a bullet into her skull.
They had to hurry; the commotion could have attracted other Croats, especially the young and strong ones like the woman.
But first and foremost, he had to check on his brother.
Dean ran back over to Sam's side, kneeling down next to him. As soon as he saw the look in his sad eyes, he knew something was terribly wrong.
"Dean," Sam practically whimpered, he was clutching onto his forearm and Dean could see blood dropping down.
No. No this wasn't fucking happening! They had been so careful, so damn careful up to this point!
"It's okay Sammy." Dean forced his voice to remain calm and sure. "Let me take a look at that."
"No." Sam shook his head, tears falling from his eyes.
"Sammy, you gotta let me, man. I can help you, come on, it's alright..." Sam finally began to pull his shaking hand away. "That's it...you're okay..."
Dean's breath caught in his throat as Sam fully removed his hand. There, bleeding with a chunk of skin missing, was a Croat bite.
Not his fucking Sammy!
The kid suddenly wailed long and loud and Dean whipped his head around to face him. "Shut the hell up you little brat! This is your goddamn fault!"
The kid screamed louder, his cries piercing Dean's ears.
"Dean," Sam said quietly. "Don't, it's not his fault. It's mine."
"Like hell it is! He's the one that ran right toward the monster!" Dean turned to address the kid again. "Shut up or more of them will come and they'll kill you this time!"
The kid hiccupped, still crying, but not as loud. "Don't kill me Mr. Demon! I'm sorry!"
Dean looked away, not wanting to deal with the brat any longer. He glanced down at Sam's wound, feeling a hollow and angry feeling dwell up inside him. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time, at least not this strongly.
He had to relax. Sam could be okay. He probably was okay.
"You're alright Sammy," Dean repeated himself. "You're immune, remember? This will sting and ache but it won't infect you. You'll be fine."
"But Dean... The virus is so more advanced then it was back then. It's stronger now, I might not be immune any longer..."
"Don't say that!" Dean growled, not realizing that he had busted the glass of the building across the street from his powers due to anger. "You're stronger now, too! You have a lot more of that demon blood in you now. You've been taking it every day. You're good, Sammy."
"You think so?" Sam asked shakily, his voice finally holding some hope.
Dean took out a water bottle filled with the blood mixture, urging Sam to drink. "I know so, Sammy. When have I ever lied to you?"
Dean hoped like hell he wasn't lying today.
A few Croats had been awakened during the kid's obnoxious screaming, so Dean helped pick his brother up and turned to the little boy.
"Come on, kid, follow me."
"But my doggy!" the little boy sobbed, pointing at his stuffed dog that lay a few feet away.
"If you want it so bad, then go grab it and hurry up!"
The kid ran to grab his stuffed toy and Dean turned to his brother, who was standing upright on his own, but looking terribly shaken.
"Come on, Sammy. We're heading to Bobby's. He has stuff where you can clean that wound up..."
"No." Sam shook his head stubbornly. "We can't go to Bobby's."
Dean glared at his brother, not believing what he was hearing. "We have to go back, Sam! What the hell are you thinking?"
"Dean, what if I turn there? I'd put everyone in danger!"
Dean clenched his teeth, wanting to shake his brother but kept his hands at his sides. "You're not gonna turn! I told you, you're immune. You'll be fine!"
"Even if that's true Dean...I don't want to take chances. And we can't risk going back and having everyone see the bite. They'll be suspicious even if they don't see it, with me locking myself in the room..."
"Sammy..."
"No...Dean. I can't...and if they see the bite and then I'm okay...they'll know I'm immune. Do you know how much hassle that will create? They could want to use my blood and try to find a vaccine, even though we know that doesn't work...you wouldn't want that to happen..."
Sam trying to make Dean feel guilty worked. Of course he wouldn't want to risk the group finding out Sam was immune and using him!
"Fine, we're gonna find somewhere to stay though..." The kid came running back to join the brothers. "..keep a lookout for any apartment buildings...you too, kid. The Croats will have a harder time breaking in to apartments and finding our room rather than a house."
It took them about an hour, they ran into Croats a few times and had to backtrack, but they found an apartment building that was down a side street.
Sam wasn't looking so good and Dean was freaked as hell. Deep down, he wanted to believe Sam would be okay, but what if he wasn't?
There was a good chance the virus had advanced so that it COULD infect Sam.
But he wouldn't think of that now. Not when Sammy needed him. He couldn't flip out with anger and smash and kill things like he wanted to.
They made their way into the building and up to the top floor. Dean had to help Sam, who was feeling light-headed and sweating, up the steps.
"Almost there, Sammy, then you can lay down."
"I'm...I'm fine Dean..." Sam mumbled, not sounding convincing in the slightest.
"Mr. Demon...I'm hungry," the kid whined, tugging on Dean's jacket.
"Shut the hell up kid! Would you rather be a little hungry or get eaten by a Croat?"
The kid began sniffling a bit, but the sobs didn't start. Thank goodness.
Several of the doors were left wide open, the rooms trashed. Walking further down the hall, Dean found one that had been left locked and dead bolted. The owner probably left their apartment, locking the door behind them thinking they would return once the "flu" passed.
Little did they know.
It looked like no one bothered to try and loot it, thinking it would waste too much time when there were easier places to steal from.
Dean knelt down in front of the lock after helping Sammy lean against the wall. He worked on the lock and deadbolt in silence, using his powers to help him as well. If it wouldn't have alerted Croats and scavengers, Dean would have just kicked the door down.
Finally freeing the door, Dean opened it, entering stealthy just in case the owner had locked themselves inside.
The place looked like it hadn't been touched in months, perfect. Still, Dean checked all the rooms.
"Alright, Sammy, it's safe, come on in."
Dean turned just in time to see Sam collapse as he stepped in the apartment.
Of course, Dean caught him before he could fall, and Sam instantly began attempting to bat Dean away.
"I'm okay...I'm okay Dean..." Even his voice sounded weak.
"Like hell you are!" Dean grabbed Sam, actually picked his giant body up in his arms and carried him into the dusty bedroom. "Don't take it out on me if there's spiders in the bed, alright, Sammy?" He helped to gently lay his brother down on the bed.
Noises altered Dean and he turned to see the damn kid rustling through the cabinets. He sighed and looked back at his brother. "I'll be right back, okay, Sammy?"
The younger brother nodded weakly and Dean spun around and stormed into the living area. He held out his hand and with his powers, shutting and locking the door into the hallway and causing the little boy to jump.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" Dean growled.
"I'm...I'm just hungry Mr. Demon, sir...please..."
"You can eat when we're sure we're safe. Safety's the top priority in this life. You can't just sit back and stuff your face whenever you feel like it anymore. There are no more luxuries, so close the damn blinds before any scavengers or demons see us in here."
The kid was shaking, but still listened to Dean's requests as he ran over and attempted to close the curtains and blinds. Dean made his way into the bathroom, which other than having some cobwebs, was actually pretty clean.
Immediately heading over to the medicine cabinet, Dean discovered some expired Tylenol that would have to do and grabbed hydrogen peroxide and ointment. There were no bandages, but Dean could make his own.
Hopefully Sammy was only sporting an infection that would wear away with some medicine.
Dean checked in on his brother, who was looking pale and sick, but still awake. He wanted to get Sammy cleaned up as soon as possible, but he needed to make sure the kid was settled and that the apartment was safe. They didn't need anyone or anything breaking in with their backs turned.
The kid had actually done a decent job, Dean only had to fix one section of the blinds. He then found extra blankets in the closet and stuffed it under the door. He doubted that anyone would come walking through the apartment building, but they could never be too safe.
Then, closing his eyes, Dean concentrated and was able to light up the whole room, the electricity being contained and not spreading through the whole building.
"Wow!" The little boy jumped up, nearly dropping his stuffed dog. "Power! Lights! This is so cool! I haven't seen power in forever! Will the air and toilets work?"
"I don't know," Dean grumbled. He reluctantly walked over to the fridge, being prepared to be assaulted with revolting smells of long-ago spoiled food.
Instead, he found only beverages. As if whoever stayed here knew they wouldn't be returning for a while and didn't want to clean up the rotting mess when they returned. It almost made Dean think someone else was living here still.
He grabbed a warm water bottle since they were out of the ones they had carried with them. Walking away, Dean checked the rest of the small living area that doubled as a kitchen and dining area. He then wandered into the bathroom. No one was there and he already checked the bedroom. They were safe. No one else was here.
Dean walked past the kid who was now laying on the couch and flipping through the magazines on the end table. Back in the bedroom, he unscrewed the cap to the water bottle and lifted his brother's head up.
"Come on, Sammy, drink."
"Dean...," Sam mumbled, some water dripping out of his mouth. "It hurts...and my head..."
"What with your head?"
"I feel dizzy...and I feel...I feel sick..."
"It's probably just an infection, Sammy. Don't worry, I've got stuff here to patch you up. You'll be feeling fine after a good night's sleep, alright?"
"But...but what if I turn, Dean?"
"Stop being a freak and shut up about that. I told you you'll be fine and I don't want to hear a single word otherwise, got it?"
Sam simply nodded and Dean gently grabbed his arm to check on the wound. Sam attempted weakly to pull the arm back to his chest, his face a picture of fear and pain.
"You know I gotta check on it, dummy. Come on, don't fight me."
Sam finally stopped fighting and let Dean grab his arm and unwrap the fabric that he had tied earlier around the bite.
"Shit." The wound was inflamed and red and was starting to ooze puss.
"Wha...what? Dean?"
Dean hadn't realized he said that out loud. Crap. He used his powers to push his brother's head back down on the pillow.
"Nothing. It's infected, doesn't look too good. But I'm gonna take care of you. Just relax, okay?"
Sam nodded but then quickly shook his head. Dean sighed in response, "What, Sam?"
"I...I want to tell you something."
"Okay, then spit it out."
Sam swallowed, his eyes darting away from his brother briefly only to quickly lock his gaze on Dean's black eyes.
"If I don't make it out of this..."
"Oh god, don't even START with that shit, Sam!"
Sam reached up weakly and grabbed Dean's arm. "No...please…I need to tell you...I don't think you know."
"Then hurry the hell up already!"
"I...I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not believing that it was you...you went through Hell for me, Dean and I beat you up. I'm so sorry."
Dean rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Whatever, it's fine, Sam. We're good now."
"No!" Sam yelled and squeezed Dean's arm. "No it's not fine! I'm sorry for taking you for granted before. Whether it be Stanford or calling you selfish for selling your soul. I never meant to hurt you, Dean..."
"Alright, that's enough..."
"It's not though! I don't think you realize how much you mean to me, Dean. How proud I am of you for still being my brother even though you're a demon. I don't think any less of you, Dean, I need you to know that."
"Stop being an idiot, I already know that."
"I...just...I needed you to know. Because when I turn you have to kill me and not feel bad..."
"Sam ." Dean felt like he was practically shouting. "I'm not gonna kill you. You're not gonna turn. And even if you were, I don't give a damn, I'd keep you safe until I found a cure. I wouldn't give up on you."
Sam shook his head, a few tears falling. "You always save me, Dean. I feel like I never am able to save you. But I want you to know that I try, I try so damn hard and I'd do anything for you..."
"Okay, I think that's the fever talking Sammy, I gotta get this wound taken care of."
"Wait...please just know I'm sorry Dean..."
Dean sighed, he guessed he'd have to address this, just for his brother. "Sammy, I know that. And it's alright, honestly, it is and I know you've got my back, alright? You help me more than you realize, stupid bitch, remember Alastair?"
Sam finally cracked a smile and Dean was just happy this conversation was over with.
Opening up the bottle of hydrogen peroxide, Dean decided to not warn his brother as he dumped the solution over the wound.
Sam screamed, the wound bubbling and although Dean immediately dabbed at the wound, Sam's eyes rolled back as he passed out.
At least he wouldn't feel the rest of the cleaning process.
Dean was nearly done patching Sam up when a loud static-like noise suddenly erupted from the living area. Running in, Dean was greeted by the kid frantically pushing the buttons on the TV.
"What the hell are you doing?" Dean yelled as loud as he dared. He walked over and shut the TV off.
"I...was just trying to watch TV! I'm sorry, Mr. Demon!"
"You know the TVs stopped broadcasting months ago! Just because I got power working doesn't mean the newscasters and actors are gonna come back from the dead and start making programs again! The world is going to Hell, kid, survival is what the rest of us are worried about, not damn TV shows!"
"I'm sorry! I thought the power meant the TV would work! Does that mean Barney is dead too, Mr. Demon?"
Dean sighed. He knew Sam would laugh in this situation but he was too pissed and worried to do so. "Yeah, Barney's dead, too. And STOP calling me Mr. Demon! My name is Dean, kid! Call me Dean!"
"Okay...okay Mr. Dean. My name is Aiden."
Oh right, maybe Dean should have asked for the kid's name. Or maybe the kid had already told them and Dean just didn't care to listen. Oh well.
"But...but maybe the DVDs will work?" Aiden pointed to a DVD case, season 2 of Everybody Loves Raymond.
"Give me that." Dean snatched the DVD box out of the kid's hand and popped out the first disc. He slipped it in, lowering the volume all the way but there was still only static.
Shit. Sammy would know how to do this, he was the tech wiz. Dean tried to think of what his brother would tell him every time they wanted to watch a DVD. He'd roll his eyes and say something about "input".
Dean looked down at the remote and sure enough, there was an input button. Once he pressed it, a bunch of options popped up. He assumed he had to click the DVD one, so he scrolled down until it was highlighted.
Sure enough, once the button was pressed the DVD menu popped up, Dean clicked play and then tossed the remote carelessly to the kid.
Aiden suddenly jumped up and grabbed onto Dean's legs, hugging them tightly.
"Thank you, Mr. Dean."
Dean didn't like the feeling of having his legs trapped. It reminded him of Hell, being tied down and unable to move. Finding himself freaking out a bit over his lack of freedom and the uncomfortable sensation of this hug, Dean pried the kid off of him roughly.
"Shut up and sit down. Don't turn the volume up any louder."
Aiden nodded, clutching the remote in his small hands.
"Good. Now I'm going in there to take care of my brother. You don't come in our room unless there's an emergency, do you understand me?"
"Is he going to be okay?" Aiden looked sad and Dean could see the tears welling up. "He looked really sick."
Dean found himself getting mad for whatever reason. "Of course he's going to be okay!" he growled. "He's just sick, I'm going to take care of him and he'll be fine. I'm his big brother and I'm not gonna let him down!"
Aiden just stared at Dean blankly after his rant. Dean was breathing heavily and could feel his hands begin to shake. He didn't know why he had screamed that or felt the need to defend his big brother skills. All that he knew was that he was pissed and felt out of control.
If he got this spazzy from thinking of the possibility of losing Sam, just how would he get if Sam...
No, he wasn't going to think of that. Sam would be fine. And Dean was going to be fine, too. He wasn't going to turn into some crazy violent rage-filled demon, because he'd have Sam. Sammy was going to be okay.
Dean turned away from Aiden and stormed back into the bedroom. The only reason he didn't slam the door was because Sam was sleeping and needed all the rest he could get.
Dean ran a hand through his longer than usual hair at the site of his little brother sleeping restlessly on the bed. Sweat was dripping down Sam's forehead so Dean poured some of the water from the bottle on a clean washcloth and ran it over his face.
"You'll be feeling as good as new when you wake up, Sammy. Big brother will fix you yet again and then I'll beat your ass for getting bitten in the first place, how's that sound?"
Dean stared at Sam's face, which was pain-filled even in his sleep, and sighed.
"That was really stupid of you. Shoulda just let the kid run if he was going to be an idiot and approach the Croat like that. But no, of course you had to save the little brat and risk your own life." Dean tossed the washcloth on the nightstand and turned his attention to finishing the bandaging of Sam's wound.
"You know I'm proud of you for being like that though, even if it pisses me off at the same time. You're a real good kid, Sammy, or I should say man, you're only a kid to me." Dean tightened the bandage, feeling lost at what to do next. "A lot of people are turning into sick monsters, and I'm not talkin' about the Croats. But you're showing all these other people that there's still good guys out there who want to help. And well, I guess that's pretty cool."
Dean focused and the lights went off in the apartment room. Better to leave them off while they were sleeping. Just in case.
"And I'm not saying to stop trying to protect these idiots, cause I know you won't stop. But you're being a helluva lot more careful after this." Dean shook his head, his hands shaking. "Or it's me that's gotta be more careful. I shoulda been able to pull you away when you ran toward that Croat. I should have been faster. If I would have, then none of this would be happening. I gotta keep an eye on you, never let you out of my site, be more focused..."
Dean trailed off, hanging his head. He felt dizzy, which was strange because it wasn't like demons could get sick. But Dean's head felt like it was about to explode, his heart beating in his chest so fast it felt like it would rip out of his body. He bit his lip so hard that it punctured the skin and it began to bleed.
Deep breaths. That's all, take deep breaths. You're fine you stupid idiot.
Dean noticed an odd feeling on his face. He brought a shaky hand up and ran it along his cheek. Feeling something wet, Dean pulled his hand away to take a look.
There, on his fingertip was one tear. A fucking tear. He had been crying.
Slamming his fist down on the nightstand, Dean cursed at his emotions. He was a demon, a pathetic, broken demon who let his brother get bitten by a Croat. He didn't deserve to feel any emotions, let alone emotions this strong that it actually caused him to shed a tear.
"Some brother you have, Sammy, I'm so damn strong that I cry? What a fucking joke…"
He didn't think demons could fucking cry unless they were faking it. But apparently Dean was so screwed up that he could.
He didn't deserve it, after everything he did, after what he just let happen, he only deserved to feel nothing at all, to not have any form of releasing his worry and sadness.
Get your act together loser, you're a damn demon and can't even man up. Imagine if Sam saw you like this!
You're fine, you're an emotionless strong demon. Nothing is affecting you.
You're a failure of a brother.
Just fine, nothing wrong here.
No. He wasn't fine. He'd fucking admit it. He was scared shitless.
Sammy could be turned come morning.
"I'm sorry Sammy, I'm so fucking sorry."