Untitled – SN fic
Chapter 4
By J.A. Carlton
aka sifichick
Disclaimer… how many times I gotta tell ya?
Love: This part I don't mind repeating….
Dean lay floating on his back letting the sun bake him on one side, and the water cool him on the other until he was sure he was done coughing, then he started swimming laps. Left, Right, Breathe… left, right, breathe… the steady pace trying to drown out John's voice in his head, That was just plain stupid Dean! There are plenty of ways to die in this world without adding your own stupidity to the mix! He knew his dad's voice was right and resented it.
Would serve you right for ditching me you s.o.b.! he thought angrily and drawing the biggest breath he could, dove deep again, this time salting the pond with tears no one would ever see.
Green on fire as the sun yawned and Dean pulled himself shivering from the pond to squeegee himself as dry as possible before yanking his clothes on and heading back to the cave he was somehow coming to consider his sanctuary. His stomach exploded in vociferous a tirade as he passed a raspberry bush then back tracked and filled his mouth and hands as quickly as he could.
Yeah those damned protein bars suck! Wonder if I could catch a fish in the pond? Maybe in the morning… for now I got some raspberries and once I get a fire going I can toast open a couple pine cones… God I hate camping. I wish I had some freakin' M&M's… peanuts are nutritious! oh crap! Am I going to have to hunt? he wondered and noticed a row of the bushes. He took out his handkerchief and started picking, supplementing the fruit with several in-tact pine cones and even some wild carrots (he was careful to make sure it wasn't hemlock he was grabbing) and other bitter greens. Holding the bundle loosely he shrugged, Good enough, and set about looking for kindling. There was no way he was going to let the fire slip tonight.
As burnt orange became the pale violet of twilight the breezy feeling of self-sufficiency he'd borne through most of the day was slowly being replaced by a re-awakening of his anger with his father and a guilty concern about Sammy. I sure hope the runt's okay.
It had bothered him through the day that his pendant was missing, but with the rapid approach of night his heart beat just a little harder and he missed its comforting weight against his chest just a little more.
The rest of the nights' meal gone, Dean poked the pine cones over with a stick and thought on his plan of action for tomorrow.
Even as he sat with his back to the wall and the fire warming his haven, Dean watched the evening breeze licking the flames before wrapping around him. There was something in the way the air stroked his skin that went against the grain, he found it irritating and felt part of himself begin to sicken with the idea of staying where his father had put him. To hell with that…he nodded peeling open the cone and rooting the nuts from its depths, he wants to see what I'm made of? Fine… I'll show him… won't he just shit a brick when I show up out of nowhere… and yeah, I think I will punch him… right in that smug ass smile of his… hell yeah!
"Dean…"
He snapped awake his eyes searching the dimly lit cave, "Huh? What?" he asked aloud wondering if dad had come for him. He could've sworn he felt someone stroke his cheek. Just beyond the darkness outside the cave he thought he saw motion.
"I see you out there… I've got a gun… show yourself nice and easy…" he ordered feeling strength surge through him as he held the pistol steady, pointed at the entrance, "I said show yourself," he rose fluidly, a hint of the man he was to become showing itself in his movements.
The dark figure drew closer and stood just beyond the ring of firelight, its shape and size unmistakable.
"Dad?" he asked feeling a curious mix of fury and relief, his eyes prickled and the gun shook in his hand but he didn't lower it. Darkness welled up hissing within, something serpentine slithering through his heart and he wanted to pull the trigger.
"Dean…" it was Dad's voice alright. He stepped into the light, "You can put the gun down son, I'm here to take you home…"
Dean lowered the gun as John reached out to him and took another step into the cave. Dean cocked his head to the side and started deep into John's eyes, wondering if this was part of the test. Something didn't feel right. John wouldn't come in the middle of the night would he? Yeah, well you never thought he'd ditch you in the freakin' woods either did you? he jibed himself and felt a photo style image of the map flash into his mind. His Dad's strong writing, those three words, 'you are here' in heavy black permanent marker with an incomplete circle over the area… or was it?
"No," Dean breathed shooting a glance at the far side of the cave where the tightly crumpled wad of paper lay where it had landed.
"What?" John asked scowling and striding forcefully into the cave and around the fire to his sons' pack where he knelt and started slamming things back into it, "C'mon Dean this is no time to screw around, put out the fire we're going…"
The image of the broken circle flashed into his mind again and he shook his head, it wasn't a circle his dad had made, "No," he shook his head raising the gun again and edging toward that crumpled bit of paper that had never been more important all of a sudden.
John sighed shaking his head and turned to meet his sons' eyes with a huge toothy grin stretching his features.
No! Oh God no!... Not again!.. or is it yet! the thought ran through Dean's head in a voice he didn't recognize, and he had no idea what it meant. All he knew was that this man, this thing... it wasn't John Winchester.
Yeah, the yellow/gold eyes kinda give it away, he thought though his heart was practically choking him it was so far up his throat.
"What the hell are you?" he breathed keeping the gun steady and aimed between John's eyes.
The thing that looked like his father with Demon eyes rose to his full height and moved another step closer.
"Don't!" Dean ordered far more strongly than he felt. There was something about this thing that made his knees quiver.
"I'm your future… and I'm gonna make you an offer you shouldn't refuse," the thing wearing John's face smiled.
The broken black circle on the map flashed into his mind again and he could see one end of it curling into the other and he could have slapped himself on the forehead, A spiral… a vortex! Holy Crap! he ditched me into a nexus! And took away my pendant! Son of a Bitch! he nearly screamed for the frustration he felt.
Long ago John had explained to him that there were certain areas in the world that were natural coagulations of swirling energies called vortices. The energies could be either positive or negative and sometimes could change their nature depending on the inhabitants of the area. Mental state had everything to do with the swirling energies, if a person was evil or cruel by nature the vortex would amplify that, But there's something else too… think damnit… think! something about entities… beings… God Damnit! Wow is that a creepy smile, he thought distracted by the obscene exaggeration of his fathers' features before him.
"Yeah, right whatever…" Dean sneered, "You think I won't shoot you 'cause you're wearing my dad? Big mistake… see I'm not exactly happy with him right now…"
The thing that looked like John flicked it eyes from the gun to the cave entrance and try as hard had he would, Dean couldn't hold onto it. The gun tore from his hand, snapping his trigger finger and wrenching the small bones out of alignment as it was flung toward the entrance. He wanted to dive out of the way, out of the line of sight of this thing but instead felt his back slam hard against the jagged rock wall, his head hitting hard enough to make him see stars. There was only one problem. The rock wall wasn't rock. It felt like rough wood and his body felt different. Like a heavy leather glove that he hadn't grown into yet, he felt larger and older than himself, yet the sense of helplessness was the same.
This thing in John's skin was across the room standing in front of some other poor sucker who looked like he'd taken the beating of his life. Poor bastard, Dean thought and strained to hear what was being said.
"…they got in the way…" the John thing said.
"In the way of what?" the other poor sucker asked and Dean thought there was something familiar about the guy but he just couldn't place it.
His mind flashed numb for a second and then he was staring into those oily yellow gold eyes and he'd just said something but he couldn't figure out what it was. It must've struck a nerve though because the cold fury that rolled off the John thing hit him like a blast just before the pain hit and he screamed until he prayed he'd die.
