Chapter 4- Shadow

It's been a long time since I stuck around with my brothers. We fought off different creatures, a crazy ghost doctor in a haunted asylum; a creepy scarecrow which almost got Dean killed, good thing Sam came back when he walked away; A psycho who controlled a grim-reaper, when Dean almost died because of electrocution; A possessed truck that almost killed Dean's ex-girlfriend; A telekinetic teenager who almost shot us dead; and a couple of psycho people who got us missing. With all these, I became more aware of what is out there in the dark. My brothers taught me how to drive the Impala, although I just did that twice because Dean didn't trust me enough to handle his 'baby'. He got me a phone though, just like he's told me before. They also taught me how to use guns and those other things in the 'trunk' of the trunk. I know the basics now. I think I'm ready to be a full-pledged hunter.

"Is it really that important to dress like this?" I asked my brothers as we pulled over. We were dressed in a jumpsuit today, as an employee from an alarm systems company. Three days ago, we've read from paper news about a woman who was found inside her apartment ripped in pieces, her heart missing, by her landlady, somewhere in Chicago. We figured that this might be our kind of deal so we gave it a shot.

"You do know that you can actually stay here and wait for us, right?" Sam rolled his eyes at me. "In that case, you wouldn't have dressed like this."

"But I'd miss the action."

Dean got out of the car and pulled something out from the trunk. Sam and I followed.

"Alright, guys. This is the place." Sam said. We walked down the alley.

"You know, I gotta say dead meat is just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork." Dean expressed. Sam and I laughed. He was definitely right. Our costumes are stupid.

"What was that play you did?" Dean asked Sam as he tried to remember. "Uh, 'Our Town'. Yeah, we're good. It was great."

"Look, you wanna pull this off or not?" Sam challenged.

"I'm just saying this outfits cost hard on our money." Dean replied.

"Whose?"

"Ours." Dean stated. "You think credit card fraud is easy?" I laughed at them. These brothers of mine won't complete their days without arguing. It's like it's part of their everyday living.

When we reached the apartment, we went inside and found the crime scene. The police had given the go sign, which had us inspecting the place as the landlady left. The landlady told us that she found the body a few days later it happened. She noticed the foul smell and checked the room out. That was when she found the victim in pieces. "Everything was in perfect condition, except Meredith." she'd told us. I immediately got my camera and took pictures around finding some important patterns or symbols that might help us figure out what we were dealing with. Blood was still scattered on the floor, walls and the carpet. Dean activated his EMF as did Sam. We scanned the place thoroughly.

"So, the killer walks in and out of the apartment. No weapons, no prints. Nothing." Dean said.

"I'm telling you, when I saw the article in the newspaper, I knew this was our kind of job." Sam told us.

"I think I got it." Dean said as we noticed the EMF going all sorts of crazy.

"So you talked to the police?" Sam asked. Dean told us all the information he got about the little perky officer named Amy. I rolled my eyes.

"Dean!" Sam scolded.

"Yeah?" Dean looked at him and he snapped back from his thoughts. "Nothing we don't know about. Except that one thing they kept from the papers."

"Hmm?"

"Meredith's heart was missing." Dean stated.

"Her heart?"

"Yeah. Her heart."

"So what you think did it?" I asked them both.

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack." Dean answered. "Werewolf?"

"No, not werewolf. The lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it were a creature it would have left traces." Sam said. "It's probably a spirit."

"A spirit so powerful, it tore her into pieces." I managed to say. "Wow."

"Who knows?" Sam told me. Suddenly, Dean was asking us for a masking tape, as he was looking on the blood traces on the floor. I scanned some drawers and found an electrical tape.

"Help me with these." He ordered me. We connected some of the blood prints on the floor forming a figure I haven't seen before. It was like the letter Z only having some sort of an elliptical figure on the middle of the letter.

"Ever seen that symbol before?" Sam asked.

"Never." Dean said.

"Me neither."

"Well, that makes three of us." I told them. I took a picture of it. After that we cleaned up and went outside.

That night, we decided to go to a local bar near the motel. Upon seeing the gender of the bartender, Dean immediately volunteered to talk to her. Sam found us a table and immediately sank down the seat to start our work. He told me that he's just gonna get Dad's journal from the car.

"I'm just gonna go grab something to drink." I told him. "Want some?"

"You could get me a beer." He said. I turned towards the bar, but he called back. "Hey Charley! No alcohol for you."

"Oh, come on, Sam! Just one shot?" I begged but he gave me a dismissive no. So I half-heartedly bought myself a can of Coke and a bottle of beer for him. Dean, who was about three meters away from me, reminded me.

"Charley, alcohol's off limits." He said without taking his eyes off the bartender. I stuck the can of coke right between their faces, took it away and smiling widely I walked away. I saw Sam already sitting down and joined him. After a while, Dean joined with us.

"I thought you were busy?" I teased him.

"Busy as a bee." He replied. "I talked to the bartender."

"So what did you get?" Sam asked. "Besides her number?"

"Dude!" Dean defended. "I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that." He managed to say. "Alright, here." he held up a piece of paper with a number scrawled across it. Sam forced a smile while I stopped myself from slapping my big brother under his head.

"You mind a little thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?" Sam said.

"Wait, you have a brain down there?" I chuckled. Both of them looked at me, one glaring, and the other smiling. I gestured a zipping motion across my lips.

"There was nothing for find out" Dean continued. ''Well, Meredith worked here, she waited tables. Everyone's her friend; everybody said she's normal, didn't do or say anything weird before she died. What about that symbol, you found anything?"

"No." Sam and I managed to utter at the same time.

"Nothing." Sam said. "Nothing in books or in Dad's journal. I'd just need to dig a little deeper, I guess."

"I'm getting these creeps." I told them. "I mean, you said this can't be a werewolf." I turned to Sam. "Which means this has got to be a lot bigger, right?"

"Maybe." Dean said, looking at the news articles. "That was the first victim right before Meredith?"

Sam told us about the victim, what his name was and how he died. Nothing in common, except they're both dead. No patterns, none at all. What kind of psycho killer do all of these?

"So, recap." Dean said, with the hint of sarcasm in his voice. "The only intel we have is the bartender's number."

"You don't say." I muttered.

Sam, then, noticed something behind Dean as he was looking past him.

"What?" I heard Dean say, but Sam ignored him, already walking past him. Sam walked towards a blonde-pixie haired girl. He tapped her on the shoulder, she spun around to see him then they immediately engaged into a conversation. It seemed that they knew each other at some point. Dean and I followed him. I wasn't really listening to their conversation because something about this girl has caught me off guard. Something's different about her. I don't know why but I can sense it. Then, I heard Dean clear his throat aloud.

"Dude, cover your mouth." I heard her say. I snorted and Dean kicked my foot lightly.

"Yeah, uh..." Sam started. "This is my brother, Dean, and my sister, Charley."

Her mouth formed an O before she said, "This is Dean."

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

Dean was beaming up at her. "So you've heard of me." He said.

"Oh, yeah!" She exclaimed. "I've heard of you." Her face was stern, she continued, "The way you treat your brother like luggage."

Dean's expression changed. "Sorry?"

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green earth."

Well, I think that was off the hook. "Hey-" I started.

"Meg," Sam stopped her. "It's alright."

Dean managed to whistle. "Okay, awkward." Then he tugged me and started walking away.

"Dean-"

"Don't start." He shut me up.

"But-"I argued.

"Enough." I realized we were in the bar and he ordered a bourbon. "Want some?"

I shook my head. "There's something about her, Dean." I told him.

"Yeah." He said.

"I mean something dark about her character." He looked at me with questioning eyes, urging me to continue. Instead I told him, "Just trust me on this."

Most of the time, I know my instincts are telling me what to do. I know how well it works. It kept me out of trouble. Sam met us and we decided to take the night off from all the tension that erupted earlier.

"Who the hell was she?" Dean demanded once we were outside.

"I don't really know." Sam answered. "I met her once. Meeting her again, I don't know guys. It's weird."

"And what was she saying?" There it is. Dean dropped the bomb. What a good way to end the night.

"I'm going inside the car." I told them both. I didn't need to hear their battle of words. My mind was still on Meg. There was really something off about her, I just can't put my finger into it. I slid in the backseat of the Impala, grabbed Dad's journal and a flashlight from my backpack. I decided to read, thinking that maybe I could find something regarding our case. When I opened it, the first word I saw was, "Demons".

"Demons, huh?" Then I started reading that section when someone knocked on the window. It was Dean, so I lowered it down.

"What?" I asked.

"Get out. We're going to the motel." So I did. I saw him give the keys to Sam. Dean and I made our way to the motel.

"Where's he headed?" I asked Dean, referring to Sam.

"To watch Meg." He chuckled.

"Seriously?" He just laughed.

When we reached the motel, we asked for a room with three beds. I noticed the receptionist eyeing us suspiciously. I had the courtesy to enlighten him.

"Okay," I said, looking at him. "This man is my brother, not my lover. And for the record, I am still a minor."

He sighed, accepted the credit card and handed us the keys. We entered the room and Dean took a quick shower. He's asked me to research about the symbol. I opened Sam's laptop and browsed the internet. I drew the symbol in a piece of paper, then proceeded to search for its meaning. After a couple of minutes, Dean was finished and he took Sam's laptop and told me go have a shower. I handed him the drawing of the symbol, and headed to the bathroom.

"Demons." I muttered. After my shower, I quickly joined him as we go around the case.

"What?" He looked at me bewilderingly,

"Could demons do that?" I asked him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing." I dismissed. "Look!" I pointed at the screen.

The symbol was Zoroastrian, circa. 2000 BC. It translates into "daeva" or "demon of darkness". We read through the articles. Daevas are very vicious, animalistic demons, who have to be summoned by someone. Demons, I knew it.

"So these demons, have to be summoned so most probably someone's controlling them. We just have to find out who." I told him.

Dean reached for his cell.

"What is it?" I asked him, thinking he might have found something I didn't see.

"Nothing. Sam asked me to check on Meg Masters." He dialed Sam's cell. "Let me guess, you're lurking outside that poor girl's apartment."

As Dean talked with Sam, I focused on the drawing, since I knew I wouldn't really understand them because I could only hear Dean's part of the conversation.

I stared at the drawing again. Can it be Meg? I thought. I'm not really a pro when it comes to these stuffs. I mean, my brothers could be, but me? I'm not even halfway there.

"Sam? Sam." I heard Dean say.

"I guess that's the sound of Sam hanging up on you." I told him as I looked up.

"Yeah, he's probably enjoying his private little strip show."

I laughed. "You're so silly."

"So how did you know?"

"Know what?" I asked him, confused.

"That it was a demon."

"I don't know." I told him. "Instincts probably."

"Maybe you are a hunter by blood."

"I guess, it runs deep in the family."

After hours of research, I decided to make us some coffee. Then I heard the door open.

"Sam?" I called. I saw him walk inside. Then Dean stood up beside him

"Dude, I gotta talk to you," They said in unison.

Sam went off first, telling us that he followed Meg into an old warehouse, and that she has this creepy altar. She was the one summoning the demon, and someone was giving her orders to do so. Dean, then, told us that he went through some police records and that we missed something about it. Both victims were from Lawrence, Kansas.

"I don't know about you guys, but I assume I wasn't born there." I told them.

"Well, lucky for you." Sam told me. "Holy crap." He then cursed.

"Yeah." Dean added.

"I mean, it's where the demon killed Mom. It's where all it started."

"You mean, Meg might have something to do with the demon that killed your Mom?" I asked.

"Maybe." Dean said. "It's a possibility." Well, at least I got one thing straight. Meg has something to do with the killings.

"Charley!" Sam called.

"Huh?"

"I said pack your bags."

"Oh, okay." I re-organized my bag just a bit, since I haven't really had the time to get my things out of it, and double-checked the contents.

"Are you okay? You seem lost."

"Just thinking." I said. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to process all these things. I know it's been months but it takes time."

"Been there." He affirmed. He and Dean took care of the weapons. Salt, Guns, Holy Water and all that.

After organizing my things, I saw Dean pull out his phone and dialed someone. One word caught my attention. "Dad", Dean said. Why is he calling him? As if he'd actually show up. He got his voicemail by the way. Sam dropped the duffel bags he got from the Impala's trunk.

"That's just everything we need." He said.

"I'm not sure what to expect so I guess we'd just have to expect everything, huh?"

My brothers checked the pistols and all other guns, while I volunteered to put our bags in the car. When I came back, I swear I heard them arguing again.

"Dude, what's your problem?" I heard Sam ask. Dean was facing the wall, his back on Sam.

"Why do you think I dragged you everywhere?" He asked Sam. "Why do you think I dragged you from Stanford?"

No, I don't want to hear any of this crap. I dragged myself towards the door and went outside. I just wanted to end all these. I just want to find Dad. Once outside, I noticed I was unarmed. I can't go back though. I observed they both have their issues so it's best for them to settle them, so I just waited outside, leaning in the car. A cold wind blew in my face. I noticed it was chilly.

'Sudden drop of temperature', I thought. This is not good. Knowing I'm unarmed, I tried to get back inside the motel, I opened the door but it was jammed. I pulled my phone from my pocket and tried t dial Dean's cell. In the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow coming towards me. I started to bolt down to the opposite direction. No lefts, no rights, just straight ahead. I ran as fast as I could, until I saw a dead end. I was trapped. I checked my phone but I dropped it back there. I panicked, I know I shouldn't have but I did.

And then, there was darkness.

Dean's POV

That's it. Sam wants to be free. Free from all this crap. I can't quite understand where that's coming from. I grabbed the last duffel bag and went outside.

"Dean," Sam called. "Charley... She's not here."

"What?" Dammit, that girl could really get into my nerves. "Charley!"

"I checked inside the car, buildings nearby, no sign of her."

"Son of a bitch." I cursed. I cannot lose Charley, knowing I would lose Sam again. She's my responsibility. She's my sister. She's only been with us for a couple of months, but she managed to get through us easily, and we can't afford to lose more family. Just then, I saw something in the alley. It was Charley's cell phone.

"Sam," I called as I picked up the phone, and showed it to him.

"Maybe she's in the warehouse." Sam told me. And immediately, we drove to the place.

Charley's POV

My head hurts, so was my whole body. I tried to move but the rope around me was tight. I felt something sticky in my head, which I guess was my blood. My head buzzed and my vision was blurry, so I tried to adjust it. When I opened my eyes, I saw Meg standing across me, with her back on me. She was like talking to someone. Suddenly, I heard something from the side. I turned my head and saw Sam and Dean climbing. I tried not to make a sound to help them not to distract Meg. They went through the back quietly.

"Guys," Meg said suddenly. "That's a bit childish, don't you think?"

I made a muffled sound through my gag.

"Why don't you come out?" Meg continued. I made a sound again, and she glared at me. I restrained through the ropes, fighting, and she knocked my head to the pole to which I'm tied to.

"Charley!" Dean yelled. I blacked out.

When I regained my consciousness, Sam and Dean were both tied up.

"You're awake." Meg walked towards me. Removing my gag, she asked. "How are you feeling?" She yanked my hair and I screamed.

"Charley!" Sam and Dean yelled at the same time.

"Stop it!" I screamed. I saw the daeva coming right at me. "No!" Then I felt it scratching my skin, my flesh, leaving marks and blood streaming from it.

"STOP!" Dean yelled.

Meg ordered the daevas to stop. I was panting, catching my breath, blocking out the pain, allowing the adrenaline numb my body. They were talking, but my ears weren't listening. My body is burning, severe ache running through it. I concentrated on my brothers. Meg on Sam's lap, while Dean was cutting through the ropes. Meg discovering Dean's knife, throwing it away, but Sam on the other had managed to get free and gave the bitch a head butt. Sam destroyed the altar, then I saw Meg dragged by the shadow demons. Sam freed Dean, then they rushed towards me, cutting my ropes and helped me stand up. We went towards the window and saw Meg down on the ground.

"So I guess the daevas didn't want to be bossed around." Sam spoke.

"I guess not, " Dean replied. "Hey Sam, next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets of crazy, huh?" He smiled at him and carried me downstairs. He slid me in the backseat.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Better." I whispered. He slid into the driver's seat while we waited for Sam. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

"Charley, we're here." Sam woke me up.

"Go ahead." I told them. "I'll follow."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Mhmm." I closed my eyes again, waiting for them to get off the car. I just wished for the pain to go away. After several minutes, I managed to get off the car and went inside the motel.

"Hey guys," I said as I opened the door to our room. "I left our things in the car, I hope you don't... mind." I swear I saw that we were four inside the room. A tall, dark-haired man was standing near them.

"Charlotte?" He called. I was afraid to ask him. Hell, I was afraid to approach him, so he went to me instead and gathered me in his arms.

"Charley." I stated. "It's Charley." I pushed the thought of him being my father inside my head. I lifted my arms and hugged him.

"I'm sorry." He said, releasing me. "Sorry for not being there for you."

Then he turned to my brothers, "It doesn't surprise me. It has tried to stop me before."

"What, Meg?" I asked. He nodded.

"The demon has?" Sam inquired.

"He knows I'm close." He explained. "He knows I'm gonna kill it, not just by exorcising it or sending it back to hell, but actually kill it."

"How?" Dean asked.

"I'm working on it." He assured us.

"Well, let us come with you." Sam offered. "We'll help."

"No, Sam." He shook his head. "Not yet." Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught across fire." He looked at us as he said it. I totally understand where that was coming from, him being our father. My father, my Dad. I put my hand in his side and leaned into him. He supported my weight. "I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us." Sam insisted.

"Of course, I do. I'm your father." He looked down, and up at Sam again. "Listen, Sammy, uh." Dad was trying to find the right words. "Last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

"Yes, Sir." Sam replied.

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

"Too long."

The four of us were on the verge of tears. They enveloped each other on a hug. Dean on the other hand, half-carried me. Just after Sam and Dad released each other, Dad was dragged across the room and flew into the kitchen cabinets.

"Dad!" I called. The shadow demons were back. I saw them attacking Sam. I ran across the room, towards Dad but another attacked me.

"Sam! Dean!" I called. "Dad!" All I heard was scratching and screams of agonizing pain.

"No!" I heard Dean yell, followed by a thud on the floor.

"Aargh!" The shadow demons left marks upon marks. Triggering the wounds I had, making them more painful.

"Shut your eyes!" Sam shouted. "These things are shadow demons so let's light them up!"

Hell, my eyes were shut for a long time, I cannot even move. Then, someone helped me and dragged me outside. The smoke was burning my lungs, I was coughing my guts out. We got out safely (not really, but at least we got rid of the daevas). Sam made me lean on the Impala. I was still adjusting my vision when I heard Dean tell Dad that he can't come with us.

"What?"

"No!"

Sam and I managed to disagree with him at the same time.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked Dean.

"Boys, you beat the hell—"

"We'll be alright." Dean cut Dad off.

"Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after this Demon—"

"Sam!" Dean shouted. "Listen to me! We almost got killed in there!"

"Dean!" I tried to interrupt. "Dad, please don't"

"Don't you understand? They're not going to stop." Dean was talking to both Sam and me. I know there was nothing to do to convince them, I just cried harder. That was all I could do.

"They're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him." Dean continued, panting. "I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's stronger without us around."

"Dad," Sam faced Dad, put a hand on his shoulder. "No! After everything, after all the time we spent looking for you, please? I gotta be a part of this fight."

"The fight is just beginning," Dad told him. "And we all have a part to play. For now you just have to trust me, son. Okay? You gotta let me go."

Sam reluctantly nodded. He gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Dad." I tried one more time. "Dad, please?"

"Don't make this harder." Dad said. "I'm sorry."

"Dad, you owe me this."

"Charley." Dean said.

"Charley, this is the best way to keep you safe." He stared at me, both hands on my shoulder.

"Do you even know, what happened to my mom?"

"She died a couple of years ago." Grief washed over me. My mother is dead and my father is leaving me again.

"Charley, look at me." He ordered. I looked at him intently in the eyes. "All these years, all these time, I never once forgot about you. You have to know that. I loved your mom, I love you. Your brothers love you. Hold on to that."

I nodded slowly.

"I avenged her death. Gave her the justice she deserved. I put back to hell the demon who killed her. Now, I have to keep you safe, keep the three of you safe. You just need to trust me on this. Your brothers will never leave you."

I hugged him tight. "I'll miss you." I whispered against his chest. "And I love you too."

Then he kissed me on the forehead and let go. I held onto my brothers for support as I watched Dad go. It was hard and painful, but I know it's for the best. Sam helped me get into the backseat. He and Dean hopped into the front seats. We may be going on our own separate ways, but I'm sure as hell we'll see each other again.

Soon.


This will be the last one for now.

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