Chapter Four
A/N: Last chapter! Enjoy!
Kas3y: Thanks :D
Kathy: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're liking it!
Minion79: Lmao, no I can't tell you how many times I've hummed the opening instrumental while writing this lol
The girls scream as Ruby charges inside, brandishing a knife. As soon as he lays eyes on them, Dean knows they've got the wrong place... He grabs Ruby, pulling her back, though she has already lowered her weapon.
The girls are barely older than sixteen, wide eyed and terrified. "Please don't hurt us! We didn't know anyone else was here! We were just-just having some fun..." The water in the old house runs brown, but pours out loudly enough to conceal their previous chanting.
There's a pentagram drawn on the floor, red candles lit around them. The girls are both dressed in pajamas with hoodies thrown on over top. Looks like they snuck away from home to come play witch...
"Nice goin', Ruby," Dean says under his breath. "Some all-powerful witch you are..."
"Shut up," she snarls, roughly shoving the girls aside. She snuffs out the candles and streaks the painted pentagram with the heel of her boot. "Get out," she snaps at the girls. "Get out and if I ever find out you're practicing witchcraft again, I'll drag your pathetic little souls to Hell myself." Just as puncuation, she flashes her eyes solid black.
The teenagers scream again and bolt out of the bathroom, tripping over themselves on their way down the steps and out the door.
"Wow, talk about tough love," Dean remarks. "Can't tell if I should be pissed or touched."
Ruby glares at him, eyes still dark. "Shut up," she says again. "I don't care what the hell happens to them but their pathetic little spell threw me off."
"Threw you off? So can you find Sam or not?"
"Yeah, yeah, hang on..." While Ruby mutters the spell under her breath, Dean wanders away-he friggin hates witches-and takes out his phone, redialing Sam's number.
"This is Sam, leave a message." Beep.
"Dammit..."
Where are you, Sammy?
Sam comes back to his senses slowly, whatever effect the siren's voice had on him diminishing gradually after she left.
When he finally comes to, he's somewhere dark, tied to a chair. There's a gag in his mouth and it takes him a long time to realize the swaying feeling in his gut isn't just normal dizziness. The room is actually swaying.
He can hear the muffled squawks of seagulls and the creaking of wooden planks, stretching and bending against the gentle lap of the waves. Those two sirens are no where to be seen. Or heard, thank goodness.
Sam struggles as quietly as he can in case they're nearby, reaching into his waistband. He pulls out the little blade and goes to work on the ropes binding his wrists behind his back. If he can just get them free, he might stand a chance of escaping.
"Dean? Let's go, I've got him." Ruby slips the knife into her jacket, not waiting for Dean to follow, though he's right on her heels the whole time.
"Where," he asks.
"The docks."
"Son of a-I just left the damn docks!"
"No, not that beach. Another one, a private one, a few miles from here. They're keeping Sam on a boat, below deck." She pushes open the back door, hopping the patio and running for the car. Dean beats her to the driver's seat this time.
"Well is he okay? Is he hurt?"
"He's fine for now. We should hurry though, the bitches are playing with him..."
Sam jumps at the creak overhead. He stops cutting and listens, hearing nothing but the pounding of his own heart and the creaking of the boat. Where the hell are they? They went to all this trouble to get him and now they're just...what? Hanging out? It doesn't feel right.
He cuts faster, nipping his own hands a few times, but eventually the rope snaps and he shakes his hands free. He cuts away the duct tape around his waist and then moves to his ankles, freeing them swiftly.
As soon as he stands up, he hears a woman laugh.
Strong hands shove him hard from behind, slamming him against the wall.
"I'm impressed, Sam," she says, her lips brushing his ear. "Keeping a little blade in your waistband was pretty clever. No wonder you brothers are so famous..."
"So what, you're just messing with me? Let me get free then tie me right back up?" His struggles are in vain. She's much stronger than he is.
"Oh honey," she whispers. He shivers when she kisses his earlobe. "I'm not tying you back up..." She runs her fingers through his hair, slowly, almost sensually. The moment-had there been one-would have been ruined though, as she grabs a fistful of hair and yanks his head back, slamming it against the side of the boat once, twice, three times.
He sees stars but doesn't fall. Blood pours from his nose as he grabs the hand in his hair, clamping down tight.
Before she can react, Sam wheels around with an elbow. It connects right into her temple and she yelps, falling sideways.
Sam stumbles as the boat rocks under his feet and his vision shimmers like static on a TV.
He has no weapon, other than the tiny box-cutter blade. He can't kill her.
Staggering away, he fumbles blindly in the dark, finding a ladder. The siren groans at his feet, pushing herself up.
"You son of a bitch," she pants.
Sam is just pushing the hatch overhead when it suddenly rips open and a heeled boot kicks him in the face.
He falls backwards off the ladder, landing hard on his spine.
"You okay, Amelia?" The second siren drops below deck without bothering with the ladder. She rises slowly, grinning in the low light.
"Just fine, Brooke." Amelia gets to her knees, spitting blood. "Oh sweetie, if you knocked out my tooth, I'm gonna send you back to your brother in tiny little pieces..."
Sam groans, trying to roll to his side. The second siren-Brooke-swaggers over to him. She puts a foot on either side of his chest and crouches down over him, smiling.
"Ooh, that looks like it hurt," she says, touching the spot on his cheek where her heel connected. "Thankfully it didn't damage your pretty, pretty face too much."
"Go to Hell," he says, grimacing at her laughter.
She grabs his chin, yanking his head painfully so he's looking right at her. "Someday," she chuckles. "But not today."
She kisses him hard and the world goes black before his eyes.
"So here's the plan," Ruby says as the Impala cruises down the dark side street, the crisp scent of salty ocean air rushing in through the open window.
"Woah, woah, why do you get to come up with the plan?"
She rolls her eyes. "Does it matter who comes up with the plan?"
"Yeah. To me."
"Oh yeah, I forgot. You have the self esteem of a acne-faced sixteen year old girl with daddy issues..."
"Listen, bitch-"
"No you listen, bitch. Saving Sam is just as important to me as it is to you, so why don't you shut your big, dumb mouth for five seconds so we can actually figure out how we're gonna get him back before the sirens eat his freaking soul?"
Dean growls, chewing on a comeback, but swallows it much to the distaste of his spiteful side. "Fine," he sighs. "What's your big plan?"
Ruby shifts in her seat, taking out the knife. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean sees her chew her lip for a second, obviously mulling over her next move very carefully... She then sets the all-killing blade on the dash.
"I'll go ahead," she says. "I'll get their attention and hopefully draw them away from Sam. You get in after me, take the blade in case I screw up, and get him somewhere safe."
Dean blinks, almost swerving Baby off the road at how long he gapes at her. "You're giving me your magic knife?"
"Lending," she says firmly. "I want it back." Then she's gone.
Dean turns back to the road just as the private beach comes into view. The moonlight glints off the intricate carving in the knife's blade and he shuts off the headlights, pulling quietly along the curb.
He grabs the knife, nodding to himself.
Then throws open the door.
Sam wakes at the worst possible time.
He feels light, weightless...and wet. Just as he opens his eyes, strong hands force him under the surface.
He kicks and thrashes, panic squeezing his chest when he realizes there's no air in his lungs.
The ocean is salty, burning his eyes, roaring in his ears. The siren is immune to the roll of the waves. As Sam is tossed and punched by the water, she stands perfectly still, a stone for the misting spray to swirl around. Unmoving.
She smiles at him through the water and her face is distorted. The other one is right behind her, grinning as well, holding his ankles.
They breathe deeply as he drowns and it's like the life is drained out of him. His fingers go numb and his heart flutters and skips in its rhythm.
That's when a red blur knocks away the second siren. His ankles splash into the water and he slips in the churning sand, fighting for decent footing.
His lungs burn and his head pounds. The bitch holding his head beneath the water is no longer looking at him. She's staring with wide, water-deformed eyes at whatever hit her sister.
Sam sweeps her leg and she falls beneath the waves.
He breaks the surface with a long, ragged gasp. Water pours down his face, his hair, soaks his clothes and makes him heavy. He wipes it from his eyes and blinks, gaping. "Ruby?" he chokes, coughing.
"Wakey, wakey, Sunshine," she yells, punching the siren to keep her down. "Time to haul ass!"
Sam manages to block the punch from the other siren. Instead of striking again, she throws her head real close, trying to kiss him...
Sam yanks away, shoving her back.
"Sammy!" Dean throws the knife and he catches it.
Amelia obviously doesn't know the blade is capable of. She laughs at the sight of it and launches herself at Sam, plunging the knife straight into her own gut. She stops, choking, convulsing.
"Amelia!" Brooke screams. Ruby grabs her, twisting her arm behind her back.
Amelia's eyes go blank and she slips off the blade, falling into the sea. The four of them watch as she dissolves into bloody foam, leaving the water around Sam dark red.
"You...assholes!" Brooke shrieks, kicking and clawing at Ruby. But the demon holds tight, keeping her still.
"Do it, Sam," Ruby urges. "Finish her."
"That was my sister, you douchebag!"
"Sam!"
There are tears running Brooke's face. Furious, murderous, heartbroken tears. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!"
"Sam, what are you doing?" Dean touches his arm, green eyes flicking across his face.
Sam grimaces, holding the knife loosely in his hand. "That was her sister," he whispers. "She just watched her sister die..."
"Sam," Ruby urges, grunting in her effort to keep the siren at bay.
Dean sighs softly, running a hand over his mouth. "Give it to me," he says. "I'll do it."
"Dean..."
"Sam, she's still a monster. She's still a killer. She has to die." He holds out his hand. "Come on, man. I'll take this one."
He shakes his head slowly. "No..." Sam grips the knife and turns to Brooke, who's furious cries have reduced to silent sobbing. Her head hangs against her chest, shoulders trembling. Sam grimaces, glancing up at Ruby, who watches him closely. "Brooke, right?" he asks softly.
She glares up at him through wet eyelashes.
"I'm sorry," he says. "I wish-I wish you hadn't seen that."
"Go to Hell, you son of a bitch."
He sighs shakily, angling the knife.
"And you know what?" He stops, looking back into her eyes. She's smiling again, a wicked, evil smile. "I hope the same thing happens to you," she hisses. "I hope someday you get to see your brother murdered in front of your very eyes. Torn apart in tiny, little, sloppy pieces. I hope I get to see him in Hell-UGH."
Ruby lets her fall and they all stand and watch as she dissolves away. The water is blood red where the two sisters died.
Dean puts a hand on Sam's shoulder but he doesn't react in any way. All Sam can think of is the clock.
One month. That's all Dean has left.
"You sure you're okay?" Ruby and Sam stand by the Impala, talking quietly as Dean explains what went down to Bobby in the telephone booth beside the diner.
The sun has started to rise and they're all totally drained. Even Ruby's got bags under her eyes. Sam is wrapped in Dean's beach towel, a bunch of plastic bags spread over the seat so Baby's leather won't get wet...
"Yeah, I'm sure. They didn't really get a chance to do much..."
"That's not what I meant." Ruby looks up at Dean, then back down.
Sam releases a shaky breath. He shrugs with one shoulder, trying to pull of Dean's cool attitude when shit hits the fan. He's never been much good at it. "That spell was...kind of my last life raft, you know? I was so sure it was gonna work..."
"You'll find something," she says.
He laughs humorlessly. "There is nothing else. Trust me, I've exhausted every resource I can think..."
"Sam." He looks up. Ruby's hands are on her hips but, despite her bitchy face, her eyes are gentle. "I hate to be the one to say 'not with that attitude', ruins the whole demon reputation but...you are being kind of a downer. And that's saying something, coming from a girl who's literally been to Hell..."
The corner of his mouth twitches up weakly. "So." He glances over his shoulder, making sure Dean is still busy. "What's it like, Ruby?"
"What, Hell?"
He nods.
"It's the worst thing you can possibly imagine, only a thousand times worse."
Sam grimaces. "Don't try to sugar coat it or anything..."
"Which is why we're gonna save your brother from ever going there."
"What-" Sam begins, but Dean cuts him off as he steps out of the phone booth.
"Well good new," he says, striding over to the Impala. "Bobby finally got someone to handle the sirens."
Sam snorts and Ruby rolls her eyes. "Oh good. Anything else?"
"Uh, yeah. He said thanks. To you."
Ruby raises her eyebrows. "To me?"
"Yep. For helping Sam and me."
"Huh." Sam smirks at Ruby.
"Speaking of which." Dean digs in his coat, pulling out the knife. He holds it for just a brief second before tossing it over. "Thanks for the loan."
"Sure th-"
"But if you ever go sneaking around with my brother behind my back again, I'll be using it on your skanky ass next time, got it?"
Sam closes his eyes, sighing. "Dean."
"Such a gentleman," Ruby grumbles, tucking the knife away. "And you're welcome. You know, for my risking my 'skanky ass' to save your brother and all that." She turns on her heel to walk away.
"Ruby," Dean says. She stops but doesn't turn to face him. "Seriously, though...thanks. I probably couldn't have saved him in time if it weren't for you... So thank you."
She turns only long enough to flash him the middle finger and a smirk before disappearing into thin air.
"What a classy dame," Dean remarks lightly. Sam laughs and pulls off the towel, drying his hair before tossing it in the backseat.
The brothers slide into the car, slamming the doors shut.
"You know what I feel like?" Dean grabs a cassette out of the cardboard box and pops it in, grinning as he dials up the volume.
Sam snorts at Deep Purple's unmistakable opening chord. Baby peels out onto the highway as Dean sings loud and off key alongside Ian Gillian.
"We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty, cold and bare
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside
Making our music there
With a few red lights, a few old beds
We made a place to sweat
No matter what we get out of this
I know, I know we'll never forget
Smoke on the water, a fire in the sky
Smoke on the water!"
A/N: Talk about a corny ending, I know... But hey it's Deep Purple so I think the gods will forgive me. lol
Thanks for reading everyone and I hope you enjoyed!
