Chapter 4
Sam paused a moment to look out at the landscape. He couldn't quite tell what direction he was looking in but he got the feeling that he was supposed to look in that direction. Or at least acknowledge something in that direction. That nagging feeling that he felt earlier had gotten stronger as he looked in that direction. Why, he didn't know.
For some reason, maybe a gut feeling, something was happening out there. It felt familiar like… It couldn't be Dean because that was a different feeling. He always knew what it felt like when Dean was in trouble. This…
"Sam you okay?" Andy looked at Sam wondering what he was staring at. There was nothing out that way beyond the buildings except forest.
"Uh… yeah," Sam replied and frowned slightly, "I think."
"You having a vision?"
"No. More like a feeling." Sam continued to frown and look back in that direction. "I don't know. It's like something bad happened out there."
"Another psychic?" Andy was a little nervous that Sam seemed out of it but he was going to trust him on this. Sam knew more about what was going on than he did so he would do as he said. This though seemed different than what they were doing.
"I don't know," Sam replied. He suddenly felt something sharp shoot through that nagging feeling. He vigorously rubbed the back of his head and gave a slight hiss. Then he got a flash of bloody wrists. That was weird.
"Hey Sam, are you sure you're okay?" Andy had seen everything that happened and he was worried that Sam was not okay. "Did you just have… a vision?"
Sam still rubbed the area at the back of his head. He had no idea what just happened. The nagging feeling was still there and he was confused. Then there was that image of bloody wrists. It seemed rather random. Then again the only time he saw wrists like that were his own and… "Angie?"
"Who? That friend of yours?" Andy tried to clarify. He was still coming out of the effects of his last bong.
Sam frowned as he thought about it and then looked out in the direction he had been. Was she…? No she would be with Dean and they would be doing what they had to do to find him. It wasn't possible. Not unless he tapped into her abilities somehow. She did have something similar to Andy's ability. He would need time to think about that but right now he had to keep everyone from freaking out and figure out a way to get out of there. He started pacing while trying to best explain about being chosen.
Andy wanted to ask question but he got the impression that Sam was deep in thought about what just happened. It also had to do with this Angie chick that he mentioned twice. Maybe Sam didn't see it but Andy could see that he cared about her. After a while it seemed that Sam put his thoughts to the back burner but they were still on his mind because occasionally he would glance in the direction he had been staring at.
It was nice and warm. The kind of warm that was pleasant. There was no trace of harshness to it; almost like what a cat would feel lying out in the sun. There was the slight lapping of water like it was from a lake. Suddenly there was something cold and wet and smelly on her face…
Angela opened her eyes to see the sky above her and was aware of a slight burning sensation on her arm. Not far from her she heard a whining. In fact it was close to her head. She closed her eyes and remembered exactly how she had ended up in this position.
It had been a stupid thing to do but she had little choice. She charged the hell hound full on and took the brunt of the charge. Her goal was to break the bitch's neck. However the teeth got in and sunk into her arm and she could feel them touch the bone. It was the most excruciating pain she had ever felt and her reaction was to pull out her knife and stab the bitch and throw it aside. She could also recall screaming because she couldn't hold it in.
She must have passed out since she just opened her eyes to find that she was still alive. The bitch was also next to her moaning in pain. Her knife was buried to the hilt in the shoulder of the thing. Slowly sitting up, she winced at the pain in her arm. Looking at it, she had only one thought and that was that the boys were going to kill her for being stupid.
It was starting to heal but the teeth wounds were deep. The blood had stained the sleeve of her jacket and was pretty much torn. She sighed as she looked at it. She wasn't going to exactly go and leave the jacket behind since this was a forest but she couldn't leave her arm untreated either. This was the time for her survival training to kick in and for once she was grateful she could whip up a field dressing like lightning.
Slowly she removed the jacket. She was lucky that the wound was clean even for a hell bitch. Her flannel's sleeve was rolled up to the elbow so it would do. With controlled strength, she ripped the sleeve off at the seams. Being quick and careful, she wrapped it tightly to withstand jarring as it healed but not so tight that it cut off circulation. After tying it off, she put her jacket back on. She looked like hell but hey…
The whining of the hell bitch caught her attention. She could see the thing lying near where her head had been. She realized that the mutt had licked her face to wake her up and she found that disturbing. She looked at her knife buried in the shoulder and at the face of the thing. It was rather pathetic and weird to look at such a face.
Sighing and thinking that she was going to regret this, she moved to her knees and looked at the wound. She might have cleaved into the muscle. Talking to the mutt she said, "Looks pretty bad. I don't know what you want me to do about it. Normally I kill your kind."
The hell hound whined. It was pathetic like a puppy that got kicked and it sort of reminded her of Sam when he pouted. She said she was immune to the puppy dog look but that wasn't exactly true. She just had strong will. Angela sighed after hearing the whine. "Alright, alright, I can try something."
Looking at the knife, she knew that she would have to just give it a good pull and it would come out. "This is going to hurt." She curled the fingers of her good arm around the handle and using her other to brace herself, she gave a quick yank and the knife came out.
Hell hound blood was nasty. It was thick and black. Angela made a slight face at the sight of it as she peered at the wound. She did cleave the muscle of the shoulder and could tell that it would be fatalistic if she just left the thing there to die. She had one option that would most definitely work and she had used it three times in her life. It was taxing if she didn't pace herself and she was injured. Looking at the pathetic look the hell hound was giving her she sighed knowing that she was going to regret it.
Placing her hands over the wound, she began muttering the words that encouraged her to use the one ability she hadn't mentioned at all to either of the boys. Her reasons for it, she wasn't sure. A white light emitted from her hands and hovered above the wound. Angela focused on the healing wound until it was completely closed. It was then that she backed off and sat back on her heels. She looked at the hell hound and said, "Alright I fixed ya. Are ya gonna rip me to shreds like you were told to do?" She looked at the thing warily.
The hell hound was still for a moment and then was suddenly on its feet. It turned to look at Angela and stared at her for the longest time. It gave a low growl as it looked at her and she stared back with a look that said to take the best shot. Angela was tired already but she didn't have time for this. If the mutt wanted her dead then she would give a killing blow this time.
It was a complete surprise when the hell hound came forward and started licking her face. Angela scrunched her face due to the smell of the breath. This was just perfect. Now she had a pet hell hound. Oh yeah the boys were going to be thrilled about this. Hell Dean would probably try to shoot it on the spot. She tentatively put a hand on the head of the beast and said, "Alright, I get it that you're thanking me. Now I gotta go and get the kid and go find Sam."
Even though she was tired from the healing, she gathered it into her will by focusing on her goal and stood up while holding her arm. Once up, she carefully rotated it to test it. Satisfied that it wasn't going to gush blood everywhere, she took off in the direction she had come from in order to back track and locate the kid. After going only a few feet, it was evident to her that the hell hound was following her. She turned to look at the hound and asked, "Why are you following me? You're fixed. Go back to your master and pretend that you ate me or something."
The hound cocked its head at her like a puppy would. Angela sighed in exasperation. Hell hounds never gave up once they caught the scent but this was way too weird even for her. She asked, "Are you going to follow me and not try to eat me?"
The hound, though ugly as hell, looked sort of cute wagging what she sure was a tail and gave a slight bark. It walked up to her and licked the hand on the bad arm. If that wasn't an apology, she didn't know what was in terms of creatures. "So does this mean you are… mine?"
It was disturbing to see the hell hound bounce around excitedly. She was glad it was invisible to humans otherwise they certainly would have looked freaked. She took it to mean that the hell hound decided to make her its master… or pet… or whatever. Angela looked at nothing in particular. Oh boy. The boys are definitely going to throw me in the doghouse literally. She looked back down at the hound knowing that she had no way out of this for now. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad.
At that moment the kid Al came running out of the forest looking a little beat up but otherwise able to walk. He was frantically trying to catch his breath as he was trying to talk to her. "Thank God I found you. Those guys or whatever they were tried to kill me. I managed to get away and… and…"
"Calm down kid," Angela replied as she placed a hand on the kid's shoulder. She didn't need him to get hysterical. He was fine and he escaped from the demons. Perhaps there was more to the kid than she thought. If he was supposed to be like her, he would have shown some indication like an unnatural talent for something.
It was something to think on but right now they needed to get moving. She had to get to Sam and maybe they would get there faster if her new "pet" could catch the scent. She would just have to make sure the thing didn't go after Sam or any other psychics she may find like they were chew toys. She walked over to pick up her staff and concentrated, looking for the direction the nagging feeling was strongest. It was hard because she picked up the scent of the demons on the trail. They were injured but still moving so she search faster, looking and feeling like an idiot for spinning around.
Tuning out everything Angela managed to find it and motioned for the kid to follow. "Kid, this way." She took off at a jog not waiting to see if the kid would follow since she was sure that he would. She gave a slight whistle out of habit to call for the hell hound to follow.
Al followed the girl scared but confident that she was leading them in the right direction. He just wanted to get to a phone and call home. He thought it odd that she whistled but the question was solved when he heard the patter of feet and the growl of a dog. He looked but nothing was there. He ran to catch up with her and asked, "Um is something following us?"
"Your demon friends."
"No I mean something like a dog."
Angela knew this was no time to be beat around the bush. She laid it out in a line, "Oh that's a hell hound. Nasty thing and once they have your scent, they don't give up until you are dead and hell's bitch."
Al began to freak out a little, "So that thing is going to… kill us?"
"No. The one following us is cool. It's weird I know and I don't get it myself and I'm sure Sam and Dean are going to be pissed that I have a hell hound for a pet. That's what I get for falling for the look."
"Why would they be pissed at you?"
"It's unnatural to make friends with things that belong to hell." It was the only explanation that Angela could come up with at the moment. Anything else would probably have the kid freak out more and she really didn't want that. "I'll deal with it when I get to that bridge. For the meantime the mutt will come in handy."
The said mutt gave a bark startling Al since he couldn't see anything. It sounded close so he moved a little closer to Angela. She chuckled, "Relax kid. I think he's going to behave."
Azazel studied the board. The queen had made a move and an unexpected result had occurred. It changed the game slightly but the overall picture was still there. The game could still be played to completion. Hell the queen still thought that there were others like her thrown into the mix. That was just a ruse because he knew the queen wouldn't let them wander out there alone.
Since the game changed slightly, he could make some changes too. It was going to be so much fun. It became evident when he heard grunts and protests accompanied by Lenya's bored yawning. He didn't look up until after he made his move. "Ah Lenya. I see you managed to find them."
"It wasn't hard to find the knights. What of the side castle?"
"Side tracked," Azazel replied. "An unexpected development. It seems the queen has gained a piece back to her side."
"The queen is one of the more powerful pieces on the board."
Azazel and Lenya both turned to the one who had spoken. Lenya was the one who walked up and gave a smack to the speaker's face and said, "You will not speak unless spoken to. Otherwise your companion will suffer a fate far worse than death."
Azazel grinned and said, "Now love, there's no need to get violent. After all these two know the queen very well. Perhaps well enough to make the game interesting. What say you… Cadets Hickerson and Barcalow?"
JoAnne Hickerson glared at the demon full on and would have let loose the sarcasm that had made her famous among her classmates at the Point had she not been given a slight tap by David. They had been minding their own business and talking about the summer camp and leave when the bitch that nabbed them showed up. The next thing they knew they were here in the middle of the woods watching a guy play chess.
One look at the eyes and JoAnne could tell that he was a demon and was willing to bet that the bitch who slapped her was one too. It wasn't difficult to figure out that they two of them were referring to someone even though they were codenamed by chess pieces. JoAnne played the game herself when she wasn't doing cadet stuff. She once reduced the chess champion to tears when she played. She followed along easily and couldn't help but make her comment because essentially it was true.
Now the yellow eyed demon was saying that the queen knew who they were and JoAnne was willing to bet that they knew the queen too. The question was just exactly who was it? The demon wanted them to play some sort of game and present a challenge to the queen. JoAnne wasn't going to let anyone make her into a pawn for some sick game. She replied, "I wouldn't let a hell hound possess me."
"Not exactly what I had in mind and even if it were possible, no." Azazel liked these humans. If it were possible he would get all of those that the queen had met within this lifetime he would use them. The past always had a way of opening old wounds. "What I have in mind is for the two of you to do something for me and you might be able to help a friend of yours."
"No sale," JoAnne replied. "We don't make deals with demons."
"A very good lesson to learn little girl but in this game you have little to no choice," Azazel replied with a grin on his face. "You see you have two options. The first is that you try to take out the queen in this game. I'm sure your military training will be excellent for that. Or I could send you to a small town and all you have to do is protect one person."
JoAnne looked David and they exchanged looks. The latter seemed like a better deal since they didn't want to go up a potential friend and protecting someone wasn't that bad. However this was a demon they were dealing with. There had to be a catch. JoAnne waited until David gave her a slight nod and she turned back towards Azazel, "What's the catch?"
"That little thing you do is rather cute," Azazel replied deliberately avoiding having to answer the question. He wanted to see if he could make these newest pieces break under the strain. It would take a while since they seemed to have good discipline brought on by being military. It could prove to be amusing. Seeing that he wasn't going to get a reaction he gave in, "Alright there is a catch as you might say. If you choose to protect the one person, you're going to have to deal with the others that are in the same boat and they may not be so nice with their abilities."
JoAnne didn't flinch but this sounded awfully familiar. She remembered when she had been given leave to visit with her mother when she came to the Point that her mother talked about kids with abilities. Was this demon involved? She asked, "If we were to choose the latter, who would be the person we have to protect and would you tell us who your queen is?"
"I might be inclined to tell you who the king is. After all the queen is trying to get to the king but the queen does need some challenges along the way. It only makes her stronger for the finale."
So that was what the game was all about. Torturing two people by having one find the other and the other is surrounded with others like him and they might try to kill him. JoAnne's mind went through a flurry of thoughts. She had only been hunting for a short time and it was mostly salt and burns at the Point. David joined in when he caught her sneaking out and since then they had been doing the job in between school and training and everything else. She told him that he didn't have to but he said that he wanted to. "So it's all a game to you then?"
"It is a game with a purpose." Azazel was impressed with the chosen knights. They had kept their cool despite the fact that either he or Lenya could snap their necks like twigs and leave them by the side of the road. They were perfect knights indeed and he knew they wouldn't turn on friends but he still had to get them in the game. "Alright, if you were to choose option two, the king is Sam Winchester."
"Meaning the queen is Angela," JoAnne confirmed. "So either way we are going against friends."
"Put that way and you make it sound so cold," Azazel replied. "There is no doubt that the queen will make it to the king. It is just the matter of what happens in the meantime. Sammy is with others like him but some are a bit more… talented than he is and he could end up losing." Azazel gave a slight movement of his head to try and get the cadets to bite.
JoAnne looked at David. She said to him, "Kobiashi Maru scenario at its worst."
"I'll agree to that," David replied. He trusted JoAnne's judgment on this and from his experiences in their extracurricular activities, this was not looking good. They would have to devise a means of trying to help both of them. The conversation they were having was in code, something that they developed in order to convey intentions without eavesdroppers. The Star Trek references were from JoAnne's guilty pleasure. Other stuff was a mixture of movie lines and commands but understood by both. "The neutral zone seems to have a bind; a no win. The Borg are after Genesis and the Enterprise might not get there in time."
"Sounds about right. Resistance is futile at this point."
"Unless a split decision is made."
"The Delta Quadrant is unknown territory. Multiple bogeys."
"Bank left then."
"Hit the brakes then?"
"Invert. Maybe flip the bird."
Azazel watched as the two cadets conversed. What they were speaking sounded like nonsense but he had to admit that it was smart of them to talk in a way that wasn't easily understood. He could tell that Lenya was getting impatient with the whole thing. He was too but he had spent too long on choosing his pieces to throw them away because of a couple of unexpected details that he may have missed. "The longer you two discuss this, the more likely that either choice becomes dead."
"He's switching to sidewinders," David muttered.
"Copy that. Could be JOC is relayed," JoAnne replied. She was telling David what she suspected of the demon's operations. It seemed that he sent orders and possibly relayed to the intended parties. It could be an advantage to work with but they still needed to decide what to do. "The yeti problem is still active."
David couldn't help but snort at JoAnne's nickname for Sam Winchester. He had to admit that she was right since the guy was pretty tall. Plus the guy had a brother and probably he was doing what the demon was offering for them to do. "Sibling rivalry."
JoAnne nodded. She remembered Dean Winchester very well. He was an incorrigible flirt but he was better at it than some of the guys that regularly hit on her. David never tried though and for his own reasons. What David was telling her was that Dean could be in the picture and more likely on the trail of Sam. Perhaps they should focus on getting to Angela and maybe figure out how to get the queen to the king faster. "Angels in the outfield?"
David gave a nod, "Best bet."
JoAnne gave a slight nod and turned back to the demon that had a cross between looking amused and confused. It seemed that even the demons didn't know all the references of pop culture and military culture. Hell not many of the cadets at the Point could follow even when they used army commands. It's what made hunting with David fun. Right now though she needed to give an answer, "We'll take the queen."
If Azazel was surprised, he was good at not showing it. He expected the knights to split up but it looks like they wanted to try two on one. That was fine with him. He had played the game many times over and it looked like this game was going to be better than the last. "Good choice. Of course you are going to have to make some attempt on her life or at least threaten the thing that is dearest to her. It's the only way that I'll let you play the game."
JoAnne knew there had to be a catch to this. Still they made the choice. She and David could work out the details while they were hunting so to speak. She gave a slight nod towards David and replied, "Fine. We know how to take down her kind."
A/N: Whoa now so Angie has a pet hell hound and JoAnne and David are back? What is Azazel's game plan? What about Sam? So many question and they have yet to be answered. Stay tuned for the next chapter of All Hell Breaks Loose...
