They had been driving for an hour, and Ruby could count on one hand the words Sam had said. The hunt definitely didn't have the ending she had hoped for. It hadn't really occurred to her how similar to demon hunting it could be, losing even when you won. O'Neil had seemed to take it decently well, at least.
"I think taking out and burning the floor was cathartic for him," she said aloud, as if continuing a conversation. Sam sighed quietly, eyes still on the road. He understood what she was trying to do, hoping to coax him out of the shell he was burrowing himself into, but at the same time there just wasn't anything to add. Kayla was dead, but at least they'd killed the monster. O'Neil was alive, but alone. It sounded too much like his life. Ruby looked at him then looked straight ahead again, her fingers tapping a rhythm on the door handle. Maybe, just this once of course, she'd been wrong in pushing him.
"It can't always end happily, Sam," she said quietly, looking over at him. "Doesn't mean it always ends badly."
"I know," he replied, moving one hand from the wheel to rest on his thigh near the gearshift. Still doesn't mean it doesn't suck, though, he thought in addition.
Ruby just managed not to roll her eyes, looking out the window again. "Seven."
Sam turned to look at her at that, brows arched slightly. "What?"
She kept her eyes on the window. "You've said seven words since we got in this car. Well, eight."
"What's there to say?" he said, eyes back on the road again. "He has absolution or whatever. He also has no flooring and no daughter. Do you want to spend the rest of the ride talking out the logistics? Because I don't."
"Neither do I. But I do want to know why you're taking this so personally," she said, heated but not angry. "She died. It happens, and it sure as hell happens in worse ways. But him you saved. That's a point in the right column, right?"
"I understand what he's going through," he muttered, both angry and upset. "And this is what I meant before as to how hunters get into the lifestyle."
She shook her head. "He's not going to become a hunter. And everyone understands what he's going through. Doesn't matter how it happens, you lose someone, it's the same."
"I know that," he all but snapped, though to what part of her statement it wasn't clear, before going quiet again.
She scowled at him but shook her head. "Just don't let it eat at you too long, Sam. That's all I ask."
He didn't miss the sarcasm, but he chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, he picked a page from his brother's book and turned the volume up on the stereo and pressed the play button on the iPod. That got an eyeroll, but Ruby didn't comment. Sometimes he was a brick wall, and right now it just wasn't worth trying to break him down.
They'd stopped at the hotel long enough to get their clothes washed and do a tune-up on the Impala before they were on the road again. Though where to, Sam wasn't sure. The hunt had been as successful as it could have been given the circumstances, but it left a sour taste in his mouth that he didn't want to think about or remember. Hunts alone he'd done (technically). Hunts with other people he'd done. Hunts without Dean hurt, even if it was with Ruby. His mood lightened once they were out of the area, though only enough to be called 'neutral'. They needed to find a place to lay low for a few days while he researched what was going on nearby and looked for another demon to exorcise. The question came down to where, really.
Wherever it was, Ruby wasn't sure if she wanted to get there fast or have Sam slow the hell down. Which was strange, because the cars speed had never really bothered her before. Alright, that was a lie. The first time she'd taken a ride in the passenger seat, she didn't moved an inch the whole hour, terrified out of her mind but determined not to let it show. As a demon, she had some pretty unique methods of travel, but careening down the road in a device that was essentially metal, fuel, and fire was beyond anything she could imagine. But she quickly grew to love it, and then it became practically ordinary. So why was speeding along through the hills of West Virginia making her head spin unpleasantly?
She leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes. The A/C had made the glass a little cooler, but the air smelled stuffy, already used, and she was beginning to think eyes open might be better.
"You all right?" Sam asked, turning the sound down a bit on the iPod and glancing over at her.
She shook her head, opening her eyes and staring straight out the windshield, hoping that would help. "Don't know what it is. I haven't-" The Impala passed the top of a hill with a little dip, and it felt like all of Ruby's insides were trying to rearrange themselves. Her hand went for the car handle, holding tight. "Stop the car, Sam."
Without any qualms as to why, Sam flipped the blinker on and started braking, albeit slowly, until they arrived at a full stop on the shoulder. Something about her reaction was startlingly familiar. She stumbled out of the car, gulping in air, and though it was better, it was still too stuffy, still wasn't enough air. She felt herself convulse, building from the stomach until it shook her shoulders, making her bend forward on impulse. The second convulsion brought bile with it. Sam was around the car within a few moments with a bottle of water and his mouth pressed in a thin line.
"Never thought I'd see you carsick," he said, the word 'demon' replacing the word 'you' in his mind though he didn't want to say it aloud.
Her hand shook as she spat out a mouthful of water, swishing around and spitting out another before answering. "People get sick just being in cars?"
"Motion sickness. It happens on boats and planes, too," Sam replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Straightening up, she did feel better. Not entirely well, but at least the spinning had stopped. She spat out another mouthful of water; shit, she could still taste it, making her stomach churn. "How the hell can you keep drinking when you've done that?" she said, walking a little wobbly to lean against the car.
"Usually didn't let myself stop. Stopping made me sick more," he said quietly. "We can stop somewhere for medicine, if you want. I didn't think to get some from the gas station."
She raised an eyebrow. "And you've got medicine for it. Guess humans really do have an answer for every problem they create."
"Funny," he replied sarcastically. "You ready to go?"
She nodded, though she wasn't. He didn't seem keen on sticking around long. Besides, this carsick thing needed exploring. Demons were a lot of things, but they always prided themselves on their own twisted sense of dignity. Leave indignity to the humans. But there certainly wasn't anything as undignified as bending over and spilling your guts out through your mouth. To splash up onto your jean cuffs. Yuck. Making a face, she scraped at the splatter with the bottom of her shoe as she opened the door. Once she was within the door he depressed the petal again, albeit slower this time, making sure to take the hills at a more relaxed pace. It was two miles before they found another sign, signaling another mile before they'd get to an exit with a truck stop and a gas station. She was grateful for the slower speed, though she soon rolled the window down. It might be hotter, but it smelled fresher than the stuff coming out of the A/C. How had she never noticed that before?
Of course, the gas station air wasn't exactly an improvement. The window went back halfway up as he pulled up to a pump.
"You want anything else while I'm in here?" he asked, turning the key to kill the engine.
She shook her head, leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes. It was much more pleasant with a still car. "No. Just the medicine thing."
Sam bit back the urge to smirk, shutting the door and heading inside. After grabbing a 20-ounce soda and a box of saltines, he found the motion-sickness medicine, adding a can of beef jerky at the register and thirty bucks in gas. Pausing only to share a knowing smile with the clerk, Sam brought back the bag and tossed it through the open car window into her lap. Ruby didn't jump, opening one eye before smiling slightly and raising an eyebrow. Then she turned her attention to the bag, peering at the Dramamine bottle a moment before cracking it open and popping a pill in her mouth, finishing it off with a gulp of water. As she went about her business, Sam went to the pump, selecting premium gas and flipping up the tab before bringing it to the Impala's tank.
Ruby leaned back against the car seat, not even bothering to open her eyes when the driver's door opened and shut again. It was just too pleasant, sitting there, her stomach no longer churning. Not wanting to bother her, Sam settled on watching the numbers tick by on the gas dispenser, clicking his tongue inside his closed mouth out of boredom. Once they found a town, he figured it would be a good idea to camp there for a few days. Hell, maybe a camp ground, if the weather held out. A cabin would be nice. No suspicious inn-keepers, no wall-sharing, running water and electricity he didn't have to pipe in himself and potentially put himself in danger for.
When the tongue clicking went on one click too many, she said dryly, "While I'm glad you're keeping your tongue in shape, wanna give it a rest for now?"
Sam stopped immediately, giving a small frown. The gas quickly came to a stop, and after returning the pump to its holder, he circled around to the driver's side door and started the engine again. Carefully juggling the can of jerky in one hand, he drove out of the rest stop and popped a pinch of the leathery meat into his mouth.
"We've got about 30 minutes until the next area, unless you wanna settle at a cabin instead."
She looked up at his words, weighing them. There was no reason not to take the cabin. After all, they weren't exactly chasing anyone. Plus, she'd welcome the recovery time to convince her stomach it was fine with riding in cars. She nodded. "Cabin sounds good."
"There was a brochure inside saying there was a campground about five miles out. Shouldn't be long," he said, half-smiling.
"Maybe for you," she said with a slight whine, though she returned his smile. Five miles shouldn't be too bad. Though it was considerably slower, given him driving under his normal speed to keep her from being ill. It took twenty minutes all-in-all, and another ten for Sam to pay the clerk and get the run-down of the local site. Sam perked up a little when he learned there was a fireplace, and the wheels kicked up a little gravel when he depressed the pedal.
She raised an eyebrow at his obvious good mood. "Little excited?" she asked, amused.
"Good deal," he replied, flashing a quick grin as he took the path the clerk had instructed. It lead back a good half-mile before they found the cabin. Even unoccupied it looked cozy. Sam pulled up as close to the door as he could, trunk facing it, and killed the engine.
"You go inside and rest a bit; I'll bring everything in and go back to their little supply shop for food and stuff."
Now that was her favorite kind of unpacking. She gave his thigh a pat before opening the door and heading for the cabin. It was pretty nice - a far cry from any place they'd squatted in, certainly - and she opened some windows to let in air before collapsing firmly on the bed.
Sam left the door open as he first loaded up all the guns that needed to be cleaned and brought them in, then came back for clothes and left-over tinned food that they'd picked up at the last discount food store. When that was done he got back in the Impala again, driving back the way they came and stopping to get essentials: milk, eggs, bread, potatoes, oil, bacon, flour, and a few extra things to round out the meals a bit more. He could fish in the early morning and pick up beef the next day; the prices were a little steep when it came to fresh produce besides the milk and eggs.
Out of laziness he grabbed a couple firelogs, mostly because chopping wood would be annoying with Ruby still getting over the carsickness, and if her attitude in the car was any signifier, he didn't want to annoy her any more than she already was.
The sun was finally coming up over the horizon when Ruby finally got back to the cabin. The nap had thrown her self-induced sleep schedule off and she'd woken up when it was still pitch black outside. It was either try to stay quiet and still enough not to wake Sam or quietly get out of there, and she was too antsy for the former. The area was fantastic, everything open and fresh in full summer bloom. The night had been even better, the air a little cool as she explored. When the first gray light of dawn had started clearing her sight, she took off at a run, going until her lungs burned. It was strange how much the body did on its own, and how easy it was to let it affect her. She could have ignored the burning; she probably could have even pushed away the car sickness, if she'd even considered it. But she hadn't. This body was hers, but it had a mind if its own, and she relished in watching it work.
She wasn't quiet as she opened the front door, figuring Sam was probably already up. She'd left him a note with that likelihood in mind. The moment the door opened, there was the smell of bacon, and a plate sitting on the table with bacon, home fries, and scrambled eggs. Now that she was paying attention, there was the steady sound of wood being chopped from somewhere outside the cabin. The rear-facing window of the kitchen was open and the early-morning breeze was still filtering through, along with the noise. She smiled slightly, taking up the plate and popping a fry into her mouth before going to the window. Sam, chopping wood, outside a cabin. What sort of romance novel had she wandered into?
"Hey!" she called out the window, holding up the plate with a smile. "Thanks!"
Sam turned his head at the sound of her voice, wearing the undershirt he'd gone to bed in (so obviously not the poorly-written romance, she thought with a smirk), and smiled back.
"There's juice in the fridge if you want!" he called back. There was a small pile of wood forming not too far from him, though he didn't plan to chop much. It was summertime, after all.
She nodded, then hopped to sit on the counter so she'd have a good view out the window as she ate. No reason not to have entertainment with her breakfast she figured as he went back to chopping.
Slowly but surely the sweat started to darken his shirt, and after another fifteen minutes or so he removed it and tied it loosely around his waist. Another ten minutes after that he stopped altogether, the pile of wood a considerable size as he piled as much of it as he could in his arm and moved out of her line of vision. She heard the door open and turned her head in that direction, watching as he brought it over to the fireplace to stack nearby it. It was only when he stood up and stretched for a moment that he realized she was watching him.
"What?" he asked, bemused.
"Nothing," she said, smirking before finishing off the last bite of eggs and setting the plate in the sink next to her.
"...'kay," he replied, obviously not believing her as he went back outside to repeat the task. It took an additional two trips, but once he was done he shut the door behind him. She was right there, her arms around his waist before he could go even two steps, her hands sliding up the slightly damp curve of his spine.
"You smell," she teased, though that fact didn't make her pull back as she smiled up at him.
"Thanks," he said, sarcastic but amused all the same, dipping his head down just enough to kiss her forehead. "Next stop is the shower."
One hand drew small circles against his back. "I'm pretty dirty myself from my walk," she said. The statement could have been passed off for innocent if it weren't for the quirk of her eyebrow.
It was hard not to grin at a statement like that. "Well, just to warn you, it might be a tight squeeze. It's a single unit." Just means less room to slip and kill myself, I guess, he added inwardly.
She smirked. "Good thing I don't take up much room then." Her hands slid down to his ass, pressing up against him. Sam made a noise somewhere between a groan and a chuckle, giving a faint thrust into her hip. Wordlessly he pulled back, taking her hand and leading her off in the direction of the small bathroom. As soon as they were through the door, she pushed him against it, her hands going to his neck to pull him into a kiss. He conceded eagerly, one arm circling her waist while the other curved under her ass to lift her, easily moving her knees to either side of him. It meant not having to crouch, and also the ability to turn the shower on and keep kissing her. Her arms slid around his neck as he lifted her, holding him tight and close, so focused on his mouth and tongue that she didn't even notice the sound of the shower until she pulled away.
"Not quite naked enough for that yet, Sam," she teased.
"Water still needs to warm up; it's running off a well," he exhaled, "Shush." That said, he turned her back into the nearby wall, lips moving along her neck as he worked the button-fly of first her jeans and then his. She tilted her head to give him better access, her hands exploring his exposed skin before sliding to her jeans, shimmying out of them. She took the moment of break with him to pull her shirt over her head, waiting until he'd got his pants and shoes off to pull him into another kiss.
When the room started to steam up Sam pulled her back with him, grudgingly letting one arm go of her to pull the little door of the shower open in order to pull her inside. The water hit him almost too hot and he sucked a breath through his nose, fumbling oddly with the dial to knock it down a degree. It was very reminiscent of being inside a payphone, except that it was much hotter, both literally and figuratively speaking. The wall of the shower was warm but his skin was deliciously searing, his mouth most of all. Her hands tangled in his still dry hair, her teeth worrying his bottom lip eagerly.
Now that they were actually in the shower, there was only one way things could be done properly. A wicked thought suddenly raced through his head and he grinned against her lips, deepening the kiss before lifting her and pressing her into the wall. Rather than let her legs circle around his hips he slid one arm under her, moving her thighs up against his chest so her ankles rested near his shoulders. The kiss becoming a distraction at that point he broke it, holding her steady with one hand as he guided the tip of his cock into her.
She gave a small whimper at the unexpected stretch, heat and strain running lines up and down her legs from thigh to calf. When he paused at her entrance, she was almost grateful his mouth was off hers, her chest heaving to try to keep from just all out begging him right away. Instead, her hands curled in his damp hair, urging but not insisting. Sam gave a shallow thrust, slackjawed as he pulled out and then pressed in again, managing all of three times doing it before he couldn't take it anymore. It was all he could do not to roar at the dual sensation of her heat and the water against his back. Seeing the strain in her face, he adjusted her left leg so both ankles were over one shoulder, tightening her grip around him much to his own surprise.
"Fuck, yeah -" he groaned, moving one arm to brace himself on the wall as he found a hard pace.
The move forced her hand to the wall, trying to grip to the slick surface, though it didn't much matter. Sam had her well in hand; he had complete control, the thought sending a thrill through her to add to the stabs of pleasure from him. One hand still tangled tightly in his hair, she tried to concentrate on breathing and not letting his perfect friction send her over the edge just yet.
Sam watched her reaction hungrily; his focus intense at the light pull of her hand in his hair, how her pupils were blown and she was breathing just as heavily, completely at his mercy.
"Play with your nipples," he breathed, moving his hand slightly beneath her to run his thumb against her perennium.
His words sent a thrill up her spine, her nipples puckering as if on cue. She took her hand from the wall, rolling the nipple in her palm before pinching it between her thumb and forefinger. She gave a high gasp as her pinch and his thrust happened in tandem, her hand sliding under her breast to bring the nipple to her lips. Throughout, she kept her eyes on Sam's, her expression a mixture of excitement, need, and embarrassment. Certainly she'd played with herself in front of him before, but it had never been an order.
"That's it," he said, his voice deep and rumbling, turning his head to kiss her calf for the fear of hurting her by trying to press in for a kiss. "That's my girl, yeah." The sight of her pretty pink tongue flicking out over the hardened tip pulled a delicious clench in his gut and a low moan from him.
The noises he made, and the way he looked at her, brought whimpers to her lips, but she wouldn't let herself give in. Not when he hadn't told her to. Instead, she pulled her hand from his hair to cup under her other breast, her teeth and tongue alternating attention to the bud while her fingers pinched and pulled at her other nipple.
When she brought in the second hand, Sam's pace jumped significantly, the hand to the right of her head clenching into a fist as the creeping sensation of oncoming orgasm started inching through his nerves. A small part of him marveled at where this newfound wordiness came from, but once he'd started talking he found himself unable to stop.
"You wanna come with me, don't you?" he asked in a low voice, the sound made loud by the smallness of the shower and the echoy interior.
A quiver ran through her, her back digging harder into the wall as she pulled her mouth from her breast, her hands still working. "Yes," she groaned. Her words only made the tightness more constricting, and he craned his neck forward enough to kiss her lower lip, moving both of his hands under her and lifting her up just an inch so that he could find the sweet spot he knew would drive her over along with him. She hissed in a breath at the move; it came out in a cry as he penetrated the very center of her. The sensation rocked through her as he thrust again and the whole world spun, her hands trying to grip to the wall as she rode the waves of the orgasm. The moment she clenched tight around him he gasped hoarsely, slowing his thrusts to time with each wave of hers before he violently joined her, each shot pulling a choked little noise from him as his eyes screwed shut. Ruby shuddered as she came down, still pulsing and rocking with Sam's thrusts. She felt him slow, tensing to milk the last of him as she reached out a shaking hand, cupping his cheek.
"You're gonna kill me," he mumbled, easing out of her and slowly helping her return to her own feet. His whole body was tired, something that was both good and bad.
She gripped his shoulders as her shaking feet touched the floor, erupting in pins and needles as the blood flow returned. But she smiled at him. "Not today," she said, shifting onto her toes to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"Soon enough," he answered, leaning down into her and resting his left temple against her right one. "So the wilderness turns you on, huh?"
She gave a quiet chuckle. "Watching the muscles ripple through your back as you chopped wood certainly didn't hurt," she teased.
"That's going to be difficult to recreate later," he replied, amused. "Trade places; it's too hot."
With a laugh, she turned with him in the tight space until the shower stream was hitting across her shoulders. "So is it my turn to fuck you against the wall?"
The words were hardly out of her mouth before he erupted into laughter, the sound echoing and doubling over in volume. "Wow. I'd like to see you try, short stuff."
She smirked, her fingernails gliding lightly across his chest. "You know I could take you."
"Technically yes," Sam replied, fighting the urge to laugh again. "But this is a small shower."
Glancing at the walls, she said thoughtfully, "I could make it work. But not now." And she leaned back, closing her eyes as the hot water ran down her face.
Sam smiled slightly, reaching to the little caddy around the showerhead for the soap and the shampoo. He washed her first, using it as an excuse both to feel her up and use her as something of a loofa. She happily let him do as he pleased, her still sensitive body tingling at his touches. It was a quiet closeness, so wholly unlike a couple minutes ago but just as nice.
After doing both their hair and rinsing, he turned off the shower, the room suddenly dead quiet. "Everybody out."
Her boredom made it difficult to concentrate on mapping up the omens, and even moreso when he tried to clean the guns. At one point he all but shooed her out of the cabin, making her go down to the nearby town in order to pick up groceries and a newspaper. He felt slightly cruel, knowing her carsickness would make the menial task stretch onward, but at least it gave him enough time to figure out a trail.
"Hope that was long enough for you," Ruby said as she came in, closing the door behind her. "Tried to stay longer, but more nothing was happening in town than here."
She plopped the grocery bags on the kitchen counter then walked over to him, holding out a magazine. "Fourth abandoned car in southern New Jersey this month. Inquirer says it's a new Bermuda triangle, but I'm thinking they aren't the best source."
Sam took the magazine with a slightly guilty smile, which faded quickly. "Bermuda triangle took everything, not just people," he said absently, flipping through the pages to the article and scanning through it. A frown worked its way between his brows.
"Not just southern Jersey. This was just outside the Pine Barrens."
When he didn't say more, she said, "Sorry to ruin the dramatic pronouncement, but that's significant because...?"
"This isn't anything worth note," he added. "I gotta say, the Inquirer is losing some of its street cred; I'm surprised they didn't open the story talking about the Jersey Devil. It's basically the east coast's version of Big Foot. If it were actually in a real newspaper, maybe." As an afterthought he turned his eyes back to the computer, bringing up a local newspaper's webpage after a quick bit of googling. The Current of Galloway Township came up at the top of the list, and he clicked it.
She slid onto the arm of his chair, looking over his shoulder. The story wasn't hard to find: front page. "Looks like they weren't making up one part of it at least."
'QUIET COMMUNITY OF LEEDS POINT ONCE AGAIN VICTIM TO THE DEVIL'S WORK' the headline said. Sam resisted the urge to roll his eyes a little, but kept reading. "Missing persons I get. Flaunting a local legend, I get. Blaming a missing person on a local legend is just... I mean, it's a hoax. Every respectable hunter knows that." But he continued to read down the article, his skepticism cut when they mentioned finding the remains of a body. Supposedly left in shreds; the first of the 10 missing people actually found.
"Okay, maybe not."
Puppy's got a scent. She smiled slightly. "I take it we're headed to Jersey then?"
Sam ran a hand through his hair, frowning a little. This would be the second non-demon hunt he'd had. "I just..." he started, then bit his lip and frowned a bit more. "Yeah. Guess so."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "What? Evil's afoot so you swoop in, right?"
I'm just wondering where all the hooplah of 'Let's kill Lilith' went, he thought in answer, though he didn't dare say it aloud. He really didn't want another argument about his so-called obsession. "After this it's back to tracking Lilith. This is the second sidetrack we've had," he said, turning to look at her with a serious expression.
Her expression hardened slightly. "You haven't stopped having headaches," she said.
"And I won't if I stop practicing," he reminded her, keeping as neutral as possible.
He was right. And the idea of taking down demons shouldn't be a bad one. Just don't want him near Lilith yet. He's not ready. That's it. "Okay," she said simply. "Just as long as we don't push so hard she takes notice."
"Work up the chain of the command, maybe," he replied, closing up the laptop after putting it on hibernate. "Guess we better pack, then."
She didn't answer, getting up and going for the little bedroom. There wasn't much to pack. They could be out of there within a half hour. Her response surprised him, but not enough to do as he said.
Roughly an hour later, after he'd cooked what could be salvaged and shoved everything else in a bag, and Ruby had taken another dose of the anti-nausea medicine, the two of them were back on the road again. She was oddly silent, which was beginning to bother him. They'd had almost a week of down-time, and he felt good; out of his funk and ready to get back on track again. He remained passive however, focusing on keeping her from getting ill again as they made their way out of Pennsylvania. Whether it was the drugs or the driving, she wasn't feeling at all sick. She almost would have preferred to be; it would have been a distraction at least. Instead, she only felt emotions crawling under her skin, unable to even put them to words. All she knew was she didn't want Sam any nearer Lilith or any demons. Which was stupid; they'd worked so hard, and if he didn't practice, they'd be back at square one. She should be glad he was refocusing, especially since he didn't sound like he was doing it as a vendetta.
The moment they got onto I-81 E, Sam brought the speed back up, glancing over at her for a minute before looking forward again and finally caving a little. "You haven't said a word in two hours," he commented.
She shrugged. "Haven't had anything to say." Then, because it was a lame excuse, she added, "Just trying not to get sick."
Sam arched a brow as he looked at her again. He would've left it at her first answer, but the addendum made him immediately doubtful. "Right."
She didn't respond, just watching the road. She had a right to some sullen silence; he'd done it enough, after all. Sam remained quiet for three exits before speaking up again.
"If something's bothering you, just say it," he said at last, turning the iPod off. "I know I'm a pain in the ass, but that's predictable at least."
She shook her head, wishing he'd kept the music on at least. "It's got nothing to do with you." Okay, that wasn't entirely true. But the problem wasn't so much what he wanted to do as how she felt about it.
"Then what?" he shot back. A thought surfaced in his head, and his first thought was that he shouldn't go there; he'd rather deal with Ruby being pissed and quiet at him than pissed and shouting at him. Or worse. But then, if she wasn't going to talk - "PMS'ing?"
Her jaw tightened but other than that, she ignored him. Her non-answer almost made him want to panic.
"You're not, right? Please tell me you're not."
That got a look. "I would have mentioned it before now," she said dryly.
Her words, while sarcastic, gave him at least some relief. Giving up, he turned the iPod back on again, finding the playlist she preferred and queuing it up before going silent again. She scowled out the window, wondering why he'd bothered speaking at all. Part of her did want to voice what was going on in her head, but what would be the point? He'd only point out the very logical and sensible counterarguments to her thoughts, and she didn't need to hear those. She knew them already. It just wasn't helping to get them out of her head.
Exit after exit flew by, with no words being passed between them, and Sam's expression only soured with time. He hated her sudden quiet, both severely and inexplicably. On the next exit he pulled off, needing a piss and preferring not to do it on the side of the road. There was cola in the back still, which he planned on grabbing before starting up the car again. She didn't say anything as they pulled into the gas station, watching him out of the corner of her eye and waiting until he'd disappeared through the door on the side of the building.
Then she shut her eyes tight and yelled. "I don't want you going after Lilith! I don't want you to learn more! I want things to stay like they are, and I'm sick of being a tool or being useless or- I don't even know what I am anymore! And I can't fucking tell you because you could stop doing what you need to do!"
She took a couple deep breaths before opening her eyes. A man smoking in front of the building was staring at her. She glared and he promptly turned around as she flopped back against the seat. There. She'd said it. Now could she think of something to say to Sam so he'd stop pouting?
After about twenty minutes Sam returned, looking no less for wear as he grabbed a cola from the backseat, twisted the cap, and reignited the engine once more. The car felt, for some reason, stuffier than when he left, and instinctively he cracked the windows as he pulled back onto the highway again. The fresh air, though warm, was nice. After a couple miles, she reached over, settling her hand on his thigh, smiling slightly at him. "So, how're we gonna go at this?"
Her sudden 180 left Sam blinking at her, a little confused. It took him a moment to realize she'd asked a question. "Well um, we'll have to check the body. See what kind of damages it obtained. Then it's off to comb the one-point-one million square acres of crappy woods." He scratched his neck with his hand before awkwardly covering hers on his thigh, then threading their fingers together. "Or at least the area surrounding the highway strip."
"I vote the highway," she said, glad for the contact. "At least to start with."
"It'll be another hour," he said apologetically, looking over at her.
She shrugged. "I'm okay. Maybe it was something I ate?"
I wish you wouldn't lie to me, he thought, frowning some and giving a nod and a quiet "yeah" in response.
The suit still felt awkward, but Ruby tried not to let it show as the coroner pulled the body from the freezer.
"Normally, I would just put this off to coyotes pickin' the bones," the coroner explained as Sam put on a set of sterilized gloves. "But these were fresh wounds, and not like a canine's. There's lacerations here and here," each word he pointed, "and a compound fracture in the skull, as well as a dislocated shoulder. And these were after the body was dragged through the woods."
Sam took a prod in his hand and started examining the hands and arms, frown lines creasing his brow.
"And there's something else," the coroner added, looking over at Ruby.
She looked at him, kind of glad for an excuse to look away from the body. Sure, she'd seen worse, but it wasn't exactly being reminded why demons called humans meat sacks. "Something worse than that?"
"Not worse as much as odd; she had sulfur dust in her lungs."
Ruby's expression froze for a moment before she frowned, as if perplexed. She looked at the body. "Very odd."
Sam let the prod drop, looking severe. "Thank you, Doctor Sullivan," he said. "Me and my associate need a minute, if you don't mind."
The doctor nodded, heading back towards the office, probably to finish up the paperwork they'd interrupted. As he left, Ruby let out a long breath, looking at the body with new eyes. "Looks like you got your way," she said.
"Sorry," he said, his tone genuine. "Never actually dealt with an autopsied host before, from what I remember."
"To be fair, neither have I." A demon. Wonderful. She paced the length of the body, imagining how each bruise and tear got there. Unfortunately, knowing that didn't mean it would be any easier to track down, unless it was wandering around town for her to spot. "Whoever it is, it doesn't play nice."
"D'you think they did this before they jumped in, or while they were still wearing her?"
She could guess, but he didn't think he'd like it. "Hard to say. Would depend on the demon. It would hurt it, though, if it did all that while inside her." She shrugged. "Coroner said some of the wounds were after death, though."
"Unless they ignored the pain," he replied looking up at her again.
"Absolutely," she said, keeping her eyes on the body. "Like I said, depends on the demon." Some would like it, especially if she'd been alive. They'd feel her feeling it; they'd hear her screaming.
"The body was dragged. It wanted the body to be found," Sam said, showing her the back of her arms, neck, and shoulder. "That means it's either saving those bodies and just going back and forth while killing them, or something else."
She shook her head. "The Jersey Devil business can't be a coincidence. Demons don't just accidentally get mistaken for a devil," she said, her mouth giving a wry twist. "It's doing this on purpose."
"Obviously you've never been to Jersey," Sam said with a smirk. "C'mon, I think we've seen enough."
She nodded, reaching to pull the sheet back over the woman before turning to him.
He couldn't stop thinking about The Blair Witch Project the whole time.
Sam wasn't phased by horror films. For chrissakes, his whole life was a horror film from start to finish. To top it off, the entire movie was totally crap. It was obvious most of it was faked, though from what he read about the behind-the-scenes, the actors were put in extreme conditions and most of the dialogue had been improvised. That was the part he could get, the part he understood. But at the very end, when they'd found the house in the middle of the woods, decaying and falling in on itself with the blood on the walls and the man supposedly forced to stand in the corner while the girl was murdered... that had felt real. The entire movie was crap up until those last five minutes. Dean had teased him mercilessly about it, but then hadn't disagreed to leaving the light on that night.
It was dark in the woods when they found the decaying house, firelight flickering from somewhere inside it, and the quiet weeping of a woman. Sam felt, truly and genuinely, a little scared. Ruby saw his back tense as he stopped, still on the shadows' edge around the house. If this wasn't the place, then someone had a lot of explaining to do. She touched his shoulder, her voice low. "Stay here. I'll check."
"Together or not at all, remember?" he said in a hushed voice, his hand reaching for his gun. "I'll cover you."
She wanted to argue, but now wasn't the time. Quietly but quickly they made their way to the side of the house, Ruby peering slowly 'round the first window. The room was dark, but if there'd been a demon in it, she'd know. Finding it empty, she led the way around the perimeter, peering into each window, not wanting to go in without some idea of the layout and the occupants. The first floor was empty, but there was a fire in the fireplace, hence the reason for the firelight. But the weeping continued on regardless. Sam felt more and more sick by the second.
"There's a cellar," he said quietly.
Great. She knew waiting for the demon to come back - or come out - was out of the question when all evidence pointed to a damsel in distress. She led the way to the back doorway, unsheathing the knife before she led the way through. The floorboards creaked slightly underfoot and she inwardly swore, her steps slow and metered. It was a short distance at any rate, and fearing the wood was rotting Sam kept tightly to the wall, thankful for the flashlight. The woman's sobbing became louder, then stopped altogether, though he could hear her breathing. Either something was with them besides her, or she was trying to pretend she was gone. Sam brought the flashlight up, turning it in the space until he found her, bound at her legs and feet. The smell was horrible, and further investigation brought up two other bodies, both not moving.
"Please. Please help me," the woman whimpered. "She won't stop."
Though she spotted nothing else in the cellar, Ruby's heart was at a running pace. "It's clear," she breathed to Sam, stepping aside to let him by. She'd guard the stairs.
"We're gonna get you out of here," Sam said in what he hoped was a soothing voice, digging out his pocket knife and going to where she was bound. Luckily it was just nylon rope, but her captor had made it a slip knot which had tightened every time she'd struggled, which apparently was a lot; blood soaked through the material. "Just stay still for a moment, okay? When did she leave?"
"I don't know," the woman said, her voice hitching. "B-before sunset. It was light out."
Ruby tensed, going up a few steps. She didn't know what would be worse, being trapped down here or being caught out in the open. It felt like an eternity, but Sam finally cut the last of her binds.
"Can you stand? We need to get out of here quickly."
The woman used Sam as an anchor, pulling herself up and leaning into him on shaky legs. The three of them took the stairs as quickly as they could, though the fourth from the top busted under the additional weight. Sam managed to grab the railing just in time, lifting the woman to the next step and hopping very carefully over the hole with the hopes that the demon bitch would fall through it when she came back. The flashlight beam jostled with their steps, casting light wide, but they managed to get completely out of the cellar. Adrenaline helped the other woman quickly keep to their pace. Once in the open, Ruby helped the woman on her other side, though her eyes kept scanning the woods. She waited until they were a decent distance from the house before speaking.
"She's going to get more victims," she said, glancing over at Sam.
"She got me on the road," the woman said immediately. "She'd said her car was broken down and she needed a ride into town to get gas, and then she... god, she-"
Even in the dark, Sam's face twisted with worry. "It's okay now. Don't you worry, we'll find her."
"But it's not just her. God, it's like there's six of 'em, in the woods, taking turns with us or something. The girl who got me and Liz was blond, but- but-" she started getting hysterical, each word in-between a sucking, shallow breath.
Ruby felt her stomach drop. Doesn't mean there's more than one, she tried to reassure herself, though right now, it really wasn't working. "Don't panic," she said firmly, giving the woman's arm a tug. "We're almost there." Which was a lie but a comforting one. It was another fifteen minutes before they were out of the woods, the Impala a welcomed sight covered with a tarp weighed down with rocks with wards drawn on them in chalk. Sam connected eyes with Ruby long enough to pull them off and pull back the tarp, his hands shaking as he unlocked the doors.
"C'mon, c'mon," he said, his tone rushed.
Ruby led the woman to the backdoor, shoving her in a little less than politely but she didn't seem to mind so much, slamming the door behind her. Sprinting around the Impala, Ruby's eyes scanned the woods as she got to the passenger side.
The moment Ruby was in the car Sam gunned it, speeding down the road as fast as he could to get to town. They would need to get her into the ER.
"How long had you been down there? How many days?" Sam asked, hating having to do so, but knowing they didn't have long to talk.
"Four," the woman rasped. "Four days. Three other people were there when I arrived. The blond killed all of them, and she left me 'n Liz and she... she..." the woman sobbed. "I remember looking at Liz, and then she was just dead. My hands were bloody and she was dead."
Ruby glanced at Sam. Check 'yes' in the sadistic box. "It's okay," she said, turning in her seat. "You didn't do anything. She wants you to think you did, but you didn't."
Sam recognized the lie, and though he didn't approve, he knew why she said it and stayed quiet. There was a potential for more than one demon, or just that it was skipping in bodies once it'd killed them to its fill. Was it possible that the only reason this woman was still alive was because she was the next intended meatsuit, or was it making friends-of kill each other for the sheer twistedness of it? All the cars, from what the police report had said, had gone out in about the same spot; between mile marker's 45 and 50. The decaying house was obviously home base. All they had to do was get back there in time to keep it from killing the next strain of victims; Sam would take great pleasure in sending it back to the pit.
While it felt longer, they were soon at the hospital. The woman had quieted, though her breathing sped up when they helped her out of the car. Ruby gave her hand a squeeze, not sure how else to help. The waiting room had about a half dozen people in there and Sam went for the front desk while Ruby set the woman in a chair. He was gone long enough to grab the clipboard before returning it, and spoke in soft, even tones as he asked the questions on the sheet. When it was done he stood and returned it, sitting down next to Ruby and speaking directly into her ear.
"When they come and get her, we bolt. If we leave now she might panic," he murmured. "Okay by you?"
She pursed her lips uncertainly. "What if it gets back to the house before we do?" she said quietly. "It'll know something's up."
"Too late to worry about that," he replied, giving a wary half-smile.
She let out a breath but settled back in her seat to wait. It wasn't long. When they called out her name Sam helped her stand, the orderly quickly bringing a wheelchair over to her to help her settle in it. She held a questioning look but Sam bit his lip and smiled, neither confirming or denying that they'd be there when she got back. As soon as she was out of sight, Ruby touched Sam's arm and headed back to the Impala, her steps quick. We should have set a trap. Something; anything.
"We need to split up," Sam said, already heading back the way they'd came. "It doesn't know it was us there. All we gotta do is play it cool, but if we go into this at the same moment, it'll know."
She glanced at him, a little surprised, but not about to argue. It was the smart thing to do. "So what's the plan? Come in from different sides, see if we can surprise it?"
"You go to the house and wait. I'll be bait," he said clearly, eyes still on the road and slowing down a bit so as not to get there too fast. He would need to let her out and give her enough time to get there first. The road into the township was not as busy; no doubt he'd be the first car it would see.
The words felt like ice down her back. "No, Sam," she snapped.
"It's the best way to trap it," Sam said quickly, pulling off to the side of the road. Obviously this was going to take a minute, and driving only brought them there quicker. "If you've got a better a idea, I'd love to hear it."
"Wait for it at the house, both of us," she said, the anger rising in her voice. If she had so much as thought of using herself as bait - well, beyond the fact that hexbag or no, it would know what she was - he would have been pissed. "We don't know what this thing has planned, what it would do to you before you even got to the house, and if it knew who you were -"
"And risk that happening to a civilian?" he countered, cutting her off. "Trust me, if there was something better, I'd do it. I'm not trying to be a martyr here."
"The fuck you aren't!" she snapped. "I'm not going to go sit in a house while you go up against something we don't even know if you can handle! I'm not leaving you alone!"
"I think I can handle one demon," Sam said, his tone darkening after feeling a prick to his pride at her words.
"Yeah, because this really looks like it's your average, run-of-the-mill demon," she said, giving him a look. "You're going in blind. Better to risk a civilian than get yourself killed for leaping first."
Sam clenched the steering wheel to keep from punching it, his jaw tightening angrily. "Then give me the knife."
She raised an eyebrow. "So you lure it into your car and then stab it? That's the plan now?"
"I'm not risking another civilian when it's killed however many it already has, and there's no arguing with you, so what the hell else am I supposed to do?" he snapped, looking over at her angrily.
She scowled, looking out at the road. "If you play bait, what's your plan? Take it down right there or play victim until it takes you to the house?"
"I don't know how many times I've said it," he said, frustrated. "You think I just like hearing myself say it?"
She rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes. "I just... I want to know you've thought this out," she said, her voice giving in a little.
"Trust me," Sam replied. One of his hand found hers, turning it over until they were palm-to-palm and holding it tightly. "Bait until the house, and then we take her out together. Unless something goes wrong, in which case I handle it. Because I can. I can handle it."
She gave his hand a squeeze, glancing his way. "I know," she said quietly, taking a breath. "Okay. But don't take long."
The little give she gave relieved him, and he quickly leaned in to kiss her soundly on the mouth. "I hate this just as much as you," he said against her lips, kissing her a second time and hoping she believed him.
She kissed him back, nodding in answer. It wasn't true, though; no one could hate this as much as she did. When they broke the kiss he pulled back onto the road again, a little faster than before to make up for lost time. Her eyes went to the road, mile marker 35 going by. "I should get out soon."
His thoughts immediately went to his statement about the knife, and he chewed his lips a little. Leaving her unarmed made him nervous, but making the comment was bound to start another argument, so he simply nodded. When 40 was within distance he slowed to a stop, not bothering to pull onto the shoulder. She leaned over, her hand sliding behind his neck to pull him into a fierce kiss, trying to tell him to be careful, that she would expect him, that it wasn't good-bye. Then she slowly pulled back, opening the car door and stepping out. She held the knife to him handle first. "Don't lose it."
Now presented with the blade, his stomach gave a horrible lurch. He had a terrible feeling about it, but he took it anyway and gave a small nod. "If I don't find it in an hour, I'll come to you," he said seriously.
She nodded. "See you soon." And she headed into the woods, not looking back. Sam watched her until she was out of sight before switching gears and depressing the pedal again, flipping on the highbeams. Sam drove on as the mile markers changed over, the car silent and painfully empty without Ruby in it, his eyes carefully combing the sides of the road. When he hit mile marker 65 he finally saw something. The figure of a woman was walking on the opposite side of the road, towards town. Still, she put her thumb out as he neared. Sam took a steadying breath, flipping on the iPod to help hide that he'd been deliberately looking for her as he came to a stop. Glancing both ways, she quickly crossed the street, leaning down to look in his driver's window. She had a nice smile and short wavy hair in a bob around her face.
"Hey there," she said, her voice apologetic. "I ran out of gas a few miles back. I know you're not going that way, but could you take me back to town?"
"Yeah sure, no problem," Sam replied, putting on a smile and reaching over to flip up the door's lock. He watched as she slid in, noting the body. The girl had to be in her early twenties, with bright red highlights on top of black hair. The only thought Sam had was to wonder if this poor girl was still alive beneath the demon's clutches.
She smiled at him as he turned the car around. "I really appreciate this. It's creepy out here so late."
"You're by yourself out here?" he asked, surprised at the light-heartedness in his own voice.
"Yeah," she said, her eyes darting to the road. "My family's expecting me home, soon, though. Was on my way."
"Y'know, it's not safe hitchhiking nowadays," he said. "All kinds of weirdos pick up girls like you."
She looked at him, but before she could say anything, the car puttered out. She looked around, jumpy. "Okay, what the fuck are you doing?"
Despite her tone, Sam knew exactly what was happening; through the window he could see the 47 mile marker, inches away from where the car had come to stop, and the gas gauge was far from empty. What was she going to do to get him to react? He'd promised Ruby he wouldn't blow cover; that he'd wait until she was nearby. He tried the ignition, turning the key. The alternator didn't even click.
"I'm not doing anything," he replied, hoping that the demon didn't genuinely fuck up the car. He tried to put some of that tone into his voice. "Fucking piece of shit car; I just had a tune-up last week."
The woman shifted in her seat, glancing back through the rear windshield. Then, in a blink, her hand shot out, closing around Sam's neck like a vise. He'd expected something, but that came off as a surprise, and his first reaction was to attempt to pry her fingers off before he remembered the knife. His other hand went for it immediately, grabbing it up and taking a swipe at her arm. The woman gave a stark scream, lurching back in surprise. But her other hand swung up, an invisible force slamming Sam into the door. Sam felt all the air pushed out of his lungs, suffocating him more than even the hand at his throat had. And he'd pulled the knife. If he lost conscious now, she'd grab for it and make off with it. Hoping that she wouldn't notice with the effort of holding him still he let it drop into the crack between the door and the seat. The demon's face eased into a smile as she realized the situation was back in hand. She looked down at her arm, a thin line of blood dripping from the small slice he'd managed to get in.
"I knew something wasn't right with you," she said. "All the others trusted me, but you had a little edge on that trust."
She brought her arm up, licking up the spilled blood in one long movement before closing her lips over the cut, giving it a heavy suck with every appearance of enjoyment. Scooting closer to him, she leaned in, nipping his jaw before taking a deep sniff. "You even smell different. I think I'll enjoy you."
He felt some of the pressure move off his chest and inhaled so sharply pain exploded everywhere, then gasped as the air rushed out of him again. She was asphyxiating him. But she hadn't noticed the knife, which he was grateful for. There was still a chance. When the lights began to go off behind his eyes again he felt the pressure release once more.
"What the hell are you?" he wheezed, already knowing the answer but knowing he needed to keep the act up.
She smiled, her face uncomfortably close to his, her eyes closing. "I'll show you." And she pressed her mouth against his, her tongue forcing his lips apart, wisps of black smoke escaping from the seem between them. Then, with a jerk, the demon's eyes snapped open and she gagged, jerking back from him, the smoke retreating into her mouth. She stared at him, the whites showing all around her irises before she threw her head back, smoke pouring out in a scream of noise and rushing out the window, into the woods. Sam gasped as the weight was gone again, though he didn't stay still for long. His hand reached blindly into the crack between the door and seat, grabbing the knife and forcing the door open with his shoulder. He barely managed to shut it, already running full-tilt into the woods.
It was surprisingly cool in the cellar, though Ruby was pretty sure her goosebumps didn't have much to do with the goosebumps on her arms. Waiting for Sam to come back as another demon's victim, on the other hand, probably had a little to do with it. The two stinking corpses sharing the room with her also weren't helping. She huddled beside the stairs, out of sight of the door. The last thing she wanted was to be caught by surprise, especially without the knife. She felt practically naked without it.
She heard the wind pick up outside, screaming through the trees, and crossed her arms over her chest. It was taking too long. He'd said an hour, but that might as well be days. If the demon had him, if she'd left him alone to be- It suddenly struck her that there was no ebb and flow to the wind. It was just building, louder and louder, sounding just like-
"Fuck."
A column of smoke exploded through the cellar door, down the stairs, going for the corner where the girl had been tied up. Ruby didn't wait to find out what the demon would do finding it empty, vaulting herself onto the stairs, half crawling, half running through the door as a masculine voice cried out in surprise behind her. She darted to the left, bolting for the woods, but it wasn't fast enough. She felt an energy seize her, flinging her into the house's wall. Well, her legs hit the wall; the rest of her hit a window, shattering it and flipping her into the dilapidated living room. Parts of her body she hadn't given much thought to in a while screamed in pain, but she rolled to her feet, limping through a doorway and leaning against the wall around it, trying to give herself time to think.
"Well this sucks. I kinda liked that girl," the voice said, half outside and then suddenly inside, though not directly in front of her. "She had a nice rack. I could've used her for a few weeks before getting tired of her. Come ouuuuuuut, pretty girl. I know you're here; I can smell you."
Ruby's heart beat double time but she shifted around the doorway, testing her legs. Bruised, yes, but they'd hold. She lifted her fists, watching for shadows. From the sound of his voice, he should be coming this way. If she could get him by surprise, enough solid hits, she might be able to get out of there unscathed. Well, not as scathed as she could be.
"Was your boyfriend a hunter?" the voice went on. "He had protection on himself. Too bad it couldn't protect him from bleeding to death. Did he know what you were, or were you using him to further your own agenda? I guess I should've asked him when I had the chance."
Demons lie, demons fucking lie, she thought, gritting her teeth, but her eyes still stung and her chest felt like she'd slammed that into the window instead. Still, she stayed where she was.
"Oh, but he was pretty," the voice continued on, sounding closer now. "I can see why you wouldn't have let him know. And what a perfect mouth he had. Salty-sweet and perfect. I'd never worked in so small a space before; I could feel every breath and scream when he struggled." The voice stopped suddenly, but the sound of breathing was overly loud, signaling his closeness.
Every word was like the twist of a knife to her gut, to the very center of her, and the tears finally overflowed, running down her cheeks. Her jaw was gritted so tight it felt like it would break and her fists shook with a mix of despair and rage. DEMONS LIE! And she would make this one pay for it.
"So why don't you come out from there, hmm?" it said at last. "Or better yet, leave altogether? Two demons in one town is one too many, I think. I've got a nice-"
But the words were cut off, the sound and sensation of thundering footsteps so loud that it felt like the whole house was shaking, followed by a crash as something broke. Eyes wide, Ruby peered cautiously around the door frame, half expecting a third demon to have thrown itself into the mix. What she saw, getting up from the wreckage of what looked like a corpse and a former table, was Sam. She ran for him, the pain in her leg inconsequential as she flung her arms around his neck, her kiss fierce and desperate, as though she never wanted to let go. For a moment Sam indulged her, hands grabbing either side of her face before he pulled back, panting.
"Time and place," he exhaled, though he was unable to keep from kissing her one last time. "Did it hurt you?"
She couldn't speak, trying to hold back the relieved sob building in her chest, but she shook her head, her hands going from his neck to his jaw to his hair, reassuring herself he was really there.
"The body's already dead," Sam said, one arm shifting around her waist to hold her up; she was trembling. "I can stab it. It doesn't matter. Tell me what you want me to do."
Her breathing evening out, she looked down at the body. Yes, definitely dead. She looked back at Sam. He can handle it. "We should see if it knows anything," she said. "Seems the loner type, but no harm in squeezing it for information before you send it back." Besides, it should suffer. The knife is too easy.
Sam gave a single nod, going to the fireplace to grab a charred piece of wood. He knew better than to attempt to stand on a chair, drawing the symbols on the ground instead before dragging the corpse into the center of it. Sam noticed then that Ruby was favoring one leg to the other, going to retrieve a chair for her and gently coaxing her into it. She felt a little ridiculous - it wasn't that bad - but Sam wanted her to sit. Right now, he could ask her to jump the moon and she would at least try. By the time Sam finally turned back toward the corpse, it was awake and sneering at them, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the trap.
"Isn't that just sweet. It's like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in a way," the demon drawled, chuckling.
Ruby glared, feeling even more foolish but sitting up straight. "If you like that, then you'll really enjoy the finale," she said dryly. "Better hope you haven't done anything to piss off anyone downstairs."
"Who are you affiliated with?" Sam said, cutting them both off. The corpse-demon blinked at him, and then laughed, loud and hearty.
"And why the hell would I tell you that?"
"Because there's an easy and a hard way to do this, and right now, things aren't in your favor," Ruby snapped. Sam was usually the one who interrogated. He was good at it. But right now, so much anger and hate boiled in her stomach, she couldn't help spitting out words.
The demon only laughed in response, hardly threatened, and Sam bit back the urge to look over at Ruby. It wouldn't do good to argue in front of the thing while they were trying to get information. In fact, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the metal flask he kept close to his chest, as a precaution. Holy water never hurt a host, and it was helpful during interrogation processes. Not that it mattered in this case. The demon continued chortling to itself even as Sam unscrewed the cap, giving it a wide sweep at the demon. It recoiled and cried out in protest, plumes of smoke rising off its body.
"Antiquis temporibus, nati tibi similes in rupibus ventosissimis exponebantur ad necem! Futue te ipsum!" it shouted, spitting at the floor and nearly catching on Sam's foot. It was a disgusting mix of blood and body fluids, and Sam sneered back, flipping another stream of holy water at it. It let out another howl, thrashing against the edges of the circle, but as the burning eased, it started laughing, looking over at Ruby.
"Your guard dog's got a mean bite," it said, its grin almost feral. "But hold him back or he won't stay so pretty. You've made your point; town's yours."
"Trust me," Sam said, his grin malicious as well. "My bite isn't half of your worries. Who-" another swipe. "-are you affiliated with?"
It was a moment before it replied, still twitching on the floor as it tried to recover, though there was a wet laugh to its words. "Anamalech," it replied finally. "Good luck finding him." After a while, the demon sat up slowly, every vertebrae sliding into place, rotating his shoulders as if they were sore. "A meatsack calling shots over a demon. What's the world coming to?" it said with a sneer. "What's the matter, sweetheart? Wish you were a meatsack, too?"
Sam didn't have to see Ruby's face to know what her reaction was, and instinctively he grabbed for the knife before he stopped himself. They could get more information. They weren't done yet.
"Are you just passing through, or something else?" he asked, keeping his tone authoritative, making a gesture with the holy water again as if to swing it. The demon flinched, but didn't try to move. In fact, it chuckled again.
"What's the matter? Can't exorcise me while she's in the room? Aww, how thoughtful of you, mister hunter! She must be a pretty good fuck."
"Shut up and answer the question," Ruby said through gritted teeth, her head swimming. Every word out of the demon's mouth was calculated to hit the hardest, and she knew it, but she couldn't stop it from affecting her. It looked between them, like it knew it had hit a sensitive area, and it was reveling in it.
"Answer my questions, sweetheart, and I'll answer yours," it said, its grin widening.
"Sorry, I don't kiss and tell," Sam said with bitter sarcasm, carefully leashing his his anger. He needed to lean on a harder edge, but with Ruby in the room it was harder to do. He didn't want to hurt her. Together or not at all, Sam, he told himself. It was too bad he didn't have some salt to throw into its face; wounds hurt as a human with salt in them. "I'm getting a bit tired of waiting. You've got ten seconds to answer-"
"Or what?" it snapped, mockingly. "More holy water? You ask your bitch here to step out of the room? Bring it."
Fuck her leg. Ruby was on her feet in next to Sam in a flash, pulling it out of his belt and holding it up so the demon could see it fully. "Or maybe I'll slit your throat with this, and then we'll see how long you laugh."
For the first time, real fear flashed in the demon's eyes, but he quickly rallied a grin, his eyes going to Sam. "Ah, I'd heard whispers about you two. Azazel's bastard and his little whore. Should have known you'd be the only hunter willing to look into the Jersey Devil reports."
"If you weren't so messy, it wouldn't have been a problem," Sam said, his tone clipped. "Answer the question."
The demon leaned back on his hands, smiling. "Just passing through. On my way to Georgia."
"Hilarious," Sam snarked back. He looked back briefly at Ruby, frowning. It'd be cockier if it had information.
Ruby met his gaze, giving a nod. They weren't getting anywhere, and weren't likely to. She twisted the knife around in her hand, holding the handle out for Sam.
"Doesn't matter how long you stay in that body, you won't be human," the demon said, getting to his feet. It saw the way the wind was blowing alright. "You'll think like them, get weak like them, but you'll still be a demon whoring herself for a lie."
"Nah, I got it," Sam said under his breath, hand outstretched in a choking gesture. The demon's hands immediately went to its throat, gagging as a furl of black smoke spewed from his mouth.
No. It wasn't enough. Sending him back wasn't enough. With two steps and a flip of the knife, she was in the circle, stabbing up to the hilt through the demon's throat. The flash was bright, all the loosed smoke erupting with electricity, and then the corpse fell to the floor.
Sam lost his concentration immediately, blinking in surprise at her. A hundred thoughts sifted up to the surface, barely kept in check from being spoken. Instead he knelt to the ground, scratching a line through the trap. Ruby didn't move for a while, her hands shaking from anger and adrenaline. Then she sheathed the knife, turning around to face him as she walked out of the broken circle.
"So where's the girl?" she said, her face carefully expressionless.
"Still in the car, I think," Sam replied, frowning. He hadn't thought to check if she was even still alive, though he doubted it.
"C'mon, let's get out of here." She headed for the door, adrenaline making it much easier to walk on her leg.
"We should come back to torch the house," Sam replied, following after her.
"Won't that draw even more attention?"
"Nah," Sam replied, shaking his head. "Pine barrens thrive from fires anyway. We'll tip 'em off on our way out of here."
"Alright," she said shortly, speeding up as she went quiet.
They got back to the car without another word, the punk-girl still in the front seat of the Impala, which was alive and running, high-beams sending cones of light down the highway. Sam was silently thankful that it was neither stolen nor dead. The girl's body, however, was.
"Burn her with the rest of them?" she asked, looking over at him.
"That's the plan," Sam replied, his voice lacking all remorse. He just wanted to be done with all of this.
Bending over, Ruby slid the body over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. "I'll take her, you bring the torch."
Sam frowned when he watched her pick up the body, no longer showing any pain. He knew immediately that her body would be broken in the morning, that they'd have to do whatever they could to ice her up and hope that there had been no internal bleeding. He grabbed the gas can and a bag of salt from the trunk, along with the left-over firelogs from the cabin they'd been in what already felt like ages ago. By the time they got out to the house, the sun was starting to peak over the horizon, sending red-orange light beams through the trees. Ruby headed for the living room, carefully setting the body down next to the corpse. Her muscles were beginning to shake, her legs hot and painful. She closed her eyes, trying to partition the pain off in her mind, separate it away from her, but it wasn't working. In the time that she was doing this Sam returned, coming up behind her and putting one hand on her shoulder.
"You all right?" he asked, his voice colored with concern.
"Fine," she said, her eyes snapping open. "Little bruised, but I'll be okay."
"You don't have to stick around in here; the chair's rickety, but I can pull it out and you can sit."
"I'm fine," she reassured him again, patting his arm. "Don't want to sit and stiffen up anyway."
Sam's frown deepened at the wording but he pulled back, salting both the new and old corpses before going to where he'd left the gas can.
"Well either way, it's gonna start stinking like hell in here in a minute."
She nodded. "I'll be right outside." She did her best not to limp on her way out, making a pained face and glad her back was to to him. Sam turned just as her hair flipped outside the door frame, letting out a small sigh as he started swinging the open can around from the far east corner, slowly making his way toward the door. Within a few minutes the place was thoroughly drenched. He grabbed a broken piece of what was once the guardrail to the stairs, giving it a drizzle on the end before igniting it with the zippo and chucking it in through the archway. The house was soon engulfed in flames, burning hot and fast, the walls already caving as they left.
"It'll be out by the time we get to the car," she said with a low snort.
"Barbecue pit," Sam agreed, smiling despite himself. "Guess the architecture is in our favor for once."
She nodded, concentrating on her steps. Walking on flat ground would have been painful enough; the woods just made everything that much worse. After a couple minutes, she said, "Could I have your arm? Just don't want to slow us down."
"Of course," Sam said immediately, offering it to her before realizing he still needed to carry the salt bag and empty gas can. His expression shifted for just a moment before he pulled it back, going in front of her instead and grabbing her for a piggyback.
"Wait, I didn't-" She stopped, giving in and holding him around his shoulders. Though she couldn't say it exactly made her legs feel any better, it was surprisingly faster. Sam dipped long enough to grab both things in either hand, shifting her just for a moment on his back before heading back toward where they'd left the car. He couldn't wait to get Galloway Township out of the rearview window.