Beginning of the End

A Walking Dead and Supernatural Crossover

Chapter Seven: Devastation

"Are you two gonna sleep all day or can we start the day?" The sound of Sam's voice woke Elli, but she didn't move. Dean held her tightly to him and didn't budge.

"Shut up, Sam."

"It's already six, Dean." Elli's eyes were open now and she blinked a few times. The room was already warm and she tapped Dean's arm lightly.

"Dean, we have to get up. This place will get swarmed by walkers if we don't move."

"Walkers?" The older Winchester sat up and looked at her. "There's only been a couple the last few days."

"How's the weather been?" She asked Sam.

"It's already hotter than it has been."

"They'll come. They move more when the weather's hot." She trembled a little as Dean traced her spine with his fingertips, her face blushing. He chuckled and let her free and they gathered their things.

Dressed, packed, and in the car, Dean drove them towards I-75 North. "Should we head back to Michigan?" He asked. Elli looked at him from the back seat and sighed.

"I—maybe you guys should leave me here."

Dean stomped the brakes, startling both her and Sam. When the car skidded to a halt, he turned in his seat to look at her. "Why?" Sam looked at her, too, unsure of the whole situation.

"I want to stay and look for my family."

"We can help." Sam offered. She smiled at him.

"Thank you…but I don't want to throw you guys into any crap."

"Baby, all we deal in is crap. We're crap experts. We're not letting you do this alone." Dean said firmly. He turned back around in his seat. "We need to head towards Atlanta again."

Elli smiled, looking at the two men in front of her. It was then she noticed how pale Sam was compared to Dean. His skin looked clammy and he seemed to be shaking slightly. Elli sat back in her seat. "Sam, were you bit?"

"What? No!" He quickly answered. His brother stayed silent, but his face fell. Elli searched for a weakness, noticing his shoulders were tensed in pain. She reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled it down, revealing a horrid bite a few days old. It was infected and tinted gray and she withdrew her hand.

"How long have you had the fever?"

"I'm fine."

"Dean." She looked at him. He kept his eyes on the road.

"It happened when we were escaping the prison. Apparently that governor guy really hates Rick and his crew because he brought in a truckload of walkers. We happened to run right into them."

"Damn…" Elli whispered. Sam rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess since you're with us now, I need to explain a few things."

"Do tell." She said.

…

"So you think the demon blood is counteracting the fever?" Elli asked. Sam nodded. He was pivoted in his seat to face her. For an hour, he went through what had happened to him in the last eight years in summary, even touching on things Dean had told her about a week ago. She frowned.

"But it seems its only holding it off…prolonging you. After a while, there're a possibility you can turn." She spoke softly. Beside him, Dean shook his head.

"No. Sam will be fine. We've fought off worse things. If we can survive death a hundred times, then we can survive this."

"Dean, she's right. I could become one of them. And if I do, we need to be prepared. You need to be prepared."

"For what, Sam? To blow your brains out so you don't eat us?! Come on, man! This—its just—" He scoffed. "The past few days, I thought Eleanor was gonna bite it." He took in a haggard breath and met his younger brother's gaze. "I don't wanna put your name on the bullet. Not now."

The car fell silent, the radio only a source of noise. White noise from the CB radio was accompanied by ACDC softly playing behind it. Outside, the sky began to darken, a severe storm building. Elli stared at the blackened clouds and frowned. Things are gonna get bumpy she thought, watching a bolt of lightning dance across the black backdrop.

"Storm's coming. And we're gonna be smack in the middle of it." She said, making Sam chortle half-heartedly. "What?" He waved his hand.

"Nothing. Its just, a friend said that to us once a few years ago." Dean nodded.

"Only it was about a different kind of storm." He looked back at Elli and she gave a grim smile. The storm let loose a few minutes later, buckets of water crashing down on the car. Dean cussed, pulling the car over to the side. Outside, the rain came down so hard, all that could be seen was white. The pounding on the roof made their ears ring and thunder vibrated everything they touched.

Dean switched the car off. "Looks like we're gonna sit here a while." Sam leaned back in his seat with a sigh and closed his eyes. Elli shivered, pulling her knees up to her chest. Dean climbed over the seat and joined her. "Come here." He said, opening his arms. She curled up into them, taking in a deep breath. He kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep. Your shoulder probably kills."

"Ok." She muttered, the order easy to follow. She relaxed against him and felt him maneuver them so they were laying down in the seat. It wasn't long before she was out. What felt like no sooner than slumber claimed her, Elli awoke. It was dark in the car and the rain was a light patter on the roof. Rumbles of thunder went off in the distance, the lightning barely reaching the windows.

She looked at Dean's sleeping figure and smiled. When she looked to the passenger seat, her smile fell. Sam was gone, his door slightly ajar. Carefully getting up and out of the car without waking Dean, Elli looked around. Beside the Impala, there were very few cars around them, none of which were in good shape. She peered inside the closest ones, keeping her pistol down. "Sam?" She called out gently. No response. "Damn it." She mumbled, continuing to walk. "Where the hell did you go?"

The rain began falling a little stronger, soaking her to the bone. She kept her eyes open, waiting for anything. She stopped walking. Footsteps shuffled nearby and she stooped down. She recognized the shuffling automatically. It was hard to mistake the footfalls of a walker.

Getting on her stomach, Elli scooched herself underneath of a pickup truck and watched bootclad feet stumble by. She shivered. Sam? She daringly peeked out from under the rusted Dodge and felt her heart sink.

Sam dragged his feet slowly as he walked aimlessly down the highway. His arms hung limp at his sides and his head was tilted up. The fever had finally overtaken him, the demon blood no longer able to keep him alive. Elli quietly got up and aimed at him. She felt herself tremble. "Oh, Sam."

Sam stopped walking, freezing on the spot. With a low moan, he turned around and faced her. His eyes were glassy and his mouth ajar. His skin was blotched with gray, yellow, and red and he stumbled, no longer keeping a perfect balance.

Elli removed the safety on her pistol as he took a step towards her. She put her finger next to the trigger. Another step forward, this time faster. She readjusted her aim. Two more steps and a moan. She put a finger on the trigger. His hands were dangerously close to reaching her.

"NO!" Dean's cry startled her and she let off a round, hitting Sam in the forehead. He jutted backwards, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. His head split open and blood ran down all around him, staining the puddles from the rain.

As Elli hit her knees, Dean fell next to Sam's side, pulling him into his arms. Crying for him, Dean clutched his little brother tightly to his chest. She watched helplessly, tears mixing with rain down her cheeks.

"He's better off." Came Castiel's voice beside her. She looked up at him hopelessly.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to help Sam's soul."

"You're not a reaper."

"An angel can perform the same duties." He looked at her, his face conflicted. "And right now, I'm all he has."

"Cas?" Elli looked behind her and covered her mouth with her hand. Sam stood with a distraught expression, watching his brother hug his decrepit body. "Damn it."

"I'm sorry, Sam." He said.

"Elli." Sam looked down at her. "I'm sorry. I felt myself turning. I left the car to keep you two safe."

"What do I do?" She asked, looking back at Dean. He smiled.

"Stay by him. He can be an ass when he's hurt, but don't leave him." He frowned, his eyes reflecting pain. "I have to go." He looked at Castiel and closed his eyes as the angel touched his index finger to his forehead. A brief flash of light blinded her and she looked away.

Sam Winchester was gone. Castiel looked back down at Elli. She was clutching her hurt shoulder and shivered from the cold rain. Dean's sobs surrounded them and she bit her lip. "Get out of here." She said to the angel.

"I could help." I suggested. She glared at him.

"You left us at the prison. All you'll be is a target for his rage. Leave." He flew, leaving her on the ground. She pushed herself up to her feet and staggered forward, her head burning. She cursed, knowing her own temperature was rising again. She was already weak from her wound when she needed to be strong.

Stopping just behind him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dean." She said gruffly. "Dean, he's—I'm sorry." He was sitting quietly now, his arms at his sides and Sam's disfigured head in his lap. "I'm sorry." She repeated, her body shaking violently.

Unable to hold herself up, Elli collapsed. Dean whirled around, catching before she hit the ground completely. He cradled her to his chest and rushed back to his car, setting her down in the front seat. She fell over into the driver's side and when he returned, he was pushed her back up and climbed in.

"Damn it, Elli. We gotta get you outta these clothes." He stripped her down to her bare skin, tossing the clothes outside. He popped his trunk and rushed out, retrieving her bag. Bringing it back with him along with a blanket, he dressed her in dry clothing and then checked her injury. After a cleaning and bandaging, he stripped down to just his jeans and wrapped the blanket around them both. He held her against him and she struggled with consciousness. "Talk to me, Eleanor. Don't leave me." He begged, his voice cracked and full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry." She said again, seeing in her mind the bullet entering Sam's head.

"He was already dead. Focus on me. Please, just don't go."

"He got out of the car to protect us. To protect you." She said, burrowing her head into the nape of his neck. Dean leaned his head down against hers.

"I know. I know." He said, his heart set more on her than his brother's death. It was then she realized why she had become weak. Sam told her to stay with Dean. To keep him company. But most importantly, to keep him occupied.

He let me get wounded because he knew this would happen. He knew Dean needed a focus after his death. Which means he'd already been bitten before we escaped. Which was why he left Dean in the first place. And why he was held in a cell by gunpoint.

Elli's body stopped shaking and her temperature lowered. She leaned heavily against Dean, exhausted physically and mentally. He looked down at her and kissed her forehead. "Are you still with me?"

"Yeah." He hugged her tightly.

"Keep it that way."

…

Next chapter is titled And then there were two. I will get it posted sooner than these last two updates! Enjoy!