Chapter 7
"Sorry about the mix-up. Just had to be sure you were real and not… fake one."
Dean was frowning as he rubbed his arm where he had been patched up. He hadn't been wrong when the guy who pulled a sword on him was the same guy that checked him, Sam and Angela into their motel room. He grumbled, "Could've said something when we checked in."
"Before now, the changes hadn't affected the motel. Still don't." The owner shrugged as he looked at the door he had brought Dean through. "But out there… Sometimes I walk out into town. Sometimes it's woods…" He looked at Dean and offered, "I'm Walter."
Dean checked his bandage and looked at his rescuer, "Dean."
Walter nodded as he looked up when a loud noise sounded. He walked to the window to take a look. "Still can't see but it's there."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. It's like town is divided and when you move into another section, you disappear but are still there."
Dean thought about it. That was what happened with Sam. He was right there in the ground next to him, but his brother couldn't see him. "Same thing happened at the church. That… whatever it was…"
"A troll."
Dean paused and turned at the interruption. "A what?"
A girl came out holding a rifle. She had a thick braid over her left shoulder as she handed the rifle to Walter. "A troll," she repeated.
Dean didn't know what to think about that. The thing had been ugly and now it had a name. He went with it, "Well that troll grabbed me from the church and I ended up… no idea."
"It crossed over?" The girl looked at him with a serious expression.
Dean raised his brow. He though that she was taking it way to seriously for a civilian and it occurred to him that she and Walter might be hunters, but that seemed a bit farfetched. They were more like trying to survive whatever is that was going on in town. "It wasn't there when me and my brother went looking for someone. Then next minute I'm grabbed and…" He made a gesture.
"Did you see how?"
"Dana." Walter shook his head in warning.
Dean picked up on it. He patted Zeppelin to let him know that it was okay. The dog made a pretty good recovery. He just needed the time to regain his footing. He stood up, "Look, you don't need to hide anything from me. This is what I do. My brother and me with his girl."
Walter looked at Dean, "You know what is going on?"
Dean tried to cover, "Not exactly. We came to find out what it is and then stop it."
"So, you don't know either?" Dana scoffed at that. She made a snort through her nose and turned away. "What good are you?"
Dean would have answered but decided not to. He was often told he was brash in his response. Now he sensed that he was going to have to give a little to Walter and this girl. He turned towards Walter when the man said, "Forgive my niece. She has friends out there and things seem to have gotten worse."
Dean waved it off, "It's okay."
Walter nodded, "Thank you."
"So, what exactly has been going on?"
It was best to get into the job. Even though Sam wasn't there, Dean knew that his brother was working on fixing this and he trusted that Angela was doing the same thing, wherever she was. He just had to put the worry aside and get the job done.
Walter got it and nodded, "As I said, more recent developments are that you could be walking and then disappear but not disappear."
"That happened at the church."
"Do you have any idea what is going on?"
Dean shook his head, "No." But Angie seemed to have an idea. Where are you?
"Any ideas where to start?"
"Go back out. Find my brother." Dean shrugged his shoulders. "Sam would probably have figured it out something. If not him, Angie would have."
"But you can't go out there. Not alone."
Dean checked his gear. It looked like his stuff was accounted for and there was more in the room. He left the main office and headed towards his room with Zeppelin on his heels. He hesitated when he saw the door open. He hissed, "Zep, seek."
Zeppelin rumbled as he grew larger and growled. There was definitely something in their room. The Wilder took the lead and Dean followed. Zeppelin charged in and Dean followed, pointing his weapon only to be caught with a blow that knocked him backwards. He landed hard on the pavement, winding him. He grunted and wriggled to try and get to his feet. "Zep!"
Zeppelin was barking, but otherwise sounded like he wasn't hurt. Dean looked back into the room and blinked at what he saw. There was a woman there. She looked lost, but also had that vibe that you didn't want to mess with her. She was dressed in civilian clothes. Dean propped himself on his elbows and looked at her, "Who are you?"
The woman seemed distracted as she looked around. When Dean spoke, she looked at him and stared at him. Her eyes seemed to take on a glowing hue as she looked at him. "The kin to the falcon."
Dean frowned at that as he managed to get to his feet. It was then he saw the motel flicker behind the woman. He could see Walter coming out but frowning in confusion. At one point he was looking at Dean, but it was like he couldn't see him. Dean realized that it was happening again and turned back towards the woman.
She was much closer than last time. She was like toe to toe with him and it caused him to jump how she managed to get that close. The only person he knew that could do that was Angela and she did it to prank and sometimes to scare and make a point. He felt his throat convulse but was rooted to the spot. He watched as she looked at him.
He backed away half a step when she reached out with her hand. "Whoa, I only do that on the second date."
It was meant as a joke, but the woman didn't see it that way. She hesitated and then stuck her hand out until it cupped the side of Dean's face, causing him to gasp. He tried to get out of her grasp, but he felt rooted to the spot. It was over really quick as she took a step back and looked at him, repeating, "The kin to the falcon, brother of the eagle."
Dean had heard pretty strange stuff, and this seemed to top everything that they had ever seen and heard. Still, he was a little speechless and clueless on what to do and could only stammer, "Uh… I get that you're not… normal…"
There was a loud sound that sounded almost like a roar. Dean turned in the direction of it and nearly rolled his eyes. "You gotta be kidding me. Not that thing again."
"The realms are merging. Dream and reality."
Dean looked at the woman. She was starting to look a little scared. Her face seemed to pale a little. He realized that he was going to have to take her into consideration and protect her. He tempered his voice as best as he could and said, "Look, lady. I know that this might be scary for you, but we got a problem. Can you let my dog go? He'll behave."
The woman looked at him. Dean thought she understood him, but he felt like a dunce when she gave him a blank look. It caused him to look closer and he realized she was looking right through him. Or she wasn't seeing him at all. He blinked when she looked blankly at him and then turned towards his dog. Great. I'm stuck with clueless.
He blinked when she splayed her hand out and glowed slightly. Zeppelin shook his fur and trotted out of his prison. He trotted up to the woman and panted happily. To Dean's horror, she reached down and petted him and rubbed his ears. The only other being that wasn't family or friend that did that was Death. Now it was happening again, and he couldn't help but mutter, "Traitor."
There wasn't much time to snort at Zeppelin's making a new friend. Dean watched as the dog picked up his ears and turned in the direction behind Dean and started to growl. The dog rumbled low in his throat and grew larger. He wasn't like Moira who looked like the worst thing from hell when she was pissed, but he was just as scary when he got on the trail.
Dean turned and blinked when he saw the… he had no idea what it was. It was the ugliest thing he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot. Zeppelin was growing and in his hell hound glory and injuries be damned. Dean knew that his dog would fight this being and it would be to the death if necessary. Dean swallowed as he looked at the thing in front of him.
"He's here," Penelope said.
Dean rolled his eyes slightly, "Nice warning."
"The one to open the gate and now charges through. The gates are open, and the realms are merging."
"I've been looking for you." The monster stepped forward towards the pair. His outstretched towards the girl. "She wants her."
Dean shook his head, "I don't think so." He pulled his gun, thankful he managed to grab it before all this shit happened again. He pointed it at him.
"You think that will do you any good?"
Dean shrugged and fired off a shot. He hit the thing, but it didn't go down. He fired again but nothing happened. Zeppelin growled and charged forth. It distracted Dean and he shouted, "Zep, no!"
A bright light appeared and then an explosion happened. It was powerful enough to knock Dean backwards along with the girl and his dog. He hit the dirt feeling winded from it. He grimaced and looked up to see the ugly guy standing there and next to him was… "You got to be fucking killing me!"
It was definitely a word of weird when he saw what looked like a tank. At least he thought that's what it was coming into view with a smoking gun. He stumbled to his feet and saw that Penelope was on the ground. Zeppelin was okay and whining as he nosed her. Dean stumbled as he checked to make sure that he still had a weapon. Like that was going to help. Still…
"Hand over the queen of the realm and this will all be over."
"I highly doubt that," Dean replied as he lifted his gun. He was seriously going to get himself killed. "Not gonna let ya."
"You and what army?"
Dean stuttered a moment. He pointed at Zeppelin as he was moving into position. "Me and… my dog."
The ugly dude looked at Dean and the dog and then at the tank. There was no expression on his face as he looked at the ridiculousness of the situation. "You won't win this. Just hand over the queen."
Dean shifted and stood at the ready. "No way." He knew that he had a snowball's chance, but he had a job to do.
The ugly guy sighed and replied, "Then…"
"No."
Dean turned to see the girl Penelope standing. She still had that innocent lost look, but there was something more to it and it was sending shivers up his spine. He hadn't had that feeling since the day he first saw Angela get all vamped out. Complete vamp out. The girl was glowing, and she was looking at the ugly guy and his tank.
"The brother to the falcon will not be harmed," Penelope said as she pressed her hand forward and a bright glow of light that emitted and headed towards the ugly guy and his tank.
Sam sat on one of the overturned pews and tried to think things through. Moira was still sniffing around and whining. He was trying to reconcile what he had just seen and what Father Roussel told him about the girl and what he had seen. It was way over the top at the moment and he had an extreme longing for Angela. He just had to know that she was okay.
Taking a breath, he looked at the priest who was sipping a cup of tea that he managed to find and asked, "So, did you see the woman that the girl talked to?"
"I did. And she was very polite despite the urgency." Father Roussel took a sip of tea. As much as he was freaked out by the entire thing, he was feeling pretty calm. Mostly because he had a young soul who was trying to help but dealing with something that was pressing and deep down. "She came in looking for the girl Penelope. They seemed to know each other."
Sam gave a slight toss of his head, "Yeah. I think they do."
"A friend?"
Sam thought about how to answer that one. The priest seemed to have been taking things well with all that he'd seen, but there was a point where it was too much. How could he explain that the girl he was helping was actually a goddess and his girlfriend/mate was a half human, half vampire? It was enough to drive anyone insane.
Father Roussel looked at Sam and decided to say, "I did see a vision of sorts. If what you have to say is strange like that…"
"Uh… I don't think…" Sam pursed his lips. He stood up looked around the place. He could stay there, but it seemed clear that Angela had moved on and Dean disappeared. So, the best option was to go back out there and look for them and try to figure out what to do about the craziness.
Father Roussel watched Sam and set his cup of tea down, "I don't know the details but I do know that something is going on. Things that are best left to the imagination are coming to life. This is just the first time this has happened."
Sam didn't get it either, but he knew that it had to do with dreams. Angela said her dreams and nightmares felt real, different from how they were supposed to be. He wasn't a stranger to things becoming real, like the fairytales and she always said that some things of myth had reality in them. Hell, he and Dean both thought she was crazy when she said in an offhand manner that Atlantis was real and that she had hung out with famous people from history. The best was that she was there for the signing of the Declaration of Independence since how she managed to convince them to let a woman be present…
This though, he was getting the feeling that the whole thing with the dream queen, or Penelope, was the key to it and since she disappeared and Dean disappeared, there was only one thing left to do. He looked at the priest and said, "Well uh… my… my mate mentioned something about the Greek god of dreams and…" He paused to look at the reaction.
"You mean Morpheus." At the look he was getting, Father Roussel explained, "I wasn't always a priest. I studied mythology."
Sam blinked at that and nodded, "Ok. Anyway, Morpheus… he knows my mate really well and I think he is in trouble. Which is why we're here. He reached out to her and… we got this."
Father Roussel listened. He was curious about Sam's choices in words, but he was astute enough to know that kind of thing was only explored based on trust. Right now, it was baby steps. He nodded, "Ok. So… what are you going to do? The whole town is affected. Some parts look normal and others… what you just saw."
Sam picked up his weapon and checked it. He looked around and then at Moira who was waiting for orders. "Well, look for my brother and my mate. We came to do a job and that girl Penelope is a part of it."
Father Roussel put his cup of tea aside and moved to join him, "Alright."
Sam raised his brow, "You're coming?"
"Might as well."
Sam accepted that. It was probably better than having the priest wander on his own. Besides, the things that attacked were not the usual supernatural creatures repulsed by anything holy. They did charge into the church. He nodded, "Okay," and signaled Moira to head out.
Father Roussel followed Sam as Moira led the way out. He watched as the dog sniffed around where she had pawed the ground previously and gave a slight whine. He followed along silently as they walked through town. It was bothersome that they hadn't seen a single soul and there were more than a hundred people living in town.
Sam sensed that there was something off about the fact that there was no one visible on the streets. Moira was alert too and looking around. She whimpered but mostly because she was picking up on something and she was unfamiliar with it. It had Sam antsy and a bit anxious. He tried not to think worst case scenario since Dean was probably trying to navigate the town and the whatever it was doing with his dog Xander. Angela… He sighed to himself.
Angie, I'm worried. I know why you snuck out but…
Swallowing slightly, Sam moved to where Moira had stopped. She was sniffing something on the ground. It could mean that she had a hit on something. He hoped that it was his brother or Angela. He put a hand on her shoulders, "Got anything, girl?"
Moira whimpered and woofed as she sniffed the ground. Father Roussel commented, "Looks like she's stuck."
Sam looked at the priest and then his dog. He had to concede that he may be right. "Maybe." He stood up and looked around. He wasn't liking that the town was empty. It reminded him of Cold Oak and he winced slightly as a very faint phantom pain shot up his spine from where he had been stabbed in the back. "Hey, Father Roussel, do you...?"
He had let the question hang in the air, but Father Roussel understood and replied, "There is always someone walking through. This… it's like a ghost town."
"Right."
Sam looked around and glanced at Moira. She was whining but in an agitated manner. She didn't leave him but she was walking around like she was confused. Something was coming and she didn't know what it was. His instincts were telling him that he needed to be alert and ready to fight. He snapped his fingers to get the dog's attention, "Moira, come on. Need you on point. Hunt." It was a simple command and not a traditional one, but it did the trick.
Moira made a slight whimper and her demeanor changed completely. She straightened out and looked around, alert. Her ears lifted to listen and her nose flared as she looked around. Father Roussel watched and to him it seemed that the dog grew in size. He blinked and then brushed it off as the fact that she was changing her position and posture and it was making her look bigger.
Sam looked around, listening, trying not to wince from the prick running up his spine. He thought to himself, Angie, sure could use some help understanding this.
There was a sound and it had Sam turn in the direction of it. His eyes widened as he saw something that he was certain he had buried a long time ago. He felt his throat swallow as it felt like he was going down memory lane and it would end up being a car wreck. He could feel the urge to take a step back and his heel tapped.
He had nightmares before, and Angela had been nice enough to explain that nightmares were under Morpheus' purview. It was a complicated thing, but one rule was always front and center. Gods never interfered with the workings of the human world. True there were loopholes, but for the most part, they stayed out of it. There were only a few instanced of Morpheus' active involvement and Sam was certain he was doing it now. More likely he was forced into it.
Sam stared at himself looking at him with a smirk. He heard Moira whimper and guessed what she was seeing and smelling were in conflict with each other. He took a couple of breaths as his body tensed when his double stepped towards him. He stood his ground though he really wanted to back up. It was his worst fear looking very real in front of him.
"Interesting how dreams seem real, isn't it?"
Sam looked at his double and noticed how Father Roussel was looking at the situation. Yeah, this was one to explain. Swallowing his fear, he stood his ground and looked upward, "Morpheus. I get it. Come out."
"You want to bring in that party pooper," double Sam said as he took a step forward. "You know that the gods can't interfere. She told us that much."
"Morpheus!" Sam didn't keep his eye off of his double.
"He's not going to help you. In fact, he is… indisposed of at the moment." The double of Sam smirked at Sam. "So, you are on your own. I look forward to a little bit of fun."
Sam knew that he was going to have to stand his ground on this. He had been told that the only thing you had to fear was fear itself. Dreams were as powerful as you made them. He had done dream walking before and managed to get the upper hand, but that was one instance. He wasn't as proficient as Angela, but he knew what it was about. He tensed, ready to fight as he said, "Moira. Civilian."
Moira made a sound and moved to stand in a protective stance over Father Roussel. It made Sam's double chuckle, "Sending a mutt to protect him. You really know nothing about these things." He looked at Sam and narrowed his eyes, "Unless you really think that you can beat me."
"You're here for me," Sam replied with a shrug.
"If she couldn't beat her double, what makes you think that you can?"
Sam stared at his double. The had pointed at him as if to emphasize his abilities. He didn't know if he could take on his double, which was what had been a stopping block to starting his relationship with his mate. He did know that Angela went through it every time the past came back to haunt her. He had to try. He swallowed and stood tall and ready to fight.
The double watched and smirked at him. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."
A/N: Looks like Dean found the dream queen and Sam is looking for his brother. Where is Angie? Stay tuned for next time on Sandman...
