Chapter 7

The underground tunnels were dark and filled with the smell of mildew and decay. It was quite obvious that they had been abandoned for decades as some parts had caved in and required the travelers to have to dig their way through. It was slow going and there were times when the tunnel would split off and then one would lead to a dead end, forcing them to turn around.

But they were going forward and in the direction of the building they wanted.

Dean was leading the group, followed by Castiel and then Jack and Jean. They each carried a lantern and were armed with every possible weapon they could carry as well as a bag containing basic survival items. Fortunately, it appeared that the infected had not found these tunnels yet. They were equipped to be able to handle any infected encounters, but fortunately it never came to that.

Some of the side tunnels that were followed lead to various buildings. Castiel, Jack, and Jean had explored enough of the surrounding buildings to know which ones they had entered. They also knew that they were getting that much closer to their goal.

Finally, after four long hours of searching, they came across another door. After getting it open they found themselves in another basement. They slowly made their way to the stairs that led them up to the main floor. When they opened that door Jean let out a small gasp.

"Oh my God," She whispered. "I think… I think this is it!"

Dean felt Castiel tense next to him and he looked around carefully. It appeared the building had been a library before the virus had hit. There were rows of bookshelves, several knocked over onto the floor. The books were covered with an inch of dust as were the computers scattered around. As they walked through the building it appeared that it had been undisturbed for some time. There were no sign of the infected anywhere.

"Where do you think it is then?" Dean asked quietly, still keeping an eye out for anything that could jump out at them.

Castiel looked around, his brow furrowed with obvious concentration.

"I'm not sure… but it has to be here somewhere…"

They continued moving slowly when suddenly Castiel let out a small gasp. He pointed over to a section of the library.

"There! I think it has to be there!"

Castiel quickly began moving to where he had pointed and Dean and the other two hurried to keep up with him. They soon saw what he was referring to. In the center of the section sat a large old book. When Castiel reached it he reverently ran his fingers over the leather binding.

"The Bible," he whispered quietly. Taking a deep breath he flung open the book…

They saw someone had hollowed out the inside of the book where something could be hidden inside of it. It was certainly large enough to hold the Colt.

But instead it was empty.

Castiel's face fell and he shook his head slowly.

"No…" he whispered in horror as he touched the book. "No… it's supposed to be here! This was where they hid it!"

Jean gently placed her hand on Castiel's shoulder.

"Cas… they must have moved it. They must have known we were coming."

Castiel closed his eyes and dropped his head.

"He died… we lost him all for nothing!"

Jean pulled Castiel into her arms while he slumped over in defeat. Jack stood nearby, his hand over his eyes and looking crushed. Dean forced himself to look away, not being able to bear seeing Castiel so upset.

And that was when he noticed something.

He could see an old exit sign hanging from the wall and the door leading out beneath it. And the door was completely blocked. From the inside.

Dean's grip on his weapon tightened and he began looking at his surroundings more closely. He then noticed foot prints in the dust on the floor. Specifically a set that led away from where they were standing.

"Guys," Dean said as he moved closer to the others. "I think someone else is in here!"

The others looked up at him in surprise. That was when they heard the click of a gun being cocked.

"Good assumption. Now you wanna tell me who the fuck you are and why the hell you're with my friends?"

All four of them spun around at the sound of the voice and their jaws dropped in shock.

There stood Dean Winchester. And he had the Colt aimed right at them.

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Yeah, I know it's short! But you know I had to leave you with a good cliffy somewhere! ; )