Chapter 8 - No Greater Love
Nervously Ranger Dave tied the dingy white cloth to the tree branch protruding awkwardly over the river. He glanced around and stepped back from the bank as if looking for the creature to appear automatically. Dean rolled his eyes when the ranger made eye contact with him and shrugged. "Friggin' genius," he whispered harshly as he pointed to the nearby location that had been specified as the meeting spot. Dean was tucked away in a line of greenery that provided him a view of the river bank and the meeting spot. A large tree blocked his view of the path, but he believed it wouldn't hinder his plan.
Dean had never been the patient type and today was no exception. However, he knew this was his one and only plan. Sam and Faith's lives were on the line and if he charged ahead now he might lose this opportunity along with his brother and the woman he cared for. He could almost hear Sam's voice in his mind as he checked his watch once more, "Just one more minute." The seconds ticked by like minutes, minutes like hours, hours like days and still the trees stood in peaceful silence. Birds sang, the river played a melody, and the wind hummed along through the leaves. The landscape was serene, but Dean's mind was roaring. He was angry at himself for losing focus on the hunt, losing track of his brother, and losing control of his emotions with Faith. He mentally kicked himself over and over as his thoughts grew louder and louder.
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Squeezing her eyes tightly shut Faith struggled to maintain control of the rising panic. Dean would come. She knew he would come, but would he be in time. Sam lay on his back unconscious in the cage. She followed the steady rhythm of his shallow breathing only interrupted by the occasional cough and knew that he needed medical attention quickly. The blood from the wounds across his arm and chest had soaked into his ripped sweatshirt and shades of purple and blue were appearing on his pale face and neck. Faith pulled against the layer of chains around her once more, but with the same result. She wasn't going anywhere.
The creature had added a measure of water to the pot and then stood watching Faith for a moment. She chanced a brief glance in its direction and found the black eyed gaze securely latched onto her. Her fear had overtaken her anger from earlier and now she sat in silence just listening to the gurgling breath of the beast. It was a strange moment when the Wihwin ventured into conversation, "You and your companion are old."
Faith was caught so off guard that all she could do was stare at him open mouthed for a moment before replying, "What?"
"I like my prey younger. But you," He gestured towards her and took a step closer to the table, "You will ruin my hunting ground."
Her eyebrows arched up and her heart stepped up a pace as she realized what it was saying, "How do you know that?"
A laugh escaped through the snarling teeth, "I know far more than you could ever understand." He strode around the table and placed a webbed hand on her neck. The skin felt dryer, almost flaky. She turned her face away as he leaned close to her ear and the warm breath played across her cheek, "I will eat your organs first, your heart and your brains. Then, I will peel the meat away from your bones and cook it." Faith flinched as he punched the emphasis on the last two words. She was sure he could feel her pulse thundering through the arteries in her neck.
Without another word he let go of her throat and left the cabin. Faith coughed and attempted to pull in oxygen, but was rewarded with lungs full of the putrid air. She gagged harshly and forced herself to swallow it down knowing she had to keep herself pulled together for as long as she possibly could.
Faith took a determined breath and cleared her mind. She was a logical thinker and now was the time to process all the information she had at hand, draw conclusions, and make decisions. It wasn't that she believed she could effect change at this moment, but following this process was her comfort zone. She analyzed the beast's physical attributes noting first that the skin had dried out and it was probably going for a swim to rehydrate. Besides the terrifying physique she remembered the eyes. There was something oddly familiar about the jet black eyes. She then thought through every interaction drawing conclusions: picky eater, very old, smart, possibly has an accomplice, heartless and evil. Heartless and evil combined with jet black eyes sent her mind straight to demons, but she didn't even know if it was possible for a creature to be possessed. Looking back through the sporadic memories she retained from Dean she couldn't find a similar situation. She let her mind continue with its task and her heart rate continued to even out. She knew there would be no way she could escape on her own and one look at Sam proved he was in no condition to make another attempt. They would have to hold out for a rescue mission.
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He looked at his watch for what must have been the hundredth time: 2pm. Dean's patience, which was already a limited resource, was wearing exceptionally thin. Each second could mean life or death. He shifted onto his knees and was about to rise from his hiding place when the river produced an extra splash. Rising from the moving waters was a gray silvery beast. With each step it grew taller and taller. Dean's eyes grew wide as the realization that the sheer size and mass of the creature could have easily overpowered Sam if it caught him off guard. He watched as it stalked across the distance to the meeting place. Ranger Dave, who already seemed so small of a man, shrank even further towards the ground as the towering creature came to a stop before him. Dean was close enough to hear the beast's voice gurgle and rumble, "What do you want?"
"There's a…a...uh…" Dean gripped the handle of his blade tighter knowing that at any moment the ranger could give up his location.
The creature took a step closer, "What!"
Ranger Dave glanced in Dean's direction and then continued, "That girl and her companion….there was another person with them that I didn't know about."
"I don't care."
"But he's a…." he paused as if trying to remember the exact word Dean had given him.
"He's a what?" The beast rumbled impatiently as it shifted its weight forward dripping water onto the ranger's face and shirtfront.
"He's a hunter."
The creature let out a low grumbling roar. "Idiot." Swinging a large webbed hand it caught the ranger unawares and knocked him several feet away. Abruptly it turned and rushed furiously towards the river. Dean watched Dave Waters for a moment making sure he was still alive then moved quickly staying behind the cover of brush and followed the rise and fall of the creature as it swam down river.
Half an hour later Dean was still keeping pace. Tracking the creature was more difficult as the ridgeline rose and fell along the bank, but he could still see the occasional gray skin arch in the shallow waters. The creature walked on all fours out of the river and moved up the bank rising to its full height. Dean ducked behind a small stand of trees hoping that his movements had not been caught by the black eyes. He pressed his back to the rough bark, took a slow quiet breath, and held his position with the silver blade at the ready. A moment passed and he chanced a look from his hiding place. The riverbank was vacant and a small worn path led to a stand of trees and shrubs. He spotted the dilapidated cabin nestled in the overgrowth and felt a mixture of apprehension and relief. He hoped Sam was correct in his assumption that silver was the answer because if not they were all three going to be dinner.
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Faith jumped as the door flew open and the creature stormed in with a growl. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as it leaned over the cage where Sam lay, "Time for a to-go meal."
Before Faith could stop herself she shouted, "Leave him alone!" and in a moment of absolute bravery she set aside all her fears and steeled her features, "Come and get me, asshole."
The Wihwin took one look in her direction and made its decision. With a singular motion it swept across the room, unlocked her chains, and held her at teeth level by the throat.
The seconds slowed to minutes as Faith fought against the slick gray flesh trying to pull up in the grasp to catch one more breath of air before her life ended. She had no desire to die, but she knew that Sam and Dean's lives were far more valuable to the survival of the world than her own. If she could buy Dean one more moment to step through that door and save Sam's life then her sacrifice would not be in vain.
Her watch ticked to the next second and she thought about the life she had lead with its joys and heartbreaks. Her mind retraced the moment she met these two remarkable men and how her entire world had been turned on end. She remembered the days of being linked with Dean's mind and in this breathless moment she missed him terribly.
Another second ticked by and her vision grew cloudy. Her hands were still gripping the gigantic wrists of the beast, but were slowly losing feeling as her oxygen supply depleted. She thought of Dean's laugh, his smile, his temper, his voice, and her heart skipped a beat. She realized in that split second that although his life was difficult and often heartbreaking he had smiled and laughed with her. His memories proved that those two things were truly a rare occurrence. She felt incredibly lucky to have known such an amazing man and that she had been able to bring a measure of happiness to his extraordinary life.
One more second and she felt a sharp tearing pain across her right shoulder. Her mind pushed aside the situation and focused on Dean's love for Sam. It was a bond she envied and wholeheartedly supported. Resolving her decision of sacrifice, she gave in to the gray that was pushing at the edges of her field of vision.
Neither Faith nor the Wihwin noticed Dean as he stepped through the open door behind the beast.
"Hey, asshole!"
Releasing its prey the Wihwin turned on its heels and hunched down to raise claws and growl at Dean. Faith collapsed to the ground coughing as oxygen filled her lungs. She forced her eyes to focus around the monster and took in Dean's furious appearance. Without a moment's hesitation he fired three rounds into the beast's chest but with no results. It laughed and moved another step closer. Dean gritted his teeth and drew the silver knife, "Worth a shot."
Faith reached for the water bottle attached to her waist and found it missing. She searched the room and saw the small purple container resting just outside of Sam's enclosure right beside the beasts left webbed foot. She kept her body pressed close to the ground and hoped against hope that she would not be seen. If her assumption about the creature's identity was correct then the water bottle would be their only defense. Her luck ran out when Dean was knocked across the room before his knife could make a significant impression and she became the center of attention. She had just slipped her hand around the bottle when she was pulled back across the floor catching a mouthful of dirt and rocks. She cried out as claws dug into her calf and she was thrown into the air only to be caught against the back wall by the large hand.
Dean was pulling himself upright when the beast roared out, "Enough!" The creature looked back over his massive shoulder at Dean, "I will tear her apart before your eyes."
Faith pushed up with her toes and earned enough purchase on the dirt to horsley call out, "The water…" She pointed to the purple bottle beside the cage where Sam's body still lay unmoving. Dean took one look and dove for the container. The creature looked on with absolute confusion. Sprawled across the floor Dean popped the lid and tossed half the contents onto the beast. It's skin sizzled and burned causing a tortured scream to erupt. Dean sloshed the remaining water out of the container along with a rosary and cross as the Wihwin let go of Faith and turned to run for the door. Dean was on his feet in a blink digging his silver blade into the gray flesh and sliding it around the rib cage. The creature pushed Dean's shoulders throwing him on top of the cage and disappeared through the open door.
Dean looked down between the bars, "Sam?"
Disclaimer & Writers Notes: I do not own nor do I have rights to Supernatural or any of its characters. Faith, on the other hand, is all mine.
Thank you for sticking with this story! My family and I fared well during the storm. We were without power for a few days, but thankfully no damage.
Again, thanks for reading! The reviews are greatly appreciated as well!
xoxo, Jen
