It was around five in the evening when they finally made it back to the house. As Dean pulled the Impala into the garage he finally allowed himself to realize just how tired he was.
For a moment they just sat on the big bench seat and allowed the quiet to sink in. Finally, after a few minutes Sam broke the silence. "Listen, I think we should wait until tomorrow evening to go after these things. We're all shot, plus that will give us time to come up with some sort of plan."
Sam felt uneasy, about the promise Sara had made. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he had very little faith that she would keep it. Sara was first and foremost a woman who took care of her own. Sam knew without a doubt that Dean and Sam where now included on her list of people to protect.
Whether that involved going toe to toe with some sort of danger or making sure they had enough to eat didn't make a difference to Sara. Either way she would do what needed to be done to keep those she loved safe. In that way the similarities between Dean and her were remarkable.
Dean was the same way, look at the promise he had made Sam at the Inn in Connecticut. He had promised Sam that he would kill Sam if necessary. But when it had come down to it and Dean had known that Sam had killed a hunter Dean had refused.
To be honest it haunted Sam to know that if it came down to it, Dean may not be able to kill an evil Sam. And what was worse, if Dean did kill Sam it would be signing Dean's own death warrant. Sam knew that Dean wouldn't long survive Sam's death, especially if Dean was the cause.
Sam shuddered slightly and pushed the thought away, there was nothing he could do about it now and to dwell on it only made him feel lost. What would happen would happen, he and Dean would deal they always did.
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Dean wanted to argue with Sam. He was itching to kill these kids tonight, hell, now. But one look at how tired Sam and Sara looked convinced him that he could wait. "Sounds good, Sam. Sara, do you think you could make some dinner, while Sam and I do a little research?"
Dean watched as Sara focused blearily on his face. She nodded slowly, and said, "Yeah, no problem, I'll take care of you guys." Dean watched as Sara seemed to pull herself together. He knew that as long as she had someone to watch out for she would go to the ends of the earth if necessary. It was a trait that he shared with her. For family, for those she loved, Dean sensed that she would do anything to keep them safe.
Sam opened the door and slid out holding out a hand to help Sara stand. Sara quickly made for the house. Sam waited until she disappeared inside and called out to Dean. Sam gestured to Dean to pause, and Dean moved to stand next to Sam.
Sam's voice was emphatic as he spoke, "Dean, we have to get her out of here. There's no way, she's going to just sit in the house and wait to see if we come back out of the woods."
Dean raised an eyebrow at Sam. "Sam, she promised she'll stay here. She's not one to promise something she has no intention of keeping."
"Bullshit, Dean, that woman will wait all of five minutes after we leave the house. Do you actually believe she's going to just stand back and let us risk our lives?" Sam said softly. "Would you?"
Shit, thought Dean he hadn't really thought of it that way. Dean didn't make promises he couldn't keep, however he knew that when it really came down to it he would break a promise without thought. Hell, he'd already broken the mother of all promises to Sammy and he hadn't felt a twinge of guilt. "Shit," Dean said. "What are we going to do? Short of tying her up we'll never keep her in here. And to be honest she's so stubborn tying her up probably wouldn't even work."
Sam stood for a moment and had a thought. "What if we go tonight. After she's settled in, we'll head out and take care of the kids without her knowing." Sam knew as far as plans go it was weak, but he really couldn't see any other options.
Dean frowned and nodded. "I'll get her to sleep and we'll go. Let's go figure out what will kill the bastards and get ready." Dean turned and headed into the house.
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Sara was in the kitchen, making dinner deep in thought. She found herself turning up the radio even louder than usual. She couldn't stand the quiet. When everything was silent, she found herself doubting her ability to keep the people she loved safe. Since her world had fallen apart Sara surrounded herself with noise day and night.
The last time she had willingly embraced silence her husband had been killed, her children threatened and herself attacked. Yes, silence was her enemy and she waged war on it with all the weapons at her disposal. Her hand reached out and turned the radio up another notch.
As the sounds moved through her, she found herself better able to think, to act, to be who she needed to be. She quickly began focusing on the problem at hand. She had no intention of staying safe in the house, while the hunters risked their lives for her.
She had come to love the two hardened men that had barged into her life. They were rough, hard as nails, intelligent and no doubt deadly. However, they were also young men that had known very little kindness and tenderness in their lives. Sara's heart reached out to them, she knew in her mind that the problems they faced were beyond her ability to fix.
To Sara that just encouraged her to do what she could to prepare them for their uncertain future. It wasn't in Sara's nature to sit back and wait for a solution, no she had a problem and she attacked it, head on.
Sara's hands moved on autopilot as she moved about making food to sustain the young men she now thought of as family. As she cooked she let her mind wander, discarding plan after plan as she worked to figure out a way to save everyone.
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Sam sat staring at Sara's computer, losing his place in the text once again. He had borrowed Sara's office for the simple reason that her computer rocked. He had also thought that closing the door would help shut out the noise that was blaring from the kitchen radio. What he hadn't counted on was the blaring noise that was emanating from his big brother who was pacing behind Sam.
Dean was pacing as per usual, that Sam could ignore. There were times in his life that Sam actually found solace in Dean's pacing, a moving Dean was a focused Dean. It meant that he was turning a problem over and over again in his head and would soon come up with a plan. Crappy or not, at least they would have something to go on.
However, tonight apparently whatever problem Dean was working on wasn't being solved by just pacing. Apparently, this problem was so large that Dean felt the need to mumble along with the music that could just be heard from the kitchen.
On top of the mumbling, he was frequently asking what Sam had so far. Seeing that Sam couldn't even concentrate on his name with all the interruptions, he was no closer to finding a way to kill the Black Eyed Kids.
"Sam, what you got, how about silver to the heart? Or consecrated iron rounds?" Dean asked, not even waiting for an answer as he started signing a Metallica song under his breath.
Sam suddenly jumped to his feet and stormed toward the office door. "That's it, you're out of here. Get, I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here." Sam actually grabbed Dean's arm pushed him through the door and hit the lock as he slammed it shut.
Sam sighed at the relative quiet and sat down at the desk, quickly getting lost in the information before him.
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Dean glanced at the door that had just been slammed and grinned. He always felt a small amount of guilt at leaving the majority of research to Sam. Sam's act of kicking Dean out when Dean had just offered a bit of advice absolved Dean of that guilt.
Dean turned and headed toward the rock that was blaring full tilt from the kitchen. He frowned slightly as he thought about how little Sara had eaten at dinner. She had seemed preoccupied and Dean knew that didn't bode well. As he entered the kitchen he found Sara scrubbing dishes at the sink as if her life depended on how clean they came. As Filter's 'Hey Man Nice Shot' flooded the radio's speakers she began singing at the top of her lungs, not even realizing that she had an audience.
Dean winced as he listened; there was no ignoring it her voice sucked. At least it did when she sang loud enough to rouse the neighbors. Dean watched for a moment more and suddenly found himself by her side, signing at the top of his lungs and scrubbing the counter top with a sponge she had in turn handed him. She gave a small grin and continued taking out all her frustrations with the world on the frying pan she held in her hand. Dean shot her an answering grin and did the same.
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A while later Sam finally pushed his seat back from the computer, closing his eyes for a moment, rolling his shoulders and stretching. As he did his ears picked up on an amazing amount of noise that seemed to be coming from the living room. Now that he had noticed it he didn't know how he had been able to ignore it for so long.
He stood gathering the information he had found and left the room, as he entered the hallway he could make out Dean and Sara signing at the top of their lungs. The song Sam recognized as a Skynard tune he thought it was 'Call Me The Breeze'.
Sam entered the living room to see his brother standing on the couch holding a vacuum cleaner while Sara, also standing on the couch, held the nozzle using it to suck up cobwebs on the ceiling. Sam glanced around the room looking for whatever had possessed his brother to do housework and noticed just how clean everything looked.
In the time that Sam had known Sara he had noticed that she was a tidier. She was constantly picking up things, toys, shoes, clothing and whatnot. She rarely seemed concerned with dusting and the like. She had confessed to Sam that a couple times a month she tackled the dirt, which constantly threatened to overrun the house, in a big way. Other than that she didn't bother, she had too many other things to do. Sam could vouch for Sara's lack of free time, raising three kids and her writing left little room for anything else.
Tonight, however she must have needed something physical to do, something to keep her moving. And somehow she had enlisted Dean's help. Sam laughed as they launched into a rousing version of Foreigner's 'Hot Blooded'. Sam walked more fully into the room and waited to be acknowledged. He fully expected to catch them both off guard and embarrassed by their odd display. Instead he watched as they turned in unison, with similar looks of annoyance.
"What's up Sam?" Sara asked, as she jumped off the couch and pulled the plug on the vacuum Dean held.
Dean set the vacuum down and moved toward the living room's stereo to turn down the volume. He turned and regarded his younger brother with arms crossed and one brow raised. "About time, Sam, We thought we were going to have to take care of this one ourselves."
Sara shot Sam a smirk and collapsed on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her and waiting expectedly.
Sam rolled his eyes at the two of them and began outlining what he had found. "I checked everything I could find online and I even called Bobby to ask for his advice. He will be calling you by the way Sara, I get the feeling that he's on his way. He wasn't really happy to find something's been stalking you for a while now and you hadn't called him sooner." Sam watched as Sara rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"And, Dean, he made it pretty clear that if we don't do everything within our power to keep them safe he'd be hunting us down next. I assured him that we could handle whatever was going on." Sam winced as he thought about just how irate Bobby had been.
"Shit, Sam, why'd you call him. Hell, he'll be out here quicker than you can blink," Sara said, as she frowned at Sam.
Sam shrugged, and said, "Sara, I got nothing from the computer, nothing helpful at least. I was at my wits end, as it turned out I shouldn't have bothered. Bobby was next to useless, he had a couple of the same ideas that I did but that was it."
"Dude, just tell us how to kill them. That's all we need to know for now," Dean said, his face focused on Sam.
"Well, I'm gonna go with cutting off their heads. It seems like the safest bet, but I haven't ruled out silver bullets to the heart either. One or the other will have to work," Sam said, a trace of doubt in his voice.
Dean simply nodded, and said, "I'm gonna do a supply check." He abruptly moved toward the back room where they were sleeping.
Sara watched as he returned a few minutes later, settled cross legged on the floor and began pulling weapons out of the canvas bag in front of him. Sara walked over to the TV flipped it on and settled besides Dean, with her back against the couch using the remote to flip through channels.
Sam looked at the two, left the room walked into his bedroom. He picked up Sara's manuscript, he only had a couple more chapters to go and he wanted to be finished before he left town. He returned to the living room and settled on the couch at Sara's side his legs stretching out beside her.
That's the way they spent the evening. The only noise was the TV and the small noises of the weapons being loaded and prepared. Each of them taking comfort in the closeness of the others.
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Finally, Dean watched as Sara's head nodded in sleep. She finally gave in and rested her head against Sam's knee. Sam looked up from his book and nodded into Dean's eyes. Both were thinking the same thought. Here we go.
Dean stood and lifted Sara into his arms. She woke slightly protesting Dean's order to go back to sleep. Dean watched as her eyes drifted shut and she relaxed in his arms. Dean took her upstairs and laid her on the big bed in her room.
He quickly and efficiently stripped her down before covering her with covers. As soon as he laid her down he could see her fighting to stay awake. He quickly kicked off his boots and lay down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and dropping a quick kiss on her head.
Dean allowed himself to relax and let sleep take over, safe it the knowledge that Sam was going to catch an hour or two of sleep himself.
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Dean awoke two hours later; it was just past one clock. He looked at the woman that was asleep in his arms and he felt a twinge of guilt at what he was about to do. He quickly pushed it away though; he had to keep her safe. And here in this house was the safest place she could remain. He slowly began untangling himself from Sara and moved carefully out of the room, carrying his boots in his hand.
As he reached the door, he turned back to look at her. She lay on the bed, a shaft of moonlight caressing her features. Dean's eyes hardened as he watched her sleep, he would save her. Her and her kids, he would stop the evil from taking anything else away from her. After all it was what he did, saving people his destiny. Dean turned and continued down the hall.
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Sara had felt Dean moving immediately and wanted to laugh at the boy's transparent plan. It may have even worked if she was a different person.
There had been a time in her life when she had slept dead to the world. A time when sleep had been dreamless and unbroken, that time in her life had ended with Jimmy's birth. From that moment on Sara had slept so lightly that at times she wondered whether it could even be called sleep. Late night feedings, nightmares, children's illness and even the occasional nighttime bathroom jaunt for Jack had destroyed Sara's capacity for sleep.
Sara even believed that it had saved her life the night that evil had come to her home. No this time the boys had definantly underestimated her. She lay in bed a moment, feeling Dean's eyes on her back. As she heard him move off down the hall, she released the breath that she had been holding.
Sara moved from her bed, careful of any noise that may bring Dean back to check on her. She dressed quickly and moved towards her closet, opening the door. She hadn't told Sam and Dean about this closet and its contents and she was now grateful. If they had known they would probably have gone with tying her up instead.
Sara moved aside her clothes and exposed a slim wooden cabinet. She quickly thumbed open the combination lock and opened the door. She looked at the cabinet's contents, smiled and sent a heartfelt thank you to Bobby.
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Dean quickly moved down the stairs, and headed for his room. Funny that he had come to think of this room as his. He hadn't had something to call his own except the Impala in so long. It felt right though, somewhere along the way he had become to think of this house as a home. Maybe even his home if only in his thoughts.
Sam was asleep lying on top of the covers. Dean touched his shoulder lightly and saw Sam respond. Dean quickly gathered up the supplies that he had set aside earlier. A machete for both him and Sam and both handguns loaded with silver bullets. Spare ammo in coat pockets for both and flash lights with good batteries. As he watched Sam slip on his boots, Dean readied himself for the hunt.
This is what he was meant for, protecting the innocent. Hunting evil and saving lives. He saw Sam nod in readiness and they moved out of the room and out of the house.
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The hunters moved in unison across the backyard, flashlights off. The full moon had lit the night up like a spotlight and they had no problem crossing the yard. As they approached the woods though they slowed, eyes peeled to the darkness in front of them. As the open yard ended and the woods began they could almost see the boundary that Sara and Bobby had built.
Sam and Dean exchanged a look and switched on their flashlights at the property line. They split up, each man moving in the opposite direction, each man careful to remain within the protection of the yard. Sam glanced once back at Dean as he moved out of sight and felt a moment of trepidation. He felt unprepared, like he was leading Dean into danger without the proper protection. Sam set aside his worries, they were as prepared as they could be and wasting more time and thought on worrying wouldn't get the job done.
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Sara watched the Winchesters move like shadows across the backyard. She felt a moment's admiration at how their young lean bodies moved in unison. The unseen signal they shared as they separated at the property line. Sara felt a sudden moment of panic as the moved from her sight. She quickly sent a prayer heavenward, she wasn't sure that she believed in God anymore but she was never one to take a chance. If He existed than who knows maybe he would take pity on her and keep the young hunters safe tonight. Sara eased open the sliding door and moved out into the night.
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Dean walked the property line for about ten minutes. He found a surprising amount of comfort in being out here in the dark, hunting. He felt as if by confronting the evil that was stalking Sara he was in some way repaying her for the kindness that she had shown both him and Sam. He knew that she didn't see it that way, but for him it eased his pride knowing that his skill would protect them.
Dean's thoughts slammed back to the forest surrounding him as he felt a chill run down his spine. Bingo, he thought to himself, he had company. He stopped and faced the dark before him. He scanned the shadows noting that everything looked normal. He couldn't see any of the darkness that Sam had described to him. He moved forwards and actually sensed the moment he left the protected yard.
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Sam moved along the property, eyes never leaving the forest that ran alongside him. Suddenly, he saw what he was looking for, the shadows before him seemed to be sucking the light out of the night. Sam faced the shadow took aim and stepped forwards into the forest. He quickly fired at the center of the shadow and then took a quick step back towards the protected yard.
He watched as a young man appeared before him. Sam would never have suspected that he was any different than any other young kid. He was slim and straight, probably about 17 years old. His skin had an olive cast to it and his hair was a dark rich brown. Yeah, if it wasn't for his eyes Sam would have believed he was just another kid.
The boy smiled at Sam, an open and outgoing smile. "Hey, Mister, I'm in a bit of a jam do you think you could help? Please, Mister I'm lost and I need help, if you could help me."
Sam listened to the cool tones of the young boy, he spoke calmly and seemed to ignore the fact that Sam held a gun on him.
Sam kept his eyes trained on the boy as the boy continued talking "Please, I really need help, my friend is out here and she needs you're help too." Sam took a small step forward, unable to resist the plea he heard in the boy's voice. Unable to take his eyes off of the boy's black eyes.
Someone in trouble, that's what the Winchesters did, they helped, they saved people. Sam took another step forward, and suddenly the young boy, grabbed Sam's wrist and began pulling Sam towards him. The bite of the young boy's nails cut through the haze that Sam was feeling. He suddenly felt the fog lift and he could see the boy for what he truly was. The boy grinned flashing a mouth full of jagged teeth, at Sam. He would later swear that they had not been there before.
They struggled for a moment, before Sam finally managed to pull himself back into the protection of Sara's yard. The thing before Sam actually hissed as its arm crossed the unseen barrier; it quickly released Sam and moved back from the line.
Sam spared a quick glance to reassure himself that it wasn't going to cross and flipped out his cell. He quickly dialed Dean and waited for his brother to pick up. As he waited he cast half-glances towards the boy that was now moving back and forth along the perimeter. Its arm was cradled against its body and Sam could see the injury was smoking slightly.
Sam was reminded once of a puma that he had seen at a zoo. The animal had been almost hypnotic in its pacing. It had moved back and forth in the same pattern the whole time Sam had watched it. The thing before Sam now did the same thing; back and forth it moved mouth in a silent snarl.
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The sound of A/C D/C's 'Back in Black' suddenly could be heard in the still night air. For a moment Dean couldn't focus on where the song was coming from. He quickly realized it was his cell phone ringing. He blinked and moved to answer it; everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He couldn't recall what he was doing for a moment, and then he looked up as he removed his cell from his pocket and saw the girl. She was moving to lunge at him and he involuntarily took a step back. She came to a dead stop in front of him, a snarl twisting her pretty face.
Dean backed up another couple of feet and looked in amazement at the creature in front of him. He backed up again and answered Sam's call "Yeah, Sammy." Dean listened in amazement as Sam explained to him about being hypnotized by the young man's black eyes. Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I kind of figured out that one on my own. How are we going to fight them if we can't look at them?" Sam went onto explain his idea and Dean grinned in delight. "Alright, Sam that is a plan."
Dean quickly hung up the phone and turned toward the creature that was now pacing on the other side of the protection line. Dean kept his eyes averted and was careful not to look directly into the young girls face. He was disgusted with himself he had quickly fallen for the young girls fresh face and earnest speech. She had pleaded with Dean to help him find her big brother and Dean had fallen for it. He had allowed the girl's strange black eyes to hypnotize him.
Dean turned towards the direction of the house and began moving towards where Sam was waiting. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that the girl was following, slightly behind, still growling low in her throat. Her true image was now visible, her long dirty fingernails and ragged teeth showed clearly in the moonlight. Whether she had allowed the mask to slip or if it was simply that Dean was seeing her clearly now, he didn't know. Dean only knew that it made it that much easier to keep his thoughts centered.
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Sara moved towards the property line, she had heard a gunshot a moment ago and surmised that it had come from the right. She sent a prayer that Sam and Dean were okay and moved forwards. Unsurprisingly, as she edged right up to the end of her protected property she could see no sign of the creatures. She stood silently and listened, she suspected that they were both so focused on Sam and Dean that she was safe for the moment. She quickly stepped outside the protected line and moved into the forest. Her main fear at the moment was that Dean and Sam had live ammo, and wouldn't expect to her to be out here. She said another prayer, hoping to avoid being shot.
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Sam could see Dean moving quickly towards him. Sam noticed the young girl that paced Dean, and looked over his shoulder at his own shadow. The boy still held his arm against his side. As Dean and Sam came face to face, Dean shot a grin at Sam as if to ask you ready. Sam nodded and felt an answering grin.
Almost at once the hunters turned and side by side ran into the woods; their shadows were simply too slow on the uptake. Both the boy and the girl turned to follow but wasted precious time figuring out what the Winchesters were doing.
Dean and Sam ran through the woods, Sam's longer stride pushing him slightly ahead. Dean following, throwing glances over his shoulder, as they looped around and began heading almost parallel to the property line Dean's pace slowed slightly. Sam not willing to leave his brother behind also began to slow. Dean and Sam as one all of the sudden hooked right, Dean felt a shudder run up his spine, at the whisper of a hand trying to grasp his jacket.
Sam suddenly burst back onto the property, quickly turning and grabbing Dean's outstretched arm. As soon as Sam locked on, Dean reached behind him and grabbed the thin wrist that was just behind him. As Dean's fingers latched on he felt a cold numbness sweep up his arm. He sent out a quick prayer that Sam was right and he pulled with all his might.
Sam pulled Dean's arm at the same time and swung him onto the safety of the property line. Dean acting like a slingshot flung the young girl, whom he was holding by the wrist onto the property.
The young girl that had been reaching for Dean had no way to stop her momentum. As she was flung across the border, the Winchesters had a moment to see the horror on her face. Then suddenly she was a ball of flame raced up from her arm that had crossed the property first. As the force of her movement carried her the rest of the way the flame grew until she was completely engulfed.
Sam and Dean had lost their balance and toppled onto the ground. Both panting as they tried to slow their breathing. Dean put his hands to his eyes to cut down the glare from the blue-white flame that was quickly destroying the girl.
Sam sat back, a smug look on his face. "Told you it would work. Piece of cake." At these words Sam lay back and closed his eyes.
Dean threw Sam a punch and laughed himself, "Yeah, well next time you can be bait all on your own, you frickin' gazelle. I've never run so fast in my life."
Sam laughed and got to his feet "Yeah, well I was under the impression that you never run. Unless you're being chased."
"It's called common sense Sam, no point in running unless you're being chased." Dean grinned and let Sam pull him to his feet.
"Now, how about freak number two. How are we going to take care of him?" Dean turned expecting to see the boy standing at the forest's edge. He felt a shiver of unease travel his spine. "Where do you think he went, Sam?"
Sam's face suddenly turned serious "I don't know Dean. I mean Bobby's protection line will keep him from getting near the house, but do you think he bailed?"
Dean looked at the forest and shrugged. "Only one way to find out." With these words Dean crossed back into the forest.
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Sara moved through the woods carefully, a few minutes earlier she had heard a thundering noise cut through the underbrush heading towards the house. She had followed some distance behind unable to keep up with running figures. She had finally caught up only to see the girl cross the property line and catch fire. She had heard the noise behind her a few minutes after that.
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One moment all was fine and the next all hell let loose. Sam had been moving beside Dean watching their back trail, when a sharp pain flared in his shoulder. He shouted for Dean and turned shrugging off the young boy that was latched onto him with his long nails.
Dean had turned at the sound of Sam's cry and was trying to get a shot off, but Sam's towering figure was between Dean and the creature. Sam cried out again as Dean moved to try and get a bead on the boy.
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Sara suddenly heard a hoarse shout and quickly recognized Dean's voice shout "Sam". Sara listed but could hear no more words. She moved forward toward where she had last heard the noise.
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Sam was in agony his shoulder was burning and he was doing everything he could to keep the creature from biting him. The problem was that everywhere the creature touched was going numb as if he was being shot full of novocain. Sam out of options suddenly dropped to the ground, he was hoping to allow Dean a clear shot.
Just as Dean saw Sam drop to the ground he heard a growl of a voice order Dean down. Dean on instinct dropped down almost on top of Sam. The next thing Dean felt was the wind of buckshot passing over his head. Close over his head. Dean watched the creature take the buckshot directly in the chest. It stumbled back and a second round blasted it another couple feet. Almost immediately it began burning the white hot flame quickly engulfing the screaming features.
Dean looked over his shoulder and saw her standing there. The light of the rising sun was filtering through the trees, her long hair loose around her shoulders her gun at her side. She smiled at Dean and said, "That'll teach them to fuck with my dog." Then she simply sank to a heap on the ground.
