CHAPTER TEN: The One With The Hunt Part Two
Dean had to admit, this was definitely the weirdest situation he had been in since he started hunting.
For starters, there were two vamps sitting across from him in a small dining room, their teeth sunk into a raw steak.
Second, he was sitting across from two vamps sucking on a raw steak.
Thankfully, they were kind enough to cook the steaks that Kate, Ash and him were eating. But it didn't make the situation any better.
After they had all been eating in silence, the trio keeping their gazes firmly aimed at their plates, Ann wiped her mouth and cleared her throat.
"So, I'm sure you have lots of questions. Let me start off by saying, we didn't kill anyone."
The group listened, eager to hear what kind of story they were going to spin.
"Jack and I moved here about five years ago after the rest of our nest had gotten killed by hunters. There were only three of us that survived." She started to explain, Jack's back going rigid at the last sentence. "Our friend, Andrew, came here with us."
"And where is he now?" Dean asked, glancing around worriedly.
Ann sighed, clearly troubled. "Up until two weeks ago, he was here with us. He was completely fine with the all animal diet for two years after we moved here until one day he just snapped but he still stayed with us."
"We tried our best to cover his tracks. Going so far as scaring the police officers. We told them to say any murders that had the victim's throats ripped out needed to be ruled an animal attack. If they saw Andrew feeding on someone, they were to walk away and go back later for the body." Jack finally added, shaking his head. "Before he was only killing maybe two people a week, normally hikers, tourists, but you saw the body count as of recently."
"What made him up his feeding?" Kate questioned, her brows scrunched as she tried to take everything in. Just the fact that vampires were eating animals instead of people was enough to make her head spin.
Ann shrugged, seeming at a loss. "Your guess is as good as ours. We've been too nervous to track him down incase hunters like you showed up. Figured one of you would take care of him."
"So that's it? You don't care if he dies?" Ash accused, his tone judgmental.
"Of course we care!" Jack yelled, standing up from the table. Ann quickly put out a hand to grab his arm gently, trying to keep him calm. "There's just no other alternative." He added quietly, sitting back down.
Ann met Kate's eyes, her gaze unwavering. "We'll do whatever we can to help you find him."
….
"So at least we're just dealing with one vampire instead of a nest." Dean pointed out optimistically as they drove to the nearest bar in the town.
Ann and Jack had been pretty helpful. They showed them a picture of Andrew so they knew who to look for and Ann had told them that she's seen him at the local bar recently.
"What do you mean? We have three vamps to kill." Kate corrected, shooting him a confused look.
"Ann and Jack don't kill people. Hell, they'd probably be great allies if we ever happen to need some vampires on our side. Why would we kill them?" Dean questioned.
"Dean, they're monsters. End of story."
"No, they were once people who didn't necessarily choose to become vampires. They're a species, it's their actions that make them a monster." Dean continued, not giving up. He could feel it in his gut, it was wrong to kill Ann and Jack. They didn't deserve it.
"Just because you befriend one demon doesn't mean all monsters deserve the same grace." Kate said harshly, obvious underlying resentment in her tone.
"Hey, don't drag me into this. I was just sitting here!" Ash defended himself, leaning forward. "Although, I just want to say, I'm gonna have to side with Dean-o on this one. You're an old hunter Kate, stuck in her ways with your dad's words drilled into your head. Cool it with the stereotypes."
Dean's brows shot up in shocked amusement while Kate scoffed. "Fine, but if it comes back to bite us in the ass, I'll say I told you so."
Thankfully, before anymore fighting could ensue, they arrived at the bar, the group getting out wordlessly to head inside.
"Do we got a plan?" Ash asked, stepping inside the dimly lit building.
"Isn't that him walking out that door with some girl?" Kate pointed out, directing Dean and Ash's attention to a tall man and woman making their way out the back door.
Kate and Dean nodded at each other, Dean and Ash taking off towards the back while Kate went out the front door.
"Jesse, I promise, I'm gonna rock your world."
The girl giggled, covering her mouth as she followed the guy outside. Sure, she had just met him but her friends had told her she needed to start living life. Doesn't a one night stand count as living life?
He shoved her up against the wall, planting a hungry kiss on her mouth before he slowly started making his way to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses as he went.
"Haven't you read the sign? No soliciting."
The couple turned to see Dean standing a few feet from them, waving at the pair with his machete.
"What the hell?" The girl said fearfully before she ran down the alley without a second thought.
"I gotta admit, I have no idea who you are. Most hunters I know. Not that it'll matter, you'll be dead soon enough."
"You sure, Andrew? You seem to be outnumbered." Ash quipped, who was now standing behind the vampire.
"So, you know my name and where to find me. Lemme guess, that Ann bitch sold me out?" Andrew sneered, glancing back and forth between the two.
"Ouch. That term's more offensive than you think."
Andrew spun around just in time to stop the machete that was about to plunge into the side of his neck. "Kate Lavalette. I feel like I'm in the presence of a celebrity."
Dean charged forward, weapon raised, but Andrew quickly shoved Kate away from him before grabbing Dean by his jacket and throwing him up against the dumpster.
The vampire crouched forward and grabbed a stunned Kate with his mouth open, ready to bite.
"Kate, no!"
"Hey douchenozzle."
This time Andrew wasn't fast enough to stop Ash's machete from whizzing through the air.
Kate looked up at Ash, who now had blood splattered on his face and clothes, with astonishment.
"You actually saved me." She said in awe, accepting his hand when he leaned down to help her up.
Ash shook his head in disbelief. "I really don't know what else I could do to show you I'm on the same side as you guys, Kate."
"I believe you." She told him before they turned their attention to a groaning Dean who had just stood up.
"Who's up for a beer?"
…
The group decided to go pay another visit to Ann, letting her know that Andrew was dead and her and Jack's secret was safe with them. She had been pleasantly surprised, but thanked them profusely before they left.
"So, do you plan on telling us about what kind of operations your dad has going?" Kate finally asked after they had been driving back to Bobby's for an hour.
"Only because you asked so nicely." Ash said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "So, it'll help if you picture a human soul as a battery, a source of power, alright? Now, picture the entire population in the U.S. All those people, all those souls, all those batteries. They're pretty tempting for demons." Ash explained from the backseat, gesturing while he talked. "Now, demons have the ability to take souls."
"By their crossroad deals, right?" Kate interjected, having heard this before.
"Right. Some poor sap wants to sell their soul for money, some chick, a promotion, whatever. They come to a crossroads, make a deal. Whatever their wish is, we grant it. In ten years, they get some hell hounds on their ass to collect their soul."
"So, wait. You guys will do whatever the person wants just for their soul in ten years?" Dean asked, glancing from the road to look at Ash in the mirror.
"Well the soul is a source of power. It's kinda like we're filling up our arsenal. Now my dad wanted more souls coming in. When he took over as the King of Hell, the numbers were kinda low. He decided to fix that. In every major city in the U.S., he's got about fifteen demons there. Each go out every day, picture them in San Francisco, New York, Orlando. They go out and close deals. Lots of them. In big cities, they close over a hundred deals, easily."
"How long has this been going on?" Kate questioned, her stomach dropping at the thought of how many innocent people have lost their souls.
"Fifteen years, give or take. But, hunters have seriously become more abundant in that time too. The numbers have fluctuated over the years. If it makes you feel any better, more demons have been getting sent back downstairs because they've been getting exorcised." Ash tried to make things better but Kate still had a sinking feeling in her gut.
"Your dad's gotta be stopped." She stated earnestly, willing to stop at nothing to take him down.
Dean nodded in agreement, Ash snorting from the backseat. "Yeah well, that's easier said than done."
"So we'll come up with a plan! We'll get back to Bobby's and start researching."
"Or Caroline will kill all of us before we even get a chance to get near Julian." Dean muttered, earning a suspicious glare from Kate.
"Caroline's all talk. Trust me." Ash encouraged, knowing his sister.
"Whatever." Dean said dismissively before he turned up the radio, silently signaling he was done talking.
Kate and Ash may have their own plan, but Dean wasn't willing to wait for them to come up with an idea. He planned to take matters into his own hands as soon as they were back at Bobby's.
….
"Ash, can I ask you something?"
It was just Kate and Ash in Bobby's living room. He nodded warily before plopping down on the couch next to her.
"Why did you help Dean? Back at the warehouse?" She asked, nothing but curiosity shining in her eyes as she looked at the demon.
Ash chuckled slightly. "Sometimes I don't even know. When he first got there, I was all for the plan. But then Xavier told me he knew nothing about hunting. We had figured you told him about us and the supernatural. Obviously, that wasn't the case. But uh, I think I just felt sorry for him. I knew I couldn't stop my family so the least I could do was give him a fighting shot. He got sucked into a life that wasn't his, now he's part of the fight with no way out. I guess all of us are."
Kate just nodded, knowing Ash wasn't wrong.
….
TBC
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