Sorry about this! I was trying to get it up earlier on wednesday, but I had some issues and I've been very busy this week! Just to let you know, I have about five or six more chapters planned and my goal is to get this fic finished before the new year! Please keep reading and reviewing, and enjoy :)
I took my time getting back to the cabin, enjoying being in the woods at night. It was a beautiful park, and with the snow on the ground the scenery was even more impressive. The trees seemed to stretch forever and the cliffs rose high above my head. A part of me knew that I should hurry back, before Dean or Sam noticed my absence, but I really didn't give a shit at this point. I didn't even know what I was doing. What was the point of hunting? I mean I was hunting with two people that I hated. How long could I keep up the mask? I stopped at the base of a cliff and changed back into a human. I scaled the cliff and stood on top looking over the park. I felt a thrill run through me, standing on top. I loved the feeling, of being powerful and on top of the world.
I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath of the icy air. Standing on the rocks, I suddenly remembered an offer someone had made me. I scrambled in my pocket, pulling my phone out and clicking through it, finding what I wanted. I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the number of my oldest friend. I was tempted to call him, but I shouldn't. We had gone our separate ways. I bit my lip, and then flipped the phone shut, putting it back in my pocket. Not now.
I stood up there for a moment longer, before turning with a heavy sigh and heading back to the cabin. When I got close, I smelled it. A demon was nearby. I went on defense mode, sneaking closer, all my senses alert. When I got closer, I saw them. Two figures standing out in the snow. I crept closer and almost dropped my knife in shock. One of them was a woman with dark hair. She was talking in a hushed voice to the other person, who I recognized. It was Sam.
What the hell was Sam doing talking to a demon? I was about to sneak back into the cabin and question him later, when things got even stranger. Sam leaned in, kissing the girl. I rolled my eyes, my lip curling at their display of affection. This couldn't wait. My curiosity, and disgust, was too much to wait till the morning.
"Well," I said striding into the open, hiding a smirk when I saw the shocked looks on their faces, "This is awkward."
"Tala." Sam's face was expressionless, but he shifted uncomfortably. "What are you doing out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." I fired back, "Who is she? I'm not stupid either; I know she's a demon. So why don't you tell me what's going on with this?"
"None of your business." He snapped, staring at me as if he was expecting me to leave. I stayed right where I was, holding his gaze. After a couple minutes of our silent standoff, he rolled his eyes over at the girl then looked back at me. "I'm guessing you're not going to leave until I tell you who she is?"
"Exactly." I smiled brightly, my hands on my hips. "I can do this all night."
"Just tell her Sam, she'll find out eventually." The woman said, clearly annoyed with my persistent glare.
"Her name's Ruby." Sam looked at her for a moment, his gaze soft and warm, then glanced back at me, "And you're right. She is a demon. There are you happy? She's helping us stop Lilith."
"What's with the goo-goo eyes and the exchange of saliva?"
"That's none of your business." He snapped back. He was clearly angry that I was prying into his private life. "All you need to know is that we owe her a lot, she gave us the knife, and saved our lives more times than we can count."
"Wait, she gave you the…" then I stopped, my face changing from confusion to exasperation. Suddenly it all made sense, the knife, Lilith, the demon blood, how it was all connected… "You have got to be fucken kidding me." I growled under my breath, shaking my head. How could he be that stupid?
"I'm out of here Sam." Ruby said, fixing me with a cold glare. "Here" she shoved a vial at Sam, and he quickly snatched it and shoved it in his pocket. "See you around." Then she was gone, leaving Sam and I standing in the snow together.
"Let me guess." My voice was brittle, "Demon blood?"
"Shut up." He scowled, shoving past me and walking into the cabin. I watched him go, and then followed him inside. He went straight to the kitchen, pulling out a beer from the fridge.
"Sam." I said coldly, fixing him with my penetrating stare. "You better be careful. You may think she's working with you, and helping you, but she's a demon. I don't care what your past is. They all have an agenda. And her agenda is not the same as yours. You want to keep working with her? Go right ahead. But you WILL regret it."
I didn't wait for his response; I just turned and walked away, slamming the door behind me. This had become the most dangerous case in the world. If Sam found out about me… if he found out, he would go straight to Ruby. I knew Ruby was working with Lilith, why couldn't Sam see that? If Ruby found out, and went to Lilith, everybody would know. I would be dead in a week. I collapsed on the bed, and put my knife on the dresser nearby. I looked at the silver, glinting softly from the moonlight streaming in the windows. "Let the games begin." I whispered.
"All right then. Lead us there." Dean's voice made me jump and I turned slowly, as if in a dream.
For a moment I just stared at him, then I shook my head, brushing my hair back with one hand. "I'm sorry, what?" I said, too tired to make a sarcastic retort. After the events of last night, I hadn't gotten much sleep. My brain had been on overdrive when I was laying in my bed, trying to connect the dots and figure out how I could use my new knowledge to my advantage. Ruby was tricking everyone right now, but not me. But if I could pretend to be falling for her tricks… maybe then she could lead me to Lilith. Then again, what if that was her master plan? All I knew is that she was on Lilith's side, trying to raise Lucifer. The question was how? What was her plan?
He did a heavy sigh and blinked and looked away. "Someone's distracted this morning." Dean grumbled under his breath. "You just told us that you knew where the skinwalkers were. Are you going to show us or?"
"Right, right. Um, yeah, so I couldn't sleep last night and found a path that went off trail. I followed it, found some human footprints, some dog prints, then I found a cave, saw shapes moving and yeah. Decided to come back instead of tackling them by myself." I said, with a shrug. It wasn't completely a lie; it just wasn't the real truth either.
"Works for me." Sam said, grabbing the keys and leading the way out the door.
"Wait. We're going into the woods dumbass." I said, "We aren't driving there. We'll have to walk."
"Great." Sam grumbled, giving Dean one of those looks. Then he slammed the keys back on the counter, being a drama queen. "Let's just go then."
I grabbed my gun, loaded with silver, and hid it in my jacket. Then I clipped my knife on my pocket like I always did and led the way out the door. We headed wordlessly down the path. The brothers were reluctant to talk openly in front of me. And there was no way I was going to talk to them, so silence it was. I kept my senses on high alert; I wouldn't put it past Conner and his friends to ambush me. But there was nothing. I could only hope that the three of them had stayed around, waiting for a showdown of some type.
When we started getting close, is topped in my tracks, holding out my arms to stop them from going any farther. If I was by myself I would have just run in without a plan, but there were three of us, which meant three guns firing at three skinwalkers. We definitely needed a plan or somebody might get shot.
"What now?" Sam said sharply. He was clearly sick of me being in charge.
"Be quiet." I hissed back, "We're getting close. It's best to go in with a plan. If they're even still there…"
"I swear if we trekked two miles into the woods in the snow for nothing, I'll kill you." Dean muttered, with a disgusted look at the trees.
"See that cave." I said, pointing through the trees at the formation. Both boys nodded and I continued, "Last night that's where I found them. It's really early, and they didn't see me." I lied, "So they should still be there. The cliffs on one side block them in, but there's still multiple ways to escape. If two of us go in there from the main entrance, one of you two can sneak around to the back and try to cover the open area. When they see us, they will probably transform and try to run out. Hopefully we can end this case right here and take them all out."
"I'll go around." Sam offered. I gave a curt nod and he started to creep away, leaving me alone with Dean.
"Hey Sam wait. Aim for the legs and shoulders. Let's not kill them." I said, focusing my attention back to the cave. Sam stopped and turned to Dean, his gaze clouding over with confusion.
Dean was the one who addressed me, "What? Tala, they've killed two innocent people for no reason at all. They're monsters, simple as that. They just kill to make a statement. That's it. If I get a clear shot, I'm taking it." I turned my eyes back on him, keeping my face neutral. I couldn't show any emotions.
"We haven't even reasoned with them, or talked to them. If we can take them down without killing them, then that's what we should do. We don't know their story." I tried to explain, but Dean just kept shaking his head.
"I'll admit that not all monsters are what they seem. But this time, it's a black and white case. Monsters are killing people, and we kill them. It's that simple. There's nothing in between, no grey scale."
My heart sank. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was as if time stopped in its tracks, screeching to a sudden halt. If only Dean knew what I was, and for a moment I almost told him. if he knew, he would understand why I was so reluctant t kill the other three skinwalkers. It was so frustrating. Why wouldn't anyone listen to me on this case? But I couldn't show my misgivings in front of Dean. I was already being suspicious enough, with my midnight journey through the woods, and my reluctance to take on this case to begin with.
Dean stared at me, his eyebrow quirked in confusion, his mind probably wondering why I had suddenly turned silent. He shrugged and looked at Sam, pulling his gun from his waistband. "So we're shooting to kill then? It's unanimous." Sam nodded in agreement, creeping away to go take up position on the far side. I wanted to make another case for my opinion, even though I knew it would be to no avail. Instead I just took a deep breath and crouched next to Dean, waiting for Sam to tell us to go.
It only took a couple minutes. Dean's phone buzzed and he pulled it out. "Sam's in position, let's go." I didn't say anything; I just stood up, pulled out my gun and charged into the cave. All three of them jumped up, and then it was pure chaos. The girl sprinted straight out, and Tiago ducked behind a large rock, shielding him. Conner took out a knife and threw it, aiming straight for my head.
Dean fired twice at him, missing both times. I glared at Conner, furious, and then I fired at him. He had the sense to run. I heard a snarl and saw Tiago take off as a dog, he was almost out of the cave when dean got him in the neck, taking him down instantly. Meanwhile, I focused my attention on the pack leader. Every instinct was screaming for me to chase him down as a wolf, but I couldn't forget whom I was with. Especially no that I knew what Dean was thinking… it was all black and white to him.
My feet slid on the slick cave floor and I tried to get a grip on the ground. Conner was still ahead of me and he changed, stretching out all four legs into a mad sprint away. I ran out of the formation, breathing heavy, frustrated as I watched him get away.
Marcy was still alive, furiously dodging Sam and his bullets. I held out my gun, ready to fire, but then I hesitated. Could I really kill her? It didn't seem right. She was just being brainwashed by Conner. I lowered my gun; there was nothing else I could do. I wasn't going to be responsible for her death.
I jumped at the shot that came behind me. "No." I whispered softly as the girl fell to the ground. I just realized how young she was, probably in her early twenties. But I could only allow myself a second to grieve, no more. I put on my mask and put my gun back in my jacket. Then I raised my chin, returning to being all business, and strode across the ground.
"The one inside is dead." Dean said coming over to join us, looking down at the body by Sam's feet. He looked up at Sam his breath fogging the air. I suddenly felt a chill run through me. Dean had seen me lower the gun. I bit my lip, already preparing my defense.
"Why didn't you take the shot?" he said sharply, his green eyes questioning and suspicious.
Shit. I had nothing. "Well…" I started, trying to buy time, "Here's he thing, you see I'm quite brilliant with the knife stuff but with guns, well, and your brother there, and so I tried and um..."
"Hey, look at this." Sam interrupted, saving me from my awkward and failing explanation. He held out a piece of paper, something that must have fallen out of Marcy's hand. "There's an address here. Maybe that's where the other guy ran off."
I grabbed it, scanning the address. "Perfect, that's not far from here. Let's go now. Maybe we can cut him off before he gets there."
For once they didn't argue with me, we made our way out of the woods as fast as we could through the snow. Sam went inside to grab the keys and I went to my trunk, digging through it to find my silver bullets to reload my gun. "We got everything." I announced, jumping into shotgun. Sam rolled his eyes and climbed into the back. "Punch it Dean."
We flew down the road. I knew we only had a short window of time to get to the address before the skinwalker and cut him off. At least with him I would have no regrets. The way he had brainwashed the other two into believing hunters were all evil was so wrong. It was frustrating and I couldn't believe that he was the one to get away. It wasn't fair. Marcy should be the one on the run. Or Tiago. Not Conner.
We got closer and close to the address. Sam and I scanned the woods, looking for any sign of a dog. I kept my eyes peeled for a black Doberman, but a part of me knew that he would stay in the woods until he got to the address. Finally there was an end to the park, about four miles away from where we had started our drive. A large building loomed up ahead; I was certain it was the address.
Dean slowed down, giving Sam and I the perfect opportunity to scan the woods. "There!" I yelled suddenly, pointing out the window. Conner had just emerged from the woods, going full speed towards the building. Dean made a wild turn off the road, into the large, empty parking lot in front of the complex.
He pulled up to the factory, slamming on the brakes. The car had barely stopped moving when I opened the door. The impala was still running, and my feet were already on the ground, in hot pursuit of Conner. The large factory loomed in front of me in the setting sun. It was an old scale building, recently abandoned, and there were probably many places to hide. But he couldn't hide from me; I could track him by scent.
I entered the large-scale factory with the Winchester's right on my heels. We had barely gone five feet in when a knife came flying towards us. I tackled Dean sideways to get him out of the knives path. Sam started firing and Conner returned the shots with a gun of his own.
"Thanks." Dean gasped, yanking me to my feet and we both jumped behind peaking out to exchange gunfire with the skinwalker. I tried to get in a clear shot, but it just wasn't working out, and I was running out of bullets. One left, I had to make this one count. I heard Sam curse and I knew he must be out of ammo. Conner fired once more, and I jumped up shooting back. My bullet missed him by an inch, no more.
His gun clicked and so did mine. Conner backed away, grinning, before jogging down the corridor. "Damn it!" Dean cursed behind me. He held his gun out in an exasperated motion. "We're out, we have to go to the car to get more." I glanced quickly to my left, Conner was at the end of the hallway, and he was going to escape if we did that. The brothers turned as one and started to walk back to the car, "Come on." Dean called over his shoulder.
I wasn't going to wait; he wasn't getting away from me a second time. "Wait for me by the car!" I snapped out, dropping my gun on the ground and pulling my knife out. I sprinted after Conner, down the hallway, away from the Winchesters. I saw him dart through the large double doors and I followed him in.
He stopped looking around him. I quickly scanned the room; it seemed to be a storage place for the complex. It had multiple barrels lining the walls, and a strong smell of gasoline. But there was no way out except through the double doors, and I was guarding them. "Give it up!" I yelled from where I stood, holding my silver blade in front of me.
Conner stared at me, then his eyes flicked to the door. I fixed him with my challenging glare. "What's it gonna be? We can talk about this or we can fight. Your choice."
"You know my answer." He growled slowly, and then he changed into a dog, baring his teeth and snarling.
I put my knife away, smirking, "You want a dog fight? I'll give you one." I transformed into my wolf form, just in time too. He didn't hesitate to attack, his teeth snapping at my neck and face. My fur was so thick though that his teeth didn't make an impact. I weaved left and right, using my speed to my advantage. I dug my teeth into his leg, flinging him to the side and moved back in front of the door. My fur raised, my teeth bared, I waited for his next attack.
He tried a new tactic, attempting to dart around me to escape. I flung myself on top f him, using my larger size to crush him to the ground. He snapped at my legs, pulling me off balance. I crashed to the ground just as he jumped up. I sprang to my paws and sprinted after him, overtaking him once again. I grabbed the scruff of his neck, shoving him backwards once more.
I crouched there, panting, bracing myself for another attempt. But it never came. Instead he turned back into a human. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "You win Tala." He said slowly. I stayed where I was, in my defensive position. "At least, you've won against me. But you haven't won against yourself. When they find out, those hunters, they'll come after you. I gave you a chance to stop that before it even started but now." He laughed, "They'll find out eventually, and they'll find you and kill you." I turned back into a person, my rage building. I pulled out my knife, ready to throw it.
Too late I realized that the item he had pulled out of his pocket was a lighter. He flicked it on and threw it to the side where it hit one of the barrels of gas. I froze in horror, as the explosion seemed to rock the entire world. "What have you done?" I yelled. Then it happened. While I was distracted, Conner pulled out a knife of his own and shoved it deep into his chest.
I froze in shock then sprinted over to where he lay dying. I didn't know whether I should be relieved, sad, or angry. Then there was the small nagging voice in the back of my head, telling me that he was right. "Why don't you just accept who you are?" he coughed as I bent over him, conflicted. He looked at me, his eyes brimming with hatred, before his body started convulsing. I watched, a face of stone, as he died right in front of me.
Another explosion jarred me back to reality. I twisted to find that the fire was spreading and it was now only a few feet away from me. I didn't hesitate. I snatched up my knife and started running. The fire still gained on me so I switched from two legs to four, eating up the ground as I tried to make it to the exit. I sprinted down the long hallway as a wolf, hoping to make it out in time. The fire roared and crackled behind me. Fire. Why did it have to be fire? The heat was intense and I focused on running as I tried to push away all my panic. My brother always told me that I reminded him of fire, strong and aggressive, with a fury and ambition that could not be contained. I was like fire but fire was my biggest fear, it just didn't make sense. I shook my head, distracting myself, shoving away my dread. I pushed on, running free, imagining that the fire behind me did not exist. I knew I was getting close. The long corridor went around a corner then the exit was only a few hundred yards away. I whipped around the corner and ran headlong into the Winchesters.
"I told you to wait for me by the car!" I snapped. Neither one reacted. They both just stood there, staring, not understanding. Then I noticed their faces. They both looked stunned. Dean was staring open-mouthed at the left side of my face. He was at a loss for words. I looked at Sam, confused, just as Sam narrowed his eyes and pulled out his gun. Too late, I realized that I was still a wolf. And they recognized me. Sam lifted the gun.
I turned, my paws scrabbling on the ground, and ran back in the direction I had come from. I had to get away from them. I heard the gunshot, once, twice, and the third time there was an explosion of pain on my side. The impact knocked me over but my will to live kept me going. I heard Dean yelling in the background and Sam responded, equally as furious. But I wasn't going to hang around to hear what they were saying. I turned the corner, safe from Sam's gun, and realized my mistake. I had run right back into the flames and the smoke was thick. The fire was closing in on me. I coughed and crouched down, trying to get some air into my lungs, but it was all smoke. The crushing blackness was all around me, stealing my air. The leaping orange flames licked at me as I backed against the wall, desperately searching for an escape. I pressed my whole body against the ground, gasping in the small bit of air that was still left. Why did it have to be fire?
"Help." I coughed to no one. "Someone help me." my voice was unrecognizable. It was a raspy fearful voice that I did not know as my own. The heat, the brightness, the smoke, it was all too much. I could feel the smoke in my lungs and everything was fuzzy. There was another explosion and burning bits of debris slammed into me, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. The entire place was black, a thick overwhelming darkness. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. I gave up completely, unable to move and just curled on the ground, praying that I would pass out from the smoke before my body went up in flames.
Just as I had given up all hope, there was a white light and a rush of wind and Sophiel was there. She grabbed me and I could hear her voice, but I couldn't comprehend what she was saying. Then she touched my forehead and I was outside, facing a different blinding light from the sun. "Hold on Tala, hold on." she cried. I couldn't tell. Was I dreaming, was she really here? I was disoriented, up was down and down was up. I attempted to fight off the wave of exhaustion threatening to consume me. Shaking my head, I tried to keep it from drowning me. But I couldn't struggle against it anymore. I closed my eyes and sank into the darkness.