Chapter 10 - The Gift Remembered
~~~ "In a dark time, the eye begins to see…" ~~~ Theodore Roethke
Elizabeth gunned the Impala.
The road yawned in front of her as she raced south toward Kansas. On the straight stretches of highway she punched the accelerator to the floor which took the speedometer past 85 mph.
At those times, the roar of the big engine was so loud, she was sure that every cop within a 20 mile radius would hear her speeding. She couldn't afford to be pulled over now because that would give Dean and Sam enough time to catch up. And time was something she no longer had.
She could feel her brothers' presence behind her…somewhere.
Elizabeth knew that just as soon as her brothers discovered she had left, Bobby gave them one of his clunkers to follow her in. While it would be no match for the Impala, she didn't dare let herself slow down.
Neither Sam nor Dean knew the grave danger they faced by simply being near her. With them, it wouldn't matter if they went up against Heaven itself, they would stand with her until all three lay dead or dying.
As much as she needed them now, Elizabeth simply would not risk their lives along with her own. Although she knew that they would do the same, it didn't make the separation any easier.
The tires of the car roared on the pavement underneath Elizabeth's feet.
Turning her attention back to the road ahead, she narrowed her focus. If she let her mind wander in the murky waters of 'what might be', there was much room for error on her part. It's gonna drive me crazy if I think about the things that haven't even happened yet. Just focus on getting to Kansas. You can't help Dean or Sam if your mind is wandering all over the place.
Suddenly, Elizabeth felt very alone; more so than she had ever been. In Hell, there had been hope of returning home. Hope of repairing any damage she had caused for being so foolish. She realized now that it had been a false yearning. Hope was for fools. This was the reality that she must face.
A great emptiness gnawed at Elizabeth. She could feel it moving around inside of her, obliterating everything it touched. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Elizabeth pushed it back down to the corner it belonged in. Her vision had blurred and she wiped her eyes with her right hand to clear them. One thing at a time, just take one thing at a time, then move on to something else.
Since she left South Dakota, Elizabeth was trying to understand why Castiel had sent her to Kansas. "Going to Kansas makes no sense at all. I'm no safer there than in any other state." she voiced aloud.
The one thing that Elizabeth never liked about Castiel was his unique ability to always be so damn vague, "Never a straight answer."
Already on the road for five hours, fatigue was having an effect on Elizabeth's reflexes and thinking. She had caught the Impala weaving on one of the straighter sections of road causing her to yank on the wheel. The mental weariness from the fight with Dean that morning combined with the physical exhaustion was making it extremely difficult to concentrate clearly. If only I could just rest for a little while.
Then an idea occurred to Elizabeth. There were tons of trees on either side of the highway; some of the stands of pines were so thick that she could easily hide the car from the road. Then, it wouldn't matter if her brothers caught up, because they would go right past the hiding place.
She knew that, deep down, Dean only wanted the best for her; always had. As if Dean were standing next to her, Elizabeth could still hear him say, "It's my job to protect you…always has been."
"Not this time, Dean. Now I have to protect you and Sam."
When she began riding with her brothers, Elizabeth had to give up everything; her friends, the life she knew. Now, they were all she had left in the world that she cared about. No matter what lay ahead, she would put their safety first. Momma … Daddy, I'm gonna make you proud of me after all.
"I'll just pull over for a few minutes, rest my eyes, and then be on my way."
Elizabeth rubbed her forehead. Since she left Bobby's there had been a constant buzzing sound. Not something she could actually hear. It was more of a sensation that wouldn't go away. The closer she got to Kansas, the louder it became. Itmust be connected to this friggin headache. I gotta get some Tylenol soon.
Up ahead, on the right hand side of the road, there was a rest stop with a thick growth of trees that circled around the right of the area. Elizabeth turned her signal light on and carefully made the right-hand turn onto the gravel parking lot. She continued on around the left side of the building until she brought the car to a stop behind the pines.
Cutting the engine off, she removed the keys, opened the car door, put the keys in her pocket, and stepped out to stretch her legs. She took a moment to survey the parking area beyond the trees.
There was only one other car in the sprawling parking lot. The young couple had parked in front of the vending machines which were situated in the center of the building. She casually glanced their way. They were eating a snack and that made Elizabeth's stomach rumble. It was already well past lunch time and she hadn't even eaten breakfast before leaving that morning.
Looking up, Elizabeth noticed a sign indicating the women's restrooms were around to the right of the building. Good, I've got to pee. Before emerging from the trees, she checked out the highway. The coast was clear. She saw no sight of any car passing by at the moment.
Hurrying over, Elizabeth reached out with her right hand, grasping the doorknob to the ladies room. It wouldn't open. She knocked on the door, "Hello? Is anyone in there?" A muffled voice came from the other side. "Sorry!" Okay, I'll go get a snack and then come back.
She walked around the front of the building, her sneakers crunching the gravel underneath them. The young woman looked over at Elizabeth and waved. Smiling, Elizabeth returned the young woman's wave. They look normal enough. I guess.
The other car had parked so close to the vending machines that it left little room for Elizabeth's legs as she squeezed in to get her food. Could you have parked any closer? I still have some leg room. She dug into her pockets for change, and had her hand aloft ready to deposit the $1.75 for chips when she heard squealing tires behind her.
Whirling around, she saw a tractor trailer had tried to take the curve too quickly in the north-bound lane causing it to jack-knife. She could see the driver fighting for control of the fifteen tons of metal as it hurtled itself toward the rest stop.
The young couple froze, their faces stamped with horror, eyes blank, pupils dilated down to pinpricks. Elizabeth slammed her fist on the hood of their car; bringing them out of their stupor.
"RUN!" Elizabeth screamed.
They bolted from the vehicle; running in the direction of the Impala. As Elizabeth started to run she discovered that her right leg wouldn't move. Frantic, she looked down. Part of the grille had rusted away making a jagged opening in the metal. When Elizabeth turned around, the edge had dug itself deep into her jeans.
She was held fast.
"Oh, God!"
Dean and Sam had left shortly after Elizabeth. Bobby loaned them one of the cars he was working on; a 1990 Ford Taurus. There was so much rust covering the exterior that the brothers wondered briefly what was holding the vehicle together. More importantly, they hoped that it would make it far enough to locate their sister.
"Dean, when we find Elizabeth..." began Sam.
"Sam, please..."
"I just don't want you two to start fighting again. We can't undo what's already been done, Dean, but, we have to stick together if we're going to help her at all." said Sam.
"Why did she have to run off like that? We've had plenty of fights before, but, she never left." Absentmindedly, Dean raked his fingers through his hair.
"You were pretty harsh on her, Dean. She's been through a lot, you know."
There was silence in the car between the brothers for a few miles as each one got lost in their own thoughts. Although Castiel hadn't known why Elizabeth left, he knew she was headed south toward Kansas. Sam and Dean had quickly grabbed their three duffle bags, two guns Bobby had given them, and spun tires out onto the highway.
Sam was the first to break the silence, "Look, when we find Beth, she'll tell us what's going on. She'll tell us why she left."
"You're damn right, she'll tell us. She's out there, all alone, headed to God knows where. Anything could happen to her Sam." Dean blew out his breath in exasperation. "We're not there to back her up."
Underneath the roughness in Dean, Sam could always hear when he was worried, "She doesn't have that much of a head start on us, Dean. Besides, you drive faster than Beth," smirked Sam. "We'll catch her in no..."
"Son of a …!" Dean cut the steering wheel into a hard, right-hand turn causing them to spin out on the gravel of the rest stop. The brothers had rounded the curve seconds after the rig began its deadly dance across their lane.
Their car came to a halt facing Elizabeth's direction. "Dean, there's Beth!" In horror, both brothers visually digested the scene being played out in front of them.
Flinging open their car doors, they made a run for Elizabeth. By this time, the rig was inside the parking area, throwing gravel in every direction. Dean and Sam jerked their jackets up to cover their faces.
"Noooo!" screamed Dean.
What they saw next stopped them in their tracks.
"I got you now, sweetie. Let's see what you can do about it."
She jerked her head to the right. Lucian stood twenty feet away at the edge of the grass; sunlight glinting off his hellish eyes. He tilted his head back; laughter echoing from deep within his chest.
"The clock is ticking, my dear. Give in or be crushed like a gnat. Use your powers!"
"Nooo! Cas! Cas!"
Like a caged animal, she fought and pulled with all of her strength against the car's grille. The jagged metal was caught fast and deep in the jean fabric just below her knee.
Elizabeth ground her teeth together, giving a last mighty pull, "Please!" Finally, she felt the material tearing, as cool air rushed in through the hole. She jerked her leg backward, away from the car, with such force that it slammed against the vending machine, cracking the bottom half.
The groaning of the metal was so loud now that it was deafening. The tractor trailer was closing in on Elizabeth fast; much too fast. Neither Sam nor Dean's cries reached her ears. Elizabeth looked up into the terror-filled eyes of the driver and all coherent thought abandoned her.
A burning began deep within her belly. Pushed by adrenaline, molten fire flooded her veins, filling every cell with a surge of strength that she had not known before. Elizabeth's lungs burned, making her breaths come in rapid succession, causing her to pant for air. Her heart pounded faster, sending the flames roaring down her arms into her waiting fists.
A cry of terror and dread flew through Elizabeth. With a blink, her eyes changed into two crystal moons; reflecting everything in front of her as would a mirror.
With an earsplitting scream, she flung her hands outward toward the oncoming truck as it neared the rear of the car.
"Get down!" shouted Sam. All four of them dropped to the ground; covering their head with their arms.
An invisible, thundering wall of power that caused the very air to ripple madly, materialized before Elizabeth, then raced like the wind toward her objective. It spread as it moved, covering in the blink of an eye, the entire expanse of the parking area.
It passed through the car in front of her, Dean, Sam, and the young couple without even the slightest hint of acknowledgement, but, for the oncoming rig in its path, the fury Elizabeth had unleashed showed no mercy.
As the wall of force passed through it, the truck burned to ash, along with the driver inside. The wall ate away at it from nose to rear, a cloud of dust particles scattering from it as it crumbled. The driver managed to unleash a short-lived scream, but, then the only sound afterwards was the rush of the wind as it sent to the heavens what had once been fifteen tons of metal and 225 lbs of flesh and bone.
Silence filled the parking area.
"Bravo! That's my girl. I knew you just needed the right motivation." With a wink, Lucian slowly faded into the wind, leaving behind a shaking Elizabeth.
Elizabeth felt dizzy. The exertion, the release of energy and the dust, the sound the truck had made before it was incinerated … she took a step to the left and almost fell, staggered sideways and saw the four figures rising from the ground.
Her breathing was too fast. Blood had poured from her nose and was now darkening on her t-shirt.
Off to her right, she heard someone calling her name; someone familiar.
Sam followed Dean across the parking area; rushing over to Elizabeth.
Horrified by what they had witnessed, the two brothers stood wide-eyed in disbelief, each looking again to the area where the truck should be, but, was no more.
A profound sadness passed between the brothers. In one brief moment in time, their little Beth had transformed into something which scared the hell out of them.
Elizabeth watched through a silver haze, her brothers' approach. It was very surreal. It was similar to looking through a hazy window. She blinked rapidly to try and clear her vision, but, it did little good.
She leaned back against the front of the building, taking in great gulps of air. Rivulets of sweat poured down her face, even though she felt ice cold inside.
"Beth?Beth?" Dean asked. Slowly, he extended his arm. With utmost gentleness, he pushed aside a strand of hair which clung to Elizabeth's face.
"Baby, are you hurt?" Sam asked.
Elizabeth leaned her face into Dean's hand. Briefly, she shut her eyes. Inhaling deeply, she caught the scent of Dean's cologne. It was the same fragrance that John had worn. So weary in mind and body was Elizabeth, that she couldn't separate the two.
Dean reached out with his other arm, slipped a hand around her waist, and carefully pulled her to him. The trembling of her own body reverberated in his, "Shhh, it's gonna be okay. I got you."
Elizabeth hugged back. Tightly. Fiercely.
She was so confused. Mentally, Elizabeth was elsewhere.
Dean and Sam heard her mutter something, "What?" asked Sam.
She looked up into Dean's face. Her field of vision seemed to shimmer and lose focus. Looking back at her was the face of her father: years ago, "Daddy, please don't be mad. I … I didn't do it on purpose," A single tear trickled down her cheek and splashed upon Dean's shirt. His heart broke in two.
"I'm really sorry, daddy."
"Dean, she thinks you're Dad."
Dean nodded, but, his eyes were distant. He already felt guilty as hell about the angry words that had passed between them. Now, this was killing him.
Dean looked at Elizabeth with sadness, drawing the corners of his eyes down. He saw Elizabeth's eyes fill with tears. To him, she was still his little girl.
Dean sighed so heavily it was as if all the air rushed out of him at once. With an obviously forced smile, he asked, "How could I be mad at my baby girl?"
She had to clear her throat, then pause for a moment before she could say, "I've done a horrible thing, daddy. I couldn't stop. I tried, but, I couldn't."
She stood on her toes to reach her mouth to his ear, "Don't tell Dean or Sammy, okay?"
Falling back onto her heels, she waited for his answer with a child-like anticipation fueled by worry.
"No, Beth." A strong hand brushed away her tears. "You have my word, baby. Don't worry."
Relief flooded Elizabeth and Dean felt her body relax into his. "I'm glad, daddy. It hurts when they yell at me." She rested her cheek on Dean's chest.
"Your brothers just speak before they do any thinking on the matter, baby. That doesn't mean they love you any less. It just means that he loves … that they love you very much and want to keep you safe."
He stopped talking so he could keep himself from crying. After a moment, he looked over at Sam who was wiping his eyes. With a sharp toss of his head, Dean indicated to Sam to go get the Impala.
Sam nodded in response; his own heart heavy with concern. He reached into Elizabeth's jeans pocket, withdrew the keys, and turning away; he began walking toward the car.
As he walked, despite his tall stature, Sam felt very small compared to the problem that faced the Winchester family now. Elizabeth would have to be kept out of the public eye until … if … they could find a way to help her.
Sam almost laughed out loud at the very thought of keeping someone like Elizabeth hidden away. Already two people had witnessed the horrific destruction she was capable of. A man was dead. There would be an investigation … word would spread about Elizabeth.
Of course, only a few would believe what they heard about the truck driver's death.
And it was those few … the hunters … that worried Sam the most.