Warning: FULL story Rated M for language, sex and violence.
June 10, 2009
Northern, Chicago
10:03AM
For the past day and two nights Dean had been finding out things his way, mingling with the locals and chatting them up for information. Apparently what happened at that club was best left at that club, he had been lucky enough to find a handful of people that used to go there, now frequenting another watering hole but only two were willing to say much more than the fact they attended the place. Hearing about it reminded Dean when the four of them had gone to that kink night in order to track down the witch Luka. That was soft core compared to this place, Dean was starting not to feel so bad that the place burned down after finding out some of the details about what went on there. It was a regular horror show, amp up the freak factor; humans were sick sons of bitches.
When his 'that shit's fucked up' meter topped out he started asking about the ring leader of the whole thing, who was running the place and allowing these sickos to live out their twisted fantasies? Neither one of his leads could be too sure whether the person was the owner or just a manager but they both came up with the same description, short brunette, blue eyes and a name. Alex. No last name, but Dean didn't need one. Since then his stomach had been in knots and he had been sitting at the small motel table staring at the wall as if he held his gaze long enough on the crease of yellow wallpaper that it would spit out some miracle answer that would save him from all this.
Alex? This can't be you doing this.
The fear in him told him otherwise, there was always that chance, after all she was half demon and she was supposed to be the Anti-Christ. What if it was true, what if she came back to help the Devil destroy the world and the club was her pet project? Tilting his flask and tonguing the last drops of alcohol from the mouth of it he set aside the newspaper he had been reading over. Down in Missouri there had been a brutal murder of a woman; there was a man at the scene covered in blood who was of course the prime suspect. Thing was he kept rambling about a dark haired woman being the one that killed the girl with inhuman brutality. By the physical description it sounded like it was Alex and it was the only lead he had.
"Guess we're going to St. Louis, Missouri," he said to Sorcha.
The dog had been with him whenever she could, so whenever he was not in a bar, and had been keeping a close eye on him. There was something off, the way he smelled, the strange glint he got in his eye that one time she had noticed. She didn't like it and she hated that she couldn't tell Dean what it was she was thinking. Sometimes he could understand what she was trying to tell him, like right now when she was pulling down the bed sheets before nosing his hand. He had to sleep, however little he could because right now he looked like hammered shit and Sorcha knew he would be lying if he said he didn't feel it either.
Poor Dean, she thought, if only she could be of more help to him.
888
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
10:10AM
She had been thinking over things, decided it was now time to move on but she wasn't going to leave Cassie behind. There was valuable information and fun there. Why waste it by killing her? Cassie had told her everything, just like a good girl because deep down Alex believed that her tough act was all it was...an act. Once faced with real danger, death face to face, torture at the hands of someone half inhuman then beans were spilled. Alex had a feeling she was going to like this woman. Picking up her duffel, stuffing in some blades from play time to coax more out into another bag she took up the chain, wrapping it around her wrist. She was really happy that she got an abandoned home away from snooping eyes, ears and noses so she could escort her kitty to the car, right beside her.
When she had gone into town for some food she had picked up a newspaper, about the club back in Chicago. No doubt Dean was already there and there it was, the information about slaughter at the motel room in Northern Missouri. Next destination a tip to the hat. Now it was time to move. Where? Further South then make her way West a state or two and ride up North. Putting the car in drive she glanced at the huddled piece of a woman. "Say goodbye to the life you once knew and you better pray to whatever God you have that I don't get bored of you."
888
Sam was worried. She had had a fever since she fell asleep wearing his shirt and he had to constantly drape himself over her to sweat it out and then to cool her down when she got too hot with it. Finally she was sleeping peacefully but he couldn't help but worry. A Goddess in a human body who never took medicine for things, Sam was in a whole new league of not knowing what to do. All he could do was watch over her, make sure she was fed, make sure she drank, slept and then do the same things for himself but he could do nothing else. There was no one to talk to, no brother to bicker with about trying to find a way to make things right.
No one.
He had found himself howling outside in sadness a few minutes ago after finding food. Silence echoed back to him and he had ran back to the cave to sit and stare at the flames once more. Sam may not have had a calendar, but he had never been so aware of what month and day it was. Like his mind was clocked in and there was no thought necessary. Time was moving on and he could feel things happening yet he didn't know what they were. Important things. Important things were going on in the cave too...it was the fact he was a hunter through and through, he had to do something and hunting down food was not satisfying that part of him.
I can't leave Astarte and I can't leave the cave. I wish I knew what to do.
888
St. Louis, Missouri
6:30PM
Two hours of sleep and a six-hour drive later Dean and Sorcha arrived in St. Louis where the grizzly murder took place in a small apartment building. Standing outside the apartment now Dean eyed the 'No Pets' sign nailed to the door of the apartment complex, like some stupid sign had ever stopped him from doing something illegal or rude before. "C'mon Sorch'."
He signaled the black dog to go ahead of him as he opened the door and followed after. Heading up the stairs where a sign marked there was an elevator up ahead the duo waited for the door to open, incurring the occasional glare from a resident for the large black beast accompanying Dean. "Dogs aren't allowed here," someone said as the elevator door opened with a ding and they both entered, Dean waved and smiled like a douche at the guy who chided him in the hallway.
"Asshole," Dean grinned, Sorcha wagging her tail in agreement, the elder Winchester seemed to be more himself right now, not so off putting but the dog was far from letting down her guard. Besides there was work that had to be done.
The hallway was quiet and so were they, stopping at door number 206 Dean pulled out his knife and cut the police tape before wrapping an old handkerchief around his hand to test the door to see if it was unlocked. Lucky him it was and easing the door open the two of them slid inside to do some of their own investigating. Two days had gone by and the smell of death still clung to everything, the window had been left open for obvious reasons and Dean guessed they thought no one would bother trying to climb in through there with it being two stories up and no fire exits out that way. There was so much blood the bed was still wet with hard dry patches pulling the sheets into rigid patterns all Dean could smell was the blood, maybe the underlying hint of sex underneath which meant he was going to have to rely on Sorcha's sense of smell to tell him what he wanted to know.
Was this Alex's doing?
The way Dean imagined it happening could have made it almost anything because lots of monsters left big gooey messes like this as their calling card. But when Dean asked Sorcha the million-dollar question she gave as clear an answer as a dog could give without speaking English. Alex had been here, her scent was everywhere, that didn't tell Dean if she had killed the girl in the newspaper article but the hunter was having a tough time convincing his gut that she was here to just take in the sights. Finding little else to go on Dean decided it was time to leave and go to the hospital where the survivor, a.k.a. the suspect because the cops didn't know what the hell they were doing, was locked up safe in his own room. Dean wanted to interview him personally, newspapers always kept out certain details and the victims didn't always tell the whole story.
888
St. Louis, Missouri
Touchette Regional Hospital
7:01PM
Paul stared at the cuffs holding him to the bed railing. He obviously wasn't going anywhere when he was the suspect no matter what he told them. They didn't believe him, considering he didn't know the woman that was killed it meant he was the only option. No fingerprints of another person, only theirs. Why did she have to kill her? Why did she have to leave him alive? He might be spending his life behind bars because of her but he wasn't angry or revengeful, he was scared. Every time there was a noise outside his room he flinched, thinking she came back to finish him off since he was caught. She had left him pretty banged up and mentally unstable, so the handcuffs were for the last bit as well.
Images burned into his mind that he would never be able to forget. Watching her die...it was gruesome, blood everywhere, screams...it haunted his dreams when he would get so beyond fighting to stay awake. Hearing someone talking to the police officer guarding the door, it opened, revealing another man in a suit. A lawyer? An angry brother? He didn't know what the woman had behind, if she had family out there looking for her but no one came to interrogate him or to blame him and from what he heard from the officers the other day no one claimed the body. What was left of the body that is.
Green orbs penetrated into him and he felt like shrinking down into the hospital blankets and pillows. He was covered in bruises cuts, bandages, broken rib and his knee was dislocated to an extent it was difficult to set back in place. Paul knew he'd be lucky to walk once he was healed enough for a hearing, to be brought down to the station to be questioned like the suspect he was thought to be. Eying the suit with frantic scared eyes, he wasn't sure how to react, what to say if he should say anything at all. Anyone who came into his room that had heard of what had happened and would see how he reacted and looked would call him insane. If he was convicted of what he didn't do...he might just be put into an asylum.
"Can I help you?" he asked shakily, clearing his throat as his limbs froze, fingers playing with the blanket out of nervousness.
The poor bastard was scared shitless anyone could see that and if anyone else had enough sense they would be able to see that terror didn't stem from the fact he got caught. The eyes that stared back at him with trepidation were those of someone who had seen horrifying things, unspeakable nightmarish things. Dean looked over the medical report, normally something Sam would have done if he were here with him, the guy had sustained enough injuries that should have pointed out that he hadn't killed the girl. Police never looked much further than what their eyes could see. The facts were clear enough though that Dean hoped that this guy wouldn't get locked away for being unlucky and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Calm down there Mr. Grover, I just want to ask you a few questions," Dean eased his hand into the air to calm the man, "I know there was a second woman with you, a brunette, I need you to describe her to me in every detail." He knew this wasn't going to be easy for the guy, Dean was sympathetic and took pity on him but he had to find out what he had to find out. Which meant if he had to he wasn't going to be all that nice about it. And from what he could see Paul Grover knew that.
He didn't want to cause trouble and so he retold the story of how he met the two women. Especially about the brunette. She had told him not to give her first name out and changed her mind at the last second when she broke his rib but he explained everything. Her eyes, her features, the way she acted, moved, her first name...Alex. That was all he knew. He didn't feel right to say about how she was during sex because she was fantastic but that part made him feel disgusted with himself and felt as if in a way he was the killer. Allowing her into his apartment...
"You..." a pause as he sat up a little more, "You do believe me right? I'm not crazy? You don't think I'm crazy?"
"No, I don't think you're crazy."
Dean wished he could say that Paul was, that would mean he wouldn't have to go on living knowing what happened to him was real. He wished he could have helped but he had gotten what he wanted, now it was time to leave the traumatized bastard to his fate, maybe the justice system would spare him. Back in the Impala Dean told Sorcha what was going on, he thought he was going crazy talking to a dog but she was giving him a very insistent blue eyed stare. It wasn't like he could tell anyone else this, though he was staring at his phone debating whether to call Bobby and let him know that he was tracking Alex, finger hovering over the dial button with the old hunter's name highlighted on the screen.
Pushing the green 'Send' button Dean pressed the phone to his ear, ring...ring...ring... voicemail. "Bobby, I think I got a bead on Alex call me back when you get this."
Dean ended the call and tucked his phone in his pocket then turned the Impala out of the parking and down the street. He had Sam's laptop, now was as good a time as any to start looking up more leads, Alex was playing some fucked up game because she wanted to be found. When his phone went off Dean thought for sure it was Bobby getting back to him about Alex, instead it was a surprisingly familiar number from a period that seemed another lifetime ago. Almost letting it go to voicemail Dean pressed down on the answer button and lifted the phone to his ear.
"Cassie?" he swallowed struggling to make it quiet over the phone. "Look now's not really a good time..."
"Is this Dean Winchester?" Mrs. Robinson asked, hearing the man on the other end think she was Cassie led her to believe so but she wanted to be completely sure. She would not have called if she didn't think it was an emergency and he had saved her and her daughter, Cassie had informed after they left, explaining things to her she didn't want to know but she didn't question though she thought it unbelievable. "My daughter Cassie has gone missing." What else was there to say? The police thought she would turn up but she would have called, she would have showed up before now. Cassie knew better and with the murder in the alley of that poor man. That was at the club where Cassie said she was hanging out with a guy she was meeting for a first date.
Dean quickly weighed the options of this being a joke or not. Going with the call being genuine didn't make him feel any better about what he just heard from Cassie's mom, his stomach started to twist painfully while he remained calm. Clearing his throat, "When did she go missing?" Hearing the answer he nodded and turned the car around to take the highway down to Cape Girardeau. "I'll be there in a couple of hours" He hung up and let the phone drop in his coat pocket while he floored the accelerator. The sickening feeling grew, if there was a God Dean would pray to him that Alex coming back and Cassie going missing wasn't connected.
888
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
9:03PM
Dean remembered exactly where Cassie's house was on it's own plot outside of the small downtown area. Sorcha followed him as he nearly raced to the door and banged on the wooden frame, he exuded calm but underneath his nerves were rattled to the bone and his scent gave off all the tones of anxiety. It had Sorcha on edge watching for that hint of a shadow that had lapsed over Dean's face a couple of days ago that wasn't Dean at all.
Closer. They were on the trail, Alex wanted them...Dean...to find her. Leon grinned at that what pulled that grin from his face though was the fact that thorn to his side, the dog, was staring at Dean like she was suspicious. Once he figured out Dean with a fine tooth comb he was going to one thing in getting rid of the dog and that was going to be easy. Maybe direct so much into one thing to do that Dean left the dog at a motel and never went back. He was thinking a lot of things to do to the mongrel.
Leon had paid special attention to what was going on though despite those thoughts he kept to himself. It was a lot of work holing up in someone and completely being separate until the right moment. It was also a lot of work to not take hold so soon like a virgin boy getting too hasty at the entrance of a woman begging for it. A woman named Cassie was missing, Dean had a feeling that Alex was connected to it but wanted to deny it and really see for himself. He would see. Leon wouldn't put it past his creator to run into someone affiliated with the hunter whether it was on purpose or by sheer accident. This Cassie had a string pulled taut on this Winchester. Once lovers Leon bet.
Seeing the mother through Dean he listened to the words very carefully.
Mrs. Robinson opened the door at the loud knock on it. Finding the man she had seen almost 4 years ago when Cassie's father died along with their friends, she almost looked relieved. He was here to help find her baby, her daughter she loved and the only one she had left in the world so close to her. Dean appeared more weathered than he had been, lots of things had happened in his life that worked hard into his features and the way he carried his frame. Motioning for him to come in along with the dog, she closed the door and led into the study off to the left.
"She told me that if anything happened, anything strange to her or just in general. I was to call you. The night she disappeared she was supposed to come home at 12. She said she'd be home by then and that if she wasn't she'd call. Cassie always lets me know, she knows how much I worry...especially since..." she broke off and looked at Dean knowing he knew what she meant. "The police won't help and her phone is disconnected. I called you because I want her back, I want to know she's safe and also that I don't believe she's dead. A mother knows these things and she's not." A beat. "There was a body found where she was that night if that helps you, maybe she was in the wrong place at the wrong time...one of those situations."
Please bring my baby back, please.
Her eyes said it all to him, she had done her fair share of crying and still it was hard to keep composure.
888
Monroe, Louisiana
Studio Apartment
9:14PM
Alex sighed, her arm around the waist of the trembling Cassie Robinson. Kissing up the back of her to her neck, leaning over her shoulder to whisper in her ear, one hand trailed to her chin to hold in place. "You know it wouldn't have to be rape if you just gave in and started enjoying it. Maybe even kissing back or I don't know putting more effort into giving some in return...otherwise you could have avoided his death," Alex said, bringing her eyes to the hansom bachelor on the floor by the balcony, crammed into a corner, sitting up and staring right at the bed where they were laying on.
They had arrived a couple hours ago and found a willing participant when she showed up at his apartment door dressed all cute and slutty while Cassie was forced into a nice outfit to fit the chains. He bought it. Sadly enough when Cassie was trying to get away, whimpering and being difficult Alex had to kill him a little into the game. Now dry rusty blood decorated the woman's skin beneath her as well as the sheets. Alex stood, making sure the chains were well secured into the bedpost before standing naked, over to the body, lifting her hand she used the ability that all demons had, flinging bodies by defying gravity for only a few moments. The body of the dead man now rested on the kitchen island counter top.
Moving to the fridge, pulling out some orange juice to drink while selecting a butcher knife she coyly glanced at Cassie. A lick of her lips from the juice droplets she began to dissect the corpse like a frog in biology class. The only difference was that whatever she removed she placed onto a plate for a late night snack for her kitty.
888
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Club Moxy
9:30PM
The alley where the murder occurred had already been cleaned up, pretty quick work but Dean had enough of questioning the competence of the authorities over the last few days. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for but he hoped whatever it was hadn't been washed away from the clean-up crew, and that it was something that would lead him closer to finding Cassie and Alex. There was nothing. What was worse that no one had seen anything happen outside the club two nights ago so Dean didn't have any idea where Alex had taken Cassie, except from what he knew about Alex which meant she wasn't in Cape Girardeau anymore. She had shipped off to destinations unknown.
Raking a hand through his hair in frustration the randomly mundane thought hit him that it was getting long and he should cut it soon. Kicking that thought aside Dean's attention went to Sorcha who was sniffing around walking absently down the street while she followed her own nose. So with no other options Dean followed, they passed five blocks before Sorcha lost the trail and started circling trying to pick something up again.
"It's no use, she's not here."
He stared out past the streetlamps to the dark beyond. Alex was leaving a trail of bodies, bile started to crawl up Dean's throat at the implications. He was always one step behind, the one person he found alive was only because Alex wanted him to and he knew that. Alex could get real bent out of shape and jealous so if she had found out anything about Cassie and Dean having been in a relationship years ago that meant she wouldn't let Cassie off easy. But that didn't guarantee that Dean would find her alive. Dean would give anything to have Sam at his side, even Castiel or Bobby who still wasn't returning his calls. That too had him worried and he never felt more alone than he did in that moment.
888
Monroe, Louisiana
After she had sliced and diced she had began to feed a reluctant Cassie. Making her swallow despite the gagging and finally after a good Bicep was inside her belly, Alex made her way to the side table where the man's cell was. Pulling up new text message she began to pick out the letters to be sent to her favorite tracking hunter.
'Monroe, Louisiana. Try an apartment complex across the street from Jack's Diner, studio apartment 2. Having fun yet?'
To the blender she made sure it sent fully because watching it become anything but what it had been. Going back to the bed she began to dress into a black jean jumpsuit, a pleated red schoolgirl short skirt and her combat boots. Making sure she had everything in hand, including the chain that was connected to Cassie she flashed her eyes, finger prints disappearing, anything that could be identifying on a police computer and science team. "I'm bored of this place, how about we split?" A tug and a click of the door shutting, she grinned down the hallway to the stairs.
Come and get me Dean.
888
Dean didn't reply to the text, he was already in the Impala and now he was speeding down the road out of Cape Girardeau and towards Monroe, Louisiana. It was a seven and a half hour drive if the speed limit was followed but even with Dean speeding it was too far away and he knew by the time he got there that Alex would be gone leaving him to follow another clue.
This is just a game to her, sick twisted bitch!
He was at the end of his rope to the point he wasn't sure what he was going to do when he caught up to Alex, try to talk her down from her insanity or empty a clip in her head and be done with it. He had loved her once and his chest went tight with pain at the idea of killing her after he wanted her back so badly. But these murders to put it on the soft side of mildly were happening because Alex wanted to be found under the worst possible circumstances.
Does she want me to kill her?
888
June 11, 2009
Monroe, Louisiana
4:09AM
Dean knew he was already too late but he had to know, he had to be sure. After trying every damn button on the intercom and then in frustration running his hand down them all, the door unlocked. Racing up the stairs because the elevator was taking too long Sorcha charged ahead of him waiting for him to open the door for her to lead the way. The smell of blood hit her nostrils and she flew down the hallway without having to read the numbers, stopping at apartment two on the upper level. There wasn't any reason for Dean to get out his lock picking kit or to kick the door down, it was unlocked, he actually had enough sense in him to check before he blew the door off it's hinges.
He could smell it before he saw the body on the kitchen table, cut up like Thanksgiving dinner. It was obvious there were pieces missing and from an entire inspection of the rest of the apartment those pieces were nowhere. No time to give the body another once over, sirens sounded outside and Dean and Sorcha were in the hall and heading down the backstairs like their lives depended on it. Narrowly disappearing into some thick hedges as three police officers rounded the corner Dean and Sorcha walked the long way around to get back to the car. So they went to the apartment that the suspicious text told them to go to, Dean knew it was Alex without her having to say. She knew he couldn't keep following the trail of bodies forever and wanted to up the chase.
Again, what now? There were no clues other than Alex had taken parts of this guy's body this time, something she hadn't done with the other victims. Dean didn't want to think of what she needed with a human arm and other miscellaneous parts, he knew she wasn't much for magick unless that had changed. For a couple of minutes Dean watched the police flowing in and out of the building, CSI unit coming in to do their share and civilians nosing around trying to find out what was happening. There had to be something he was missing, she wouldn't have sent that text only to vanish completely again.
888
Neville High School, Monroe, Louisiana
7:45AM
What better way then to stay in town? Sure she could have skipped it and gone somewhere new but she wanted to make sure that Dean stayed on her. Setting up chunks of the penis and toes up on trays for the biology class, it was not going to be their normal day of frogs. Wearing a lab coat over her outfit, hair tied up in a bun with pieces sticking out, a pair of glasses she stole off an 18 year old senior girl putting on makeup all alone in the girls bathroom down the hall...someone would find her body with glass shards inside her face and her ribcage carved outward to be hung on a bathroom stall hook.
Alex had left Cassie tied up in the hull with a perverted geezer that she said he could do anything to the woman sexually as half of the payment to keep his fucking mouth shut and bring them over to West Monroe on his little boat, then the rest was her own surprise to give him after. In the mean time he was waiting for her to get back. Once all the trays were set where they needed to be she caught one of the teenage boys eying her and she gave a little coy smile to him, playing the innocent lab helper. When he motioned for the hall pass by the door she faked a blush and exited with her job done. The teacher hadn't paid any attention to Alex while she had been in there, she had a helper every now and there it appeared for these types of things so she never kept track. Her lucky day.
The boy came out into the hallway and Alex batted her pretty blue eyes, acting shy. "Wanna go somewhere private? Biology is boring anyways," he said. "Name's Matthew. You can call me Matt."
Giving a nod she knew exactly where they could go.
888
Dean was running after Sam, little Sammy before he hit his growth spurt who laughed that his big brother couldn't catch him even while he was so much taller than he was. As he chased Sam he watched him grow, a teenager now and Dean could see the moodiness in Sam's sea green eyes, the struggle in them to fight against what he was told to do and always the questions. No wonder he was so smart, all that curiosity had been put to good use. Then that moody cloud would break with a smile and a laugh, right from the heart just like his big brother laughed. Dean loved hearing that laugh the most, not the sarcastic or subdued laugh, like if Sam laughed too hard it would hurt him. Dean thought maybe sometimes it did, because sometimes it hurt him too.
It hurt to remember.
Sammy hit his growth spurt, tall as a beanpole and just as skinny, maybe in a couple years he would gain some weight so he wouldn't look like such a damn scarecrow. He was more quiet now, always thinking and watching, a human computer. Dean teased him about growing his hair out but the chicks seemed to like it, which made Dean tease him more because Sam never gave much more than a glance at a girl before he moved on, or before he was forced to move on. They were always moving.
Dean was still running after him, from park to pavement to dirt road. The world changed around them and so did they, a little more rough around the edges, a little more frayed. He watched how Sam changed, always so quiet except when he was angry, had Dad's temper, then everyone would hear about it. Sam would brood for days, it was hard for him not to care he always took everything to heart. Wasn't such a good trait to have when you were a hunter. A shadow kept appearing in Dean's peripheral when he looked nothing was there and when he slowed down Sam got ahead. So Dean ran faster, almost catching up, side by side but not quite, "Sammy", he called at last sure that his brother would hear him now that he was close. Sam slowed and then stopped to turn around and face Dean, he had a smile on his face, genuine and kind, one Dean hadn't seen in a while.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Ready?" Dean's brows knitted together in puzzlement. "Ready for what?"
Sam pointed behind him, which made Dean turn around to find out what it was. Storm clouds slithered across the blue sky, rain lightly pouring down in a spring shower that didn't blot out the rising sun, instead it enhanced it by covering every surface with reflected sunlight. Collected droplets from Dean's hair ran down his face and chin, it felt cool and refreshing. Puddles began to form quickly despite the lightness in which the rain was coming down. Rainwater traveled winding down the path glittering golden red from the sun but Dean stepped back, finding it was not water but thick as blood. Looking to his brother Sam dropped down on his knees and then his hands, tonguing the water like a wolf at a creek.
"Sam?" Dean's voice was uncertain, scared. Lifting his hand with the sight of red on it he flinched when more red droplets speckled his palm, mingling with the water already there. Blood streaked down his face chased by the pure rain that was still pouring from the sky, Sam was still drinking from the stream, tongue scraping against the rough pavement. "Sammy?"