A huge shout out to Hazgarn, for some great feedback about the dialogue in this chapter. Thanks for taking the time to help me improve this story, I appreciate it.
Better to burn out – than fade away
Chapter 12 – Friends in low places
Bobby made no sound as he crept along the edge of the woodland, weaving between the trees and undergrowth. He was positioned just right; close enough to the waters edge to see the boathouse, far enough in the shadows to be shielded from the first struggling rays of early morning sun. The sticky, damp ground smelt of musk and mouldy leaves, but at least it was easy enough to be stealthy here…and it was going to be a cold day which meant fewer people would be out and about on the lake. Fewer people to avoid also meant fewer people to protect from what was inevitably going to go down.
He made his way silently back to Sam, wiping cold sweat from the corner of his eye as he reached their small vantage point, and spoke softly as he saw the haggard look on the younger Winchester's face. "Definitely someone inside but couldn't get close enough to figure out who. Got a good look at the lay of the land though, whole building backs right on to the lake so we could get in that way, or there's a door on the south side and a good few weak spots in the panel walls that we could bust right through if it came to it."
Sam continued loading his Berretta, Bobby's pistol and both shotguns with regular ammo – no salt rounds here. The knowledge they were about to take on 'normal' people to get his brother back made his gut squirm, but it also served to strengthen his resolve. "Best bet is if we take them by surprise. I'll head down to the waters edge and come at them through the open side, while you go through the main door."
Bobby reached up and placed a calming hand on the younger man's shoulder, and felt the tremble of anger and frustration run through him. He felt for him, he really did…hell, he wanted to bust in there, kill every single son of a bitch who'd hurt Dean and drag the boy back to the safety of his breakers yard…But running in guns blazing wasn't the way this needed to go, and he had to make Sam understand that. "Now just hold up there. Cobb ain't no rookie and he ain't gonna fall for anything. The last thing Dean needs right now is for one of us to get caught and used against him. We gotta use a bit of cunning here, and come up with a plan that gives us the edge".
"And how are we going to do that exactly?" Sam turned to the older man, eyes pleading for the answers he knew Bobby didn't have.
"Don't forget we've got someone on the inside…we've already got the edge, we just need to wait for him."
Sam drew in a heavy breath and looked up to the sky, then back to the floor in sheer frustration. "Of course…you mean this mystery guardian angel you won't tell me anything about…? Well excuse me for not putting all my faith in him…someone who as far as I know, has his own agenda."
Bobby tightened his grip, halting Sam in his tracks before he had a chance to turn away and forcing him to pay attention. "I know your angry, Sam, but you need to wind this in right now. There are damned good reasons I ain't filled you in about Kyle, and I'd think you'd trust me, even if you can't trust him. We got a real good chance to get your brother out of there in one piece and if we work this right, we can have help with what needs to be done afterwards too. And you'd better believe we're gonna need all the help we can get".
Suddenly Bobby let go of Sam's shoulder, straightened his back and raised his chin, speaking just a little louder than he needed to…projecting his words into the undergrowth. "And, I'm guessing he's just arrived?"
Sam heard the rustle of undergrowth and spun, aiming his pistol at the shadows just as Kyle stepped forward, a lop-sided grin gracing his face as he took in the younger man's confusion. Bobby was the first to speak, his tone quiet but firm. "Guessing you heard all that?"
Kyle's voice was gravely and deep and bore more than a passing resemblance to John. "Only cos I was eavesdropping, good to see you, Bo." He held out a hand tentatively but breathed a silent sigh of relief as Bobby ignored it, and grabbed him in a swift hug, patting him hard on the back.
"Kyle. It's good to see you. Gotta say, you had me worried there, and more than once. You remember Sam? Probably no taller than the dog last time you set eyes on him…" Bobby's look was full of hidden meaning and it wasn't lost on Sam who frowned slightly at Kyle as he looked him over, hesitating slightly before shaking his hand. He had no recollection of this man. He was sure he'd never met him or even heard Bobby or his dad speak of him, yet the way Bobby was behaving it was like he was long lost family.
"So Kyle, what'd you got? Please tell me you've got something?"
Kyle frowned deeply, his whole demeanour turning serious. "Well, you were right. Cobb thinks Dean's got the book, but he also believes he's got a whole lot more than that...Thinks the kids got it in him, Bobby, and he's planning on taking his time getting it out. He's got a runt working for him called Joey; got a little trigger happy earlier and Dean got shot but that thing in him is keeping him alive…
"Dean got shot…?" That got Sam's attention.
"That's what I've been told. Got a call telling me to get to the boathouse double quick time, and that it's all going down right now. So…I'm gonna go in there, and when the time is right I'll send you a signal…"
"Not good enough…" Sam was pacing the small clearing and rapidly loosing what little patience he possessed. "If Dean's been shot we may not have much time, and we can't waste what we do have, sneaking around with our tails between our legs…"
Bobby could see the Winchester warning signs a mile off, and that was not good. They couldn't afford for Sam to loose it now. "Sam, just cool your jets will ya… With a little luck…"
But Sam cut him off. "You noticed anything about our luck lately, Bobby?" He was just getting angrier. These two may be experienced hunters but while they were sitting and planning, Dean could be dying in that boathouse, he could be bleeding to death right now…
It was Kyle who answered, turning to face Sam, staring him down and speaking in a voice that sounded so much like John Winchester it made Sam's heart clench. "You know what the chain of command is Sam? You remember what your daddy taught you? Hell, what about what your brother taught you? Now we got a plan, it's a good one and IT WILL WORK so you need to stick to it. No heroics…and in case you haven't notice, we've been doing this a whole lot longer than you and your brother".
Sam returned Kyle's piercing glare with a ferocious look of his own that would have floored a weaker man, but Kyle had been expecting it. And he had nothing but admiration for the love and devotion being shown by this young man towards his brother. If he were honest, he was feeling pretty jealous about it.
He waited for a second before allowing his face to relax, still watching Sam but addressing Bobby. "Plenty of brain cells, but hasn't got an overabundance of common sense has he?" His gentle smile now helping to diffuse the situation, Kyle reached out and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Just have a little faith, Sam, that's all I'm asking."
ooooo
Cobb cracked his thin lips slowly before he spoke while both Bill and Joey held back, silently watching the show. He'd waited a very long time for this and he wasn't going to rush things. It was disappointing though, he'd been hoping for so much more. Not some boy who looked barely old enough to know one end of a shotgun from the other. This kid really was barely older than the runt, and he was frustrated at the lack of sport he'd get from him, no matter what his reputation. He growled his words out through clenched teeth. "Dean Winchester…nice to finally met you face to face, heard a whole lot about you."
Dean watched Cobb as the older man pulled up a chair and straddled it on the edge of the devils trap. He watched him unsheathe the huge hunting blade from the tight leather scabbard at his hip, and he watched him lick his lips in anticipation of what was to come…but all Dean could feel was sorrow. There was no fear, no dread or anticipation of the pain that was sure to come; there was only the deepest despair he'd ever experienced.
He'd killed a man. He'd murdered an innocent bystander. Someone who had no idea what was out there, and who probably wouldn't have believed it even if he'd been told. And he couldn't blame the possession…No, he still didn't believe what had happened to him was possession…not in the strictest sense of the word, not like what had happened to Sam. Sam had been taken over completely, just like John, in the cabin before the crash. And even then, his dad had found the strength to throw that bitch out even if it had been just for a second.
Dean couldn't bring himself to utter a word; he didn't want the sobs threatening to spill out to be mistaken for fear. So he remained silent, looking at the floor. All he could think was…what would John think of his oldest son's weakness? Of his pathetic inability to stop this from happening? He cringed inwardly at his own failure to perform the simplest of tasks…to just say stop. John had done it, but Dean wasn't John…wasn't even a pale imitation of his father. Dean knew he was in deep trouble but somewhere inside he couldn't shake the feeling that just maybe…he deserved whatever was about to happen to him.
"Got nothing to say, boy?...Shame. I heard you had quite the mouth on you…But somehow I think you're gonna be making plenty of noise before long." Cobb grinned as he played with the blade between his fingers, drawing in back and forth in the air, allowing the small beams of yellow, dusty light, streaming through the walls to dance off its silvery edge.
Cobb eyed the sleek metal as he spoke. "Do you know what this is Dean? It's called a Gerber. Best blade in the world…can slice through skin or steel with the same ease and precision. Do you know how much a knife like this costs, Dean? No? Well neither do I." He lowered the blade and focused instead on the younger man's face. "See…three men tried to kill me once, from behind no less, all at the same time. The head honcho? He carried this…" Cobb held the blade higher, appraising its beauty as it glinted in the soft light. "…so, I cut off his hands with his own knife and left him to bleed out in a river. Seemed like a good way to get the message out there, don't ya think?"
Dean looked up just far enough to catch Cobb's eye, and immediately regretted it. The cold calculating stare that looked back was that of pure hatred for everything Dean was, and he could almost feel the burn of it on his skin. At that moment, he would have put money on not getting out of this one alive.
Cobb took another deep breath and spoke again, more softly this time. "I want you to think about what I'm telling you Winchester, cos I want you to know who you're dealing with. See, I could push this pig sticker into your gut, twist it around a little, slice up an organ or two, I could even take a guess at how much blood you'd lose, but…you wouldn't die would you?"
He grinned widely at the anguish starting to show on Dean's face, and leaned forward as far as he could without breaking the chalk circle, his voice a low malevolent whisper. "You touched the book, didn't you boy? Or maybe it touched you? I know what you did in the alley…young Joey's filled me in. So, I want you to know exactly who you're dealing with…because rest assured, I know exactly what I'm dealing with."
Just at that moment the wooden panel door creaked open, grinding as the rusty metal of the hinge dragged against the bracket. Joey held his ground but Bill swiftly moved to the side, just in case the visitor was not who they were expecting. He visibly relaxed at the sight of Kyle swaggering through the door, a wide grin on his face and overconfidence oozing from every pore. He spoke loud, and directed his attention to Cobb and the man sitting tied to the chair in the centre of the yellow sigil.
"Well well…what'd I miss?"
Cobb waited patiently until Kyle had entered and the door had been firmly closed again before answering him. "And now it looks like our little party's complete…I guess the fun can really start…" He turned to face his hired hand, his dark hooded eyes almost completely unreadable. "…Ain't that right...Kyle?"
TBC
