WARNING: this is a sad chapter. That being said, this will be a catalyst for my OC's character development. Thank you all for the lovely reviews and support, though, so keep it coming. It really means a lot! Well, nothing else to say, soooo read on!
Chapter Fourteen:
The Winchesters and Laura were standing outside the funeral home, which was covered in strange bluish-white symbols. As some pedestrians walked by, not only did they take no notice to the three ghostly companions, they didn't seem to take note of the strange glowing drawings all over the building.
"Guess we're the only ones who can see it," Dean muttered.
"Wonder what it's for," Sam scratched the back of his neck.
Laura was staring hard at the symbols, with her head tilted to the side and as she thought harder. The drawings seemed familiar, and she had an intimation as to what they were used for.
"I think it's to keep something out," she furrowed her eyebrows.
Both brothers turned to look at her.
"You can read that?" Sam asked in amazement.
Laura shook her head: "Not really, but I feel like I've seen it before."
"Well do you know if it'll keep us out?" the youngest Winchester stated his worry that they would not be able to get into the funeral home.
"I guess we'll find out," she stated, taking the lead as they made their way towards large building.
The three companions walked through the dimly lit corridors, and a familiar floral scent filled their nostrils. Having spent a lot of time in hospitals and attending the funerals of loved ones throughout her childhood, Laura had always hated flowers for one reason: they reminded her of death. As the slender brunette pushed away her feelings of homesickness, she and the Winchesters soon found themselves in a massive room. All of the furniture was cleared out and a massive ritualistic symbol was drawn on the floor. As they made their way closer to the center of the room, they saw an unconscious Tessa and elderly male reaper lying directly in the middle of the square sigil.
Sam and Dean exchanged looks once they spotted two men, presumably demons, standing guard of the soon-to-be-sacrificed reapers. A cocky and excited grin spread across the eldest Winchester's face as he whispered to both Sam and Laura: "Watch this."
With that, he vanished and suddenly materialized behind the closest demon. Tapping the burly man on the shoulder, Dean disappeared once he turned around. The demon stared hard into the empty space before turning back around, and once he did, he received a hard punch to the face. The demon snarled and took a swing at the smirking eldest Winchester, but missed as Dean evaporated once again.
By this time the other guard had realized what was going on and ran over to help his fellow demon. As he rushed over, he was met with a swift punch from the recently materialized Sam Winchester. As both the brothers occupied to two guards, Laura hurried over to the sigil tried to find a way to break it. Grabbing a metal flagpole from the corner of the room, she ran forward with the intent to use it to break the ritual square, but was interrupted by a tall, lanky man.
Gripping an iron chain, he grinned wickedly as his eyes rolled white. Laura's brilliant blue-green eyes widened and as she was about to call to Sam and Dean, she realized that they too, were being cornered by the demons now wielding iron chains. Though their hands sizzled and burned, the demons pushed the three ghostly hunters in the corner and trapped them behind the manacles.
"Hiya boys. Find the place okay?" the white eyed demon asked with an amused expression.
The burly demon to Alastair's left handed him a shotgun, which the high inquisitor of Hell raised up and then shot the loaded round of rock salt into Dean Winchester's gut. The eldest Winchester disintegrated with a grunt, as Sam glared at the demon and Laura shouted: "Dean!"
"Rock salt's not so fun anymore, is it?" the demon hissed in his nasally voice.
Dean then reappeared, panting and holding his stomach. Laura helped him up with a concerned look, but he brushed it off, groaning that he was fine.
"You son of a bitch," Dean spat, standing upright.
Alastair barely paid attention to the older hunter, for his gaze remained on the taller hunter.
"Come on, Sammy, try some of that mojo on me now," he mocked, "Oh wait… doesn't work without your meat suit does it?"
Sam glared at the demon and growled: "Go to Hell."
"Trust me, I wish I could go back, but they keep sending me up to this craphole," Alastair sighed.
"To sacrifice two reapers and break another seal?" Laura asked darkly.
The white-eyed demon finally took notice to the female standing with the Winchesters. A crooked grin spread across his menacing face: "Well hello there, gorgeous. Have we met before?"
Sam and Dean both protectively stepped in front of the brunette, but Alastair pumped the shotgun, this time aiming it at the youngest Winchester. With a bang, Sam disappeared, leaving a fuming Dean and Laura trapped behind the iron chains.
"Ah, yes," he answered his own question. "You were at the barn. Quite a fascinating little thing aren't you?" The demon circled around them and got as close to Laura's face as possible. "Even Lilith is interested in you… actually wants me to spend some quality time with you… to you know, to see what makes you tick."
"Stay away from her," Dean snarled, earning himself an amused laugh from the powerful demon.
"Ah, I've been neglecting your friend," Alastair excused himself from the threatening conversation with Laura. "It's good to see you again, too, Dean," the demon grinned, as he raised the gun and aimed it at him.
"Shoot us all you want, but you can't kill us," the young psychic smiled sarcastically.
As Sam reappeared, Alastair responded smugly: "Don't be so sure about that. I mean three comatose bodies guarded by a blind woman? Doesn't seem too secure."
Laura's face dropped as she looked between both Sam and Dean.
"You brought Pamela into this?" Laura glared at them both.
The Winchesters didn't quite know how to respond, for they didn't understand why the young woman was so disturbed that the psychic had been involved.
"We couldn't wake you up," Dean tripped over his words. "We needed to come after you."
"Are you really that dumb?" Laura snapped angrily as both brothers tried to think of a way to ease her mind.
Alastair, on the other hand, was extremely entertained at the events unfolding before him.
"Touchy subject, huh?" he smirked.
"Can it," Dean growled, earning himself another shot of rock salt to the chest.
"I swear if you hurt her," Laura hissed between her teeth with a dark and threatening expression.
"You'll what? Send me back to Hell? Please, do," the white-eyed demon practically cooed.
Dean reappeared as the demon changed the subject: "But anyhoo, I think it's time to get started, don't you?"
Holding a scythe up, he cheerfully walked into the ritual square and yanked the elderly reaper up onto his knees. Before reciting the incantation, the demon acknowledged the irony in his weapon of choice: "Pretty suiting, doncha think?"
And after a quick wink, he said the words and slit the neck of the male reaper; rather than blood coming from his fatally wounded neck, a bright yellow light burst out instead and then faded.
Throughout this entire thing, Laura's mind was reeling over the mortal danger Pamela probably found herself in. The young psychic had been dreaming about her closest friend's death since they had said their farewells. Laura had decided not to involve Pamela in any of her dangerous endeavors, even if having her mentor's counsel would be beneficial to her. The brunette consciously chose to astral project without an anchor with the soul purpose to keep Pamela safe and to avoid her dreams from becoming a reality, but yet again, the Winchesters just had to step in. Laura never cared if she would have been stuck in the spirit realm if it meant saving Pamela's life, but now, it seemed all that she had been dreading was unfolding before her. Laura needed to escape the iron chains; she needed to save Pam.
As Alastair grabbed the now struggling Tessa, Sam noticed a chandelier above the demon and reaper. He nudged his brother and both of them looked up; the Winchesters then began focusing all of their energy on unhinging it from the ceiling. As Alastair was just about to kill Tessa, Sam and Dean had successfully caused the chandelier to come crashing down, breaking the sigil, and releasing the reaper. As Tessa disappeared, an angry and bewildered Alastair cried out, but before he could direct his wrath onto the three, trapped hunters, the beautiful reaper reappeared and let them out from behind the iron chains.
"Bye," Dean smugly said, and all four of them vanished.
As they reappeared outside the funeral home, the three companions realized that Laura was gone.
"Where did she go?" Sam inquired.
"Probably to go find Pamela," Dean responded; he could tell the striking brunette was beyond distressed, and although he didn't know why, he had a strange feeling that Laura had a good reason for leaving them behind.
"We should get out of here," Sam suggested, for the enraged demon would surely be behind them at any second.
Laura gasped as her eyes popped open and refocused on the white, peeling ceiling of her motel room. She shot up from her spot on the bed, and looked around wildly, only to find Pamela trying to whisper something in Sam's ear as a tall, muscular man was getting up from the corner where he had been apparently knocked over.
"Pam!" Laura cried, rushing over, but was flung out of the way by the now black-eyed man. She slammed into the kitchen counter and cabinets with a crash, but shook of the painful blow as she rose to her feet. The demon was now on top of Pamela and had torn her away from Samuel Winchester's unconscious body. By the time Laura had lunged forward and forced the malevolent being off of her best friend and mentor, he had stabbed the black-haired psychic in the gut.
"No!" Laura shouted, punching the demon repeatedly in the face.
He gripped her by the neck and head-butted her in the face as Pamela crawled back to Sam, the knife still embedded in her stomach.
"Vis, vis, vis!" Pamela said hoarsely in Sam's ear, and with that, the youngest Winchester sprang up.
Somewhat dazed and confused, the tall hunter looked around and spotted Laura being attacked by the massive demon.
In a swift motion of his hand, he forced the demon off of the bleeding brunette. As he closed his hand into a fist, the demon smoked out of the man it was possessing; the black smoke billowed onto the floor around his feet and disappeared into the ground with a fiery flash of light.
Sam dashed over to Laura as she slowly picked herself up off the floor, but she shoved him away. Running over to Pamela, she took no notice of her most likely cracked ribs, split lip, and bruised forehead. Laura fell to her knees and helped prop her the black-haired psychic up against the bed. Laura felt her eyes burning as she gazed at Pamela's wound, which was hemorrhaging blood.
As Pamela tried to yank the blade out, Laura slapped her hand away.
"Don't! You'll bleed out," the brunette's eyes searched the room for anything she could use to stop the bleeding and close the wound.
"I guess you saved the reapers," Pamela smiled weakly, coughing a bit as some blood splattered out from her mouth.
Sam was staring down at their dying friend with a helpless expression, and now he understood why Laura was so upset once she had found out they had gotten Pamela involved. Laura's heartbroken face turned to look up at the youngest Winchester and she demanded that he look for alcohol and something to stop the bleeding.
Without a word, he did as he was told and soon handed Laura a massive towel from the bathroom and a handle of vodka. Tentatively pulling the knife out, she dumped some of the alcohol on the wound and quickly applied pressure to Pamela's profusely bleeding stomach.
Pamela grunted and tried to get up, but Laura forced her back down.
"You need to rest," Laura commanded her mentor.
"I need to wake Dean up," Pamela protested, trying to fight her friend.
Pamela was barely strong enough to speak let alone get up and bring Dean back to the land of the living, and although Laura was furious at the Winchesters for possibly causing the death of her best friend, she knew that the eldest Winchester needed to be woken up.
"Sam, get your ass over her and try to slow down this bleeding," Laura barked.
He did so, still watching the frantic Laura and quickly fading Pamela with melancholy eyes. Laura knelt beside the restful Dean and whispered the words in a shaking voice. The moment she finished the incantation, she turned her attention to finding the sewing kit in her bag, not giving a rat's ass about whether or not the eldest Winchester had awoken.
Dean groggily groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. His calm disposition drastically changed, however, once he saw his brother hovering over the young psychic, who was now back to tending over the mortally wounded Pamela.
"Pamela! What happened?" Dean almost demanded, looking at his brother.
Sam tried to give his brother a look of warning, but it was too late. Laura turned to glance furiously at Dean: "You happened! That's what!"
"Laura," Pamela tried to calm her friend, but began coughing some more.
"Will you shut up and rest and let me stitch you up?" Laura snapped, slowly pulling the saturated towel from the psychic's abdomen.
An immense amount of thick, dark blood oozed from the wound and Laura felt a lump growing in her throat.
Pamela laughed amidst her coughing up blood: "Ha! You can't patch this one up kiddo."
"Always so negative," Laura tried to sound lighthearted and reassuring, but Pamela grabbed Laura's blood-soaked hand.
"This is it, babe. You know it and I know it. So how about you give me some of that bottom-shelf vodka," Pamela grinned faintly.
Laura couldn't even turn to look at the Winchesters, but said darkly: "Give it to her."
Sam looked from the dying psychic, to his brother, and then at the bottle in his hand. Handing it reverently to Pamela, she took a gluttonous gulp from the bottle.
"You're a real dumbass. What were you thinking crossing the veil alone?" Pamela scolded her young friend.
Laura's eyes burned with tears she would not let escape.
"You know exactly why I didn't call you," Laura responded, as the lump in her throat grew bigger and bigger.
"Oh yeah. That stupid dream you've been having… guess it wasn't all crap huh?" Pamela chuckled. She then began choking a bit, as more and more blood escaped her panting mouth.
"You shouldn't have come," Laura almost whispered, shaking her head. This was all her fault.
"I knew the risks the second I met you, but I'd be damned if I just stood by and let anything happen to you," Pamela had an odd amount of strength behind her words for a dying woman.
"Why? Why would you sacrifice yourself for me, Pam? What am I supposed to do without you?" Laura's voice cracked as tears began to run down her cheeks.
Pamela squeezed her hand tightly: "You're my family, that's why. You would do the same for me."
Laura sobbed as Pamela pulled her into a final embrace and whispered: "I'm never gonna leave you, Laur. I'll always be with you."
Laura nodded her head into her best friend's shoulder.
"You're strong, and I'm so proud of you," Pamela smirked and breathed faintly, "I love you."
Weeping, Laura felt her best friend's body go limp in her arms, and in that moment she knew nothing could ever be the same again.