Author's Note: I do not own these character...I know, I was shocked to find that out too. Anyway...here we are...edging our way to the climax of the story. I'm so curious as to what the readers think - is Bobby right? Is he going to kill her? Will Dean ever taste another pie on a stick again? *LOL* Read, enjoy and review... :)
Chapter 14
Bobby woke with a start. It took him a few moments to identify his surroundings and once he had his bearings, his mind fought to pinpoint exactly what he was hearing when he woke up. If he didn't know better, he'd have sworn it was the sound of the Impala waking him. But if the either of the boys were close enough for the car to wake him, surely they would've seen him. They were both incredibly observant when it came to their surroundings. Hell, they hadn't survived this long by making bonehead moves like not knowing who and what was within sight distance.
He had decided the truck stop was a safer place to catch a little shut eye than the motel parking lot. He didn't know what he was walking into to begin with and well over a half a day had passed since his conversation with either of the boys. That's a lot of time for a soul sucking she-bitch…if that's what she is, he reminded himself. The part of him that saw these boys as their preadolescent selves had already been judge and jury on the subject and was urging him to also take on the role of executioner. It was the part of him who knew these boys were no longer boys, but proven hunters, killers in their own right, that kept reminding him that this may not be what he feared.
On the drive, he'd spent a lot of time asking himself what kind of creature could be coy enough to weasel her way into their lair without detection. This wasn't June Cleaver's living room this thing was waltzing into. These boys could sense evil. No dish had ever been so tempting that it could get Dean's dick to out think his brain when it came right down to it. And even if it had managed to get things to that point, Sam was no Dean...not when it came to letting his crotch do his thinking for him. Sam would've spotted it from a mile away...wouldn't he?
He took the time to go into the truck stop, use the facilities and grab something to eat. Despite the strength he felt he knew he needed to be fueled up. He'd been running on this same adrenaline all night and it was bound to run out. Without the fuel, he was liable to lose steam at a critical moment. He was not about to have this thing go wrong because he refused to stop long enough for a sandwich.
He took his food to the car and headed for the motel. He would need to make a few drive-by's before he could formulate a plan. He'd done a lot of thinking on that during his nine hour plus ride too. As much as he'd love to run in there, guns a-blazin' so to speak, he really did need to make sure that his trip was even warranted. If by some chance of fate he was wrong, he didn't think "Sorry for ganking your girlfriend" would smooth things over much.
On his first pass, he noticed that the footprint of the motel is surrounded by a fairly thick tree line. There was only five feet or so from the back of the little cottages to the edge of the forest – just enough to mow and keep it looking clean. He also noticed the red '88 Cavalier sitting beside one of the cottages and the absence of the Impala. He hoped like hell that this was a good sign...that it meant they were okay and just out, doing whatever it is this place offered for the day. His mind began sending him mental images of the demons from the pictures he'd seen during his research...they were sitting behind the wheel of Dean's baby, full from sucking down the souls of the brothers. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he found a place to turn around and drive back the way he'd came.
On pass number two he saw an access road for the woods on the same side as the cottage with the Cavalier beside it. It appeared to be a well cleared path that wound and disappeared into the thick shrubbery. He decided that he would drive that path and at least get his car off the road and out of sight. It took another pass before the coast was clear and he could turn into the woods without being seen.
Just as it appeared to do, the path wound into the trees and ended at a small clearing just big enough to turn a vehicle around. He took advantage of this and turned the car so that it was facing the direction of the road. If nothing else, he'd be prepared if he had to high tail it out of there in a hurry.
He got out of the car and took in his surroundings. The ground was uneven outside of the clearing and pretty much unkempt. There were several fallen trees and a thick carpet of dead leaves, all in different phases of decomposition. There were wild vines growing haphazardly throughout the tangle of trees and it was easy to see that it would serve him well to get the lay of the land between the motel and the clearing before he had to maneuver through it with purpose.
He could see the back of the cottages in the distance, but the brush was so thick that the landscape appeared broken. As he made his way toward the buildings, he did his best to clear a straight path. He took the time to mark a few saplings that lined his makeshift route so that he could easily find it in a rush – escape was always high on the priority list.
Once he got closer to the motel, he began clearing the leaves from the path as well. They were loud under his feet and would certainly lower any chances of being stealthy. Once he got to the edge of the tree line, he peeked out down the length of the forest. He could walk unobstructed from cottage to cottage with ease in the space between the buildings and trees...but he could also easily be seen from the road doing it as long as it was still daylight. Which, if (he almost hated the taste of that word at this point) she was a succubus, she would be strongest at night. That meant he needed to use the daylight to his advantage as much as he possibly could.
Since each room had a window that faced the trees, he figured that was a good a place to start as any. He would ease out into the clearing and check each of these windows in hopes of seeing a visible salt line on the other side. If he didn't find one here, he would have to make his way around to the other side and check the windows of the cottages there. He was checking the road by way of the clearing when he heard the Impala's throaty approach in the distance. He took two steps back into the trees and said a silent prayer as his heart began racing in his chest.
He was standing still, but his insides were shaking. When he realized it, he did his best to make it stop, but he knew it was because of his closeness to the situation. If these were just some random yahoos who'd hooked up with this creature, he'd be as calm as if he were strolling through a park. But these boys were his and that meant that a lot more was on the line. If things went bad as they definitely had the potential to do, he'd have to live with that for the rest of his life. He'd already been kicking himself for not rushing down here sooner. Now would be a great time for that other voice to speak up – the one that kept saying that maybe he's wrong, maybe she's human, maybe Dean's really in love…but that pussy chose this moment to keep his mouth shut and let him suffer.
The Impala pulled into the motel parking lot and parked next to the Cavalier. From Bobby's vantage point, he could see them clearly. They appeared to be okay – everyone was either smiling or laughing, no one looked emaciated or drained…in fact they all looked rather healthy and energetic. Hell, if he was willing to admit it to himself, they were almost glowing! Bobby's face showed all the weight of the confusion and concern his mind was carrying.
"What the fuck," he whispered to himself.
The words were no more out of his mouth two seconds before Meranda's smile disappeared and her eyes shot to the tree line. Bobby drew in a quick breath and leaned backwards, hoping like hell that he did it before she saw him. His mind began racing – did she hear him? How in blue blazes could she hear him from that distance and over the sound of the car when he whispered so quietly that he could barely hear himself? And not only to hear him, but to know what direction that whisper was coming from? This confirmed one thing to him – whatever she was, it wasn't human.
Truth be told, he hadn't really formulated a plan until now, but her display made everything in his gut scream for action. He decided right then and there that he had to get her before they got inside.