Chapter 14
-oOo-
Dean raised his voice to address the other men.
"Time to buddy up like we agreed. When you've done that, have a look around for anythin' you can use as a weapon but fightin's gotta be a last resort. Seriously, daemons don't die easy. Once we're outside, no hangin' round for teary goodbye's, Survival rules...Stick together for as long as you can, 'specially in unpopulated areas stay in shadows whenever you can, if you're gonna try hitchin' a ride, wait till you're out the immediate area, be choosy what vehicles you target. Head for populated areas asap if you can. Stick to the rules an' you got the chance to stay safe...Ok people? Move it. Lets do this!"
-o-
Martin came over having been buddied up with Pete.
"Hey kid. You want to look around for some kind of weapon? I just need a minute with Dean."
"Sure."
Pete waited until Martin was out of earshot before turning to Dean.
"Listen, why don't you buddy up with us? I'll feel better knowing you're not out there alone."
Dean shook his head.
"I'll be fine. Soon as I know you lot are clear, I'll ring my brother. You worry about keepin' yourself and the kid safe."
Pete nodded his head at the prone figure of Jonah.
"What about him?"
"He'll be taken care of...C'mon, help me round this lot back up. Sooner you're all gone, the better."
-o-
Dean peered out into the night from the open door into the storage unit, spotting a parked van. Keeping his voice low, he turned to Pete who stood at the head of the huddle of men crowded around the inner door.
"Their van's parked up outside. Stay here while I check it's all clear."
Pete hissed back at him.
"Let me go with you."
With a quick shake of his head, Dean held out Jonah's gun.
"Here. Take this. I need you to stay here, anything happens to me, I'm relyin' on you to get everyone out...Watch for me signalling if it's all clear, then get lost, all of you. That's an order!"
-o-
Pete moved to the front doorway, tracking Dean's movements briefly, then the Hunter was lost to him.
"Damn, he's good."
The next time he spotted Dean, he waved in the direction of the storage unit from alongside the van.
Pete took a deep breath and turned to the waiting men."
"Right people, it's clear. Move out quick, and good luck. Martin? Stay close to me son."
-o-
Silently, in twos and threes, the former captives raced to start their journeys home. Pete and Martin were the last to leave. As they stepped into the yard, Martin nudged the older man's arm.
"Why not use the van instead of walkin'?"
Pete shook his head.
"Dean's on his own. Them other two daemons could turn up anytime an' like the man said, they'll likely wanna find him more than the rest of us. He might need that van more than we do. We'll try hitching a ride soon as."
-o-
Martin was silent for a while as they left the lot and set a fast pace, keen to get out of the immediate area, then...
"Pete? If there's real daemons out there, what else d'you think's real?"
"Dunno son, not sure I wanna think too hard on it. There one thing we know for sure though, there's other Hunters like Dean out there, and I'm real happy about that."
Fifteen hours later, when young Martin at last arrived safely home, it was with a different outlook on the world, a newly developed sense of purpose; and with the clear knowledge of what he intended to do with the rest of his life.
-o-
Dean watched from his position up against the side of the van, counting the men off, making certain they had all gone before he went back into the unit to deal with Jonah and call Sam. Moving swiftly back towards the unit, he remembered giving Jonah's gun to Pete.
"Way to go Winchester. Guess I gotta improvise."
Pulling out Jonah's phone, he dialled Sam's number while he moved.
-o-
Keeping a tail on someone in an urban setting demanded skill, but even harder was trying to keep tabs on a vehicle that was being driven along virtually deserted back roads that cut through dense woodland without arousing suspicion. As well as keeping as far back as he dared, Sam had begun turning off at random intersections, only to immediately do a 'U' turn and re-join the road he had just left, hoping that if Natalie was monitoring the rear view mirror it would appear that the vehicle some way behind her had turned off, and a different car had happened to turn onto the same road as her. Sam could only hope she didn't spot the pattern that was one car turning off always being followed by 'another' car turning onto the road behind her. When Sam's phone sounded showing the call was coming from a private number, Sam hesitated before answering.
"Hello?"
"Sammy? It's me."
Sam had to stop himself from laughing out loud with relief at the unexpected sound of his brother's voice.
"Dean! Thank God! Where are you?"
Dean glanced around.
"I'm at some abandoned business lot. There's a couple of metal storage units. My date turned out to be a daemon, along with her two buddies. I could do with...Baby!"
"Natalie's a daemon? What? Baby who?"
"My baby, she's here...Whoa! You called her Natalie...Sam? Where are..."
-o-
A powerful arm wrapping itself around Dean's throat cut his words short, his knees sagged as a well aimed blow landed in the region of his kidneys and the phone he was using clattered to the ground. As Dean's eyes began to close in response to the choke hold around his neck, he could hear Sam's voice frantically shouting out to him. The arm around his neck released the Hunter and Dean dropped to his hands and knees drawing in ragged breaths of air as a boot connected with his ribs, sending him the rest of the way to the ground. He tried to curl up as successive kicks found their mark time and time again, until Dean no longer responded. His hand gripped tightly around the phone, Sam could only listen helplessly to the sickening sounds of the repeated assault on his brother and Dean's grunts of pain falling into silence. A brief scraping sound told Sam his brother's attacker now had the phone his brother had bee using. Breathing heavily from his exertions, a man's voice spoke cheerily to Sam.
"Whoops! My bad, Dean can't talk no more."
"You're dead, I swear, you're dead."
The call was cut off.
Knuckles white on the wheel, Sam glared at the car up ahead, it would be so easy. Without him realising, his foot was already pressing harder on the gas, closing down the distance between him and his target.
-o-
Seeing his cousin's name, Jethro answered the call to his phone.
"Hi. We're on our way over, the brother was a no show...What?"
Paling, Jethro's glance met Natalie's curious gaze.
"You're freakin' kiddin' me...? Shit!...Yeah sure. I'll tell her...Fuck!"
Jethro sat back with a despairing groan while Natalie put the phone he had been holding to her ear.
"Tell me what, Jonah?...Really?...You don't say...Oh baby, poor you!...Do you think you can manage to keep a hold on Winchester for me? Good boy. I'll be there soon."
-o-
Natalie ended the call and handed back a confused Jethro his phone.
"Poor Jonah, sounds like he's had quite a rough time!"
"Um...Yeah..."
They were the final words Jethro spoke as, with one hand, Natalie efficiently sliced open his throat. With Jethro bleeding out at her side, she licked the blade of her Hell forged knife clean, enjoying the tingling, stinging pain it caused her. Putting her foot down, she rapidly began increasing the distance between herself and an unknown vehicle that had, until then, been close to catching up with her.
-o-
"Damnitt!"
It was the last thing Sam wanted, having to pit the Land Cruiser's speed ability against another vehicle. His mind searched for anything he knew about the specs of the car he was now trying to keep up with. The female's sudden increase in speed told him 'Nympho' had probably taken a call from his brother's attacker. Sam couldn't afford to lose her now. C'mon, 2009 Pontiac Vibe, what're we up against here? Ok, ok. 158 horse power against my 155. Crap on fuel economy like this thing, waaay better acceleration. Gonna really have to work it, an' hope wherever she's headin' ain't too far, or that she runs outta fuel before I do!
-oOo-
Chick xxx