Pain shot through her as Riley's unseen assailant struck her, sending the young woman crashing mercilessly to the ground. Using what was left in the glass container, Riley threw it before her in time to see the demon bride reach her slender fingers out and grab for her throat. Thinking quickly, Riley grabbed the lighter beside her just as she felt cold rigid fingers reach around her neck. The sensation sending tremors down her spine. The pressure increasing as Riley found herself being lifted into the air by the unseen force, knowing the demon was reveling in the sight of Riley's failed attempts at freedom.
With one hand the young woman fought to breathe, striking the invisible ghostly hands that held her. The other remained at her side, trying frantically to strike a flame with the metal lighter.
"Go to hell," Riley cursed, hearing the welcoming and familiar sound of the small flame. Without command, without any powder to reveal the demon before her, Riley knew the look that must have donned the woman's face as she held the illuminated trophy out for all to see, revealing the small flame it held. Without a second's hesitation, Riley tossed the lighter into the open pit, and the red of the demon's eyes burned a deeper crimson as the flames met her decrepit corpse.
Sam had tried to warn her, to keep his vision from becoming a horrible reality as he and Dean had done so many times before, but helplessness filled him as Sam saw Riley's body being lifted into the air. Sam had failed.
Instantly the corpse went up in a beautiful blue flame, and Riley felt the iron grip on her neck loosen. Riley fell to her knees, breathing the air deeply. Sam felt an uneasy burden being lifted from his shoulders as the young brunette fell to the softened ground below instead of the cold steel of the fence that was meant to be her death.
"NO!" Dean shouted, through his eyes he saw Ericka burst into flames, crying out in agony and anger.
Pushing off his brother, Dean rose to run to the woman he saw, whose pale yellow dress and long hair, now lay engulfed in fire.
Riley swore she heard the agonizing scream as the spirit began to materialize before her, blue flames encircling her. Flesh melting away, spectral bones disintegrating to dust with the rotten corpse in the ground beside them.
She had seen Dean heading her way and prepared herself for another fight when the demon's spirit finally died, releasing a wave of energy that sent them all flying back.
"Is it over?" Sam asked as Riley packed her things, taking a look to the smoldering hole beside them the younger Winchester sighed with relief when the young woman nodded.
"Yeah," she replied. Standing, she looked up to the man and smiled. Her body ached, she would have bruised no doubt, but yeah, they were through the worst. Behind him she saw Dean start to rise, his first movements since the demon's destruction. Surprisingly Riley was grateful to have seen the man up on his own two feet.
"Someone give me a ruffie? Feel like I've been hit by a train," Dean murmured as he stood, his balance slightly off as he nearly fell. His head felt on fire. "What happened?" Encompassing his head with a hand Dean brought his eyes to Sam's and confusion lit his emerald green eyes as he saw Riley beside him.
"You don't remember anything?" Sam asked, taking his leave of Riley and approaching his older brother who now leaned against the large oak. In a way Sam was glad Dean couldn't remember, but at the same time, it hurt. Things were said that he had wanted to clarify, to understand.
"Not really. I remember why we came here, dad's journal being stolen and…..you." Dean added bringing his eyes to Riley, a mischievous smile on his face. Mustering what balance he could Dean made his way to her limping as he went, and Riley couldn't help but smile. More out of how ridiculous the man was acting than anything else. "They always come back. They can't get enough of me." Dean smiled, his eyes lighting up as he spoke, one wouldn't have guessed that moments before he was about to be demon food.
Riley's eyes passed over the overly confident mess of a man and met with Sam who couldn't help but smile.
"So what do you say we get out of here?" Dean asked, trying his best to act cool as his body tittered.
Sighing Riley turned and walked away. "Men." She sighed as she left the two behind her.
"Seriously, there is something wrong with this town man. It's messing with my karma or something," Dean joked, turning to his younger brother.
"You have no idea." Approaching Dean, Sam helped his brother out and to the car, glad that the ordeal was over and his vision didn't come true. The entire drive back to the hotel Sam drove, filling his brother in on what happened over the last forty-eight hours.
"Seriously something wrong with this town," Dean repeated as they packed to leave, having stayed through the night so he could recuperate. Still trying to get used to what he had been told. Laura was in fact a woman called Riley. Ericka was the demon bride. "Since when do you get the normal ones and I get the demons? Not right dude."
Laughing, Sam had no reply for Dean's accusations. Luckily they had both been able to get a decent night sleep and a lead on more paranormal activity before they left.
"Guess you're getting rusty, Dean," Sam joked as Dean left out the door. Grabbing his coat from the edge of the bed, Sam followed, only to find Dean frozen at the open driver's side door of his car. Stepping beside him, Sam saw what transfixed Dean's gaze.
There, on the driver's seat, was their dad's journal. Both tore their eyes from the book and looked around them for any signs of someone having been there, but there was none. They were alone in the hotel parking lot, and all Sam could do was laugh to himself.
"What's so funny?" Dean asked, tossing his bag in the back seat and grabbing the book from where it lay. Flipping it open, he checked for missing pages.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Sam replied making his way to the other side of the car, his eyes surveying the lots around them looking for her.
"Well everything seems to be….." Dean's sentence was cut short, as a loose paper fell from the book. Leaning down, he grabbed the small pale paper before the wind could blow it away. Flipping the small piece over he paused, reading what lay written on its unlined surface. "'R.H. (503) 555-3894.' Hey Sammy, this wasn't in dad's journal before was it?"
Handing the parchment over Sam glanced at the writings on it and his smile grew bigger.
"Not sure, try calling it," Sam replied handing it back over. Watching as his brother dialed the number, Sam couldn't help but laugh. He tried to keep a straight face. He had recognized the number, but wanting to see his brother's reaction even more, he kept silent about it.
"Voice mail," Dean sighed, his expression changing as he listened to the voice.
"You've reached Riley Hutchinson. Can't come to the phone right now but leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. And if this is Dean or Sam, thanks for letting me borrow the book. See ya 'round."
Dean's eyes went wide, his jaw dropping. "You gotta be kidding me." Looking to Sam in disbelief at what, he heard.
Knowing what was going through his brother's mind, Sam nodded and without a word, Sam lowered himself into the car.
"Something seriously wrong with this town." Slamming his phone shut, Dean placed it back in his jacket pocket and closed the journal. Tossing it to Sam before he entered. "That means she broke into my car." Slamming the door, he went on ranting and raving as he started the car. "And the hotel...she . . . "
Sam could do nothing but laugh at his older brother as he finally linked Riley with the girl who had kicked his butt and stole their dad's journal.
She watched them back out, purposely having ignored the call on her cell. Rather, enjoying the reaction on their faces. Sam's knowingly and laughing, Dean's disbelief and shock.
Having parked her car out of sight, Riley had watched the events unfold from the safety of the bushes nearby. Once out of sight, she made her way back and started her own car. Pulling out of the lot Riley looked right, the direction the Winchester boys had taken. Smiling to herself more than happy she was able to keep her word to their father, she turned left.
"See ya 'round guys," Riley whispered, as she adjusted the rear view mirror, glancing back to the empty road behind her.
OMG! Finally the first story is done. lol We have more planned and now that my friend and I have gotten more accustom to writing in the Supernatural verse the stories will flow and get more interesting...as long as you want them that is ;) The more reviews we get the more likely we are to post another tale in the life of Riley Hutchinson and the Winchester brothers. We would like to thank you very much for joining us on one of many stories to come and hope you stay through to the end. Please read and review and keep writing.