A/N Hi Guys! How's it going? Are y'all ready for the spring break hellatus to end? I am! :)
Thank you to last week's reviewers: chinaluv, Emily AnnMcGarrett-Winchester, deangirlforever85, ArisuTamaZuki, icedragonfirebird, mamasam, Ivy, Sarah.B, and Maros-song! Because of you guys, I passed 300 reviews!
Dean settled behind her and placed an arm around her middle like they were used to. "So no crazy plans?" He asked one last time.
Zara felt her stomach sink. Their relationship was less than 24 hours old and she was already lying to him. Was this how it was going to be? Were they doomed to continually lie to protect one another? Maybe it hurt, but it was also the Winchester way. So who could blame her for taking a page out of Dean's book? She needed to do this. It was for the good of all. It was for revenge. It was for her baby girl.
And so Zara did something she had never done before. She used the mask that she naturally fell into when around threats. The same mask that Dean asked her to never use with him. The composure and cool serenity that always came with it make it easy for her to speak without betraying her emotions, but it didn't make what she was doing any easier. "No, Dean." She whispered into the dark. "I don't have any crazy plans."
Chapter 52
"Help me."
Zara could hear a small child's voice echoing through the dark forest. She could sense the child's fear and loneliness and her first instinct was to find the poor lost child. There had been a storm recently judging by all the branches and debris on the ground that Zara had to avoid as she made her way towards the voice. The forest was remarkably peaceful save for the child's pleas.
"Help me."
It seemed to be growing darker with each step Zara took in the forest. There were more fallen branches and damaged trees in her way and in her haste to find the child, she tripped on one of them and fell with a crash. That was when she noticed it- the huge claw marks on the trees. Now Zara could tell that there hadn't been a storm here. The large gouges told tales of a battle, but with what or who she had no idea. The quietness of the forest no longer felt peaceful. It felt ominous. A shiver went up Zara's back as she felt the uniquely terrifying sensation of being watched by an unseen predator.
"Help me."
Zara got up and started moving a little faster- eager to find the child and leave this forest. She could sense that whatever was watching her was now following her close behind, however she dared not look back to see what it was. Two more somethings joined the first on either side of her- hulking shadowy figures moving just out of full view. The shuffling and growling from the beasts was nearly drowned out by the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears as she ran faster and faster to get away. She caught fleeting glimpses of the shapes. They had black leathery skin, spindly arms ending in claws, and a mouthful of pointed teeth. Only once had Zara seen a creature like that in its natural form- back when she opened that portal to Purgatory. They were Leviathans. No matter how fast she ran, they always kept up the same distance- not too close, but not too far away either. It was as if they were herding her towards the voice that kept calling out insistently.
"Help me."
All of a sudden, Zara found herself in a clearing. The child was sitting in the middle wearing what looked to be a torn and ratty nightgown. Her back was towards Zara and her shoulders were shaking as if she were crying. The Leviathans prowled near the edge of the clearing- putting Zara on edge. She didn't know if they were unable to enter the clearing, making sure Zara didn't leave, or just waiting for the signal to attack.
Despite the foreboding feeling the monsters were giving her, Zara padded up to the child. Gently, Zara touched her shoulder and turned her around. The child's face was mostly shrouded in shadow, but nothing could hide her glowing golden eyes. There was an underlying rage and hatred in those eyes. Zara had seen that kind of malice in exactly one other person- Sean. Unable to move, Zara just stared into those unblinking orbs.
As soon as Zara had touched the child, the Leviathans stepped into the clearing- their jaws gaping and forked tongues flicking in and out quickly. Zara was paralyzed with fear and unable to do anything but stare into the child's spiteful eyes. With a flick of her hand, the child signaled the Leviathans to stop mere feet from Zara. Horrified, Zara realized that the child had never been crying. She had never been lost or afraid. She had been leading Zara here. She gave Zara a wicked, toothy grin before repeating her plea one last time in a menacing tone.
"Help me."
At those words, the Leviathans sprung and attacked Zara- ripping her to shreds, and still all Zara could do was stare at the little child in the nightgown with the glowing golden eyes.
Zara woke up screaming. Beside her, Dean bolted upright- gun in hand and eyes casting about wildly looking for the intruder who made Zara scream. When he Zara shaking and crying beside him, he realized that there was no threat and dropped the gun in favor of cradling her in his arms.
"Shhh." He soothed. "You're okay. It was just a dream. It wasn't real. You're safe." Eventually Zara calmed down enough to begin breathing normally again. However, her heart was still racing and the horror and fear that the dream had caused still lingered. She lay quietly in Dean's arms- the only place she really felt safe.
"Was it Sean?" Dean asked.
A dream about Sean wasn't unheard of. Zara had often woken up with a nightmare about her old abuser, but they had become less and less frequent in recent months. She shook her head- shuddering at the memory. "No. This was different."
Dean kissed the top of her head and glanced at the clock. "Well it's 5. We might as well get up. Wana tell me about it over breakfast?"
Dean stared into the depths of his coffee and resisted the urge to pour a shot of whiskey into it. "Wow, Zara… That's… That's awful."
"You think it means something?" Sam asked. He had joined them in the kitchen soon after they had sat down.
"I don't know." Zara sighed and closed her eyes- as if the darkness would erase the memory. She couldn't get the child's piercing golden eyes out of her head. "But I'd rather not talk about it anymore. What are we going to do until Friday?"
"We're going to Virginia." Bobby declared as he strode into the kitchen. "I just got a call. It sounds like a Vamp nest in the mountains and they need extra manpower. We should be back in plenty of time."
"Great." Dean smiled as he stood. "Been wanting to gank some bloodsuckers."
"I'll grab the gear." Sam left the room.
Zara looked down at her leg- still stuck in a cast. "I'm gonna sit this one out, boys. I won't be much help with a bum leg."
"You sure you'll be okay here alone?" Dean placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah. I'll figure out something to do." Zara smiled. A week of the house all to herself was an excellent opportunity to practice her abilities without fear of detection.
"Okay. We'll be back soon." Dean gave her a swift kiss before leaving to pack a duffel.
"Stay safe!" Zara called out the door as they pulled away in the Impala and Bobby's truck.
As soon as she closed the door, she was thinking of ways she could test her power. She had only given energy to people or in spells, but if she was going to be careful about this she needed a better way. Her gaze landed on the lamp on the entryway. Perfect. Zara unscrewed the light bulb and held the metal part in her fist. Taking a deep breath, Zara adjusted her grip and let her energy flow into the light bulb. It glowed brightly for a second before it shattered in her hand.
"Too much energy." Zara whispered to herself as she got a broom to clean up the glass. "Take it slow."
On her second attempt, she took more care to let it flow more gradually. This time, the light shone steadily. It felt as natural as riding a bike. The small success made Zara want to move onto bigger things. Next, she unplugged the TV. Careful not to overload it like the first light bulb, Zara started with a very small amount of energy. At first she didn't think that it was working, but after a few seconds, the screen lit up. It took more energy than she expected so she let it go after a few seconds. She didn't want to tire herself out after only a few experiments.
For the next few hours, Zara focused on fine tuning her control with more light bulbs. A few of them exploded like the first one, but overall those few hours proved to be very informative. She never really had any chance to think about where the power came from, but now she could tell that it was from somewhere deep within herself. Whether it was her soul or something completely separate, Zara couldn't tell, but that realization was like the switch shone a light on a whole new world.
She started noticing other things. There was energy everywhere. If she looked close enough, not only could she see the physical object, but she could see all the energy contained within. Artificial energy like in electrical wires and other appliances glowed brightly. Other things, like natural energy, were more subtle. The most fascinating item was the potted plant in the living room. She could actually see how the plant took in the sun's rays and turned it into something the plant could use. To think that all these things were just under the surface and Zara was just now paying enough attention to notice them.
Naturally, Zara's next experiment focused on the plant. If she could se the energy, she could manipulate it. Right? Some of the leaves had begun to wilt so Zara touched one and focused on sending extra energy into it. Like the TV, it took an incredible amount of energy to get any results. But after a few minutes, the leaf was as lush and healthy as any of the others.
It was dark when Zara finally decided to take a break. She had spent the whole day fine tuning her skills and while she was amazed by her progress in just a day, she was also exhausted. Whatever energy reserve she had tapped was depleted considerably and Zara felt drained, hollow, and aching. As she sat sipping a beer and staring at the healed leaf on the plant, she had one last idea. If she could give out so much energy, could she take it as well?
Without a second thought, Zara reached down and lightly touched the wall plug beside her. She could feel energy coursing through the wires just under her fingertips and for a second she just reveled in feeling the raw power. Where she would normally push out from within to add to the flow, this time Zara focused on splitting the stream and directing some into herself. Within seconds, Zara was feeling more awake and energized. Another few seconds and she felt completely at 100%. The remaining lights in the house were dimming and yet Zara didn't want to stop. The urge to go farther was intoxicating. How much could she actually take?
Zara's hair started standing on end and she could feel sparks running up and down her arms. Yet, she kept going and going. Without any place to direct the energy, Zara held it within herself. She didn't notice it at first, but as she took more and more into herself, the familiar soul deep pain began rising up within her. It was too much. She was holding way too much. Zara broke contact and the lights went back to normal, but she didn't. Everything inside her was on fire. Whatever amount she could hold naturally was certainly exceeded and it was frying her from the inside.
Desperate for an outlet for so much energy, Zara forced it back into the outlet she had taken it from. Every light in the house brightened significantly before shattering and plunging Zara into darkness.
