Chapter 4
Jody Mills looked at her watch, and her eyes got slightly bigger as she realized what time it was. Discovering Sam and herself had finished the case of beer that she had brought over, she looked over at Sam, who had already wandered back to the computer again. "Your brother has been gone a long time."
"Painting the town red, I'm sure." Amongst other things that Sam did not want to even think about. For Dean, he did two things to make himself feel better when he got into these moods. Drink an absurd amount of liquor and pass out or hook up with a random girl and again, drink a ton of alcohol, and not always in that order all the time.
Jody didn't even have to ask, or matter of factly, she didn't even want to go there with that line of questioning. She could only imagine what Sam meant, and she did not need that imagery in her mind, and thankfully Sam's phone started ringing, not allowing him to elaborate any further on the topic.
Jody watched as Sam's face went from rather annoyed when he initially picked up the cell to concern in a matter of seconds after he answered the phone.
"Dean?...Dean….Dean!."
Sam looked up at Jody, who had stood up at the sound of Sam's distress; she crossed her arms and waited for the call to action. Sam hung up the phone and immediately grabbed his gun, putting it in a holster. From Sam's reactions and voice, she knew something was up.
Jody, not even questioning the younger Winchester, just got in the driver seat with Sam already tracking Dean's phone, telling her where to go. She took off with tires squealing as the vehicle found traction on the pavement.
"You going to tell me what is going on, or am I to be surprised?"
Sam looked up at Jody and could see Sam had concern written all over his features. In their line of work, it was easy to get distressed, worried. Most of the time, they were stoic, but now even the most seasoned Winchester would show one's fear about losing one another. The idea the other brother would have to continue their legacy and fight the good fight without the other scared both brothers.
"I uhh, he didn't say anything just heard noise in the background as though something hit him or he fell….I don't know but with the two vamps dead and Tony…"
Sam didn't have to finish his train of thought. Jody knew where his line of thinking was going. He pretty much said it by bringing up the three victims. He was worried that Dean would be the next victim to go missing, and the last thing they needed was for him to disappear when this case had them completely lost with no clues and where even to start.
(Bar)
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The woman yelling, after witnessing the attack on the older Winchester brother. The luck of seeing a Winchester in the bar, completely drunk off his ass and alone to boot, was too much of a golden opportunity not to take.
The man looked up from his kneeling position and rolled his eyes at the sound of the woman's concern. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm bagging myself a Winchester! Can you imagine how much money this fella would bring us?" Dean lay unconscious, utterly oblivious to the pearl he was facing. The man stood back up to his full height, never taking his eyes off the prize.
"You know we were told not to touch or bother the Winchesters, that they are more trouble than they are worth…that"
The man caught her off before she could continue. He was finally turning to look at her.
"To hell with the rule, come on, you know I'm right—besides, the last guy, what a joke. Call himself a hunter. The boss will be kissing our ass once we hand in this bad boy." The demon was standing over the unconscious Winchester, gloating over the prey he had caught so easily until a voice brought the attention away from Dean.
"HEY!"
The two individuals standing over Dean glanced up and saw the bartender making his way rather quickly to their spot. The sound of a car moving fast was coming down the block as well. It didn't take a genius to guess who was in that vehicle tearing down the road like a mad man. Where there was one brother, the other was not too far behind. It was an easy bet to believe it was the younger brother coming into the rescue to save his older brother.
They looked at one another and took off. The bartender raced over to the fallen man, placing his hand on the carotid artery, searching for life. Finding a pulse, but before he could assist any further injuries to the downed man, a car was nearly on top of him, blinding him with the headlights. The distinct sound of doors opening and a commanding voice boomed towards him.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
The bartender could not see who was yelling at him, but he could see a man's outline, and as his eyes began to adjust, he did not mistake the brandishing of a pistol as the taller man inched closer. Eyes shifting over quickly, the bartender saw the driver as well, and it happened to be Officer Jody Mills who was off duty, yet she to had her weapon drawn.
"Off..Officer Mills?" Finding his words coming out with a stutter.
"Rick?"
"What's going on, Sheriff?" Hands still in the air, not moving a muscle and not knowing if the much taller man would shoot him right there on the spot because he was an itchy trigger squeezer.
"You tell me." Jody looked down at the incapacitated Dean Winchester then back up at Rick.
"Look, can we put the guns away? Lurch over there is kind of scaring me." Moving his fingers to somewhat point at Sam, who was very angry and had no desire to mask how he truly felt at that very moment in time.
Jody squinted her eyes and then nodded her head and looking over at Sam, knowing they were going nowhere with this. "Sam, he's okay. I know him."
As much as Sam adored Jody and considered her practically family, however, her words could have fallen on deaf ears as far as Sam was concerned. All Sam Winchester could see was this unknown man was standing over his older brother Dean who was unresponsive and still lying on his side. There would be no dropping his weapon, and there would be no convincing the younger sibling. "Back away from him, slowly," Sam said very calmly, but there was a definite threat behind his voice, and Rick knew without a doubt Sam could pull the trigger with no remorse or without a second thought.
The bartender saw the threat for what it was, quickly making sure to put as much distance between him and the unconscious form of the man on the ground. It wasn't until he was far enough away that Sam would finally lower his firearm and take only a few steps to then drop to one knee and attend to his brother.
"Dean…come on man, wake up." Sam started patting him down, looking for apparent injuries or wounds that could cause his brother to be out cold.
"What happened?" Jody asked Rick. Jody had walked over to Rick, who watched the scene unfold in front of him but still kept his separation of the other two men.
"Jody," switching to her name now that he was comfortable and was not seeing her as an officer but the friend that she was, "I swear to God I came outside to smoke and saw him," pointing to Dean "on the ground and two people standing over him. He did beat the shit out of one of our local town drunks in there. I thought maybe they were retaliating, but something was off about them."
"What do you mean?" Jody's eyes still watching the Winchesters, looking for any sign from Sam that she needed to intervene and call in medical support. Rick was still talking to her, answering her questions, and setting the scene before they arrived.
"They were just dressed fancy like they were going to a Hollywood party or something. Just out of place for a town like this, you know?"
Jody could take a few guesses, but her first instinct thought demons were possessing some poor saps and riding their meat suits. Nodding her head in understanding, she gave a reassuring smile to the innocent and completely obvious to the real things that bumped in the night bartender.
"We handle it from here, Rick. Why don't you go back in."
Rick looked back at Dean, who was starting to come around making indistinctive grunts and groans and glanced to Sam, and then back to Jody and realized this was way above his pay grade with whatever was going on. Nodding his head, he turned back around and walked back into the bar. Jody turned back around.
"How is he?" Jody asking Sam as she walked up to the two brothers. But Sam was not the one who responded.
"I'm fine wilfl you stop Samym." Dean responded slurred and trying to slap Sam's hand away but failed miserably.
Jody making a face at Dean. "Either he has a nasty head injury, or he is really drunk."
Sam looked up at Jody and made a face of his own like he had taken a whiff of something he truly did not like. "Oh yeah, he's definitely trashed."
(Motel Few Hours Later)
"For the hundredth time, Sam, I didn't see what hit me or who hit me. But somebody knocked me out, hence why my head feels like somebody hit me!" Dean holding a compress to his head, annoyance clearly evident in his voice and tone. The last few hours had not been kind to Dean Winchester as he not only sobered up but as he sobered up, Jody and Sam kept poking him to keep him from falling asleep for fear of him having a concussion. His head felt like an elephant was tap-dancing on his skull. The whole thing did not improve his mood. The idea he got jumped by two uppity-dressed yahoos helped cement how he felt about this entire hunting experience.
Dean knew he should have passed on this hunt the minute it came up they were coming here. He knew he would not be able to handle all this because, quite frankly, he hadn't had time to process everything. Now to be constantly reminded about it, and he couldn't put it at the back of his mind and push it deep down like he wanted to, was unnerving him. He just felt off his game. Not to mention Sam looking at him, the way Sam looked at him always when Dean started to get into this frame of mind. All this thinking was making Dean tired.
Suddenly his whole body shook, and he was pretty sure his brain was hitting the base of his skull. Sam had come over and proceeded to grab his shoulders and shake his entire body.
"Ahhh, don't do that, my head."
"Well, stop falling asleep, Dean." Dean made a face mimicking what Sam had said, but Sam chose to ignore it. Sam knew his brother better than anyone else, including Dean, for the younger brother knew how Dean would react practically to any situation or what he would say in retaliation. He idolized his older brother, so there was not much that he didn't know about the inner workings of Dean Winchester. Sam knew from the get-go this was going to be a tough one and not because of the actual case itself, which could always prove difficult. No, it would be the emotions that would want to be suppressed but would rear their ugly head in the worst possible times, and so far, Dean had not disappointed.
"So what's the verdict?" Dean spoke up from his bed.
Jody and Sam were standing, trying to discuss their next move. Sam scratched his head. "Well, judging by their pattern in the past, they are going to move again, and no telling where they will show up next. We could trace Tony's last steps; maybe it will give us a clue to who grabbed him in the first place, or…." Sam looking to Jody and then back to Dean, "Or we wait."
Dean pulled the compress from his head, his eyes squinting from the pounding headache, but still looking at Sam and back to Jody, "for what, another body to randomly show up or another hunter to be nabbed? I don't like that idea."
"Neither do I, Dean, but so far, they have left no trace wherever they go. They are very precise and careful. No telling how long they have been doing this. We may have just stumbled onto something much bigger than we originally thought."
Seeing both brothers go into a staredown and Jody not coming up with any fresh ideas, she knew this was the time to make her exit. "Well, boys, can we pick this up tomorrow? Lunch on me?"
Sam gave a nod which was a yes from him, and from the bed, Dean gave a thumbs up across the room. The compress was back on his head. "Let me know if you need anything tonight. You think you can handle him?"
"Oh yeah, we've had much worse. Thanks Jody, see you tomorrow."
She gave a light smile and turned around. Sam shut the door and turned around. "Hey, I'm going to grab a coke you…" his sentence falling short and on deaf ears because Dean was fast asleep. Sam thought about waking Dean again to piss his brother off, but Dean had a rough day, so he figured he'd let the man sleep. Besides, Dean was not showing any signs of having a concussion. Hopefully, tomorrow would lead them with better clues or a break.
(Unknown Location)
An agonizing scream of sheer torture came from the man withering on the ground as another person stood above him, looking down at his handy work.
"Let me get this straight, you went against a direct order, MY ORDER, and tried to grab a Winchester! Other demons may put up with this type of insubordination…not me. I don't like this type of disrespect."
Another primal whimper of pain came from the pitiful lifeform laying on the ground, trying to find some way to protect their vulnerable body from any further anguish. The person above continued to circle like a cat playing with its toy, deciding when it had enough and was bored with its food.
"You know why I haven't picked one of those flannel-loving maniacs? Because they are chaos. Wherever they go. Unpredictable, untenable fucking lunatics. Like a tornado, never know quite where they are going to touch down and demolish. Nothing gets out. Nobody wins. Utter chaos."
The man yelled in agony as holy water was dumped on him for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.
"I wanted to bring you money, us, me…they would bring in so much….one of them alone. How many would be lining up the block just to," more screaming as more water was dumped on him and his skin fizzled and burned and blistered in protest.
There was no denying it. Having either Winchester in his grasp would be beyond amazing, and either one would bring in so much revenue that the money would come pouring in. Yet, even though he had been able to stay off the Winchester's radar as long as they were around, he heard the stories. They always came up on top. For whatever reason, the two brothers were consistently underestimated, and their body count continued to stack while everyone he ever knew was either sent back to hell or dead.
The very idea of picking such capricious fighters would either work in his favor or work against him, and every instinct in him was telling him not to even think about touching them. Yet, a nasty little idea started to form in his head. Something subtle at first, then it began to grow. He realized how he could make it work for the first time. He was surprised that he never thought about it. Yet, still, it was risky. Then again, that was everyday business—a game of risk.
"You know, I'll think about it. Too bad you won't be around to see what happens, though."
The demon began to scream and try and plead his case, but it was too late. With just a snap of his fingers, the demon's whole body burst into flames for a few seconds, and then the corpse withered away, and all that was left was a pile of soot at the man's feet. Giving a half laugh, he kicked the remains so they would scatter into the air.
Turning around, he saw the complete fear behind each and everyone's eyes. Exactly the way he preferred it. Never know quite what he was capable of. Keep them on their toes. Looking to the closest one, "You," he then saw them take in a deep breath, "tell everyone we are leaving tonight. Also, bring me the ones who dumped the bodies. I need a word with them. They are the reason the damn hunters are onto us."
"Yes, sir."
The demon continued to stand there, not moving a muscle. He rolled his eyes. "Well, what are you waiting for? MOVE IT!"
Each demon set off to the task at hand. Not wanting to be the next demon, he barbecued in front of everyone.
TBC…..
Notes: Thanks, everyone, for the reviews that I got in the last chapter. I was starting to think this was complete and utter dogshit, lol. So the chapter probably didn't go the way you thought it would, but hang tight. Things will start getting interesting. Sorry for the delay as well. I just moved to another state and having way too much fun in my new home. Thanks again for the support. Much love.