The cold slapped at him as he listened to the phone ring. C'mon, Singer, he grumbled silently as snow swirled around his boots. Pick up the damn phone. He knew Bobby was home because he told him earlier that if he ran into trouble at the Mulgrady Mansion to give him a call. It took another ring before he heard a click followed by an annoyed growl.
"Whoever you are,you better be dying."
"Bobby?"
"Who else you think gonna be answering my phone at this hour? Sammy Davis Jr.?"
Could always count on Singer to not mince words. If not for the cold and the kids waiting for him to get back to them, John might have chuckled, and shot something equally sarcastic back at him.
"Look," he said instead, "I know it's late..."
"But?"
"Something went wrong tonight, Bobby." Understatement of the year,he decided. "Things at the Mulgrady Mansion didn't go as we discussed."
"What happened?"
"The last victim was gonna be a kid. A girl. Same age as Dean."
A pretty little angel with dark hair and these big gray eyes that punch you in the gut when she turns them on you, he added as a burst of wind snaked underneath the scarf wrapped around his neck and chilled its way down his spine. Mary talked about wanting a little girl after having Sammy. John joked about waiting until Sam was walking and talking before they thought about having another.
It'd be nice having a little girl, though, he realized as ice particles slapped at his face. Help balance out things. Keep him and the boys from becoming completely uncivilized. It wasn't meant to happen, though. Whatever came into their house and killed Mary took that dream from them along with everything else.
"A kid? Aw, hell..." Bobby sighed. "Did you?"
"She's fine," he quickly assured him. "I got to her before she could walk into the water." John stared across the dark parking when a low, bone-chilling howl pierced the silence. Anxiety popped in his gut. He needed to get back to them. Sooner rather than later. "I think there's something after her, Bobby."
"Like what?"
"I don't know." Frustration pulsed beneath his skin. "I just know I saw a strange man at Mulgrady Mansion."
He didn't add anything about the howl. It was possible it was just a wolf or coyote calling to its pack. Something told him it wasn't. That it was exactly what he feared it was.
"How strange we talkin'?"
"Yellow-eyes strange."
"You thinkin' some sorta demon?"
"I don't know, maybe." The howl sounded again, closer this time. "All I know is I saw that man at Mulgrady Mansion and then again at the gas station we stopped at."
"Sounds like whatever it is, it's following you." Bobby was quiet for a moment. "Where you headed?"
"At the moment, nowhere. The Impala broke down thirty miles outside of Rochester, Minnesota. I barely managed to limp her into the first rest area." He hunched his shoulders. "I hate to ask, but think you can give us a tow to your yard?"
Bobby was quiet for a moment.
"Gimme an hour," he said. "I'll be there."
A/N: Hello, all! Hope this finds you well!
This piece is based around my Winchester Christmas story for the curious. I kept that story strictly in Dean's POV as it was his memory of the events so I'm now exploring a bit of it from John's.
I want to express deep thanks to Kathy, umbrella0326, and Sharzdah for their support and lovely reviews! They definitely are appreciated!