As Close as Family

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Summary: see chapter 1

Warnings/Ratings: see Chapter 1

Important Author's Note: Thanks as ever to Rae Artemis for being a great beta.

Chapter 6 – Suzi's story

'When I left Jason and Max's, I was going out with this guy, Liam. He was a loser. I knew it but I fell for his line about loving me and left with him. Max tried to talk me into not rushing but I wouldn't listen to her. Anyway, I got to know these people through him. We were having fun, hanging out, I was swept along with it all, I dropped out of College and just hung with them.

Well I woke up one day, and he'd gone. I didn't know what to do, he'd taken everything – the bit of money I'd got, my jewellery, anything he thought he could sell. Most of his buddies had gone too. There was just this one guy who turned up; he'd been kind of on the edge of the group if you know what I mean. His name was Callan; he seemed like a real sweetie to start with. Nothing was too much for him. I'd got nothing, no money, nowhere to live, the only friends I'd thought I had had vanished with Liam and Callan took me in and offered me support and friendship. I couldn't believe my luck.

He talked me into coming out here with him for a fresh start, said he had family and they needed him, but that it would be fine for me to come too. Everyone would be more than happy for me to be here. I could be part of something good he said. I missed Max and Jason and figured maybe if I sorted out here, I'd find that sort of life again and that if things worked out, I could get back in touch with them. I didn't want them to know what a mess I'd made of my life. Look at me now. I thought I'd fucked up then, now look; I'm back where I started. You should have left me there Dean, I've thrown away all the opportunities I got because of you saving me.'

I wished I could take the pain away from her, instead I encouraged her to continue 'It'll be okay. Tell us what happened.'

'We got out here and it was all a bit odd but everyone was nice enough. I just figured it was small town U.S.A. We stayed in some odd towns when we were kids didn't we?'

'Yeah, we did, there's plenty of them,' said Sam, who was, by then, sitting on the edge of the other bed. He gave her a warm smile, genuine. She returned his smile, it was sad but it too came from the heart.

'I was wrong though. It was more than just an odd town. There was something really off but by the time I realised I was stuck here. See most of the people here are fine, they're good decent people, they close their eyes to what's going on around them but they don't do anyone any harm, but the rest, they're all worshipping this demon and everything. Dean, it's just like I remember with… when you got me. Well, I tried to get away, Callan, he lost his temper and well you can see where that gets me...' she gestured vaguely at her arm and face.

'How long has it been like this?' Why did I need to know the answer? She shook her head. 'Tell me,' I gently brought her face to look at me but her eyes just roamed the room, refusing eye contact, 'Suzi?'

'It doesn't matter.'

'I want to know, Suzi. How long?'

'Dean, let it go.' Sam's voice was firm, unrelenting.

'No, I want to know. Suzi, how long has this been going on?' I knew they thought I was being a bastard, that I should have let it go, but I needed to know, because by god and all his angels, Callan was going to pay for every minute he had treated her like that, every bruise on her body.

'So tell us about the demon,' Suzi's eyes flicked to Sam, she nodded. They ignored me, my demand. I bit my tongue, it wasn't about me, what I wanted, it was about saving Suzi.

'Yeah. At first, Callan kept me at the house, I never went anywhere, and the only people I saw were the people who visited the house. He was going out but he'd leave me there. He used to lock me into this room before he left. I thought about leaving, but I'd got nothing, not a dime, I couldn't afford a phone call, let alone a bus fare. One day, I decided enough was enough; I was going if I had to walk forever, I wasn't going to stay any longer, he went out and I picked the lock on the door and set off. Except he hadn't gone out, he was waiting for me. I was truly frightened that night; I honestly thought he was going to kill me when he lost his temper. It was a couple of weeks before I could walk again, let alone think about running away. From then on, when he locked me in, he chained me up as well. So when Callan started to take me with him, I was just relieved, I hadn't been out at all for what felt like months. It was good to be out, to see new people. It seemed like they were just hanging you know. They'd go out to this clearing, big fire, beers, drugs and they'd shoot some rabbits and stuff. They'd eat some of them and lay others out on an altar but it was like it was a joke not like they actually meant anything by it. But over the months, it became more of a ritual, the sacrifices got more numerous, bigger and more frequent. I thought I was going nuts. I thought I was imagining it was happening because how else could I have been so stupid to have ended up back in the same situation. Surely I should have recognised the signs earlier. Not just been sucked back in like an idiot.

Then I met her, Leanne. She'd been brought in by Callan's buddy Luke. She was really quiet and nervous. I couldn't see what she was doing with a guy like Luke. I got talking to her one day. Callan and Luke had gone out of town – we were at one of those gatherings with someone else watching over us. They weren't watching as closely as Callan and Luke did, but they were too observant for us to get away but didn't stop us talking. Callan was away 'On business' he told me and I didn't know better then. I tried to warn Leanne, tell her to get out, get away before it was too late. Her answer just made me go cold; she said it was already too late. They'd come to find her as soon as she left her Dad's and moved in with friends. Then she said of course Jefferson wasn't her real Dad, but he'd taken her in after Bobby had found her and rescued her from being sacrificed when she was a child.'

'Fuck,' it was out of my mouth before I knew it.

'No.' Sam's voice is filled with just as much horror.

'Well, when Callan and Luke got back that night, they had another girl with them. Her name was Selena. She was a pretty little waif like thing.'

'Caleb found her.' I couldn't believe what I was saying even though I knew I was right.

'What did you say Dean?'

'Caleb found her, Selena. It was a few months before we found Suzi.'

Suzi continued, 'That's right. It was her. She'd just left home and gone off to college too.'

'When we found you, there had been a spate of demon activity all over the country and young girls being used as sacrifices. It's one of the reasons I think Dad kept you with us for so long. There was more than just the three of you, Bobby found more than just Leanne, other hunters found girls too, I don't know how many altogether. Pastor Jim and his friends were trying to find safe homes for all the girls who had been rescued, but it was difficult to do it quickly and properly. Dad already had two kids, a third wouldn't have looked out of place, he was used to coping whereas guys like Bobby and Caleb, they're single guys, it would have been harder to explain them travelling with a young girl, nobody wanted anyone poking around and prying. And anyway it wasn't like they knew how to look after kids or wanted their lifestyles to change. They figured the girls would be safer with families.'

'I didn't know anything about it.'

'No Sam. I only knew bits about the girls, stuff I put together from overheard conversations, Dad never really said anything to me, but I heard him talking with Bobby and Pastor Jim about other girls, other demons doing the same as we'd seen with Suzi. In all the cases that I knew of though the demons were sent back to hell as a permanent fixture. So what's happening now?

'I think it's a different demon, but it somehow knows what happened before. It's collecting the girls up or rather it's got its followers doing it.'

'Where are Leanne and Selena?'

'Selena's dead, Leanne's at Luke's.

'Dead? By…'

'They sacrificed her. They said they were going to do it in the order we were to be sacrificed originally. It's why there's only Selena gone so far.'

'What do you mean?'

'Callan and Luke left tonight. They're going after the girl who's next, but I don't know what her name is or where she lives. I don't think she lives far away though, they're intending being back here with her before tomorrow night. That's when they're going to...' she paused, closed her eyes, unable to continue for the moment. I rested my hand on her shoulder. She re-opened her eyes and continued, 'There's been some sort of problem, I don't know what exactly, maybe she didn't leave home like the rest of us who are here. They picked us up not long after we each moved away from home.'

'Right we need to get started, Sam, I need you to make a phone call to Pastor Jim. Suzi and I are going to work out how many girls are already here and how we can collect them up and get them out safely. Then we need to work out how to take the demon down.'

I only just caught the sound of her barely whispered, 'If we can.'

Another Author's Note: See now, I'm hoping people are interested. I know chapters 1 and 2 went down okay, but have I 'lost the plot' since, literally or figuratively! I'd love to know what you think. Good wishes to all. Morning Sunlight