Chapter 15: Time to Kick some Troll Ass
A/N: Wow, I just want to say thank you to all of my reviewers. This is the first story I've ever written to break 300. Many heart felt thanks for your kind words and your inspiration.
I've spent the past four or five chapters building up for this one so I hope I did the big battle justice and that you all like it.
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John found Sam and Dean still on the blanket playing poker. The two looked pretty relaxed. Dean obviously won the round because he took his cards and all but shoved them in Sam's face which caused Sam to bust out laughing and shove his brother's hand away.
"Glad to see you two boys relaxing while your old man is down below busting his ass."
Sam and Dean immediately looked guilty but then John laughed at their expressions and they realized he was just messing with them.
"So did you find all the traps?" Dean asked.
"Yes I did. I have to say he's a crafty little bugger. He had eight of those damn things hidden beneath the surface."
"It's amazing that only six children have gone missing so far," Sam said.
"Yeah, but you gotta figure most parents aren't letting their kids go down there alone, and then they probably head home come night time. It's the rare occasion when a kid sneaks off or the parents aren't looking that the troll gets them. The rest of the time the thing is probably munching on rabbits and raccoons," Dean pointed out.
"I've altered the plan a bit," John said. "Dean, I still want you in the truck. You'll be listening for your cell phone to ring. I'll have mine set and ready to go. As soon as I see the ropes being tugged I'll hit send. I'll be standing there waiting for him with the machete."
"Okay, but what's different?" Dean asked.
"I want Sam to climb up under the bridge with my rifle. It has a silencer on it so we won't wake the neighborhood."
"Sam's arm is in a brace," Dean pointed out. "How's he supposed to climb with one arm useless and a rifle in his other hand?"
"The rifle has a strap. He'll throw it over his back. As for his arm, he should be able to manage. The design of the bridge is such that climbing up there will be quite easy, even one handed."
"It shouldn't be a problem," Sam said with a shrug.
"So if this thing gets by me I want you to take it out," John continued.
"Okay."
"I want you to stay close to the side, though. If for some reason you fall I want you landing on the ground and not in the water. I need you boys to follow orders. This whole plan is all about timing."
"Yes sir," Sam and Dean replied.
"Since we can't do anything until everyone goes home for the night we might as well relax." With that said John lay back on the blanket, put his sunglasses over his eyes, and rested his head in the palms of his hands.
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It was five hours later and finally the several families that had come out for a day at the river/park/woods decided they'd had enough fun and packed up to go home.
John and the boys were finishing off the Oreos with some now luke warm sodas.
"Your mother and I did this a few times," John spoke up. "It was before you were born," he said to Dean. "I was fresh out of the Marines and she was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. Man I fell hard for her. I didn't have much money then so we would go out on a picnic or drive into the country for an afternoon. Did you two know that the first time I asked her to marry me she said no?"
"You're kidding," Sam gasped.
"Get out," Dean added.
"Yep, she said I had no ambition, that I spent too much time with my buddies and that I needed to finish growing up."
"So what did you do?" Sam asked.
"I told my bar buddies to take a hike, got a job at the garage in town, opened a bank account, and bought a suit. I also spruced up the small apartment I had been living in. I painted the rooms in her favorite colors and even bought a bouquet of flowers to put on the table next to the sofa."
"How did Mom react?" Dean asked.
"I brought her back to my newly redecorated place, told her what I had done and then asked her to marry me again and she finally said yes. Let me tell you boys, nothing will tame a man faster than a good woman."
"No woman is ever going to tame me," Dean smirked.
"You just haven't found the right one yet," John replied. "Trust me, when the day comes that you do, you'll do what ever it takes to make her yours. Trust me son, women are good for a lot more than just a wham, bam, thank ya ma'am. I know you fancy yourself as quite the ladies man, but think about your mother. Would you have wanted some man to lie to her just to get her into bed and then leave her hanging the next day? Really, Dean, you should have a little more respect for the opposite sex."
"Hey, I respect the opposite sex just fine," Dean protested.
"Especially when the opposite sex is busty, slutty, and easy," Sam added with a laugh.
"Shut up," Dean told him.
John looked at his watch and announced that it was time to start putting their plan in action. The three cleaned up the remains of their picnic and stowed it in the truck.
Dean got in the truck and backed it up as close to the drop off as possible without putting the truck in danger of toppling over the side.
"Release the winch," John ordered. Dean flipped the switch and the long cable began unwinding. John grabbed the hook and pulled the winch down the side towards the traps the troll had set.
Sam stood to the side and watched as his father waited for there to be an excess amount of coil before clipping the ropes onto the cable.
"Stop," Sam called to Dean when Dad had the last lasso attached.
Dean got out of the truck and stood next to Sam. John made his way back up to the truck and opened his weapons compartment. Once again the boys looked at the contents appreciatively.
"Dad, just out of curiosity, when did you get as hooked up as Batman? I mean, you aren't really Bruce Wayne or something?" Dean asked.
"I wish," John replied. "As for how I got my new toys, let's just say that I meet a fellow hunter who happens to have military connections."
"Friends in high places," Sam whistled.
"Exactly," John grinned. He picked up his rifle, attached the strap and handed it to Sam. "Do you think you can handle this? It's a repeating rifle. It has some kick to it."
"Dad, you raised me," Sam pointed out.
John shrugged as if that was fair enough.
Dean was suddenly wishing he was going under the bridge so he could play with Dad's fancy gun. The thing had a laser scope and everything. John must have read his mind.
"You can do the shooting on the next hunt," John told him.
"What?" Dean replied like he didn't have a clue what Dad was talking about.
John then pulled out his machete and put a handgun in his waist band. He handed Dean a second machete and a handgun as well.
"Okay, any last questions?" John asked.
"No sir," the two boys replied.
"Okay then, Sammy, let's get you up under the bridge. Dean, stay here with the truck and keep you cell next to you."
"Yes sir."
Dean watched as his family once more went down the drop off to the shore below. He walked sideways a bit to watch as they went under the bridge. He also made a point of keeping an eye on the water's surface to make sure fuggly wasn't out there watching them.
Sam followed his father to the underside of the bridge and looked up. Dad was right, it was like a children's playground up there and it would be a great place to hide with the rifle. Sam was also pleased that Dad was letting him do this. He knew the only reason he was carrying the rifle and not the designated driver was because Dean's leg would prevent him from climbing. Dean always ended up with the potentially more dangerous missions when Dad was handing out orders but this time he didn't have a choice and he had to use Sam.
Sam tossed the rifle on his back and Dad gave him a boost up to the first rung and with only a bit of difficulty Sam managed to pull himself all the way up into the rafters. He then climbed through the rafters until he was about eight feet from the edge but still clearly over the ground. Sam looked down and realized he really didn't want to fall from this height. The drop probably wasn't enough to kill him but it would sure as hell hurt.
He backed his body up against two connecting beams for support and then used his long legs to anchor himself in place so the kickback from the gun wouldn't dislodge him. He looked down to his Dad and saw him giving him a thumbs up sign. Sam repeated the gesture and watched as his father scooted back towards the base of the bridge and hid in the shadows. Now it was simply a waiting game.
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Dean sat in the truck bored to death. He hated being on the sidelines. He was a man of action and right now he felt like he was missing all the fun. He looked at the cell phone almost willing the damn thing to ring so he could get this show on the road. He looked to the sky and watched as a storm slowly moved in. He could see soft flashes of lightning and even hear the distant rumble of thunder. He hoped the storm would hold off until the hunt was done but somehow doubted they would get that lucky.
A few minutes later the full moon was blocked from view as the first traces of clouds floated in front of it.
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An hour and a half had gone by without anything happening. Sam tried once more to find a position that was comfortable. He had long since lost all sensation in his rear end. He was also cold. Since the sun had gone down the temperature had dropped and the approaching storm wasn't helping the situation. Thick clouds blocked any trace of moonlight and made for an incredibly black night. It was almost too dark to hunt and Sam realized he didn't have a flashlight.
Suddenly the clouds illuminated in a flash of lightning and Sam was able to see his father crouching down below. Then the world was dark once more. It was only because Sam was a trained hunter that his eyes allowed him to see his father creep from his position and head towards the cable. He watched as his dad gave a tug on the line. He stood poised, ready for attack, but nothing happened. Another flash a lightning gave Sam a better view of his father pulling on the traps a second time.
This time Dad must have felt a return tug, because he pulled out his cell phone and pressed the button alerting Dean.
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"Yeah, about freaking time," Dean said as he gunned the engine and floored the vehicle. At first he didn't feel anything but a second later he felt the pull on the vehicle and knew he reeling in the troll for his father.
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Sam heard the truck roar to life and then take off. He raised his gun towards the water and waited.
John backed up several steps and held his machete like a Samurai warrior. He watched as the ropes were pulled in and he could see a large shape in the water creating a wake behind it as it was dragged forward. The object only had about ten more feet and it was be on dry land when suddenly it disappeared. Shit, the troll had let go!
Sam had also been watching the water and like his father he also realized the troll had been smart enough to let go of the rope. Both hunters were on edge waiting for something, anything, to happen. They didn't have to wait long.
From the ground John saw a large spray of water go flying up and he watched as the troll jumped out of the water and latched onto the underside of the bridge not ten feet from Sam.
"Sammy! Watch out!" John cried.
Sam quickly repositioned himself so he was facing the troll which was advancing on him quickly. Last night the troll was simply an animal after a meal, tonight it was an animal that was under attack and it was ready to fight to save itself.
John watched as the troll swung from rafter to rafter with the easy of a monkey. He heard the soft zip noise from the silencer that told him Sam had fired off two shots at it but he missed both times. The troll moved too quickly. Then the troll let out a screech of pure rage. John realized the thing was going to attack Sam.
He started to hurry towards the edge of the bridge to climb up when a noise from the water drew his attention. He looked back and saw two more trolls climbing out of the water. These were only about two feet tall and were clearly the children of the troll that was after Sam.
"Hey you ugly bitch!" John called up to the mother troll as he ran towards her children.
Both Sam and the troll watched as John advanced on the two smaller creatures below. Sam tried to take advantage of the mother's distraction to fire off a shot at her. He raised the gun and fired but at that second she moved to growl at his father and the bullet only clipped her shoulder. She howled in pain and whipped her head back around to glare at Sam. She snarled and lightning glowed off her razor sharp teeth. Sam fired the gun again but she ducked under the rafter and began swinging back and forth wildly and the many rafters and beams blocked Sam from getting a lock on her.
"Shit!" Sam griped. He needed to change his position. The troll knew where he was and she was slowly but surely working her way towards him by swinging under the rafters. Her agility and familiarity with the bridge gave her an edge.
Sam tossed the rifle over his back and began to move from beam to beam using his legs to help him reach the next one. The brace on his arm was definitely slowing him down. He didn't even hesitate. He ripped open the Velcro and dropped the item to the ground below.
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John managed to decapitate one of the trolls in a flash. As he turned towards the other one it jumped at him and lunged for his throat with its teeth. John dropped the machete and staggered backwards using his hands to keep the thing from tearing his throat out. He fell on his ass in the mud trying to pry the thing off of him. His fingers were quickly cut and sliced open as he used them to hold the creatures jaws open.
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Sam now used all four limbs to move under the bridge. He was about to reach out to the next rafter when the troll swung up lightning quick and slashed Sam across his chest with her long claws.
"Ahh!" Sam cried. He pulled the gun forward and raised the rifle to fire. The troll smacked the end of the barrel and the only thing that prevented the gun from falling to the ground was the strap that held it to Sam's body. Sam didn't have time to aim the rifle again so he used his long leg and kicked out at the troll. His foot connected with her chest and he sent her sailing. She was able to use her claws to latch on to another beam and pull herself up to safety.
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John had almost pulled the thing from his throat when the smaller troll used it claws to start tearing away at his chest.
"Fuck!" John cursed.
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Dean raced down the hill as fast as his leg would let him. He saw his father on the ground struggling with a troll that was putting up one hell of a fight. Dean ran over, picked up the fallen machete and then kicked the troll clear off his father. He didn't hesitate. He jogged the five steps needed to reach the stunned creature and started to hack away at its body.
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In the next instant John found himself fighting with the air. The troll was suddenly gone from his grasp. He looked up to see Dean chopping away at the thing over and over until it was literally nothing more than pieces.
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Sam took aim and fired a bullet right into the troll's chest. Again she howled but the one bullet wasn't enough to kill her. She dropped down below the rafters holding on like a monkey once again. This time Sam wasn't going to let her get away that easily. He fell backwards as well, hanging upside down from the rafter using his legs to anchor himself on like an acrobat. He aimed the rifle and fired off three shots into the fleeing troll's back. The creature cried out and fell from the bridge. Unfortunately hanging upside down didn't provide Sam any protection from the rifle's kickback and he lost his perch and also fell.
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"Sammy!" John gasped as he stood up. John and Dean watched as Sam hung upside down and fired off several shots. They heard the troll cry out and saw it plummet to the ground. Then with horror they watched as lightning filled the sky just in time to let them clearly see Sam also falling from the bridge.
"Shit!" Dean cried as he and John both ran to where Sam was falling. They only had a moment to stretched out their arms, clasped their hands together, and prepared to do what they could to soften Sam's fall.
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Sam didn't cry out or scream as he fell. He simply waited for the impact. Needless to say he was surprised when he failed to make contact with the ground. Instead he felt himself wrapped in his family's arms just before all three of them hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and curses.
"Fuck Sammy!" Dean groaned as it felt like his arms had just been pulled from their sockets. "It was easier to do that when you eight."
"Dean, what…?" Sam gasped as he pulled himself into a sitting position.
"Sam, are you okay?" John asked.
"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine but Dad you're bleeding!"
"Superficial wounds," John scoffed. Lightning and thunder rumbled once more and then the sky split open as torrential rains cascaded down on them soaking them all through and through.
The three hunters struggled to their feet. Dean was rubbing at his shoulders, Sam held tight to his injured and bleeding chest, and John had his hands clenched tight to stop the blood flow from his fingers. Together they walked to where the mother troll lay on the ground. John used his foot to roll the thing over and was glad to see it was dead. He picked up his dropped machete and decapitated the thing just to be on the safe side.
John looked at Sam. "Mighty fine shooting there, Tex."
"Thanks."
"Yeah, but you could have skipped the whole 'let's fall from a bridge' stunt," Dean pointed out as he continued to rub his shoulders.
"No one told you to catch me," Sam teased.
"Yeah, whatever," Dean replied. Privately he thought, 'I'll always catch you when you fall, Sammy. That's my job.' He placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. "Let's get this mess cleaned up."