Chapter Sixteen – Dead Man's Blood

With the women, Cain and the other prisoners safely on their trek to town, Deke focused his attention back on these vampires. He was relieved to find Blaze tied up in the barn and went over to reclaim his horse. She nuzzled his shoulder as he threw his saddle on her back and fixed the bit in her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too."

Good thing she looked in fine shape, he would kill any man or beast that mistreated his baby. He rubbed her neck and patted her shoulder before he hefted himself into the saddle. He was glad no one was there to see him mount up, as he gasped from the pain of his sore chest.

He ran his hand across the sheath on his saddle and wrapped his fingers around the grip of his machete, sliding it partly out of its case, insuring it was still there and ready to dispatch some vampires. He was relieved to at last have the means to kill these creatures.

"All right girl, let's go take care of these vermin."

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Jake and Scott were headed down the road toward Carpenters when they heard the sound of wagons in the distance. They quickly moved off the road to the cover of the trees and waited. Jake sighed with relief when he saw the wagons rolling down the road with his friend Cain and love Aggie at the helm.

They abandoned their hiding spot and rode up to greet the approaching wagons and were met with a joyous gasp from Aggie.

"Aggie, you all right? What's happening here?" Jake questioned.

"We were captured with Deke, but he escaped and released all these prisoners." Aggie replied.

"Where is he?" Scott asked, concern over his vision fueling his inquiry.

"Deke stayed behind to cover our escape. He'll be along shortly." Cain added.

"Cain, you don't look so good. You alright?" Jake asked.

"We're all fine. Now do you suppose you should go help Deke and make sure he's all right?" Gabrielle interrupted, taking everyone by surprise with her bold statement and obvious concern over the older Winchester brother.

"Deke can handle himself, and why exactly are you so concerned for my son's welfare?"

"Shouldn't someone be concerned for his welfare?"

"Jake, meet Gabrielle, David Elkin's niece, and the object of your son's affections." Aggie added with a sly grin.

"Deke find himself another girl, huh? I thought he was supposed to be working?" Jake replied.

"Perhaps he works in the same manner as his father. And it would appear he is working, after all he orchestrated the rescue of all these people. Now do you suppose you should start working, and perhaps back him up? Or would that be too strenuous for you?" Gaby challenged.

"You're a feisty one girl, I'll give you that. I reckon you might be able to hold your own with my boy, but you're right. We best be headin' on out. Aggie, Cain, you get these folks back to town and protect yourselves. Gaby, l look forward to making proper acquaintance with you." Jake tipped his hat before riding up alongside Aggie's buckboard and leaning down for a quick kiss then spurring his horse and taking off down the road with Scott.

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Deke rode along the road toward Carpenter's, watching for any activity that might indicate trouble was approaching. The night seemed calm and pleasant with no hint of evil or danger lurking about in the shadows. He rode far enough down the trail to insure no one was coming to check on the dungeon in the near future, before reversing his course and heading on back.

He was in the mood to kill some vamps, and would like nothing better than to ride into Carpenter's lair and dispatch all his evil cohorts, but he knew the odds were stacked against him, so for once reason outweighed his thirst for revenge. He would have to make due with the four vamps still waiting to meet his blade. Hell, four was better than nothing, and he knew the others would fall soon enough.

As he reentered the dungeon the ugly guard was just stirring. He moaned, opening his eyes just in time to see the blade swing down upon him separating his miserable head from his shoulders. Deke continued on to 'short' and 'fat' and dispatched them in much the same manner.

Deke walked down the long corridor checking the empty cells as he went until he found just what he needed. He was about to plunge his blade in, when a slight sound distracted him and he felt a presence behind him. His movements stilled as he tensed, bracing for the coming fight. He cleared his mind and focused his energy as he swung around to face his attacker, only to be standing off against his dad and brother, pulling back his blade as the realization hit that backup had arrived.

"Whoa, don't go sneakin' up on a fella like that. A step closer and I might have run you through little brother."

"Yeah, well you weren't paying close enough attention there big brother, elseways why'd you let us sneak up on you?" Scott teased, relieved to see his brother alive and appearing in fairly decent shape.

"Let's just say it's been a long two days and leave it at that."

"That a vamp?" Jake asked referring to the body Deke was preparing to skewer.

"No, just an unfortunate that didn't make it." Deke replied looking grim.

"So what are you doing?" Scott asked.

"Just a little experiment." Deke replied before turning his attention back to the dead man lying on the floor. "Sorry mister, but you're not gonna feel a thing."

Deke sliced his machete through the dead man's side, covering his blade with his blood. He then stood and walked past his concerned dad and brother and proceeded back to his original cell. They followed him in dazed silence, wondering what exactly he was intending.

The last guard was still shackled to the wall, struggling to free himself, but not possessing the Winchester knowledge that had allowed Deke to escape previously.

"Hank, was it? Now what exactly were you saying about the blood being poison to you?" Deke inquired as he stood before the vamp with his blood stained blade glistening in the dim light.

The vamp look scared but defiant, refusing to respond as Deke removed his gag, egging him on.

"Come on now, spill. What happens if you take on a dead man's blood?"

The look in the vampire's eyes told Deke what he needed to know, even as the vamp refused to answer.

"Alright then. Guess I'm just gonna have to continue my little experiment." Deke replied as he plunged the bloody blade through the vamp's chest. Normally a stab wound would inflict all the pain of a paper cut to a vamp, basically just an annoyance, yet this vamp immediately doubled over and appeared to be drugged and incapacitated.

"Good to know." Deke responded with satisfaction.

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After comparing notes and plotting their strategy Jake turned his attention to his older son's injuries, even as Deke tried to downplay them.

"Dad, I'm fine. Aggie already cleaned everything up and I'll just have a few more scars to add to my collection, nothin' to put up a ruckus about."

Jake looked at his son with suspicion and reached up to his neck, pushing his collar aside to reveal the bite mark from Lila.

"Son, if I'm not mistaken that's a vampire bite, unless you want to tell me your new girlfriend gave you that." Jake stated.

"My girlfriend? You met Gabrielle?"

"Yeah, we saw them on the road into town. She's feisty. Now, about that bite. Something we need to know son?" Jake asked, concern making his deep voice rumble even lower.

"Dad, I'm right as a 45. No exchange of fluids, just a little love nip from the bitch vamp. So what did you think of Gaby? She's something, isn't she?"

"Whoa bro, you serious about this girl? Since when do you want our opinion?" Scott asked, amused by this strange turn of events. Deke usually kept his women a secret, just his own temporary escape from his life. Theirs wasn't exactly the kind of family where you brought your girl home for Sunday dinner.

"I just wondered what you thought is all, never mind if it's gonna get your petticoat all in a wad."

"She's spirited and pretty, much too pretty for you, brother. Personally, I can't see what she'd want with a miserable cowpoke like you." Scott answered as Deke grinned at his brother's obvious jealousy.

"She's a pistol, I'll give her that and she likes you…., a lot." Jake added.

"Really? She said that?"

"Nope. She told me to get off my lazy duff and give you some backup, cause you were the hero rescuing all those people and maybe you could use some help." Jake replied.

"Huh. She does have a way about her." Deke marveled.

"Seriously brother, not that your love life ain't fascinating, but this Lila didn't force you to drink her blood? Cause I saw it. That's why we came after you. I saw her turning you." Scott offered solemnly.

"Really? Must be losing it bro, cause it didn't happen, not like that. She bit me and she threatened to turn me, but that's as far as it went. No blood cocktails for me." Deke replied.

"Well that means one thing." Jake added.

"It hasn't happened yet, but it will." Scott confirmed.

They all looked at each other, contemplating this revelation. Knowledge is power, but incomplete knowledge can sometimes be a bitch. They were all thinking the same thought, why couldn't Scott control these visions more? A little more information might be helpful, like when and where. That would certainly make their job easier.

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Deke had informed them of the imminent arrival of Lila. She had promised to return at dawn to hear his decision on which woman would die and which would be sentenced to eternal hell as a vampire. Dawn was less than an hour away and they had plans to enact.

As they worked preparing their weapons and laying their trap the conversation between father and son turned to more pleasant matters.

"Dad, you serious about Aggie?" Deke startled his dad with his total departure from the previous course of conversation.

"Son, you know I'll always love your mom." Jake started before his son cut him off.

"Yeah Dad I know, that's not what this is about. I mean, I'm happy for you and Aggie, really. I'm just curious; do you think this can work? You know, with our job and all. Do you actually see a future with her?" Deke searched his dad's eyes, seeking answers, seeking reassurance, seeking hope.

"Deke, all I know is I love her. She makes me feel alive again and that's been a long time coming. Son, I never thought I could feel this way about another woman, not after what I had with your mom. I don't know how this will all end, all I know is I've gotta find out. I want to give this thing a shot."

"Dad, I hope you get what all you want. Aggie's a great gal. I really want the best for both of you." Deke responded, surprised himself at his sentimentality.

"Now, what about this Gaby? How serious are you?" Jake prodded.

Deke just smiled, not sure how much he wanted to reveal to his dad or brother or anyone at this early stage in the game. This was all a new experience for him. He had never before felt like he felt when he was with Gaby, or even now, just thinking about her.

Man, this was weird. He had never even considered having a real relationship and here he was, thinking all kinds of impossible thoughts, hoping for all manners of changes in his life. Dreaming of something for himself for the first time in his life. Yeah, definitely entering into the weird zone.

"Dad, I don't know. I just know I really like this girl. She's just special, you know?" Deke finally acknowledged.

"Deke's got himself a girl." Scott taunted as he walked in on the conversation.

Deke faked a punch to his kid brother's gut before grabbing him in a tight embrace. The brothers laughed as they wrestled each other, half fighting, half hugging as the love they shared obviously shone through even as they half-heartedly teased each other.

"Well at least I found me a girl. You've been spending way too much time with your horse there, bro. Dad's been a might concerned." Deke teased.

"Me? You're the one who has that special place in your heart for that fine mare of yours." Scott responded.

"You are just jealous, always have been. Blaze can run your horse into the ground without even breaking a sweat."

"True. Question being, has this Gabrielle replaced Blaze as the object of your affections?"

"A man's horse is what's gonna keep him alive out here, ain't no woman ever gonna replace Deke's bond with Blaze." Jake interjected in a serious tone, before all three men cracked up laughing, relieved to have this light hearted respite to focus their thoughts away from the coming battle.

"Scott, you get the entrance all set to go?" Jake asked, returning their attention to the job at hand.

"Yeah, we're good."

"Well the party should start in less than an hour. Just wait 'til you meet this bitch, Scott. Of course, on the other hand, she can be quite charming when she isn't going down all bloody evil on you. You want me to set you up? Maybe there is a girl left in town for you there Scotty." Deke joked.

"No thanks, not really looking to take over your seconds. Besides, I think from the sound of things, she's not quite over you. Wouldn't want to divert her attention. Sounds like you really made an impression on her."

"Yeah, I'd like to make an impression. A two ton rock squishing her into the ground and sending her back to hell would be more to my liking."

"Well, I hope you get your chance there son."

"Yeah, revenge can be sweet. I'd certainly want to give her some payback for injuring your pride like that. Man, that must have hurt, having a girl whomp your ass like that." Scott again teased.

"Brother, just wait until you meet her."

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Lila and her gang of vampires approached the dungeon, ready to start their fun. This was going to be sweet she thought, envisioning all the torment she could impose on her new plaything. She had waited long enough to have Deke; she was no longer going to be denied. The thought of seeing his other women suffer, no, rather the thought of seeing him watch his other women suffer, would only heighten her pleasure.

They entered the dungeon stopping at the guards stand in the front. No one was there; just the remnants of a poker game laying on the table, the winning hand of aces and eights still face up.

"You read the press lately? That there's the Dead Man's Hand, supposed to be cursed." One of the hands mentioned.

"Well, curses don't scare us. Immortality has its advantages." Lila smirked.

They proceeded into the dungeon, inadvertently playing right into the Winchesters' hands.

"Walt, Hank, where you boys at?" Lila demanded, still unaware danger lurked.

As they stood there paused, waiting for a reply, suddenly Lila noticed the red substance spilled on the floor, she knelt down and placed her fingers in the cold, wet blood.

"Damn." She exclaimed as an arrow cut through the air plunging into the chest of the last cowboy at the entrance. More arrows followed, expertly finding their targets as four more cowboys had their chests pierced.

"Hell, that's just rude!" Lila exclaimed as she laughed at the ineptitude of their attackers. "Arrows won't stop us!"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Lila. Dead Man's Blood is poison to you, ain't it?" Deke responded in a low voice as he emerged from the hallway, facing Lila with a smirk and a glint in his eyes.

As he drew back his bow taking aim on Lila, she grabbed the cowboy next to her and pulled him into the arrow as it headed straight for her bosom.

"Deke, I thought you were going to play nice now. What happened? Getting a little testy there."

"Pay attention here Lila; you kinda have that affect on people. In case you haven't noticed. People don't like you. You're known around town as a BITCH!"

Trapped in their ambush, Jake and Scott dispatched the remaining cowboys, piercing their chests with arrows before they could even begin to defend themselves. Ever the ultimate survivor, Lila ran down a passageway just to the side of the guard's stand escaping the onslaught of arrows.

Deke ran after her and was almost upon her when she slammed a cell door shut, locking herself in. He just smiled at the prison she now found herself in.

Problem was, she too was smiling. She raced to the back of the cell, moving a stone in the wall and a tunnel appeared to her left.

"See ya around, lover!" She exclaimed as she slipped through the secret passage to freedom.

"Like I told you before, stop calling me lover!" Deke shouted after her.

He turned to walk back to his family, arriving just as they finished cleaning up this mess. Their machetes quickly bringing the vampires' reign of terror to a close.