Chapter 5:
Black numbers flashed 2:00 a.m. as the alarm clock sat cluttered among car keys, pieces of paper, and chocolate wrappers. A ballerina in a glass bubble twirled around as music filled the dark room. A rocking chair nearby with a porcelain doll started to rock. Green light appeared and flowed underneath a closet door as the doorknob started to turn.
Kyle sat up in bed. Her eyes fell on the green light. Swinging her bare feet onto the floor, she moved almost hypnotized to it and laid her hand on a very warm doorknob. As the green light fell on her face, someone entered the room.
"Kyle!" Ronan stood behind her. "Close the closet! Now!"
A growl was heard, but Kyle slammed the door shut. Scratches were heard against the wood on the other side. She pressed her hands against the closet door as Ronan turned on the light. As the light invaded the darkness, something shrieked from within, and the green light vanished.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, but it's gone now." Ronan hugged her. "It's gone."
"What did it want?"
"Us." He looked at Kyle. "You have to keep the closet door closed now. Put a chair or something against it, so it doesn't come out again."
"Again?"
Kyle realized that her brother's arm was bleeding. A deep gash was seen across the skin. She hurried to the bathroom nearby and grabbed a towel, iodine, and band-aids.
"I was able to get the light on before it could pull me into the closet."
"What was that thing, Ronan?"
"I don't know, Kyle." He sat on the bed. "But I believe in monsters now."
Kyle shuddered. "This is going to sting." She poured iodine on his wound. "Do you think that dad was murdered?"
"I don't know, Kyle, but mom has not been the same since that night. Sis…"
"What, Ronan?"
"We have each other, and we will always have each other. No matter what." He took her by the hand. "I will always be with you. Always."
"Always," Kyle repeated.
Kyle opened her eyes. The car had stopped. She ignored the stares from Dean and Ryan, hoping that she did not talk in her sleep. A few minutes later, she found herself standing beside everyone in another empty town.
"We're here." John surveyed the area around them. "I think there are people here."
"What makes you think that," Sam asked.
"This town seems more bordered up than the last one."
"I need the bathroom." Everyone looked at the little girl.
"Let's go find one, Beth," and Dean walked with her toward a diner.
"Anyone hungry? I know I am." Ryan now walked toward the diner.
"We need to find Helena."
"We will, Kyle. Come on." John walked with her and Sam toward the diner.
Inside the diner, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair pulled back into a bun approached them and seated them at a booth. She smiled and took out her notepad and a pen. She waited a moment and then stared at Kyle. "Well, what will it be," she asked. "Honey, the world's going to end, or Savior save us, please." Everyone now stared at her. "She said that there would only be four of you."
"She," John asked. "Helena?"
"We'll get to that later, John Winchester. Now, what would you all like to drink?"
"You've been expecting us," Dean said.
"Yes, but we don't have all day." She wrote down their drinks and walked away.
"I guess Helena is one step ahead of us," John said.
"I certainly want to meet this Helena," Kyle said.
A car pulled up outside the diner. Kyle's gaze settled on a boy and girl, who chased each other around the car. Their laughter echoed in her ears as she saw herself and Ronan as the two kids chasing each other. Their stern parents yelled at them, making them freeze in their steps.
"Kyle?" She looked at Dean. "You okay?"
"Fine." She looked back out the window.
"We need to meet Helena after this…"
"Oh, she's not in town anymore." The waitress interrupted John as she returned with six plates filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. "But she wants you all to stay here and rest up. Then, you leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Why tomorrow morning," Ryan asked.
"Because they're following you, silly man, and we don't need them here."
"Did she say where we had to go?"
"Later, John. Now, eat. All of you." Her gaze settled on Ryan, but then she quickly turned and walked away.
Outside the town, a car came to a screeching halt. A man got out of the car and walked over to a stone nearby. His black eyes fell on the stone with symbols carved into it, similar to the ones on Onyx's haven. A hiss escaped his lips as he got back into his car. "I can't enter the town," he said.
"Why not?" A shadow appeared in the backseat.
"Because she blessed it."
"Is the mole in place?"
"I believe so."
"You believe so?"
"I have not been able to directly contact our mole, but I believe the Winchesters and Kyle don't suspect a thing."
"Well, at least, the mole knows what to do."
"And what should I do?"
"Wait for them to leave town and then follow them. We only have one shot at this, and we have to be ready." The shadow vanished.
Later that day, the Winchesters, Kyle, Ryan, and Beth arrived at a motel. John took a room with Ryan. Sam took a room with Beth. Dean took a room with Kyle. They all agreed to meet within an hour to discuss and share information that the waitress had given them after breakfast.
"I'm going to take a shower." Kyle walked toward the bathroom.
"Kyle?" She looked at Dean. "If you want to talk about Onyx or Ronan…"
"It's fine, Dean, but thanks."
"You can't keep it inside you, Kyle."
"Why do you care so much?"
"Because you're a friend, and I'm here for you, if you need to talk."
"Okay." She closed the bathroom door.
"What about mom?"
"Kyle, how long are we going to give her? We have to live our own lives."
"Isn't there anything that we could to do to snap her out of it?"
"Not unless we admit her to a hospital." Ronan sat back in his chair. "We have given her a chance time and time again. It's time that we live our lives."
"Are you even going to tell her that you're leaving?"
"When the time comes. Was there ever anything that you wanted to do with your life? You always did have a talent for art."
"Like dad," Kyle replied. "Maybe, one day."
Kyle turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around her. She brushed her brown hair back. Wiping the steam off the mirror, her eyes fell on a red scar on her chest. She could still feel it. She could still feel where her brother had stabbed her with a knife.
Ryan paced around the room. His hands are behind his back, and he stared down at his feet. Gnawing on his lip, he continued to pace as John Winchester lowered a newspaper to look at him.
"Do you mind?" Ryan stopped pacing. "Thank you."
"Isn't it risky to go back on the road to yet another town?"
"Yes, but we have no choice. We need to meet up with Helena."
"I understand that, but it is ridiculous to follow her breadcrumbs."
"Breadcrumbs? Look, before we can fight, we need to regroup, and she is obviously taking every measure to make sure that we are not compromised."
"And how do you know if we are compromised?"
"I don't."
"You don't trust me."
"No, I don't," John replied.
"And that's why you decided that we would share a room together."
"Maybe."
"Well, what am I supposed to do? Not join the fight?"
"No, and I'm glad that you decided to join us."
"But you still don't trust me."
"Trust is earned, and you haven't earned it yet."
"I will." Ryan sat on a bed. "I will."
"Good. Now, get some sleep because we have to get up early tomorrow." John went back to reading the newspaper.
"What about you? Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Soon," John replied.
In the next room, Sam was coloring in a coloring book with Beth. They exchanged smiles as they continued to color. After a moment, they looked at each other's work.
"Not bad."
"Yours is messy." Beth looked at Sam's drawing.
"Thanks." Beth laughed.
"I love drawing. My parents… They always let me draw." Beth placed her crayons down on the table in front of her. "Am I going to see them again?"
"Yes, you will."
"When?"
"When this is all over."
"Are you going to leave me here tomorrow?" Sam looked at Beth. "I heard your father mention it."
"I don't know."
"I want to stay with you." She smiled at him. "You're funny."
"Beth… Things might get a bit hectic, and the safest place is for you here."
"I don't want to stay here! I feel safe with you!" She threw her arms around Sam. "Please don't leave me! Please," she cried.
"I want you to be safe." He picked her up into his arms. "Your parents would want you to be safe." He stood up from the table with her still in his arms. "It's the best thing for you."
"No! I want to be with you! Please, Sam. Take me with you. Please."
Carrying Beth over to a bed, Sam lied her down. He wiped away her tears. He helped her get under the covers before walking back to the table.
"We'll see," Sam finally said. "Now, get some sleep."
Sitting back down at the table, Sam looked at the coloring books in front of him. He picked up a crayon and started a new page. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Beth had fallen asleep.
Watching TV, Dean looked over at Kyle, who lied on her bed. He returned to flipping through the channels. He glanced back at Kyle, who now looked at him.
"Are you and your family close?" Dean nodded. "Mine wasn't always. My brother and I were just waiting for the divorce when my father died in his sleep one night."
"I'm sorry."
"I sometimes wonder if something had killed him." Dean looked at her. "This thing attacked Ronan and then went after me shortly afterward."
"Thing?"
"It was in the closet. I never really saw it, but I heard its nails scratching against the door. It never came back, though. Ever encounter anything like that?"
"No. You've been thinking about Ronan, haven't you?"
"I miss him."
"If we can, we will save him."
"I wouldn't want to kill him. If you can't save him, then you do it." Dean got off his bed and walked over to her. "He has to still be in there, right?" He sat next to Kyle.
"Maybe, and we will try to save him." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "We will try."
"We should get some sleep. We have a long drive tomorrow."
"Right." Dean moved away from the bed. "No nightmares tonight."
"I'll try."
"Just think about those good times with your brother."
"Night, Dean."
"Night, Kyle."
In a dim bathroom, Ronan clutched a nearby sink as he tried not to look into the mirror in front of him. He muttered curses under his breath, trying to drown out the voice inside of his head. His eyes finally met his in the mirror, and he growled at his reflection.
"You can't stop me!"
"I can still fight you." His reflection laughed at him.
"Just wait until I get my hands on your sister again." The reflection snarled at him. "I'll twist another knife in her but very, very slowly."
"If you lay a hand on her…"
"You'll do what? You can't do anything. You're just trapped inside this body."
"Then, why are you talking to yourself? Face it. You never encountered someone as strong as me."
"Your will is strong, but I can still control you. You can talk all you want, but if you leave me no choice, then I will kill you and find another body."
"There's something about me, which is why you just won't let go. What is it?"
"There's nothing about you. You're just a tool to get to your sister. How is your mother doing?"
"Leave her out of this!"
"Then, be quiet. Otherwise, I will take an unexpected visit to her home, and… You know what I would do to her."
"Bastard!"
"Maybe I am, but who is in control here? Now, shut up!" The reflection just stared at him. "That's better, and as far as Kyle is concerned, be happy that she is still alive. For now."
