Chapter 8: "Who are you, really?"

The wind blew the leaves on the trees gently. Some spiraled down landing gently on the forest floor on top of the other decaying leaves. The wind seemed to whisper gently as it rustled the leaves. The night air was cool as Amber sat on the back porch, fingering a golden charm attached to the bottom of a gold necklace. She held the necklace tight, as if she was afraid to drop it because if she did, it would vanish forever. Beside her foot sat a steak knife. She carried it with her when she went outside at night, still terribly frightened of the darkness surrounding her. She flipped open the locket she held in her hands and was greeted by a picture of her sister on the left and her parents on the right. She smiled then placed her right hand over her mouth to stifle a sob.

Amber placed her head in her hands and let it all out, everything that she had been bottling up for the past couple of days. As she sat there, she did not hear Dean step onto the back porch, nor did she feel his presence. It was not until he sat down that she knew anyone was out there. She did not stop crying, even as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him. This time he did not try to calm her down, he allowed her to cry.

After what seemed like an eternity, she sat up and wiped her eyes,

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice hoarse.

"Don't be," Dean said.

"I can't believe they are gone, you don't understand how I feel," Amber began.

"I do, I do understand," Dean whispered.

"You? Understand? You don't know how I feel!" she said angrily.

"Maybe not what it's like to lose my entire family, but I lost my mom, when I was a kid," Dean defended himself, "She died the same way your family died, on the ceiling, her stomach…" he looked away from her, at the very moment he relived that childhood moment in his head.

Amber felt terrible for what she had said to him, but she was so upset she did not think.

"Dean, I'm sorry," she touched his shoulder.

He did not respond, only looked down at the wooden porch. That is when he noticed the steak knife.

"What's this for?" he picked it up,

"I…I'm afraid to be out here alone," she smirked.

"Have you ever thought of mace…or a gun," Dean laughed, "or have you actually run into a giant steak out here?"

Amber laughed.

"Do cows count?"

Dean laughed. As he was about to speak, his phone beeped. They both jumped at the sudden high-pitched sound.

"What is it?" Amber asked.

Dean pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open,

"It's a text," he pressed a button on the phone, "from dad."

Amber furrowed her eyebrows as she watched him read the text message.

"I'll be right back," Dean stated as he quickly got up and went inside to find Sam.

Amber sat completely confused for a moment then got up and decided to follow him. When they weren't in the living room, she decided to creep upstairs to the guest room, where she said they could stay until they were completely rested. She stopped just outside of their room.

"He sent you coordinates? When?" She heard Sam ask.

"Just now," Dean stated.

"So what are they?"

"35-111," Dean responded.

"And that is…?"

"Here," Dean responded, "at least, somewhere near here."

"You know, maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon," Sam said.

"Sam, we dug around there for a week, we came up with nothing, if you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica…"

"We have to find Dad first," Sam finished.

"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years," Dean paced, "it's no coincidence. Dad will have answers, he'll know what to do."

"It's weird, man, these coordinates...there's nothing here, just woods, why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?" Sam sat on the edge of the bed, placing his head in his hands.

That is when Amber decided to step in,

"That's where you're wrong, there are canyons, dense forests and abandoned silver and gold mines," she crossed her arms, "Who are you two, really?"