Chapter 12: There's Something Evil in These Woods/"Stay With Me"

The impala pulled up around 9 pm in front of an old cabin that was pretty small. Dean turned the keys, pulling the keys out of the ignition and opening his door at the same time as Sam. Amber sighed shakily, still sitting in the back. Dean leaned over and peered into the back,

"You coming?" he asked.

"Uh…to tell you the truth…I'd rather, uh, stay here and, uh, keep an eye on the car…with the doors closed and locked," Amber laughed nervously.

"Come on," Dean motioned with his head to exit the car.

"Only if you stay near me, I am not walking out there alone!" Amber said seriously, pointing at him.

"Fine, I'll stay with you," Dean said, "now come on."

"You promise?" Amber asked, not moving.

"Yes, yes. I promise," Dean said, shaking his head in an annoyed way.

"Fine," Amber said, climbing over the seatbelt and out of the back of the car.

The entire way over to the front door Amber would not leave Dean's side. They practically looked like they were attached at the hip. They walked up to the front door and knocked on it a few times. Moments later an older man with grey hair answered the door wearing a robe and a lose-fitting white tank under it.

"Mr. Shaw. Hi. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Amber, we work for the park rangers and we wanted to ask you a few questions about the night you were found in the woods," Dean cut to the chase.

"Yes, come in," the man opened the door wider for them, "but I don't know why you would ask me, I was just a kid and it's in public records." He said in a scratchy voice, lighting a cigarette, "We were attacked by a…"

"Grizzly?" Sam cut off the old man.

The man stopped dead in his tracks, pulling the cigarette from his mouth before nodding "yes" a few times.

Amber, deciding to try and prove that she could help, stepped forward between Dean and Sam,

"And the other attacks that year, they were also grizzly attacks?" she put her hands in her denim jacket.

The old man said nothing; only put his lit cigarette back in his mouth while looking at his feet, hands in his dark blue robe.

"And what about the other hikers who went missing this year? Also grizzly attacks?" Dean asked.

The man still said nothing, he looked slightly shaken, but who wouldn't when remembering something as terrible as what happened to him.

"Sir, if we know what we're dealing with, we may be able to stop it," Dean pressed, taking a step towards the man while Sam and Amber looked around the tiny cabin, papers scattered everywhere.

The man took his cigarette out of his mouth, taking a step towards Dean, and said,

"I highly doubt that," he said before sitting down on the old rocket behind him, "besides, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Nobody ever did."

Amber walked up and stood beside Dean while Sam stepped towards the old man,

"Mr. Shaw…" he began, sitting on the stool beside the chair.

"What was it that you saw?" Amber asked, moving to kneel besides Sam.

The old man hesitated before he spoke,

"Nothing," he shook his head.

Amber furrowed her eyebrows while looking to Sam then up at Dean, he touched her shoulder for a moment.

"It was too fast," the old man said, "it moved so fast no one could see it."

Sam looked up at Dean, who continued to watch the old man,

"I heard it though," the old man stared at the cigarette in his hand, burning down, "heard it roar. It was like nothing I have ever heard before."

Amber began to feel the blood draining from her face and the hair stand up on the back of her neck. Goosebumps covered her muscular arms under her denim jacket. She looked up at Dean, her eyes questioning him. Searching for answers, lips parted ever so slightly. The look on her face caused him to place a hand on her left shoulder, trying to tell her she was fine,

"What did the roar sound like?" Dean asked.

The old man looked up at Dean, fear in his eyes,

"Like no animal or man I have ever heard before," the man took a drag of his cigarette.

"It came out night?" Amber asked.

The man replied only by nodding.

"It got inside your tent?" Dean asked.

The man shook his head,

"Inside our cabin."

Amber's breathing came in short gasps, feeling a little light-headed as she kneeled on the floor.

"I didn't even know it was in the cabin until I woke up to my parents' screaming," the man said sadly.

"It killed them?" Sam asked.

"It dragged them outside and into the woods, but not before leaving me with this," the man shook his head sadly, pulling the top of his blue terry-cloth robe aside, revealing three long and wide scratch marks from the base of his neck, down across his chest.

Sam and Amber glanced at one another, eyes wide.

"Why it left me alive, I'll never know."

Dean stood straighter at the sight of the claw marks.

"There's something evil in these woods, I'll tell you that," The old man covered the claw marks up, "It was some sort of demon."

Sam and Dean nodded at one another, taking in all the information. Sam stood up, helping Amber up off the floor,

"We're sorry to have bothered you, sir, but that you for all your help," Sam told the poor man.

"We will find the thing that killed your parents," Dean told the man.

Just like that they saw their way out of the cabin.

"Jesus, what the Hell is out there?" Amber was terrified by the story.

"We're not completely sure, but maybe a skinwalker or blackdog," Dean said as they walked down the stairs.

As soon as they touched the dirt, Amber quickly wrapped her arms around Dean's arm. They walked over to the car and Dean shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling on his car keys,

"Hurry up, Dean, just let me in the fucking car," Amber said, bouncing up and down impatiently.

Dean laughed, then dropped the keys on the ground,

"Oops, they slipped," Dean said, obviously meaning to drop the keys.

He bent over and picked them up. Amber looked around in the darkness, her eyes playing tricks on her everywhere she looked,

"Dean, I'm not kidding, let me in the fucking car right now!" Amber practically shouted even though he was standing right beside her.

"Alright, sorry," Dean held up his hands defensively after he pulled open the door for her.

Amber practically dove into the car.

When they got home, Amber ran from the car to the front steps of her home, opening the door as quickly as possible, turning on all the lights. Dean just laughed, while Sam felt bad for her. Having to find out that she should, in fact, be afraid of the dark. She checked the trash bag covering the screen she had pulled down where she broke the window the previous day.

"What are you guys going to do?" Amber asked, after retrieving her bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Go to bed," Dean instantly responded.

"Same," Amber stated, "I'm beat."

The three of them walked up the stairs together,

"It can't be a demon or spirit," Dean said to Sam out of the blue, "they wouldn't have to unlock doors."

"So then it's something else," Sam said, trudging up the tall stairway, "something corporeal."

"Corporeal?" Amber laughed.

"Excuse me, professor," Dean mimicked, receiving an elbow from Sam.

"So what do you think?" Sam asked Dean.

"Skinwalker or blackdog," Dean said, "so we're dealing with a creature and it's corporeal," Dean mimicked Sam when he said that last part.

Amber laughed, receiving a sarcastic,

"Hey!" from Sam.

"My bad," Amber laughed, holding up her hands to show she meant no harm, "But seriously, how do we kill it?" she asked.

"Shoot it," Dean responded.

"Oh, that's….simple."

Dean grinned.

Amber stood in front of her mirror brushing her hair, humming to herself. She wore a pair of green, pink and yellow striped shorts (A/N: from the Victoria's Secret Pink collection) and a green spaghetti strap shirt with three buttons in the front, revealing her toned arms and legs and full chest. She did not know Dean was standing in the doorway for a good two minutes, watching her, grinning to himself, before knocking. The knock startled Amber, causing her to scream and jump.

"Holy shit! Fu…" she placed a hand over her chest.

"Sorry," Dean stepped into the room, snickering at her reaction, "couldn't resist."

"No...it's….I….," placed the brush on her nightstand, "very funny!"

"Are you alright, you looked pretty freaked back there," Dean said, walking towards her bed as she climbed in.

"To be completely honest, no." she laughed despite what she said, "I'm a little freaked out, this past week has been full of…confusing and painful events."

"And for that I'm sorry," Dean sat on the edge of her bed.

"There was nothing you could have done," amber said sadly, "…but…" Amber began, but cut herself off.

"But what?" Dean asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Her face was covered in a glowing orange light from the lamp beside her. The light seemed to soften Dean's face, but that did not take away from his good looks. Her hair glowed a soft orange in the light. Amber decided that tonight was not the best night to tell Dean that she had seen her family's death days before it happened.

"Nothing…I'm just a little freaked," Amber sighed, "and tired," she added, pulling the soft lavender sheets up to her chest.

"I'll leave so you can get some rest," Dean said standing and turning, taking a few steps towards the door, running his right hand through his messy hair.

"Just before our love got lost

You said I am as constant as a northern star.

And I said, "constantly in the darkness."

"Dean," Amber said suddenly.

Dean turned to face her, seeing the look on her face.

"Stay with me? I don't want to be alone," she said sheepishly, ashamed of being so frightened.

Dean smiled at her. Really smiled. Dean nodded, taking off his leather jacket and laying in on the edge of the bed,

"Alright."

"Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar
On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue tv screen light
I drew a map of canada
Oh canada
And your face sketched on it twice…"

He climbed onto the bed after removing his biker boots and laid on his left side, facing Amber, who rolled onto her stomach, placing her head on her arms, facing Dean.

"Thank you," Amber said softly, smiling sleepily up at him.

Dean nodded lightly.

"What's happening, Dean?" Amber asked sadly.

"Honestly, we don't know," Dean said, "this is weird to us too. Everything that happened a few days ago."

"What does it want with me?"

"I don't know, but I swear to God, we'll find out," Dean said, "and I promise, I will protect you."

He told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you
I could drink a case of you darling
And I would still be on my feet
Oh Id still be on my feet

Oh I am a lonely painter
I live in a box of paints
Im frightened by the devil
And Im drawn to those ones that aint afraid
I remember that time that you told me, you said
Love is touching souls
Surely you touched mine
Cause part of you pours out of me
In these lines from time to time

Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
And you taste so bitter but you taste so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you
I could drink a case of you darling
Still Id be on my feet
And still be on my feet

I met a woman
She had a mouth like yours
She knew your life
She knew your devils and your deeds
And she said
Color go to him, stay with him if you can
Oh but be prepared to bleed
Oh but you are in my blood youre my holy wine
Oh and you taste so bitter, bitter and so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you darling
Still Id be on my feet
Id still be on my feet…."

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The song I used in this chapter is from the movie "Practical Magic". It's called "A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell.