"So, what the hell?" Dean asked, walking with Sam behind Alicia–who held a small wicker harvesting basket as they trudged through a well-beaten path in the thick woods behind the salvage yard. Rays of sunlight sporadically poked through the canopy of trees, and the sounds of birds and other sounds serenaded the trio. Under other circumstances, it would be a relaxing experience, but they all knew there were more pressing matters to attend to than appreciate nature.
"What?" Alicia asked, stepping easily over rocks and limbs while the boys appeared to be less accustomed to the area.
"You," Dean replied. "Not complaining or anything, but you seemed to do a one eighty on this cure thing pretty quickly."
"Isn't that what you said a hunter should do?" Alicia asked wryly. "'Bad things happen and people die, but you don't drown in self-pity. You suck it up, deal with it, and move on.' Remember that?"
"Yeah, I also remember you getting physical with my face when I said that," Dean retorted. "What gives?"
Alicia stopped and turned around so suddenly the brothers almost collided with her. "So, what, now you're upset I'm actually taking your advice?"
"Well…yeah," Dean replied lamely. Alicia looked confused. "I mean…I would have thought you'd want to, you know, do some more crying or some crap like that."
"You said you didn't like broken records," the young woman pointed out. Dean opened his mouth, but stopped himself, unable to give a decent response. Alicia sighed, her expression less harsh. "Look, I'll be honest, I still feel guilty about what happened, and I'm probably going to still have nightmares about it, but talking to you and Sam over the past made me realize how punishing myself has only succeeded in wasting five years of my life—and hearing Bobby's affirmation only further supported that. I didn't think there was any need to beat a dead horse, Dean." She shrugged as if to say 'sorry', before turning and continuing her walk. Sam and Dean glanced at each other briefly before following.
As the brothers caught up with the young woman, they heard the sound of water softly rushing and tumbling over rocks. The trio stepped into a clearing, and Dean and Sam were a little surprised to see the river a short distance away. The ground was a combination of rocks and pebbles, with a sandy area off to one side. Small boulders were clustered along the river's edge, and near the sandy area was a plot of soil and various herbs, flowers, and small trees that formed what appeared to be a garden.
"What the hell is that?" Dean asked.
"You have your own garden," Sam said, intrigued.
"I wouldn't be a good witch if I didn't," Alicia joked. "I needed a place with decent soil away from prying eyes. Next to a riverbed that's hardly visited by anyone seemed only reasonable." She glanced around before heading over to the plot, carefully maneuvering around the plants. "Got enough plants in here for both spells and cooking." She knelt beside one plant with stems covered in rows of purple pitcher-shaped flowers. "Wolfsbane. The cure requires five whole flowers." She carefully examined some of the flowers on the various stems.
Sam looked concerned. "Isn't that poisonous?"
"Yep," Alicia replied grimly as she plucked a few stems and put them in the basket. She glanced at the brothers and sighed. "Look, when your father said this cure was dangerous, he wasn't joking."
"So, you gonna fill us in on the details?" Dean asked. "Not really in the mood for Twenty Questions.
"Hold on," Alicia replied as she walked over to a medium-sized tree with red berries. "One branch with ten leaves from a Mountain Ash tree." She found a few branches that fit the criteria. "Did you know that another name for the Mountain Ash is Witchwood? People used to believe it protected them against witches, but that, as you can see, is a load of crap." She turned to face the brothers. "So, we just have one more ingredient to get: a live toad. Normally, they burrow in the sand during the day, but it shouldn't take too long to find one—but it has to be a toad; it won't work if it's a frog."
"Allie," Dean said, more insistent, "what about the cure?"
Alicia took in a deep breath and sighed. "Well, in addition to the wolfsbane," she explained, "the mountain ash, and the live toad, the cure also requires mistletoe and rye, which I have plenty of both in my bedroom. It also requires the blood of the victim who's being cured."
"How much?" Sam asked.
"Ten drops," Alicia replied, "however, concocting the potion is easy, toxic plants aside. Applying it, which is essential to the cure, is where it's the most dangerous. It has to be applied to the victim by slashing them with a silver knife dipped in the potion."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Dean remarked.
"While the victim is in werewolf form," Alicia added. Sam and Dean just stared at her, concerned.
"There's no other way around that?" Sam finally asked.
Alicia shook her head. "It has to be done that way. That's…I'm not looking forward to that."
"Well, at least we'll be prepared this time," Dean said.
"I doubt that," Alicia replied seriously. "This is not a normal werewolf transformation, where my eyes change color and I get claws and fangs. You know the werewolves from the Underworld movie?"
"You turn into that?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Sort of," Alicia replied, "but scarier. We're talking enhanced speed, senses, strength…Bobby was barely able to take me down on his own. I just…I want to make sure you're prepared. I'm going to be like nothing you've ever seen before—and I will be one of the most dangerous things you've ever encountered." She almost looked as if she was going to break down, but she took a deep breath and smiled instead. "Now, how about finding that toad?" She trudged over to the riverbank and knelt down. Sam and Dean reluctantly joined her, glancing at her sympathetically as the three of them worked in silence.
The sun had just finished setting as Dean stood in a clearing in another part of the woods behind the salvage yard. He lifted the sledgehammer and brought it down with all his strength. It hit the top of the thick steel pole, driving it deeper into the ground. Panting hard, he rested the tool vertically on the ground, leaning a little on the handle for support, glancing to his side.
Alicia stood next to a medium-sized wooden table, with a small, water-filled cauldron on it. Spread out beside it were the ingredients needed: the wolfsbane flowers, a small pile of rye grains, the mountain ash branches, a few sprigs of mistletoe, a small wooden box containing the live toad they had caught earlier that day, and a book opened to the page with the cure's instructions. The young woman carefully examined a large Bowie knife with an ornate bone handle before putting it down next to another, larger knife with a polished silver blade and ornate grip handle and hilt.
"Nice knife," Dean said as he came over.
"It was my mom's," Alicia explained. "She used it in all her rituals and spells, and I did the same after inheriting it." She nodded at the clearing. "So, you got the poles set?"
"Ten feet of heavy-gauge steel straight down," Dean replied, "though I still think it's overkill."
"I hope you're right," Alicia said honestly, "but in case you're not," she reached around her back and pulled out a sizable handgun, "here." She handed it to him.
"What is this?" Dean asked warily, looking at her concerned.
"It's a Taurus 1911 45 ACP," Alicia replied.
"I know what type of gun it is," Dean retorted. "It's a nice gun. Why are you handing it to me?"
"It's loaded with silver bullets," Alicia answered, "and if things get out of control, I want—"
"I'm going to stop you right there," Dean interrupted as he put the gun on the table. "The answer's 'no'."
"You don't even know what I'm gonna ask."
"I know exactly what you're going to ask, Allie, and the answer is still 'no'."
"And what happens if I get loose, Dean? I'll be a killing machine who won't hesitate to attack any of you. I'm just asking for your help."
"You're asking me to kill you."
"I'm asking you to stop this if it goes south. Standard procedure, right? 'Silver bullet to the bastard's heart', right?"
"Why are you asking me to do this?" Dean asked angrily. "You think I'm so heartless I could just blow you away like that?" Alicia opened her mouth, but Dean wasn't done. "Let me tell you something, sweetheart, these past few days have been a little crazy, I'll admit it, but I thought we were getting to know each other pretty well."
"We were, Dean."
Dean scoffed. "Really, 'cause if you'd actually learned a damn thing about me you'd know I'm not a heartless SOB."
"I know that," Alicia replied, "but I also know you'll do what needs to be done to keep people safe." She shook her head, looking on the verge of crying. "Dean, I already killed my father. If I hurt anyone else, I'll—" Dean interrupted by grabbing her shoulders and pulling her close to him, kissing her urgently. Alicia almost pulled away, but he gripped her shoulders tightly, his fingers pressing into her skin, kissing her like a soldier about to go off to war
A loud 'ahem' caused the two hunters to pull back and look over. Bobby, John, and Sam stepped into the clearing, carrying several long, heavy-duty anchor chains and large iron shackles. It was Bobby who had cleared his throat, giving Dean a hard look before joining John and Sam where Dean had hammered in the poles. Alicia glanced briefly at the gun on the table, then back at Dean expectantly, almost pleading. Dean sighed, his expression growing dark, but he discreetly picked up the weapon and tucked it into the back waistband of his jeans, covering the top with his shirt as Sam walked over.
"Bobby said you should start the potion," he said to Alicia.
Alicia nodded and took a deep breath, raising her hand as her eyes glowed purple. A purple flame appeared in her hand, which then flew over to under the cauldron, growing and sparking as if there was an actual fire with logs underneath. The water in the cauldron quickly simmered and came to a rapid boil. The young woman, her eyes still glowing, glanced down at the book.
"'To boiling water,'" she read aloud, "'add the sprig of one mistletoe'," her hand glowed as she held it over the ingredients, and one mistletoe sprig floated over the cauldron and dropped in, "along with five whole wolfsbane flowers, ten grains of rye, and one branch containing ten mountain ash leaves." As she read each ingredient outloud, it floated over into the cauldron and dropped in. "Next, add ten drops of blood from the werewolf in human form." She took her mother's knife from the table and put the blade against her free hand, barely even wincing as she quickly sliced across her palm. She held her hand, palm down, over the cauldron, letting ten drops of blood drip into the boiling concoction.
"Now we wait five minutes," Alicia said as the glow faded from her eyes. She felt something touching her wounded hand and looked down to see Dean taking her hand and carefully wrapping her hand with a bandana he'd pulled from his shirt pocket. "Thanks." Dean just gave her a quick nod before knotting the cloth.
"So, Bobby said those chains should hold," Sam replied, turning to watch as John and Bobby attached chains to the poles.
"Pure iron," Alicia replied. "That will dampen my powers so I won't use any magic against you."
"Appreciate that," Dean muttered.
Alicia could feel the twinges of a headache starting to build, and felt a few beads of sweat on her forehead. She wiped them away with the back of her hand as her stomach started turning, and she supported herself on the table, taking a deep breath. "We don't have much time," she said somberly, glancing over at the horizon.
"What else do we need to do?" Sam asked.
Alicia glanced down and read the rest of the instructions. "Okay, it says to add the live toad to the boiling water after five minutes, then completely dip the blade of a silver knife into it." She picked up the silver knife and held out. "After I change, you'll have to slash me the number of times I've been infected—five in total."
"Does it matter where?" Sam asked as he took it.
Alicia shook her head. "Just wherever you can draw blood," she replied. "You'll probably have to tag team—I'm going to be a little cranky when you start attacking. And it says here you have to shout 'Discedite, monstrum tenebrarum' after every attack." She winced as another wave of nausea hit. She bent over, breathing hard, as she felt a supporting hand on her back. Feeling slightly better, she took a deep breath and stood up, giving Sam a grateful expression before she reached for the wooden box. She opened it, gently grabbed the toad, and held it up to eye level as it squirmed in her hand. "Sorry, little guy." She reluctantly dropped the amphibian in the boiling concoction, and the hunters' skin crawled as the sound of a small, shrill screech came from the cauldron as the animal was quickly boiled alive. "Okay, it's ready."
"Alicia!" Bobby called from the clearing. "It's time!"
Without looking at either Dean or Sam, the young woman walked around the table and quickly made her way toward her uncle and John, even though she felt as if she were on her way to her execution. Both men had large iron shackles in their hands. "Okay, where do I go?"
"Right there," Bobby indicated an area equidistant from where all the poles were planted.
Alicia nodded and walked to the center, stepping over large chains and kneeling down, holding her arms out to her side. "I'm ready." She felt the cold metal as John knelt on her left, clasping two of the shackles—almost three sizes too big and attached to chains anchored on the poles—around her left wrist, hanging loosely, before the older hunter gave her a small comforting pat on the shoulder. Bobby knelt on her right, putting two shackles on her right wrist. The young woman could clearly see her uncle's worried expression in the dim light, even as he tried to hide it from her.
"Bobby?" she said softly. Bobby glanced over. "I'll be fine."
Bobby just tearfully stared at her for a few moments before enveloping her in a bear-crushing hug. "I love you, sweet girl," he replied, his voice cracking. "No matter what happens."
Alicia's eyes welled up with tears as she did her best to hug him with her arms restrained. "I love you, too." Bobby reluctantly let her go, then reached for another large, thick shackle. He held it up to her neck and unclasped it.
"I got it." Bobby and Alicia looked over as Dean walked over and knelt beside Bobby in front of the young woman. He held his hand out, his expression calm as he looked at the older hunter. Bobby hesitated, but eventually gave the shackle over to Dean before standing up and walking away.
"Do it," Alicia said, her face glistening with beads of sweat. "There's not much time." She lowered her head as if she were about to be beheaded, and Dean had to swallow the bile rising in his throat, feeling disgusted as he carefully clamped the iron around her delicate neck. When he was finished he looked right at her, she started to say something, but pain racked her whole body, and she doubled over in pain. She looked over to see the full moon—the first full moon she'd seen in five years—rising over the horizon. Her body started shaking as she felt the familiar pain building. She quickly turned to Dean, a frantic expression on her face.
"My amulet," she hissed through the pain.
"What about it?" Dean asked.
"Grab it," she ordered. Dean put his hand on her amulet, but he stopped short of pulling it. "Dean!" The young hunter quickly yanked, the chain holding the brass ankh snapping. Alicia groaned as the pain in her body increased exponentially. "Go!" Dean hesitated a brief moment before scrambling away as Alicia felt the monster in her starting to take control.
(End of Chapter 9)