Chapter 7
Nightmare
Content Warning: language and violence
DISCLAIMER: any words or phrases in bold in the story are not my own and are credited to the writers of Supernatural.
The team had put miles behind them from their last stop in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It had been a somewhat awkward encounter when Sam, Dean, and Riley had come into town to help a family. Not just any family, but that of Dean's old girlfriend, Cassie.
Riley could read Cassie's thoughts from to time and they made her fists clench. She wanted to knock that woman to the floor knowing how she still thought of Dean. There were memories of them being so passionate as they made love. Not to mention, Cassie still held a torch for him and wished he wasn't with Riley.
She sat in the front seat, her head leaned against the window. Riley had an annoyed look on her face as she gazed down ahead of them.
It had been mostly silent since they had hit the road. Sam had fallen asleep in the back with Finn. The brave pup had helped them in their last hunt and had worn himself out.
Dean could feel the tension in the car and looked over at his girlfriend. He needed to tell her what had happened before they left, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject. But they didn't keep secrets from each other. Trust was the foundation of their relationship. Riley could read his thoughts from time to time but that's not why he felt compelled to tell her the truth.
He cleared his throat before speaking. "Hey, you good?"
"I'm fine," she sighed. "Just drained."
"Look, can we talk?"
Riley turned her body to turn in his direction. "Of course."
"We tell each other everything. I have nothing to hide from you and I want to keep it that way."
"…ok…" She was worried she couldn't read him at that moment.
Taking a deep breath Dean continued driving and decided to just get it over with. "Before we left, Cassie and I talked."
Jealousy coursed through her as she thought on how that conversation probably went. "Go on…"
"She told me she still has feelings for me. That she had wanted to see where things could go between us."
"She what?" Riley tried to contain her anger. "She knew that we're together."
"I know. And that's exactly what I reminded her of. But…"
"Oh, I do not like the sound of that 'but'."
"…she kissed me."
Riley's eyes grew two times their size and her heart felt like it stopped and lept into her throat.
Dean turned to see her face and hurried to explain. "But as soon as she did, I pushed her away. I swear. I told her nothing could happen between us. I told her I'm in love with you and that she and I were over, for good."
Her eyes softened. "…you did?"
Seeing the pain in Riley's face, Dean pulled the car over and parked. "Sweetheart, of course, I did. Yes, Cassie and I were a thing years ago. But now? It's only you. It will always be you."
Tears urged themselves towards release as she listened to his words. Finally, his thoughts rushed through to her. "I have never loved anyone the way I love you, Rye." His emotions swirled through the car and hit her like Cupid's arrow to her heart. Dean was hers, and she was his. No one could come between that.
Riley thrust herself over to him until she was at his side. Her hands found the sides of his face and she kissed him with everything she had. Dean wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. His hands went into her hair and on the back of her neck pulling her into him with force. The kiss grew and deepened as the heat between them grew. A small moan escaped Riley's throat as they fought to be as close as possible.
Sam woke to the sound and saw his brother with Riley. "Ugh. You guys! Come on. I'm in the friggin car!"
The couple pulled away and laughed as they had forgotten they weren't completely alone. "Sorry, Sammy. Guess we just got a little carried away." Dean shifted in his seat trying to ease the tension in his jeans. A large grin grew on Riley's face that she attempted to hide knowing exactly why Dean was so squirmy.
"Alright, can we get back on the road now if the sex show is over?" Sam asked.
Dean let out a laugh as he put the car into drive and eased back onto the road. "I think it's safe to say we're gonna need a room of our own tonight."
Sam's face turned to one of disgust. "Oh, gross. Yeah, that's definitely happening."
—
The motel they stayed at that night was actually a decent place. The beds were comfortable and the room didn't look like the 70's had thrown up all over it.
Riley and Dean were fast asleep in their own room. She had her head on his chest and his arms were wrapped around her. They seemed to have tuckered themselves out that night.
A loud and sudden sound came for the adjoining room's door. Sam came barreling through, short of breath with his bag over his shoulder. The noise caused Dean to shoot up from sleep and Riley grabbed the sheets to cover herself. They both had fallen asleep naked.
"Sammy! What the hell?" Dean was annoyed and slightly angry. He was too tired to deal with his little brother's nonsense.
"We have to go." Sam had gone to the bags at the side of the room and began to pack for them.
Riley looked at her panicked friend. "What's happening?"
"We have to go. Right now!" Grabbing everyone's bags, Sam hurried to the car.
Finn whined after having been startled from his sleep and a sleepy Riley looked at her boyfriend. "Uh–Dean? He just took our clothes."
With an exhale, Dean grabbed a spare blanket and wrapped it around his waist as he went after his brother. "On it."
—
The Impala's engine roared as Dean sped down the highway. Rain came from every direction as the windshield wipers worked overtime to clear the window. Riley was cuddled up in the back with a still sleepy Finn.
Sam had his phone to his ear while he read the information off his fake ID badge for Michigan State Police. "McReedy. Detective McReedy. Badge number 158." A notebook sat in his lap that he had jotted notes down on. "I've got a signal 480 in progress. I need the registered owner of a two-door sedan, Michigan license plate– Mary-Frank-6-0-3-7." He paused as the dispatcher spoke on the other line. "Yeah, okay, just hurry."
"Sammy, relax. I'm sure it was just a nightmare." Dean needed his brother to relax but still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt by checking on everything. "Just a normal everyday 'naked-in-class' nightmare. The license plate? It won't check out."
Waiting for information, Sam was still on the phone. "This felt different, Dean. It felt too real. Like when I dreamt about Jessica or our old house."
"Well, that makes sense, Sam. You know, that was your girlfriend and our house."
Riley sat up and decided to add her thoughts. "Have you ever seen this guy before, Sam?"
"No."
Dean looked at his brother and responded, "exactly. Why would you be having premonitions about some random dude in Michigan?"
"I don't know." Sam's attention changed to the phone call. "Yes, I'm still here." There was a pause and he looked at Dean. "Jim Miller– Saginaw, Michigan. Do you have a street address?" As he wrote down the information, Dean had a moment to himself and was filled with worry. Sam closed the phone. "It checks out. How far are we?"
"From Saginaw? A couple of hours."
The stress and anxiety coming from them both went to Riley. Theirs were always the strongest. She thought that Dean's may have had to do with the bond they had. But with Sam? Maybe it was because they were such good friends.
Sam clenched his jaw as he began to panic, "drive faster."
—
As they finally reached the address that Sam had gotten, the house was surrounded by police officers. Yellow crime scene tape was draped around the boundaries of the property. The blue and red lights from the cars lit up the dark street. There were EMT's tending to a body on a stretcher as they zipped it into a black bag.
The three got out and decided to blend into the crowd that had gathered around the scene. Riley had Finn at her side. The well trained and obedient dog needed nearly no guidance and always followed her cue.
"What happened?" Dean asked the woman beside him.
"Suicide. I can't believe it. I knew him. We both went to church every Sunday at St. Augustine's. He always seems–seemed so normal. Guess you never really know what happens behind closed doors"
"How are they saying it happened?" Sam was trying to contain his anxiety.
"I heard they found him in the garage. He was locked inside his car with the engine running. I guess it just happened an hour or two ago."
The wife of the man who died stood with the officers and wept into the arms of a family member. Her pain floated through the air. Though she was at a distance, Riley could still feel the faint grief of the desperate woman. Her attention turned to Sam as he tried to contain his tears of frustration and turned to leave. She jogged to catch up to him as he stood away from the crowd. Finn was softly panting as he kept at her heels.
Riley hooked her arm into Sam's as his hands sat in his jacket pockets. She leaned into him and tried to send him comfort. "Sam, don't beat yourself up. We got here as fast as we could." The sweet dog looked up at Sam and whimpered letting Sam know he was there.
"We weren't fast enough." Sam sniffled and fought back the guilt and confusion he felt. Hiding it from Riley was impossible though. She felt the urge to cry as his emotions became her own. "This doesn't make any sense. Why would I have these premonitions if there wasn't even a chance I could stop them?"
Dean had found his way to his partners and stood beside them. "Maybe the guy just killed himself. Maybe there's nothing supernatural going on at all."
Sam shook his head. "I'm telling you guys, I watched it happen. He was murdered by something. I don't know what it was, I don't even know what's happening to me." He saw a strange look on Dean's face. It looked like judgment. "What?"
"Nothing, man. I'm just worried about you."
"Fine, just don't look at me like that."
Riley sighed. "Guys, let's pick this up again tomorrow. We all could use the rest. We can go talk to the family and check out the house."
"They're not gonna want to talk to us. They're devastated," Sam replied.
Looking back at him, Riley got a look of mischief on her face. "I think I know who they will talk to." She got in the car as the brothers shared a worried look.
—
The next day, the three had made their way back to the house. Standing on the porch, they rang the doorbell.
Sam sighed deeply. "Man, this is a whole new low for us. How did I let you guys talk me into this?"
As the door opened, Sam and Dean were dressed as Catholic priests, and Riley was behind them dressed as a nun. Dean began to introduce themselves to the man in the doorway.
"Good afternoon. I'm Father Simmons. This is Father Freely and Sister Mary-Agnes. We're new to the parish of St. Augustine's. May we come in?" The bald man in plaid nodded as they walked inside.
"We're so sorry for your loss." Riley took his hand in a humble and gentle manner. There were times when it seemed she missed her calling as an actress.
Dean turned back to the man who let them in. "You know, it's time like these when I find we need to seek the Lord's guidance most."
Before he could continue, he was interrupted. "Look, save your speech for someone else. My brother's dead." He was annoyed, but Riley could see it ran deeper than that. His heart was aching at his loss and he just didn't know how to cope with his pain.
"Roger, please." A woman from behind them spoke. He excused himself as the widow walked up to the three hunters. "I'm sorry for my brother-in-law. He's just so upset about Jim's death." The woman was soft spoken. Her light blonde hair touched her shoulders over her grey sweater. She was carrying a plate of food to the other mourners that had gathered in her late husband's honor. "Please, come this way. Let me get you a cup of coffee."
Mrs. Miller poured a fresh brew of coffee into china glass cups for the boys. She went to hand one to Riley but still in character, she graciously declined.
"The support of the church means so much to me," Alice said sitting in front of them. "You are so kind to have stopped by."
"Of course," Dead added. He spoke dramatically. "After all, we are all God's children."
She turned to leave and return the coffee pot. Riley tried to hide her face as she snickered from Dean's choice of words. He didn't see the problem with it and downed a few bites of finger foods.
Sam scoffed at his brother. "Tone it down a bit, Father."
The woman came to rejoin them. While Dean was still chewing, he turned to her. "So, Mrs. Miller, did your husband have a history of depression?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that," she shook her head. Her face looked tired and like her crying had taken a toll on her. "Of course we had our issues like everyone else, but we were happy." Mrs. Miller began to cry. "I just don't understand. How could Jim do something like this?
Riley reached her hand out to the broken woman in condolences. Her sadness felt reminiscent of how she had felt with her loss of Debbie. The pain still lingered from time to time and she understood. "I am so sorry you had to find him like that."
She sniffled. "Actually, it was our son Max that found him."
Sam turned to see a young man in the corner of the room. He was seated in a chair as he stared out the window with a vacant expression. "Would it be alright if I went and spoke with him?"
"Oh, that would be wonderful. Thank you so much, Father." Sam feigned a smile in response and left to head in the direction of her son.
Pulling a tissue from its box, Riley handed it to the weeping woman. "You have such a lovely home, Mrs. Miller. Have you lived here long?"
"We, uh–we moved in about 5 years ago I think."
Dean took that moment as an opportunity to gain more information. "You know, the only problem with these old houses, they cause so many issues. Weird leaks, electrical shortages, odd settling noises in the night… all those frustrating things."
"No, no we've never dealt with anything like that. It's honestly been perfect."
That quickly had led to a dead end. "May I use your restroom?"Dean asked. He needed to get away and check for spirit activity.
"Of course, it's just up the stairs."
He left as Riley scooted closer to the woman. She rubbed Mrs. Miller's hand and sat silently with her as she wept. The best part about knowing someone's emotions was that most of the time she knew what the person needed. All the widow needed was to not feel alone, and Riley was more than happy to oblige.
—
Dean sat on his bed with several guns in pieces. He was giving them a deep clean and it always seemed to relax him. The shower was running as Riley cleaned off the long day. Unfortunately, they had found themselves in a dingy deer lodge that wasn't exactly in the best condition. Finn sat by the door waiting for her.
Sam pinned the information they had found up on the wall. Maps, historical references to the site, family history and more were all strung out.
"No graveyards. No battlefields. No tribal lands. No other atrocity that happened on or around the property." Sam was exasperated by his lack of answers.
"Hey, man, I searched that house. I didn't smell sulfur, didn't feel any cold spots…nada." He continued his work and clicked pieces of a weapon back into place. "I used the infrared thermal scanner and didn't pick up a single thing. If something demonic or whatever was there, the family would have noticed something."
"So, what? Jim killed himself and my dream was just a freak coincidence?"
"I don't know. What I do know is there's nothing supernatural going on in that house."
The bathroom door opened and Riley came out in her sweats. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel. "That door is thin as hell. No need to fill me in." She rubbed her hands as she spread lotion over them. "So, what if it doesn't even have to do with the house at all? I mean it could be connected to Jim in some other way." Riley suddenly felt a splitting headache and winced. At that same moment, Sam was doing the same but his continued to grow until he was overwhelmed by the pain.
He groaned out. "Oh, god! My head!"
"Sam?" Dean rushed to his brother's side as Riley quickly tried to pull herself together to join him. "What's going on Sam? Talk to us."
A suffering Sam tried to steady his breathing through the unbelievable pain. Riley was feeling only pieces of it and it still was a lot to handle.
Sam spoke through the sharp pain. "It's happening again. Something's gonna kill Roger Miller."
—
The three were back in the car as the youngest Winchester continued to fight through his headache. He had just gotten off the phone and retrieved the address of the man from his vision.
Sam's voice was shaky. "I'm scared, guys. I mean, as if having nightmares wasn't enough, now I'm seeing things even when I'm awake. And these visions or whatever, are getting more intense and painful." He turned to look at his family. "What is it about the Millers? How the hell am I connected to any of this? Why am I watching them die?" Sam took deep breaths through the continuing pain. "Why is this happening to me?"
"I don't know, Sam." Dean drove in a hurry down the highway. "All I know is we face unexplainable things every single day."
"No. No, Dean. It's never been us. It's never been in the family like this."
Riley sat quietly in the back keeping her thoughts to herself. The fear they were feeling was too much for her and she wasn't sure how to help.
"Come on, Dean. You're telling me none of this is freaking you out?" Sam asked. "Tell me the truth."
Dean paused. "This doesn't freak me out." After a moment, his thoughts echoed into Riley. "What the fuck? This isn't normal. What the hell is wrong with him?" She continued her silence, saddened for Sam.
—
Pulling up to Roger's apartment complex, Dean put the car in park so quick, that the car gave a slight jerk. They ran out of the car and to the alleyway. There was a rusty metal door that led to a private side of the building, but it was locked. The brothers shook it trying to open it until Dean kicked his boot hard into it and sent it swinging open. Sam, Dean, and Riley hurried down the hall that led them to a fire escape. One after another, they climbed as fast as they could.
They moved up flight after flight until they heard a loud bang come from above them. The sound stopped them in their tracks. Walking up the last flight, they came upon the window of Roger's apartment. Blood had splattered from inside and nearly covered the entire pane. It had leaked out and dripped off the sill.
Dean gave the others a rag and instructed them to wipe off all their fingerprints. The cops couldn't know they had been at the scene. He then opened the second window to have a look inside. After a moment, he back came out and the three began their trudge to the car.
Coming out of the alley Dean shared what he found. "There's nothing in there, guys. Well, besides a dead Roger. There's no signs anything was there either, just like at the Miller house."
"Dean, I saw something in the vision." Sam couldn't understand what was happening. "A black figure. I think something was stalking Roger. It's not connected to the house, it's connected to the family."
"Vengeful spirit maybe?" Riley asked as she shoved her hands in her jacket pockets.
"Well, I mean they have been known to latch onto families before." Dean put his hand on the small of her back and checked the road before beginning to cross. "It basically acts like a curse." They all got into the car as Dean went on with his theory. "So, maybe Roger and Jim Miller got into something dark? Something curse-worthy?"
"And now something's out for revenge," Sam agreed. "Seems like the Miller men are dying now."
Riley interjected. "Wait. Does that mean Max is in danger?"
"Let's figure it out before he is," Dean said starting the car.
"Well, I know one thing I have in common with this family," Sam scoffed. "Both of our families are cursed."
Dean practically took offense to his brother's comment. "Our family's not cursed. We've just–had our dark spots."
"Well, our dark spots are pretty dark, Dean."
"You're…dark."
Riley laughed at Dean's sad attempt to insult his brother.
—
Max led the three back into the family room of the home. They were dressed in character again. "My mom is resting. She's a mess." The boy was much smaller than the Winchester brothers. More like Riley's height. His hair was about Dean's length but it was unkempt and fluffy. Max constantly looked like he had been crying and his eyes seemed to always be cast down.
"How are you holding up?" Sam could see the pain he was in even without Riley's abilities. Max just shrugged.
"Were your dad and uncle close?" Dean urged.
"Uh–yeah. I mean when I was a kid, for sure. We used to be neighbors back then. We lived in this house across town and Uncle Roger lived next door so he was over all the time."
Riley sat silently as she listened. There was a weird interference coming from Max. It was like nothing she'd experienced before. She couldn't read his mind at all no matter how hard she tried. His emotions though were all over the place and it overwhelmed her. And though Riley couldn't reach him, there was a strange connection there. It confused her and her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of it all.
Sam knew they were getting somewhere. "So how was it in the house when you were a kid?"
Max's face changed. It was obvious he was fighting feeling something that was triggered by the question. "Why–why you ask?" He gave a fake smile. Everyone could feel the show that Max was putting on.
"Just a question," Dean replied.
"It was fine. Totally fine. We were totally normal." Every word he said felt rushed and forced.
"Well that's good," Dean said as he gave him a look of empathy. "I'm sure you're exhausted with everything going on. We should go. Thanks, Max."
As they got up to leave, Sam led the way and Dean followed. Riley stayed back a moment to place a gentle hand on Max's shoulder. The interference grew louder but so did his emotions. The suffering he was enduring was clear and it ripped through her. Feigning a smile, she nodded and followed the boys.
In the front yard, the brothers walked towards the car. Riley hurried behind them to catch up.
"Did you see the way he reacted when we asked about the old house?" Dean headed for the driver's door.
Taking the handle of the car, Riley looked at them both. "Guys, he was terrified. There's something obviously going on. But more than that? What I picked up on from him was so weird."
"What do you mean?" Sam pressed.
"I dunno. It almost felt like I knew him? I know that doesn't make sense." Riley ran a hand through her hair after removing the nun wimple from her head. "I couldn't get through to him though. There was also a…static? I don't know."
"Well, that's definitely weird." As Dean got in, he took the cuff off from around his collar. "We gotta go check out that old neighborhood. I think there's more to what life really was like for the Millers."
As her thoughts raced, Riley tried desperately to make sense of her encounter with Max. There was more going on than she knew and she was determined to put it together.
Dean looked over at the woman on the seat across from him who was lost in thought. He ogled her as his eyes ran over her from head to toe. She turned and caught his seductive gaze.
Riley chuckled. "What?"
"Is it weird that I am totally aroused by you in that nun costume?"
"Oh, really?" she returned his playful stare. "Well, good thing we have them for another day."
Sam let out a sound of disgust from the back of the car. "Oh my god. It's like I'm trapped in a bad fetish porn."
—
Sam and Dean spoke to a neighbor on the quiet road that the Millers lived on years ago. Riley stood in front of the old home and studied it. Nothing malevolent came from the house so she couldn't get a read on any of it. The Winchesters hurried back across the street to her.
"Guy's lived here for almost 20 years. Said he knew the Millers way back when." Dean joined Riley and looked up at the Victorian style home. "He said he'd never seen a kid treated the way Max was."
"How so?"
Sam turned to face her. "He said he could hear yelling and things being thrown all the time even all the way across the street. Apparently, Max's dad had a bad drinking problem." He sighed. "Used to beat Max constantly. He was always bruised and his arm was broken more than once."
Suddenly, some of the suffering Riley felt from Max made more sense. She felt sick to her stomach imagining the scared and beaten little boy that lived in that house. That terrified child still hid in the now grown man.
"Yeah, the uncle was in on it too. Hit him just as much." Finding his pockets Dean took out his keys and fidgeted with them in his hand. "Turns out Mrs. Miller is actually his stepmom and didn't do a damn thing. The cops were called on the house tons of times but never did any good."
Ringing came through Sam's ears as he braced himself for the headache that followed. Thankfully, Riley only felt physical pain from others on occasion.
As the pressure built, Sam gasped for air trying to breathe through the vision that took over him. "Guys, we gotta go."
—
Baby neared the Miller home as Sam still came down from the effects of the vision. "It's Max. He's the one doing this. He's going to kill Alice. It looked like he was using telekinesis." He pinched the bridge of his nose as the pain lingered. "All this time, I thought it was the Millers I was connected to, but I think it was Max the whole time. But why? Is it because we're so alike?"
Dean gave his brother a stern look. "What are you talking about? That dude's nothing like you. Sam, Max is a monster. He's killed two people and now he's gunning for a third."
"Judge me all you want, but with all the beatings he suffered? Him wanting to get revenge? I don't blame him."
"He's no different than anything else we've hunted. He's a killer. We're gonna end him." Dean parked the car as it came to a screeching halt. He reached to the glove box and pulled out his pistol.
"Honey," Riley started, "we can't kill him."
"What do you wanna do, guys? Hand him to the cops and say, 'this guy kills with the power of his mind'? Pfft. No. He's gotta go." Cocking his gun Dean's face grew angry.
Sam pleaded with his brother, "Dean, he's a person. We can talk to him. Promise me you'll follow my lead on this one."
"Fine. But I'm not letting him hurt anyone else." Dean got out and put the gun in his waistband. Riley and Sam shot each other a look before hurrying out of the car. They both knew it could all go south, and fast.
The two caught up to Dean as he rushed into the door, ramming it open. They could see into the kitchen from the entrance as Mrs. Miller and Max seemed to have been arguing. Tears filled his eyes and she was obviously frazzled and scared. The second Riley was in the house, the emotions were like a punch to the gut. There was fear, rage, and hate sucking the air out from around them. She shook as they enveloped her, trying to control them.
Dean gave a soft chuckle when Mrs. Miller asked what the priests were doing there. "Uh–sorry to interrupt."
Trying his best to reach Max, Sam softened his voice and body language before speaking. "Max? Could we talk somewhere? Alone? It's private. Won't take long. I promise."
"…sure." His voice was breaking through his anger. Max headed towards the door that Dean held open for him. As he got close, he caught a glimpse of the hunter's gun through the mirror beside him.
The front door slammed shut and all the blinds in every direction closed with force. "You're not priests!"
The stepmother gasped as she watched the events unfold and Dean drew his weapon. That same moment, a force grabbed the gun and it flew to Max's feet before he picked it up.
"Max! What's happening?" Mrs. Miller begged.
"Shut up!" Using his powers, he threw her backward and sent her into the kitchen island with a slam where she hit her head. "Who the fuck are you?!" Max had the gun pointed at the three in the foyer and Dean stepped in front of Riley.
Sam had his hands up in surrender. "We just wanna talk, Max. We're sorry we lied about who we were, but no more lying, ok? Just hear me out. Please."
"About what?" Max's words spat from his mouth in rage.
"I saw you do it." With his hands still up, Sam tried to get through to the broken man. "I saw you kill your dad and your uncle before you did it. I'm having visions, Max. About you."
"You're crazy."
"So, you weren't about to launch a knife at your stepmom? Right here?" Sam pointed to his right eye. "Is it that hard to believe, Max? Look what you can do. I think I'm here to help you."
Max began to sob and his voice broke with every word. "No one can help me."
"Let me just talk to you. Just you and me, okay? We'll get Alice, Dean, and Riley out of here."
Riley came out from behind Dean. "No, Sam. We're not leaving you."
The house shook as if an earthquake had found them. Objects that filled the home rattled. "No one leaves this house!" Max shouted.
Still trying to plead with him, Sam stayed calm. "Okay, and no one has to. They'll just go upstairs."
Dean couldn't stay silent another moment. "Nuh-uh. No way. I'm not leaving you here with him, Sam."
"Yes, you are, Dean." Sam turned back to Max. "Hey, you're in control here, okay? We all know that. No one's gonna do anything that you don't want. I just need five minutes, man." The house continued to tremor as Max's fury filled every corner.
The gun shook in Max's hand as he finally conceded. "Five minutes." Everything stilled and the hunters took a breath of relief. With the weapon pointed at Dean and Riley, he ordered them into the kitchen. They complied and went to check on Mrs. Miller who was barely conscious. A large gash on her forehead bled down her face. Riley supported her neck as they both helped her to stand.
Sam went with Max into the living room so they could talk in private. They sat in chairs across from each other. Max used his ability to spin a letter opener on its tip on the table beside him.
"Look, Max, I am so sorry for what happened to you. You never deserved any of that. But your stepmother? She never beat you did she?" Sam stayed calm and empathetic in hopes of reaching him.
"No. But she didn't do anything. She just let it happen. She's just as guilty. It'll all be over when she's dead."
"The things that happened to you as a kid? Killing her won't change that they happened."
"When I was a kid?" Max turned his eyes to Sam. His words hissed through his teeth. "Try last week!" He stood and lifted his shirt to reveal terrible bruising down his entire right side. "Dad still beat the shit out of me. He just got smart and started doing it where no one could see."
Sam's heart broke watching Max explain to him that his abilities were a gift. That he was no longer at the mercy of his family.
"Dad got drunk for the first time in a long time last week and he beat me to hell. I knew what I had to do. I didn't want to be afraid anymore." Max's anger poured from him as he went on. "My dad hated me! He blamed me for everything. His job, his life, my real mom's death? It was all my fault."
"Why would he blame you for your mom's death?"
"Because she died in my nursery, while I was asleep in my crib. As if that makes it my fault."
Hearing Max's words, Sam felt himself about to be sick. "…she died in your nursery?"
"Yeah. There was a fire, and he'd get drunk and babble on about how she died in some insane way. He said that she burned up pinned to the ceiling."
Sam swallowed hard as panic rushed through him. It wasn't just him and Riley. There were others like them whose mother's had suffered the same fate at the hands of the demon.
"Max, you gotta listen to me. What your dad said, about your mom? It was true."
"…what?" Max shook with rage and tears ran down his face.
"My mom? She died the exact same way. All of it was the same. It was in my nursery, as I laid in my crib, and my dad saw her on the ceiling."
"Your dad must have been as drunk as mine."
"No, Max. My friend Riley, that went upstairs with Dean? The same thing happened to her mom. The same thing killed our mothers."
"That's impossible."
Everything hit Sam all at once as the pieces of the puzzle began to come together. "Oh my god. That's why I'm having visions. Why they're getting stronger and why I'm even having them during the day. That's why Riley's telepathy happened and why it's only getting more powerful. I was drawn to you. We're connected in some way." His breathing picked up its pace as he continued to make sense of it all. "Your abilities, they started six or seven months ago right? Out of the blue?"
"Yeah…"
"Did you have bad headaches at any point?"
"How do you know all that?"
"Because that's when ours started, Max. You and Riley, both of your abilities seem to be progressing faster than mine are. But still, this means something!" Sam spoke quickly as his thoughts poured from him. "We–we must have been chosen for some reason."
"For what?"
"I don't know. But me and my brother and Riley? We're searching for the thing that killed our moms. We could find answers, together." He looked intently at the broken man in front of him, "but you gotta let us all go. You gotta let your stepmom go."
A moment of silence fell on the room. It felt like hours as Sam waited for Max to respond. His rage grew again and his face furrowed as he shook his head. "No. I'm tired of all this." Max began to yell through his tears. "This stops now!" he shouted as he got up and headed back towards the stairs.
Sam ran in front of him and stopped him in the archway. "No, Max. It won't make any of the pain stop. Don't be like them." He paused; his hands up in front of him. "You don't have to go through this on your own."
Max inhaled as his snot moved in his nose and tears ran from his eyes. "I'm sorry."
Sam's eyes widened, and before he could respond, Max's abilities took hold of him. It sent him backward through the air and into the closet beneath the stairs. The doors slammed and a large cabinet moved its way in front of the door to seal them shut. "No!" Sam yelled as he fought to get out. "Max, don't!"
In the bedroom upstairs, Dean and Riley had taken Alice away like they promised. Riley held a cold compress to Mrs. Miller's head and Dean paced by their side. She looked back at him and worry came over her. "Dean, something's wrong."
The bedroom door swung open ahead of Max and shut with a bang after he entered.
Dean went to walk towards him and a force grabbed him, sending him flying across the room and into the wall. "Dean!" Riley yelled. The sound of drywall crashed as it broke under the hunter's weight. Falling to the ground, Dean groaned.
Riley got up and stood in front of the wounded widow as Max drew Dean's gun from his pocket. He pointed it in his stepmother's direction as Dean struggled to get up.
Putting her arms out, Riley blocked her. "Max, you don't have to do this. I'm like you, okay? I understand the power you have. We can help you."
The gun floated from his hand and hovered in the air as it cocked itself. "This isn't about you. I don't want to hurt you."
"If you wanna kill her, you have to go through me, Max."
Dean looked up from the ground and saw Riley facing off with the gun in front of her as panic ran through him. He knew if he moved too quickly, he would risk startling Max and make him fire his shot.
"Okay," Max said. He fired the gun anyway and sent a bullet through Riley's skull. Her blood splashed on the wall behind her as she hit the ground.
Dean's guttural scream filled the air as he threw himself in her direction. He fell to his knees and held her to his chest as her still warm blood seeped through his shirt. Between his gasping breaths, he sobbed into her hair.
With a flash, Sam had seen the moment unfold. Luckily, it was only a vision. He had time to stop it. Sam breathed heavily and sweat poured from his face as the migraine grew. The pain of watching his best friend die ate him alive. "No." Sam wasn't about to let that nightmare happen. "No!" he yelled as his anger rushed from him and a force pushed the cabinet out of the way, freeing him.
Realizing what just happened, he tried to cope with the shock. Sam pushed open the doors and raced up the stairs.
Back in the bedroom, Max spoke to Riley. "This isn't about you. I don't want to hurt you." His face was red with overwhelming emotion.
Riley's arms were stretched out to block Mrs. Miller. "If you wanna kill her, you have to go through me, Max."
"Okay," Max agreed.
Before the gun could go off, Sam burst through the bedroom door. "No! No! Don't! Max, please." He tried to catch his breath. "I told you, we can help you. Let us help you. What you're doing, it's not gonna fix anything."
Max paused as tears ran down his reddened face. He slowly turned in Sam's direction. Sweat dripped from his forehead and the muscles in his neck clenched as he fought every powerful emotion. "You're right." The gun swiftly turned to Max and immediately fired a shot into his head as he thumped to the ground.
—
Alice Miller sat in her living room with a bandage on her head. She explained to the officers that Max had attacked her and the three hunters were friends of the family. She said she had called them after everything started up with Max.
Mrs. Miller went on to tell them that they tried to stop him and fought for the gun. Her voice broke as she re-lived those terrible moments. She began to sob uncontrollably.
"I've lost everyone."
Her anguish hit Riley and she too began to cry. The poor woman had suffered so much and there was nothing they could do to mend her broken heart. Dean wrapped his arm around her and guided her towards the door. With his hands in his pockets and his head whirling around the events, Sam joined them at their side.
"If I had just said something else; gotten through to him somehow."
Riley took a few large strides ahead and turned back to her friend. She put her hand on his chest and stopped him in his tracks. "Don't. Torturing yourself over this won't fix anything. We would have had to have gotten here over 20 years ago to help him. He was too far gone, Sam." He took the hand on his chest and squeezed it before she moved back between the brothers. They all made their way to the car.
"Well I'll tell you one thing," Sam started as he looked at Dean. "We're lucky we had dad."
Dean's face was in shock as he let out a small laugh under his breath. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."
"Yeah, well, we could have gone a whole nother way after losing mom." He turned to face Riley. "We all could have. A little more whiskey, a little less demon hunting; we may have had the same childhood that Max did. All things considered? I think the three of us turned out okay because of the men that raised us."
Riley reached over and rubbed Sam's arm lovingly before they all got into the Chevy.
A small smile curved at Dean's lips. "All things considered."
—
The trunk of the car was opened and parked directly in front of the motel door as they loaded up. Riley was out taking Finn for a quick walk as the boys collected their things from the cheap room.
Sam put his things on the bed as he began to organize them. "You know, Dean, I've been thinking."
"Well, that's never a good thing," Dean joked.
"What the hell is going on with this demon? It's killed so many people in our lives. Why did it kill Max's mom? What does it want?"
"No idea."
Finn's collar jingled as he and Riley walked back into the room.
"Do you think the demon was after us? You, me, Max?" Sam turned to face his auburn-haired friend.
She stood there unsure of how to answer his question as Dean jumped in. "Why would you think that?"
"Well I mean, whether it's premonitions, or telekinesis, or telepathy…we all have abilities. Maybe it wanted us for some reason." Sam needed answers after watching Max's suicide. He couldn't stop replaying it in his mind.
"Sam," Dean said as he folded his clothes. "If it wanted you, it would have taken you guys from the get-go. This isn't any of your faults. It isn't about you."
Sam scoffed. "Then what the hell is it about?"
"It's about the damn thing that did this to our families. It's about the thing we're gonna find and the thing that we're gonna kill." Dean always got heated when he talked about finally ending the lifelong nightmare.
"Actually, uh–" Sam searched for the words to say. "There's more."
The oldest brother looked at him with concern as Riley stepped closer to him. "What, Sam?" Her eyes were soft and worried as she felt him nervous to speak.
"When Max locked me in that closet, he put a giant cabinet against the door. And at one point I–I moved it."
Dean laughed. "Well, guess you got a little bit more upper-body strength than I give you credit for."
Riley looked Sam in the eye and spoke to Dean. "I don't think that's what he means, Dean. I think he means…he moved it…like Max."
"Yeah." Sam sighed. "That's what happened."
"Oh," was the only word Dean could get out. He picked up a spoon and held it in his brother's direction. "Here, bend this."
"It doesn't work like that, Dean. I can't just turn it on and off."
"Then how'd you do it?"
Riley interrupted as she felt things begin to escalate. "Sam, what happened right before you moved it?"
"I had a vision." He paused. "…I saw Max kill you."
Her eyes cast down and shot back and forth as she tried to collect her thoughts. "Maybe, it's like me. My abilities tend to get stronger or new things happen when I'm upset. Moments of stress or anger turn up the amp or something."
"Riley," Sam reeked of worry and dread. "Aren't you worried? Worried that we're gonna end up like Max?"
Before she could answer, Dean looked at them. "No way, that's not happening. You both have something that Max didn't." Sam and Riley both turned in his direction as he put his favorite worn leather jacket on and fixed the collar. "You got me." He smiled and grabbed his bag. "As long as I'm around, nothing bad's gonna happen to either of you." Dean planted a kiss on Riley's forehead before turning towards the car.
Riley patted Sam on the back in comfort. She then whistled for Finn and he headed for the Impala, jumping in the back seat. Sam took Riley's hand and held it gently. She looked up at him, "what is it?"
"I never told you this, but I think it's too important not to."
"Okay…"
"Before we met, I had dreams."
"Right, yeah, about Jessica."
"…and you."
Taken back, Riley didn't know how to respond and stood with her mouth slightly open as words refused to come out.
"I dreamt about you in the diner, and about that night we met with the vampires in the alley. That's why I came looking for Dean. I saw the attack before it happened and I knew I had to help." Sam looked at her, afraid she wouldn't take the news well. "We're connected, just like I was with Max. But because of how close we are, it's different. You're like my sister, Riley. We were supposed to meet. The three of us we meant to be together."
Riley's eyes stayed locked on his. She could feel how nervous he was to tell her. "Sam, I always knew you both were destined to be in my life. Truth be told, I felt a strange connection to you when we first met. I could feel it in my bones." Riley reached out and put a gentle hand on his cheek. "Whether you had a premonition about it or not, doesn't change that. Just means you knew I was awesome before we even met." She gave him a goofy smile and he chuckled.
Taking her hand from his face and into his, he felt so close to this woman who had become family. He couldn't imagine a life without her in it.
"Wait, did you ever get the headaches I've been getting? Max said he had them too."
She softly shook her head with a curious look. "No. It all felt like I kind of just eased into it." She paused to collect her thoughts. "That's so strange. Why didn't I get them when my abilities started?"
"Well, just consider yourself lucky, Munroe," Sam said playfully.
Dean came back into the room with a serious look. "You guys, I know where we gotta go with both of you being friggin psychics now." He took a beat and grinned. "Las Vegas, baby."
"Oh my god," Riley chuckled as she got into the car. Sam did the same.
As he got ready to close the door, Dean's face changed. It wasn't funny anymore. The two people he loved more than anything were headed down a path that he didn't know how to save them from. He knew the demon was tied into this. That it was completely possible that it wanted them both. It scared him and shook him to his core.
Sam's question about turning into Max rang through his head. The idea that his brother or the woman he loved could snap, made him sick to his stomach. Dean didn't want to believe it, but his mind began to prepare for the worst. He had no idea how he was gonna save them, but he had already decided that he would.
He looked into the dark room and one last thought rang through his mind. "I can't lose them. I won't let them turn into that fucking monster." The fact of the matter was, that if they did? It would be his job to end it.
Dean closed the motel door and cleared his mind as best he could. He couldn't chance those thoughts being heard by Riley. They were his burden to carry, and his alone.
—