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Dawn Of The Winchester

Chapter Five: Savior

Dean walked cautiously through the mass of cars abandoned on the road, and he gave a short shake of his head. It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before, or anything he had ever imagined seeing before. There were dead bodies still sitting behind the wheels, as though they had died waiting for an opening to go somewhere. He just didn't understand it. How had something like that happened?

And, why?

There was a sound behind him, and he turned sharply. His eyes scanned the mass of cars for the source, and his stomach dropped when he saw it. There was a man approaching slowly, his gaze fixed solely to him. He wasn't alive, there was no question about it. Dean sighed and brought up his gun, and he shot the corpse effortlessly through the head. But as soon as he had fired, he knew that it had been a mistake. The sound seemed to draw the rest of them towards him, and dozens of them rounded on him. He was in their sight, and they looked nothing but determined to get their hands on him.

Dean fired his gun, shooting the ones closest to him before he broke into a sprint through the cars. They were everywhere, and he took them out one by one as he flew past them. He knew he didn't have the bullets to spare, and somewhere deep down he was aware that he was running short on them. He came to a clearing on the highway, out of the graveyard of cars, and he turned.

There were at least ten of them approaching, fast. They moved faster than he was aware they could. The sight of him seemed to speed them up, they were driven and headed right for him. Dean continued to back away, and he fell backwards. Over what he wasn't sure, and all he could do was stare at the monsters still approaching him. They were getting closer, and he knew there was no chance of running, because they would always follow. He had to kill them. It was the only way to escape them.

Dean aimed and he fired, and his heart completely stopped. His gun didn't shoot. The things didn't stop. They were still moving towards him and his eyes were blown wide. Did he run? Did he try to fight? One bite and it was all over. He was out of ammo and he was cornered.

Before Dean even had the chance to process a clear thought in his head, the sound of a gunshot rang through the air. The creature before him fell to it's knees, and he didn't even flinch as the blood splattered across the road behind it. There was another shot, and then another, and then another. They kept coming and coming, never ceasing. And he watched as one by one the bodies dropped before him. Someone behind him liked him, and, by the lethal and scary accuracy of their shots, he wasn't sure he wanted to turn and see who his savior was.

But it was in that moment, where Dean turned around to see who it was that had saved his life, that his heart skipped a beat. For a moment he was completely stunned. His breath caught in his throat, and he wasn't sure he knew how to feel. It was as though time had stopped, he was frozen on the spot. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open.

Amidst the numerous bodies rotting on the street around him, there was a girl walking towards him, or, rather, marching. She wore some black jeans with numerous rips in each leg, with a pair of scuffed boots and a white vest, and the colour only seemed to emphasize her tanned skin. Her face was hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses, but he didn't miss the frown that took over her features. Her blonde hair, usually so straight, was wavy and pulled back, it swung behind her in the breeze, brought on by the severe force of her stride, and she was armed from head to foot with weapons. He noted the guns strapped to her thighs, the bullets wrapped around her middle, the rifles at her back and the shotguns she held in either hand. It crossed his mind that she looked like something out of an action movie. The girl striding towards him looked nothing like the girl he had grown up with. And, for a moment, he wasn't sure that she had even realized that it was him.

Dean stumbled unceremoniously to his feet, not quite the reunion he had been anticipating, and glanced between her and the dead body lying at his feet. He didn't know how to react. And, apparently, neither did she. She continued on her way to him, but the frown on her face didn't falter. The gun in her left hand was aimed at him, and there was no way she couldn't have recognized him by now.

"Did it bite you?" Her voice carried the short distance between them, but she didn't come any closer. She sounded angry, driven. And he almost didn't recognize the tone.

Dean scoffed, a little taken aback. "Well, it's great to see you, too, sis." he commented dryly.

But her face didn't change, and the gun didn't lower. "Did it bite you?" she asked him again, pushing the words through gritted teeth.

And it was then that he realized she really wasn't in the mood to screw around. "No." he told her bluntly. "No. It didn't bite me." Her eyes scanned him slowly, they paused at the large blood stain on the front of his shirt, and they shifted to his bloody hands. She looked dubious. "What?" he pressed, incredulous. "You want me to strip? You think I'd come anywhere near you if I'd been bitten, kiddo? Really? Have you met me?"

It took a moment, but she lowered the gun, and her entire face softened. "Are you...I mean...oh my god...Dean?"

Dean smiled, relieved, and he nodded. "Hey, Dani."

A short breath escaped her, somewhere between a laugh and a cry of disbelief, and she returned the guns to the back of her jeans. "You're alive."

Dean frowned. "Course I'm alive." he quipped. "I'm kind of disappointed that you'd think otherwise."

Danielle smiled at him, and then she grinned. She took a step forwards and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're okay." she said softly, her voice little more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry, Dean."

Dean pulled back enough to face her and he raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"For leaving you there." She shook her head. "I wanted to stay, I did. I'm sorry. I—"

"Hey," He shook his head. "It doesn't matter, okay? Forget about it."

Her shaking hands found his, and she looked up to him, afraid. "What happened to you?" She looked down to his shirt, and there was a frown on her face. "Dean, what?"

"I'm okay." he said simply. It wasn't the time or the place to tell her what had happened. He couldn't do it, not there.

Danielle pushed the sunglasses to the top of her head, and that was when he really saw her. Her eyes were nothing like he had remembered. They were dull, lifeless, as though a light had gone out in her while they had been apart. He had missed something. There were dark circles beneath them, and he didn't miss the slight redness to them, as if giving away she hadn't been sleeping. Then again, he couldn't blame her. With everything that was going on around them, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to sleep again.

He softened, and he pulled her towards him again, this time tighter. "I missed you." he murmured. "Thanks for saving my ass."

She laughed against his shoulder. "Any time." They stood there for a moment longer, and something about it felt so safe, so secure. "Come on," she pressed. "Let's get out of here."

They walked down the road in silence, and, despite everything, Dean couldn't quite grasp how he suddenly felt so much safer, so relieved at having her by his side again. He reached out and took the sunglasses from the top of her head, and he tried them on. "These don't come cheap." he commented lucidly. "You taken up looting, Dani?"

Danielle huffed a laugh, reaching up and taking them back, returning them to her own face. "Well, I don't know if you've noticed but there's a certain absence of law enforcement these days. Why should we be the only ones who don't benefit?" She threw him a smirk, and the amusement was evident on his face. "Speaking of," She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a set of car keys. She pressed the button. He heard a sound somewhere ahead of them, and he noticed as one of the cars lights flashed as it unlocked.

His eyebrows raised. "Wow." He looked over the black car parked at the side of the road. "Nice ride. You steal this, too?" She shot him a knowing look, and he smirked, ruffling her hair. "That's my girl."

Danielle started the car, and the engine roared to life. Dean cleared his throat, as if uncomfortable. "So, dare I ask, where's Sam?" he pressed, cautious. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah." Her smile was tight at the mention of their brother, and he didn't miss it. "He's fine. He'll be glad to see you."

Dean nodded. He wasn't sure he believed her, and he knew there was more to it, but he chose not to comment. "And, how are you?" he asked, and she glanced up at him. "I mean, really?"

Danielle shrugged as she set off down the highway, and it crossed his mind that driving was an excuse not to face him. "I'm okay." she confirmed. "I mean, the world is in chaos, right? It's not exactly anything new to us."

Dean scoffed. "I'd say this is something pretty new to us, kid." he muttered, shaking his head. "What the hell is this?"

She smiled at him. "Nothing we can't get used to." she offered. "I mean, it's not like we have much of a choice."

"Hmm. I guess not." There was something about the look on her face that didn't fill him with confidence, and he got the impression that she wasn't nearly as put together as she seemed to be, but he chose not to comment. "What made you so sure I was dead?"

Danielle raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well, you looked pretty surprised to see me." he commented. "What happened?"

Danielle said nothing for a moment, and he could see her thinking hard about her answer. "You woke up in hospital, right?" He nodded. "So, did it not occur to you why you were there? Don't you remember? Dean, you were in a coma. You smashed your head on that demon hunt, they told us you weren't gonna wake up. You were alive on a machine." She paused, and her voice wavered slightly. "And then the power went down. You were basically dead when we left. Your doctor, he was the first one I saw go."

"What does that mean?" he pressed, confused.

"I was standing right in front of him, and he told me there was nothing they could do, he said that you weren't going to wake up, and then," She shook her head. "I couldn't even get a word out. This guy walked up behind him and just took a chunk out of his neck. That was the first one we'd seen. Within a couple of days the entire hospital was just either dead or gone. I'm sorry we had to leave you, Dean, I am, but they knew we were in there, and they would've gotten in. We would've drawn them to you."

But Dean held up his hand to stop her. "Dani, you don't have to apologize." he said, sincere. "I told you. It was the right thing to do."

Danielle didn't look convinced. And he could hear the level of guilt that came through in her words. "How did you find us, anyway?" she asked, curious.

Dean scoffed. "Because your cryptic notes were so helpful." he remarked.

"Hey, at least I left you a note." she rebuked, defensive. "And guns. And clothes."

Dean huffed a laugh. "Yeah, thanks for that." he said, sincere. "I met this guy, he took me in, kinda explained it all to me. He was staying in this place with his kids," He shook his head, because he didn't want to think about what was happening to them now, he could only hope that they were alright, but he knew he'd never likely find out. "Anyway, I headed up to Rufus's cabin, thought maybe you'd be there. And I found Garth."

"Garth?" She turned to him with a frown. "What the hell was he doing up there?"

"That's what I said." He gave a soft chuckle. "He helped me track the Impala, and I followed the road, like you said. Next thing I know I'm surrounded by monsters and some skinny blonde chick was saving my ass."

Danielle chuckled. "She sounds badass." she commented.

Dean offered a weak smile, but she could tell that it was forced. Something about him seemed off, there was a look on his face that proved he wanted to say something, that he needed to say something, but he just couldn't seem to find the words. There was something praying on his mind, something big.

"So, where's Garth?" she pressed, curious.

Once again, Dean opened and closed his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes were focused ahead at the road, he looked lost in his own world.

"Dude?" She nudged him lightly in the arm. "Hey, are you sure you're alright?" she pressed, concerned. "You don't seem yourself. Dean, what happened?"

Dean sighed, shaking his head. "There's something I need to tell you. Look, it's not easy, but..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.

She glanced between him and the road, eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

"Garth." He saw the look in her eyes, and he could tell, she knew what he was about to tell her. "I'm sorry, Dan. We were out on the road, and they all just came out of nowhere, there were so many of them." He looked down to the blood that still covered his hands. "I know you were close. I'm sorry."

Danielle shook her head to herself. "Garth was a good guy." she said simply. "He didn't deserve to go like that."

Dean nodded in agreement. "He was gonna tell you something." He smiled a little. "When we found you, he was gonna tell you about his crush on you."

A frown came to her face. "Wait, what?"

Dean huffed a laugh at how clueless she looked. "You know, for such a smart girl, you really can be blind. The guy liked you, Dan, a lot. And, I'm not telling you to make you feel worse, but," He shrugged. "I think he wanted you to know."

Danielle sat back a little in her seat, her eyes fixed to the road ahead. For a moment he was sure that she was going to cry, but whatever emotion showed in her face was quickly covered. "I always knew he'd go down fighting." she muttered, distant. "For such a scrawny guy he was a fighter."

Dean smiled. "Only reason I found you was because of him, and he got killed for it."

"Hey, don't do that." she stopped him. "This isn't on you, Dean. This thing, whatever it is, it gets everyone in the end."

Dean frowned, and he was sure there was more behind her words, but he didn't want to ask. He hadn't missed the hopeless look in her eyes, or how she seemed to be simply going through the motions. There was something so different about her. It was as though there was no fight left in her, as though she was carrying on just for the sake of it. Whatever this thing was, and whatever had happened since they had left the hospital, it had left her visibly worn down, beaten, and a part of him was sure she didn't want to carry on much longer.

She pulled the car up outside of an old building. It was a cabin, in the middle of nowhere, and he was sure they had never been there before. "What is this place?" he asked, curious.

"Home." She shrugged. "For now, at least."

Dean looked back to her. "So, what?" he pressed. "You're just moving from town to town taking these things out?"

Danielle huffed a laugh, but there was no amusement behind it. "That's how it started. I mean, that was the plan, but," She sighed, defeated. "There's so many of them. And once we think we've got them all it's like another fifty just show up out of nowhere. Truth is, we're not doing such a great job. There's no controlling this thing, Dean. We're trying but... I don't know." She pulled a hand down her face and sat back in her seat. "You should go inside. Sam's gonna want to see you."

Dean frowned at her. "What about you?" She smiled at him, as though guilty, and she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. His eyebrows raised, surprised, accusing. "I thought we'd quit that?"

"Well, it's been a rough month." she muttered, nonchalant. "Go, Dean. Go see Sam."

Dean opened and closed his mouth, he looked torn. He knew that she was hurting, and he knew that she wanted to be alone to do it. But could he really leave her to hurt alone? It was something he had never been able to do. There was a look in her eyes that begged him, pleaded with him to get out of the car. It was one cigarette, five minutes of her time, who was he to deny her five minutes alone?

Reluctant, he nodded. "I'll see you in a minute."

Danielle smiled, kind. "Go see your brother." she coaxed. "I'll be right in."