Chapter Nine
As Leah maneuvered diligently through the trees, she readjusted her grip on her gun again. Her palms were sweaty and her nerves were on edge, just as they'd been when she'd first started hunting. Dean was in that cave and if the amulet was actually some sort of link to the creature, it was in there as well. The idea of Dean being hurt...or worse...had Leah more frightened than she'd ever been before.
Continuing forward, impatience spurred her to move at a quicker pace than she should have. She checked Sam's position and saw him wave her back in an attempt to keep them advancing as one. She slowed and took a few deep breaths, hoping that would calm her frayed nerves.
Movement in the woods near the cave entrance caught her eye so she ducked behind a tree. Perfect scenario, it was Dean and Blake escaping, but she knew that wasn't the way life worked. Crouching down, she peered around the tree trunk and scanned the area near the opening in the cliff. A moment later, the tall form of the wood devil appeared at the edge of the forest. It let out one of its high pitched screams and ran into the cave.
Knowing for certain that it was inside set Leah's heart rate soaring. She and Sam had to get in there and they had to do it fast. Without hesitation, she began to weave her way through the trees as quickly as she could, waiting outside the entrance for Sam. He was there just seconds behind her. The two were about to step inside when they heard the wood devil cry out again. Leah went pale. It could very well be tearing into Dean while they stood there. She started to rush in, but Sam caught her arm and pulled her back against him.
"Together!" he whispered in her ear.
She nodded her understanding and Sam let go. Leah's eyes locked with his and the connection was strong, helping to keep her grounded. He tipped his head toward the entrance, signaling a go, and they entered the dwelling.
Hugging the cave wall, the pair paused to let their vision acclimate to the darker interior. There was a rancid odor emanating from deep within and Leah had to swallow hard several times to keep from gagging. She could only imagine what was lying around within the depths of the lair and it made her shudder.
There was no sign of the wood devil. No sign of Dean or Blake, either. Leah saw Sam give the go ahead so they moved deeper into the cave's interior. They noticed a rope dangling from the ceiling and a small pile of debris nearby. At closer inspection, it was obvious the rope had been cut with a knife.
"Dean." Sam whispered. He looked toward the shadowy depths and pointed.
The two quickly worked their way deeper into the cave. The soft glow from the amulet wasn't much of a light source, but it did illuminate a small area around Leah so she brushed past Sam to take the lead.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
"You won't mind following a girl, will you Sam? I'm the source of light, dim as it is and I seem to have at least some sort of protection from this thing. Let me go first."
Of course Sam preferred to take the lead, knowing the dangers involved and wanting to keep Leah safe but he knew it was one battle he didn't have time to fight. Reluctantly, he agreed and they started forward again with Leah leading the way.
The cave tapered down to a narrow passageway that appeared to go well into the side of the cliff and Leah wondered just how far back Dean had gone to avoid the wood devil. It was clear that he'd cut someone down and she assumed it was Blake, because he was the most recent person to go missing. Since there was no body lying around, Blake had to be alive and that was a huge relief.
They'd gone in several hundred feet when something popped out in front of Leah. Her first instinct was to scream, but somehow she managed to choke it down. Automatically she brought her hand up, flare gun aimed and ready to fire.
"Now I know you want to use that on me, but you need all your flares for that nasty little bitch you're hunting."
For the first time in a very long time, Leah felt like crying. She fought back the urge to grab Dean and hug him as tightly as she could. Instead, she lowered the gun and shrugged.
"I thought you were the nasty little bitch I was hunting, Winchester."
Dean grinned. "I'm happy to see you, too, little bit!" He pulled her close, gave her a quick hard kiss and released her. "Got an extra gun? I lost mine."
Leah wanted to slap him, yet at the same time she wanted to grab him and kiss him again. The man would probably always bring out the craziest mix of emotions within her. She took the extra flare gun she had tucked in the waistband of her pants and handed it to him.
"Here. Where's Blake?" she asked.
"He's still out. What the hell do you see in the guy? He can't even take a punch." Dean answered as he checked the gun.
"What?" Leah ducked into the crevice that Dean had been hiding in so she could check on Blake.
As she looked over the unconscious hunter, Sam went to stand beside his brother. "You okay, dude?" he asked, looking Dean over quickly.
"I'm good. That thing's deeper in the cave. Hauled ass right past us. I say we leave Snake here since he's useless anyway and end this. I'm really starting to hate the damn woods."
Crouching beside Blake, Leah glared up at Dean. "What do you mean he can't take a punch? Why did you hit him?"
"He was getting on my nerves. It was the only way I could shut him up."
Leah jumped up. "He was already weak, Dean. What the hell's wrong with you?"
Sam stepped in. He sure as hell would be glad when the two of them finally worked things out. "Let's find this wood devil before it finds us, okay? Then once it's dead you two kids can have at it. I promise I won't interfere. Deal?" He looked from one to the other and waited for an answer.
"Deal." They both said.
"Okay, then. Leave Snake..." He grunted as Leah backhanded him in the stomach. "Blake. Leave Blake. He'll be safe tucked away in there."
Leah hated the idea of leaving him, but obviously they couldn't drag him around since Dean had rendered him helpless. There really wasn't much choice. "Fine. Let's do this."
Pushing past the brothers Leah headed for the furthest recesses of the cave. An abhorrent odor drifted toward them, growing stronger as they walked along the corridor. About 50 yards in, they came to a large open area much like the one at the front of the cave. The smell was so intense the hunters paused at the entrance.
"Jesus!" Leah choked out. "Where the hell is this thing so we can kill it and get out of here?"
"Let's just keep going." Sam insisted.
"Screw that!" Dean grumbled. "We found Drake, let's just leave. The park's closed and it'll snow soon. We can come back in the spring and kill it."
"No way!" Sam argued. "We're here, we finish..."
He was interrupted by that all-too-familiar shriek. The three turned, realizing it had come from somewhere close. Extremely close. The wood devil emerged from the murky shadows off to Sam's left. It screamed again then swung out a massive arm, catching Sam across the chest. He went flying backwards, landing hard on the ground.
Dean pointed the flare gun at the creature just as Leah aimed hers. They both fired, sending two searing flares into the very center of the devil's body, instantly igniting it. Staggering back, it screeched in pain as it was quickly consumed by the flames.
Dean went over to Sam and helped him stand. Brushing him off, he teased his younger brother. "Nice move, Sammy. Diverting its attention so we could shoot it."
Sam laughed. "Yeah, you know me. I do what I can."
Leah joined the men. "Thanks for your help. Both of you." She gave Sam a hug. "Now let's get out of here. I can't take much more of this stench!"
"Not so fast." Dean said, grabbing her arm. "Where's my hug?"
Leah took hold of his arms and wrapped them around his own waist. "There. You're used to patting yourself on the back; you might as well give yourself a hug. Let's go get Blake."
Sam began to laugh as Leah marched past him, heading down the corridor toward her friend. "Wow! Leah's certainly become pretty..." He paused to search for the right word. "audacious, huh?"
Dean grinned. "Yeah she has." And he couldn't wait to get her audacious little ass into bed.
TBC