A/N: Hey guys, sorry about keeping this so long. This whole fic I seem to have been a little out of it. Lately just haven't felt like working on this, I know I know and please don't shoot me. But I was having some issues working with Dean... well Sam was the one with the problem I was on Dean's side. Then Athena was worried about her sanity soo... But we should be done with Phantoms in something like two chapters, after this one. THANKS for sticking with me guys!
Chapter Eight
Athena climbed behind the seats into the bunk tucked back there, as the air breaks screeched to a halt. Big Joe leaned over pushing open the door and gave the man standing on the side of the road a big grin. The man ran a hand through his hair launching into thanks for the ride. Joe shrugged him off, instructing the man to swing up into the cab.
"I'm Big Joe," the trucker said tipping his ball cap. "This is my girl, Teenie." The young man nodded to Teenie though his eyes were wide with horror.
"Cameron. What happened to her, she looks"
"Like hell warmed over?" Joe's head bobbled. "Yea, I'm taking her to the hospital, found her too. I'm faster then any ambulance." Teenie took the worried look on Cameron's face to mean that she wasn't loosing her mind she did look like an extra in Indian war movie.
"Is she going to be okay?"
"Yea, I've had worse than this before," she tried to assure her new companion.
"Teenie, maybe you should lay down," Cameron told her brow furrowing as he twisted in his seat to watch her. "Give me your wrist I can watch your vitals. Wish I'd had the sense to grab my bag when Ellie booted my ass. I'm in med school, my girl friend and I were road tripping just took finals." Cameron told her calmly in that all knowing voice of great doctors. He smiled an understanding, encouraging smile, "Head injury like that I'm surprised you're still alive, we need to put pressure on that, can you tell me what happened?" Athena laughed, maybe she was insane.
"Cam, honey, you're never going to believe this, but you and I are both going to die. Joe here is a ghost and so is this rig." Concern over rode the horror in his eyes, and he glance at Big Joe who only shrugged.
"She's been rambling about ghosts since I picked her up. The girl's stark raving mad."
"Teenie, no one is going to die today. What's your full name?"
"Athena Rhea Daemon, and you'll look like me in a few hours just give it time."
"Bud, we don't have to die!" Betsy pleaded as Bud dragged her after him.
"You don't understand anything, Bets so shut up. Dean, Sam, come with me." The Winchesters hesitated. "Come, NOW!" He twisted Betsy's arm and she bit back a scream. "You're only going to make this messy. Leave the fire and let's go." Sam stepped forward hands up slightly proving he didn't want to be a threat, Dean had other plans. He followed his brother a few paces and when Bud was satisfied that they were going to follow, Dean slid his gun out of his waist band. Another few paces, Bud had Betsy held close to him like so many bad guys had held their hostages in bad movies, she looked terrified and kept up her end of an argument with him, adamant that they didn't have to die. Sam wasn't watching Dean, he seemed to be working his brain over trying to come up with a way out of this without either kid getting hurt. Dean used everyone else's preoccupation to his advantage. Pause. Aim. Shoot. "SON OF A BITCH!" Bud threw Betsy away from him, and Sam grabbed her. Bud held his arm where the bullet had grazed him.
"Sam, you take Betsy and get the trees down," Dean ordered, grabbing Bud by the good arm.
"Dean," Sam started in his ever warning tone.
"Trees, before J.R. comes to handle his own business." Sam didn't making a verbal reply instead he gave Betsy a once over and started back towards the barns to get a chainsaw. "Where is he?" Dean demanded of Bud.
"You shot me!" he accused.
"Wow, you're a genius. Where's your brother?"
"You shot me!" he repeated.
"Bud, you'll live, but not for long if you don't give me a hand. Now, where is J.R.?" Dean gave Bud a little shake, and the boy actually smirked.
"If I tell you you'll just kill him."
"Sam?" Betsy asked as she followed him. She had the map and was supposed to be leading them to the trees Dean had marked to be cut down, based on what Autumn had been able to tell them
"Yea?" he answered swinging the chainsaw idly.
"That wasn't really Bud was it?"
"I don't think he was possessed if that's what you're asking. But he did seem to really believe that killing the two of you is the only way." Betsy sighed, and pointed to a tree at the top of a small incline.
"Drop that one." The tree was larger than most the other trees around , and in the middle of a small clearing. Betsy sat down, while Sam struggled to start the saw, looking over the map. "All these trees are the same and planted in the clearings."
"That's good," Sam said through clenched teeth.
"Here," she rocked to her knees and crawled over to start the saw for Sam, she yanked the cord a couple of times and it roared to life. "Dean's not going to hurt Bud is he?"
"No, he knows he's been influenced by the spirit, er J.R." Sam replied putting the blade to the tree. The vibrations made his arms numb as he the saw ate through the trunk.
"Uh Sammy!" Betsy yelled over the roar of the engine. He pushed on looking away from his work to her. "Help?" It wasn't until she turned that he saw a gun to her back, no one else was out there. Sam killed the chainsaw dropping it in exchange for the gun tucked in his waistband, when it hit him that Betsy wasn't going to be hit by rocksalt, if anything she'd get a real bullet. "What do we do?" Betsy asked panicked. Sam grabbed up the chainsaw again, starting it on the first pull this time and pushed through the remaining inches of tree. The moment the saw broke free, the gun went off, causing Betsy scream hitting the ground at the same time as the tree.
"I'll be right over there," Autumn pointed just out of sight. "I'll have my lights off so you won't see me but I'm not leaving." she assured Darcy. The brunet nodded, they'd only covered the plan a million times, in the fifteen minute drive out here from the tiny town that harbored the county documents. Neither was a hundred percent on what they'd do once Darcy was in the truck. They had it planned out up to that point, the only thing on their minds being getting Teenie back. Then they'd have to improvise, as there wasn't enough left of Big Joe to bury and he was cremated.
"You'll make you're move when I get in the truck." Darcy finished. "Now, will you just get this old car of yours out of sight so we can get this over with?"
"Don't insult Scarlet like that!" Autumn scolded climbing back into the Ford..
"One day you'll have to realize that this is just a car." Darcy called after her. Autumn disappeared from sight as soon as she shut off her lights. Darcy shook her head and shouldered the backpack she was carrying. "Just like always, Dar, stick your thumb out when you see lights and play poor innocent girl."
It was a good fifteen minutes before lights rose on the horizon, she waited till they got closer and was disappointed to find it was only a minivan. Three hours passed and only four vehicles went by, none of which were their target. Darcy was ready to send the txt waiting on her phone that would draw Autumn out of hiding. They needed to go back to the drawing board and try something else, she sat up, from her perch on the road railing. When lights appeared in the intersection, Darcy threw a glance in Autumn's direction and felt for her mind, the red head didn't see it. Two terrified minds were coming from the lights' center, the thoughts crashing in on Darcy's. She'd have known one of them anywhere. The Mack stopped a few feet past Darcy the door swinging open, inviting her forth.
"Hiya, Darlin'," the big guy inside greeted with a lopsided grin.
"Hey," she smirked. "Where you headed?" Darcy tried to crane her neck and see into the back, but only caught a wisp of blonde hair. "Teenie?" Panic stricken recognition wafted down the link.
"Where ever you wanna go." he leered. Darcy swung up in the cab, dropping in the front seat and avoiding looking behind her, she hugged her back pack slipping one hand inside and gripping a handgun loaded with rocksalt, so far so good.
"You've got to be too good to be true," she replied teasingly.
"You've got no idea."
A/N: Was it worth the toture i've put myself through the past few weeks to write this? I know its short and I'm not going to lie and say the next chapter will be faster. I'm not sure it will be, but I wanted to put something up so you know I'm not dead. So...I'm alive! R&R and ANY suggestions will make me worship you!