Part 3
Dean saw Sam look over his shoulder to a darker corner behind him. "Does that promise extend to my friends as well?" he asked and Dean watched a small girl appear out of the shadows.
"Wow Sammy, I leave you alone for one day and you go find yourself a girlfriend. She's cute," he elbowed his brother in the side.
"Deeean," Sam squirmed and introduced him to Emily.
"Emily Little," Dean repeated and his eyes widened when he recognised the name. "I can't help her, Sammy."
"Why not," Sam tugged at his brother's sleeve. "You said you wouldn't let anyone hurt me. Well, Emily getting hurt is hurting me, so you have to help her."
But Dean apologised and shook his head. "I can't help her, Sammy. She's already dead."
*SN*
John was losing hope. It was twenty after five and he was standing outside the gates of the zoo just in case they had somehow snuck inside. The zoo keeper met him at the entrance and looked defeated. Security had agreed to search the zoo twice looking for the children but found nothing. John dropped his head and thanked them.
As he walked down the street, he contemplated going to the authorities for help. He dragged his feet along the gravel and wondered how he could have been so stupid. He had lost his wife and now he was loosing his children. He passed a flattened beer can at the side of the road and kept his head down. Drink was destroying him and his boys.
*SN*
Sam stood between them wanting to protect his new friend. He knew what his brother's temper was like. It wasn't as bad as their father's but Dean could give a mean punch when he wanted to and the last thing Sam wanted to do was to frighten Emily.
"She's a ghost," Dean spat in a loud whisper. "Dad says all ghosts hurt people. We have to find her grave and burn her bones."
But Sam wouldn't move. "And what if he's wrong? I won't let you hurt her," his mouth frowned and Dean knew what was coming next. He could see his little brother's eyes glisten over and with one blink the tears fell.
An older man had been searching the aisles. Someone had witnessed a child run through the doors of a restricted area which should only be accessed by library personnel or research graduates due to the age of the books being stored. He heard some low whispers and took no notice. It was only when he heard the sobs that he grew concerned. Following the noises, he found two small boys in a dark corner comforting each other with a hug. "Let me see what I can do," he heard one boy say as he decided to leave them alone for a while. He didn't see the third child wipe her tears and thank him.
*SN*
Emily Little's father, Robert Little, was a terror of a man. His large stature and rotten temper scared every woman and child in the town and even scared many men. He died in the summer of 1984 when his wife shot him in self defense after he had killed their two children. "Billy wouldn't stop crying," Emily recalled, "and I couldn't make him stop. So daddy stopped us both."
Sam showed Dean a book he found on one of the aisles. It was a book of the paranormal. When Dean found him, he was reading a chapter on the spiritual world. "See," Sam pointed out one passage, "Dad's journal says the same thing." Dean read what was pointed out to him. Ghosts were described as being the trapped souls of the dead. The longer they remained on earth, the angrier they became. This gave rise to the definition of a poltergeist.
"I knew she was a ghost the first time I touched her," Sam whispered. "Her skin was cold. I remembered reading that in dad's journal. That when a ghost passes near you, they're cold."
Dean nodded with a heavy sigh. The situation still only had one solution.
"But what if her dad is waiting for her? I don't want her to go," Sam whined. It was hard to make friends living on the road. Up until now, his brother was his only friend.
"Don't be selfish, Sammy," Dean snapped but recoiled when he saw Sam sadden. He groaned loudly and closed the paranormal book. "What's the first thing you remember when you died?" Dean asked the now frightened little girl. She turned to Sam but his gentle smile eased her.
"I remember a bright light coming from the kitchen behind mommy," she told him. Dean asked her why she didn't walk into it. "Because, daddy said the light would hurt me. He said the light was fire and I would get burnt."
"How often you do see this light?" Sam stepped forward. He knew what his brother was doing. When people speak of having near death experiences they always say the same thing. There was a bright white light and a sense of warmth. If Emily's dad didn't want her to leave, he could easily pretend the light was fire and force her to stay. "Do you see it every day?"
Emily shrugged. "I used to but I don't see it that much anymore. Why?"
Sam explained that if she went into the light it wouldn't hurt. She could go to heaven and be at peace. "And you'd be able to see your mom and little brother again," he smiled weakly.
"I can't," Emily shook her head. "Every time I see it, my daddy stands in the way. I can't get passed him and then the light disappears. I'm too scared of him, Sam," her eyes filled with tears and her shoulders moved to her sobs. Sam ran to her aide and looked back to his brother. "We can't leave her here, Dean. We can't let her dad hurt her over and over again. We have to do something."
But Dean shook his head. He didn't know what to do. This case was way out of his league. Even if he could find Robert Little's body, there's no way he could salt and burn the bones alone. He knew what he needed to do.
*SN*
AN: Thanks everyone for reading & clicking that favourite button. Really appreciate it. One more part left.
