Aeryn let out a gasp as the bullet bit her stomach. Falling to her knees, she clutched her stomach and tilted her head back , glossy black wings half open. She let out a strangled cry, before dropping her head to her chest. Anger welled up in me, coiled around my heart making it beat faster, this is sick. It was like the bullet hit me in the stomach instead.
I watched the man who shot her grin. The still smoking gun in his right hand pointed at her. Tyler was his name, the one she had been looking for. And he shot her. He didn't have the right I thought. He was about 5'9, brown hair spiked up, pale face that eerily stood out in the red, black darkness of the outdoors. A smirk was proudly displayed on his face, and I wanted nothing more then to wipe it off.
I was ready to pound him, ready to tear him apart piece by piece. I wanted to make him bleed. My anger fueled me so much I was almost blinded by it. There was no humanity in me to stop myself from killing him. Clenching my hands into fists I started to move. Sam grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back shaking his head.
Brushing him off, I stood my ground, waiting for my time. This wasn't fair but I didn't want to endanger Aeryn more. Movement from the corner of my eye made me turn to look back at Aeryn who had shifted slightly on her knees. She was staring at Tyler, who was 15 feet away and I imagined her being very pissed off. Her pale sick face showed pure defiance, and anger, and she shivered slightly. My eyes slid down to her stomach where blood trickled slowly past her fingers. My heart squeezed, was she going to bleed to death? Bile crept up my throat, this was torture, insanity, and I couldn't stop it. Not yet.
"Bad aiming." She croaked, and her voice wavered in pain.
He snorted, and brought the Beratta revolver back towards him. Wiping it off he put it inside his coat jacket before replying his voice thick with hate, the words were meant to hurt, "The tracker will do the rest. No point in wasting another bullet."
She let out a warped laugh, spit to the side, and tried to act like she wasn't in pain. But her eyes showed hurt not from the pain but from something else. "Pity."
Was she trying to make him made? Or was she just trying to appear stronger then she looked I thought. I hoped for the later. Despair started to creep into me, what if she died? My anger ebbed slowly.
"Look at you," he hissed, gesturing at her like she was nothing but trash, his voice loud enough for all to hear. "Your inhuman, this is a mercy to you."
"How's this mercy?" she groaned, her voice quavered with tears and I felt my body quiver. Tyler deserved to be punished, why can't I hurt him now? I glanced at his goones, they were standing in a crescent moon position, close to Tyler. Not yet, I thought just a bit longer.
"Its a mercy in that you won't be plaguing this world anymore. A mercy," and he stepped closer and knelt down, cupping her chin in his hands, "in that I removed you instead of you removing me. The only reason you were let out was to test to see how good you really are at finding whatever needs to be found, and how well you can kill. And you failed both." I felt cold, it was all a game to Threshold, I thought.
"Take that thing," he pointed at the harpie who lay at Sam's feet, the old face of the harpie pale and bruised from the beating we gave her. Looking at his men he continued, "with us, I bet Jacobson would love that." He glanced back at Aeryn, a smug look on his face.
She spit in his face and it landed on his right eye, and I felt a small triumph. Damn I like it when your angry I thought. But that act of defiance drained the last of her energy out and she slumped forward. Time to go, I thought forgetting all about the harpie. and rushed forward, Sam close behind. All the anger I had felt since being here welled up and I couldn't help but smile. Tyler was in for it now.
He had let go of her and was wiping off his face with his right hand, throwing the spittle onto Seattle's broken asphalt. His face was screwed up into an angry scowl and pure hatred for what Aeryn had become rolled off of him. Tyler raised his leg as if he was going to kick her. But I reached them first before he did that and shot out my fist. It met the bottom of his jaw and I heard his teeth click. Not enough power to break it, but enough for it to make it hurt to eat for a few days. Falling backwards I stood over him as the goonies rushed forward. Damn that felt good, I thought, that was for Aeryn, for being an ass, and in general just being stuck here.
"Go home, and take your strippers with you." I hissed, feeling anger roll beneath my shoulder blades and I wanted to bad to kick him. Ignoring my urge I tensed up, and clenched both hands into tight fists.
Flexing his jaw he halted the oncoming men with a flick of a hand. "You'll regret that." he replied coldly. Blood started to ooze where his teeth grazed his bottom lip and he spit to the side. He didn't bother to get up, just lay there watching me with hooded eyes.
Leaning in close I whispered trying not to laugh, "Then I will, but hell I had a helluva lot of fun punching you. The look on your face...classic." Then I patted his cheek with my right hand and turned away. Not really caring if he wanted his combat dressed goonies to shoot me on the spot, but I seriously didn't think he'd follow with his threat. I just embarrassed him in front of all his men. I laughed to myself and turned towards Aeryn and Sam.
Aeryn was leaning on Sam and was smiling at me. Smiling back, I felt good at having done something for her. I couldn't help but like her, she wasn't some bed toy to me. I wanted to tell her I liked her, wanted to shout it out. Maybe she could come back with us, I thought and hoping it would happen. Then I'd tell her then. Nodding towards where we parked the Impala, the eyes of Tyler and his men following us.
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We stayed on the outskirts of town, finding a nice building that wasn't filled with holes. Or that had smelly homeless people already living in them. Someone had been there recently and had left behind a few candles which was lucky for us. Sam and I lit them with a box of matches that he had found in the back of the Impala.
The room was very plain, just one big square that must have held offices previously. The ceiling was high and dark, the candle light not being able to penetrate the shadows. A few things besides candles had been left behinds like a pile of rags and a mattress. A small dirty window was up at least 6 feet from the mattress. Making a small pillow from the rags we lay Aeryn there, since she had passed out soon after we had put her in the car after leaving Tyler and his goons.
Sinking to the cold gray cement below me I sighed softly. Aeryn was 5 feet away from me. Sam sank next to me, long legs stretched out before him and we stared at the golden colored wall ahead of us. Stretching out my legs before me, I traced the dozen or so thin cracks up to the shadows trying to get my mind off of everything. That harpie was our chance to get home, she had brought us here and now, she was gone. I groaned slightly to myself and Sam whispered,
"You thinking bout the harpie?"
"What gives you that idea?" I snapped then felt guilty, he was only asking. I was just angry at having lost the haripe. A breeze blew in through the front door next to Sam and the candles flickered.
He ignored my remark and continued with, "You think we will ever get home?"
Looking Sam in the face I felt doubt at ever being able to get home raise up in me, Sam's face was etched in worry, and I sensed he wanted some reassurance we would get home. Ever since we were little I had always tried protecting Sam from everything. Like when Dad had come home late one night covered in scratches and bleeding everywhere. I had to tell Sam to stay in his room as Dad collapsed on the floor. Now was no different, "Yea we will." I said softly, returning my gaze back to the cracked wall, but not believing the words.
"Your a terrible liar." He commented and I laughed out loud feeling some of my worry ebb away
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Five days passed before Aeryn woke up, those were the longest days of my life. Sam and I took shifts and wandered around town when we could. Sometimes we went to some bars other time just walked around. The whole time Aeryn never moved. And the time I had with her I made sure her wings were never kinked and that she wasn't bleeding again. Both of us worried she wouldn't wake again.
The bullet had bit her in the stomach, about two inches above and to the left of her belly button. Luckily the bullet hadn't gone all the way through, and I got it out with one of our hunting knifes, and my fingers a few hours after we had come into the building. To bind the wound we used one of Sam's shirts.
When she woke, I rushed to her side, relieved that she was okay. I felt days of worry slip away from me. The bullet wound had been really bad. Sam wasn't there, he was out looking for something to eat. She groaned softly as I touched her shoulder, she tensed at the touch and the mattress groaned under our weight. I whispered her name, feeling relief and happiness course through my veins. Her eyes snapped open and she blinked rapidly at the faint light that the candles emitted. Shadows danced on her face as she looked up at me and whispered,
"Dean." she said weakly.
"I'm here." I whispered, stroking her silky hair and feeling my heart jump rapidly in my chest at her being alive. She looked like death warmed over, her lips pale, voice soft. Her black tank top was rumbled, her jeans wrinkled.
She shivered at my touch and I felt sad at that, getting the feeling she didn't like me more than a friend. "Where are we?"
"Some old abandoned building, we're safe though." I murmured,wondering why she didn't want me to touch her. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible." she responded, voice soft barely a whisper and held her right hand to the wound.
Let me make it better I thought and leaned down wanting to take her mind away from the pain, I had waited a long time to do this. Ever since I had met her, and she didn't want anything to do with us. Pressing my lips against hers I felt my heart speed up and her tense beneath me. She hit my cheek hard, the resounding, loud in my ears. Jerking back, my cheek throbbed. Touching it gingerly I looked at her slightly hurt and felt anger, sadness, and stupidity rise up in me.
"Don't. Ever." she admonished voice cold, "You should know I don't love you."
"Excuse me miss piss pants. Theres a mattress here, and its tempting. I have needs to." I spat. She glared at me, and only anger showed on her face. It amazed me that she didn't feel anything for me.
Silence lapped between us, it was deafening. I tried to control the hurt and embarrassment that welled up in me from her slapping me and hurting my manly pride. How stupid could I be? I thought angrily. Letting out a shaky sigh I grumbled my apology. Aeryn was still glaring at me and hurt was fully displayed in her eyes.
Backing up and off the mattress I wondered who she was in love with if anyone at all, maybe that was the reason she didn't' love me, she loved someone else. I knew it wasn't Sam, she never really looked at him or acted funny. It dawned on my slowly, the only other guy I could think of was Tyler. She loved that bastard. My stomach turned and I wondered why she would love him. Just then Sam walked in, mumbling,
"I'm ready to go home, 15 bucks for a burger. Ridiculous." he looked up at us, saw the grim look on my face, the look of pure anger on Aeryn and asked innocently, "Whats going on?"