04. Fade to Black, Part 3
"So, what now?"
Arriving back at their room at a local hotel dubbed "The Endless Sleep", Dean Winchester flopped down on his bed with a grunt as he took off his tie. The sun was already setting behind the buildings and trees, the night fast approaching. His brother Sam closed the door behind him once he was inside. He looked to the blond man who kicked off his shoes against the gaudy colored floor—which he believed was a sort of green color.
"We could try calling Dad again," he said sitting down at the circular table near the window. "Ask about Aiden's mom."
Taking out his cell phone from his coat pocket, Dean looked through the "all calls" list before dialing a certain number. The line rang once, twice; a total of three times only to have the voicemail answer instead of the voice he wanted to hear. He frowned lightly.
"Dad, it's Dean. I was calling to ask if you knew anything about Katherine Bridgestone, something that could help us out at all. Call me back."
Sam watched his brother close his phone, murmuring softly. The shaggy-haired man took off his own tie as Dean was already changing out of his stuffy suit and into more comfortable clothing. The brothers would figure out what was wrong; why their father called them to see the Bridgestone family.
Could it be that he was worried?
He groaned in frustration, his thoughts getting him no answers. The blond man looked over after pulling a t-shirt on as he raised a dark eyebrow.
"Hey, don't bust a vein over there, Sammy." Dean soon grinned once Sam scowled at him darkly.
"Again, it's Sam," he seethed. His scowl grew only deeper as his brother burst into laughter.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
At Miranda Haines' home, Aiden moved from the guest room to the living room as he laid on the couch as he stared at his phone. The remaining sunlight cast dark shadows in the living room that seemed to dance along the floor and walls. He sat up and reached into his jeans pocket, taking out a wadded piece of paper.
It was Sam's number from earlier in the hospital.
- Call me if you need anything, okay? -
Blue eyes blinked a few times before he added the number to his contact list on his phone. He murmured under his breath as he stood up, running his fingers through his hair. Aiden moved to the stairs; duffel bag in tow. He figured he might as well sleep—there was nothing really to do. Miranda told him that she would be calling people about his mother's death.
His mother...
She would always speak about dying—either by suicide or murder—whenever she was feeling depressed. It was unsettling for a child to hear something like that.
Did hunting monsters change her?
Once in the guest room, Aiden laid down on the blue bedspread, resting his head against the soft pillow. He huffed lightly before sitting up to look through his duffel bag sitting against the nightstand as he pulled out a small Ziploc bag. Inside of the bag were 2 orange bottles filled with blue and white pills—pain and trauma medication, from what Miranda had told him. The blond man fingered the bandage through his shirt gently, absentmindedly as he closed his eyes.
I guess I can nap until dinner, Aiden thought. Lying down on the bed after putting the medication back into his duffel bag, he turned his gaze towards the ceiling. His blue eyes began to droop slowly and – soon after—he had already slipped into slumber..
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
He lies on top of an altar, dressed in a black robe. His short, unkempt blond locks spread around his head. A look of distress comes over his sleeping, gentle face before a large pale hand caresses his cheek slowly. He lets out a low whimper from his lips as he clutches at the biting cold stone that is the altar.
Cold..
He opens his eyes slowly, his vision focusing on the blurry figure above him. A pair of yellow eyes came into view as cloudy blue eyes widen considerably; his body going stock still.
"Don't be scared, dear boy," the shadowy figure spoke in that same grating voice. "Inherit your cursed blood."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Sitting up quickly, Aiden gasped; eyes wide. He scanned the room with a haunted look on his face before ducking over the edge of the bed to look underneath. Nothing. The blond man leapt—literally—off the mattress and stepped to the closet, opening it. It was empty besides the few clothes that Miranda kept as a "storage space". He clutched at his chest tightly, sighing a breath of relief. Just a dream, he thought calming himself.
He made his way back to the bed and sat down, sighing softly. Aiden gasped softly with a wince before lifting his shirt to see a bit of blood seeping through the bandage. "Ow," he murmured. Reaching over to his bag, he rummaged through it and took out the Ziploc bag.
The sweet smell of prime rib and mashed potatoes filled the air; his phone reading 6:15pm. His stomach growled loudly as Aiden frowned deeply. He hadn't eaten an actual meal in a day or two.
With a small grunt, the blond man stood up and wandered out of the guest room towards the dining room. Miranda had looked up from the table as she placed a plate of gravy-drizzled ribs in the middle, seeing Aiden stand at the doorway. She smiled warmly. "Did you sleep alright?" she asked.
He nodded briefly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. Smells good."
The blond woman beamed and folded her arms across her chest, looking to the dinner she had cooked: mashed potatoes, boneless prime ribs, biscuits, and corn—all in their individual plates and bowls. "Just the way you like, honey."
He grinned widely and stepped over to the table. "Awesome," he murmured trying not to drool. "But first, go wash your hands." Miranda held up a finger as the blond man tried to sit down. He pouted before standing up.
"I'm not four, Aunt Miranda."
"Yes, well, you're 22-years-old—therefore, adults need to wash their hands," she retorted. The blond woman "shooed" Aiden out of the dining room then went back into the kitchen. With a slight scowl, he wandered to the bathroom and turned on the light. He washed his hands silently as the blond man looked at his face in the mirror before him.
Some color returned to his cheeks, but he was still ridiculously pale—what he believed to be "too pale", anyway. Aiden sighed softly and turned off the water, drying off his hands with a paper towel from beside the sink. He lifted his gaze from the floor once he heard the doorbell ring. Sticking his head out of the bathroom, a confused stare was written on Aiden's face as he watched Miranda walk to the front door and opened it.
"Yes?" she asked politely once she opened the door. A young dark-haired woman stood on her doorstep; black bangs hiding her face.
"Can I speak with Aiden?" the girl asked in a strange voice. 'It's really... important."
Miranda's blue-green eyes widened once the girl lifted her head to look at her. Her eyes—completely black—were filled with malice as she grinned.
Oh, no.
She immediately shut the door only to have it blown off its hinges, making her cry out and fall against the carpet; hitting her head against the end table by the door. The dark-haired girl stepped inside like a sentinel as she glanced down at the fallen woman. Miranda clutched at her bleeding forehead, looking up at the girl. "Not very nice to shut the door in a guest's face. I suggest you let me speak to him."
"Aunt Miranda!" Aiden cried out in horror from the hallway.
"Aiden, stay back!"
Snapping her head up to meet the blond man's frightened face, the dark-haired girl grinned once more. "His words don't lie," she said suddenly kicking Miranda in her side as she stepped over the broken door. "You've grown handsomely."
The blond woman groaned, clutching at the side of her face. She coughed once she rolled over on her side. Aiden bristled with anger and charged the girl with a harsh yell. She merely smirked. Sidestepping as he swung a right hook at her, she brought up her fist, effectively punching the man in the jaw. He yelled out in surprise; feeling himself take flight and land back first on the living room table.
Aiden gasped from the wind being knocked out of him—along with the throbbing pain in his jaw. She was incredibly strong for a woman who looked no older than he was. The dark-haired girl walked over to him, her hands on her shapely hips. "Does it hurt, sweet baby?" she asked in a mocking voice. He groaned, sitting up as she stood over him. With a sadistic smirk adorning her pretty face, she grabbed Aiden roughly by his hair and pulled him up to his feet.
He yelled out, grabbing her wrist tightly as he hissed in pain. "Bitch, let go...!"
She giggled madly while she watched the blond man twist in her unusually tight grip on his hair. A shrill whistle caught her attention as she turned her head towards Miranda... and got a face full of water. Steam rose from her face—and upper body—as she screeched in pain, letting go of Aiden. He immediately kicked the dark-haired girl away, stepping back to stare at the steam rising off her.
"Aiden!" Miranda yelled, breaking him out of his reverie. He turned to his aunt and ran over once the intruder curse angrily, clutching at his chest. The blond woman pulled her nephew along as they ran into her bedroom. Aiden hissed in pain, standing near the bed while Miranda shut the door; placing a chair underneath the doorknob. She let out a moan of pain and held her side tightly.
"Aunt...Miranda," the blond man hissed through gritted teeth. "Who the fuck is that?" He watched his aunt move over to her nightstand, opening the drawer. She rummaged through it for a moment and took out a leather bag.
"That, Aiden, is a demon."
"A... what now?"
Miranda glanced up at Aiden in a mixture of pain and annoyance as she took out a container filled with a white substance then a black handgun. "A demon, baby," she stated once more. "I don't know why it's even here, though..." She motioned to the closet near the window while she poured the contents of the container—salt—over the threshold of the door. "Look in the closet. There should be a weapon inside!"
Aiden nodded as he moved to the closet and opened the door. Looking through his aunt's clothes, he reached further back to grab a leathery handle. He pulled the object out and clutched the handle of a silver baseball bat. It had numerous strange symbols along the length of it—some of which the blond man was certain were words, but couldn't make it out. He turned his head to the door suddenly as a scream—filled with a mixture of pain and anger—tore through the house. Miranda frowned darkly. "Someone's pissed," she seethed throwing the container to the side.
Her nephew reached into his jeans pocket and took out his cellphone, quickly dialing a familiar number. The line rang twice before it picked up. "Hello?"
"Sam?" Aiden said in a shaky voice. "This is Aiden, and uh—" He nearly leapt into the air once several loud bangs bounced off the bedroom door. "There's this girl here, she tried to fuck me and Aunt Miranda up... and god, she's like the fricking Hulk!"
"Wait, calm down," Sam said calmly. "What's going on?"
The blond man looked to Miranda as she loaded bullets into her handgun, looking to the door warily. "Dude, I'm being serious right now. She has—she has black eyes...!" Aiden yelped when the chair flew towards the wall and promptly broke apart. The dark-haired girl punched through the wooden door only to screech in pain, clutching her arm. She glared at the door; the salt stopping her from entering.
"Salt barrier, bitch," Miranda smirked.
The girl scowled at her then glanced to the blond man. A smile came over her face. He gulped lightly, not hearing Sam's voice call out his name over the phone. "Aiden! Are you there? Answer me!"
"...She's smiling at me," he murmured.
The dark-haired girl continued to stare at Aiden before chuckling darkly. Miranda pointed her gun at her as her chuckle turned into insane laughter, which erupted from her pale lips. "You have no idea, sweet baby..."
"Aiden, you and your aunt just hang tight," the younger Winchester said. ."We're on our way—" The line suddenly went dead. Aiden stared at his cellphone in shock. No service—nothing.
"See, sweet baby? You... have every right to be scared."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"Wait, a demon? Here?" Dean asked incredulously.
"Just get in the car!" He scowled at his younger brother barking an order at him but listened nonetheless. Getting into the black Impala, he started the engine as it roared to light and sped out of the hotel parking lot.
What the hell was going on?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The girl grinned wider as she held out her hand. Miranda instinctively shot the girl's palm, only to be thrown back by an unseen force. She hit the wall and let out a pained yell. Aiden watched his aunt slide down the wall before holding out the bat in front of him. The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow at him. She caught a slight tremble from his hands then chuckled.
"Gonna hit little ol' me, sweet baby?"
"Fuck you," he snarled out. Miranda groaned softly from the wall, making Aiden glance at her before turning his gaze back at the intruder. "Why are you doing this?"
She glanced down at the salt lining the doorway and looked back up at the blond man."Your mother," she began, "was a whore of a hunter."
Aiden's cloudy blue eyes widened in shock. "...What did you just say?"
The dark-haired girl grinned. "Your Mommy was a whore, I said. What, you can't hear now?"
Belting out a harsh yell, Aiden ran forward and leapt over the threshold as he swung the bat at the girl's head. She ducked down then stepped back; the bat itself hitting the doorframe with a resounding thud. She grinned once more, seeing the impact crack the doorframe. The blond man lifted the baseball bat and swung at her, growling angrily when she moved out of the way in time. He charged at her, dragging the weapon against the wall before swinging it down, hitting the intruder in her thigh.
The dark-haired girl cried out, her pain quickly changing to anger as she seethed at Aiden. "You little-!" She gasped once he jabbed the bat into her stomach. She grabbed hold of his face in retaliation and shoved him into the wall, pushing his face into the wall. "You can't handle me, sweet baby!" She pushed his face harder before chuckling darkly. Aiden hissed in pain then managed to push himself back against her, her grip loosening. He elbowed the dark-haired girl hard in her ribs as he turned and kicked her into the living room.
She fell onto her back, coughing violently before pulling herself up somewhat. Damn her accursed meat sack; so weak and breakable...
Looking up at the blond man, he stood over her, his breathing uneven and eyes holding uncontrollable rage. He slammed the bat by her head suddenly—she had flinched from the attack as she stared up at Aiden. "My mom... wasn't a whore," he managed to say. "Why.. who the hell do you think you are?" The dark-haired girl grinned a bloody smile at him.
"A simple girl... who watched your precious mommy die."
His eyes widened once more as he screamed, raising the bat over his head. Aiden barely registered voices calling out for him to stop before something heavy collided against him; knocking him to the floor along with the weapon. The blond man—eyes closed shut-struggled against the new attacker, growling and punching at them.
"No! Don't interfere!" he heard the girl screech.
"Sam, douse the water on her!"
Aiden opened his eyes and looked up to see Dean straddling his waist, holding his wrists tightly; his attention focused on the action behind him. Sam threw a flask of holy water on the dark-haired girl as she let out another scream of pain, clutching at her face. She cursed loudly towards the siblings. "Damn you! DAMN YOU!" Thrashing about suddenly, she threw her head back and screamed once more; a black smoke plume flying out of her mouth and out the open door. The girl's body stopped in its ministrations soon after, her head lolling to the side.
"...Is she dead?" Aiden asked after seeing the strange event.
The taller man moved over and felt for her pulse on her neck then her right wrist. He shook his head slowly. "No, still breathing but barely..."
Letting go of his wrists, Dean stood up as he pulled Aiden to stand. He noticed the boy trembling before placing a gentle yet firm hand on his shoulder. "Hey." Cloudy blue eyes—the anger receding from them-met deep blue ones. "You're okay. And your aunt is too, the old girl." The blond man gasped then looked at the hallway to see Miranda walk towards them, hand against her side.
"I'm not that old," she scowled matter of factly. "I'm only 43." Aiden smiled slightly while the dark-blond man rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Her scowl soon turned into a look of seriousness as she looked to the dark-haired girl. Sam looked at Miranda in concern. "I'm surprised, to tell you the truth. She was possessed—how we don't know right now—but why would she attack you like this?"
The blond man's eyes narrowed before he closed his eyes. "She... she said she saw Mom die," he said opening his eyes. He wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth then looked back at the unconscious girl. "And..." He trailed off, watching the body of the female intruder warily.
"She kept calling him sweet baby and that someone was looking for him," Miranda said.
Dean looked to Aiden as he stared at the dark-haired girl's body, standing stock still. He shook the blond man slightly and made him look to the older man. "I'm... okay." He fingered at his pendant around his neck then nodded to himself slowly. "Aunt Miranda... I want to know. The truth, I mean." Aiden looked at the blond woman who now had a surprised, if not shocked, look on her face. "Will you let me?"
After a moment of taking in his words, Miranda sighed deeply; an unintelligible murmur escaping her lips. She walked over to her nephew as she touched his face gently. "..Are you sure?" she asked him in obvious concern. "Me and your mother... we didn't want you following us in our footsteps."
"Please."
The blond woman immediately pulled Aiden into her arms and ran her fingers against his hair, resting her head against his. Even though they were in pain, it didn't stop them from hugging. "I don't want you to leave. Not like this," she murmured. "But...if you really want to, then it's alright." She looked to the Winchester boys as a stern look came over her face. "You two are still searching for John, right?"
Sam stared at Miranda for a moment then brought up his hands, shaking his head. "Wait, you can't be serious. Aiden's just a kid—"
"A kid who just lost his mother to some sick weirdo or something!" the blond man cried out. "And, since I last noticed, you're just a kid yourself." The brown-haired man blinked before turning a heated glare at Dean once he heard him snort under his breath. "I want to know why she was killed. I'm pissed that she didn't tell me about her other activity, but she had good reason, I guess."
The dark blond man frowned slightly, turning his head to the open door as sirens began to fill the air. He sighed. "Damn it. Alright, kid."
Later, outside of Miranda's house, the bright lights of police cars illuminated the street, the chatter of police radios piercing the night air. The blond woman sat in the back of an ambulance as she spoke to an officer while the unconscious dark-haired girl was loaded into a second ambulance. Aiden watched nearby, leaning against the hood of the black Impala. The blond woman nodded a t the officer and looked up at her nephew. He stared at her; she smiled briefly before his line of sight was interrupted by a waving hand.
"Sir, would you like to answer a few questions?"
He looked to his left at a female officer then looked to his tennis shoes with a scowl. Sam moved around the side of the car and touched Aiden's shoulder gently. "Sorry, he's still shaken up," he said. The officer looked up at the taller man, pushing up her glasses. Dean looked on from Aiden's right.
"Well, I need to know his side of the story. We only have his aunt's story."
Shrugging off Sam's hand, the blond man looked up at the female officer as he took in a deep breath. "She came into the house, beat the hell out of me and my aunt. She started saying some crap about how she saw my mom die so I fought her back." He sniffed, watching the woman write down what he said in her notepad. "Is that enough, Ms. Officer?"
"I see," she said with a brief nod. "Thank you, Mr. Bridgestone." She put her notepad away and walked to her squad car as Miranda walked past. She stepped up to the boys, fingering her new bandage against her head.
"So, what's the story?" Dean asked.
"She was hopped up on drugs—LSD or something. Something strong enough to jack up her strength, take a door right off its hinges and to punch through another door," the blond woman said folding her arms. "I'm planning on staying the night with an friend while they fix my front door."
"What about your weapons?" the taller man asked raising an eyebrow. "They'll find it, won't they?" She chuckled gently. "That's the thing; they won't."
Aiden fidgeted visibly, catching the others' attention. "What if she says that she was possessed?" His aunt shook her head. "Then they'll think of her as crazy. I doubt she would remember the time of her possession." He nodded slowly before looking down at his tennis shoes again. Miranda looked at him worriedly.
"Listen. Aiden, are you sure you want to leave?" she asked. "It may look bad, but I already have a story set up if you do leave."
The Winchester boys looked at Aiden who looked up at her once more. "Yes," he answered. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm gonna go with them and get my stuff in the morning." The blond woman nodded gently before looking at the brothers, smiling sadly. "Take care of my nephew, you two. Or I'll give you hell for it."
"Yes,'m." They nodded as Miranda pulled Aiden into a light hug, kissing the top of his head lightly. "Stay safe. Text or call me when you can. I'll answer any question you need, okay?" He nodded against her chest before pulling away and wiped at his eyes with his jacket sleeve. Dean nodded to the blond woman, getting inside the Impala's driver seat while Sam climbed into the passenger seat.
Aiden climbed into the back seat, closing the door. He looked to Miranda and placed a hand against the window as the car roared to life. The blond woman blew a kiss to her nephew, waving once the vehicle pulled away. He waved back and turned around to look out the back window.
'Stay safe, Aiden... I hope the truth you seek helps in some way...'
Author's Note: Well now. That was a very, VERY long chapter—but it's done! I made a few changes to the chapter; that's why it took a long time to finish. If anyone has any questions about this chapter, ask in your reviews or just private message me. Until then, see you next update!