hello all. sorry for the long wait, real life has definitly been getting the better of me lately. also, i was going to try and wait till the alerts were woking again, but who knows when that will be. I hope you are all still enjoying this story. i will be getting into the story Dean told in 'something lost' in this chapter and the next. but, as always, dean didnt give the full account in that retelling. hehe.
let me know what you think of the newest chapter. :)
D: still not mine.
TWILIGHT
Chapter 9
The long fingers screeching slowly down the wet glass of the door's window made the hairs on the back of Dean's neck stand on end. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as a set of sick white eyes materialized out of the darkness, the creature's sickly smile murderous. And through the bounding rain and wind he could hear its song, the music snaking up to his ears, dulling his senses with its sweet melodies. He knew he shouldn't follow it but, oh god, he wanted to.
He slowly backed up when the scraping turned into a dull thud, the door shaking slightly. Whatever it was, it was trying to get in. He quickly pushed the voice from his ears knowing he couldn't panic, knowing that he was now the only line of defense between the woman and the other three. Their fathers had gone out of the way to make sure that no one from town knew they were there, that four young children had been left all alone for two weeks.
Dean also knew that there were no other hunters in the area, at least not any that Tom or John had trusted. He remembered the argument as though it had just happened, his father telling Tom that the kids could take care of themselves, the other hunter finally conceding when they learned that there was no one around to watch over them.
And now the phones were dead, cutting off the only access they had to the world beyond the fences. Hell, he didn't even think they could make it to the car without getting taken, let alone drive down the now flooded road. And if flooring it away from the house in Mr. Harrison's firebird wasn't an option, then walking into town was even less of a possibility.
It was at that moment that the truth became painfully obvious. They were four young children, cut off from civilization with some kind of supernatural beast out to get them and, at that moment, Dean didn't know what to do. In that instant he wasn't the hunter his father was training him to be, wasn't the boy that could hit every can he shot at. No, at that moment he was a terrified eleven year old left to do the work of grown men, and he was feeling the pressure as the beast continued to beat on the heavy door.
"Dean." Kerri's soft voice made the young boy jump, his heart beating so fast and hard that it was drowning out everything around him. All he could hear, all he could comprehend was the beating of his heart as it thumped in time with the knocks on the door.
"It's trying to get in, Kerri." Dean's voice was soft and strained, his fear shinning through his crumbling exterior. This was way beyond his level of expertise and he wasn't sure what to do next, the terror of the situation making it impossible for him to think.
"Do you think it can?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe one of us could drive into town?"
"I thought about that, but I think your drive is flooded. Besides, I don't want either of us out there with that thing at the door."
"Our dads won't be home for over a week."
"I know."
"You think maybe it will get tired and give up?" Dean smiled a little despite himself as Kerri tried to lessen the stress. They both knew that that would never happen, but hearing the statement lessened the strain on both their hearts.
As if the joke was fuel Dean found himself renewed, his heart beat slowing, mind suddenly clearing. He could do this, hell, he had to do this, there was no other option. This wasn't a training exercise, wasn't a game; he couldn't call redo or time out. No, this was real life, this was their world handing in the balance, and there was no help in sight.
He took another long look at Kerri, the young girl's eyes shinning with determination and trust, her back straight, as she tried to tune out the sound of the front door banging. And suddenly, Dean knew he wasn't alone, he had her. He was still in charge, still the wall that would block everything evil from the people he loved, but he knew that she was there to support him, there to keep him from falling.
"Sammy." Dean began as he moved back into the living room, Evelyn's head resting on his little brother's lap. At that moment he couldn't have been more proud of the little kid. He had taken on full and complete responsibility for Evelyn, and Dean knew that he would do anything in his power to keep her protected.
"Yeah, Dean?"
"Kerri and I have to check the house, the wind is blowing away the salt lines. Do you think you can hold the fort while we're working? I sealed off this room, so nothing can get it, you'll be safe."
"I think I can, what do you want me to do?"
"Just keep Evelyn safe. When she wakes up I want you to keep her calm, and ignore the singing and the tapping."
"Are you sure it can't get in the house?"
"It might be able to get in the house, we have to check, but I promise it can't get in this room. Ok?"
"Ok, just hurry up."
"Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it." Dean squeezed his little brother's shoulder, sighing when he felt how tense the small boy was. Sammy was doing his best to be brave, of that Dean was sure, and he couldn't help but feel guilty about it. After all, he was the big brother, and it was his job to keep Sam safe and happy.
Kerri checked over Evelyn one more time, wrapping a blanket around the pair before turning back to the hallway where Dean was waiting. The pounding on the door had stopped and the pair of eleven year olds weren't sure if they should be happy or worried.
"Where do you think it went?" Kerri began, her voice nothing more than a shaky whisper.
"I'm hoping it just got tired, but my real guess is that it's looking for another way in."
"We don't have enough salt to keep fixing the lines every few hours, and we have to go outside to work any of the protection charms."
"Yeah, I know. Any suggestions?"
"Well, I think we may have enough salt to do the walls around all the rooms. It will be on the floor so the wind shouldn't blow it. And if it passes under the windows, it should still keep it out."
"It could still open the windows though."
"Yeah, but it won't be able to climb through them."
"What about the front and back doors?"
"Put towels under them? That may stop the wind."
"All right, we should start down here and work our way up."
"There's just one thing, Dean."
"Yeah?"
"We're gonna use up nearly all the salt doing this. If it doesn't work, we're screwed."
"And we still have over a week to wait it out."
"Yeah. I wish I had a better idea, but we just don't have the supplies. Our dads took a lot of the stuff for their hunt."
"Yeah well, I'm sure they weren't counting on a very persistent ghost attacking us."
"Our luck really does stink."
"You're telling me. All right, we'll just have to be sparing with the salt." Dean ran his hand over his face, trying to think of some way to save what little supplies they had. "I've got an idea. After we lay the salt around the room, we can scoop whatever we can get off the windows. It's not much but at least it's something."
"Daddy?" Both Dean and Kerri bolted back into the living room as Evelyn's weak and pain filled voice filled the air, her eyes beginning to flutter. Sam leaned over her, whispering soft, soothing words as he tenderly brushed back her short bangs.
"Hey, Evelyn." Kerri began, kneeling by the sofa. "Open your eyes, sweetie."
"Kerri?"
"Yeah."
"I don't feel good."
Kerri frowned as she felt her little sister's forehead, the heat radiating from her definitely stronger than it had been a few moments before. She looked up at Dean, eyes imploring. "Her fever's up."
Dean only nodded before moving into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a bowl of water, two hand towels, a thermometer, and a bottle of children's Tylenol. He wordlessly placed the items on the coffee table before sitting beside his friend, watching as she tended to her little sister.
"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" Kerri asked softly, running a wet towel over Evelyn's forehead as she waited for the thermometer to sound.
"I wasn't. I wasn't feeling bad till I saw the lady."
Kerri and Dean immediately looked up at each other, both knowing that their time was running out. The woman had somehow managed to get into the house, maybe not completely, but enough to make one of them sick.
The beeping of the thermometer brought them back to the present, Kerri's face falling as she read the screen. 101.9. It was high, but thankfully not out of control. However, the fact that it had risen so high in such a short period of time had her fearing that, if not controlled soon, it would spike to dangerous levels.
"Hey, Ev? I need you to sit up a little so I can give you some medicine."
"I don't like that stuff, it's yucky."
"Sorry."
"Can I have some water?"
"Sure, Dean will get it while you take the medicine."
"Ok." Evelyn sighed, scrunching up her nose as she swallowed down the medicine, before taking a long drink from the cup Dean gave her.
Kerri was alarmed to see just how much energy that simple action had cost her sister, Evelyn sinking down further into the couch like she had run a marathon instead of just swallowing some medicine.
"Ev, Dean and I have to go check the house, but Sam's gonna stay here, ok?"
"What about daddy?"
"He's not here."
"I want daddy."
"I know, sweetie, but you're gonna have to make due with us right now. I promise we'll get done as fast as we can."
"Ok." Evelyn answered sniffling. She pulled herself a little closer to Sam, her body trembling as she searched for the warmth her fever was stealing away. Dean wrapped the warm blanket tighter around the two before he and Kerri set off to secure the house, all four knowing that, at that moment, all odds were against them.
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The spirit scowled as she watched the house from the edge of the forest, cursing when she saw the older two resealing the windows and doors. She needed to get in there, had to have the children, and she knew she was running out of time. The longer she waited the sooner the fathers would return, and she had no doubt that they would be able to hunt her. No, she needed time with the little ones, time she knew she would run out of if she waited.
But the older two were far smarter and stronger than she had though, and it was ruining all of her plans. She had to find some way around them, either that or she had to take them out of the picture all together. She smiled slightly as she continued to stare at the large house, her hunger and need growing as she sent forth the wind, sent forth her voice. If she couldn't get into the house, then she would just have to bring them outside to her.