Chapter 21. Blaze of Glory
Carlson walked through the front door of the old Winchester home. He had never actually been to the house so it was puzzling that he had even known how to get there let alone that he was supposed to be going there.
Upon entering the house he could hear the sound of something cracking against wood. He wasn't sure what it was but it coming towards the back of the house near the kitchen so Carlson hesitantly made his way towards the sound. He might have sounded calm and resolved to the youngest Winchester but just because he had a new sense of the right thing to do didn't mean that he was anymore braver than he had ever been.
A doppelganger? Sounded absolutely insane but on the crazy chance that they weren't all nuts he couldn't but feel responsible. There was a time when he felt total hatred for all the people that had been murdered so far but in reality he would never have acted on it. Maybe the real him was just a coward or maybe he just wasn't a murderer. It was one thing to feel angry enough to want to kill someone but a normal person doesn't act on those impulses.
Did he have a sudden new liking for the Winchesters? No, not at all but he didn't want them dead, least of all Mary's sons. They were just boys after all. For all his obsessing he had finally come to admit one thing. Mary had loved both John and the boys with all her heart. You could tell just by the way she had talked about them. She would never want them to suffer or die. He on the other hand was already dying and he knew that over the next few months that it was only going to get more painful. If he did die when confronting this thing then maybe it might be the best way to go. At least that way his one final act could be for what Mary would have really wanted and he could go out in a blaze of glory. If the theory wasn't true then at least he had gotten out of his bedroom for a bit.
The banging stopped and Carlson halted he could hear murmuring and realised that someone was talking to someone but from deeper in the house. His hands were shaking and Carlson wasn't sure whether that was because of his illness or his fear about what could possibly happen.
He came across the basement door and took in the damage. It looked like it had been hacked into which, he thought, he probably had judging by the small axe that had been discarded on the floor.
He glanced through the jagged hole in the door just in time to see the young man that had visited him before with Dean as he was slammed into the wall behind him at the bottom of the steps. He jumped back in shock at the sight. He hadn't seen anyone near the boy. It appeared like invisible hands had pulled him back and slammed him into the wall. If that was possible then maybe the doppelganger theory that he had overheard them talking about was possible to.
His heart was beating faster now and he had a certain compulsion to turn around and run back the way he came. He didn't want to die. But the reality was he was already dying the only difference was that his natural death was bound to be painfully drawn out. He didn't want that either.
He heard a thump like something falling to the ground.
"If you can use telekinesis then why even bother with all of this?" he heard the boy ask. He was rising to a standing position and looking towards someone further in the basement.
"Because I'm a hands on type of guy." That was his voice. The thought of it had sounded crazy but he was stunned at hearing his own voice waft up the stairs.
"I hate to break it to you but you're not a guy at all you freaky ass son of a bitch. You're a copy of some bitter old nut job." The kid, Caleb, spoke again and only served to confirm the theory more. Carlson felt frozen to the spot. If he moved down those steps his life could possibly end here and now. Truth was he just wasn't that brave a person. But hadn't he come here to change that, to make one final stand for the right cause? Regardless of the reason, possibly sacrificing ones self was never an easy thing.
The sound of a gun being cocked sent him into motion. Whatever was going on down there it was obviously serious and from what he could see it wasn't in Caleb's favour. He willed himself to stop shaking and took one more steadying breath before squeezing through the hole in the door.
What he saw on the other side shocked him. There in the middle of the basement was a man who looked exactly like him and he was holding a gun pointed at Caleb's head. Dean Winchester lay at his feet in a crumpled heap, obviously unconscious. But Carlson's gaze ended back on his double. "Oh my God, it's true."
Caleb couldn't believe his eyes. Carlson, the real Carlson had been the last person he would expect to barge in. He really had no way of knowing how things would go down ... all the theory was now becoming practical.
"Oh my God," Carlson repeated.
Caleb looked quickly down to Dean who hadn't moved since he had passed out. Caleb wasn't going to lie to himself. He was worried that Dean's collapse had more to it. He looked back up at the doppelganger and then at the real Carlson. "Carlson you need to get out of here NOW!" he yelled emphasising the now part.
A rumbling could be felt around them and Caleb placed a hand behind him on the wall to keep himself steady. He looked back at Carlson who looked scared but also looked as if a steady resolve had come over him. "No." he yelled over the noisy wind that had suddenly come busting through the room. "No more!"
The doppelganger swung Caleb's gun towards Carlson but didn't have the chance to do anything else as his whole body began to shake. A bright light emanated from his stomach and spread out until his whole body was glowing brightly, almost blindingly. Caleb brought a hand up to protect his eyes but didn't totally cover them, the real Carson doing the same as he fell to his knees on the stairs.
The doppelganger looked down at his body surprised. The tight grip he had on Caleb's .45 was dissipating, almost like he was going out of phase and the gun dropped to the floor. Its loud clatter was overshadowed but the mysterious wind. The doppelganger looked at its hand in disbelief and cried out in rage. Caleb crouched down and lent against the wall as he shielded himself for what was about to happen. The origin point in the doppelgangers stomach where the light had started from got brighter and spread over his body like an attack and this time when it cried out it was a mixture of injustice and pain.
It sounded like an explosion and Caleb covered his head as he heard the doppelganger scream. The whole room was enveloped in a white light and then just as suddenly as it had begun it stopped. The room was silent and Caleb dared to uncurl himself from his protective position. Caleb's eyes were wide with alarm as he looked around the room. The doppelganger was nowhere to be seen and it looked like a tornado had hit. Looking to his left he saw Carlson slumped precariously on the stairs. He reached over with a shaky hand and checked for a pulse. He wasn't surprised when he found none.
Carlson's death already being pushed aside Caleb looked towards where Dean had collapsed. The boy hadn't moved. Fear rose up from Caleb's stomach and he jumped up and stumbled over to the prone figure. Dean was lying on his side, his face against the cold ground. Caleb turned him so that he was lying on his back and placed his fingers against the pulse point in Dean's bloody neck while leaning forward and putting his ear to Dean's mouth to check for breath. He nearly collapsed with relief when he found that Dean was breathing and had a pulse. It was a bit erratic but it was better than what he had been afraid he'd find. There was a small cut where the doppelganger had pressed the knife in but thankfully it wasn't bleeding all that much.
"Come on Deuce." Caleb rested his palm against Dean's check and tapped it lightly trying to rouse him. Dean remained motionless.
"Dean!" Caleb said a little more loudly. "Come on man, I need you to wake up."
He lifted Dean's eyelids one at a time and didn't like what he found. The kids eyes were definitely not reacting the way they should . The psychic ran a hand down his face trying to calm himself. It was time to get the hell out of here.
He grabbed hold of Dean's wrists and pulled the younger hunter up along with him. With little trouble he managed to get Dean's limp body over his shoulders. "Everything's gonna be okay." He said more to himself than his unconscious friend.
He knew he didn't have time to waste and that he couldn't afford to dwell or think about what Carlson had done. His most important priority was getting the two oldest Winchester's to the hospital but he knew that he was going to have to clean up this mess some how. John's blood was everywhere plus not to mention the dead body that was still lying on the steps. Whatever he had thought of Carlson before, the guy deserved to be taken home. At the very least removed from the basement stairs but it would have to wait until he got his friends the help they needed.
Dean was heavier than he looked and that was due to a lot of muscle but he was definitely a lot easier to carry than John had been to carry. Although he'd had to be more careful with John considering his injuries. Focus Caleb he thought focus.
He carefully stepped over the body of Gaylord Carlson and quickly made his way up the stairs and opened the now easily accessible door. He ran out and through the house to get to the front door. Dean hadn't made a sound or made any sign that he was going to wake up and it was scaring Caleb more by the minute.
Reaching the front door Caleb wrenched it open and almost bowled Sam over. "Sam what the hell?" he cursed as the boy quickly jumped out of his way. "I thought I ordered you to stay at the car!" He didn't slow down his pace as Sam followed him back to the waiting Impala.
"I saw a light come from the back of the house and thought … what happened to Dean? Is he okay?"
"I dunno yet Sammy."
"Where's Carlson?"
"Dead."
Sam nodded and followed close behind as they reached the Impala. He had already thought that had been the case when Caleb had emerged without the older man but he still had to ask. He opened the front passenger side door of the Impala and helped Caleb lower Dean onto the bench seat. They positioned him with his feet on the floorboards and then laid him down on his side against the seat. Looking from his father to his brother Sam's body started to tremble as everything that happened in the short amount of time seemed to start to sink in.
"Sammy!" Caleb's voice filtered through his thoughts and he found the psychic directly in front of him and they locked eyes. "Are you with me runt?"
Caleb's hand reached around and squeezed the back of the kids neck. Sam nodded. He was glad Caleb was there. His presence was calming in the circumstances they had found themselves in.
"Good." his hand gave one final squeeze and then dropped to Sam's upper arm "Now do me a favour and get in the back with ya dad. As soon as he's situated we're out of here."
"Okay." Sam agreed readily and ran around to the other door and sat down in the seat as Caleb moved his father so that he was completely in the car, his head and shoulders lying on Sam's lap. The older hunter moaned in pain and his eye's started to flutter open.
Caleb didn't wait to see if his mentor was waking. He quickly shut the back door and ran around to the drivers side and leaned in to lift Dean up so he could sit down. He leaned Dean against the back of the seat and closed the door. Dean slipped back down against Caleb's shoulder so Caleb lifted his arm and let Dean come to rest on his leg.
"It's probably good that your unconscious right now Deuce." Caleb started up the car as he muttered to his friend. "Because the less people that know about you using my leg as a pillow the better."
He placed his fingers against Dean's throat as he manoeuvred the car away from the curb. The pulse seemed even more erratic and a jolt of panic went through the psychic. "Stay with me kiddo."
Sam could hear Caleb softly talking to his unresponsive brother and he hoped to God that Dean was going to be okay. He didn't know the whole story yet but Caleb seemed uncertain and in a rush so it was serious enough. He looked down at his father as he felt the car take off down the street and away from the house. John's eyes were open to mere slits and Sam didn't need to ask if his father was in pain because it was clearly written on his face.
"It's okay Dad. You're going to be okay." Sam assured him confidently. There was no other alternative.
John looked confused for a moment like he wasn't sure where he was or why his was half lying on his youngest ons lap. Sam saw the moment that clarity set in and he smiled encouragingly.
"You're mo-mother …"
Sam frowned down at his father. That was the second time his mother had been brought up. "What about mom?"
"She would be …. so p-proud …you … Dean."
Sam didn't know what to say. Mary Winchester wasn't discussed a hell of a lot but it did warm his heart to hear his father say those words. "You too Dad."
"No …"
"Dad, you do the best you can and you have kept us safe. I'm .. I'm proud of you too" Sam told him quietly.
He wasn't sure where all this emotional chick flick stuff, as Dean referred to it, was coming from but he felt like his father should know that. Times had been rough lately and the two hadn't always been getting along but when push came to shove Sam loved his family and was proud to be a Winchester.
John gave his son a sad smile and then scrunched his face up in pain again and his body shivered violently as all his injuries decided to let him know that they were there in full force.
"You okay back there Sammy?" Caleb glanced in the rear view mirror until Sam locked eyes with him.
"Yeah, but Caleb … just hurry will ya."
TBC ...
Well I killed em' both off :-D but we arn't out of danger yet ... on to the hospital so we can fix them up and get them on to the road of recovery :-P Have a good weekend guys and i'll see you soon :-D