Echo on the wind chapter 10
Home sweet home: sort of
Nathalia pov
"Damn that was fun!" I exclaim as Samuel just now gets to the gas station I know still has to have fuel in it, I walk inside and slide a credit card that is being held in someone's skeletal remains and then punch the right buttons on the register.
"No Nathalia, that was terrifying." Gwen groans as she runs for the bathroom, she had to stop for a bathroom break fifteen miles ago. I tested her bladder strength by hitting every bump, dip, and boulder patch I could find.
"Ya know, I've been in less pain after crawling out of my grave." Dean groans trying to stretch out his bunched muscles.
"You kids have fun?" Samuel asks. "Hell yeah I did. Everyone else is complaining." I say then skip out the door towards the car.
Dean pov
"Why'd we stop?" Samuel asks from the driver's door of the car. "Just need a minute." Nathalia says trying to remain holding strong to her poker face.
"Alright, well can you suck it up quick. I'd like to get through los Angeles sometime today." Samuel informs, Nathalia nods once then puts the car back into gear to inform Samuel we're moving.
"Dean give me your phone please." Nathalia orders, I do as asked and she takes it and plugs it into the stereo.
A familiar song starts playing and everyone in the car falls silent, this is the only way we'll tell what is going on in that blonde head we love so much.
'Ya know I'm a dreamer, but my hearts of gold, I had a runaway high, so I wouldn't come home low, just when things went right doesn't mean they we're always wrong…..take me to your heart, feel me in your bones, just one more night and I'm off this dull and windy road. I'm on my way, I'm on my way, home sweet home. Tonight, tonight, I'm on my way, I'm on my way, home sweet. Ya know that I seen too many romantic dreams, up in light fallin off the silver screen. My heart's like an open book, for the whole world to read….sometimes nothing keeps me together at the seams….I'm on my way, just set me free, I'm on my way home sweet home.'
The all too Familiar Motley Crue song hums over the radio's as Nathalia hits hard on the gas pedal driving through the canyon road. I look over to her and wonder why this song seems to bring her to peace, and why she just randomly stopped back there.
"This is the area I was "Raised" in. Tujunga, not a good neighborhood at all, I don't think there are many homes around here I didn't live in when I was a kid. Basically anyone who owned a house was a foster parent and not a very good one. But I still called this place my home, I ran the streets here and lived like a damn queen. I had friends, got into trouble, drank way too much…this is my home." Nathalia explains as the song comes to an end.
Looking around me I see rather slummy looking homes, businesses that look like they belong in some sci-fi horror book as the black market area of a city.
I can't imagine that it looked much better when it was a functioning portion of the city.
Nathalia switches the song to Paradise city by Guns N roses just as we're hitting the freeway heading towards Nevada.
Once we're on a solid paved road she floors it, so does Samuel. "It's a straight shot home folks." Sam says punching the roof excitedly as Nat brings the car up to a hundred and eighty. She expertly dodges wrecked cars and debris in the road as if they weren't even a real threat to our safety.
I hope that this swift drive through LA brings her to terms that she's safe with me, that she needs to just bury the hatchet and move on.
Nathalia pov
"Are we there yet?" Samuel asks through the two way radio. "Not even. I'm gonna go ahead and stop up here in Stockton. Be warned and arms those boys, last time I was there it was crime central but I can get us a shit ton of Ammo and some construction supplies." I inform Samuel.
"Alright sounds good, lead the way night N gale." Samuel says using the radio name he came up with four miles back.
I take the first off ramp into Stockton but I don't see much of a threat this time around, honestly I see a lot of dead bodies that are a few weeks old. A few Croats wandering around, Dean takes two out Sam hits the third.
"Where are we heading to?" Dean asks. "There's a Lowe's just up ahead that is locked down. I doubt anyone would have been able to get in except maybe a team of experts. We might be able to get a lot of useful stuff from there. Then just a few miles down the road is a home depot. I figure we can refuel over there." I explain to Dean as I turn into the Lowes parking lot. All the cars in the lot have been torn apart and ransacked but the store looks virtually untouched. You can see where people tried to bust in the windows of the doors but couldn't. the plants in the nursery are well overgrown which mostly blocks the back doors. And every other entrance is key coded and bar locked from the inside.
"Okay, how do we get in here exactly?" Rachel questions. "Do the one thing that is most obvious that no one would think of." I reply skipping out of the car and over to a Toyota tundra that has the keys in the ignition.
Thankfully the truck starts up with little protest. I pull out of the parking place and straight up to the drive way I came in through then hit the gas pedal. The car speeds down the parking lot and I drive it straight through the doors.
As I'm stepping out of the truck everyone is walking in except Sam and Samuel who've been left to guard the place.
"Hi welcome to Lowe's can I help you find anything?" I say sarcastically, Dean shakes his giving me an eye roll as he drags me towards the lumber yard.
"Gwen take the others and find nails, screws, bolts and power tools!" I shout after her, she gives thumbs up and they head the other direction.
Sam pov
"How long has it been since you guys left Donner Summit?" Samuel asks lighting up a cigarette. "um…we've gone about a month now." I reply giving it some thought. "By the time we get to where we need to be I figure it'll be another few weeks?" Samuel guesses. "Why think that?" I ask my grandfather.
"Did you happen to notice the fact most of the gas cans are empty, and we haven't found any other source of gasoline all day?" Samuel reminds, I nod in understanding.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out. I'm just hoping things thawed out early." I stress my hope to my grandfather as I hear a big rig attempting to start up.
"Like I said, they'll figure it out." I laugh at the look on Samuel's face. "They are relentless, how do you deal with it? Especially Nathalia, she's like a cross between an animal, a bitch, and a little kid….she never used to be like that, she was-
"Pure evil, constantly scowling always guarded. Yeah, she only just started acting like this over the last few months. Dean has been really, really trying to get through to her. Those two clicked the moment they met and she punched him in the face." I inform Samuel who scoffs with an eye roll.
"They seem least likely to be a good couple, but the truth is, they are wonderful together when they want to be." I inform as that big rig finally turns over, I hear air breaks then Nathalia's loud mouth.
"Dean! It's on but I don't know how to drive this thing!" She shouts. "Just don't touch anything, let us load the truck up first!" Dean shouts back. "Guess we should move the cars over there?" Samuel suggests. "Suppose so." I sigh, I'm really just eager to get back into my bed and sleep for a few weeks and have Anna in that bed with me. I hope she's okay and hasn't gotten sick, or worse…
Dean pov
"You think the summit is thawed out some?" Nat asks from the passengers set, she's been asleep the last four hours of the drive after we left home depot. We have Samuel behind us in another rig hauling more items we pulled from the store, with everything we have, we'll be able to get all the construction done that we needed done and everyone will have electricity and running water.
"Stick your hand out the window, it's actually really warm out right now. It was raining about an hour back, we might actually be in luck and be able to drive straight home." I reply to her as she glances back at Crowley who's making noise with the chains.
"thrrry." He muffles out. "Whatever, you're a demon. You aren't sorry for shit." Nathalia says rather irritated, she never has been a morning person according to Samuel.
"Even if it is thawed out, can these diesel munchers make it through that heavy of terrain?" Nathalia asks as Samuel chimes in through the radio.
"Dean, I just got an signal from Bobby? He's trying to contact your dad." Samuel says. "What wave?" I ask him.
Nathalia pov
"One of three AM." Samuel replies, Dean clicks to that station. "Bobby this is Dean you out there?" I ask. "Yeah son I am, where's your dad?" Bobby's voice crackles through. "Probably asleep, I wouldn't know for sure. Me and the gang are traveling back with good news, we got Kevin and the tablet." Dean breaks the good news.
"That's my boys! How is Kevin?" Bobby questions. "Doing better now that he isn't with Crowley, we also stumbled across Samuel and the others. Where you at?" Dean asks. "Just at the bottom of the summit, everything has thawed out, but we may be stuck a few days. The bridges is a bit flooded right now. Don't know if it's gonna be passable or not." Bobby explains.
"Well, we're coming back in two rigs so let's pray that water goes down and the bridge doesn't wash out." Dean says.
"Your group found supplies?" Bobby asks. "Yeah, we came in through Stockton, Nat found a few places to stop in at. Of course everyone did their part in some way. We also raided a few liquor factories, a beer factory, and a cigarette shop." Dean informs Bobby who sounds as tired as I feel, I've slept for four hours but it feels as if I didn't sleep a wink.
"How long out are you?" Bobby asks. "About…another three hours. We're just now getting out of Elk Grove. Any road hazards to worry on?" Dean says.
"None that I passed. I'd keep an eye open though, I seen some military vehicles cruising the streets so don't stray into the city." Bobby gives us the warning, great, just what we needed, to get this far and end up in a fire fight with military agents…..