When I had awoken again, the sun's rays were radiating through the window. It was morning already? I laid in bed for a moment trying to remember the events of the last few days. How the hell did I end up here? Wasn't it only a few days ago, I was walking home after working a double at the restaurant? Wait, how many days has it been? How long have I been out? I slowly propped myself up in the bed, a shooting pain went through my right shoulder and I groaned. Someone had taped it up and put it in a sling to my discovery. I threw the blanket aside with my good arm as I took in my bettered body. There was a huge bruise on my right side. I suddenly remembered Sam saying something about broken ribs. There were about fifteen stitches going across the bottom right side of my stomach and at least twenty on my leg. My left knee is really swollen but I can bend it without too much pain so I guess it could be worse.
I slowly swung my legs over the side of the bed and am greeted by a new wave of pain and dizziness. While trying to see straight again, I realized, for the first time, that I was not the only one in the room. Dean was asleep in a small wooden chair right in front of the door. There was a knife in his hand and the whiskey bottle, now empty, was lying on the floor next to him. I had to admit, he's easy on the eyes. I firmly placed both feet on the ground and hauled myself up but I immediately fell right back down onto the bed.
"Dammit" I mumbled.
Dean jerked awake. "What's wrong?" He asked, stammering out of the chair and over to the bed.
"Sorry" I mumbled. "Just a little dizzy."
Dean relaxed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah" he said. "You lost a lot of blood. I imagine you feel pretty lousy. Where ya goin anyways?"
"Oh, uh bathroom?" I questioned.
"Oh yeah, out the door and to the left." He said.
"Thanks." I attempted to slowly stand myself up again but the room only spun faster. In a second, Dean was by my side, holding on to my good arm, steadying me.
"Need some help?" He grinned.
Wow he had a killer smile. "Looks like it." I said, returning his smile.
He slowly led me out of the bedroom and into a small hallway. There was a door right across from the room I was staying in, a door to my left, and stairs, leading down, to my right. The house was dark and quiet. It seemed pretty old and was made completely out of wood. I liked it. It was peaceful. Dean deposited me into the small bathroom and only left after being completely sure I wouldn't fall and smack my head on the sink. When I finished I somehow managed to get myself up right. I made my way to the sink and for the first time in I don't know how long, got a good look at myself in the mirror. I almost didn't recognize the person staring back at me. I was a mess. I had a black eye, busted lip, and a row of stitches above my left eyebrow. My hair was sticking up in every direction and I looked like I hadn't slept in weeks.
"Awesome." I mumbled to myself.
I found a washcloth and gently rinsed my face, not that it helped much. I watered down my hair and tried to make it look somewhat decent. I finished up and opened the door. Dean was standing in the hall waiting for me.
"Hungry?" He asked.
I gave him a small nod. He grabbed my arm again and we, ever so slowly, made our way downstairs. The stairway led to a small, cluttered living room that had 2 old couches facing an even older TV. There were books and papers everywhere. To the left there was an office area that held even more books and papers and to the right was a small kitchen and dining area. Sam was sitting at the table, typing away on a laptop. He looked up when we walked in.
"Hey!" He said with a big smile. "How ya feeling?"
"Pretty dizzy." I replied. Dean helped lower me into a chair next to Sam.
"Coffee?" He asked.
"Yes please!" I replied. "Milk and sugar please."
Dean made his way to the coffee pot and I figured now would be a good time to get some answers as to what the heck was going on.
"So, who are you guys?" I asked.
"Well," Sam started. "You want the truth?"
"Yes" I replied. Obviously.
Sam drew in a deep breath. "We're hunters." He said.
"Like deer hunters?" I asked, even more confused.
He chuckled. "Not exactly. We hunt monsters, ghosts, demons, vampires, werewolves."
"Pretty much anything that goes bump in the night." Dean said, placing a cup of coffee in front of me and then returning to the kitchen.
"Um… What?" Was all I could say.
"I know it sounds crazy." Sam said. "But it's true."
I was dumbfounded. These guys were crazy. Ghosts? Vampires? There was no such thing. What the hell did these guys want from me?
"We saved you from a shape shifter." Dean said as he placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me.
"A what?" I said.
"It's a type of monster." Sam explained, glaring at Dean.
"Oh." I replied. "Um, ya know, thanks for the hospitality but, I think I'm gonna go." I stammered up to my feet but was immediately greeted by another wave of dizziness and plopped right back down in the chair.
"Easy there." Dean said grabbing my shoulder and steadying me. "Trust me, I know we sound like nine kinds of crazy but believe me, we ain't lying."
"You hunt ghosts?" I said with a sarcastic tone.
Sam got up and disappeared into the office. He came back and dropped a few books in front of me. The first book was an old leather journal. I opened it up and it was filled with scribblings, drawings, newspaper articles, and a bunch of other stuff I couldn't decider.
"That's our dads journal." Sam said. "It's pretty much everything he knew about everything that's out there. This is our uncles journal." He said picking up another book. "I know this isn't cold hard proof, but look through them." He said with a smile.
"It's just crazy." I said, freaking out a bit. "There's no such thing!"
"You sure about that?" Dean asked. "What do you remember from being captured? See anything weird?"
"I had been beaten up and was completely out of it." I said. "I don't know exactly what I saw."
"What do you think you saw?" Sam asked.
The memories came flooding back like a tidal wave. The man grabbing me off the street and knocking me out. Waking up in a sewer. Being beaten half to death when I tried to fight back. Waking up again tied up and unable to move. The man… What he did to me. Then watching him shed his skin like some sort of animal and coming out looking just like me.
Suddenly my heart rate began to quicken. I couldn't catch my breath. I started to shake violently as the memories continued to fill my brain. His hands on me, his warm breath on my bare skin. Me, unable to fight back.
"Brittany!" I heard a voice yell.
"Please don't." I said in a shaky voice.
"Brittany! You with us?"
I felt myself being shaken. I opened my eyes to see Dean and Sam standing in front of me with worried looks on their faces. Tears filled my eyes.
"Brittany, what happened? Are you ok?" Sam asked.
"I…" The tears overflowed and I began to quietly sob.
"Ok baby come here." Dean lifted me up and carried me to one on the couches in the living room. He set me down, sat down next to me, and wrapped his arms around me, carefully as not to hurt my shoulder. I turned my face to his chest and continued to sob into his soft flannel shirt.
"You're ok." He whispered. "You're safe now."
I cried for I don't know how long. Eventually I felt my breathing even out and was able to calm myself down. I pulled back from Dean, embarrassed about breaking down in front of a complete stranger.
"Sorry." I mumbled, staring at the ground.
"No worries." He said, clearing his throat. "You should eat something. It'll make you feel better." He promptly stood up and made his way to the kitchen. Giving me a few minutes to compose myself. He returned with a sandwich, chips, and a glass of juice on a tray.
"Thanks." I said smiling up at him.
"No problem." He smiled back.
"So where are we?" I finally asked.
"Sioux Falls, South Dakota." Dean replied sitting down on the other couch. "This is our uncles place. He'll be back tonight. You'll like him."