The scene that was unfolding looked like one out of a movie as a woman walked across the parking with two men one on either side. The woman pale with black hair wearing a brown leather bomber's jacket and if the jean clad legs were anything to go by she had a thin frame.
As for the two men walking on her sides the taller of the two wearing a tan jacket and flannel shirt with jeans. His floppy hair falling into his face and his hands shoved into his pockets. The slightly shorter man wearing a well-worn leather coat, flannel shirt, jeans and his hair was cut short.
Each wore the same expression as they walked toward the entrance of the hospital whether it was against the sun beaming down on them or in anger you couldn't tell. All three walked through the double door of the medical building and up to the reception desk.
"The nurse looked at all three nervously before she spoke. "Can I help you?"
"I need the room and floor of Arnold Carter." Anya stated.
"And you are?"
"His daughter." The nurse cast a wary look at Sam and Dean. "He's my boyfriend and he's my cousin." Anya told her.
"Okay. He's in room 13 on the fourth floor."
Anya nodded and headed walked away from the desk towards the elevators with Sam and Dean following her. They were the only ones on the lift. "How come Sam gets to be your boyfriend?" Dean asked.
Sam bitch faced.
"Because you're loud, cocky and not my type." Anya stated as the door opened allowing them to step off. Sam chuckled at his brother's expense. "Shut up Sasquatch." That killed the smile on Sam's face.
Without warning Anya let herself into room 13 Sam and Dean right behind her.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a young man asked.
"Well if it isn't my whore of a daughter and who are they your next clients?" the man in the asked smirked.
"Rot in hell you sorry piece of crap."
"Not before you do." He retorted.
Sam stepped into the room further and closed the door. Dean crossed the room toward the younger man. "Leave here now."
"Or you'll do what?" Dean challenged. The man sat down realizing if a fight broke out he wouldn't win. Dean found what he was looking for and gave a quick yank disconnecting the nurse call button.
"Now you sorry son of a bitch you're going to answer my questions I'm going to walk out that door and you'll never see me again. This goes easy or hard but that's up to you." Athena spoke.
"Get out bitch you ain't getting a dime of my money." Arnold spat out.
"I don't want your damn money I wanna know where the box is." Anya said.
"Get out of here you stupid slut. Take your pimps with you." Arnold told her.
"Where is the box you used when you called up that crossroads demon?"
"What are you talking about? You know what get out of here and go sleep it off somewhere." The young man, her brother, had forgotten about Dean and was forced back into his seat. "You'll want to stay still."
"Oh your daddy didn't tell you did he?"
"Shut up you stupid bitch." Arnold warned.
"Oh no he should know that the only reason he got to live was because you sold my soul for his life." Anya smirked.
"I said shut up you worthless bitch."
"Or you'll what? Trevor should know that the only reason he gets to live is because his sister's soul is going to the demons. Yeah that's right your father sold the soul of the daughter he didn't want to save his precious little boy and now here he is on his death bed he'll sell your next so he can live I'm sure of it."
"Anya the information." Sam reminded her.
"Where is it I have shit to do and little time to do it."
Trevor looked at his father because everything suddenly made sense to him. "Does mom know?" he asked his voice cutting through the arguing of his father and sister.
"Why do you think she left? She never wanted you either. No one loves you and no one is ever going to give a damn if you live or die. You were worthless from the beginning and you'll be doing the world a favor when you're gone." Arnold smirked.
"My mother is alive?" Anya looked like a wounded seven-year old.
"Where's the case?" Dean asked realizing they would get nowhere if this kept up. "I don't have to answer to you boy." Arnold growled.
Dean produced a rather large knife. "Now lets try this again, where is it?"
Arnold gulped, "Renaissance Park."
"That was easy." Dean put the blade away and started toward the door. "Where is she?" there was no emotion in the voice that spoke. "You better,"
"Where the hell is she?"
"You got what you wanted now leave."
Athena advanced on his but Sam pulled her back. "Don't do it, come on, we'll find her ourselves." He whispered. They pulled her from the room and the change was immediate. Anger and hate rolling off her in thick waves as they rode the elevator down to the lobby.
"Anya wait!" all three turned around to see Trevor chasing after them. "She lives on 119 Stafford street." Without another word Anya continued her walk to the car with Sam and Dean. Neither said anything about as they got in and pulled out of the lot.
"What do you want to do?" Sam asked.
"My mother, go to the address." Dean drove taking directions from Anya since she knew Atlanta better then they did. The drive was over before the hour was up. She didn't move at first. "Want me to go with you?"
Anya shook her head as she finally exited the classic car. "We should have just gone to the park to look for the box." Sam stated. "She deserves answers Sammy." Dean protested.
They continued to watch as a woman that looked like Athena opened the door, they didn't here what they were saying at first and then there was a shout. The older woman said something her face showing sadness and regret. Anya stomped away but stopped when the woman called to her. She didn't bother to turn back as she said something and continued to the car getting in.
"Dean?"
"Yeah?"
"You got shovels?" she asked.
"Always. But we can't do this in broad daylight we have to wait till nightfall."
"You can wait till night fall I'm going now I don't care I'll walk but I want out of this damn state." Dean looked to Sam for help but only reserved a shrug. "Alright but the first sign of trouble we're out."
.::*::.
Looking at a printed map of the park Sam circled all the crossed paths finding seven in total. The first four were all duds the fifth one showed some promise because it was still dirt. Without warning Anya threw off her coat and got to work shoveling the dirt out of the way till she hit something. This something was small and metal.
Sinking to her knees she cleared away the remaining dirt and pulled forth the container popping it open as she stood. "Come on we need to get out of here." Dean called to her.
Athena was quite as they went back to the car quickly throwing the shovels in the truck and getting in. "We'll leave out tomorrow morning first thing." Dean told her as they pulled into a motel parking lot. Anya didn't say anything as they entered the room. "Hey I'm gonna go grab something to eat." Sam stated after a few minutes. Dean had gone for a shower and gave a loud grunt in response.
"Anything you want?" Sam asked in a quiet tone. Anya shook her head. "Do you want to come with me?" Another shake. Sam didn't say anything as he headed for the door. Reaching for her duffle bag Anya dug out what little money she had and put it into her pocket. Pulling on her coat she slipped out the door.
Sam walked into the room two bags in his hands. "Where's Anya?" Dean asked pulling his shirt over his head. "She was here when I left." Sam said.
"I thought she left with you." Dean looked at his younger brother his eyes widened.
"Quick call Bobby." Sam dropped the bags on the small table.
"What do you idjits want?"
"She's gone."
"Wait a second what do you mean gone?"
"Gone as in not in the motel room."
"Did you think maybe she went to get a room for herself?" Bobby pointed out. "She said she was fine with sharing for the night." Sam called over his brother's shoulder.
Bobby thought for a moment. "How did seeing her father go?"
"Bobby it was hit the fan bad. The son didn't even know and to top it off her mother has been alive this entire time. She saw her and talked to her. Her father said some pretty muffed up shit." Dean said.
"If I were her I'd be in a bar." The tone in Bobby's voice had changed from annoyed to somewhere between understanding and pity.
"Did she leave anything?" Bobby asked. "Yeah everything."
"She'll come back. She wants our help she'll come back just get some shut eye in the mean time but she'll be back."
"Alright."
She stumbled up the stairs drunk. It was late really late or very early. Either one would have worked. She was tripped over her feet but caught herself as she found the door. The numbers were blurry but she could tell it was the right room. Pounding on it like, one may say, the police she roused the two sleeping men inside.
"Who is it?"
"Open the door Winchester." She scratched her already mussed hair. Dean stood by ready with his gun as Sam pulled open the door and Anya nearly fell flat on her face. "Are you…drunk?" Dean asked.
"Great ob…observation." She slurred. Anya fought her way out of her jacket.
"I met a chicken and he did a little dance. Then he said 'You lose the competition cause you didn't dance right.' I was sad cause there was money." Anya spoke trying to do the dance the "Chicken" had told her top do.
"Devil's gonna get me you know. He's waiting for me. I see him sitting right there waiting. He's laughing and eating grapes. Do they have grapes in hell?" she asked.
Sam and Dean's eyes followed to the small table where a half used bottle of hot sauce sat. Sure enough there was a devil with grapes on it. Soft snores had them over to the sleeping woman. She was stretched out on the rolled out bed and fast asleep her face buried in the pillow.
"She's going to have the hangover from hell tomorrow." Dean said placing a blanket over her.
"Dean, what if we can't save her?" Sam asked.
"We don't think about what we can't do we do what we can do to save her. Now lets get back to bed we gotta be up in a couple hours."
Hey time to get up."
"Shut up." She growled. Anya's head felt like someone was smashing it in with a sledgehammer.
"My head is killing me." Anya groaned she practically crawled her way into the bathroom.
Anya sat with her face in the toilet bowl. Her stomach told her it was going to throw up but nothing came up, she didn't even dry heave. "Hey you know what cures a hang over?" Dean asked hanging by the door.
"Dean no." Sam warned.
"A greasy cheese burger in a dirty ash tray." Dean's nose crinkled when he heard the sounds in response to what he'd said. Sam took out some clothes for Anya to wear realizing they were in need of repair but didn't say anything as he handed them to here.
Half an hour later she came out of the bathroom with pink skin from the shower dressed in her clothes and hair pulled back from her face. "Did I say anything last night?" she asked walking past them.
"No came in and crashed." Sam told her.
"Huh. Lets hit the road I want out of here." Anya said putting on a pair of sunglasses as she headed for the door. Sam and Dean grabbing their belongings and following after her.
While driving through South Carolina Dean finally got sick of hearing silence and kicked on the radio. "Pass me something good." Dean said.
Sam picked out a random tape and handed it over to his older brother ready to drown it out with years of practice. 'Wherever I may roam' by Metallica poured out from the speakers. Dean was drumming along on the steering wheel, Sam was humming quietly to himself and Anya hummed at first before softly singing along.
"Isn't this music a little old for you?" Dean smirked.
"Shut pretty boy I'm entitled to my listening just as much as you are and I happen to like this band. Now put on Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, or KISS and we got a party." Sam rolled his eyes at the thought of listening to so much classic metal.
"Don't worry Sam I listen to modern rock but I learned to live with what was around me. It'll do till we find a proper radio." Anya grinned.
"Is that a grin I see? Holy hell the sky is gonna fall." Dean laughed.
"I have the ability to a lot of things smiling not something I do often so don't get use to it." The smile was gone again.
West Virginia state lines had been crossed and the road seemed to go on forever at this point. It seemed like they were the only car on the road anymore. It was quiet in the car as Dean drove but it was destroyed in a matter of seconds when a cow came falling out of the sky.
Dean slammed his foot of the break just missing the dead cow now in the middle of the road. What ran across the road snatching it up and disappearing again freaked them out a bit more.
"What the hell was that?"
Anya felt shivers run down her body after seeing the best. "Just drive before it comes back for us." Sam said. Dean switched the car into gear and sped away putting great distance between them and the beast that had crossed their path.
Once they got to the nearest motel they set down salt lines and warned the room.
Sam snatched up his laptop and got to work. "What did it look like?"
"It had two heads that much I remember." Dean shuddered.
"It was a Chimera."
"A what?"
"The beast, monster, thing, it. I don't know a misspent youth lets you find a lot of things I n a library. It was a Chimera the head of a lion, the head of a goat and a tail that was the head of a serpent. It's a chimera." Anya's eyes were shifting back and forth a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.
"Are you alright?"
"No. Things like that shouldn't exist. That's unnatural and freaky. Please tell me I'm suffering from a really, really bad dream due to drinking." She panted.
"Wait you know there's things like wendigos, werewolves ghost and what not yet you think things like that aren't real?" Dean asked.
"Hey I'm new to this okay. I've only known about half this crap for little over a year I'm lucky to make it this far. Next thing you'll be telling me unicorns exist and I swear on all that in holy in this world that if you say "isn't that every girl's dream?" I will hurt you."
Dean chocked back a laugh before turning back to his brother who was now surfing the net for possible information on the monster. Anya sitting on the bed her arms wrapped around her knees rocking slowly trying to process the supernatural world a bit more.
"Call Bobby." Sam told him.
"Alright."
"Who's bleeding, dying, or sold their soul this time?" Bobby answered.
"No one. We're in West Virginia and we have a possible Chimera on our hands. Need ways to kill it." Dean told him.
"A what? Chimera? Okay wait first thing where's Anya?"
"On the bed having a metal breakdown she'll be fine."
"It's not a mental breakdown." She snapped going back to her rocking.
"Riiiiight. Okay give me an hour to find something I'll call you then." Bobby told him.
"Okay." Dean hung up. "Bobby said he'll call us when he gets something. In the mean time we get Spas over there something to eat." Dean got the one finger salute.
"Anytime honey." Dean smirked. Sam gagged. "Touch me and I'll gut you." She growled.
"Come on you need to eat too."
"I'm not hungry."
"I don't care you're eating something. You are not going to live on a liquid diet. Now either you get up willingly or you're going over my shoulder. Now lets try this again Anya we're going to get something to eat." She didn't move.
"We'll bring you something back alright." Sam steered his brother out the door by his shoulders.
Anya was left to her solitude and at first it was welcomed. It was quiet but it started to cave in on her. The walls fell down leaving her with flames and demons staring at her bodies under their blackened feet. The door was still there still giving her an out.
Anya jumped up from the bed to scramble out the door. Closing it behind her Anya ran down to the parking lot where Dean and San were just pulling out. "Wait!"
Anya jumped over the bushes stumbling but not falling as she chased after the car. Sam looked in the rearview mirror for a second and then back again when he saw Anya, turning around in his seat he saw the girl pursuing them on foot and falling behind quickly.
"Dean stop."
"What?"
"Just stop the car." Dean eased the car into a stop giving Sam the chance to get out. Dean squinted at the rearview mirror then opted to turn around to find Anya getting closer. She ran into Sam's chest burying her face there. She was shaking as Sam wrapped one arm around her shaking shoulders.
She said nothing as she climbed into the middle and Sam after her. Entering the diner Anya kept her head low this time she didn't acknowledge the waitress when she was spoken too. "A bowl of peaches for her please." Sam flashed the woman a smile.
It was like Anya had shut down again. She was quite and resigned they had a monster to hunt and their motel room turned into fiery pit before her very eyes. The bowl appeared under her face but she didn't show any signs of wanting it turning her head away.
"Come on you have to eat something. You haven't even since yesterday." Dean told her in a voice he use to use on Sam when they were growing up. The voice he used to try and coax his sick brother into eating, even if it was just a little.
Okay they couldn't really blame her for not wanting to eat. They'd seen hell and it was down right scary. They'd been to it and they'd suffered. Dean still remembered the smell and Sam could still feel the flames licking his skin. But Anya had only seen it and how much she had seen they didn't know but it drover her to this. This single person locked behind doors and walls she'd built up to try and protect her self. Her childhood couldn't have been any better. Just when the doors started to open she slammed them shut again and locked them ten times as tight to keep anything out.
Anya had suffered and she was suffering more. The dreams and visions had already taken their toll on her. Dean picked up the spoon and cut a small piece of sliced peach. "Come on you're going to eat at least half this bowl." Dean stated.
Bobby had done the same thing to Dean. Dean wasn't eating and Bobby saw it. So when the old hunter threatened to spoon-feed him Dean snatched the fork from him and feed himself. She didn't take the bait. Dean tried a bit harder taking bites of his own food in between.
Dean huffed when his phone started ringing dropping the spoon into the bowl he took hold of his phone and headed out the door to talk to Bobby.
"Alright you'll need a lead tipped sword to kill it either cut it's throat or stab it in the heart. Make sure you burn the body. How's the girl doing?"
"We left her alone not even five minutes and now she's sitting inside the diner with Sam hunched over and quiet. She won't say a word Bobby I've been trying to feed her for a while now but even that's not working. I don't know if it was the visions or if being alone makes her uneasy."
Visions?
"I'm seeing hell and I'm not even there yet."
"Hm. I don't know what to tell you maybe she'll come around in a day or two just leave it be she'll come round. If she really wants this deal broken she'll have to eat sometime soon." Bobby told the elder Winchester.
"Okay but where do we get a lead tipped knife?"
"Maybe you should ask Feathers for some help." Bobby stated.
"I'm not asking him for help the guy's busy. We'll figure it out." He said.
"Just don't get yourselves killed. Ya Idjit." Bobby hung up.
Dean hung his had with a heavy sigh as his shoulders sagged. Walking back into the diner Sam had managed to get Anya to at least start picking at her food take a bite or two here or there. She'd half by the time she didn't want anymore and pushed it away.
On the way back to the motel Dean was explaining to Sam what Bobby had told him about killing the Chimera. "I saw we take the machetes and guns go in locked and loaded and hope for the best cause where the hell are we going to get a lead tipped blade from. I think some lead bullets will do well enough." Dean stated.
"You mean go in blind?"
"Not entirely. What else are we really going to do? The three of us can handle it on our own just fine. Now lets get some shut eye were leaving at dawn." Dean told them.
Anya set herself up for the floor using her duffle bag as a pillow. Sam came out of the shower and frowned at the empty bed. Anya was sleeping on the floor using her duffle and coat. Not thinking Sam lifted her carefully and placed her on the other side of the bed working the covers from under her and pulling them up to her chin.
Sam climbed in on the other side and went to sleep.
.::*::.
Dean didn't say anything when he saw Anya sleeping in his brother's bed Sam was already up and dressed. Dean awoke Anya to let her have the bathroom first. One the door had closed and the water running Dean turned to his brother with a smirk.
"You like her don't you?"
"No." Sam turned his face away but it was to late his older brother had seen the blush on his baby brother's face.
"You do! You totally do." Dean laughed. "Awe Sammy's got a crush." Dean smiled.
The bathroom door opened a few minute later and as if someone had flipped a switch Anya's face told nothing of her mood the day before. She was alert and her head was up, shoulders back ready to go. All the guns were clean and loaded and ready to go. Dean went down the road back the way they came when they first saw the beast.
Parking the car they exited taking everything with them. Ears listening eyes scanning looking for any sign of the horrible monster. Anya's hands shook with fear. She'd never hunted something like this. A few short hours ago she'd been processing the fact they exist. What hell had she stepped into?
A crash in the distance had the trio running on the direction it'd come from. They listened, watched, waited. Dean saw something on his left following it up into the trees. "Here it comes Sam!"
Sam fired off three rounds none hitting the target. Anya cocked the rifle and waited watching. It came from the trees landing six yards in front of them. The lion's head was massive and the body matched as well. The goat head stared ahead as the serpents tail moved much like a snake would but with a wide slither.
Its cold eyes seem to stare at all of them. It charged at them knocking Sam over as Dean and Anya tried to get better shots and keep up with it's movements. Sam still down had reached his gun again and the Chimera came back to grab one of them. This time the bullet hit the Chimera in the shoulder causing it to slow down but not stop it's attack. Turning on Anya it came teeth bared and jaws wide.
Anya cocked the gun again before firing, she repeated the action twice more hitting the beast in the chest but it wasn't enough as it plowed through her.
Dean made the shot hitting the monster it's second head. As if missing something half its brain the beast collapsed to the ground not dead but close.
Dean walked over the half fallen creature keeping his distance but giving it a sour faced once over. "You are fugly." He grumbled emptying his gun in the monsters head for good measure.
"Sam?"
"I'm fine." His brother said coming up beside him Anya was standing, giving a once over she had a few cuts but would live much like Sam would. Dean had a nice sized on his forehead.
They dosed the carcass in gas before setting it a lot. The smell was terrible but the blaze was going strong. "We shoulda brought some weenies." Dean smiled.
Anya and Sam wore the same expression at Dean's ill placed human.
"Can we go now?" Anya asked. By this point the corpse had burned to nothing more then charred flesh completely unrecognizable. "Yeah we can go."
They stomped their way through the woods back to the Impala ready to go back to the motel to get cleaned up before hitting the road. Sitting in the back seat Anya couldn't help but wonder what else they could really be facing on the road ahead.
"How many other things like that exist?"
"Countless things. Creepy things that would only ever haunt your worst nightmares. If you think scary movies are bad, when we were growing up if we could our dad would rent every horror flick he could get his hands on and we'd watch them just to have a laugh." Dean smiled at the memory.
"That's not even half of it pagan gods and rituals and things the whole nine yards. We've seen things that people wouldn't fathom." Sam told her.
"Once you start down that road it's hard to leave we've known it pretty much our whole lives." Dean said.
Anya thought about it. She'd watched as Sam and Dean laid down salt lines at the motel they'd stayed at the last few days. How they slept with a gun in the nightstand and knife under the pillow. That hunter friend of theirs, Bobby, had a whole library devoted to all things supernatural.
With a sigh Anya tried to mentally prepare herself for the road ahead but how much preparing could you do when you now knew half of what people told you wasn't real is real. That is was scary and not only did you have the devil on your ass but you had to fight every evil thing out there.
Anya's head rolled back against the seat. "I need a drink."