Chapter 2 Interference

Carrie Beth's eyes flew open at the sudden loud crash from the front of the house. "What the hell!" yelled Viktor? "Brent go see what made that noise!"

"Don't worry about it Brent," came a masculine voice she didn't recognize. "We'll come to you!"

She lifted her head from the table to see two men clad in denim and flannel burst into the room. The one with long hair wielded a sword of some sort and quickly removed Gale's head from her shoulders as she ran towards him. The one with a military style haircut carried a machete and made short work of Brent. "Simon get the hell out of here!" Viktor yelled just barely escaping the one with the sword.

"Find me!" Simon screamed before jumping through the glass of a nearby window. The cool air from the night shocked Carrie Beth and made her realize what she was seeing was actually happening. The two men rounded the table towards Viktor. "Well, well, well if it isn't the male model Winchester's. How in the hell did you boys become hunters? You both look to delicate to hunt anything but a dumbass blond."

The military haircut growled at Viktor. "We've been looking for you since Tulsa," he said shortly. "How many have there been Viktor? How many did you turn?"

"You'll never know pretty boy," Viktor said confidently. "And here's a tidbit to help you out. Kill me if you want, but they will all be after her."

Carrie Beth knew Viktor meant her with that reference but she couldn't see him from his position behind her head. The long haired one glanced down at her and recognition that she was still alive dawned on his face. "Dean have you got him?" long hair asked.

"I can take him," the military cut said.

Long hair used the sword to cut her restraints loose before he spoke directly to her. "Can you walk?" he said quietly.

"Hell no she can't walk dumbass," Viktor said. "We've had her tied up for over sixteen hours now."

"I can try," she said glaring at Viktor.

He smirked at her. "That's it Carrie Beth, keep that gumption and I just might turn you instead of killing you."

"You won't be doing either Viktor because I'm sending you to Purgatory in a minute. Sam get her out of here," said the military cut.

The long haired one or Sam picked her up from the table and tucked her head into his neck. "It's going to be ok Carrie Beth. We are here to protect you."

Carrie Beth heard Viktor growl behind Sam's back but she never lifted her head. Sam placed her in the front seat of a black car and told her to sit tight. "Keep the doors locked and if we aren't back out in ten minutes crank the car and drive. There's an address in the glove compartment of some people who can help you. Tell them the Winchester's sent you."

Carrie Beth watched him pick up the sword and run back in the house. She locked the doors and sighed. Her feet were still numb so she couldn't drive if she wanted too but she wasn't going to dare tell Sam that fact. A loud boom pulled her attention from her feet to the house. She watched the front of the house with wide eyes, not sure what to expect and within minutes both of the men were running back to the car. "Unlock the doors Carrie Beth," Sam said and she did as he asked.

"Get in the middle," the military haircut said. "We've got to get the hell out of here now."

She scooted across the bench seat of the car and held onto Sam's arm for dear life. She didn't even think about putting on a seat belt. "Is that blood yours?" Military haircut yelled at her.

She shook her head no.

"Did any of them bite you?" he asked just as loudly.

"No… no," she replied with a stammer. "Viktor… he… he cut me with a blade… and… and he licked the blood off but he never bit me."

"He is one sick bastard Sam."

"And now he and all of this minions will be out to kill us with glee before they start in on her again," Sam said.

"You… you didn't kill him?" she asked alarmingly.

"He punched through the wall of the house darling," military cut said. "We had to get out before the roof caved in on us."

"That was the boom I heard."

Military cut grunted his reply.

She glanced up at Sam and found him staring at her. "I'm Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean."

"Carrie," she said, "Carrie Beth Stringer."

"We'll drive till sun up and then get some place safe for a few hours while we sort this mess out," Dean said.

She nodded and leaned her head back against the seat of the car. She didn't know these two men but she felt safer with them than she had in years.

XXXXXXXXX

They drove for the three hours it took for the sun to come up and pulled over at a cheap roadside motel. It looked old but she had stayed in worse conditions so she wasn't that bothered. Dean left Carrie Beth and Sam in the car to go grab a couple of rooms and when he returned his face was turned into a hardened frown.

"They've only got one damn room," Dean said getting back behind the steering wheel. "It's got two beds so Sam and I can share. We won't be here that long anyway but it's still a pain in the ass."

Carrie Beth nodded. "I don't… I don't think I could stay by myself right now anyway."

Dean glanced at her. "Yeah, ok. I get that I guess."

He drove the car down the row of rooms and parked in front of door number fourteen. Sam helped Carrie Beth out of the car and Dean grabbed two duffle bags from the trunk. Carrie Beth winced as she put weight on her bare feet. "You ok?" Sam asked gently.

"It feels like I am walking on pins and needles, but I'll be fine," she said, limping towards the door.

Dean had already pushed the motel door open and she grimaced at the green walls and old furniture. Dean sighed, "Man am I missing my bed at the bunker right now."

He watched Carrie Beth limp over to the first bed and sit down gently. Her uniform was covered in blood and she was missing buttons around the middle of her shirt. She was barefooted and in need of a shower. "Hey, uh, Carrie Beth," he said waiting until she looked up at him. "Why don't you go ahead and get a shower. Get cleaned up you know and I'll go get you some clothes and shoes."

She glanced at herself and realized she was a mess. "Dean you don't have too…"

"Yeah, yeah I do. What are you a size twelve or so?"

She nodded her confirmation.

"Shoe size?"

"I usually wear a ten."

Sam walked in the room behind Dean and glanced at them both. "I'm going to find her some clothes," Dean said turning his back to Carrie Beth. "Let her borrow one of your shirts in case it takes me a while. It should be long enough on her because of your giantess."

Sam smirked at Dean. "Yeah just hurry up ok. We need to rest and get back on the road."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Carrie Beth thought the shower in the dirty blue bathroom was the best one she had ever had. She washed her hair with the cheap motel shampoo twice and combed it out with her fingers. There was no point in drying it if she couldn't brush it out so she left it wet. Sam had loaned her a long sleeve red and blue flannel shirt that even though it reached the middle of her thigh was decent enough. She rolled the sleeves back before walking back into the room.

Sam glanced up at her and smiled. "Feel better?"

"I feel cleaner."

"We'll wait to talk until Dean gets back so you only have to tell the story once. Ok if I clean up now?"

She nodded and sat down on the bed. The old television in the room was turned to some western movie. Carrie Beth lay back on the bed and tucked her knees up close while she watched the movie. She didn't realize when she fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXX

Dean was back before Sam got out of the shower, but all of their movement didn't wake Carrie Beth. "She's been through hell," Sam said. "She has cut marks on her feet and legs. They were planning to torture her Dean."

Dean shook his head. "It seemed vengeful didn't it? Like they were punishing her for something."

Sam nodded. "I hate to wake her up but we need to talk to her and get her side of the story."

"Let her sleep," Dean said glancing back at her. "We'll both catch a couple hours of shut eye and we can talk then."

Sam nodded and glanced at the other bed. "Dean there is no way we will both fit in that bed."

Dean groaned before putting his hand out. They played rock, paper, scissors, and Sam beat Dean.

Dean bunched the duffle bag under his head and crashed on the floor. He never had trouble falling asleep and he was out in a couple minutes. Sam heard his slow, steady breathing and waited for sleep to come to him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Two hours later Dean was awake and nursing a headache. He used the bathroom and took a quick shower before waking Sam and Carrie Beth up. "Here," he said handing her a plastic sack, "they didn't have a huge selection but I figure it was better than nothing."

She changed into a pair of gray cotton shorts and a white t-shirt with flowers on the front. The simple pair of sneakers she wore without socks and made a mental note to see if the guys had any Band-Aids to keep the shoes from rubbing the backs of her heels. The best part of what Dean brought her was the purple hair brush that allowed her to tame her incredibly wild hair. When she was dressed and her hair brushed she stepped back into the motel room.

"Wow," Dean said, "you clean up nice."

She smirked. "Thanks I guess raging terror is not the best look for me, but dollar store chic suits me fine. Thanks for the clothes. I'll pay you back when we get back to my place."

Dean glanced at Sam and Sam shook his head. "Uh, Carrie Beth, you probably won't be going back to your place for a while. At least until this is settled. Vampires are excellent trackers and if we want to keep you alive you'll have to stay with us."

She laughed. "That's funny. You guys have got a great sense of humor!"

Dean stared at her blankly. "You… you aren't joking?"

Dean shook his head no. "You have to be kidding. I can't live like this! I have to go home!"

"You won't live at all if you go home!" Dean exploded at her. "Try being grateful that we saved your ass!"

Carrie Beth's eyes teared up. "I'm… sorry," she choked out. "I… I am grateful… it's just… I can't…"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and Sam was gazing at her with a look of sympathy. "Let's talk Carrie Beth. Tell us what happened and then we can decide how save it is to get your things, ok?"

She nodded. Sam guided her to the edge of the bed and he and Dean sat facing her. "Start from the beginning," Sam said, "and be as detailed as possible because even something small might be important."

Carrie Beth told them the whole story from when the group of monsters walked into the diner until they found her strapped to that table. She shuddered when she recounted Viktor cutting little nicks into her skin and licking the blood off. "It was disgusting," she said softly.

"Who was your father?"

"I… I don't know," she lied. "I lived with my grandmother my whole life and went into foster care when she died. I was sixteen. I left the system when I turned eighteen."

"When did you start working at the diner?"

"Six months ago or so. I'm a nurse, I put myself through nursing school, but after ten years I burned out. I quit my job, sold my house, and started driving. I didn't have anything holding me in Mississippi so I left. I guess I should have stayed."

"Why the diner?" Sam asked. "Why not get another nursing job?"

"I wanted something that didn't have anything to do with medicine. Waitressing wasn't nearly as stressful as being a nurse and I enjoyed taking care of people in a different way. It's really been therapeutic for me."

Sam nodded. "You can't go home right now Carrie Beth. You'll need to stay with us so we can keep you safe. We'll have to figure out who your father is and get more information about the story Viktor told you. It's obvious your dad was a hunter, but there are a lot of dead hunters out there."

"I have a picture of him in my things back at the diner. I have a picture of my mom too but my grandmother never told me their names. She had their pictures tucked away in a shoebox under her bed with the papers about her taking custody of me. She caught me looking at them one day when I was five or six and she moved the shoebox. When she died I found the pictures but none of the paperwork which is why I ended up in the system."

"I promise we'll get your things when it is safe Carrie Beth," Sam said.

"Let's hit the road and get back to the bunker before it gets dark. No matter how good of a tracker Viktor is he can't get to us there," Dean said grabbing his duffle bag.

He packed the hairbrush, tooth brush, and her dirty uniform in his bag before heading for the car. Carrie Beth thought he was a nice guy under that gruff exterior. After all a cruel man wouldn't have thought about a hairbrush for her comfort.