Hi Guys! Hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the new year! 2018! Have your resolutions ready! Anyway, I'm not going to hang about, thank you to everyone who is still reading, reviewing, following and faving. I encourage any new comers to do the same, knowing people are wanting to read the story helps me to write it. I hope you all have a brill New Years, wherever you are! Cheers! D.S X

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or The Walking Dead. Any OC's are mine though.

Crossroads

Part Five

Dean had the music on low as he drove the Impala down the freeway away from Atlanta, chasing the rising sun and hoping it would lead to better things. He glanced in his rear view mirror, Kid was laid out on the back seats, Dean's coat over him to ward off the chill. The boy had knocked himself out after he had finished crying, shock, exhaustion and his still healing shoulder probably all coming together to overcome the child. Dean had carried him to the Impala and after taking anything of use from Licari's body, his ammo mostly, he salted and burned it. He didn't wait around after, he'd gunned the engine of the Impala and got out of the city as fast as he could. The hunter had drove through the rest of the night, not caring about his own sleep, just wanting to get as far as he could from Atlanta. Dean ran a hand over his face, things had not gone the way he had planned. If anything he was worse off than he was before. The hospital group had shocked him with their methods, so much so that Dean wasn't sure he would be able to combat such a large group again.

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered, unable to stop a glance to his side, searching for Sammy who would not be there. He couldn't keep doing this on his own. He needed some form of back up. But who could Dean turn to? Normal people here were either dead or to busy trying to survive they might just shoot Dean before he could get into their good graces. Plus there was the hunting to take into consideration. Kid was one thing. They boy had experienced the darker side of the world, and probably wouldn't leave Dean even if the hunter told him to go. Then there was his mission, something he hadn't even told Kid about, who the hell would understand about shit like that?

"I need another hunter," Dean mumbled, the words coming out without him really thinking about it. But once said Dean paused. Another hunter, they would understand, maybe even have knowledge about how the dead started walking. He'd already confirmed that hunters existed, they'd tried to fight, to push back before they were overwhelmed. "Not all of them would be dead," Dean reasoned with himself. Some would have survived and Dean knew a particular one that would have hunkered down and lived, no matter what. After all, he was like a Dad to Sam and Dean. With a smile making it's way onto the young hunters face, Dean put his foot down, driving as the sun rose fully. Eventually Dean pulled off the freeway, following the signs for Charlotte. As he made his way to the small city Kid began to stir. "Alright?" Dean asked as Kid sat himself up, rubbing his eyes to get rid of sleep. The boy nodded, staring out of the window in confusion.

"Where ...?"

"Had to start driving, Kid," Dean explained. "This is Charlotte, we can maybe get some more supplies here." The bag Kid had managed to gather wouldn't be enough, they would run out eventually and where Dean wanted to get to, they would need gas, quiet a bit of gas.

"Oh," Kid muttered, leaning forward so he could look out of the front window as the city approached. Dean took the opportunity to check the boy over. His shoulder would need looking at, the bandages were dirty and Dean didn't want to risk an infection. His eyes were a little red, a left over from the crying, and his skin was a pale waxy colour. But the curious look on his face, along with the spark in his eyes reassured Dean that Kid was at least coping. I'll have to keep an eye out for nightmares, Dean thought as Kid's head swivelled left and right, trying to take in as much as possible. The hunter knew that Kid would suffer night terrors, he had himself when he'd been young. Dean finally pulled the car over in a residential part of Charlotte, he didn't want to risk going into the main part of the city. Dean didn't know what he would find in there, people and Walkers alike. The houses were nice, two story, with white picket fences, just the type a family would love to own, the type Sam and Dean used to joke about owning. Dean killed the growling engine and Kid climbed out of the back. "We getting supplies?"

"Yeah," Dean said as he got out of the front seat.

"So you know where we're going?" Dean caught the hesitation in the question, so he sighed, fixing Kid with a piecing stare.

"Kid, what happened in Atlanta ..."

"I don't want to talk about that."

"I know," Dean said with a raised hand. "I know you don't, I don't really want to either. Nothing went great there, with that group and the CDC."

"That was a bust," Kid said and Dean nodded. "You thought it could give you info."

"Yeah, but now I think I was looking in the wrong place."

"Wrong place?"

"Kid, hunting is a whole different world than the normal one you knew," Dean explained. "Spells, gods, demonic virus's, all that kind of shit, it can effect our world in really bad ways."

"You think something like that made the Walkers?"

"I don't know, possibly."

"Then why did we even go to Atlanta?" Kid asked.

"Because I wanted to rule out something normal," Dean said. "You don't understand Kid, if it's supernatural that will only make it harder to stop."

"Why?" Dean wanted to snort at the innocent question, it bringing up memories of Sammy asking the same damn thing when they were kids

"It opens up the playing field of what it could be, and it could be impossible to stop," Dean kind of hoped that wasn't the case. The Gatekeeper might not honour their deal if he didn't stop it. "So, I'm going to find a friend that could help us."

"Who?"

"Bobby."

"Whose ...?"

"That doesn't matter right now," Dean waved away Kid's question which earned him a pout. "We need enough supplies and gas to get us to Washington."

"Why Washington?"

"It's where he lives, Kid," Dean said with a smile as he checked his weapons, bludgeon, his hammer, demon knife and gun. They didn't have a lot of ammo for the guns so he hoped they wouldn't have to fire them.

"So we're going to Washington?"

"Yeah, that's why we need supplies," Dean came up to Kid and gripped his shoulder, together they made their way to the nearest house and started to scavenge. The two worked well together, keeping to their knives, or in Dean's case hammer, as they moved carefully from house to house, gathering everything they could find. Dean was surprised at how little food there was. He had thought that the residential areas wouldn't have been as picked through, but if people had fled the main cities, houses would have been the only places people could have raided. They scavenged for most of the day, they ran into a few Walkers, but the pair dealt with them with ease. Dean watched as Kid took out a Walker with a perfectly aimed stab to the brain, right through the base of the skull as Dean had told him. It was a such a surreal thing to feel proud of, but that didn't stop the feeling. Then again Dean didn't have the best of example to follow, his old man had always been reluctant to shower Dean or Sam with praise and when he did it was usually for when they killed a particularly nasty creature.

"Did you see that, Dean?" Kid asked as he turned to the hunter, face flushed.

"Yeah, you did good Kid," Kid beamed and Dean offered his own small smile.

"You think monsters will be as easy to take out?"

"Don't underestimate the Walkers Kid," Dean warned as they moved on. "If they come at you in a horde you could be over run, or bit."

"But, they're slow," Kid protested.

"They make up for that in numbers," Dean said. "Plus most of them are taller than you, so they could just squash you." That earned Dean a punch on the arm, which did nothing to faze the hunter. Man and boy finished up their scavenging, returning to the Impala as the sky began to darken.

"We camping in the car again?" Kid asked and Dean frowned as he shut the trunk, with the last of their haul in it.

"Nah, I think we can do better tonight," Dean said as he grabbed one of the smaller bags with some cans in from the front seat. They left the car on the road and moved to the closest house they had raided. The place was a mess, but it had a sofa and even some beds if the two were willing to use them. Dean tossed the bag at Kid, who barely caught it. "Get 'em all out, we'll eat good tonight, for once." Dean left the boy, moving back outside to gather some wood, snapping a few branches from the nearby trees, before heading back inside. Kid was in the living room, sat in front of the sofa with the cans out. Dean dumped the sticks, spotting the wooden dinning table which he placed before the front door, so that it couldn't be opened. "I'll get a fire going, you cover the windows," Dean directed at Kid, who scrambled up to do as asked. It only took less than an hour for the two to be sat in almost darkness, cans in their hands with a small fire burning as the sun sank out of sight behind the blackouts Kid had put up.

"You think your friend will be there when we get to his house?" Kid ask between stuffing potted meat into his mouth. Dean shrugged as he took another bite of his beans.

"Maybe, Bobby wouldn't abandon his house, place is like a fortress."

"Why?"

"The man's a hunter Kid," Dean said with a smile. "He's a tough son of a bitch. If anyone would have survived this it would be Bobby."

"How'd you know him? He your uncle?" Kid asked and Dean snorted.

"I wish Kid, Bobby's just a friend, though if you ask me he practically raised me and Sammy."

"Sammy? Whose Sammy?" Dean stilled at the question, the smile that had been on his face falling. He hadn't even realised he'd said Sam's name, it had come out so easily when talking about Bobby. Kid must have noticed Dean's face as he quickly back tracked. "You don't need to say anything, Dean. I don't want to know anyway, what about ..."

"Sam was my brother," Dean spoke quietly, ending Kid's rambling as the boy tensed from his place across the fire. "My little brother really."

"W...where is he?" Dean shot Kid a blank look and the boy looked away, which Dean was grateful for. He really didn't want to answer that question, it was complicated. In his reality Sam was alive, but in this one, he was dead. It was better that he just didn't answer and let Kid make up his own mind.

"He was the smart one, went to college and everything. I think he wanted to be a lawyer or something," Dean waved a hand, then sighed. "He hated hunting."

"Why?" Dean shrugged.

"It's a dangerous life, you can get killed and it's hard. You have to lie a lot, or at least you did when the world was normal. No one could know who you were and a lot of the time we had to do some illegal stuff. Hunters didn't get paid," Dean said with a smile. "Plus he was annoying, he turned my hair pink once."

"Really?" Kid asked, excitement and amusement clear in his tone. Dean smirked at him and growled playfully.

"You think that's funny?" Dean asked and Kid nodded earnestly. "Well, let me tell you about how I glued all his shoes to the motel roof. Dad killed me for it, but it was a kick to see Sammy's face." Kid leaned forward, eager to hear and Dean felt something in him lighten as he started to speak, sharing some of the happiest memories he had of his little brother to someone he had started to care for.

The pair carried on their way to Washington the next day. Getting up at first light they made their way back to the main freeway. Dean's eyes were heavy as he drove. Kid had not had an easy night, forcing the hunter to remain awake, comforting the child as best he could, easing him back into sleep. Dean was thankful the drive was an easy one, they were making made good time, having already passed Richmond with little incident. The supplies they had gathered were enough that Dean hoped they would last, even if their gas didn't. It was the one thing he hadn't been able to gather to much of in Charlotte. Richmond had been his goal to hit before they were forced to look for more gas. Luckily, his new baby had done better than he had expected. With the music of their rapidly growing tape collection playing Dean was surprised by how content he felt. Sure, he was worried about how far behind he was with his plans. He still had no clue as to what the Walkers were, if they were made by magic or demons or just some strange scientific experiment by the government. But that didn't stop him from enjoying his time with Kid, even if he kept him awake. The boy was funny, willing to listen to Dean's stories and tell a few of his own. The young hunter was pretty sure that Kid made up quiet a few of them, the boy was only eight after all, but they still made Dean laugh. But one of the things Dean really appreciated was that Kid understood. He had been exposed to monsters, spirits and the darker side of the life on planet earth. He knew why Dean was more paranoid, said things in a certain way, or talked of things that most normal folk would have thought of as nonsense. Sure, he asked a lot of annoying questions, but it filled the driving hours and allowed Dean to think of other things, things that weren't the possibility of Bobby not being at his house, or worse case scenario, dead. That was one of Dean's main worries, would Bobby even be at home? Would he know who Dean was? Dean didn't know if his counter part had been a hunter before he'd died. Had he met Bobby in this reality, or had he been just an ordinary citizen, who didn't know about vampires, werewolves and shape shifters? The young hunter didn't know how he felt about that. Hunting was all he had ever known, to think that a version of him had escaped that life. Dean didn't know if he was jealous of that or not. The sudden shuddering of the steering wheel beneath his hands brought Dean out of his thoughts. It was quickly followed by a rattle, then a loud bang as the Impala's engine conked out.

"Ah, shit!" Dean cursed as he limped the car over to the side of the freeway. He parked and stalked out of the driver side door, unclipping the hood he lifted it up to expose the engine.

"What happened?" Kid asked as he scrambled to follow the hunter.

"Engines blown," Dean said as he examined the steaming piece of machinery. He hung his head and shook it, "oh baby, why?"

"What are we going to do?" Kid said as he looked around the freeway. There were only a few cars around them and most were smashed or would require to much work to get them running.

"Well, I don't really want to abandon such a lovely lady," Dean said. "But I think she's gotten us as far as she can, well unless I do some work on her, and I doubt any of the cars here have the parts I need." Dean grabbed the hood and slammed it down. Moving round to the trunk to gather their supplies. "We'll have to walk."

"To Washington?" Kid said with a raised eyebrow as Dean opened the trunk and threw Kid one of the packs, claiming two for himself.

"Not all the way, we passed Richmond only a while ago, there should be some towns around here." Kid nodded and the two left the Impala, much to Dean's dismay, making their way along the road, until they found a fork off. The signs indicated that there was some towns close by, Dean wished he still had the map from the cabin, but it had been in the rucksack the hospital group had taken and was more than likely blown sky high. Taking in his bearings, Dean noticed the trees further off in the distance, marking the way to another large forest of some kind. The hunter grimaced, he really didn't want to have to go back into the wilderness if he could avoid it. Camping really was not his thing. The two walked in silence, falling into the routine they had somehow established in their time together. Dean taking point, with Kid close in his shadow, both looking in different directions to watch out for Walkers and people. Not that they ran into any of the latter, and only a few Walkers crossed their path, simple to deal with by both Kid and Dean. A whistle had Dean turning to Kid, the boy wasn't looking at the hunter, but he didn't need to. Dean followed where his eyes were riveted, another road with a sign marking the way to a town. Louisa, was the word Dean could barely read, with a number showing how many miles it was from their location. Kid looked to Dean, for confirmation, the hunter nodded and they started walking once more.

It took them another hour to reach the out skirts of the small town, a place filled with simple buildings. The domestic houses were further back so the first part you walked into was the main street. It was just as quiet as any other place Kid and Dean had wandered through, though it wasn't as destroyed as Atlanta. There were a few cars sat in the road, most likely abandoned by their owners as they did their best to get away from the town. The two stopped by one of the cars, a four by four, that was rammed up the curb and left. Dean gave it a critical once over, but he didn't hold out much hope of getting it going.

"Should we check it, Dean?" Kid asked.

"We'll be lucky if it works, hell if any of them do," Dean said with a sigh.

"Why? They're just sat there, it's not like they're smashed to pieces," Kid frowned.

"Batteries have probably gone, Kid," Dean explained. "If they've been there a while, car batteries can stop, or need jump starting. And without a working battery, a car won't start."

"Why are they built like that then?" Kid asked with an annoyed pout, which made Dean smile. "Some one didn't think it through," that got a laugh out of the hunter and a further scowl from Kid.

"Well, maybe you can build a new one, show them old car builders how it's done," Dean said through his laughter.

"Dean," Kid wailed, but Dean just ruffled his hair. Suddenly a rattle cut through the joyful atmosphere, Dean stilled, as did Kid. The hunter reached for the demon knife and gun, eyes tracking the area for any sign of what could have made the sound. Kid eased close to Dean's back, turning so he could look behind, his own gun and silver knife in hand. There was no further sounds, but it did nothing to ease the hunter, instead it made his instincts go haywire, the paranoia that he will never quiet shake went up a few notches. "Dean?" Kid asked and Dean shook his head.

"Could have been nothing," the hunter reluctantly admitted, though he was still tense.

"Should we ...?" the rest of Kid's words were cut off by another rattle and a crack of something falling over. Suddenly something small and brown shot out from behind one of the buildings, running out into the street, where Dean didn't pause. He aimed and took his shot without really thinking about it. He wasn't expecting the loud yelp that came, nor the whimpering that followed. "You got it," Kid cheered, peering round the hunter, though stopped when he caught sight of the creature. "That's a dog."

"Yeah," Dean muttered as he lowered his gun. The dog was still whimpering, laid out of the road. The hunter hadn't hit the thing, though the noise had certainly startled the creature into submission. Kid frowned, tucking his knife and gun away, then stepping out into the road. "Oi."

"It's only a dog Dean," Kid scoffed as he approached the frightened thing. The dog started to shake, hiding it's face in it's paws. Kid stopped, hunkering down on his knees, and slowly stretching out a hand. "Hey, it's ok."

"Kid we don't have time for this," Dean said as he looked around once more. His unease was still there, but he didn't know if it was because something still lurked or his hunter paranoia acting up because of the dog.

"It's ok," Kid continued on to the dog, hand now quiet close to the terrified thing. Fingers gently brushed the mattered fur, the thing had most likely been abandoned or left when whoever had owned it fled the town. Dean wanted to shout at Kid, tell him to get away from the damn thing, but instead he watched as Kid started to stroke the animal, calming it until it looked up at the boy. "That's right, it's ok," Kid said. "Hey Dean, pass me some water."

"We're not wasting water on that thing," Dean scoffed, but Kid scowled. Dean sighed dramatically, reaching into one of the packs and pulling free a water filled plastic bottle. "Fine, your loss," he muttered, tossing it to Kid who caught it. Dean watched as the boy gave the dog a drink, finally allowing himself to tuck the demon knife away. "If you're going to waste time with that thing, I'm going for a drink," the hunter's eyes had a found a bar, and he was already wondering if there was any free booze left.

"Fine, I don't need you for this," Kid said, not even looking at the hunter, to busy with the dog to care. Dean shook his head and stomped over to the bar.

"Kids, give them an a cute animal and they go crazy."

"Shut up, Dean," was the words that followed him into the bar. The place was a little trashed, the tables were over turned and most of the chairs had their legs ripped off. Dean's eyes wandered to the bar itself, checking out the collection of bottles in the wall behind. A smile graced his face as he saw most of them were intact. Stalking over Dean vaulted over the bar, hands reaching straight for the whiskey. It was half gone, but it was enough for Dean. Unscrewing the top Dean took a swig of the amber liquid, savouring how it burned his throat, and settled like a warm weight in his stomach. "Oh, now I miss that," Dean muttered to himself, taking another drink, not caring when some drippled down his chin. With bottle still in hand Dean pulled free a few more, part of him knew he was being ridiculous, taking booze was a waste of time and resources, he should be looking for water or food. But the world was already partly gone to hell, he may as well enjoy good booze while he could. A scuffle from outside caught his ear. Dean paused, a frown pulling his brows together, as he looked behind him. "Kid?" he said, but the boy didn't answer. Heart beating a little harder, Dean placed his whiskey bottle on the counter, moving to go through the barman hatch so he could move back to the door. "Oi, Kid, come on, you spent enough time with that thing. Get ..." Dean cut his own words off, ducking away from the door and behind the wall as he spotted what was out in the road. Kid was still there, the dog now held in his arms, but the two weren't alone, a group of seven large men surrounded them. Men with quiet a few guns on them. Dean cursed, easing out a little bit to take a closer look, pushing the door a little. The men were a mixture of ages, but they were all rough and ready. Dean watched as one, a weedy looking guy with a beard, kicked Kid, making the boy curl in on himself, more to protect the dog than himself.

"I know there was someone else!" the man yelled, loud enough for Dean to hear from his hiding place. "Where are they?!"

"I'm by myself, I swear," was Kid's response, but that earned him another kick. Dean smirked with pride. Kid was covering well for him, giving him time to make his move. The hunter eased back, pulling his gun to check the clip. Not full, but enough maybe to scare the group off. He also had some ammo, but not much that he wanted to waste it. Another yelp came from outside and Dean looked again to see Kid now being held by his collar. He was shook, but that aggravated the already frightened dog. One of the men bent and picked up the scruffy animal, causing it to whimper as it was held by the neck. It growled, reacting out of instinct it nipped at the mans hand. The man spat a curse and threw the dog down, where it whimpered in pain.

"Little shit!" the man cursed, pulling a gun and without hesitation shot the poor thing dead.

"No!" Kid yelled, legs flailing wildly as he tried to escape his own captor. "I'll kill you!" he reached out with his hands and started to dig his nails into the wrists of the man holding him.

"Shit!" Dean heard the man curse, shaking Kid all the more as he pulled one hand away. "You little ..." Dean saw him reach to his own belt for his gun. The hunter had no more time. Not completely revealing himself Dean pointed his gun and shot. With all the training taking out monsters, spirits and demons Dean was a crack shot by now, so it wasn't a surprise that that the closest guy to Dean went down with a hole in his head. The first shot caused the confusion Dean wanted, making the men turn to see who was firing on them, Dean used that to his advantage, managing to take out one more before they had to duck for cover. Dean saw Kid crawling away, moving to take cover in one of the other shops. It was then that shots were finally fired at Dean. The hunter ducked away, back behind the wall.

"Damn bastard!" someone shouted, but Dean didn't care, he was already moving to one of the windows. The remaining guys were to busy concentrating on the door of the bar, so Dean quickly smashed out the glass of the window and continued firing. Two more went down, the change in position doing it's job, it wasn't long after that that the bullets ceased.

"Ok! Ok, lets all just calm down!" some one shouted. Dean peered through the window. It was the weedy man, he was hiding by one of the cars, carefully placed so that Dean couldn't get a good shot. "There's no need to waste more bullets. We can talk about this." Dean snorted, moving away from the window and back to the door. "Come on, man. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding." The sound of feet making their way to the bar caught Dean off guard. They were getting closer and Dean couldn't shoot without exposing himself. Suddenly two shots were fired and the feet stopped, and two loud thuds took its place. Dean peered out the door. Two of the group were down on the ground near the bar entrance, from where they would have crashed through and taken out Dean. The hunter looked around and saw the faint shape of Kid, hiding in the one of the shops, his gun out and ready. Dean nodded, which Kid mimicked, before turning his gun and firing again at the weedy man. The shots forced the guy to move, Dean took his chance and stepped out, taking his own shot which landed right on the mans thigh, bringing him down. "Shit!" the guy cursed, bringing up his own gun, but Dean was on him, kicking at the mans hand and sending the gun skittering off. The man looked up at Dean and smirked, lifting his hands in surrender. "You got me." Dean ignored the guy, jerking his head as Kid stepped out into the open.

"Check them," Dean said, not even looking at the boy.

"Hey man, this was all just a big mistake," the guy was saying. "Me and the guys were just trying to help the kid, you shot us up for nothing." Dean snorted, squatting before the guy and levelling the gun in his face.

"Is there anymore of you?" Dean asked and the guy sneered.

"More than you can handle," Dean sighed and smacked the guy with the butt of his gun. The man's head jerked sideways and blood drippled from a split lip.

"Is there anymore of you?" Dean asked again, face settling into a blank mask. He would not make the same mistake he did in Atlanta, him and Kid probably wouldn't survive another round with another group like that.

"Go to hell!" was the only answer spat at him. Dean remained silent a moment, glancing behind him to check that Kid wasn't looking. Standing, Dean stepped forward, booted foot coming down on the bullet wound in the guy's leg. Placing all of his weight on it, the man hissed, but Dean wasn't done, reaching out he gripped one of the guy's arms, pulling it up. He stowed his gun and with precise movements, snapped the arm. The guy couldn't have stopped the cry form escaping his mouth if he had tried. He shrieked, bellowing his pain for all to hear. Dean watched, a part of him fascinated by the play of emotions that went across the man's face. His resolve did waiver a little, but the memories of Atlanta, Doc, Beth and Kid's frightened face made it easy to push aside his doubt. He let the broken limb drop from his grip, fingers already reaching out for the other arm.

"Please. Please, man stop."

"Is there anymore of you?" Dean asked his question for a third time, voice cool and calm. His gaze was riveted to the man's face, watching as the determination melted into fear, then terror, then finally submission. Dean didn't know why but he felt a powerful wave of fierce pleasure at the sight.

"W...we're with a group. The Saviours."

"Saviours?" Dean asked, twisting the arm a little when the man hesitated.

"It's a big group, huge, good couple of hundred men, even more people."

"Where are they?"

"I can't tell you that," Dean tightened his hold. "I don't know, man. I'm not important enough to know that shit. Even if I had a map I couldn't tell you where the Sanctuary is. We get picked up in covered trucks and took back, dropped off the same way." Dean raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"Bullshit."

"Come on," the guy called desperately. "I'm not lying," but Dean wasn't listening, his hands were already twisting. "Please, please!"

"Dean?" the hunter flinched at the sound of Kid's voice, his hands freezing in the action of breaking another of the guys arms. He shot a look behind him to see the boy, eyes wide as he watched him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Dean said softly, he glanced back at the guy who was staring wide eyed at the hunter. "Nothing at all."

"D...Dean?" Kid asked uncertainly, but Dean was already dropping the guys arm and stepping away, but not without aiming another kick at the guy.

"You don't follow us and you live. Got it?" the quick nod he received was enough for Dean. He turned and started to walk back towards Kid. It wasn't the sound of feet scrambling or something being pulled that warned the hunter, no, it was Kid's face, confusion changing to shock, then fear, mouth opening to shout a warning. Dean spun, gun out in a swift movement and trigger pulled back to release a bullet. The weedy guy had managed to get to his feet, a knife in his unbroken hand, up and ready to plunge it into Dean's open back. He froze in mid movement, blood spilled up from his throat and spat out of his mouth, curtesy of the hole now in his chest. The two watched as the man fell backwards, dead in seconds.

"Dean?"

"It's ok Kid," Dean turned a reassuring look back to the boy, whose face had paled. He hoped he hadn't scared him, after how he had reacted in Atlanta, he didn't want to have a repeat thanks to his own actions. "I know you don't ..." a small weight was suddenly on him, arms trying their best to wrap around his middle. Dean gaped as Kid hugged him, his own hands coming up, one which still held the gun, unsure of what to do. "Kid?"

"I thought you were going to die," the muffled words came from where Kid had his face buried in Dean's chest. "I thought ..."

"Hey, hey, it's alright," Dean tried to reassure. "We're fine, everything is fine."

"He was going to kill you," Kid muttered. "They were going to kill us."

"Yeah," Dean said, though he didn't like admitting it, even to himself. The people in this world were strange and unfamiliar to the hunter and he had fought monsters and creatures for most of his life. It was times like this that Dean realised that sometimes the scariest monsters were humans. Dean finally pushed Kid away from him, ignoring the tears that were flowing down his face. "Hey come on, pull it together. We got a job to do."

"What?" Kid ask, wiping at his face.

"Salting and burning," Dean nodded to the bodies that surrounded them. Kid followed his gaze, taking into the bodies. Dean tensed, ready for if Kid broke down again, but a hard look crossed his face and he nodded once.

"I'll start moving them, better to do it in one big pile." Dean gaped a little, surprised at how determined Kid sounded.

"You sure?" Dean asked and Kid shot him an annoyed look, then his gaze moved over to where the dog now lay dead on the ground. Dean watched as the emotions flitted across Kid's face, he could tell the boy was upset, but he wasn't willing to admit it. It was so much like what Dean would do, it hurt to see. "We could bury it, if you ...?"

"No, he deserves salting and burning," Kid said, tone resolute. "I don't want him to come back." Dean didn't have the heart to tell him that the dog wouldn't come back, only humans came back as spirits. So instead he sent Kid off without a word. Dean sighed, stowing away his gun and setting to work himself. As the two piled the remains of the group, Dean made sure to pierce the brain, he didn't want any surprises. Soon they were piled high in the middle of the road. Kid had found more salt and the two had dumped as much of it as they could spare over the bodies. Dean had swiped some of the booze to add fuel to their fire, now the two were stood before the corpse mound, Kid with the dog in his arms. Gently the boy laid the dog on the very top, before stepping back. Dean pulled the matches, striking one and tossing it onto the pile. They lit up easily, flames sparking into the sky and filling the immediate area with heat.

"You think we'll have to do this all the time?" Kid asked.

"Nah," Dean said. "It's not like we want to go around killing people," Dean said and Kid shook his head.

"What about the Walkers?"

"If they were going to come back as spirits I think we'd be over run by now," Dean muttered as he watched the bodies flack and burn, the smell of brunt flesh now making its way to his nostrils. "We should get out of here, we still need to find a car."

"Yeah." Dean shot the boy a look, his gaze was fixed on the fire, face lost in deep thought. Not willing to let the boy stay in that frame of mind, Dean reached out and ruffled his hair, which got him a growl. "Hey!"

"Go grab some more of that booze will you? We could use it to light more fires if we have to." Dean didn't mention it would also be good for making glass bombs, the boy didn't need to know that. Dean watched Kid disappear into the bar, then turned to watch the bodies being engulfed by flames. His eye caught the weedy guy, his face now black as the skin was burnt. The pleasure he had felt when he'd broke the guys arm disturbed Dean. He'd never got that kind of feeling when he'd hunted before, or even when he'd got into fights with other guys in bars. But the look on the man's face, when he had no choice but to do as the hunter wanted, it had made him feel powerful, in control. Something that he had never really had before, following his old man around, then looking after Sammy. Dean shook his head, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind. "This really sucks.

"Yeah, it does mate. Now put ya' shit down and ya' hands up." Dean froze, hands twitching as he itched to go for his gun, though the feeling of something pointed at his back stopped all movement. The sound of someone coming towards him had him stiffening, as he waited his eyes glanced to the bar Kid had disappeared into, silently hoping that the boy wouldn't come out. Finally he felt something sharp touch his back. "Turn 'round. Slowly," Dean did as directed, carefully shuffling round until he was face to face with a rough looking man, with dark hair that fell down his face. A beard covered his jaw, not too long and with some hair on the upper lip. Dean's main attention though was taken up by the crossbow that was pointed between his eyes. Dean eyed the man, trying not to show the nervousness that was creeping up on him. He forced his eyes to keep forward, not wanting to give away where Kid had gone. The guy nodded a head at the still burning body pile behind Dean. "What happened those guys?"

"They tried to jump me," Dean said, voice almost nonchalant, even as his heart beat faster.

"Ya' kill 'em?" Dean shrugged, not willing to answer the man's question. The frown he received in return was enough to make him uneasy.

"Call ya' friend." Dean put on a frown.

"What friend?" Dean lied, but that got him a harsh glare and the crossbow shoved closer.

"The one that walked off," the guy jerked the crossbow over to the bar. The gesture wasn't enough for Dean to risk tackling the guy, but his words made the hunter nervous. Just how long had this bastard been watching them?

"There's isn't anyone."

"Liar."

"Why would I lie," Dean swallowed the lump in his throat, as the man creeped closer.

"Coz' I saw someone with ya'."

"Your imagination," the guy snorted.

"Don't think so."

"Look, I ..." the gun shot was enough to have Dean crouching down. The guy reacted just as fast, ducking aside to avoid a shot that would have hit him in the shoulder. Dean moved to run away, but the guy was faster, grabbing an arm to swing him in front of himself like a shield, a bolt pulled from the abandoned bow in the ground and pointed at Dean's neck.

"Knew ya' were there," the guy called, facing the bar. "Come out and I won't stab ya' friend through his throat." Dean stiffened, his body poised to fight, but he resisted. Something about how the guy held him, a tad loose, and not from lack of experience, and where he placed his hands. It was like he didn't want to hurt Dean. He jabbed the bolt under the hunters chin, it was enough to get a reaction out of Kid.

"Don't hurt him," the boy said, revealing himself, with his gun held in one hand. Dangling from one finger, like Dean had shown him, telling all that he wasn't going to fire. Dean felt the guy holding him tense, the twitch of his fingers the only indication that he was surprised.

"Get over here," he called. Kid did as directed, coming to stand before the trapped hunter, who kept still, watching and listening to the entire exchange. Kid looked worriedly at Dean, who smiled a little, but it didn't seem to reassure the boy. "Toss ya' weapons," Kid paused, but with a nod from Dean did as the guy wanted. "Ya' to," he jerked Dean who had no choice but to divest himself of his weapons, so they lay uselessly in the dirt before him.

"What do you want?" Kid asked.

"Ya' stuff," the guy nodded at the bag Kid had, along with the ones Dean had dumped by the burning bodies. "Give me everything ya' got."

"You want to rob us?" Kid said incredulously. The guy shrugged which earned him one of Kid's scowls. "No."

"I don't think ya' gonna want to argue kid," the guy roughly shoved the bolt blade into Dean's skin, causing blood the flow.

"Dean!" Kid stepped forward.

"Don't move boy," the guy growled and Kid stopped instantly. Wide eyes sort Dean's, looking for answers that the hunter was unsure he could figure out. From his precarious position Dean looked up at the guy that held him. For all his scruff and rough look he seemed well fed. No where near living hand to mouth, like Dean and Kid. Plus Dean could feel the shape of a gun near his hip as well as a long knife. This guy's got a group, Dean thought taking in all the signs, probably with decent gear. Dean's eyes narrowed as he spotted something peeking from the guys own pack, sat on his back, it looked like a toy, maybe a doll. Dean sighed.

"Give him what he wants, Kid." Kid gaped, mouth falling open as he stared at Dean.

"You can't be serious?" Kid said.

"I am. Get the packs and give them him. Now Kid," Dean added when the boy looked set to argue. He shot one last hateful look at the guy then moved to grab the packs.

"Ya' actually gonna give me ya' stuff?" the guy asked.

"Sure," Dean shrugged. "Why not?"

"Ya' could starve."

"We'll get by," Dean said as he watched Kid pull off his own pack and started to drag their provisions over. "We've done it before, and this town has places we can pick through. " Dean smirked then, making sure to catch the guy's eye. "Besides, the ones you got waiting for you probably need it more than us." The stiffening of muscles had Dean on edge, but he kept a cool game face on.

"What ya' on 'bout?"

"That's a nice doll, I'm sure they'll like it when you get back," Dean said as Kid dropped the packs at the man's feet. "Though I would like it if you would let me go now, my backs starting to cramp."

"Ya' not gonna shoot me, if I do?"

"Cross my heart," Dean muttered. The guy hesitated a moment longer, then pushed Dean away from him. The hunter stumbled, but quickly found his feet.

"Dean," Kid said, stepping closer to him. Dean shook his head, gripping the boy's shoulder and placing him behind him. He was pretty sure the guy wasn't going to kill them, but he was still unsure as to what his game was.

"You should get out of here," Dean said, as the guy reclaimed his crossbow, along with one of the packs.

"Why?" Dean shrugged.

"Just a bit of friendly advice," he nodded to the body pile that was still burning. "Those guy's were from a larger group. Probably a big one from what they said, more could be hanging around."

"Dean," Kid hissed, tugging on the hunter's coat, but Dean ignored it, eyes locked on the guy, watching his every reaction. The man said nothing looking from Dean then to the pack he held in his hand, weighing it carefully by the strap. He gave one final look to Kid, who glared at him, then hunter saw a smirk pass over his lips.

"Think I win this one," Dean was surprised when he tossed the pack back on to the two remaining ones of Dean and Kid's stash, and pulled up his crossbow. He put his fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, Dean tensed as another man came out from behind one of the stores, looking rather irritated.

"We didn't have to do it this way."

"They were burning bodies," the guy shrugged. "Needed to know what they were up to."

"One's just a child."

"Couldn't tell that from where we were."

"Er ... excuse me, but who are you and what the hell is going on?" Kid asked uncertainly. The new guy turned to him and offered a kind smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm Aaron and this is Daryl and we have good news." Dean raised an eyebrow, stepping further forward to block Kid from the smiling man's view.

"Oh yeah?" he sneered.

"Yes" Dean's tone didn't even faze the guy. "We'd like for you to come with us and join our community."

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