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Chapter 24: Croatoan Part 3
"They've got one!" The Sergeant suddenly screamed, gaining out attention. "In here!"
Not more than five seconds after he announced that he came running out of the room with his weapon and yelled at us again like we were deaf.
He cocked his weapon and all of a sudden I was feeling incredibly skittish. "Didn't you hear me?" He asked, getting close to me. So close I could smell his mint aftershave and his fear. His fear ironically smelled like gunpowder. "They've got one!"
"We need to be gentle about this." I said, looking back at Sam and Dean. If things got out of hand I wouldn't be able to keep track of Dean and what he was doing. Then it'd be too late.
"Gentle?" The sergeant repeated. But he spat the word, like it was vile in his mouth. "We've gotta take care of this. We can't just leave her in there. My neighbors –-they were strong. The longer we wait, the stronger she'll get."
"We need to figure out what's going on." I connected eyes with my guys again and both of them had resolve faces. I couldn't believe this. "Guys?" They were with me on this right? We didn't know what this was or what was going on. We couldn't just line these people up and shoot them for Christ's sake. I looked at Sam, eyes burning into his face. If anyone would take my side for no reason, he would. It was horrible to depend on him for such a thing, but I knew he'd do it. "Sam?" I said gently and Dean took out his weapon and cocked it like I said 'weapon check'.
Sam looked at his shoes. "She attacked us." He said calmly, like he was ashamed he was breaking his own rules when it came to agreeing with me. "Just like Mr. Tanner did."
Dean looked me over and came closer to me, knocking his shoes into mine. I shook my head at him. "We can't just shoot her." I said quietly.
I looked into his eyes and searched them. He didn't know what he was doing, I could tell the way he was shifting to look at me and at the room Mrs. Tanner was in. "If she's one of them, we can't let her live." Dean finally said; his voice barely above a whisper.
His hot breath pushed against my face and I suddenly felt very overheated. I stepped back from him and took my long sleeved t-shirt off, adjusting the black beater I had on underneath. I flipped my hair as part of a nervous action and moved it to one side so it wouldn't stick to the sweat that all of a sudden was streaking my back.
"You have to make sure."
"Sam just said—"
"Dean, please." I was begging for his soul. For the percent of humanity he still had left. "For me, would you make sure?"
Dean took a long look at me, considering and weighing his options. His eyes still didn't know. He was becoming confused with the shades of gray blanketing each of the rooms.
"We don't have time for this!" The sergeant screamed, becoming antsy and impatient. It was making Dean squirm and I could literally feel the heat radiate off the gun in his hand. He wanted to use it. It was the first thing John had ever taught him. The weapon is your friend; when you hold it, you'll know what to do. But Dean didn't; not in this situation. And it was killing him that this was too much out of his control.
He finally nodded and kissed me on the forehead and I thanked the God that was actually listening to my pleas today. Deep down I still believed. I figured if you believe when you need him, something will go right. And right now, I needed him to save Dean.
I followed Dean to where Dr. Lee was; she was waiting outside the room I guess Mrs. Tanner was in. The frail nurse, Pam I think, was standing near by. She was shifting from place to place, biting her nails. I felt the need to send her into another room to calm down. I was soaking up all these emotions like a sponge and I was already nauseous and on edge myself. I didn't need anything to add to it.
Upon seeing Dean and the sergeant with their guns Pam went into a frightened frenzy. "You're gonna kill Beverly Tanner?" She shrieked.
I tied my long sleeved tee around my waist and rubbed my forehead, looking at the doctor. "Could there be any treatment? Some kind of cure for this?"
"For God's sake." She screamed and I grimaced. "I don't even know what "it" is!"
We heard loud banging on the door and I could see Dean grip his gun in apprehension.
"I told you." The sergeant was directing himself towards the group but I knew it was really Dean he was talking to. The sergeant needed Dean to see the way he saw things because otherwise he'd be the only crazy one with the gun that wanted to shoot Mrs. Tanner. Without Dean he'd be the only murderer. "It's a matter of time before she breaks through." He stated that like he had been saying it for the last half an hour. Over and over; the same sentence. It was burning my ears like I really had heard it millions of times.
"Just leave her there!" Pam screamed, pulling on her blonde, short cropped hair. I felt her frustration. "You can't shoot her like an animal!" She seemed like the only clear headed person there.
Dean looked at me and I shook my head. I couldn't do it. I wanted to apologize but I couldn't do that either. I realized that I couldn't do anything. My feet were glued to the ground and I kept hearing my father in my head.
Dean nodded. "Sam." He said quietly and somewhat pained.
Dean and Sam walked past me, with the sergeant in tow towards the room Mrs. Tanner was in. I got my feet to move then, even though my head was swaying. I walked as far away from the room as I could get without leaving the building, which was only to the front door. I stared out the window; it was raining again. The thunder meshed right along with Mrs. Tanner's screams.
For some reason, this reminded me of the first time my dad had taught me how to shoot a gun. We'd gone to a wooded area, I remembered how the car smelled like pine trees because he left the windows open. He put red X's on the trees and told me to aim and fire. I had sunk a bullet into every target; right in the middle of the red X's.
Finally, he gave me a different target. And as small tears streaked down my face I remembered him bringing it and setting it in front of me. It was a deer. A baby one. Its legs were mangled and that's when I realized that animals could cry because the thing was wailing and jerking in front of me. It must have been caught in a trap and for a minute I remembered not understanding what it was doing in front of me. I thought he was letting it go. But then he jerked my weapon up, it was a sawed off; Dean's favorite, and aimed it.
He wanted me to kill it.
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out the front door of the clinic, the rain falling resembling the tear tracks now on my face. I remember I refused to kill it and my dad took the gun off me. That was the last time we had went target practicing, he insisted that if I couldn't shoot a deer than there was no way I'd be able to do what must be done if a person was possessed. He was right. That was my weakness. People, like Sam and Dean, were my weaknesses. But I was human. Wasn't I allowed to have soft spots? Wasn't I my father's soft spot?
A shot rang out in the clinic making me jump and the tears fall off my face and onto my arms. My dad had shot the deer for me.
O0o0o0o0o0
Being a hunter, you were supposed to put things like that aside. Black and white and the weapon you carried was all that was supposed to matter. That's why most hunters hunted by themselves. They had nothing to weigh them down or people to worry about. But in my book that made you a little less than human and a few screws short of a straight jacket. Look at Gordon and compare him to Sam. Sam had people and Gordon had no one. It was a big list of compare and contrast; contrast winning out two to one.
I watched Sam and Dean come out of the room Mrs. Tanner had been in, long frowns ruining their handsome faces. We had each other and that's what made us different from Gordon, or at least it was supposed to. Gray was beginning to be our shade of choice.
Dean sat one of the tables and Sam stood near him. I approached Dean and placed a gentle kiss on his head, stroking my fingers along his hand.
"You two okay?" I asked. I felt bad that I hadn't experienced what each of them had to in that room. And that's when you know you're turned around. When you felt bad that you hadn't watched someone die. Dean wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him as he set his gun on the table. "I'm sorry I couldn't…"
"It's okay, we understand." Dean said gently, voice streaked with grief and another emotion I couldn't detect.
My dad had something similar when we drove away from the woods but Dean had least sounded a bit sincere when he said it. My dad had just been plain disappointed. I wasn't the hunter I was supposed to be. I blamed that for having a bit of my mother in me.
"It's getting dark out there." Sam said suddenly, obviously wanting to talk about something else but not knowing what to change the subject with other than that.
I nodded. "It's raining again. But I'm not sure if the clouds are dark because it's a storm or because it's getting later."
Dean looked at his watch. "It's nearing nine. It'll be dark soon."
"And the freaks come out at night." I said softly, almost entertainingly. Dean looked up at me and smiled slightly. "What?" I asked.
"You speaking from personal experience?" He asked, making me smile. I rolled my eyes, telling him to shut up and left another kiss on his head.
Suddenly there was glass breaking and pounding on the door and all of us just sat still for a moment, not sure what to go to first.
"I got the door." I said, prying myself out of Dean's grasp.
"Are you sure you don't want—"
"I can answer a door Dean." I snapped, cutting him off and he nodded going with Sam to the other room.
I stared after him a moment, sorry that I had snapped. But I had to do one thing myself. I could answer the door without breaking down and having someone else do it for me. I could do that? Right? But I guess it didn't compare with things that had to do with my job. But I guess small steps were all I could muster.
I heard Pam screech about breaking a vile of blood and freaking out that she might have got blood on her as I reached the door. I thought about double backing as I had my hand on the knob.
"Please," A man asked me. He was near petrified. "Let me in! You've got to help me."
I could do this. I could save a life. Wasn't saving one easier than taking one? My heart stopped painfully in my chest as I pulled the door open.
It was Duane Tanner. Maybe that saying should have been the other way around.
O0o0o0o0o
I let the door open and backed up until I bumped into a file cabinet. He ran in and I stared at the rain pouring outside, bouncing off the pavement and washing past the door.
"It's Duane Tanner!" The sergeant announced, coming into the room and grabbing the man's shoulder fondly and squeezing it.
Dean and Sam came in right after, moving a little faster on account of hearing the sergeant tell everyone who it was. Dr. Lee and Pam were following but didn't pit stop like Sam and Dean did. They went over to Duane who was freaking out about not knowing where his parents were. I almost scoffed. I wondered what Dr. Lee would tell him. I could see it play out in my head as I slowly went to the door to close it.
'Well, you see Duane, these nice people here are U.S Marshalls and apparently there is some sort of demonic virus out on the loose. Let's just say that it got your parents before they could get the hell outta dodge. Your brother? Oh, your brother was saved by that idiotic woman over there.' She then would motion to me and I'd smile meekly. 'He's now free to kill as many people as he wants.'
I scoffed, locking the glass door. Yeah, that'd go well.
"Where are my parents?" Duane yelled again, clutching his leg. I leaned back against the glass door, seeing the big gash in the back of his leg.
"What happened to your leg?" I asked, it reminding me of the stitches I had in my own.
Dean locked his eyes with mine, asking me a question. My eyes answered it for him almost instantly and he looked at his shoes. Yeah, that was the guy he takes out. I saw him duck his hands in his pockets like he was afraid they'd start having minds of their own and start shooting people. Basically, that's what would have to happen for Duane to lose his life. So basically, I'd have to lock Dean in some sort of closet or something. If it came to that. I would.
He turned to look at me and his eyes were scared. Not robotic and cold like his brother's had been. But then again, Mrs. Tanner's eyes had never looked like that. If he was infected, he could have been faking just like her. Look's like we wouldn't know. "I was on a fishing trip up by Roseland." His story at least matched. "I came back this afternoon. I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know." His voice was reaching hysterics and I went to walk past him to get closer to Dean and Sam. "They started cutting him with knives!" As I made my way past him he reached out and grabbed my arm, making me gasp. I wasn't afraid, just startled. "Where are my mom and dad?"
Dean approached Duane, weapon in hand. "Let her go." He said softly; dangerously. I knew Dean was on edge; no one knew what we were dealing with and any one of them could have had the infection. But since I had flashes about Duane wasn't I supposed to be protecting him? Why would I have flashes about him if he really was infected and Dean was supposed to shoot him? But then again, I remembered the flashes weren't exactly pure or anything. They had to do with the Yellow Eyed Demon.
Sam seemed to be standing on the balls of his feet; like he wanted to reach out and take the weapon from Dean. Tension was thick as smoke and I felt like I could choke off it. Duane narrowed his eyes at Dean and then his eyes drifted down to the weapon in Dean's hand. It wasn't ready to fire. It was just sitting there, like a reminder in case anyone questioned anything. Duane let me go and I walked past Dean and over to where Sam was, putting my long sleeved t-shirt back over my head as I felt my skin crawl and shiver from the recent touch.
The circle of people around Duane was getting smaller as they closed in on him and suddenly the sergeant was grabbing him, dragging him into another room.
"What are you doing?" I asked, watching him being able to drag Duane easily into an exanimation room and throw him into a chair.
"I'm tying him up." He said it like he was stating what the weather was going to be.
"Wait—" Duane tried to stand up but suddenly Dean was in front of the room, holding his gun up. When had Dean moved? How the hell did he get there that fast? I felt like I was losing control over him already.
"Sit down!" Dean bellowed, cocking his gun.
I put my hands to my head, grabbing onto Sam's arm. "Get him. Please!" I said urgently, realizing that my flashes were happening. Closer and closer; every moment was adding to the finale of Dean shooting Duane. Hell, he had already lost his cool when Duane had touched me. Now he was raising the weapon and wasn't thinking twice.
"Did they bleed on you?" Dean asked. Sam approached the back of Dean and tried putting a hand on his shoulder but Dean shrugged it off. "Answer the question!"
"No, what the hell!" Duane screamed, wincing as the rope was being tied around him. "No!"
I looked to Dr. Lee and Pam who were just idly standing by. These people all knew each other and there they were, just standing there and watching. They could have been doing something. But then I realized that might just have been my frustration that I couldn't do anything to change the situation myself. "Is there anything you can do?" I asked, approaching Dr. Lee. "Any type of cure for this thing?"
"I've studied Beverly's blood work backwards and forwards." From freaking side to side? Anything would help right now. "It took three hours for the virus to incubate. Sulfur didn't appear in the blood until then, so…no, there'd be no way of knowing." She stared at Duane and then looked at me. "Not until after Duane…turns."
"Dean." I said shrilly. He turned instantly and it amazed me that that's the thing that got his attention. My voice over a firm touch. "I've gotta talk to you. Now."
He looked at me like he was a toddler that just broke something his mother had told him repeatedly to stop playing with. Sam and Dean followed me into the main room and I shut the door, cutting off the others from hearing me. Because knowing me in a tight situation I was going to get loud.
"This is my flashes, Dean. It's happening." I warned him. "You can't kill him, all right? Not yet. We don't know if he's infected or not."
"Oh, I think we're pretty damn sure." His voice was cold and rough. Like ice or dirt. "Guy shows up out of nowhere, he's got a cut on his leg, his whole family's infected…"
He trailed off like he wanted me to instantly understand and fill in the rest. This wasn't a crossword puzzle or freaking Mad Libs. This was a person's life and he was brushing it off like fuzz on his leather jacket.
"All right." Sam said, calming us both. "Then we should keep him tied up and we should wait and see."
"For what?" Dean screamed and I shook my head, tears pooling my eyes.
"Dean, don't do this."
"For him to Hulk out?" Dean ignored me and continued his rant. "Infect somebody else? No, thanks, can't take that chance." He turned towards the door and I got in front of him, stopping his movements.
"Don't you understand? Why would I have flashes if I wasn't supposed to stop you from doing something stupid?!" I screamed at him, the veins in my head seeming to pop under pressure.
Dean closed his eyes for a moment. But I couldn't tell if he was trying to keep his anger in check or reset his ears from my screaming. "Look," He said calmly. Which he shouldn't have been. He should have been anything but calm. "I'm not happy about this, okay? But it's a tough job and you know that."
"It's supposed to be tough, Dean! We're supposed to struggle with this, that's the whole point!" I cried. My lower lip quivered and I bit it for a moment. "What the hell has happened to you?" I asked him. He looked at me a moment, totally confused. I was wrong, I was terrified of him. "You might kill an innocent man and you don't even care!"
I thought I had gotten through to him, just a little. But then he did something that surprised me. He grabbed my arm, hard enough to bruise, and pushed me aside. I ran into a filing cabinet, hurting my shoulder. Upon the loud bang it had made he looked back at me a moment, caught right between the room we were in and the hallway that led to the examination rooms. Right in the middle. Right between black and white and the shades of gray.
Sam rushed over to me and put a hand on my other shoulder. The touch seemed to be what Dean was waiting for because he then moved into the hallway, slamming the door shut. Seemed to be what he needed to make him angry enough to do what he needed to do. The glass shuttered upon being slammed and the sound of the lock slipping into place was deafening. I moved towards the door, jiggling the handle.
"Dean! Stop, please, don't!" I screamed, banging on the door. "Open the door! Dean!"
I watched him load his gun in the hallway just like the flashes and then disappear into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Please, don't! Don't, please, I swear, it's not in me, it's not in me!" Duane was screaming, loud enough to arouse the eardrums of a deaf person. "I swear, I swear, it's not in me! Don't, don't!"
I turned my back to the door, sliding down it. I put my head in my hands, trying to block out the wretched screaming. It was too late. I had lost him.
O0o0o0o0o0
A few minutes later, Sam had picked me up off the floor and put me into a chair. We hadn't heard a gunshot but Dean still hadn't returned. We didn't know what was going on. I didn't want to know.
Sam kneeled down in front of me, putting a comforting hand on my knee, rubbing gently. He didn't know what to say. Honestly, I didn't want him to say anything. Anything would set me off like a rocket. He then took his hand off my knee and brought it to my face, stroking my cheek. I grabbed his hand and looked at him, breathing seeming to stop in its tracks, before squeezing it. He smiled slightly and it took me a long moment to realize that his body was moving painfully closer to mine and I froze.
"Sam…" I said gently but I didn't tell him to stop.
My anger with Dean was betraying me and couldn't get my voice to work before Sam feathered his lips across mine. I felt tears sting my eyes and fall down my cheeks, wetting his lips. He pulled back then, sensing my fear and uncertainty. I just looked at him as he bit his lower lip and then Dean came back into the room, throwing his gun on one of the tables.
He looked at both of us and I stood from the chair, walking over to him. His eyes were filled with remorse and guilt. But I wasn't sure if it was for me or for the body he almost put a bullet into.
"Andy…" He whispered, pained and lost.
I shook my head, throwing my palm across his face. It stung my hand so I knew full well Dean's cheek should have been on fire. It was slightly red and I could tell it'd hurt him. Maybe not so much the hit but since I had done it.
"That's for hurting my arm." I said even though it was for so much more.
I sniffled and walked past him, heading to the bathroom. I stayed in there for two hours, knowing full well Dean was waiting for me outside.
Finally, he had the balls to knock. "Andy…"
"Women's restroom." I said, voice still full tears even though I knew I was on empty.
To my surprise Dean just walked in, letting the door close behind him. "I don't think they're gonna throw me out for it."
I nodded slightly, leaning against one of the sinks. That was probably true. Of all the things to worry about a man in a woman's restroom was unimportant and last on the list. Him just walking the way he did, smelling the way he did or the way he just leaned against the opposite wall made me want to slap him again.
"Your face is still red." I said, observing. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. The lighting was pretty bad in here.
He nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'm surprised it wasn't as hard as I know you could hit. I deserved way harder than that." He said softly, looking at his shoes.
"You deserved a punch." I said angrily but then backed off my tone. "But I couldn't do it." My voice reached the dramatic level of soft. It was the complete opposite of the tone I had just had. "Unfortunately, your face is too pretty to ruin."
He smirked and smiled slowly. He then began to walk towards me slowly, like if he didn't I'd take my comment back and punch him across the face. "Good to know." He said gently.
I swallowed. "You know I'm gonna ask you why." He nodded his head and dipped it slightly, like he was ashamed. "So why? Why didn't you do it?"
Dean looked at something past me and stared at it until his eyes dried and filled with stinging tears. There were only two things behind me. A wall and a mirror. Was he looking at himself? Trying to pool through his hazel eyes and figure out why he didn't shoot Duane? Or did he already know and was afraid to say it?
He looked at his hands and gently wrapped his fingers around mine. "Because you asked me not to." He said finally and nodded. "Because I love you."
I sighed and leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around my frame, holding me to him. He kissed my head and I leaned my head up, brushing my lips against his. I planted a firm, loving kiss on his soft lips and he leaned his hand to push my chin up so he could reach my lips easier. The memory of Sam trying to kiss me throbbed painfully in my chest; it made me feel like my ribcage was closing in on my organs and it made me push against Dean's mouth more desperately. He sped his lips up, sensing I needed it and pushed his tongue into my mouth, bringing passion to heat my core.
I should have been furious with him. But when Dean touched me, kissed me, the anger melted away. And he saved himself; he hadn't shot Duane. All because he loved me. And I know it hadn't been easy, I could tell by the way his body was still twitching. He knew what his instincts were telling him and he was fighting them; because of what my instincts were telling me.
O0o0o0o0o0
So how did we spend our time after that? We made explosives with the items we found in the Clinic. We saw groups of people outside and they were staring into the building. Staring at us like they had been staring at me and Dean at the roadblock. We figured we better barricade in and make explosives in case we needed them.
I didn't look at Sam. I didn't acknowledge he was there. I was still fighting the urge to tell Dean, right in front of Sam. Now wasn't the time. If I told Dean now, he wouldn't be able to hold back anything. A fight would break out, hands down and right now none of us were thinking clearly. Something could go immensely wrong. Now was not the time.
"This is like, a very wrong spin on 'Arts and Crafts' hour." I said, pouring alcohol into a bottle and passing it to Dean.
Dean smiled, taking the bottle and pouring something else into it. I wasn't really sure what it took to make something explosive so I kind of just let Dean and Sam take care of it. I was in charge of pouring rubbing alcohol into bottles.
"Would you rather make little bird houses out of Popsicle sticks?" Dean asked and handed the bottle to Sam to stuff fabric in the top of it to light.
I nodded. "Yes, actually. I've always wanted to make a birdhouse." I crossed my legs on the table I was sitting on and finished off a bottle of alcohol.
"For some reason," Dean said with a chuckle. "That doesn't surprise me."
I shrugged. "It's not like we ever went to summer camp or anything."
"You'd rather of gone to summer camp than build that fort in the woods?" Dean asked and I smiled, remembering that summer.
We were all still pretty young and John had assigned all of us to build some type of shelter in the woods. Like in case we ever got stranded or anything we would know how to build a shelter to keep us dry and such. We ended up building a really horrible fort and got rained on.
"Well seeing as how that wasn't supposed to be a fort." Dean laughed. "Maybe we'll skip the bird houses."
Dean handed another bottle to Sam and looked at him a moment. "What's the matter with you?" He asked and I looked at Sam, my stomach doing flips.
Sam looked up from the bottle he was stuffing and looked at me. His eyes seemed puzzled but, I mean, he shouldn't have been that confused. Dean wasn't using his face as a punching bag so I obviously hadn't told him anything…yet.
"Nothing." Sam said finally and shrugged. "Just was worried about you that's all."
Dean nodded slowly and his lips pursed like he was going to ask another question or call him out on the bluff Sam was so obviously giving when Dr. Lee came in the room.
"It's been over four hours." She said and we all turned to look at her. "Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected. I'd like to untie him, if that's all right."
We all exchanged looks but finally nodded. "Yeah, that's fine." I said and she smiled, turning back around to do so. I looked around the table and sighed. "We need more alcohol." I looked at Dean and he kissed my lips before I jumped off the table to go grab some.
I went searching down the hall for the dispensary to get more supplies. Once I found it I surprisingly found Pam inside, going through the bottles and syringes. She had a clipboard with her and I found it odd she was taking inventory right now. But I'm guessing, from the way I had seen this girl act before, that she was still scared out of her mind and was trying to find something to keep her mind off things. What better thing to do then to count elastic gloves and bottles of rubbing alcohol?
I smiled at her and motioned to one of the bottles. "Can I have one of these?" She nodded meekly, but didn't say anything. I turned to leave but then sighed, turning back around. "How you holding up, Pam?" I cursed that emotion inside me that had to make sure everyone was alright.
Pam shrugged and went towards the door. I froze, turning around slowly. "Good." She said and smiled. It was the same smile Jake had had at the roadblock and my hands shook, dropping the bottle of rubbing alcohol. "It'll all be over soon." She locked the door and pounced on me, hand up high with a scalpel. Where the hell did that come from? It must have been in her pocket. Why the hell was I worrying about where she got it?
I threw her off of me, avoiding the blade. "Dean!" I screamed and ran towards the door as she crashed into one of the med cabinets.
She grabbed my hair as I put my hand on the lock, twisting it but failing to get it unlocked. I landed on the ground, hitting my head harshly against the tiled floor. She straddled me and cut my shirt open. I screamed as I felt the blade tear my skin.
"Bitch!" I yelled, throwing my fist up to hit her off. But she grabbed my arm and forced it in another direction, almost breaking my bone. She cut her hand and my heart stopped as her blood hit my cut.
Suddenly the door burst down and three shots connected with Pam's body, shaking her. I pushed her off of me and she fell towards the ground, dead, blood pooling from the gunshots.
"Baby." Dean muttered, coming closer to me to help me up.
Suddenly the sergeant stopped him as I put a hand on my chest, pushing against the wound.
"She bled on her." Those words alone were like bullets to the chest. "She's got the virus."
Dean's face was shocked; mirroring Sam's who was behind the sergeant. I looked at Pam's body and put my head on my knees as I raised them against my chest.
0o0o0o0o0o
Finally Dean pushed past the sergeant and lifted me from the floor, despite the yelling the sergeant was doing about not to touch me. Dean kissed my head and carried me into another room. He was screaming for Sam to help him out and I heard Sam tell the sergeant to back off and cool it with the rifle. I shuddered against Dean; I was scared. I didn't want to end up like one of those things, I didn't want to become what I hunted.
Dean set me down on an examination table, pulling my shirt up over my head. There was blood seeping from my cut and leaking through my beater and even though I hated for him to do it, he removed my beater as well. He saw a package of gauze on a nearby sink and grabbed it, tearing it open and placing it over my wound. He pushed it roughly and I winced, laying my head against his shoulder; knowing he needed to push that hard to stop the bleeding.
"Doctor, check her wound, would you?" Dean asked Dr. Lee as she approached the room. Sam passed both of them and entered the room and stood near the door. Like he was some sort of bouncer. I could tell he had a gun in the back of his jeans and I squeezed my eyes shut as another surge of pain filled my chest cavity from Dean pushing on the wound. "Doctor!" Dean barked as Dr. Lee refused to move. She loomed in the doorway, looking at all of us hesitantly.
"What happened?" She asked, still not moving. She knew what happened. She was obviously afraid to come in the room.
I saw Duane approach the room now to watch what was going on. I'm glad I was the newest attraction at the fucking circus. I didn't want Dean to move away from me. He comforted and calmed me and right now I was freaking out. Besides, I was in my bra. The last thing I wanted was for everyone to see that. Especially Sam. Even though that wasn't what I should have been thinking about.
"What does she need to examine it for?" The sergeant barked. "You saw what happened."
"Did her blood actually enter your wound?" Dr. Lee asked me, slowly walking into the room.
"Come on, of course it did!" The sergeant wasn't ready to put up with anyone's bullshit and I gripped Dean's arms as I saw him shift towards the door. Sam was ready and pushed him back out. I was surprised no one had been shot yet. "You know what we have to do."
"Nobody is shooting her!" Dean's voice was hoarse as he screamed. He ran a comforting hand down my hair despite the fact he was angry and scared. Leave it to Dean to worry about comforting me when he had bigger fish to fry.
"She's not gonna be your girlfriend much longer." The sergeant spat.
Dean's eyes were filling with dread and he was shaking as he touched me. I lifted my head from his shoulder and saw him look into my eyes. He kissed my forehead, to reassure, but all that did was make my eyes water with new tears. And here I thought I was empty. I guess no matter how many times you cry in your life you'll always have reserved tears.
"Nobody's shooting anybody." Dean yelled, pulling back from me, ready to act as a blockade. Sam came closer and stood next to Dean, both of them refusing to move. I bit my lip and refused to let the tears fall, putting them back into the reserved box for later. No, this couldn't happen. All three of us dead wouldn't help anything.
"You were gonna shoot me!" Duane emphasized, pointing to himself.
Dean nodded, taking his gun out and aiming at him. "You don't shut your pie hole, I still might!"
"Dean," I said softly. "They're right. I'm infected."
"Forget it." Dean shouted, now directing his anger towards me.
My voice shook and I pulled back the gauze to look at the bloodstain. It was smaller than I thought and my wound was done bleeding. It was a medium slice across my chest and I knew there would be a scar there forever. "Dean, I'm not gonna become one of those things."
Dean turned to look at me, his eyes bloodshot from the water filling them. He shook his head no, refusing to fight with me on the subject.
"Look, I understand she's your girlfriend…" The sergeant was making it sound like I was just going to be some duffel bag that was destroyed. That I was easy to replace. That fact was making Dean seethe and I could see him grip the gun in his hand so hard that it made his knuckles white. "I'm sorry. I am." He wasn't sorry. He was ready to shoot at anything that would secure in saving his own ass. It had nothing to do with me or the Winchesters. "But I've gotta take care of this."
"I'm gonna say this one time. You make a move towards her, you'll be dead before you hit the ground, you understand me?" Dean aimed his weapon and cocked it, making the sergeant stop in his tracks. "Do I make myself clear?!"
"Dean!" I tried getting his attention. But when Dean had made his mind up it was like locking a bank safe.
"Get the hell outta here." Dean told the sergeant and doctor. He threw them his keys, which almost made my jaw hit the floor my mouth flew open so wide. "Take my car. You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there, you two go with them. You've got enough firepower to handle anything now."
The sergeant felt the keys in his hands like he never drove a car before. "What about you two?"
Dean gave him a knowing look and shook his head, running his hand over his face.
I stood up and came around the front of them, fucking off my embarrassment completely. "Get out here." I said to both of them. "Now."
"No, you're not gonna get rid of us that easy." Sam finally said, leaning back against the table and Dean nodded.
"Tough." He said to my pissed off scowl that was now covering my face. "We're not leaving you here."
Dr. Lee took a long look at my cut as she stood there and I waved her off, telling her she didn't need to sympathy bandage me since it was already done bleeding. "I'm sorry." She said looking me straight in the eyes. "Thanks for everything, Marshalls."
She turned to leave and Dean followed, leaning on the doorframe. "Oh, actually, we're not really Marshalls." He smirked and kind of shrugged and I rolled my eyes.
Dr. Lee just kind of looked at us and nodded, false starting with her voice a ton of times but then finally deciding it was better to say nothing and just leave. So she did and Dean closed the door behind her, leaning against it.
"I hate both of you." I said firmly and sat on the floor against the wall, the coldness against my back making me shiver. "And you gave them your car?" I asked, somewhat shocked.
"Well, I happen to know that material things don't matter to you so…" He chuckled as I threw another package of gauze at him. I wasn't trying to be funny and his laugh was anything but humorless. It was filled with pain.
"Why can't you two just get out of here?" I asked. I pleaded with them.
"Come on." Dean answered, annoyed with my martyr tone. He sat down next to me and pulled his polo off, handing it to me. After I slipped it on, savoring the smell of strong cinnamon, he put an arm around my shoulder. "You know why." He whispered and smiled.
Sam sat on the other side of me and crossed his legs. "Yeah, you're a pain in the ass. But we're kind of fond of you."
I laughed a bit, even though it was sad and shook my head. I couldn't be mad at him anymore either. If I was going to end up attacking them and getting shot while doing so, mise well push the anger aside until then. Both of these damn boys had the power to make me buckle at my knees. They had smiles that got them out of any situation. I couldn't be mad at either of them. And I couldn't deny how good it made me feel to have both of them right next to me.
"Yeah, it's not like we can replace you or anything." Dean said softly and ran a hand through my hair, pulling it back from my face.
My breath stifled in my throat and I looked at them both as I realized that's what they'd have to do. Replace me somehow. I burst into tears at the thought and Dean brought me into his arms, holding me close to him. He sat up and I could feel Sam come around the back of me, pushing his body against mine. I felt tears fall into my hair and I knew they were Dean's, which just made me hold onto him tighter. His tears leaked down my cheeks and meshed with my own, hitting the protective amulet I still wore around my neck even though it never did anything to protect me. I mostly wore it because Dean had given it to me and I knew he wanted to protect me more than anyone. I knew those tears from him were because he thought he failed.
I don't know how long we sat there, letting my sobs shake both of them as they held me tightly between them. I don't know who pulled back or let go first. It seemed like forever, no one wanted to let go. Finally it occurred to me that Sam had pulled back off of me first because he was standing on the other side of the room, watching me sit in Dean's lap and cling to him. Watching him cling to me.
Dean picked his head up off my shoulder and I wiped away the tear tracks off his face even though they were pretty much dry. Everyone was tired and dried up.
Suddenly a knocking came on the door and Sam opened the door to find Dr. Lee standing there. We must not have been in here that long if she was still around. I raised Dean's hand and looked at the watch. A little over an hour. Where had they been all this time?
"You better come look at this." She said, her voice grave and disturbed.
I looked at Dean and he stood, helping me. He kissed my head and held my hand as we headed out and approached the others outside, thinking that what they wanted couldn't have been any good for me. I grasped his hand tightly but then realized what they wanted us to see had nothing to do with me.
I looked around the town. There was nothing. There wasn't even any noise. Like natural noises. Like crickets chirping or the night making itself known. Nothing.
"There's no one. Not anywhere." Dr. Lee said and I realized that's where they must have been. Checking through the entire town for people. "They've all just…vanished."
Dean and I exchanged worried glances and I looked towards Sam. The word Croatoan all lingering on our tongues.
O0o00o0o0o
"Well, it's been five hours and your blood is still clean." This was the third time Dr. Lee had checked and I looked at Dean somewhat amazed. "I don't understand it, but I think you dodged a bullet."
There was no way. The cut was clean and her blood had tainted mine. I was sure of it. That was like dodging three hundred bullets at once. "But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?" I asked.
"I don't know. But you're just not." She said and Dean handed me a new pair of clothes to change into. She looked into the microscope and nodded, standing up. "There's no trace of the virus. No sulfur, nothing."
She smiled at me and looked grateful. Which I'm glad she could muster, I however, was feeling nauseous and worried. It wasn't that I wasn't happy. I was overjoyed. But it didn't add up. I had clear exposure. I could still feel Pam's blood circulate with my own.
"I'll let you get dressed." She said finally and headed out of the room.
Dean took a look at me. "I don't know how the hell we got lucky…" Dean started but I shook my head.
"Why do I feel like there's some sort of price for that luck?" I asked him. "I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean, why here? Why now? Where the hell did everybody go?"
"Why were you immune?" Dean asked softly and rolled up my shirt to slip over my head. I nodded, looking a bit scared as I pushed my arms through the sleeves.
"Yeah, you know what, that's a good question." I flipped my hair out of the shirt and pulled it into a ponytail. I jumped up off the examination table and zipped up my clean jeans and adjusted my shirt.
"Can I say something?" Dean asked and I nodded, looking at him expectantly as I pushed some hair out of my eyes. "Can I be thrilled to say that I don't have to look for a new you?"
I found a small grin make its way across my face and Dean laughed, lifting me up in his arms. He twirled me from side to side for a moment.
"I love you." I said, throwing my arms around his neck and he rubbed my back, setting me back down.
I pulled back and he kissed me, hard and passionate on my lips. He pulled back and cupped my face with both of his hands. He smiled. "I love you too."
He squeezed my hand as we headed out to the Impala, telling Sam the semi-good news. Well I mean it was good I wasn't infected and everything and I was happy Dean was relieved. But something kept gripping my stomach as we drove out of the town. Something that made my stomach lurch. Everything had a price and I knew me getting out of there alive had to mean something. Maybe it was just me; maybe God owed me some dumb luck.
I found that very unlikely.
o0o0o0o0o0o
tee heee :) that last part of that eppie is gonna lead off the next one, since thats what they do on the show anyways.
and don't worry, that thing that happened with sam will be adressed. D: uh oh, wonder how dean's gonna take it.
evil laugh
review please? my muse works hard :D