A Hard Road Ch. 7
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story.
Author's Note: The information I used to describe the protective sigils that Daniel teaches John to make can be found at
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Previously: John thought for a few minutes about the words Daniel had said. "Well, I'll just have to make sure that the evil out there doesn't know my boys exist."
Daniel snorted at hearing the words. "It's too late for that already since your wife was killed over your baby's crib. I'll teach you what I can to protect yourself and the boys. I just hope it's enough."
"I'm sure anything that you can teach me will be of help" John stated letting the grizzled hunter know that he was ready to learn whatever knowledge Daniel was willing to impart with him.
"Of course it will since you ain't nothing but a greenhorn when it comes to hunting, another damn novice" Daniel grumbled as he ran his hand through his two day beard growth speckled with gray. "Well it's too damn late to get anything done tonight and by the looks of them there youngens, they need to get some sleep." Daniel then went on to say. "I ain't got no extra bedrooms for ya. You'll just have to make your children comfortable on the couch for the night and you can sleep on my old army cot."
"I'd appreciate it, thanks" John said as he accepted the hunter's offer. He didn't think the man gave his approval to others staying over very often and he was grateful for the acceptance, even if the man seemed a little off by his standards. John arranged both of his boys where they could sleep comfortably on the couch. He stripped a sleeping Sammy and changed him into a dry diaper before putting a sleeper on him. He then tugged off Dean's jeans and covered up both of his boys with a warm blanket provided by Daniel. The last thing he did before going to bed himself was to place the army cot beside the couch where he himself would keep the boys blocked in so that they didn't roll off the couch during the night.
A few hours later, John was awakened by the sound of Dean moaning. He opened his eyes to see his oldest child covered in sweat as he tossed and turned in a restless sleep. Knowing that Dean was probably having another nightmare, John reached over and began to rub comforting circles on Dean's back as he hummed the tune to Hush Little Baby. Within minutes, he felt the tension ease within Dean's body as his son slowly relaxed into a restful sleep once again.
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John was awakened early the next morning by the sounds of creaking floorboards in the old rustic cabin as Daniel walked into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Glancing out the window, he saw the sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon. He sat up on the cot and stretched before glancing back at his boys who were both still sleeping. Straightening the blanketover them once again, he walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table as Daniel poured them both a cup of coffee.
"Better enjoy the coffee while you can. As soon as those boys of yours wake up, we're all going outside so I can show ya how to carve protective sigils into the trees. These sigils will keep demons from being able to get anywhere near ya as long as they're not defaced and you keep them up" Daniel informed John as he gulped down a cup of the strong brew.
Two hours later after the boys had eaten breakfast, John dressed his baby in some of the new winter clothing he had had gotten as a present while staying with Pastor Jim. Snow had begun to fall lightly overnight and there was a dusting of powdered snow on the ground. He put Sammy's winter coat, mittens, and boots on him while Dean dressed himself appropriately for the weather. John picked Sammy up and he and the boys followed Daniel outside to the nearest clearing where John lowered Sammy to the ground and told Dean to keep a close eye on him as they played in the snow. John knew the boys would be okay out in the weather for a little while since they both were wearing snow pants that would keep them dry. He watched as Dean started entertaining Sammy by making small snowballs and rolling them to his brother before turning his attention back to Daniel.
Walking over to the nearest tree, Daniel showed John the quincunx symbol that he had etched into a tree. "This here symbol is a hoodoo symbol. It is basically used to ward off enemies. As you can see. the pattern is like what you would see on the number five dice except for the outer four units are connected to the middle unit by a straight line. When you combine it with bloodweed, it becomes one hell of a powerful charm." Daniel handed over a sharp carving knife to John and had him carve the symbol into five other trees making sure that he had it in perfect form before allowing him to move on to the next protective sigil.
Next Daniel showed John a symbol that looked like a star which was surrounded by a circle. "I'm sure you've seen this one before. It's called a pentagram. A lot of people believe that pentagrams are only used for satanic purposes which is a common misconception. Sure, some cults have used them for evil purposes by making sure that the star is inverted so that the tip is pointing down. When used correctly, the pentagram is actually a protection symbol. The four points of the star are used to symbolize earth, air, fire, and water, the fifth point usually symbolizes your spirit." After he explained the symbol, Daniel had John carve it into a few trees also making sure that he felt comfortable with how to make it before moving on.
"Now the most important sigil I want to teach you how to make is called a Devil's Trap. This sigil is primarily used to control demons and it really pisses them off to get caught in one. A Devil's Trap is most effective when it is painted onto a roof or the trunk of your car to basically create a lock box that demon's can't get into" Daniel informed John as he started walking toward his rusted old '65 Chevelle.
John followed Daniel over to the car as he glanced over at his boy to make sure they were doing alright. He noticed that both boys cheeks were turning pink from the cold and knew that he would have to take them inside before too long to warm them up. Focusing on Daniel once again, he saw him pointing to a drawing on the trunk of his vehicle. "Now this here is one variation of the Devil's Trap. As you can see, it's basically a star drawn within a triangle with letters and numeric symbols in the three corners. Once this is drawn onto your vehicle, there is no way a demon or spirit can get inside your car. This will keep your boys safe in the car when we go on a simple salt and burn.
"Wait a minute, what makes you think I'm going to leave my boys alone in the car to go on a salt and burn?" John asked incredulously at the grizzled hunter even thinking such a thing.
"You'll leave them there because I damned well said so. Boy, you don't want those kids at a graveside when a nasty spirit makes it presence known. It's best to keep them safe and secure where they can't be harmed damn it. I ain't gonna be responsible for no baby getting hurt you hear me?" Daniel grumbled before starting off towards the house. "Now get them boys and get em inside before they get too freaking cold."
John huffed in irritation at the man before walking over to his boys and ruffling Dean's hair before reaching down to pick up Sammy. "Come on boys, time to go back inside" he said as he hoisted his baby on his hip. John walked towards the house with Dean obediently following. After getting his kids inside, John took off Sam's coat, boots and mittens, before helping Dean with his. He then sat Sammy on the floor with his stacking blocks. "Dean watch your brother while Daniel and I finish talking." He saw Dean nod his head and then sit down to play with Sammy.
Walking over to the side room where Daniel was now waiting on him, John saw that the man was removing a large area rug from the floor. He was immediately surprised by the intricate design that was hidden there by the expanse of the rug. "Now this here is the second variation of a Devil's Trap and the more potent one" Daniel informed him. "When a demon steps on or under this one it is rendered powerless. It will keep the demon held in one place until you are able to exorcise it. As you can see the details within this one are very intricate so I suggest you get yourself a journal and start making drawings of all the sigils I have shown you. You'll need them for future reference."
"Actually, I already have one" John informed the older man before walking into the room where the boys were to retrieve it. He had bought the journal to copy the exorcisms that Jim had taught him since he knew he wouldn't remember them by heart. As he pulled his journal from his bag, John noticed that Sammy had crawled away from the blocks and over towards the couch. He stared in fascination as Sammy pulled himself up to his feet. He looked over to see Dean also holding his breath.
"Come on tiger, you can do it" he whispered as he saw Sammy let go of the couch. He watched as Sammy took four tentative steps before plopping down on his diaper clad behind. He started to stand up to walk over and pick him up when he saw Sammy struggling to his feet again. Sammy pushed himself into a standing position and looked over towards Dean who had clapped his hands and was now wiggling his fingers for Sammy to come towards him. Sammy took five shaky steps before wobbling and then regained his balance and took the last four steps toward his big brother with Dean pulling him into a big hug. "You did it Sammy" he whispered into his baby brother's ear before turning tear filled eyes and a happy face towards their dad.
Taking a deep breath and finally speaking his first sentence in months, Dean said "Did you see him Daddy? Did you see Sammy walking?"
John swung both boys up into his arms and said "Yeah, I saw him champ. He did great didn't he. I'm so proud of him, but I'm proud of you also,"
"What for Daddy?" Dean questioned since he hadn't done anything special.
"Because you're always there for Sammy, encouraging him and because I'm so glad to hear your voice again kiddo. You don't know how happy you've just made me." John stated before pulling his boys into a tight hug once again.
TBC--I hope you liked the schmoopy ending for this chapter, the action will start in the next chapter as John goes on his first Salt and Burn.