Chapter 26

I felt my pockets for my cell phone but cursed when I remembered that I hadn't put it back in my pocket after Dean had called. I sat down on a crate and started to cry. I was pretty fucked. I didn't have a weapon and I didn't have a way to contact Dean. I was bleeding pretty heavily from two wounds and I had no clue where I was or where the Harpy had gone too.

"Hello?" I heard a small voice from behind me. I sniffled and rubbed my eyes, turning around to see who was there. It was a boy, a teenager. "Did it take you too?" He asked.

I sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I was uh, trying to keep it from taking other people."

"You did a good job," He said sarcastically. Great, just what I needed, to be stuck with an asshole kid.

"Yeah, obviously it backfired." I stood up and started looking around again. "But there's someone else out there looking for us. And now that the Harpy has taken me, he's going to be hell bent to kill the son-of-a-bitch."

"A Harpy?" He asked. I turned back to him and nodded.

"Yeah, has the body of an bird and the head of an old lady." I said. "I'm Rose, by the way."

"Nathan," he said, waving slightly.

"How long have you been here?" I asked. He sighed and rubbed his head. He kind of reminded me of Dean when he did that. "And how old are you?"

"I don't know how long I've been here, what is the date today?" He asked.

"I'm pretty sure it's the 20th of August." I said.

"I've been here since the 13th, I think." He said. "I'm 14, since you asked."

I nodded.

"Are there any others here?" I asked him. He nodded.

"There are seven others, downstairs." I followed him down the stairs that I hadn't seen before. My eyes had a hard time adjusting to the dark usually. And I was upset and injured, give me a break. It's hidden well.

I saw the group of people sitting around a fire they had built. Nathan pointed to the people as he said their names. "Natalie, Greg, Leish, Hailey, Corissa, Whitney and Constance. This is Rose. She came to save us."

I rolled my eyes and vaguely felt like punching the kid. Hailey smiled gently at me. She looked to be in her twenties. Whitney and Greg looked to be in their mid thirties. Leish, Natalie, Corissa and Constance were all around my age. Nathan was definitely the youngest.

"My friend will find us." I told them. They didn't seem to believe me. I sighed and sat down in the circle with them.

"She says it's called a Harpy." Nathan told the others. "It has the body of a bird and the head of an old lady."

"I call it disgusting and putrid," Leish said. I nodded.

"That works too," I told her. I started looking around this room, for anything to defend ourselves with. There was an old cloth in the corner and I walked over to it. After I ripped off a couple long pieces I tied them around each shoulder to try and stop the bleeding. "There's no way out?" I asked. None of the others seemed to have wounds from the harpy and I could only imagine it was because I had pissed it off by shooting at it.

"We looked. All entrances were blocked or caved in. We're on the fourth level now but we can't get down any farther and there isn't a way to get out a window without killing ourselves." Corissa said.

"How often does it come around? Does it hurt you guys?" Natalie shook her head.

"It comes only when it drops off another person. It doesn't touch us." I narrowed my eyes in thought.

"How often does it bring people?" I asked. Constance groaned.

"What is with all the questions? It's so random we don't know how often." She snapped. She must have been here the longest.

"It seems like at least every other day." Hailey said. She seemed to be the most cooperative.

"It took somebody, before it took me." I said. They shook their heads.

"Nobody came before you." Corissa said.

Maybe the Harpy didn't take that person because I shot at it. I didn't know anymore. I was too preoccupied with trying to come up with a plan. It seemed like many hours later before I stood up, determined to get us out of there.

I started rummaging through the garbage that was on the floor. There had to be something that we could use to attack it. I found a few crow bars and an old fire extinguisher.

"Well, we're getting out of here and we're taking that damn Harpy down." I told them. I managed to get a few of them to help me look for possible weapons, but Nathan and Constance didn't feel like bothering.

"So, who's your friend that's coming to get us?" Hailey asked as we broke away from the rest of the group a little.

"He's my boyfriend," I said. There was really no point in lying to these people. "This is what we do, for a living. We hunt supernatural creatures and get rid of them."

"All of them?" Corissa asked with wide eyes. I shrugged.

"At least the ones that are harming or killing people." I told her. "I've never met a nice supernatural being."

"How long have you done this?" Hailey asked.

"Since I was five." She looked at me, shocked. I smiled softly. "It's kind of a family business. Same with my boyfriend."

"Oh," she said. "I'm a writer so this is all really out of my realm."

"You all seem to be taking this well," I said. "Especially when I just told you what I do."

Leish shrugged. "After being snatched up from the street by that thing I'll believe anything."

"Same here," Natalie murmured.

"That's true, I guess." I said. I picked up a piece of metal pipe and walked over to one of the boarded up windows. I could see a little light peeking through the planks of wood. "Can someone get me one of the crowbars?"

Greg walked over and handed me one, holding on to the other. I started to pry off the boards so that I could see out and bring a little light into the room. Maybe someone would recognize where we were. Greg helped and we finally got the window free. I used the pipe to smash the window and the others all jumped at the sudden noise.

I looked out the window. I cursed mentally. We were in a huge abandoned building surrounded by hundred of storage boxes that went on forever.

"Does anyone recognize where we are?" I asked. Everyone crowded around the window to have a peek and a breath of fresh air.

"No," Whitney mumbled. The others all shook their heads. Constance was biting her lip and wouldn't move away from the window.

"Constance?" I asked. She glanced at me but kept her focus out the window.

"We're in Hell." She said. I laughed at the idea of it and shook my head.

"Trust me, we're not in Hell." I told her, looking over her shoulder. She shook her head and turned to stare at me. I took a step back; she was starting to creep me out a little.

"Wrong kind of Hell." She said. "This place has been abandoned since anyone can remember. Anybody who comes here is lost forever. You never come out of this place."

I was beginning to get a little frustrated. Did any of these people want to get out? I stuck my head out the window and looked down. It was very desolate, but it definitely looked manageable. I saw that there were fire escapes two levels down from us but there weren't any on the floor we were on. If we could get down at least one level then we'd be able to drop down out of a window onto the fire escape below.

But then where would we go from there? It was a maze out there.

"Where are we in accordance with Chicago?" I asked, hoping for a straight answer and a little less pessimism. Was that too much to ask for?

"We're still in Chicago," Constance said. "But your friend is never going to find us."

"Holy fucking shit!" I yelled. "What is wrong with you people? Don't you want to get out of here? Don't you want to at least try?"

"I do," Natalie said, stepping up. Greg nodded and Nathan stepped forward a little too as Hailey, Leish and Corissa all nodded. I turned to Whitney and Constance and gave them a look.

"You don't even want to try?" I asked. They exchanged looks but all they could do was shrug. I rolled my eyes and started to feel angry tears break through. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Right, okay. Then you guys won't mind if we leave you here. Although, when we get out or get rescued I can't make any promises that we'll come back for you. I personally don't want to stay, because even though the Harpy hasn't bothered you yet, there's no guarantee that it won't at all."

I picked up the pipe and handed it to Nathan and grabbed the fire extinguisher and crow bar. I handed the extinguisher to Hailey and Greg had the other crow bar. Corissa, Natalie and Leish each grabbed other small parts of metal pipe. I walked over to the set of stairs that led downstairs but they were completely demolished. Only the first few steps were actually there. I looked at the others and then gauged how far down the drop would be. It would just about be the same as the drop out the window onto the fire escape.

"If we can jump down there's a fire escape that we can take all the way down." I said. The others nodded and I decided to go first. I kneeled down on the last stair available and dropped my crow bar. I turned and grabbed onto the step, lowering myself down until I was hanging and then dropped down all the way. Besides the pain in my shoulders and getting a painful shock in my feet from the landing, it wasn't so bad. I looked up at the others and nodded.

I ran over to the window that I approximated the fire escape to be below and started pulling off the boards. The others joined soon after. Greg tried to open the window but Hailey just pushed him aside and broke the window with the fire extinguisher. I took off my sweatshirt and set it on the bottom of the sill so nobody got cut and I tested out the fire escape. It seemed safe enough so the others followed out.

I paused and looked out so that I could see over all the storage boxes.

"Do any of you know which way is out?" I asked. They all shook their heads so I sighed. "I guess we're just going to have to wing it then."

I stared out at all the boxes and tried to memorize the fastest way to the perimeter of the maze of boxes and I hoped that I could find our way out. We made our way down and we started to walk through the maze.

"I can't believe those girls stayed." Greg said. I shook my head.

"Let's not worry about them." I said. A second later I heard the Harpy shriek. I stopped and looked up and around, holding up my crow bar. "Did you guys hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything," Nathan said. Neither did the others. We started walking on again but I paid more attention to our surroundings, trying to remember anything from the bird's eye view I had had before. I wondered how Dean was doing or if he had called John for help. I don't know what I would have done if Dean had been the one that the Harpy snatched.

The Harpy screeched again and everyone looked up.

"Okay," Leish said, "I definitely heard that."

I nodded.

"That's the Harpy." I moved closer to the boxes and motioned for the others to do the same. "Let's just stick really close together and stay near the boxes. If it gets close, aim for it's head."

It shrieked again, and it was definitely louder. We all looked up and saw the thing flying towards us with its talons open and ready to snatch one of us. I raised my crow bar and when the Harpy was close enough I started to swing at her head. It grabbed me by my shirt and I screamed as it flew over all the boxes. I saw one was open and the Harpy was flying towards it. I tried to wiggle my way out but it tossed me into the box and slammed the doors shut.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" I pushed against the door but it wouldn't open. It wouldn't even budge. I couldn't see and everything I did in the box was echoed and magnified. I fell to the ground and tried to calm myself but it wasn't any use. I was freaking out. How would Dean or anybody ever find me? There must have been hundreds of thousands of boxes out there.

I needed Dean.

5 hours passed

I was enveloped in complete and total darkness. I felt my way around the inside but there wasn't anyone or anything in it beside me. I tried to push open the door but it wouldn't budge. I was starting to hyperventilate and being stuck in this box with limited oxygen was definitely doing a number on my nerves. I wondered how the others were doing or if the Harpy went back for them.

"Dean!" I screamed, banging on the walls. "Somebody!"

7 hours passed

It was beginning to get unbearably hot in the box. I was taking smaller breaths but it wasn't helping. I was dizzy, my throat hurt, I was nauseous and I just wanted Dean.

"Dean," I cried. My voice was cracking from screaming so much before. I had to save it in case somebody was out there looking for me. I wondered again what had happened to the others.

And what the hell was this Harpy doing? Were we its play things? Or were we its food? I didn't know anymore. I never knew anything to begin with. How many things were out there that we didn't know about? How many things were we going to be attacked by? So many times we've risked our lives without a solid plan or anything and look at what happened this time. I was separated from Dean and stuck in a box.

5 hours passed

I decided that if they ever find my body before I started to decompose, my grave will say this:

Here lies Rosemary.

Traveled the country her

whole, short life.

Condemned to die

alone in a box.

I'm still working on it, but I think in time it'll be a masterpiece. Too bad I didn't have anything to write it down with.

2 hours passed

My eyes weren't any used to the darkness and I couldn't see my hand when it was right in front of my face. I was leaning against the door, sitting on the ground and banging against the wall in case someone was out there who could help.

I kept my eyes closed and I was imagining that I was in bed with Dean, the sunlight shining through the window and Dean's arms wrapped around me. He was keeping me safe. I knew Dean would never let anything happen to me.

I thought I heard somebody yelling far away but I was sure it was just my imagination. I would be sitting in this box, banging against the wall planning my own eulogy until I died. I was sure of it.

8 hours passed

Here lies Rosemary

Helped many people

Was taken before her time

By a stupid bitchy, ugly, stinky ass, disgusting, annoying-as-hell, f-ing Harpy

Then left to rot in a storage box.

It was cooler in the box now which meant I'd been stuck in here all day. It had been a whole 24 hours since the harpy had taken me.

"Dean," my voice scratched out. I was so tired.

I stopped banging against the wall and rested my head back. I heard the Harpy shriek and I vaguely noticed that it sounded different than the normal shriek. It was probably because I'd been inside the box and because of everything else, but it sounded like the Harpy was in pain. I couldn't remember if I'd told the others that you had to aim for her head. I hoped that it was in pain. It deserved to be in pain. Stupid bitch.

I hoped they'd figure it out. I hoped that they would find me. I hated myself for hoping that I could find a pen and paper so I could write down what I want on my grave.

"Dean."

16 hours passed

I woke up with a start and looked around. It was still completely dark and I knew I was still in the box. I heard loud machinery and realized that had been what had woke me up.

Civilization!

I stood up and started banging on the walls again. I was so weak from dehydration and exhaustion and everything.

"Help!" I cried out. It wasn't loud at all because my voice was completely gone. It sounded more like mouse squeaks and whispers. "Help me! Please get me out of here!"

"Look man," I heard someone outside, far away. "We found all eight people who had gone missing."

"I'm telling you, my girlfriend was taken two nights ago and she's here too." My heart jumped. It was Dean. I knew it was Dean. Who the hell else could it be, seriously?

"Dean!" I cried. I barely made a sound. I started to sob in frustration. Why couldn't they hear me? Why hadn't I saved my voice.

"Don't you think she'd be in the building? Or walking around looking for a way out like the others?"

"I'm telling you, she's here!" Dean shouted, frustrated. I tried to take my shoe off but I fell to the ground. I continued to take my shoe off and I backed up until I felt the wall against my back. I threw my shoe as hard as I could against the other end and covered my ears at the echo.

"Did you hear that?" Dean asked. "Rose? Rose!"

"Dean!" I screamed as loud as I could and I was surprised when it finally made a noise loud enough for someone to hear. I felt my way around, still screaming his name, and started pounding against the doors. "God fucking dammit! Get me the fuck out of here!"

"She's in here." The other voice said.

"Rosie, just give us a second." Dean said on the other side.

"I don't have a fucking second!" I exclaimed, crying like crazy. "I've been stuck in this fucking box for ever and I want to get out!"

The doors finally opened and Dean rushed towards me, enveloping me in his arms. I threw my arms around him and sobbed into his neck. He slid down to the ground, keeping me in his lap, and he started to pull away but I wouldn't let go.

"You're okay." He whispered. "You're okay now, I promise. I'm not letting you go. I love you. I love you so much and I'm never letting you go."

...

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Congrats to Leish, Natalie and Corissa who are the guest characters of the chapter. I know they were small characters, but they were definitely more helpful than Whitney and Constance, don't ya think? Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa were the names that Rose used in the last chapter and if you don't know who they are I shake my head at you. I like to think that this was a pretty intense chapter. I had a pretty good time writing it :) Please leave me some lovely reviews. I haven't been getting as many lately and I'm going to give you all the benefit of the doubt and say it's because you're all off vacationing somewhere tropical. Hopefully I'll update again on Wednesday, but I'm going to be working on a project for this story that wasn't in the original storyline that I created. So if not on Wednesday, then next Sunday for sure. Hope to hear from you all before then :)

much love!