Chapter Five: Crimson Death
The sun was shining through the window of the hotel room. The curtains had been pulled but were now wide open, nothing stopping the sun from coming in. I sat propped up against a pile of pillows. I was alone for the moment. My fingers were moving the pentagram up and down its chain while my eyes stared at the ring on my finger. What I wanted hadn't changed. Everything I wanted could still be summed up in one word. One name. Dean. But the more I thought about it the more I was afraid that it wouldn't happen. We weren't getting any closer to saying out 'I do's' than we ever were. If anything they were getting farther and farther away. Dean never wanted to talk about it and the thought was more depressing than it was happy. Dean was leaving and I was going to be left here alone. How do you deal with that? I know people deal with it every day. People die from cancer every day and they usually know it's coming. I could use some advice from them right now. Or John. I felt nostalgic for John. He would know what to tell me. He always had an answer or a lesson to teach. I missed that.
Boredom set in and I need to do something, anything, to get my mind off of what I didn't have. I needed to focus on what I did have. And for now I had Dean. He was healthy and we would be happy while he was here. I hoped. I had to try. If anything I could at least look alright for him. Scarfing half a container of sesame chicken, I undressed and walking into the bathroom, I was in the middle of showering when I heard the door open. Assuming it was the boys, I thought nothing of it, but the room remained silent. Too silent for it to be Dean and Sam. I finished quickly, grabbing a towel, wrapping it tightly around myself. When I pulled back the curtain Gordon was staring at me. I instinctively punched him, wanting to cause damage. He fell back, falling between the tub and toilet. He was stuck long enough for me to jump from the tub, rushing into the other room. I pulled on pants and grabbed the first shirt I saw. Gordon was on his feet and in the room now. He lunged at me but I hit him hard in the abdomen, my knee coming in contact with his face as he bent over. I pushed him backward, making him fall. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to hurt him so badly. He had taken everything from me. He had taken my baby and now, here he was, right in front of me. But I was taken by surprise and it would have been smart just to run. But I didn't want to run. I didn't want to be the type who ran. He was one man. A human. I could take a human.
He was on his feet again, his cheek split open. He charged me again. I jumped onto the bed, aiming for my gun that was underneath my pillow. He anticipated my movements, pulling out a large knife. He slashed it at me, making me move away from my weapon. He slashed at me repeatedly as I tried to move away from the blade. I felt pain across my abdomen but it was bearable. I tried moving past him but there was no getting by. He knew I didn't want to run. That I wanted my revenge. But I was out of choices now. I turned and fled the room. I glanced over my shoulder but he was just standing there, watching me. I had no phone and no shoes. I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I'd find the boys. But New York was a big city. Who knew what would happen.
Pacing in front of a diner I waited. It took me hours to get a hold of them and by the time I had they had already been to the room. Gordon must have tossed it after I left. Apparently it was a mess and since all my things were there Dean and Sam jumped to the first conclusion that came to mind. I put them at ease about me but on edge about Gordon. It would only be a matter of time before he found us again and would try and kill Sam and me. Sometimes I forgot what I had been like. The things I saw. The things I could do. But that was the past. I didn't know why Gordon couldn't let it go. It was over. Sam and I weren't like that anymore. But Gordon couldn't see past it. We would be doing this until one of us succeeded at killing the other.
Dean and Sam picked me up, driving to a different hotel. I sighed as Dean held open the door for me. I walked in, sitting at the table. Dean and Sam brought in our things before Dean sat on the bed in front of me.
"You doing okay?" He asked softly.
"I guess. Nothing like seeing the man who killed our baby every now and again." I smirked at him.
"That's not funny." He frowned.
"It really isn't." I told him but still had a smile on my face. He couldn't help but smile back. "My feet hurt." I complained before going to the bathroom to take care of them.
Dean followed me, leaning against the doorframe. "On a plus side, Sam and I found what we were looking for."
"Oh good, are we all going tonight then?" I asked him.
"Not you."
"Why the hell not?" I frowned.
"After this, I don't think so. You can hardly walk."
"I may limp a little but I've hardly complained or shown any sign of pain. You're just using it as an excuse."
"Maybe."
"Meaning I'm right." I smirked at him. "Just admit it."
"Fine. You're right." He said and smiled.
"Thank you."
"But that doesn't change the fact that you're not going." He added.
"Dean –"
"No, Evy!" He frowned interrupting me. "After what happened last time? After what's already happened? I want you to sit this one out. For my sake. Not yours."
I sighed and just looked at him. It was hard to deny that I couldn't see where he was coming from. It sucked and I didn't want to be left behind but…I couldn't deny that I wasn't afraid. Gordon frightened me. He killed my baby and nearly killed me. He's after Sam. There were a number of reasons why I should lay low for this one. But I didn't want to be left behind either. I didn't want to play the concerned girlfriend while my man was out facing one of the most dangerous men we've ever faced. I could help. I had something to offer. But I didn't want my fear to cloud my judgment. And I had a sickening suspicion that it would.
"Fine." I told him.
"Thank you." He said stepping up to me, kissing my forehead.
Gripping his shirt, I pulled him closer to me, looking him in his beautiful hazel eyes. "But you have to promise me something."
"Of course." He nodded.
"You have to come back in one piece." I replied sadly. "Nothing can happen to you."
"I promise." He said and kissed me deeply. "You better promise the same. I know how you like to get into trouble."
Smiling, I kissed him again. "I promise."
"Alright, feet in the tub." He said motioning to it as he turned on the water.
Without asking him to, he helped clean the small cuts and abrasions on my feet. I played it up, just a little, to keep him with me longer, loving the caring look that was on his face. But as soon as he was done, I was once again left pacing in the hotel room. Dean and Sam were out looking for the missing girls. A vampire named Dixon was behind the recent activity in the city. He was turning girls. All young and blond. But not only did we have the vampires to worry about but we had to stay away from Gordon. He would be after us just as much as we were after him. It had been several hours but he had yet to be seen again. That only meant that he was lying in wait. He would show himself again and he would be prepared. We needed to be as well. Making sure I was ready, I cleaned and loaded the guns, sharpened the knives, and made sure they were easily accessible from anywhere in the room. To me anyway, they'd be out of site to anyone else.
For a while it worked. I was distracted from what I was being left out of. But as time ticked by, my girlish worrying ways came out and I found myself opening my phone to text Dean. I needed to be sure that he was okay. That nothing bad had happened. The whole two minutes it took for him to respond felt like twenty. I was on edge and, as much as I hated to admit it, afraid. But they were fine. They were safe and still on task with the vampires. They were getting close to Dixon. I took a deep breath, nodding to myself that this was going to go as smoothly as it could.
I was calmly sitting and watching TV when there was a scratching sound coming from outside. Like a nail was being dragged across the door and the glass. I froze before quickly grabbing a weapon. My blood ran cold as I saw half of Gordon's face in the gap in the curtains. He had come back. It was moments like this that I hated being a woman. I hated being the fastest way of hurting the Winchesters. I didn't want to be that person. I didn't want to be the cause of pain for Dean and Sam. This would not be like last time. I could take him. I knew I could. All I had to do was face the fear inside of me. Bury it so I could do what was needed.
"I can do this. I can do this." I told myself as I heard him pound against the door.
I moved to the door. Listening, I waited to time the hit against the door. Timing it right, I opened the door as he brought his weight against it. Grinning, I lunged and slashed him across his back. He yelled in pain, whipping around to face me. Only the smile on my face disappeared. His eyes were red, his fangs showing. He had been turned. He had been made a vampire. I couldn't do this. Now that he was no longer human I didn't have any advantage over him. He rushed me. I dodged out of the way but he had extra speed and strength on his side now. He hit my back, sending me slamming against the wall. I was stunned long enough for him to reach me. He pulled me from the floor by the throat. I spit in his face. He just grinned at me.
"Looks like I get to take you as bait again after all." He grinned at me.
Smiling back at him, I grabbed the knife hidden against my thigh and thrust it upward into his abdomen. He released me, giving me a moment to run. Feeling my shoulder get grabbed, I spun and slashed for his neck, but he caught my arm, knocking the knife from my hand before throwing me back against the wall. Finding myself in the exact same position, I knew what was coming. It was inevitable. And I hated it.
"They know you're here. They're not as stupid or as blind as you think." I told him.
"When it comes to you they are." He replied.
"Sam isn't. He'll make the calls."
"Dean wont being seeing straight for a while."
"He'll figure it out. You can do whatever you want with me but you're not leaving New York alive." I smiled.
Gordon's smile disappeared. He slammed my head against the wall, knocking me out.
Coming to, I found myself, once again, tied to a chair. It was ridiculous how often I'd been tied to a chair. I was gagged and blindfolded as well this time. The gag was so tight I could hardly swallow. Barely any noise was going to be able to escape my lips. But my ears worked fine. I could hear a girl screaming in the other room. Only it wasn't from being hurt. Something was going on inside of her. A hunger was being brought out. I knew what she was becoming. What was happening to her. But more than that it told me that she was ready. That she was ready and that she was hungry.
"She needs to feed soon." Gordon stated as he came into the room. Attempting to steady my breathing I listened to him walk toward me. "I'm going to let her have some fun with you." My pulse started to race. I was completely trapped at the moment. "But a nonmoving target is just no fun." He told me as he untied me. Retying my hands behind my back. "Try fighting now. All you have are your feet and your ears."
Torture. Of course. He wanted to cause pain. He had tried to kill me and Sam and had failed. Now was his time to get even. His thoughts on us hadn't changed one bit. He still thought us as a big a threat as he did before. I was in trouble. Hearing the door open, his steps faded, making my heart pound as I tried to go through any scenario that I could to keep myself alive. I took a series of deep breaths focusing on what was going to happen next. I heard shallow breathing somewhere to my left. A hushed footstep followed by the sound of a foot sliding across the floor. She was facing me, sidestepping around her prey. She stopped. I could practically feel her breath on my skin. It was the slightest noise that told me she was lunging. I stepped back, feeling the air shift as she moved past me. She quickly turned and hit me hard. I tasted blood as it rolled down the corner of my mouth. I moved quickly as I tried to pinpoint her location. She had her nails down my back a second later, my muffled screams mixed with her feral ones. I was slammed against the wall, falling to my stomach. This was bad. This was one of those moments you never thought would come. But you always think someone would be there to save you. If not, you always think you can handle it yourself. I couldn't handle this one. Not on my own and in this moment it felt like this was it. But as far as ways of going out goes, at least it would be with a bang. Dean's face appeared in my mind. A flash of our life together. No regrets. The next thing I knew there was a searing pain in my neck as teeth set in.
There was yelling, screaming, and the sound of fighting. My neck was painful and still felt warm from my blood. I moved my wrists, the ropes dug into them. The pain searing up my arms. Gordon was strong but it wasn't the first time I had been tied up and it wouldn't be the last. All I knew was that I wasn't dead and I was slightly surprised about that. It didn't help that I could still feel the blood flowing from the wounds. The fighting seemed to intensify as I continued to struggle with the ropes. Trying to find anything that I would be able to use to cut the ropes. I was grabbed and thrown before my muffled screaming filled the room as she racked her nails down my back. She picked me up and threw me again. Only this time it was through a glass window that must have been leaning against the wall. My mind immediately went into action as my fingers fumbled for a piece big enough to hold. I could hear the vampire pacing in front of me. She could smell the blood and she wasn't going to be able to hold herself back for long. I had already started to cut the ropes when her quick steps meant she was coming for me again. Her teeth sunk into my neck again. I tried to cut faster but I was getting weak.
Finally freeing myself I shoved her away from before I pulled the gag and blindfold off. My eyes took too long to adjust. I was grabbed and thrown again. I stood and brought my hands up. I wasn't sure if I had the strength to fight her but I would try. She yelled out and lunged at me. I still had the shard of glass in my hand and I stabbed it through her neck, using all the strength I had left to pull it through her neck, semi-decapitating her. I quickly grabbed her hair and finished the job, dropping to my knees as her body fell to the floor. I put my hands on my neck to feel the holes she had caused. Blood was still coming out of them. My eyes adjusted and I slowly managed to get to my feet, stumbling toward the door. I was lightheaded and weak, but my guys were here. They were here and I would help them no matter what condition I was in.
Following the sounds of the men, I found Dean staring through a broken door. Looking through another I was in time to witness Sam decapitating Gordon with barbed wire. Looking at Dean, his face said something was wrong. Frowning, I looked back at Sam. He looked dangerous. Something was off. With my hand on my neck I went to Dean.
"Hey." I said looking down at him.
"Hey." He replied looking up at me. "You okay?" He frowned.
"I'd say I missed all the fun but I was having some of my own." I told him as I held out my hand to him.
"You look like shit." He said taking my hand.
"Thank you." I frowned as I helped pull him to his feet. He looked at me up and down before meeting my eyes. I gave him a small smile. He gently rubbed my cheek with his thumb before pulling me against him. "Sorry, for getting caught again. I guess that's what I get for being a woman." I told him.
"And Dean's biggest weakness." Sam said putting an arm around me.
"That's been pointed out more than once." I replied as I leaned against the wall.
"You okay?" Dean frowned as he assessed my neck.
"Just suffering from blood loss. Nothing out of the ordinary." I smiled at him.
"Cute." Dean nodded with a small smile.
"I thought so." I grinned, nodding back at him.
The night was spent being cleaned and patched up. Sam's hands, my neck and other wounds, Dean's various wounds…it was always something and would always be something. After everything had been dealt with and we settled down, Sam disappeared for a little while. He needed a little time alone. I got that. It was almost nice. With him out of the room Dean and I could be alone. Something that didn't happen often enough.
"How are you feeling?" Dean asked as we laid in bed together.
"Lousy." I told him. "But I'll be okay."
"We were cutting it a bit close this time." He stated.
"What did you expect? We were dealing with Gordon." I told him.
"He's dead now. We don't have to worry about him anymore." He replied as he ran his fingers through my hair. "Now sleep."
"I don't wanna sleep." I told him, whining.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Because every time I sleep…" I said looking up at him. "I lose precious hours with you."
He just looked at me, a soft expression on his face. "But when you sleep, I get to watch you. I love that just as much." He replied sweetly.
I smiled and kissed him deeply. "Every once in a while you really have a way with the words."
"Yeah, well, you bring out the best in me." He said kissing me again.
"You bring out the best in me too." I told him, kissing him deeply.
With my head on his chest I fell asleep. Knowing that we still had time. Time to do everything we needed to. Experience the things we needed to. Share the moments I would hold dear for the rest of my life. Almost hoping it was shorter than it would more than likely be.